murmurs.”
“Great. Tell us what you know.”
Lucian gave them everything he had. He didn’t hold back, and that was amazing in itself. Minutes ago, he’d seemed hesitant, but now he was relaxed.
Well, as relaxed as a man, who was seeing murders, could be when he knew more death was coming his way.
“I know this isn’t over,” he offered. “I have a headache right now, and I can feel it beginning.”
“What’s beginning?”
“He’s hunting,” Avalon said, breaking her silence. “The killer has someone in mind. It’s a matter of time. The visions are going to be coming, and soon.”
Lucian agreed with her. “I don’t know if I can survive them,” he said. “They’re like knives being shoved into my brain.”
“You’ll be okay,” Avalon offered. “I can help you.”
She moved closer.
“I really don’t want to do this,” Lucian said. “This part of my life is over. I don’t know why you think I can help you.”
It wasn’t so much that she thought he could help. The universe believed he was the center of this. That’s why it led her right to him.
“We’ll find who’s doing this,” Nate offered. “You do your thing, and let us do ours.”
“If I help, can you leave my name out of it?” he asked. “I want to be forgotten. I don’t want to be seen.”
Luke laughed. “Uh, we want our names out of it. You don’t have to worry about us. We like to stay in the shadows.”
Lucian stared at the man.
“Really, my face doesn’t bother any of you?”
“No.” they all said together.
Lucian thought about it. “Okay, count me in, but only as long as Avalon helps me through it. I don’t know if I can do this alone.”
Nate went to say something, but Luke kicked him in the shin to shut him the hell up.
He knew his partner, and the man had the worst timing. He also got loopy over Avalon. That he got, since he felt the same about Maura when other men were near.
He just knew better.
His wife would kick his ass.
“We’re going to help,” Luke offered.
All of the sudden, Avalon stood up. They all looked over. There appeared to be a breeze around her, blowing her red hair around.
“Avi, what’s wrong?” Nate asked, standing.
“Here they come.”
It was all she got to say.
Lucian grabbed his head, and he screamed. As he dropped to his knees, Avalon crawled toward him on the floor. She took his hands in hers and began whispering to him.
“Just hold on. Just hold on.”
Everyone watched in horror as the man was writhing in agony.
“Stop. The. Pain!”
Avalon couldn’t.
But she could use it to hone in on the killer. So, that was what she did. She dove in, praying that she could help or Lucian wasn’t going to survive this.
At all…
* * * O R A C L E * * *
He took his time with the man.
At one time, the heap of meat had a name—now not so much. Dale Plunkett had been a defense attorney, but that was then.
Now he was nothing more than a ruined pile of flesh.
There was no mercy.
He cut off his ears.
He chopped off his fingers.
All while he was alive.
To him, the man deserved it. When he was screaming and writhing in pain, he offered up all the people who deserved to suffer alongside him.
It was perfect.
As he died in that quivering pile of pathetic-ness, it was time to put the body where they’d find him.
That was the goal.
In order to give a message, they needed to locate the man.
The only place he really thought would be justice wasn’t a good choice, so he went with somewhere else.
He went with his gut.
There was another attorney who deserved to suffer for all the years of letting the people down.
So, it was decided.
He would make sure that before dawn, when it was safe to do the deed, that he placed Dale where he would be forever memorialized.
Then he laughed, checking one more off his list. This was perfect. They were dropping like flies.
He
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