Free Enigma Black by Sara Furlong-Burr Page A

myself for not having invested in a pair of galoshes. There was nothing like having cold, wet feet to start your day out right.
    Shortly into my walk, I began experiencing the same sensation I felt the night before. There were eyes on me. I knew it. Although it seemed like a weird thing to think as there were several other people walking along the same drenched pavement. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling. It was more overpowering than it had been the night before. Unable to take the persistent paranoia, I spun around in an attempt to catch the culprit, nearly knocking over a clearly annoyed brunette in the process. She flashed me a dirty look and only scowled at my feeble apology.
    Show yourself, you bastard , I thought to myself. Of course, there was no one there to reveal themselves. Everyone on the street seemed focused on reaching his or her own destination; they were concerned with their own lives, not mine. There was no one who seemed suspicious; no one who stood out. Beginning to feel as though I was becoming certifiable, I turned back around and walked down the sidewalk a little faster. The foreboding feeling continued to surround me.
    As soon as I was safe inside my office, I unfolded my sopping wet umbrella hanging it on the hook behind my door. Either I was partially wet or the air was cranked unusually high today as my body shivered from the cold. No , I thought, it’s not the temperature, it’s that icy stare you felt following you in here . I shuddered at the thought.
    I took out the black cardigan I kept in my desk drawer, slipping it on to warm up. Chase loved the fact that I chilled so easily as it made me cling to him like a human heating pad. He always got this cheesy grin on his face whenever I would wrap my arms around him trembling because the temperature had dropped a degree or two. Thinking of Chase and the night we’d spent together just a few short hours ago managed to pacify my uneasiness, making me feel slightly flushed in the process.
    “Someone had a good night last night,” Veronica stood in my doorway, looking every bit the supermodel she always did, impeccably dressed with her dark hair framing her porcelain face. If it wasn’t for the fact that she swore like a sailor a person may actually believe that they were in the presence of an angel. “So, tell me about it. I want all the dirty details.”
    “There’s not much to tell,” I said. “We went to the pub, then back to my apartment, and… we had a great night.”
    “Wow. That’s…boring,” she said, arching her eyebrow. “I’m astoundingly disappointed in you, Celaine. The look you had pasted on your face when I walked through the door screamed pure, blissful ecstasy. I could have sworn you’d just gotten in after a passionate night of hot, steamy….” An elderly man walked into the bank, instantly whirling around to face us upon overhearing Veronica’s candor. He stared at her in disbelief, his jaw hanging slightly ajar. “Welcome, Sir.” Veronica didn’t miss a beat. “Is there anything I can do to assist you with your banking needs today?”
    “No, Ma’am. Just going up there to the tellers.” The elderly gentlemen gestured to the teller booths at the far end of the bank. A red tint spread quickly across his face as he hurried toward the back of the building. Vulgar or not, she drove men of all ages absolutely insane.
    “Veronica, you do realize that you’re a teller, right?” I asked.
    “Details, details. Anyway, you’re banned from speaking to me until you come up with something good,” she said as she turned to leave my office.
    “Wait, Veronica,” I called.
    “Banned, I say.”
    “No. Seriously.”
    Feigning frustration at my request, she turned back around. “You do realize that I’m a teller, right?” she stated, pointing to herself.
    “No fair using my lines against me. Seriously, have you ever felt like someone was watching you?” I was desperate to extinguish my paranoia.
    “All the