Page 89 of Phoenix Rising

His boss stopped in to check on him and asked that she call him on his personal cell phone if his condition worsened. He promised to stop by again in the morning.

Audria sat beside his bed, holding his hand and talking to him in case he could hear her. She told him about the house she planned on building at the COBRA Securities compound and hoped he would want to visit her there someday. She didn’t reveal that she wanted him to move in with her, though that was her greatest wish. When his team scored, she gave him the rundown like a color analyst.

Nurses came and went, and when they graciously wheeled in a cot for her, she thanked them but didn’t move from beside his bed.

“Audria?”

She jumped to her feet, ecstatic to see those crystal-blue eyes open. She brushed a strand of inky black hair from his forehead. “Hey. How do you feel?”

He smiled crookedly. “Good, now that I see you. I think I might be flying. Are my feet on the ground?”

She smiled. “Well, not really. You’re lying in bed.”

“Well, it’s good now, so I’ll bask in it. I’m sure that will change when the meds wear off. How are you besides beautiful?”

Her heart squeezed at the words. “I’m better now that you’re awake.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he warned as his lids fluttered, and then he was out again.

With a sigh, she dropped back to her seat but felt infinitely better now that he’d woken up. She must’ve dozed because a sound had her head popping up. She blinked, and her stomach roiled. Slowly, she rose to her feet. “Genevieve.”

“Hello, Audria,” Reese’s ex-wife said in her syrupy-sweet drawl. “It’s so good to see you.”

Before she knew what was happening, Audria was engulfed in a Chanel No. 5-scented hug. Genevieve pulled back and grabbed her hands. “Thank you for bringing justice to Paige. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know that the person responsible for her,” she cleared her throat, “death was brought to justice.”

“It was a group effort. I’m sorry for your loss.” Audria forced herself not to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes. Genevieve looked like a beauty queen, while Audria resembled day-old roadkill. Probably smelled like it, too, since she hadn’t had a chance to shower in the last twenty-four hours. She still had Reese’s blood on her shirt.

“Thank you. I still can’t believe she’s gone.” Genevieve dabbed at her eyes as she moved to Reese’s side and brushed the hair from his forehead as Audria had done earlier.

“How did you know Reese had been shot?”

“The hospital called me. I’m his emergency contact. I chartered a flight here as soon as possible.”

Well, wasn’t that nice? Divorced over a year, almost two, and he hadn’t changed his emergency contact. Also, it must be sweet to possess enough money to have a freaking airplane at your beck and call. She was nowhere near Reese’s league. Genevieve was.

“He looks pale.” Genevieve turned to Audria with a panicked look. “Doesn’t he look pale? Should I call the nurse?”

Nausea welled in Audria’s throat. These two had a long history together. They had loved each other. Been married. She wasn’t privy to the information, but if Audria had to guess why they had divorced, she would bet it was because Reese was a workaholic. Good for the United States and the people he saved. Bad for the wife waiting for him to come home each night.

“Now that you’re here, I’ll leave. It was good to see you, Genevieve.” Reese called her Gennie, but Audria couldn’t make herself do it.

“You too, Audria. And thank you again. I am forever in your debt.”

Audria glanced one last time at the man she loved and walked out the door. She didn’t have a vehicle and didn’t want to call one of her coworkers to come after her, so she took a rideshare. Thankfully, she’d stored the house’s address and security code in her phone. She let the others know she would arrive soon and made it to her room—the one she’d shared with Reese—without running into them.

Stripping off her clothes, Audria padded to the bathroom, turned the taps on the tub, and slid inside once it filled. Then she proceeded to cry until her stomach ached.

Chapter Thirty-One

Reese became aware of his surroundings slowly. A blood pressure cuff that squeezed his arm like an anaconda. Beeping machines. A hand holding his, providing comfort. A shoulder that felt like a locomotive had run over it. The screaming antics of a reality television show. Then he recalled waking once before to the most wonderful sight in the world and smiled. “Audria.”

“No, darling, it’s me, Gennie.”

Genevieve?He forced his lids open to see his ex-wife looking like a million bucks. She truly was one of the most beautiful women in the universe, but hers wasn’t the face he wanted to see, and she couldn’t hold a candle to Audria. Gennie cupped his cheek. “How do you feel, darling?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted as he lifted his head and searched the room.

“I’m the only one here. Were you expecting someone else?”

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