Page 91 of Phoenix Rising

Kill him now. “I couldn’t do that when we were married.”

Gennie walked to him, placed a hand on his chest, and kissed him. It was familiar and comfortable and easy. They had always been compatible physically. But it no longer felt right.

“My knight in shining armor,” she murmured, her fingers brushing across the lips she’d kissed. “Always coming to my rescue. How will I live without you?”

“You’ll thrive, Gennie. You always do.”

“Are you sure you won’t stay with me?”

“I’m sorry.”

She wiped more tears. “It’s my fault. I had you and let you go. I hope Audria knows what she has.”

So did Reese.

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Epilogue

Reese spent two days in the hospital, which was twenty-four hours longer than he wanted. He’d vehemently tried to protest, to no avail. The only good thing was that he didn’t have to face the initial crush of media that had descended en masse upon the picturesque town of Sedona.

Even though he hadn’t been working in an official capacity with the FBI, they took full credit for one of their agents bringing two wanted fugitives to justice. He was the toast of the town, the king of Quantico. His boss and a team of public relations personnel had flown in to handle the interviews and press conferences since the FBI desperately needed good publicity. They’d made Reese their poster boy. When Reese woke up and was told what was happening, he made sure COBRA Securities got most of the credit. Christian informed him he, along with Audria, Hunter, and Talia, had acted as the official spokespeople, and others from their PR team also arrived. Once again, he was glad he missed the maelstrom. However, since he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid them forever, he gave an interview to one of the Bureau’s reps and one from COBRA Securities for them to distribute to the various media outlets.

William Rian Farmington had been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Penny Gibbons. Detectives concluded his parents had aided his escape from authorities, and they were also taken into custody. It had been their idea to pull their son’s teeth and plant them with a pile of bones—Reese wasn’t sure where they got human remains—and set them on fire, leading investigators to determine Farmington was dead.

Farmington’s father had gone to school with Homer Duncan, or Namean, the leader of the furries. The father had asked his old friend to give his wife’s cousin a job, and he’d agreed. According to him, Duncan hadn’t known that the man was his friend’s son, William, after he’d been grilled for hours by detectives.

Becoming a furry had been a way for Farmington to hide in plain sight until the story died down. He’d taken his Bisclavret persona from a French tale written in the twelfth century about a werewolf trapped in lupine form by the treachery of his wife, whom he later attacked and tore off her nose.

Farmington’s downfall had begun one night when he went to the Waterfall bar in Aguas Tranquilas Resort and Spa—his favorite trolling spot—and tried to pick up a woman. Because of the notes found on Paige’s phone in her Georgetown home, the authorities had tracked the woman down. She had confessed to contacting Paige about the man she thought might’ve been Farmington. When asked why she hadn’t notified the authorities herself, she admitted she had been very drunk and wasn’t positive her memory had been correct. Plus, she’d been arrested before and didn’t trust cops. All she remembered about him was the tattoo on his forearm and that he had bragged about conducting one of the seminars in town, but she didn’t remember which one. She’d read a story about Paige and knew she could track the man down and verify if he was the wanted fugitive.

Farmington had been denied bail. In Reese’s opinion, he should’ve been put on suicide watch. Instead, he’d been left alone to wrap the bed sheet around his neck so tightly he couldn’t breathe. He’d denied Penny Gibbons’ family and Paige’s friends the justice they so richly deserved.

Investigators had been able to pry information from him before he died, so at least there was closure. He’d admitted to accidentally killing Penny during one of their volatile fights. He swore he hadn’t meant to do it and panicked when he realized she was dead.

Paige’s murder had been premeditated. She’d broken into Namean’s office to dig for information on Farmington, but he’d discovered who she was and had been waiting for her. He had also been a customer of Vincenzo Fusco, and the drug dealer had procured an injectable sedative for Farmington . . . another crime on his rap sheet. Once Paige was knocked out, Farmington had smothered her. As he’d been disposing of her body, his coworker Riva had spotted him. He’d killed her to keep his secret.

Farmington had confirmed that he’d given Paige’s necklace to Tilly. He had removed the jewelry so it would be harder to identify her body if she was found. He hadn’t wanted to keep it in his possession, and he remembered seeing Tilly handing out flowers to tourists in town. He thought it would be safe to give it to her.

Reese had been relieved to learn that everyone had gotten out of Spiritual Beginnings before it detonated. Elijah The Lightkeeper’s only victim had been himself.

Reese hadn’t heard from Audria since she’d encountered Genevieve in his room, and at first, that had upset him. He’d been mad at her for leaving instead of sticking around and fighting for them. For him. He’d been injured and unable to go to her. She cared about him, he was sure, and she had to know how he felt about her. He’d tried to tell her before the blood loss stole his consciousness.

The more he’d thought about it—and he had often since there was nothing to do but lie in a bed and recuperate—the angrier he’d gotten. Why had she assumed he would rather have his ex-wife at his bedside? Did she think that little of him that he’d make love to her while pining away for Gennie? She hadn’t even fought for him. She’d packed her things and left Arizona with Talia and Hunter. At least the McGraths had stopped to check on him and tell him goodbye.

Genevieve had arranged for Paige’s body to be returned to Washington, D.C., and for her funeral. Reese had signed the papers to be released from the hospital and immediately flown to the nation’s capital to attend the services. It had been a tear-jerker, and Gennie had relied on his support. He didn’t mind giving it to her as a friend. She now understood that they could never be together again.

Detective Tara Beaumont had also been severely injured. Bullets had impacted her legs, causing her to fall and crack her skull on the concrete parking lot. She’d been put in a medically induced coma but was already out of it when Reese had been discharged. He planned on keeping tabs on her to make sure she fully recovered.

Christian had stayed and kept Reese company in the hospital, and they’d become good friends. At Luke Colton and Logan Bradley’s request, Christian had set up a video conference call, and they’d had an excellent conversation.

Now, Reese was on his way to talk to his bosses at Quantico. Reese knew they planned to offer him a hefty promotion and a sizeable raise. He’d resurrected the FBI’s image after the damage the traitors had done, uncovered by Paige’s exposé. It would’ve been his dream job a few weeks ago. He could write his check, and they told him as much. What they hadn’t been prepared for was his resignation.

Reese didn’t need the money or the glory. He left the office feeling proud of his accomplishments and excited for the future.

Having worked with Audria, Hunter, Talia, Christian, and Luca Russo, he’d realized that was how he wanted to make a living. They were taking out the bad guys but doing it on their terms. Their resources eclipsed the Bureau’s, and there was freedom to do the job without the restrictions he’d been bound by working for the government. It was a perfect job. When Logan Bradley and Luke Colton had offered him a position once he convalesced, he couldn’t say yes fast enough.

Maybe he should’ve run it by Audria first. After all, they would be coworkers again. But he was still mad at her for leaving him when Gennie had arrived. The nurses told him Audria had refused to leave, clasping his hand even when doctors checked on him. They’d moved a cot inside for her, but she hadn’t left his side.

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