Page 1 of The Innovator

PROLOGUE

GRAYSON

Mom dropped me off at school, but I snuck back home after she left for work. I was now in my backyard, hiding in my tree house because I didn’t want to risk Mom suddenly stopping by at home and finding me. She was probably busy working with Uncle Derek today, but it was better safe than sorry. They worked together at Wu Real Estate Solutions. I’d be grounded if she found me here instead of at school.

Hopefully, my sister Audri wouldn’t be looking for me at the end of school. I’d tell her I had gone to some club afterschool and come home later.

Nerves played in my stomach like a slinky that wouldn’t stop. How could I concentrate on schoolwork after witnessing that murder last week with my friends? We would’ve died if that man with the slash across his face hadn’t told us to run and keep our mouths shut. He was part of the gang—or mafia—but he let us go. It didn’t matter. I just wanted to get away from that church. It had been our regular meeting place to discuss our WaterFyre Rising video game, but now it was a crime scene. Remi had a better view of the murder, but I saw enough and heard the gun pop several times.

He gave us a second chance to live that day, and my heart hammered as though it had just happened. Using my backpack as my pillow, I lay down on the floor of my tree house. Uncle Derek helped me build it. If Dad had been alive, he would have taught me.

How were my friends coping? They’d been scared too. We’d all captured something on our drones and saved it to a flash drive. The man with the scar told us to keep our mouths shut, or they’d kill us and our families. We believed him. We would have died if someone else had caught us. That person might not have had the decency to give us a second chance. My stomach twisted at the thought.

I’d never seen anyone murdered.

A car pulled into the driveway, and I peeked out from the window, which overlooked the driveway and garage. Uncle Derek got out of the car and walked around to the backyard.

Shit.

He wouldn’t come up to the tree house. I was the only one who used it. My friends often hung out here too. Audri did a few times, but Uncle Derek didn’t. I didn’t dare move, not wanting him to find me skipping school. I didn’t think I could lie if he caught me.

His voice brought on a protectiveness that only parents could offer. Uncle Derek had been the father figure for me ever since my dad died.Sharing my fears with an adult would help ease it, but I didn’t want to get him killed by some gang.

So I hid in the corner, trying not to make a sound. The summer air was warm, and the sun was shining, but I didn’t feel bright and cheerful.

“It’s all set. You’ll get your money soon,” Uncle Derek spoke into his phone, walking around the backyard. “That clip you gave me? I can’t see a damn thing. It’s too dark. If you find another angle from another street, let me know.”

I held my breath as Uncle Derek walked by the tree house and toward the garden. He must have been talking about another real estate deal.

“I’m busy for the next few weeks. Won’t be able to join the meeting. I’ve got to take my nephew to a basketball game this weekend. Reschedule it.” He sounded irritated at the person on the other line.

I almost forgot about the Celtics Game. He’d gotten us tickets a month ago. I had been so excited. Maybe that would take my mind off the murder.

“What made him think a cement wall was a fucking good idea? I want him gone. He’s just going to mess things up again and jeopardize the larger plan.” Uncle Derek’s irritation skipped down my spine. I had never sensed this anger from him before. Someone must have ruined an important project at work.

“What tunnel? When?” Uncle Derek cursed again. “Keep me in the loop.”

Why was he so angry?

CHAPTERONE

NATALIE

Huffing out a frustrated breath, I stared at the calendar on my computer, reminding myself that this mundane job was just temporary. Soon, I’d be giving my resignation letter and returning to my former life. No more boring spreadsheets, city council memos, trash recycling questions, and other miscellaneous tasks that came with working for the Department of Public Works and Parks in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.

None of these tasks would serve me after my time was done.Thank God.

What kind of person thought about leaving her job when she’d only been there for six months? A person with an agenda. A person who needed to find out why her father had bought her a property in another country and told no one before his death.

Why were you in the States, Dad?

A reminder chimed in my computer alerting me of three upcoming deadlines, including a status meeting I had to attend tomorrow morning.

A headache throbbed in my temple, and I closed my eyes, trying to quiet my mind. For a minute, I became invisible, and my senses honed in on the surrounding noises. I heard fingers flying across a keyboard, a rhythmicalclick clackthat could be meditative if I’d been in the mood. Not too far away, a printer beeped, needing a paper refill. Someone stapled papers and slapped them onto a desk, and drawers opened and closed.

My cubicle separated me from my coworker, Penelope, who typed and talked with emphasis. Down the hall were seven coworkers in cubicles, but they hardly made a peep because of Dolores Kennedy, also known as Sergeant Kennedy, who disciplined the office like she ran a military base.

Leaning back in my uncomfortable chair, I released a quiet sigh. I thought my cubicle days were over, but life had a strange way of pivoting. The unexpected twists and turns kept me on my toes.

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