Redemption (Enigma Black Trilogy Book #3) by Sara Furlong-Burr Read Free Book Online

I could feel the bile rising up my esophagus, though not from nerves. No, nerves played no part in the way I felt. Fury, plain and simple anger, was making me sick, mainly because I knew there was little, if anything, I could do about my situation. Sure, I could go against Victor and refuse to do the speech, but then what? Both he and Brooks would surely find some other way to parade me in front of the public or, worse, force Ian into it.
    Ian. Kara’s advice resonated in my mind. She was right, I had been letting the impossible dream, the ghost of the relationship Chase and I had once shared, drag me down into depths I couldn’t resurface from. It was morbid, in a way, and was single-handedly preventing me from acknowledging what was potentially in front of me.
    Before I could fully the grasp the importance of what I was doing, my fingers unclasped the locket and removed it from my neck. Bittersweet, but long overdue, I allowed the fragile chain and delicate locket to rest in my hand, their weight increasing exponentially with each second that passed. When the weight became too much to bear, I set the necklace down next to me on the bed and vowed to ensure its return to Chase and his family somehow.
    I let out a sigh as I stood up, grabbed my helmet from the chair next to my bed, and left my room to head to the training center, hoping I could figure out a way to turn things around in my favor.
    “Hey,” Ian greeted me outside my door.
    “Here to escort me to all the fun?”
    “You know I always have your back.” He walked next to me, close enough that his arm brushed against mine with practically every other step. “Ian, I—” I paused. Should I take Kara’s advice and work out my feelings before saying anything to Ian that could potentially break him, or be honest with him, leaving the door open in the future?
    “What is it, Celaine?” he asked. We went through the first set of doors, bringing us steps closer to the training center.
    “I just realized that I never really thanked you for saving my life.” You win, Kara.
    “You honestly think you need to thank me for that?” Ian laughed. “Especially right now?”
    “Of course I do. If you hadn’t acted as fast as you did, and in exactly the same way as you did, I wouldn’t be alive to make any statement to the public right now.”
    “I did exactly what I know you would have done for me,” he replied. “Now please promise me you won’t bring up almost dying again. It was bad enough I had to live through it, I don’t need to be reminded how close I came to losing you.”
    “You have my word. I won’t bring up my near death again.” We paused at the entrance to the training center and faced each other. “This whole thing is making me physically ill.”
    “I know,” Ian said. “I’m not happy about it either. It’s just another lie we’re being asked to deliver.”
    “How much of this has been a lie, do you suppose? What if it all has? Ian, what if The Epicenter, or even we ourselves are lies?”
    “Well, that’s a lot to think about, for sure.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, an act I found comforting. Ian had a real knack when it came to comfort. “How about we just get through this speech, statement, or whatever this turns out to be, and then we’ll tackle everything else? Whatever answers there are to be found, we’ll find them.”
    I nodded, trying to think of another way to stall from going into the room. “For some reason, I have a feeling we’re not going to like what we find out.” My helmet hung from my waist. Sighing, I unclipped it from my utility belt and secured it over my head. Then, glancing back at Ian, I walked through the final set of double doors that separated us from the training center.
    Inside, the training center had been transformed into somewhat of a makeshift newsroom. A large green screen concealed gym equipment and floor mats. What images would be projected behind me, I didn’t know, and most