Page 21 of Phoenix Rising

Reese pushed the thoughts from his head and tuned into Ron again. He went on to give suggestions on what to do when Reese felt the urge to smoke, like taking a walk, reading a book, or talking to his wife or a friend.

“You may open your eyes now.” Reese did. “I can tell when someone is susceptible to suggestion, and you are not, Mr. Green. You heard what I said, but it didn’t sink into your subconscious. We can try to go deeper in another session.”

“Ask him about liquid diazepam or ketamine.”

Reese instantly understood Audria’s line of thinking. If Ron were using sedatives to treat people, it might be possible to plant instructions in their subconscious, like robbing a bank, signing over their savings account, or even murder. The patient wouldn’t even realize it. That would be a big enough story to draw Paige’s interest, especially if one of his clients had fallen victim.

Reese sat up. “I’ve heard some hypnotists use liquid diazepam or ketamine to relax patients. Do you think that would work on me?”

Ron shook his head. “I don’t believe in using drugs. It’s too dangerous and unpredictable. If you want to try them, you’ll need to find a different therapist.”

Reese was an excellent judge of character, and he believed Ron. “Thank you for trying. My wife and I will check our schedule, and if I can fit another session in before we leave, I’ll call you, and we can try again.”

Ron handed him a card. “Enjoy the rest of your stay in Sedona. I suggest The Spicy Dish for dinner. You won’t be disappointed.”

Reese shook his hand and followed him back to the lobby. It had been a wasted trip. He knew nothing more about Paige than when he had walked in the door.

#

What in heaven had possessed Audria to tell Reese he was smoking hot? She cringed, remembering the words spewing from her mouth. Truthfully, they spilled out before she could filter them.

She’d been in a silly mood, and teasing always-in-control Reese had seemed like a fun idea at the time. He had started it, telling her to keep an eye on his smokes. Still, Audria wished she’d kept her big fat mouth shut. She knew he’d had training and was immune, but she was afraid she was the reason he hadn’t done a better job of pretending to be hypnotized.

From now on, she vowed to stay professional. Paige Stockton might be in danger, and the more time passed, the more likely it seemed. Audria needed to stay focused on the case, not her fake husband. No more kisses or suggestive comments. They had to pretend to be married, but that didn’t mean they needed to walk hand in hand through the hotel grounds or share an intimate booth at a romantic restaurant. Not all couples were demonstrative.

The door opened, and Reese appeared. Audria’s heart kickstarted, and when he smiled at her, it galloped like a first-place greyhound rounding the track. Oh, she was in serious trouble here. There was no way she could put her feelings for him aside. He’d become too important to her. She trusted him as a coworker. Liked him as a friend. She was afraid she’d already fallen in love with him.

“Ready?”

“Oh. Yes. Sorry, my mind was wandering.”

Reese took her hand, and though her head told her to let go, her heart cried to hang on for dear life.

Chapter Six

After they left the hypnotist’s office, Audria led them to a bench beside a babbling brook. It was tucked beneath a copse of trees, providing shade from the blazing sun. Reese waited until they were seated before he spoke. “You heard everything. What was your take?”

He thought he detected a wince before Audria schooled her features. “It didn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary.”

“I didn’t get that vibe either. It was a good thought to bring up sedatives.”

“I recalled a case the FBI was involved in a few years ago where a young woman about to be married walked off the roof of a building.”

“I remember it,” Reese said. “She’d been drugged while hypnotized for treatments to overcome anorexia.”

“Yeah. The hypnotist had been a former girlfriend of the fiancé and wanted her out of the picture so she could get him back.”

“That storyline would draw Paige here,” Reese conceded. “But I detected no warning flags with Ron.”

“No tingling Spidey sense, huh?”

Reese chuckled. His team often ribbed him about his uncanny ability to detect when things were about to go south or if someone was lying. “No.”

“Maybe he was holding back since it was your first session.”

Reese thought about it. “It’s possible, but I think it’s a dead end.”

“Reese. Look.”

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