Rise of a Phoenix: Rise of a Phoenix

by phill syron-jones

  “What do you mean, you couldn’t?”

  He sat in the chair next to the bed. “After years of searching for them in the end I couldn’t bring myself down to their level. You taught me that, Sam, thank you.”

  She winced in pain, as she tried to smile.

  “Look on the bright side,” he said encouragingly. “Next time the guys are showing off their scars you can beat them hands down.”

  McCall tried not to laugh. “What about you?” she asked.

  He stood up. “I’m still with the unit but I have some leave so I’m off back home. I’ve got some loose ends to tie up.”

  A worried look suddenly came over McCall’s tired looking face.

  He walked up to her and stared into her sparkling blue eyes. She returned his gaze, wishing he would take off those damned glasses so she could look at him properly.

  He edged closer and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. She closed her eyes and tilted her head forwards. Her lips open slightly to catch the kiss, but his mouth landed softly on her forehead. Sam’s eyes opened as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Raising his hand to catch the tear she brushed her cheek against his hand. He smiled and stood up.

  Walking to the window, he turned back to her.

  “The ones who shot you are just pawns, you know that. They have been chasing me for years.” She managed to sit up.

  “You don’t have to run anymore,” she told him as he smiled at her reassuringly.

  “I was never running just waiting. But it’s time to bring the fight to them.” He walked forward and placed a blue rose on her pillow. Picking up the flower, she inhaled the perfume. She felt a sudden waft of cold air that made the curtains of the bed space opposite billow. She watched him put his right hand over his heart and then take a small dignified bow. As he did so he moved back into the shadows of the dark room.

  With a scream of pain, she reached for the light switch, only to find the room empty. McCall winced in pain as she got up and moved to the window. Looking out upon the night, the breeze was refreshing against her skin and the moon was as full and bright as a winter’s morning. Holding up the rose, she once more inhaled its sweet scent. He was gone for now but she knew deep down that one day he would be back.

  In the darkness of Steel’s apartment, the priest watched Steel pack a suitcase. Their mood was sombre and conversation short.

  “Where are you off to?” the clerical man’s words disappointed and intrigued him. Steel took a handful of black suits that still hung on their hangers and carefully placed them into the sturdy suitcase.

  “I have to go to London to follow up a lead.”

  Gabriel stood up and walked towards the window. The orange glow of the city’s lights seemed soothing, and he could see why Steel preferred to have the lights off.

  “A lead? From who?” he asked. He saw Steel smile coldly and knew then he did not really want to know.

  Steel turned towards his friend. “SANTINI, It’s not a ‘He’, it’s a ‘They’.”

  Gabriel nodded; it made sense that the organization had a name.

  “And what about your partner, did you tell her you were going?” He saw in the reflection of the large glass window Steel stop folding a shirt and nod slowly. The Englishman had a sorrowful look on his face.

  “She will be fine, they all will.”

  Gabriel turned and made his way towards his friend. “And you John? Will you be okay?” The priest’s voice was soft but held a stern tone to it.

  The other man looked up and smiled. “You know me, I am always fine. Look, I am just going to find someone an old friend asked me to look for. There won’t be any trouble. It’s a simple quick there, quick back, No problem.”

  Gabriel reached down and picked up the black-and-white photograph. The picture was of a woman in her late thirties with long hair. He turned it over and read the name Tarrasa Benning.

  “Who is she?” Gabriel asked, putting the photograph back in its place. Steel picked up his glass of whisky and moved towards the dresser.

  “I don’t know who she is, but I know she has answers, and I have a lot of questions.”

  He reached into the draw and pulled out a large .45 automatic. After pressing a small button next to the pistol grip the weapons magazine slipped out effortlessly.

  Pulling back the weapons long top slide he checked that the chamber was empty, and then quickly let it go forward using the weapon’s inner spring. The almost fiery orange light from the city’s illumination cast a strange reflection on the weapon’s dark steel, making it seem as though it was glowing with heat.

  The top slide had sideward angled recesses cut into it, which revealed the polished bear steel of the barrel. Steel pressed down on the top round of the single stack magazine, then reinserted it into the weapon then placed it back into the draw. Carefully Steel took out some folded shirts from the same draw then placed them into the case before closing the draw and then the case. A cold shiver ran down the priest’s back. He could see that the old soldier had returned.

  The Phoenix had risen.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  FIFTY-FOUR

  FIFTY-FIVE

  FIFTY-SIX

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  FIFTY-NINE

  SIXTY

  SIXTY-ONE

  SIXTY-TWO

  SIXTY-THREE

  SIXTY-FOUR

  SIXTY-FIVE

  SIXTY-SIX

  SIXTY-SEVEN

  SIXTY-EIGHT

  SIXTY-NINE

  SEVENTY