Chapter One

Maleah Perdue pulled her Chevy Equinox in behind Nic Powell's black Cadillac Escalade, parked, and hurriedly jumped out of her SUV. She and Nic had spent some wonderful girlfriend weekends here at Nic's sprawling mountainside cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Happy times. Not like today when she had come here to lend support and comfort to her dearest friend. It had taken Maleah longer to say good-bye to her fiancé than she had planned. But knowing she might not see Derek again for days, perhaps weeks, she had taken time for a long, romantic good-bye before leaving Griffin's Rest to follow Nic into her self-imposed exile. She understood Nic's reasons for putting some distance between her and her husband, for wanting to be alone to sort through her feelings and decide what she was going to do about her shattered marriage. However, leaving the safety of Griffin's Rest put Nic in danger, a risk she had been willing to take to get away from Griff. Maleah would have gone with her earlier today, but Nic had insisted on her staying with Derek since the two of them had only recently fallen in love and were newly engaged.

Maleah was grateful that Derek had understood and supported her completely when she had told him that Nic shouldn't be alone with no one nearby except a bodyguard keeping watch outside her cabin.

"Right now, Nic needs you," Derek had told her. "We'll have plenty of time to plan our future together once the Powell Agency is no longer under attack from some crazy madman."

Maleah rushed up the steps and across the cabin's wide porch. She knocked on the front door. No response. She knocked harder

...