AntiAmerica by T.K. Falco
Release date: December 4, 2018
Subgenre: Conspiracy thriller
About AntiAmerica:
AntiAmerica stands at the center of the largest US anarchist uprising in 100 years.
When hacktivist group AntiAmerica hacks the nation's largest banks, the financial industry is left teetering on the brink of collapse. Hacker and teen runaway Alanna Blake is forcefully recruited by the government to track down the only link to AntiAmerica, her missing ex-boyfriend Javier. She relies on every bit of her social engineering cunning to navigate a conspiracy of lies and deceit, which imperils both the lives of everyone closest to her and the secrets to a past she longs to remain locked away forever.
This book contains content surrounding drug abuse, mental illness, physical abuse, and suicide.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1: Social Engineering
Alanna didn’t enjoy deceiving her best friend. Even when she
couldn’t shake the feeling he was keeping secrets from her.
She spied at Brayden from the passenger seat. He remained
tight-lipped while driving his Kia Soul along the rain-soaked
streets of US1. Underneath the thick dreadlock strands draped over
his shoulder, his Chinese character tattoo was visible through his
green tank top. A nod to the quarter-Chinese on his father’s side.
When they grabbed a bite at Pollo Tropical off of Bird Road, she
inquired why no one had seen or heard from Javier this past week.
The two had been tight since childhood. If anyone knew the reason
behind his disappearance, Brayden did. But he claimed otherwise
then spent the rest of the meal chewing on mouthfuls of his chicken
sandwich in solemn silence.
He wasn’t half the accomplished liar she was. When she harassed him
into stopping by Javier’s apartment, he accepted her excuse at face
value: she was worried whether Javier was okay. She failed to
disclose her real motivation behind the detour. If Brayden was
holding back the truth, so would she.
As they turned onto Brickell Avenue, she resisted the urge to check
her iPhone for the hundredth time. After Javier’s text from yesterday she was barely able to get any sleep the night before. Brayden
parked in front of the towering high-rise. While he picked up his
burner phone to call Javier, she eyed the building’s cold glass
exterior.
“Voicemail,” he said with his thick Jamaican accent.
“Now will you listen to me? Something’s not right. I’m sure of it.”
“You’re overreacting,” he said with his phone in ear. “I’m
surprised in all the time you two were dating you never phished
him—like you do with everybody else. It would’ve saved us the
drive.”
She shot Brayden a dirty look. He unloaded more crap on her than
anyone over the scams she ran. Not that he had room to talk.
According to Javier, he and his hacktivist buddies once cracked the
IRS website. He called himself a gray hat hacker. The term meant
little to her. Her world was black or white and nothing in between.
They were both criminals. Putting the best spin on life won’t erase
the past. For either of them.
After leaving a message saying they were outside, he snuck his
right hand past her stomach to open her door. “I’ll park the next
street over. Don’t take too long.”
The whole point of bringing him here was so that she wouldn’t go up
to the apartment alone. “You’re not going up with me?”
“Why? If he’s not answering, it’s because he’s not there or doesn’t
want nobody bothering him.”
“Come up with me. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
His dreadlocks fell, as he dipped his head. “I need to find
parking. Besides I don’t see why you’re making a fuss. You know him. He’s probably
in deep hack mode working on a bug bounty.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. Under normal circumstances Brayden would have a point about Javier possibly being tied up with
his ethical hacking, but not now with the mystery surrounding his
absence. His college friends hadn’t heard from him in days. They
said he ditched class all week. He wasn’t the type to vanish at a
moment’s notice. If he needed to skip town for an emergency, he
would’ve told somebody.
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About T.K. Falco:
T.K. Falco is the author of AntiAmerica. A Vermont native and
longtime Texas resident, T.K.’s present address varies depending on
the month.
T.K. earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Minor in
Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California. A former
corporate marketing professional, T.K.'s current efforts are
devoted to writing and financial trading. Interests include anime,
board games, card games, comic books, Dallas Mavericks, meditation,
MMORPGs, movies, tennis, travel and ultimate frisbee.
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