Retail

ALEX LUTHECKER lives off of the grid. He prefers the comfort of the night. He avoids the crowded and chaotic daylight hours, because the relentless anxieties of the multitudes overwhelm him. This is because Alex has a rare gift. He is a pattern reader. Patterns in nature, patterns in social groups, patterns in individual behavior, he can recognize them all. With one conversation, he knows all of your secrets. He can tell you exactly who you are. He can tell you exactly how your life is going to end. For Alex, it's not magic. It's math.

NICOLE ELLIS works in the energy business. She trades futures in the lifeblood of civilization: crude oil. With the help of her patented pattern recognition software, PHOEBE, she has the uncanny ability to predict trends in oil production and consumption. And at the tender age of twenty-five, she is recognized as one of the best in the business, with the bank account to show for it. For Nicole, who grew up with nothing, the world is hers.

RICHARD BROWN was a highly respected intelligence officer during both Gulf Wars. He oversaw rendition squads, making sure that his interrogators didn't cross the line into torture, and if they did, that no one would ever be the wiser. The only thing that mattered to the government was that Brown always got his man. His track record of success allowed his move into the private sector, eventually heading the corporate entity known as Coalition Properties, the largest military contractor in U.S. history. For Brown, the commodity he trades and sells is power. A terrorist attack on a Saudi oil refinery sets the paths of all three on a collision course, an encounter that threatens to upset the balance of power in the world. Alex must learn to forge relationships and become a leader in order to save the lives of not only himself and Nicole, but also those of his loose band of allies, as he becomes one of the most sought after fugitives in history.