Sorry this took me so long! I posted the first chapter and then forgot that I was working on this, haha. Unfortunately, I don't write as regularly as I should, so updates may come a bit slowly. I apologize! I hope you guys have the patience to stick with this story (I hope I do too!).

The mid-August heat slowly dissipated as the sun dipped below the London horizon. Loud, upbeat music boomed from the speakers placed around the open deck of Bar & Company – a party boat called Wilfred. The boat, moored at Temple Pier, had been converted to a bar, restaurant, and nightclub. The floor of the open deck thumped with the heavy beat of the music being blasted even more loudly on the main lower deck where the dance floor was. It was still too early for the party scene, but there was a decently sized crowd on the boat. A wide variety of people were kicking back to enjoy happy hour drinks after work. In a few hours when the sun was completely gone, the young partiers would start trickling in. The boat, Wilfred, could only hold up to 130 people, so it never got too crowded.

Camryn was relieved that she was working the bar that night instead of waiting on tables. She was too distracted. She was surprised at how few people appreciated the incredible view from the boat. She leaned on the counter, with her cheek resting on her hand. She had a perfect view of the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and OXO Tower. The sky was streaked with bands of rich purples, faded reds, and glowing oranges. The bright orange sun was just peeking out from behind Parliament. A soft breeze rolled over the rippling water of the Thames.

For a few minutes, the music fell away and the world was silent. Despite all the life and activity around her, the world seemed to stop in Camryn's eyes. This was the best part of the day. Though MI6 provided her with everything she needed as well as a decent amount of money, Camryn enjoyed working at the bar. It made her feel more normal. She had specifically wanted this job at Bar & Company because of the breathtaking view. This was priceless – these few minutes a day when she could watch the sun set over her beloved city and let life pass her by. This is what normal people did, isn't it? Camryn smiled to herself. Normal people were more concerned about other things like celebrity gossip, workplace drama, distasteful relatives, bothersome neighbors, and other such petty things. Few people truly appreciated the little things in life. How many times had the thought passed Camryn's mind that she might not live to see another sunset over Parliament and Big Ben or the London Eye light up when the sun was gone?

It was times like this when Camryn thought about her parents. Her father, Ryan Albright, had been a police officer. Her mother, Katya Sokolova, had been one of the leading researchers in nuclear physics in Soviet Russia. Before the end of the Cold war, she expatriated to England and became a physics professor at King's College. Camryn felt a sudden tightness in her chest as a wave of nostalgia fell over her. As a young girl, Camryn had sometimes gone to her mother's office at the university during the summers. She would sit in a corner and read a book, color pictures, or play with dolls while her mother worked. Sometimes she would get bored and wander around the floor, but never straying far from Katya's office. At the end of the day, Ryan would come to pick up Katya and Camryn, and the three of them together would walk to the riverside, buy ice cream cones, and sit on Temple Pier, watching the sunset as boats passed by.

Suddenly the sound of someone saying her name snapped Camryn out of her reverie. She quickly straightened up and found herself across the bar from a handsome, smiling face. Without realizing it, she was smiling back at Alex Rider. After meeting Alex in Moscow, Camryn had run into him twice. The first time was when Alex had returned from Russia a week later. MI6 had Rodriguez and Tamarkin in custody, thanks to Alex, and Mrs. Jones wanted Camryn present while Alex was being debriefed since she had played a small role in the operation. The second time was while she was jogging in Hyde Park. A group of college-aged boys were playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee when a poorly aimed throw sent the plastic disk spinning toward Camryn's head. Alex had dove in at the last second and caught the Frisbee before it hit her, and then invited her to join the game. Camryn had taken a quick liking to Alex. He was kind and intelligent with a witty, quirky sense of humor.

"Hey, Alex," Camryn greeted, still shaking herself out of her daydream. "What brings you here?"

"You remember my mate, Tom, right? From Frisbee the other week?"

"You mean the one who nearly took my head off with the Frisbee?"

"Yeah, that's him. One of his friends told us about this place, so we decided to check it out," Alex explained. "I didn't realize you worked here."

Camryn shrugged. "It's a nice change of pace."

Alex grinned, knowingly. He understood exactly what she meant.

"So can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll just have a Coke, thanks."

"So you came here with Tom? I don't see him anywhere," Camryn remarked as she filled a glass with ice and Coke then placed it on a paper coaster in front of Alex.

"Oh, he's somewhere, probably chatting up some girl he's just met. Nice view, by the way," Alex said, changing the subjecting and nodding toward the sun setting behind Parliament and Big Ben. By now, the sun was no longer visible, but its soft orange glow could still be seen behind the buildings. The colored lights of the London Eye and Waterloo Bridge were now on, casting Technicolor reflections on the Thames.

"It's one of the reasons I took this job," Camryn admitted. "This has to be one of the best views of London."

Just then, a large, white yacht glided down the Thames toward Temple Pier. The yacht gleamed in the dark, reflecting all the lights of the London night. Boats were always coming and going from the pier, so Camryn never really paid them much mind. But this time, Camryn recognized one of the men standing on the deck of the boat. He wore dark, fitted designer jeans and a white button down shirt open at the top. The man was tall, in his thirties, and blonde with ice blue eyes. Camryn must have been frowning because Alex noticed that she was unsettled.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

Camryn said nothing. Alex followed her line of sight and spotted the man on the yacht. The man was lean, but obviously strong. He moved with a silent grace as the large boat arrived at the pier and the deckhand hurried to secure it to the dock. There was something familiar about him. His perfect posture, calm grace, and watchful gaze reminded Alex of Yassen Gregorovich, a Russian assassin who had killed Alex's uncle, Ian Rider.

Alex turned back to Camryn to ask if she recognized the man, but she was already on the move. Camryn had taken off her apron and tossed it onto the counter and was now pushing through the crowd to get off the boat. Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back. The fair-haired man stepped off the yacht and began walking toward Wilfred, looking down at something on his phone. Camryn kept her eyes on the man as she tried to twist out of Alex's grip, but Alex held tight.

"Who is that?" Alex asked quietly enough that only Camryn could hear him.

"Sergei Dolohov," Camryn answered curtly. Alex sensed controlled anger in her voice.

"You know him?"

Camryn still hadn't taken her eyes off Sergei. "He kidnapped me and killed my parents. Let me go, Alex."

Sergei pocketed his phone and looked up at the small party boat he was approaching. Alex had moved himself in front of Camryn, concealing her face from the Russian.

"What are you going to do if he sees you?" Alex hissed.

Camryn opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it. Alex had a point – what would she do if Sergei spotted her? Sergei was the type of man who could and would kill someone in the middle of a crowd and get away with it. There was no such thing as safety in numbers where this man was concerned. Camryn didn't realize how afraid she was until she noticed that she was gripping Alex's shirt sleeve so tightly that her knuckles had gone bone-white. She was trapped in a crowd with no room to maneuver, not to mention she was on a small boat. She had nowhere to go.

At one of the tables on the deck of Wilfred sat a man with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was dressed in khakis, a light blue button down shirt, and a navy tie. Dark, square-framed glasses sat on his delicate nose, giving him the look of sophisticated intelligence. If not for his boyish good looks and his athletic build, he would have looked nerdy. The man's name was Aaron Murphy. He was a young but brilliant physics professor at King's College. At twenty-nine years old, he was the youngest professor in the physics department but one of the greatest minds the university had ever seen. From a young age, he had always dreamed of going into space. It was a dream that most children outgrew – but not Aaron Murphy. The young professor still dreamed of the day he would finally make his debut into the vacuum and void of space. In the meantime, he had been involved in designing, building, and calibrating equipment from rockets to moon rovers to spy satellites to space station parts. He knew one day all of his hard work would pay off.

Aaron looked down at his silver watch and took a swig of beer from the glass sitting in front of him on the table. It was exactly eight thirty. When he looked up again, there was a fair-haired man approaching him. His pale blue eyes were cold and focused on the young professor. Aaron could tell by the way he walked that he was the type of man who radiated power and control, yet could go unnoticed. This man was dangerous. As the man came closer, Aaron could see that the angles of his jaw line and nose spoke of his Slavic decent.

"Dr. Aaron Murphy?" the man asked in a deep, serious tone smothered with a heavy Russian accent.

"That's me," Aaron replied, standing up. His palms had begun to sweat, so he wiped his right hand on his khakis before extending it. "And you are?"

"Sergei Dolohov."

"Right. Would you care to join me?" the professor offered politely, gesturing to the empty seat across from him.

"Actually I would much prefer that we speak somewhere more private."

"How about my office? It's just a little ways down the road. I can show you my designs."

Sergei nodded. "Lead the way."

Aaron gulped as he began to make his way off the boat with his new Russian companion following close behind. Something about the man was intimidating and made Aaron nervous. He shook the feeling away. He couldn't afford to be nervous and intimidated now. He was going to be contracted to work on a new project that would change space research and travel. This could be his chance to finally fulfill his childhood dream. Aaron straightened his back and squared his shoulders as he stepped off the pier with Sergei Dolohov to his left. With renewed hope and confidence, the young professor led the Russian toward the Strand building at King's College.

Alex and Camryn were careful to stay out of sight and to keep their distance from Sergei Dolohov. They watched as the Russian approached a dark-haired man sitting at a table on the far side of the boat. After a brief exchange, the two left the boat and walked off the pier toward the road. Camryn wanted to run after them and find out where they were going, but Alex held her back.

"Give them some room," Alex warned as he loosened his grip on Camryn's arm so they could follow the two men. The two made their way off the boat and followed the two men to the road. By the time Alex and Camryn reached the roadside, Sergei and the other man had already crossed the Victoria Embankment and were starting down Temple Place. Keeping a safe distance, Alex and Camryn followed the men as they turned off Temple Place down Surrey Street. Suddenly, Camryn grabbed Alex's hand and pulled him into one of the buildings to their left.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"We're taking a shortcut," Camryn said as she flashed her King's College I.D. card to the security guard inside the doors of the Macadam Building, which housed student activities at King's College.

"How do you know where they're going?"

"That man with Dolohov is Dr. Aaron Murphy."

"You know him too?"

"He was my physics professor a few years ago. I think they're going to his office."

"How do you know that?"

Camryn shrugged. "I don't. It's just a hunch."

"Do you know where his office is?"

"Yeah, I've been there a few times. It's on the seventh floor of the Strand Building. That's where the physics department is."

She and Alex exited from the back door onto Strand Lane. They hurried down Strand Lane past King's Building and entered the Strand Building. Once inside, they took the elevator to the seventh floor and hurried down the corridor to Dr. Murphy's office. The building was fairly empty since it was a Saturday night and the Autumn semester had yet to begin.

"So what are we going to do?" Alex asked from behind Camryn when she stopped in front of Aaron Murphy's office.

Camryn put her hands on her hips and bit her lip. Once again, she had gotten ahead of herself. Clouded by anger and nerves, she had not thought the situation through. She frowned, disappointed with herself. Alex reached past Camryn and tested the doorknob. It was locked. Immediately, Alex's mind began sifting through all his knowledge of picking locks and breaking in.

"Even if we break in, there's nowhere to hide," Camryn muttered, as if reading Alex's mind. She growled in frustration. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

Suddenly, Camryn and Alex heard the elevator ding as it arrived on the seventh floor. Camryn cursed under her breath. Sergei and Dr. Murphy had probably taken a shortcut as well through one of the other buildings on Surrey Street. Camryn opened the supply closet door next to Dr. Murphy's office and pulled Alex inside. The two listened as footsteps became louder and closer. Another door opened and closed. Murphy had reached his office. Through the wall of the supply closet, the two men's muffled voices could be heard. Camryn pressed her ear against the wall to hear better, but it didn't help. She frowned at Alex and shook her head, signaling that she still couldn't hear. Alex pulled out his iPhone and a pair of ear buds. He opened an application on the phone and held the phone flat against the wall. He wedged one of the ear buds into his ear and handed the other to Camryn. Suddenly, the conversation in the room next door could be heard crystal clear.

"–is very impressive," they heard Sergei say. "Mr. Budanov told you of his proposal over the phone last week. He wants your answer now."

"Then why didn't he come in person? Or contact me himself?"

"Mr. Budanov is a man who is used to having his way. He wants you to start working for him immediately. He sent me to take you to him."

"So he just assumed that I would agree to work for him?"

"He's offering everything you've ever wanted – more than enough money to fund your research and a chance to fulfill your childhood dream. Can you really refuse?"

There was a pause. "I find it curious that he is not speaking to me himself. If he really wants me to work for him, he should speaking to me in person."

"Mr. Budanov is a very busy man. He is also very rich. Rich men must be careful."

Dr. Murphy sighed. "Right then. When do we leave?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?! I need more time! I have to pack my things, gather my research, find someone to care for my dog. I have to notify the head of the department. I'm meant to teach two courses this term. I need time to find a replacement. I can't just–"

"Dr. Murphy," Sergei said sternly, "everything will be taken care of, I promise you. I will take you to Russia, and I will have someone pack and send your belongings and research to you. Will you be able to start working without your notes and research?"

"Yes, I just need my computer."

"Then take that with you now. My yacht is waiting at the pier."

"Sure. Could you give me a few minutes alone?"

"I will be waiting in the lobby." The office door opened and closed. A few moments later, the elevator dinged its arrival, picked up its passenger, and slid its doors shut.

Alex and Camryn removed the ear buds from their ears and carefully backed away from the wall. Alex wound the cord of the ear buds around his phone and placed them back into his pocket. It was then that he realized how close to Camryn he was standing in the cramped little closet; he could feel her body heat radiating from her back onto his stomach. He took a step back, afraid that he was invading her personal space, and knocked over a bucket. He and Camryn looked at each other and froze.

"Who's there?" called Dr. Murphy's muffled voice through the wall.

Alex swore softly. "What do we do?" he hissed. Camryn was already stripping off her black T-shirt. "Camryn! What are you doing?!"

Aaron shoved various wires and cables into his backpack along with a small, black external hard drive. He picked up his laptop and was about to put that into his backpack as well when suddenly, he heard a noise. Aaron froze. It sounded like someone had knocked something over. But who would be here this late on a Saturday? Maybe it was a custodian. The noise came from the supply closet next door. Normally, Aaron wouldn't have cared and would have ignored it. But something about Sergei's presence left him intimidated and uneasy. He put his laptop back down on the desk and went to see who or what had made the noise. Aaron silently stepped out of his office and cautiously opened the door to the supply closet.

There stood a young couple in their early twenties, passionately kissing and wildly groping each other. The boy, fair-haired and well-toned, pulled off his gray button down shirt and tangled his hands into the girl's dark waves. The girl, clad in black leggings and a pink bra, unbuttoned and unzipped the boy's jeans just as Aaron had opened the door.

"Ms. Albright?" Aaron said, dumbfounded.

Camryn jumped back and yelped in surprise, her eyes wide with shock. "Professor!" she cried, embarrassed.

"What are you doing here?" Aaron demanded incredulously, trying with all his might to keep his eyes away from the girl's exposed chest.

Camryn looked nervously at the fair-haired boy. "We, uh… we didn't think anyone was here."

The boy blushed beet red as he zipped and buttoned his jeans. "We're really sorry," he stammered. "We didn't mean to…you know…"

"Didn't mean to…what? Get caught?" Aaron had to chuckle. He had been the same way at their age, not that he was much older than them anyway. "Just get dressed and go." Aaron went back into his office and finished putting his laptop and other things into his backpack. When he reemerged, Camryn and the boy had gone.

Camryn and Alex took the stairs instead of the elevator to avoid Sergei, who was waiting in the lobby. When they stepped out of the stairwell into the breezy night, Camryn took in a deep breath of cool air. She was still slightly flushed from kissing Alex in the supply closet.

"Well, this has been an interesting night at the Strand," Alex joked with a sigh.

"Sorry about that," Camryn muttered wryly.

"About what part?" Alex asked, falling in step beside Camryn as they walked back toward the pier. "The dragging-me-along-to-stalk-a-Russian-guy-and-your-physics-professor part or the make-out-session-in-the-supply-closet part?"

"Both."

Alex laughed. "Don't be sorry, it was fun."

"Which part?" Camryn asked slyly.

"Both," Alex replied with a wink and a devilish grin.