Page 129 of Oracle Returns: Time will Stop

“I know, J. I know. Only, we promised that if Avalon needed us, we’d come. She rarely puts out the call, so we need to keep our word and handle this. We both know that this part is right up our alley, and what we do. Nighttime creeping is our thing.”

He was aware.

Only, all of this brought back bad memories for him. The last time they were creeping for Avalon, he’d been married to another woman, and his current wife had a different husband. It made him uneasy to think about it.

And an uneasy Marine was a nightmare to manage.

“Let’s just do what she asked,” Maura suggested. There was no doubt in her mind this was taking him back to a time and place he didn’t like thinking about.

Her.

Too.

Thinking about Luke was difficult, since now, she had so much more love for this man, than she had for her first husband.

That guilt…it ate at her.

“And if we find something?” Jagger asked. “Then what do you want to do?”

Oh, she knew what they needed to do, but ‘want’ had nothing to do with it.

“Then, we handle it. The sooner this is done, the sooner we’re getting out of here. We both want to head home.”

Yeah, that was the damn truth.

Jagger was to the point.

He’d thought long and hard about this, and while he normally was good with letting his wife make the decisions, this was a no-go for him.

“This is our last mission with Oracle. We have other issues in NOLA and need to be there.”

By the tone in Jagger’s voice, she could hear the tension, and she knew why.

They had children and family back in NOLA, and he didn’t want to risk them by not being available.

Instead of arguing, she gave him this. Jagger rarely asked for anything and instead went along with anything she asked.

“I’m good with that,” she said. “I think Avalon is, too, actually. She’s not an idiot. I’m sure she’s aware of our discontent and the problems this brings up. Our worlds shifted, and we have different duties.”

That they did.

Before Jagger could say anything, they both heard the soft melodious laughter, proving Maura was right.

It was annoying, creepy, and definitely proof that Avalon was connected with them.

“Last time, Avi. This is no longer our cross to bear. Find new people to do this.”

There was silence.

Whether or not that was because she was not happy, or because she was aware, they didn’t know. With so much on the line, they had to let that part of their past go.

They needed to worry about the future.

To distract her husband, Maura pulled out her list.

“Okay, first stop,” she said. “Let’s track this piece of shit, and see if we can cage him in. I want to get home to my babies.”

Yeah, him too.