Orphan X Read online

  —Philip Eisner, for his writer’s eye and dark sensibilities.

  —Dana Kaye, publicist extraordinaire.

  —And of course Maureen Sugden, my dream copyeditor.

  —Thing One (Simba) and Thing Two (Cairo), who accompany me into every chapter.

  —Daughter One and Daughter Two for making me happy to come out of the book every evening.

  —And Wife One. For that thumbs-up you flashed on September 26, 2013.

  About the Author

  Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous thrillers, including You’re Next and The Survivor. Critically acclaimed, Hurwitz is a two-time finalist for ITW’s Best Novel prize and a finalist for CWA’s Steel Dagger. In addition to his novels, Hurwitz is a screenwriter, TV producer, and comic book author. Orphan X has been sold in sixteen countries. Hurwitz, who lives in Los Angeles, is writing the screenplay adaption of Orphan X for Warner Bros. and Bradley Cooper. You can sign up for email updates here.

  Also by Gregg Hurwitz

  The Tower

  Minutes to Burn

  Do No Harm

  The Kill Clause

  The Program

  Troubleshooter

  Last Shot

  The Crime Writer

  Trust No One

  They’re Watching

  You’re Next

  The Survivor

  Tell No Lies

  Don’t Look Back

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Prologue: Trial by Fire

  1. The Morning-Beverage Measure

  2. Fortress of Solitude

  3. Broken Like Me

  4. I’ll Be Waiting

  5. Other Things

  6. Please Don’t

  7. Who’s Who in the Zoo

  8. Unmarred

  9. A Damn Saint

  10. Cloak and Dagger

  11. What Now?

  12. A Woman’s Job

  13. Professionals

  14. Dream Come True

  15. Tick, Tick, Tick

  16. The Two Wolves

  17. Broken Pieces

  18. Look Closer

  19. Advertising Cost

  20. Red Hands

  21. Dead Drop

  22. Pieces of His True Self

  23. Reading the Chessboard

  24. Fucked-Up Date

  25. Business of a Certain Type

  26. Unnerved

  27. Cat and Mouse

  28. Unholy Union

  29. There and Gone

  30. The Calling Song

  31. More Truth than Lies

  32. Nowhere to Go

  33. The Long Haul

  34. The Samurai-Sword Incident

  35. Hymn to Freedom

  36. Special Girl

  37. Sooner or Later

  38. A Shield of Killers

  39. A Noise that Kept Not Coming

  40. Blind Spots

  41. Emotional Centers

  42. The Inside of a Conspiracy Theorist’s Mind

  43. Scary, Scary Man

  44. Self-Fueling Engine

  45. Human Hive

  46. Pyrotechnic Horrors

  47. One Breath

  48. Shot-to-Shit

  49. Scarlet Trail

  50. The Ghost of Her Lips

  51. *&^%*!

  52. The Other Guy’s Hand

  53. A Backstroke with No Water

  54. No

  55. Silent Work

  56. The Tenth Commandment

  57. Another Lit Window

  58. Parting Gift

  59. Next Time

  Epilogue: Loss

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Gregg Hurwitz

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  ORPHAN X. Copyright © 2016 by Gregg Hurwitz. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.minotaurbooks.com

  Cover design by Ervin Serrano

  Cover photographs: man by Silas Manhood; street by Andrew Cribb/iStock

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-1-25006784-5 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-7651-4 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9781466876514

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].

  First Edition: January 2016