Read Online Oracle Rising by Morgan Kelley - Free Book Online Page B

wanted in life.
    Why?
    Well, it may have had something to do with her connections. Mandy’s daddy was the mayor.
    And this was going to make this a million times worse.
    Rhett knew that as soon as she was ID’d, the real nightmare was about to begin for him. Standing between the shit and the fan, when the explosion happened, was going to be the sheriff’s department.
    Ultimately, he knew who was going to get the blame. It was going to be riding on his back. Just the mere idea stressed him out. His large hands ran through his hair in frustration.
    This wasn’t going to go well, and he knew it. It was only a matter of time.
    After all, Rhett was a smart man.
    He’d grown up there, he’d worked his way up from deputy to elected sheriff, and he could smell trouble a mile away.
    This wasn’t their first suspicious death in town, but it was the first one where the victim was burned.
    In his head, he kept praying it was faulty wiring. If that turned out to be the case, his ass was out of the sling with the mayor’s office.
    If the universe loved him, he’d get lucky. He was due for some positivity in his life. It had been thirty eight years of shittastic luck.
    Then reality set in.
    Yeah, he was screwed.
    Looking around, he checked out the crowd that had gathered. They were staring, pointing, and taking pictures. They obviously knew who lived there.
    Yep.
    The mayor would be alerted well before he could get the ID—that was for sure. Gossip in small towns was wicked, and Crosspointe was about as small as you could get. There was no way he was going to stay ahead of this runaway train. Rhett wanted to yank out his brown hair in frustration.
    All he wanted was to do his damn job.
    He loved Crosspointe, and he loved the people there. His daddy had been sheriff before him, and he wanted to carry on the legacy.
    This was home.
    This was his past, present, and future.
    Rhett would never leave the town that had formed and schooled him, and he’d never abandon his duty to the people there. Everything he ever wanted was right there.
    He had a nice cabin.
    He had a good job.
    He had happiness.
    After a few rough years, he finally achieved what he wanted more than anything— peace.
    Now, he was going to keep his fingers crossed and pray that they didn't have something more than an accidental death on their hands.
    As he watched the local ME pulling the charred remains from the building, he could see the flashes of cameras.
    Well, shit!
    This sucked.
    Scanning the crowd, his search found someone who didn't look morbidly fascinated. In fact, she looked horrified by what was going on. The look on her face said it all. She wasn’t watching the firemen or the ME. She was staring at the black body bag, and she was scared.
    He studied her.
    Curiosity was getting the best of him and for so many reasons.
    It was hard not to notice her. As a man, he wasn’t immune to her. After all, she was pretty.
    No, that wasn’t true.
    She was gorgeous.
    Her silky dark hair was set off by the chocolate brown eyes beneath thick eyelashes. When she blinked, he found it hard to not watch the long lashes kiss her pale flesh.
    It was like a punch to his gut.
    Who the hell was this?
    One of the other benefits of a small town was that everyone knew everyone else. Yet, he’d never seen her before. Had he, well…he would have made a point to get to know her.
    On a personal level.
    As he watched her, he was fascinated. She was chewing on her lower lip as she stared at the mess going on behind him.
    Rhett was three days past curious.
    Not only did this beautiful stranger stand out, but she caught his attention with her simple motions. He never thought he’d give a rat’s ass about eyelashes, but he was drawn to hers.
    And her lips.
    Lord have mercy!
    They were full and pouty.
    Rhett wouldn’t mind taking that mouth out for a spin. For some reason, he bet she smelled amazing. A beautiful woman always had an arsenal of things that could break a man down, and