Page 84 of Phoenix Rising

There was no telling how many other people were inside. Talia hoped they heeded the warning and got out.

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Audria glanced at her watch. Approximately two minutes. That’s all the time they had, if Elijah could be believed. She hadn’t seen him with Talia and Hunter, so she had no idea what had happened to him. Right now, she only cared about the innocent people caught in his web.

She found the door marked for employees only and pushed it open. It didn’t have a biometric lock like Elijah’s wing.

“Audria, where are you?”

She hated the panicked tone in Reese’s voice, but she needed to make sure everyone got out safely. “I’m getting the employees.”

Several people were standing in the hall, looking confused. “We need to get out.” She repeated the phrase in Spanish, and they all followed her as she retraced her steps.

“Audria,” Reese warned. “I’m coming back in.”

“We’re on our way out.”

She banged on closed doors as she passed. The alarm was still blaring. It would’ve woken even the deepest sleeper.

Reese met her at the exit and grabbed her for a hug. Talia and Hunter herded people to the back of the parking lot while sirens howled in the distance.

“Help me!”

They turned to see a man running for the exit doors.

“Please don’t be Christian,” Audria prayed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Elijah hated to leave Tilly, but he knew Tina and Henry would save her. They might want to put him in jail, but he banked on them not wanting her to suffer. He’d been right. As soon as they ran for the door, he jumped up and threw himself against the bookcase to access his escape tunnel.

He stopped at the safe where he kept a hefty chunk of change he’d pilfered from Josiah Porter. Elijah had learned his lesson the last time the government confiscated his hard-earned cash. This time, he’d been prepared.

The only problem was that his hands shook so hard he had trouble stopping on the correct numbers. He was finally able to dial in the proper sequence, and the latch popped open. Elijah grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder, unprepared for its weight. He was propelled backward until he fell hard on his rear. That meant he had enough cash to take care of himself until he devised another plan. And he would. He’d come back this time as a phoenix rising from the ashes. Maybe next time, it would have something to do with a cat since he always landed on his feet. Elijah laughed manically, seeing as he was currently flat on his behind. He scrambled up and took off.

An image of his innocent sister flashed in his mind, and a cramp in his gut doubled him over. It had been the two of them against the world for so long that he didn’t know how he’d live without her. At least he didn’t have to worry about her financial future.

That was a thought for later. He didn’t have the time now. Elijah reached the exit that opened into the garage he’d built at the same time the tunnel was constructed. He kept a vehicle inside for this purpose. He stabbed at the buttons and had to try three times for the lock to disengage so he could push the door open.

“Freeze, Caraway.”

Elijah jerked his head up and gasped at the giant pointing a gun at him. It was the same guy who’d manhandled him earlier.No, no, no!This wasn’t supposed to happen. His escape route had been meticulously planned. No one knew about it. He darted back inside the tunnel and yelped as he managed to yank the door closed before the lunging man could stop him.

Sweat poured down his face. How much time did he have? When he’d set the explosives, he’d known he would be able to get out before they detonated. Now he had to get through the entire building. Elijah took off running. The bag held him back, but he couldn’t let go of it. It meant his future.

Doors were gaping open as he rushed past. Tina and Henry had probably cleared everyone out. He couldn’t care less if anyone was inside when the building blew up. Every man for himself, as far as he was concerned. What was another body on his kill count, anyway? God would probably balk at letting him in heaven, but Elijah had a plan. He would pray for his forgiveness and do a novena, or whatever the Catholics did to absolve themselves of sin.

A mental clock ticked in Elijah’s head. He was running out of time. Finally, he reached the lobby. He could see a group gathered at the back of the parking lot. Just a few more steps.

“Help me!” he cried, hoping someone would come to his aid. “Henry! Tina! Tilly!”

They were his last words before the world exploded into a red-hot, scorching ball of fire.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Reese realized the man rushing for the exit wasn’t Christian but Elijah. His cries were cut off abruptly as the ground rumbled ominously, and then the building detonated into giant flames. People screamed as Elijah was launched high into the air. What looked like dollar bills fluttered like fireworks and floated to the ground as he crashed to the pavement with a sickening thud.

Some people tried to rush for the money but were quickly stopped by the police who had arrived. Reese took off with Audria and Hunter to check on Elijah. Talia stayed to comfort a sobbing Tilly.

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