Page 50 of Phoenix Rising

“Not yet.”

Detective Beaumont nodded. “Once again, I ask that you keep me in the loop. I don’t appreciate citizens getting shot or run over in my town.”

“Understood.”

Reese stood and shook her hand. Audria followed suit. “We’ll be in touch,” he promised.

“Go to the emergency room and have that wound cleaned,” she ordered as they left the conference room.

Reese waved over his shoulder and followed Audria outside.

“She’s right, you know.” Audria fussed with the bandage. “You should have it stitched.”

“It’s fine, Audria.”

He didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try something outside the police station. Still, Reese studied their surroundings, looking for anything out of place. He noticed Audria doing the same thing. As they climbed into the SUV, her phone chimed with a text. “Talia, Hunter, and Christian landed. They’re on their way to the resort.” Her thumbs flew over the keys as she responded. “They’re going to meet us in our room.”

Reese drove back to the hotel and parked in the underground lot. They took the elevator to the lobby and stopped by to see Terry.

“Have you had a chance to talk to Raphael yet?”

“No. He doesn’t arrive for another hour or so.”

“One of my coworkers will be here soon. I’d like him to be there when you question him,” Audria said.

“No problem. I’ll give you a call.”

They’d missed lunch because of the trip to the police station, so they detoured to the coffee shop in the lobby and picked up something to eat.

#

Audria had just finished her turkey sandwich when a knock sounded. She tossed the box and napkin in the trash and opened the door to her coworkers.

“Nice room,” Christian Zamora said after he hugged her and sauntered inside. “Honeymoon suite, eh? Something you aren’t telling us?”

Audria rolled her eyes. “They comped it to us after our belongings were destroyed.”

“Sure, sure, that’s what they all say,” he teased, and she slugged him on the arm. He laughed and rubbed the spot. “Look at that view.”

“This is a gorgeous hotel,” Talia McGrath agreed. “Our room is lovely.”

“Reese. Nice to see you again,” Hunter said, shaking his hand.

Audria introduced Talia and Christian to him, and they exchanged pleasantries.

“Let’s go out on the deck to talk,” Audria suggested. Once they were all seated, she said, “We had a development today.” She told them about the shooting.

“Someone is very threatened,” Hunter said. “They’re escalating.”

“You should start at the beginning and tell us everything,” Talia suggested.

Audria let Reese expand on Paige’s background and what brought them to Sedona. She filled them in on their investigation so far, including the transactions between suspected drug dealer Vincenzo Fusco and both Yogi Vishnu and Raphael Ramsey.

“Wow, Paige Stockton,” Hunter said with a shake of his head. “Don’t get me wrong, what she did was the absolutely right thing, and I’m glad she exposed the corruption, but she sure shook things up at the Bureau.”

“You’ve got that right,” Reese concurred. “We still haven’t fully recovered.”

“If she was your friend, did she give you a heads up on what she was working on?” Talia wondered.

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