Maya didn't fall. At the last second, her hand caught the cold metal of a rain pipe. She swung her body through an open window two floors down, landing in her neighbor's kitchen.
"Sorry, Mrs. Higgins!" Maya yelled as she ran past a very surprised old lady and out the front door.
Twenty-four hours later, Maya boarded a beautiful blue and gold Vietnam Airlines jet. Soon she was sitting in a comfortable seat, flying over the clouds. She looked at her reflection in the small window. With her long dark hair tied back and her sharp, intelligent eyes, she looked more like a soldier than a professor. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the golden key in her bag.
"First time to Vietnam?" a voice asked.
Maya turned. Sitting in the seat next to her was a man with a friendly smile and messy blonde hair. He was wearing a rugged jacket and had a camera around his neck.
"Is it that obvious?" Maya asked, trying to hide her anxiety.
"You're holding that journal like it's made of gold," the man joked. He held out a hand. "I'm Jack. I'm a travel photographer."
Maya hesitated, then shook his hand. "I'm Maya. I'm just… visiting family."
Jack was handsome, with a playful spark in his eyes that made Maya blush slightly. They talked for hours about the best places to eat Phở in Sài Gòn. For a moment, Maya forgot about the dangerous secret in her bag.
But as the plane began its descent into airport, Jack stood up to get his bag. As he reached into the overhead bin, his jacket pulled up. Maya's heart stopped. Tucked into his belt was a silver gadget — the exact same kind used by Thorne's men.
Was Jack really a photographer, or was he a spy sent to watch her?
As the plane landed with a loud thump, Jack turned to her. "Can I give you a lift to your hotel, Maya?"
Maya looked at the exit. The cabin lights flickered, and for a second, she saw a man in an expensive custom-made suit standing at the front of the plane. It was Thorne's assistant! She was trapped between a handsome stranger and a dangerous thief.
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