Wanted Phoenix: A John Phoenix Thriller (The John Phoenix Thrillers Book 3) by Evan Graver

Author:Evan Graver [Graver, Evan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Third Reef Publishing, LLC
Published: 2024-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Las Cuevas, Trinidad

Arthur Babwa stood on the porch of the rental house as he removed the last stitch from John Phoenix’s arm. The stitches would leave little scar marks beside the pellet wounds, but that was to be expected. Babwah had wanted to leave the stitches in, but several had become infected despite Phoenix taking the prescribed antibiotics.

Phoenix peered down at his right arm, rotating it to see the entry and exit wounds. The infected ones were an angry red, and Babwah hoped removing the foreign objects would reduce the infection.

“I think it’s the thread your previous doctor used,” Babwah announced, holding the tiny stitch closer to his eyes to examine it.

The other wounds had healed well over the past week that he’d been in Trinidad. Ria had ensured Phoenix was eating nutritious foods to stimulate his body’s healing action, and he was getting plenty of rest by sitting on the porch and watching the waves roll in. At times, it was seriously monotonous. Phoenix had to pretend he was on a stakeout, surveilling a target who didn’t move much. He had once sat in an observation post for three weeks, waiting for a target to leave his apartment. Much of what he did to collect intelligence was boring. There was action at times, but generally, it was short and intense.

To aid in healing, Ria had mixed up a poultice to apply to the gunshot wounds. Phoenix had watched his young housekeeper work in the kitchen, blending dandelion, plantain, and yellow dock leaves with lard, beeswax, and cayenne pepper. Once the concoction had boiled down into a poultice, she applied it to Phoenix’s arm and leg and covered the mess with gauze wrap. Ria applied the goop twice daily, rubbing the skin vigorously to promote circulation. She had also insisted that Phoenix drink saffron tea to detoxify the blood and boost the immune system. Ria kept mixing cayenne powder into the tea to increase the potency. It tasted horrible, and Phoenix had a tough time choking the stuff down, but he did it for his health. He knew he would have to be strong for whatever Dragonfly had in store for him.

Without CIA protection, Phoenix would have enemies coming out of the woodwork to harass him. Even with Ramesh hiding him in a rental house, he couldn’t stay forever. Someone would track him down, and he liked Ramesh enough to want to prevent the man’s property from being destroyed.

“Keep doing whatever you’re doing,” the doctor said. “Your wounds look great.”

“It’s a home remedy,” Ria volunteered.

“I’d like to have the recipe,” Babwah said, and Ria took him inside so he could write it down.

Phoenix stayed in the chair on the porch, staring out to sea. He relived his many escapes from Venezuela, from riding motorcycles to stealing boats. A sailboat could offer him the freedom to travel, but it was also a burden. Boat was an acronym for “break out another thousand.” And he’d also heard, “You don’t buy a boat.

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