Page 80 of Phoenix Rising

Elijah lifted his bony shoulders. “I don’t know who that is.”

“She’s the woman who discovered your identity, or at least one of them. I’m guessing Elijah.”

Talia jutted her chin out and pointed at Elijah. “I will have you know, this man is a disciple of the great Creator and would not do the things you are saying. If he says he does not know this Paige Stockton, I believe him. Why, he is practically a saint.”

Reese bit back a smile at the sour look on Talia’s face. It pained her to defend the man, and he didn’t blame her. He was a scoundrel—a murderous one.

Hunter rubbed his chin. “That name sounds familiar. She a celebrity or something?”

“Or something,” Reese responded. “She was an award-winning investigative journalist hot on the trail of Richard Caraway.”

“We do not know who that—”

Reese cut off Talia’s denial. “She was on to him, and he killed her.”

“Henry!” Elijah wailed. “Tell them I didn’t do it.”

Hunter straightened and faced Reese. “You putting anyone under arrest here tonight? If not, it’s time for you to leave.”

“If I need to get a search warrant, it won’t go well for you,” Reese promised.

Hunter crossed his arms. “Get it.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Reese narrowed his eyes at Hunter. “You’re harboring a criminal. You know that, right? That makes you an accomplice, tough guy. Let’s see if you keep that swagger when you’re stuck behind bars without your beautiful wife, who will be serving time herself.”

“Innocent until proven guilty and all that,” Hunter drawled.

Reese glanced at Elijah to see him watching the interaction with rapt fascination. He gazed at Hunter as if he were his hero. If he only knew. “We’ll leave now, but we will be back. Count on it.”

Christian released Elijah with a shove, and he stumbled. Talia stopped his forward progress and whispered something soothing to him.

“Don’t skip town again, Elijah,” Reese warned as they exited the room. “We won’t be this nice next time.”

Hunter slammed the door in their wake, and Reese smiled. Those two would have Elijah singing like a canary soon.

“I hate not having comm devices. We can’t hear what’s happening,” Audria groused.

“Hunter is recording everything,” Christian told her. “We’ll hear it secondhand.”

“Do we wait in here or in the SUV?” Audria wanted to know.

Reese thought about it. They needed to stay close in case Hunter and Talia required help, though he didn’t see that happening. They also needed to be ready to move if he tried to run. “Let’s stay here and wait for them to give us a sign,” he decided.

#

Elijah couldn’t stop shaking. That had been close—too close. He’d almost been caught. If not for Tina and Henry, he would be in federal custody right now. His mind spun, trying to decide what to do. He couldn’t stay in Sedona anymore. That made him miserable because he loved Spiritual Beginnings and the business he was building. Josiah had started it, but Elijah had perfected it. Leaving now would crush him, but his freedom was more important. Thankfully, he’d taken measures to ensure he had the cash to get by, unlike last time when the government had cleaned him out.

A thought struck, and he rubbed at the ache in his chest. He would have to leave Tilly. They’d been together through thick and thin her whole life. Maybe he wasn’t the saint Tina proclaimed, but he’d always tried to do right by his sister. He was especially glad now that he’d found her a group home. As much as Elijah hated to be away from her, they would take care of her. Plus, thanks to him, she was set for life with Josiah’s money. She would survive and possibly thrive without him. That caused another stab of pain in his heart. Tilly didn’t need him anymore.

He wondered what he’d done to give himself away. He’d been so careful. Elijah cursed. It had to have been Josiah Porter. He didn’t think the old codger would be found for years, possibly decades. The man was a hermit. What had made the authorities search for him? Elijah had hoped that when his body was found, time and the elements would’ve done their job, and he’d be nothing but a pile of dusty bones. Apparently not, since they had been able to determine his cause of death.

“Elijah, did you kill your uncle, Josiah Porter?” Tina asked point-blank.

He opened his mouth to lie, but these two people were his only hope. He would be lost without them. “I didn’t want to, but he was old and not doing well. I provided a service to him.”

“What about Paige Stockton?” Henry questioned. “How did you kill her?”

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