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Back Crimson Phoenix Save as PDF
Chapters (37)
  1. Praise
  2. Also by
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. PART II
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  36. Teaser Chapter
  37. About the Author

Joey cleared his throat. “One of the things you was most right about is that sometimes an outsider’s view is the best one to have.”

Ben said, “Look, winter’s comin’ soon and it don’t make no sense for you and your boys to go walkin’ through snow with no shelter.”

“We need you to stay for a while, ma’am,” Eric said.

“You got skills, Vicky,” George said. “You and Joe McCrea get people in this town to do shit that no one else in the world could get them to do. We’d like for you to consider staying.”

“Just till things are stabilized,” Joey said. “You know, till we get used to this new normal.”

Victoria looked to McCrea for help. “I already told you,” he said. “I’ll go where you go.”

“There’s more, though,” Maggie said. “Tell her, George.”

“Mrs. Emerson,” George said. “Those of us here tonight give you our word that if you stick around for another, say, six months, we’ll all go with you when you walk to Top Hat Mountain to find your other son. Adam.”

“You know his name,” Victoria said. She didn’t know why she found that so surprising.

“I already told you,” George said with a smile. “People talk in a small town. And I speak for everyone who’s said anything . . . we’d be honored if you’d call Ortho your home.”

Victoria’s vision blurred and her eyes burned. Home. The very concept felt so foreign now, and the invitation to become a part of one was almost too much. She pressed her lips tightly together to keep her emotions from spilling out and looked to McCrea to be the one to say something.

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m not sure,” he said, “but I believe the answer is yes. And thank you.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The Hilltop Manor Resort of Crimson Phoenix is loosely based on the real-life U.S. Government Relocation Facility located at the majestic Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. A closely guarded secret until the Washington Post revealed it to the world in 1992, the real-life “Project Greek Island” was designated as the facility to which the Unites States House of Representatives and the Unites States Senate would be evacuated in the event of a nuclear war. With the secrecy of the bunker compromised, it was decommissioned shortly after the article appeared in the newspaper. Tours of the facility are now open to the public.