Phoenix by Crouch Janie

Author:Crouch, Janie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Calamittie Jane Publishing
Published: 2020-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The storm moved in overnight.

Wyoming storms weren’t to be trifled with at the best of times. They definitely weren’t to be messed with when you were out in the wilderness fifty miles away from the nearest substantial shelter.

Zac and Wyatt, in their uncanny Linear Tactical/former Special Forces voodoo way, had known the storm was coming long before the sky started pouring. They’d warned all the race volunteers and competitors.

But a change in weather didn’t stop WAR. It just made the competition more miserable for the competitors.

Boy Riley was most miserable of them all. Everyone else had already left to start their racing for the day, but because of the time penalty from the navigation and puzzle segment two days before, Phoenix was starting an hour and a half after everyone else.

“It’s like watching a kicked puppy, isn’t it?” Anne shook her head as she joined Riley at the RV window to look out at him.

Riley sighed. “It really is the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen.”

Phoenix looked absolutely miserable. Since the camp location was moving today, all the tents had been taken down after the athletes had gone. Some of the athletes had waved to Riley as they’d left.

Bo, classy as ever, had flipped him off. Amber, the last one to leave, had yelled at Bo not to be an asshole, then given Phoenix the most awkwardly endearing hug, nearly falling into him.

It was almost sweet enough for Riley not to have her fingernails digging into her palms at the sight.

Once Amber left, Phoenix had then been left alone to sit under the tiny overhang of the lone cabin at the campground. It wasn’t keeping him dry at all, and there was only so much a waterproof jacket could do.

Not only was it cold and rainy, his need to get moving was strumming through him. He’d looked down at his watch four times already in the past thirty seconds.

Girl Riley wanted to do something. She wished she could offer him a cup of coffee like he’d given her the past three mornings, or even shelter inside the RV. But she couldn’t. Any of those things would be considered outside help and would just add more minutes to his time penalty. So all she could do was sit there and watch him be miserable.

“In case you’re wondering, that’s pretty much the same expression you’ve had on your face ever since the official MS diagnosis came through.”

Fitting. “Probably because that’s pretty much how I’ve felt since the diagnosis came through.”

Anne shook her head. “You’re being an idiot. You need to tell him. You know he’s going to find out eventually.”

Riley stared out at the man she loved. Yes, he looked miserable, but that didn’t diminish his strength or virility.

Some people didn’t take Riley seriously because he did crazy stunts on motorcycles and jumped out of airplanes. They wrote him off because he’d mastered the art of entertaining viewers on YouTube. They thought he didn’t have much depth because he sought out thrills and danger.

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