Read Phoenix for Free Online Page B

was emotional abuse, pure and simple.”
    “Caroline-”
    He was starting to get defensive. “Was it fun tormenting me like that?” she asked. “Did it make you feel better?”
    “That wasn’t what I was doing,” he said urgently.
    “You knew it was me.” Her voice started to rise. “How could you not have known it was me? Why didn’t you just believe me?”
    Jack stood up so quickly that his chair toppled over. “I couldn’t go through that!” he yelled. “I couldn’t get my hopes up and have them dashed. I’m sorry, Caroline. I really am. But you came in here looking nothing like yourself. I have documents saying the government had executed you. Every other piece of information and intelligence I’ve received confirmed it. I remembered – I knew what condition you were in the last time I saw you. How was I supposed to take you at your word?”
    “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
    He set the chair upright and sat down again. “You look like a skeleton,” he whispered. “Your face-”
    She curled her fingers around the mattress. “Yeah, I’m pretty fucked up.”
    He stole a glance at her hands. “What happened to you, sweetheart? You’ve been hurt. Badly.”
    “That’s none of your business,” Caroline said. “And I told you not to call me that.”
    “It is my business. I’m your husband.”
    Oh, because it was that easy. Some spousal obligation for her to bare her soul to him when he’d done nothing to deserve it. “In name only. It’s pretty clear we didn’t have much beyond that. Not after that little show you put on for your men.”
    “It wasn’t a show. They couldn’t even hear what I was asking you about.”
    Bullshit. She flashed back to the interrogation room again. Remembered the disbelief. The mistrust. The fucking third degree while she was in dire need of medical attention. Her head hurt almost as much now as it had then. “That entire thing was a sham,” she said. “Just like our relationship.”
    “If I hadn’t asked you those questions, I would have had to do it later. Standard procedure. We have to figure out who we can trust.”
    “Always the king of rationalization, aren’t you, McIntyre?”
    “Ask anyone here. We have rules even though you think we’re making it up as we go along.”
    Oh, they had rules. Shitty goddamn rules. “I’m starting to discover that this movement has a lot of procedures I don’t like. I don’t care much for their leader, either.”
    He hung his head. “Caroline, please stop acting like this. I want to talk to you. About everything.”
    Sure he did. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said.
    “I’ve missed you so much,” he said softly. When he looked up at her his eyes were wet. “Please let me explain myself.”
    She didn’t have the time or the inclination to listen to his false apologies. “I don’t want to hear it. I want you to leave me alone. Treat me as you would any other prospective soldier.”
    “You know that’s not possible.”
    “It is if you try hard enough.” Caroline shifted away from him. “See, I’m going to pretend like you don’t exist. It’s easy.”
    Jack let out an audible sigh. “So, that’s it? You apparently thought I was dead and now that I’m alive, it makes no difference to you?”
    Maybe if she kept pushing, he’d leave her alone. “Not a bit. Makes it worse, actually.”
    “Well, aren’t you a colossal bitch.”
    His resentment was obvious. And refreshing. She hadn’t expected him to jump to it so soon. Caroline turned to face him, a bitter smile plastered to her face. “Congratulations. You figured that out a little slower than I expected but you did reach the finish line eventually.”
    He flushed again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    “It always took a little poke before you told me what was really on your mind. Kudos for not holding back.”
    Jack clenched his fists. “You’re acting like a spoiled brat right now.”
    Like he