Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) (35 page)

George finished unlocking his car before turning around to face the man. “Victor, what are you doing here? You know you’re supposed to stay at least a thousand feet away from Hope Memorial and its employees.”

“I know what the conditions of my termination agreement are. You don’t have to reiterate them to me. Though I suppose you’re going to tell on me now, aren’t you, George? You may be a surgeon, but back stabbing is your specialty.”

“What you were doing was criminal, Victor. And I think deep down you know that.” He casually moved his hand behind his back and searched for the handle to the car until it was safely in his grasp.

“Criminal? Like many other issues of our past, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on that one. What I’m doing…or what I was doing before I was banned from practicing medicine all thanks to you, was revolutionary. Someday, people would have been talking about the product of my work.” He raised his voice ever so slightly as though it would drive his point home. “And although I’ve had to put it on hold for now, I will pick it back up again.”

“You will not, Victor. It’s immoral, inhuman, and utterly—”

“Brilliant. Tell me, George, what do you have against immortality? What do you have against a race of humans who are invulnerable to the trials and tribulations of this world?”

“You were playing with fire. A human mind can’t be controlled—it always has free will. What if you would have made something that had made up its mind to kill? Then we’d have a homicidal maniac on our hands the likes of which our society has never seen before.”

“That was a risk I was willing to take for the greater good.”

“Well, then, perhaps you never deserved to have a license at all.” He opened the car door quickly, but not quick enough for Victor, who appeared at his side in a flash and slammed the door shut, pinning George between his body and the cold metal exterior of the car. “How…how did you move so quickly. That’s impossible.”

“No, that’s science. It’s daring to dream outside of the box, and it was the culmination of my work that I’m no longer legally able to practice, thanks to you.”

The elevator signaled the arrival of more people. Victor looked up, scowling as they entered the parking ramp.

“You’d better go now, Victor. Before the police are called and you actually serve the time behind bars you should have gotten.”

From the depths of his soul, Victor let out a guttural growl. “This isn’t over yet, you and I. Mark my words, George, you’d better be watching your back every second of every day. You’d better look in every corner, every dark alleyway, every room you step foot in. Because one day I’ll be there right behind not only you, but your wife and that little girl of yours, too.”

“You son of a bitch,” George’s voice grew louder with each syllable. “If you ever come remotely close to my family, I’ll—”

“What’s going on over there?” One of the three people who’d exited the elevator diverted their attention towards them. In response, Victor backed up, clearly agitated.

“That’s right, run, you coward. Run away and never look back again,” George muttered through gritted teeth.

“I may not be strong enough to take you on now,” Victor fumed, “but that won’t be the case the next time we meet. Rest assured, I will find you no matter where you go.”

As the others drew nearer, Victor ran across the parking ramp, jumped over the concrete divide and perched himself on the ledge. With a final wave to George, he disappeared over the side of the ramp.

“What the…” George ran over to the where Victor had disappeared, looking out into the night, and at the ground some fifty feet below. “Impossible,” he stated in wonder as he searched the pavement for his former friend and colleague, who’d disappeared into thin air.

I firmly believe that writing a novel is a team effort, and I’m grateful to have a wonderful team of people by my side to help me through the process. First, I’d like to thank my husband and daughters for putting up with my late nights and time spent glued to my laptop. Without your unconditional love and support to keep me sane, I wouldn’t have been able to get through the process.

To my beta readers and proofreader, who spend hours of their own time to make sure my novels are up to par, I thank you. Your time, attention to detail, and friendship mean more to me than I can adequately express.

Sara "Furlong" Burr was born on February 1, 1982, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At an early age, when it became apparent she wouldn't have the luxury of skating through life on her looks or athletic prowess, Sara found her true passion in writing. While in fifth grade, she wrote her first "novel"(whose name escapes her at the moment) about five friends who win a trip to Hawaii. At ninety-something pages, it was her crowning achievement during her childhood (you may now begin drawing your own conclusions on how sad a childhood Sara actually had).

After focusing much of her adult life on her family and career as a paralegal, Sara found the voices in her head became unrelenting, and she returned to her true passion. Currently, she’s working on the final book in the
Enigma Black
saga entitled
Redemption
(to be released in 2014) as well as a yet-untitled romantic comedy.

When she's not writing, Sara enjoys reading (pretty much a given), attempting to garden, shopping (prerequisite to being a woman), and spending time with her family and friends, who somehow manage to tolerate her numerous disappearances propagated by infrequent bouts of inspiration.

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E-Mail:
[email protected]

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Other works by Sara Furlong Burr include Enigma Black and A Second Chance, available on Amazon.com