Phoenix Rising Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Also for...

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter One - Cazzo

  Chapter Two - Chance

  Chapter Three - Morgan

  Chapter Four - Storm

  Chapter Five - Chance

  Chapter Six - Cap

  Chapter Seven - Rocco

  Chapter Eight - Hunter

  Chapter Nine - Rocco

  Chapter Ten - Chance

  Chapter Eleven - Emma

  Chapter Twelve - Becky

  Chapter Thirteen - Ice

  Chapter Fourteen - Cap

  Chapter Fifteen - Chris

  Chapter Sixteen - Chance

  Chapter Seventeen - Gabe

  Chapter Eighteen - Tony

  Chapter Nineteen - Cap

  Chapter Twenty - Ice

  Chapter Twenty-One - Chance

  Chapter Twenty-Two - Morgan

  Chapter Twenty-Three - Chance

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Morgan

  Chapter Twenty-Five - Chance

  Chapter Twenty-Six - Emma

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - Cara

  Chapter Twenty-Eight - Isa

  Chapter Twenty-Nine - Hunter

  Chapter Thirty - Derek

  Chapter Thirty-One - Claire

  Chapter Thirty-Two - Morgan

  Chapter Thirty-Three - Cap

  Chapter Thirty-Four - Craig

  Chapter Thirty-Five - Chance

  Chapter Thirty-Six - Morgan

  Chapter Thirty-Seven - Chance

  Chapter Thirty-Eight - Claire

  Chapter Thirty-Nine - Derek

  Chapter Forty - Hunter

  Chapter Forty-One - Knight

  Chapter Forty-Two - Chance

  Chapter Forty-Three - Morgan

  More To Come...

  Phoenix Rising

  A Reed Security Novel

  by

  Giulia Lagomarsino

  Phoenix Rising

  A Reed Security Novel

  Copyright @ 2019 Giulia Lagomarsino

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2019

  ASIN: B07V587D2Z

  ISBN: 9781081337797

  Self published through Kindle Direct Publishing

  I wrote Phoenix Rising as a transition between the 3 book arc and the rest of the Reed Security series. I wanted to highlight the struggles that our brave men and women face as they return from war or when they are serving. I was lucky enough to speak with military veteran, Tommy, who helped me understand the emotional and physical struggles veterans face every day. This book is for you. Thank you for giving this romance writer your time.

  Tommy Rieman

  Awarded Silver Star for Actions during Global War on Terror

  Service: Army

  Battalion: 3d Battalion

  Division: 82d Airborne Division

  Citation:

  The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Tommy Rieman, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company E, 51st Long Range Surveillance Company (LRSC), 3d Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 3 December 2003, in Iraq. During a convoy operation, Sergeant Rieman’s three vehicle convoy came under heavy enemy fire. Sergeant Rieman moved into position, using his own body to protect his gunner and began returning fire. He suffered two bullet wounds and 11 shrapnel wounds. After refusing medical help several times, Sergeant Rieman took charge and moved the convoy off the main road, out of the line of fire. There they encountered a smaller enemy element. He directed his men to return fire and succeeded in suppressing the attack. Sergeant Rieman’s gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

  The Wall of Valor Project

  https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/29107

  To all active military and veterans:

  Thank you for your service, your life, and the sacrifices you make every day for our freedom.

  Sgt. Anthony West, you have always been my hero and you always will be. Thank you for being such a big inspiration in my life. Love, your baby sister, Crystal.

  Anna Vasquez- 21 year old Marine. Lost too soon to suicide.

  Nicholas Giovannetti- active duty Marine

  Wallace A. Caldwell, US Navy, WWII

  Kenneth L. Caldwell, US Navy

  Charles F. Clark, 14th Armored Calvary, US Army, Vietnam

  Reed Security Cast

  Sebastian “Cap” Reed- owner

  Maggie “Freckles” Reed

  Caitlin Reed

  Clara Reed

  Gunner Reed

  Team 1:

  Derek “Irish” Cortell- team leader and part owner

  Claire Cortell

  Hunter “Pappy” Papacosta

  Lucy Papacosta

  Rylee Papacosta

  Rocco Turner

  Evelyn Rose Turner

  Team 2:

  Sam “Cazzo” Galmacci- team leader and part owner

  Vanessa Galmacci

  Sofia Galmacci

  Leo Galmacci

  Mark “Sinner” Sinn

  Cara Sinn

  Violet Sinn

  Asher Sinn

  Blake “Burg” Reasenburg

  Emma Reasenburg

  Ryker Reasenburg

  Beatrix (Bea)

  Team 3:

  John “Ice” Peters- team leader and part owner

  Lindsey Peters

  Zoe Peters

  Cade Peters

  Willow Peters

  Julian “Jules” Siegrist

  Ivy Siegrist

  John Christopher Hudson Siegrist

  Chris “Jack” McKay

  Alison (Ali) McKay

  Axel McKay

  Elizabeth (Lizzie) McKay

  Team 4:

  Chance “Sniper” Hendrix

  Morgan James (Shyla)

  Payton James

  Jackson Lewis

  Raegan Cartwright

  Parents: Susan and Robert Cartwright

  Gabe Moore

  Isabella (Isa) Moore

  Vittoria

  Lorenzo (Enzo)

  Grayson Moore

  Team 5:

  Alec Wesley

  Florrie Younge

  Craig Devereux

  Training:

  Hudson Knight- formerly known as Garrick Knight

  Kate Knight

  Raven Knight

  Griffin Knight

  Lola “Brave” Pruitt

  Ryan Jackson

  James Jackson (Cassandra Jackson- mother)

  Piper Jackson

  Ryder Jackson

  Team 6:

  Storm Hart

  Daniel “Coop” Cooper

  Tony “Tacos” Russo

  IT Department:

  Becky Harding

  Robert “Rob” Markum

  CHAPTER ONE

  Cazzo

  I stared the man down that stood in front of me with his daughter, obviously feeling just a little too comfortable with my woman. “Excuse me for not fucking trusting you, but you worked for her sick fuck of a father. What the hell do you want
?”

  He glanced at his daughter and I immediately felt a little bad that I had been so harsh in front of her. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen.

  “I need help. Victor is relentless and…look, I didn’t want to come to you for help, but I don’t have any options left.”

  “What kind of help?” Cap asked. I couldn’t believe he was even entertaining the idea of listening to this asshole. Whether he helped save Vanessa or not, he worked for a man that was going to sell off his daughter to the cartels.

  “I need someplace to keep my daughter safe until I can take Victor down.”

  “Why do you need to take him down?” Vanessa’s voice was laced in concern and I sure as fuck hoped it wasn’t for her father.

  Cooper sighed and looked hard at his daughter. I saw her nod sadly and he turned back to us, swallowing hard. “After I got you out, I knew it would only be a matter of time before they caught on that it was me that helped you. This is Kayla,” he motioned to his daughter. “She was staying with her mother, and I insisted that we leave right away. Her mother didn’t want to leave, and didn’t really believe there was any danger. She thought we’d be back in a few days. I guess she had more important things to worry about at the time.”

  “More important than her daughter’s safety?” I asked incredulously.

  “She wasn’t exactly the motherly type,” Kayla sniped.

  “Anyway, I took Kayla and we left. I kept in contact with her mother, let her know what was going on as I tracked Victor’s movements, but she still didn’t think there was any danger. When Victor couldn’t find me, he went after her mother. When I couldn’t contact her for a few days, I stashed Kayla with an old friend and went back to get her mom.” He swallowed hard and looked away guiltily. “She was already dead. It was…brutal.”

  I didn’t even have a chance to stop Vanessa before she practically ran to Kayla, wrapping her arms around her. I knew she was trying to be comforting and empathetic, but I still didn’t trust this guy and I hated that she obviously did.

  I could tell that he had seen battle of some kind. He had burns covering half his face, and from his build and the way he moved, I could tell he had been military. The problem was, not everyone got out and stayed on the right side of the law. Just because he said he was against Victor didn’t make it true. He could be trying to win us over with sympathy. And my wife was the perfect target.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Cap asked. “You can’t be on the run forever.”

  “I need to stash Kayla somewhere safe. I’ve avoided coming to you for as long as I could, but I’ve run out of time. Victor hasn’t let up after all these years. In his eyes, I ruined the deal he had with the cartels.”

  “Even after all this time,” Vanessa said quietly. “I prayed that he would let this go, that he would be my father someday.”

  “Vanessa,” I said gruffly. “You knew that would never happen. When we saw him in New York, there was no remorse when he saw you.”

  “I know, but to go after Daniel and his family…it’s hard to believe that my family could do something like that. How can I be related to such an evil man?”

  “You can’t choose the family you’re born into,” Kayla said quietly. Then she looked up hesitantly at Daniel. “I didn’t mean you.”

  “I know, kid.”

  “How are you planning on ending things?” Cap asked.

  “I don’t have anything to hold over his head right now. I had a buddy that was helping me with my ex’s murder investigation, but when things got hot, he ended up missing. The police found him a few days later, tossed in a dumpster like garbage.”

  I looked to Cap, but he was thinking the same thing I was. We weren’t prepared for this fight. And if he was coming to us, and we chose to believe his story, he was desperate. We couldn’t fight, but we couldn’t walk away either. We’d been involved with Victor Adams years ago and he hadn’t darkened our door since we blackmailed him. Whether Victor was after us again or not, we were involved still.

  “We can definitely keep Kayla here with us, and you also if you need a place to go, but as you can see, we’re in a bit of a predicament of our own.”

  Daniel nodded as he looked at the burnt building. “I can see that. What happened?”

  “We had a battle of our own. We’ve been on the run for a year now. We’re low on funds, workspace, pretty much anything we would need at this point.”

  “I don’t want to add to the stress you’ve already got going on,” Daniel said, disappointment obvious. Vanessa was looking to me for help. She didn’t want me to let them walk away, and I could understand why. He had saved her life when his daughter was at risk. There was no way I could let him walk away with his little girl, no matter how much I still had reservations. Not if it meant risking Vanessa’s hatred.

  “We have the panic room,” Chance suggested. “We’ll be staying there until we can rebuild.”

  “Are you sure there’s room for us?”

  Daniel’s voice was laced with disbelief and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Trust me, this isn’t your average panic room. I think we even have a few of Chance’s beds down there.”

  “Hey, fucker, try sleeping on one of those and then try going back to the crap you sleep on.”

  Morgan placed a hand on Chance’s arm and he immediately turned to her in concern. The man was more than a little protective of her after everything they’d been through. “Maybe we should watch the expletives since there are children present.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Kayla snorted. “Dad’s not exactly a saint.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead and grab your gear,” Cap suggested. “You can head in with Chance, but you won’t be allowed any weapons inside.”

  “I understand, but don’t mistake my lack of weapons as submission. If I even think anyone’s trying to hurt me or my daughter, my hands will do the killing for me.”

  “Only if you can get past Knight,” I jabbed. I couldn’t wait for him to meet Knight. That would be an enlightening experience for him.

  “Who’s Knight?”

  “I think that’s a meeting for another time,” Cap suggested. “Vanessa, maybe you could take Kayla inside and help her with anything she might need. Maybe introduce her to some of the other kids and the instructors.”

  “Sure.” She grabbed Kayla’s hand and started pulling her to the building. “Ever been trained in hand to hand combat?”

  Daniel watched warily as they walked toward the training center and then looked at us in confusion. “What the hell are you teaching your kids here?”

  “Survival,” Cap said without a moment’s hesitation.