Page 64 of Phoenix Rising

Christian looked over to see the medics lifting Jamie to a gurney as firefighters assessed her damaged car. He gave a rundown of what had transpired, leaving out his part. He’d wait for the detective before he supplied that nugget of information.

“This your vehicle?”

Christian glanced over at another officer standing in front of his SUV. “Yes.”

“Looks like you’ve got some front-end damage.” He pointed to the dent. “Did you cause this accident?”

“I told you, it was a black sedan.”

“Hey, man, I saw it too,” the other witness chimed in. “It was missing a windshield.”

Heads turned when a car pulled up, and a woman stepped out. Her gaze took in the scene. She stopped in front of them. “Someone called for me?”

Christian tipped his head to the side. “Can I talk to you over here?”

She eyed him warily. “Sure.”

He moved away from the others so they couldn’t be overheard and reached into his pocket.

“Hey.” Detective Beaumont manacled his wrist with an iron grip.

He forgot he was dealing with a suspicious cop. “I’m reaching for identification.” She studied him again before releasing him with a nod. “My name is Christian Zamora, and I work for COBRA Securities.” He flashed his badge.

“Ah.” She pointed to the wreckage. “This has something to do with Reese Reneau and Audria Giroux?”

Christian gave her a rundown of the earlier fire alarm at the resort, the vehicle that tried to run them off the road, and his retaliatory measures.

She typed notes into her tablet. “Did you get the plate number?”

“There wasn’t one.”

“I’m not surprised. Have they figured out who might be targeting them yet?”

Christian was reluctant to share their discovery about the infamous Lightkeeper. If the police raided his business and arrested him, they might not discover what had happened to Paige. “No, not yet.”

Detective Beaumont studied him again, but he had an ironclad poker face. She slipped her tablet into a pocket. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Reese took a roundabout way to the house BeBe had found, getting them well and truly lost in the hills surrounding Sedona. Christian had taken care of the tail, but Reese needed to be sure there weren’t any others. Their vehicle was compromised, so Audria had already called and arranged for another one to be delivered to their new accommodations.

The GPS instructed Reese to make the next right turn, and he stopped at a black iron gate. Audria recited a code, and he punched in the numbers on a keypad. The gate slid open. Audria had phoned Talia and Hunter to let them know they’d be late, and Christian, too, as he handled the police.

Reese glanced out the windshield at the house in front of them. “Impressive.” It was a modern custom home masterpiece of stone, glass, and wood perched on a ridge. The entire back of the house was constructed of windows, with a view of the sweeping red rock panoramas and lights of Sedona below.

Once they entered, they discovered it featured five en-suite main bedrooms with gas fireplaces, a heated pool, tennis courts, a gym, a hot tub, and a sauna. The kitchen was a chef’s dream with Thermador appliances.

“How did BeBe . . . never mind.” That the woman could find a place like this with security in minutes was nothing short of miraculous. He was going to quit questioning her abilities.

“You know, I think BeBe researches houses in the area when agents are assigned to a case,” Audria revealed. “Even if they don’t need to use them, she’s prepared. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

It was late, and they’d missed dinner. Christian called to let them know he would stop for pizza. BeBe had ordered grocery delivery, so Reese and Hunter met the driver outside the gate. After carrying the food inside, Reese tipped him and ensured he exited before returning to the house.

A cheesy, tomato-y, doughy scent tinged with basil, garlic, and oregano permeated the kitchen when Christian walked in with a handful of boxes. Everyone dug in with relish, eating while Christian filled them in on what had happened.

“I’m glad you kept the information about Elijah from Detective Beaumont,” Audria said around a mouthful of veggie pizza. “I imagine she would have immediately acted if she knew a wanted fugitive was living under her nose.”

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