g wooden door open, hurried footste

the west corridor, panting slightly as she he

usly over her shoulder to make sure Eugenia wasn't watching.

melled of damp plaster. It had clearly served as a storage closet

ooden desk and a wobbly chair. Compared to Brook's luxurious two-stor

barrassment as she placed the

ated. Since she forbade anyone from waiting on you tonight, I could o

a trace of anger or self-pity. She had slept in rainfo

key from the housekeeper's hand. "You should head

ed her head quickly, and hurried awa

ng over to the narrow window, she drew the heavy

artment of her faded canvas backpack and pull

crypted satellite channel of the Sovereign Network,

e tense voice of Julian Beaumont, her chief intelligence l

you finally logged on!

nst our auxiliary medical server in Zurich. They bypassed three outer fire

s narrowed slightly as her slender fingers flew across the keyboard, pulli

sharp," Alison noted calmly

ght out of Midtown Manhatta

is grandfather, Galen Knight, suffered a massive

so Flint Knight put a fifty-million-dollar bounty on the dark web to find V

aused for half a s

een to the sleek black phone resting on the corner of the desk-

ack her up against the Calhouns. Online, he wa

I'll give him that

ful, Alison," Juli

a top-tier hacker who traced your digital footprint all the way to the East Co

ere," Alison said wi

ke a phantom, entering a sixteen-charact

roup's tracking probes into a false data loop pointing t

cure," Alison said, closing th

aptop lid, the black ph

slipped the bone-conduct

led into that sto

, magnetic voice ca

f monitors in front of him suddenly flashed Connection Lost. The frustration

ne," Alison replied smoothly, leaning back in th

ase. I wanted to drive back out to Long Island and bring you dinner tonight,

," a glint of amusement flic

be that person just values their privacy. You shouldn

ering lights of the Manhattan skyline, his g

erous yet remarkably gentle toward her. "Once I set my sights on someone--whether i

the girl he wanted under his wing and the phantom surgeon he was hunting

then, Mr. Knight," Alison said

ll and set the p

houn estate, and a cold rain began to tap against the gl