PROLOGUE
PARK
December 16
Wow,Jeff Bezos is really good at his job.
I mean, sending me an Amazon Prime package when I don’t even have an account is pretty impressive.
Unless it’s from someone else.
I stand on my front porch, chewing an apple as I stare at the blue and white packaging on my doormat. My teeth sink into the last bite, hitting the core. I lean over to the garbage can in my carport and throw the apple inside. I rub my hands on my swim shorts, gazing out at the lush tropical bushes that hide my house from Koloa Road. I don’t see anyone, or any movement, but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t here—and I’m not talking about the mailman, who’s never delivered anything to the south side of Kauai this early in the morning.
I bend down, already tearing the package open as I straighten and walk back inside my house. My fingers hit something solid, and I pull it out. It’s a book.Pig Breeds and Their Characteristics.
Not what I was expecting.
Hanging out the top of the pig book is a red Christmas stocking bookmark.
I flip through the pages.
Nothing.
I look inside the envelope.
Nothing.
This pig book and the stocking are my only clues.
Well, not myonlyclues. The Amazon Prime packaging is a clue in itself. There are only two people who know how to reach me in Kauai. One is Derek, a CIA desk operative, who half the time doesn’t even like me, and the other is my co-operative that offers field and tactical support on missions, SiennaPrime.I’ve got to hand it to Sienna. Her package is actually really clever.
I glance at the address on the front. It’s addressed to me, but the wrong house number. I live at 78 Koloa Road, and Sienna wrote 74.
I immediately open the pig book to page 74.
Nothing.
I open it to page 78.
Nothing.
I’m assuming Sienna isn’t trying to educate me on pigs, so that’s when I tear off the book cover. Glued to the inside of the spine is a small disk drive. I pop it into my computer, and a voice message starts playing. It’s from Sienna herself.
“I’m in trouble, and I need your help.”
My stomach tightens. This is not the kind of message you want to get from somebody you work with.
“I’ve been on my first assignment as an actual field officer for the last few months, and my mission took an unexpected turn. I’m after two computer chips. Alone they mean nothing, but together they lock into place like a puzzle and hold valuable information. I already have the first microchip, but they’re on to me, and I can’t risk getting the second. That’s where you come in. I need your help recovering the second chip. There’s a meeting in two days at the Natick Mall in Boston. The seller will be transferring the second computer chip to the buyer. You need to intercept the seller and recover the computer chip before he can give it to the buyer.”
Why is Sienna Prime working as a field operative in the first place? Normally, her job is to offer field support. Clearly, she’s in over her head. Two computer chips? Something important must be on them if she’s in this much trouble.
“I can’t tell you what information is on the microchips, only that it’s extremely important that both chips don’t get into the wrong hands.”
Well, that answers that.
“Once you have the computer chip, I’ll find you and explain everything. Park,” her voice is serious, maybe even panicked, “this is life or death.”
My heart pounds like it does whenever my life and my career are on the line.
