Page 27 of Phoenix Rising

“It was okay.”

She had a feeling it had been more than okay. “Did you at least have fun?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t do any of that stuff when I was young.”

Audria’s heart broke for him. He was a poor little rich boy, but he’d never been able to be a kid. She was about to make him smile. “I’ve got some big news.”

“What? That Pops is a closet pedophile?”

“No . . . well, maybe. He gives off that vibe, doesn’t he? I’m talking about my partner. She’s done this sixteen times—”

“Sixteen?”

Audria nodded. “I know, I don’t get it either. Anyway, her last partner was a woman named Jan from Boston.”

Reese stopped, and his jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. We actually caught a break?”

“A small one,” Audria admitted. “She didn’t know why Paige was here, nor where she was going next.”

Audria took out her phone and texted the office to see if they could find out what last name Paige was using. It would make tracking her movements easier if they knew her alias.

Five minutes later, her phone chimed with a text message. “Rather.”

“You’d rather what?” Reese asked.

“Paige’s fake last name.”

“Jan Rather. Oh, I get it. Like Dan, the beloved news reporter. Cute.”

Audria chuckled as she sent a message back to the office to see if they could find any trace of Jan Rather. She hadn’t put that connection together. It made her wonder if Paige usually used a riff of famous reporters’ names.

Audria hadn’t mentioned the furries to Reese yet. She’d spring it on him after she made a reservation since she had a feeling it wouldn’t go over well. Once they were back inside their suite, she claimed the bathroom first. After showering and brushing her teeth, Reese took his turn while she plugged in her COBRA Securities laptop. Many of their supplies, including a weapons cache, were locked in the SUV in the garage. She didn’t worry about anything happening to the computer. No one could breach Tyler Redmond’s security. If someone besides Audria tried to log in, the hard drive would wipe itself clean.

Audria searched for the furries class Jules said Paige had attended. She found it and reserved spots for her and Reese tomorrow. The only other thing on their agenda was the spiritual awareness session in the afternoon. After that, they would have to decide what to do next. Nothing stood out yet. Yogi Vishnu might be a drug dealer, but as Reese had said, that wouldn’t have brought Paige to Sedona. Ron Akers seemed legit, but there might be more under the surface. Pops Calhoun gave Audria the creeps, but nothing was illegal about that. Maybe their last two activities would bear fruit.

Reese exited the bathroom, and Audria’s breath hitched. It seemed as if she’d loved him forever—no! Not loved. Liked . . . oh, who was she kidding? She loved him. He was why none of her dates had gone anywhere over the last few years. She compared other men to him, and they always came up short.

Her phone chimed with a text, pulling her from her thoughts. She read the message. Jan Rather was registered for all their booked sessions, plus the furries class. Other than that, there was nothing. She’d disappeared into thin air.

“What are you working on?” Reese nodded at her computer. He wore a sleeveless tank top and shorts, showcasing his impressive muscles. It was almost impossible to tear her gaze away, but she did.

“I’m finalizing our plans for tomorrow.”

“What’s on the schedule?”

“We have two more opportunities to discover what brought Paige here.”

“Two? I thought there was only one left. We’ve done the yoga class, the hypnosis, and the inner child-finding thing. Isn’t spiritual awareness it?”

“It was, until my partner today said she told Paige about a program, and she was interested. She even booked a session while Jules was with her.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

This was going to be fun. Or not. “We’re going LARPing tomorrow.”

“Uh, what?”

“Live action role-playing.”

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