Read Online Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) by Sara Furlong-Burr - Free Book Online
Authors: Sara Furlong-Burr
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lungs and my head flung back into the concrete wall. Dazed, I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again in an attempt to regain focus. Seconds later, Victor’s face came into view just inches away from my own.
“Don’t forget your place here, Ms. Stevens,” he said, a fire burning in his eyes.
With that, he loosened his grip from around my neck, and my body crumpled to the floor.
*****
“Getting ideas, Dr. Matthews?” Madison asked.
“No, no, no,” Chase answered her, continuing his counting of the infants in the nursery. “I’m just seeing where our numbers stand. We’re still well below where we were before the explosion.”
“Does that shock you?”
“Not really. I know we’re a marked institution now. The public is avoiding us like the plague.”
“They’ll come around,” Madison replied.
“Honestly, I don’t think they will,” he sighed. “This town is dying, and I’m not so sure it can ever be resuscitated. As much as I like it here, I think there may soon come a time when I’ll be looking at other hospitals for patients, if not for employment.”
“Will you be taking Miss Paige with you?”
“I’ve thought about it. Why do you ask?”
“You know I’ve always been more of a Celaine fan, Chase. I just want to see you happy.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should say what was truly on her mind. “There’s talk around here about Paige,” she began after a brief pause.
“What kind of talk?” Chase raised his eyebrow, irritated.
“Not to delve into all of the gossip, but there’s talk that Paige used to date some of the other doctors here. A lot of people say she’s looking for an easy break in life.”
“Well, they’re wrong, Madison. And I ask you to please stay out of my personal life from now on.”
“Yes, Dr. Matthews,” she replied sheepishly. “I just thought that you’d like to know.”
“Well, you thought wrong. Besides, if Paige was anything but honest in the past, she’s different now. She’s an honest woman. And it’s nice to have someone around who is one hundred percent up front with you. Someone who cares about you.”
“Permission to comment on your personal life one last time, Dr. Matthews.”
“Fine, Madison,” he sighed, “get it off your chest.”
“Looks can be deceiving. Despite what you think you saw with Celaine, I know that she truly cared for you. The sun rose and set on you in her eyes, which is why it pains me to see you with someone who may think even just slightly less of you than she did.”
“How you know about what I saw that day in the cemetery, I don’t want to know. But what I saw there was what I saw. Celaine may have cared about me once, but in the end, I wasn’t enough for her.”
“Chase!” Paige’s voice called to him frantically down the corridor.
“Paige?” Surprised, he pulled himself away from the nursery window to meet her halfway down the hall. “What? What is it?”
“It’s your apartment building,” she cried. “It’s on fire.”
Chapter Seven
Victor
“Ugh,” Ian groaned. His eyes fluttered open, searching frantically for signs of life.
“I’m here,” I said, rubbing his arm.
“How long have I been out?”
“It’s almost tomorrow,” I answered him.
“Ah,” he moaned as he tried sitting up in his bed. Unbuttoning his shirt, he touched the burn marks on his chest from the defibrillator paddles. “A heart attack?” he asked.
“Cardiac arrest. I had a similar episode shortly after I arrived. It’s most likely from adrenaline overload and the result of us being the walking science experiments that we are. There are days when I swear we’re nothing but ticking time bombs rigged to self-destruct whenever they see fit.”
“The adrenaline,” he said. “Victor said it could do this.” Hearing Victor’s name sent chills down my spine and a throbbing pain across my throat. In response, I rubbed my skin in an attempt to soothe the ache. “Are you
“Don’t forget your place here, Ms. Stevens,” he said, a fire burning in his eyes.
With that, he loosened his grip from around my neck, and my body crumpled to the floor.
*****
“Getting ideas, Dr. Matthews?” Madison asked.
“No, no, no,” Chase answered her, continuing his counting of the infants in the nursery. “I’m just seeing where our numbers stand. We’re still well below where we were before the explosion.”
“Does that shock you?”
“Not really. I know we’re a marked institution now. The public is avoiding us like the plague.”
“They’ll come around,” Madison replied.
“Honestly, I don’t think they will,” he sighed. “This town is dying, and I’m not so sure it can ever be resuscitated. As much as I like it here, I think there may soon come a time when I’ll be looking at other hospitals for patients, if not for employment.”
“Will you be taking Miss Paige with you?”
“I’ve thought about it. Why do you ask?”
“You know I’ve always been more of a Celaine fan, Chase. I just want to see you happy.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should say what was truly on her mind. “There’s talk around here about Paige,” she began after a brief pause.
“What kind of talk?” Chase raised his eyebrow, irritated.
“Not to delve into all of the gossip, but there’s talk that Paige used to date some of the other doctors here. A lot of people say she’s looking for an easy break in life.”
“Well, they’re wrong, Madison. And I ask you to please stay out of my personal life from now on.”
“Yes, Dr. Matthews,” she replied sheepishly. “I just thought that you’d like to know.”
“Well, you thought wrong. Besides, if Paige was anything but honest in the past, she’s different now. She’s an honest woman. And it’s nice to have someone around who is one hundred percent up front with you. Someone who cares about you.”
“Permission to comment on your personal life one last time, Dr. Matthews.”
“Fine, Madison,” he sighed, “get it off your chest.”
“Looks can be deceiving. Despite what you think you saw with Celaine, I know that she truly cared for you. The sun rose and set on you in her eyes, which is why it pains me to see you with someone who may think even just slightly less of you than she did.”
“How you know about what I saw that day in the cemetery, I don’t want to know. But what I saw there was what I saw. Celaine may have cared about me once, but in the end, I wasn’t enough for her.”
“Chase!” Paige’s voice called to him frantically down the corridor.
“Paige?” Surprised, he pulled himself away from the nursery window to meet her halfway down the hall. “What? What is it?”
“It’s your apartment building,” she cried. “It’s on fire.”
Chapter Seven
Victor
“Ugh,” Ian groaned. His eyes fluttered open, searching frantically for signs of life.
“I’m here,” I said, rubbing his arm.
“How long have I been out?”
“It’s almost tomorrow,” I answered him.
“Ah,” he moaned as he tried sitting up in his bed. Unbuttoning his shirt, he touched the burn marks on his chest from the defibrillator paddles. “A heart attack?” he asked.
“Cardiac arrest. I had a similar episode shortly after I arrived. It’s most likely from adrenaline overload and the result of us being the walking science experiments that we are. There are days when I swear we’re nothing but ticking time bombs rigged to self-destruct whenever they see fit.”
“The adrenaline,” he said. “Victor said it could do this.” Hearing Victor’s name sent chills down my spine and a throbbing pain across my throat. In response, I rubbed my skin in an attempt to soothe the ache. “Are you
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