He was broke. He was in trouble. He had stopped answering the phone months ago, there were so many lenders hell-bent on getting his money. There were seven credit cards in his wallet, and every single one of them was maxed out. His car had been repossessed. His landlord was threatening to evict him. After selling everything he could on eBay, he was still too short on cash to pay child support.

But the Gutenberg Bible was supposed to change all that. It was going to turn the tide in his favor. He would finally have the resources to be the father Charlie needed. He wouldn’t quit working entirely, but for the first time he would be completely available. Maybe he’d get a house in DC. Or maybe he would buy Charlie one of those lifetime air-travel passes so that he could join August on adventures. Whatever the kid wanted, August would give him.

But now the expectation was evaporating like a dream upon waking.

Unfortunately, financial ruin had just become the least of his worries. The buyer waiting for him in New York was Leo Kahn, a criminal so high above the law he was claimed to have put a hit out on his own mother. Had it not been for the substantial cash Kahn was willing to lay out, August never would have gotten involved with him. Failing to deliver the book to such a maniac would surely result in more than a few broken bones. The gruesome possibilities piled up in his mind like kindling for a fire.

“Listen, I know I’m not in a position to make demands,” August said. “But you may want to rethink taking the book.”

Xandria was still in the process of downloading files and sorting them. “After months of planning, I believe you’re wrong.”

“Ever hear of a guy named Leo Kahn?”

Xandria paused. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Leo Kahn is my buyer. If I don’t put that book in his hands, he’ll kill me.”

“And that matters to me because . . . ?” Xandria asked, making her indifference as clear as possible.

“Because if you take his book, you’ll be next in line for a visit from Leo’s pals,” August said. “But maybe there’s a way to work this out. You don’t want the book. You want the money. You want the hundred million dollars. So let me take the book to Leo and get the money. Then I’ll turn around and give the money to you.” It was a reasonable request. Surely Xandria would understand that it was in her best interest.

“No,” she said. The word fell like the gun hammers of a firing squad.

“But Leo will kill you,” August said.

“You really thought Leo was going to give you that much money?” Xandria asked.

The thought had run through his mind a multitude of times.