Page 1

Prologue
I watch as he scampers down the gangway, his fists clenched by his side. He avoids catching the eye of the distracted officer at the door to the ship, racing past the long line of passengers waiting to check-in for their voyage of a lifetime.
He looks so small through my binoculars. A tiny slip of a man. I wait, but the woman doesn’t come after him. No matter. I had planned for that. Besides, this way is easier.
I’ve been watching them, waiting, biding my time. Every moment confirms what I already knew: these two deserve everything that’s coming at them.
I look down at my phone, opening the message thread from a few minutes ago.
WE NEED TO TALK.
Not possible, he’d replied.
BE AT THE HOTEL IN FIFTEEN MINUTES OR ELSE THE VIDEO GOES LIVE.
He was too smart to ignore me. Especially with the screenshot I’d attached to the message. That would have made his blood run cold.
I set down the binoculars. Now I’m certain he’s on his way, I have a few minutes to prepare the next stage of the plan. I take out the box with the syringe, making certain it’s primed and ready. My bags are packed, waiting by the door for my getaway.
The hotel staff will give him a message, sending him to the room next to mine, so I double-check the adjoining door is unlocked and slightly ajar. I’ve already set up a laptop on the table in that room, facing away from the entrance.
I wait until I hear him enter. Then I call.
He answers on the first ring, so angry he’s practically spitting. ‘I gave you what you wanted. You said you would stop this.’
‘It’s not enough. Meet my demand, or else what’s on that laptop goes live.’
‘I told you. It’s not going to happen. The ship sets sail in an hour. You’ve got your money. You can’t just keep asking for more. Now it’s time to leave us alone.’
‘I don’t think so. Why don’t you turn it on and see for yourself the damage I can do?’
I wait for him to sit down at the desk. But it’s a ploy. If there was proof, I wouldn’t have to do this. Instead, while he’s distracted, I step through into the room.
‘What the fuck?’ I hear him mutter as he double-clicks on the video file and nothing plays.
My footstep lands heavy on the hotel carpet, and the creak is enough to reveal me. He leaps to standing.
But it’s too late. In the next second, I’m on him, plunging the needle into his neck. He barely has the opportunity to struggle. I’m too fast; it’s too unexpected. And the drugs I’ve chosen work quickly.
As he sags to the floor, I search his pockets for anything I might need. I drag his body into the second room, the one I’ve booked for the next week. Then, I make sure the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign is still on the outer knob, shut the door and start walking. I expect he won’t be found for some time.
I’ll be long gone by then.
After all, I have a boat to catch.
1
Twenty-four hours earlier
Huge, snow-capped mountains rise up behind the town, their jagged peaks piercing the bright blue sky. The Martial range cradled the southernmost town in the world – Ushuaia – and, with it, the gateway to Antarctica.
An icy breeze swirled around her body as Olivia stared out at the slate-grey sea. Half a dozen yachts were moored in the harbour and birds splashed in the surf, fighting over a silvery fish nabbed from beneath the surface. The waves were calm, lapping gently against the stone walls of the dock. For the moment there was no sign of the ferocious, stormy weather that this part of the world was notorious for.
She knew some people found comfort by being near water. Not her. For her, the sight of the water brought up a fear that caught in her throat, threatening to choke her.
She gripped the metal railing, took a breath and focused on the large ship docked in the port. The MSVigil. Tomorrow, it would take her across one of the world’s most perilous bodies of water – the Drake Passage – to the final continent. The ship was a converted icebreaker from Norway, designed to chop through icy waters and sail through polar storms with ease. She’d read up on the specifications for the ship and its captain’s impeccable safety record. She knew she had nothing to worry about.
But the fear remained.