In the freezing early hours on Fifty-Second Street, Jonas Faukman heads toward a twenty-four-hour FedEx with Katherine Solomon’s heavy print manuscript in his backpack. He can’t understand why hackers targeted Solomon’s book rather than more valuable PRH titles, and he begins to suspect the attack is about more than piracy.

Faukman grows wary when a black van idles ahead, but relaxes when the driver steps out, cheerfully consulting a clipboard and walking away. When the driver turns back and calls to someone in the van, Faukman even tries to help by pointing out the address location.

Immediately, someone strikes Faukman in the kidney from behind, and a black bag is pulled over his head. Two attackers lift him off the sidewalk, throw him into the van, and slam the door; the vehicle speeds away, leaving Faukman gasping and certain this is the kind of kidnapping he has read about in thrillers.

Back in Random House Tower, PRH tech Alex Conan repeatedly calls Faukman’s office, home, and cell, but gets no answer and worries Faukman has disappeared in the middle of the crisis. With no progress tracing the hackers, Alex decides he needs details from the missing manuscript and, breaking PRH protocol, calls Katherine Solomon directly; her phone goes to voicemail, and he leaves an urgent message.

Alex tries Faukman again without success, then remembers Solomon is traveling with PRH author Robert Langdon and calls Langdon’s cell as well. Langdon’s line goes straight to voicemail, and Alex is left isolated and alarmed by the silence from everyone connected to the targeted book.