Surviving Doctor Vincent: The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 2 Read Online Free Page B

curious to find out what was worth my sanity and my job.”
    “Your job?” He pulled back to look into my eyes.
    I laughed. “I’m really done with you. I sent my resignation less than thirty minutes before you arrived.” I returned his stare, but magnified the intensity.
    “You haven’t heard my explanation.”
    “True, but as far as we’re concerned, I’m done. The minute you release the cuffs, I’m packing your stuff back in that box, and you’re on your way, dear Doctor.”
    He sighed and slumped against me. His arms encircled my waist. The scent of his cologne brought back memories I needed to suppress. I inhaled, cursing him and his delicious scent.
    “The Society...” he whispered in my ear. “It’s more than Charles and Lydia. The succession goes back centuries. I contacted them that night after I left you in the office. They are watching me. My every move. Since then, strange things have happened. Sebastian’s house was broken into. He’s OK, but his study was ransacked. They stole items that belonged to Miriam. Remember Patrice from the gallery?”
    I rolled my eyes. How could I forget? Perfect body, his hands all over her curves. “Yes, I remember. She’s the curator, right?”
    “Correct. She was mugged, held at gunpoint, and then forced to empty out the gallery safe. Thankfully, the one they emptied only contained art and none of Lydia’s journals. I’ve moved them to a secure location.” He kissed the base of my throat, causing me to shiver.
    “The night after I left you, I visited Ellington House. I thought the Society was connected to the university, but it’s not so. Many of the members are employed there, but only because of the convenience. Their home base sits between New York and Boston, on a huge estate billed as nothing more than a private club.” He removed his face from my neck and leaned back to look in my eyes, resting his hands on my hips. “I went there and told them that Lydia had told me everything. I figured I had enough information to improvise through any gaps. They accepted me far too easily. They told me that I had already earned my place among their ranks, meaning I’d met my potential, but they wondered why I took so long.”
    “Great, you’re becoming one of them.” I looked away from him.
    He grabbed me by the chin and turned my face, forcing my gaze to meet his. “Beating them at their own game is the only way, Elaine. The only way I can break them is to become them. I can’t get close enough any other way. To find out what motivates them.”
    I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to hear anymore.
    “God, I wish you’d...” he grumbled under his breath and then paused, settling on a new thought. “That’s when things started to escalate. People following me. Strange phone calls. Sebastian suggested I keep you at a distance. He’s worried for your safety.”
    “So you couldn’t bother to tell me this? There was no way to return at least one of those phone messages I left?”
    “I tossed my phone that first night I visited Ellington House. Sebastian thought discarding the device was best. Said they may have bugged the circuitry and the contraption posed a security risk, since the phone had been in my jacket, out of my control. I never heard your messages.”
    “Of course. And let me guess, the great Xavier Vincent lost my number and had no way to contact me.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Don’t. Just don’t.” My eyes stung. Tears fell as I shook my head, dismissing his explanations.
    He grasped his hair in frustration, pulling, with a growl in his throat. “They execute people, Elaine. That isn’t something I can take lightly. I’d rather have you hate me and be alive, than love me and be dead. A man in a silver Lincoln has been following me. My mail went missing after the doorman verified the letters and packages had been delivered. Hell, they probably followed me here. Sebastian suggested I break all contact for your safety. We hoped