Page 3 of Phoenix Rising

Reese and Gennie had dated in prep school. He’d been the captain of the football and basketball teams; she’d been head cheerleader. The cliché couple. When he’d been offered a basketball scholarship to a Division One school, Gennie had followed. They had continued dating on and off through college, even when he’d gone on to obtain his law degree.

It hadn’t all been roses and sunshine. There had been rocky times, and they’d broken up more than once. Somehow, they’d always ended up back together and eventually married.

Being bound by vows hadn’t improved their relationship as Reese assumed it would. Going home became a chore. Reese had hoped that his feelings for her would return by having children, but Gennie had refused even to entertain the idea of getting pregnant unless he quit his job. It was an ultimatum, and hadn’t sat well with him. She obviously wanted kids, even collecting items to fill a nursery. She knew how much his career meant to him, especially since he’d bucked the family law firm in favor of the government. She also knew how hard he’d worked to get to where he was in the Bureau.

Reese would readily admit that his job often kept him away from home, sometimes for days. Bad guys didn’t follow banker’s hours. At first, he had tried to make it up to Gennie by sending random gifts or surprising her with dinner plans or a long weekend when he could get away. Eventually, those didn’t placate her anymore.

It wasn’t as if she sat at home pining away for him. She was involved with several charitable organizations and even worked in public relations with her family’s oil and shipping businesses.

When she’d given him the ultimatum, he’d known that was the end of their marriage. He would always love Gennie, but he hadn’t been in love with her for a long time.

As if his memories had conjured her, his phone trilled Taylor Swift’sWe Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. It was a childish move to set the breakup song as Gennie’s ringtone. He’d done it after one too many of her calls wanting to talk or needing his advice or help. She phoned him more after the divorce than when they had been together.

He was tempted to let the call go through to voicemail, but he knew from experience that he’d eventually have to deal with it. Might as well get it over with now.

With a resigned sigh, he answered. “Hello, Genevieve.”

“Hello, Reese. How are you, darling?”

That was another thing. She still used pet names, and it drove him crazy, but he’d pull out his service revolver and shoot himself in the foot before pointing it out to her. She had a tender heart and cried at the drop of a hat. “I’m great.”

“Still working too much?”

“Well, you did accuse me of that many times. It’s what I do best, remember?” She’d said that to him during their divorce proceedings.

“I didn’t mean that, darling.”

Oh, she did. She could deny it all she wanted, but the truth was Gennie wanted a man who kept regular working hours so he would be home to take care of her. She often complained about Reese being too focused on his job and not enough on her. It had been a bone of contention their entire dating life. “Is there a reason you called?” He hated to be rude, but Gennie could talk the ears off a marble statue.

There was a long pause, and he thought she might be pouting at his abruptness. Either that, or he’d disappointed her. He’d done that a lot during their marriage, too, according to her. Finally, she spoke. “I’ve missed you, Reese.”

He closed his eyes and rubbed at a budding headache. He couldn’t have this conversation again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Gennie, but Taylor had said it best: they were never ever getting back together. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt.

When he didn’t respond, she signed dramatically. “I do miss you, darling, but I called because I need a favor.”

He inwardly groaned. Gennie always needed something. He thought his signature on the divorce papers would end it, but he’d been wrong. “What is it this time?”

“Paige is missing.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” He tried to inject the right amount of sympathy into his tone but was afraid he’d failed miserably.

“I know you don’t like her, but I want you to find her.”

“Gennie, you know I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can, Reese. She’s my best friend.”

Paige and Gennie had met in kindergarten and been as close as sisters since. She’d attended the same prep school as Gennie and him, so Reese had gotten to know her well over the years. Paige was an investigative reporter, and sometimes her job was dangerous.

“She turned the Federal Bureau of Investigation upside down.”

“And whose fault was that? Certainly not Paige’s. It was the men and women who’d corrupted it and broke the law, Reese. She only exposed it.”

Gennie was right. He hated that some people took an oath to uphold the Constitution and did the opposite. It galled him that men and women he’d worked with day in and day out were so utterly devoid of principles. He’d lost several friends because of their involvement, and good riddance. Despite the turmoil it had caused, he was glad Paige had uncovered their crimes and they were now behind bars where they belonged.

“She’s gone dark before, Gennie,” he reminded her. Paige would go underground when working on a hot lead until she could pull the trigger on the story. Besides the corrupt members of the FBI, she’d also brought down a U.S. senator and a Supreme Court justice, not to mention business executives on several levels. She’d won numerous awards for her work, but she was anything but popular among the law enforcement community.

“This time is different, Reese. I can feel it. She called to tell me she had a lead on a big story, and she’d be blowing the lid off soon. That was over a week ago. Now I can’t get in touch with her at all. Before, when she’d work on a story, I’d text her, and she’d call back instantly. She told me she purposely left her cell phone at home and to email if I needed to contact her. She hasn’t answered any of the messages I’ve sent. I even tried calling the resort where she’s staying. Reese, I’m getting desperate. I’m afraid something happened to her.”

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