Deadly Crystal: Quick Reads, #5

By Holly Barbo

A cyber-thriller short story

When Chayse's friend is murdered before he can get protective custody, she and her department in Homeland Security are thrust into a race to stop a destructive cyber worm from wiping out all bank and stock market records during the Christmas break. The good news is there is an inoculating code which will stop the worm. The bad news is it is hidden in a special crystal concealed in the sculpted walls of a beautiful ice hotel in the Lapland region of Sweden, and the terrorists are searching for it too. As the snow flurries of November become frozen December, each side rush to find the crystal… with entirely different goals.

Will the Christmas holiday bring destruction for western financial systems?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paper Gold Publishing OLD
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386231783

Holly Barbo

Holly's world is shaped by her love of family, the beauty of the nature and an irrepressible curiosity that frequently has her turning over rocks and questioning what she finds. This sometimes sends the reader down a rabbit hole into an alternate view of the world than what they expected. Holly’s mind can be an interesting place. To get the latest news just subscribe to Holly's newsletter. The button is on the right of the page.: http://hollybarbo-books.com

Book preview

Copyright © Holly Barbo, 2016

Second Edition, 2016

Third Edition 2018

Formerly Titled  A Crystal Snowflake

License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the book store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Copyright © 2016 Holly Barbo

Photo Copyright © Sean Pierce

Cover design copyright © C. MacFarlane

All rights reserved. Published by Paper Gold Publishing

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form of by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. This is a work of fiction, names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. 

Description

When Chayse’s friend is murdered before he can get protective custody, she and her department in Homeland Security are thrust into a race to stop a destructive cyber worm from wiping out all bank and stock market records during the Christmas break. The good news is there is an inoculating code which will stop the worm. The bad news is it is hidden in a special crystal concealed in the sculpted walls of a beautiful ice hotel in the Lapland region of Sweden, and the terrorists are searching for it too. As the snow flurries of November become frozen December, each side rush to find the crystal... with entirely different goals.

Will the Christmas holiday bring destruction for western financial systems?

Table of Contents

A Crystal Snowflake

About the Author

Other books in the Quick Reads Collection

Chapter 1: Fire and Ice

Orion gave a quick scan of the room. He needed to make sure he had everything important. His backpack was stuffed and the computer case held so much that there were edges of paper sticking out of it in a haphazard manner. The slender young man slung the strap of the computer bag over his shoulder, grabbed the backpack, and headed for the front door. His hand paused as he reached for the knob and looked out the window.

It was dark and he could see the snow falling through the street lights. There didn’t seem to be anyone about, so he slipped from the house and walked casually to his trusty old Chevy, his breath coming out in rapid visible puffs. The nonchalance was an act. Orion wanted anyone watching to assume he was going to M.I.T. to get in some late night work. He scanned the shadows, hoping no one was there and threw his backpack on the passenger seat, wedging the computer case between it and the seat back. The young man wanted both within easy reach. Once buckled in, he allowed his nervousness to slip out and thoroughly checked the view from his mirrors.

Orion eased onto the street and when there was no sign of his tires slipping, increased his speed. Orion reached into the pocket of the backpack for the pre-paid phone he’d picked up when he determined his cell had been tapped. At the stop sign he punched in a number. The snow flurries were increasing so he switched on the wipers. Orion waited for his friend to pick up.

The