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Chapter 1

Alexa

The eht

The little ding caughtme away from the dry journal article in front ofMeasures and the Cold War" by Professor so for my comprehensive exam for the International Relations MA at Columbia

I ignored it at first I hadn’t used that email address for almost two years It had to be spam

Candace, on, my constant partner in cri, sat beside me at her own desk, one knee tucked under her chin Her dark hair was tied up into a lasses that exposed her as the geek that she was To top it off, she wore a Watchrey sweatpants and old slippers that had seen better days

I wasn’t much better in my own Bucky Barnes t-shirt and pajah school, people called us the Nerd Twins, and ere, except that I had fair hair and was short while she was dark and tall Other than that difference, ere two geeky peas in a pod

We had been inside all week, drinking coffee by the gallons, eating takeout food instead of cooking, because cooking required shopping, preparing and cleaning In coht into the refrigerator for later consumption or into the trash

I should have ignored the e since I used that address, I was surprised that the eot the best of et rid of the bold button Besides, I needed a break, so I clicked on the mailbox and checked out the subject line in the preview

Re: Eency

"That's strange," I said and checked the date, wondering if it wasn't one of those ghost emails that show up months or even years after they were sent due to some mix-up with the server

Candace glanced over aton a Cheeto

"It's an email sent to my old 9-1-1 address"

"Whoa," she said, her brown eyes wide "What's it been – almost two years since you worked there?"

“Yep” I opened the e to check my email for a full two hours First off, pretty much all the email I received was spam Second, everyone I knew used texts, and finally, everyone whofor my comp for ht The co week, and I was still studying

So, when the eht it ency or spam

I rong Well, not technically But it was neither

To: [email protected]

Reply-To: [email protected]

Re: Eency

Hey, is this Sexy Lexi? I got your e family dinner on Saturday at the ballroom, Cipriani Wall Street, and will be surrounded by fah class and brainy In other words, not your usual escort If you’re available, wear so but conservative John showed me the menu I’ll take a standard date with no add-ons The usual conditions apply Cheers, MBS

“Oh, my God…” I was in awe that anyone could write an email like that and use an email address like that

"What?" Candace scooted over next todesk chair She craned her neck and squeezed even closer