Prologue

“My contact in Guangzhou has found some information for me,” Sarai says excitedly. “He wanted to meet me in Hong Kong, but something happened and he has disappeared.”

Sarai Leclair is a strikingly attractive woman, standing five foot ten with piercing, electric green eyes. Her father is a French diplomat, whom on a visit to China met her mother. The two fell in love and not long after getting married Sarai was brought into the world. With her father’s money and influence she had the best education and opportunities. With her mother’s knowledge in martial arts and gymnastics she had the best training. All this combined made her the perfect candidate for the Black List. And now her current task is to search out a Goji, one that the agency has been trying to eliminate for many years. With her heritage and skills she was matched to hunt down this particular foe.

“You’re planning to follow up on it?” the man sitting on the other end of the line asks.

“Of course,” she answers cheerfully. “The information he has can be useful and if he is in trouble then I can try to help him out.”

“And you’re sure that this is legit,” Victor Lupescu remarks forebodingly.

“Yes, Victor,” she answers with a sigh. “I have been using him for several months now. Everything he has shared has been legit. Besides, I’m a big girl so you don’t have to worry about me.”

Victor ignores the last part of the statement. Sarai always accuses him of being too protective. Being her superior he has to be. Being her lovers he wants to do anything and everything to protect her. As a result he is always concerned for her safety, especially when she takes a mission on her own. “Report in as soon as you find anything out then,” he instructs her, putting on his role as her supervisor. “Stay safe and good luck.” He wants to say more, to drop out of that role, but professionalism is most important to him. It just is not like him to show what he considers to be a weakness.

Sarai grins mischievously. There is even a twinkle in her eye at the images suddenly floating around in her head. “You know better than anyone else. We’ll celebrate when this is over.”

“Then I look forward to it,” he counters. “It will be a night to remember.”

Sarai hangs up the phone. She keeps the smile on her face, not just because Victor made her smile, but to keep up the pretenses she set up. She looks around casually, as if trying to make up her mind as to where she might go next, but really it’s to spot any observers that may be following her. Even though she is using a payphone, the call is secure. The Black List has the best technology on the planet, years ahead of any of the big companies like Google, Apple or Microsoft.

When she is satisfied that no one is lingering or showing any interest in her, Sarai heads to the train station. She gets on the next train to Hong Kong.

The tip is uneventful, so Sarai spent most of the time preparing for whatever might be waiting for her upon her arrival. This included catching up on some sleep, studying up to date maps and satellite imaging of the city, and memorizing her cover and practicing her dialect. When the train arrives at the station, she spends a few minute lingering, ensuring that there still isn’t anyone following or waiting for her. When her suspicions are gone, she makes her way to the restaurant that her contact wanted to meet at.

The walk to the Lucky Dragon is short. The restaurant is conveniently located just a few blocks from the station. It isn’t anything fancy or five stars, but it does have a warm atmosphere upon walking in. Sarai stands looking around for a recognizable face when a chill suddenly runs down her spine. Intuition is key for her job and when she feels a change she knows to be ready on her toes for anything to happen.

“May I help you?” the hostess asks in Mandarin.

“I’m sorry?” Sarai says, startled to find the hostess standing before her.

“May I help you?” the woman asks again.