Page 74 of Phoenix Rising

Elijah cursed. “Those two dumbasses. I should’ve never trusted them. Why didn’t you say something then?”

Hunter shrugged. “It wasn’t my place.”

“I appreciate your discretion, Henry. I trusted you more than those two imbeciles.”

Mistake. Hunter couldn’t wait to toss his ass in jail and lose the key.

“I should’ve taken care of Rob when he put his hands on Tina.” Elijah shook his head. “I don’t know how you didn’t kill him, Henry.”

Oh, he’d wanted to, but Hunter’s coworkers, Mason Rossi and Sawyer Oldham, had done the job for him. “Rob and Clint are both dead now, so they got what they had coming to them.”As will you soon.

“Elijah, the police told us you killed the nurse from the hospital where Tilly was being treated, but I do not believe them,” Talia said faithfully.

Elijah winced.

“You killed her too,” Talia accused.

Elijah held his hands out in a placating gesture. “Tilly’s life was on the line. I had no choice. Cindi was nice to me, and I hated to do it, but I couldn’t risk her telling the cops about me. Tilly’s life depended on it.”

No,Elijah’slife depended on it. Big difference.

“Please tell me you don’t think less of me because of what I had to do to shield my sister. Tina?”

Talia paused before answering. “You did what was needed to protect Tilly.” Perfect non-answer.

Elijah swung his hopeful gaze to him. “Henry?”

Seeing how he already thought the worst of him and couldn’t go any lower, Hunter honestly said, “I don’t think less of you.”

Elijah sighed in relief, and then he hugged them again. It took everything in Hunter not to squeeze until the murderous rat’s head popped off his shoulders.

#

It was all Talia could do to refrain from landing a haymaker on Elijah’s right temple. He would go down faster than a popped balloon. Then, she could use the toe of the Christian Louboutin heels she detested wearing to render him a eunuch. Or maybe she’d use the tweezers in her suitcase. They would be about the right size for the job.

Talia was genuinely sad about what it would do to Tilly when Elijah went to prison for the rest of his miserable life. The only good thing he had going for him was his love for his sister. Talia truly believed he’d made some decisions on her behalf, but most were to protect himself. And murder was never the solution.

Still, she would try to be civil to get the answers they needed. She could tell her husband was afraid she would go rogue and rip Elijah’s beating heart out of his chest. Eh, odds were fifty-fifty. “Where did you take Tilly after you fled from the hospital?”

“We went to stay with a friend of my father’s. Josiah Porter. He’s practically an uncle to Tilly and me.”

“She was able to convalesce there?”

“Yes, though she still needs to use a walker.”

“How did you land here at Spiritual Beginnings?” Hunter asked.

Talia could tell by the set of his jaw that he felt the same way about wanting to pound Elijah into dust. She longed to smooth her hand over her husband’s handsome face and help him relax. It physically pained her when her love was upset.

“The uncle I was telling you about, this is his place. He used to preach here but retired and wanted me to run it.”

“That was nice of him,” Talia conceded.

“It was, it was,” Elijah agreed. “He made sure Tilly was set for life. I can never repay him for giving us that peace of mind.”

Talia wasn’t sure how to bring up Paige Stockton’s disappearance. Elijah was exceptionally chatty, so they needed to pounce in case he decided to clam up. Before she could say anything, an alarm sounded. Elijah glanced at his watch.

“Oh, shoot. I need to gather the attendees and make sure they’re in for the night. Go ahead and get your things. I’ll show you your room.”

---