Albert Manlii has walked this earth for more than two thousand years, but survival on his own was never easy. Now he leads a faction of highly organized vampires who carefully guard the secret of their existence. Unlike the old days, potential recruits are carefully selected and presented with an offer.<br><br>Phillip Brewer has weeks to live -- if he lets his disease run its course. He doesn’t want to die, but given a choice, will his desire to live outweigh his concerns about the vampires’ ethics?<br><br>When the new recruit’s missteps are cause for concern, can Albert control the fallout, or will Phillip’s life once again be torn apart?

The Recruit

The specially equipped vans also required fingerprints to start them. They looked like basic delivery vans on the outside, and the fingerprint pad that supplemented the standard key starter was inconspicuously located so would-be thieves wouldn’t even notice it. Standard “hot wiring” could not bypass the need for a fingerprint.


Neil raised his brow but stepped forward without hesitation. He’d seen Natalie do it enough times. He opened the outer cabinet that further shielded the existence of the safes from potential prying eyes and turned the dial. The combination, like everything, had been easy to commit to memory. He softly laid his fingers onto the pad that was out of sight on the side of the safe to complete the process, and a click signaled he could rotate the heavy handle and open the door.


Chapter 19