âDo you trust me, Amelia?â
Cole watched Ameliaâs face. He knew by looking at her what she was going through. Her expression mirrored her feelings as they churned and morphed inside her. Sheâd gone from shock to disbelief to doubt to uncertainty.
And thatâs where she was right now. She wasnât sure if she could believe everything heâd just told her, much less trust him.
He understood perfectly. The mission depended on whether he was telling the truth. But he couldnât tell her everything. Not yet. For her own safety and the safety of the people of Ravenâs Cliff.
âI donât have a choice, do I?â
âYou always have a choice.â
He watched her and waited, knowing how much depended on her answer.
âIâll trust you, Cole Robinson.â
He nodded in relief, proud of her for being so brave.
Knowing full well he had no choice either: he had to trust her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mallory Kane credits her love of books to her mother, a librarian, who taught her that books are a precious resource and should be treated with loving respect. Her father and grandfather were steeped in the southern tradition of oral history, and could hold an audience spellbound for hours with their storytelling skills. Mallory aspires to be as good a storyteller as her father.
She loves romantic suspense with dangerous heroes and dauntless heroines, and often uses her medical background to add an extra dose of intrigue to her books. Another fascination that she enjoys exploring in her reading and writing is the infinite capacity of the brain to adapt and develop higher skills.
Mallory lives in Mississippi with her computer-genius husband, their two fascinating cats, and, at current count, seven computers.
She loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at [email protected].
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Cole Robinson â This undercover Homeland Security Agent will sacrifice his life if necessary to stop a ruthless domestic terrorist. But when his mission endangers a brave and vulnerable young woman and her town, Cole discovers he has something to live for.
Amelia Hopkins â Sheâs dedicated her life to her father and to Hopkins Boat Works. But when sheâs abducted by a mysterious stranger whoâs in league with terrorists, Ameliaâs life â and heart â are turned upside down.
Reginald Hopkins â Ameliaâs father is a brilliant designer, but since his heart attack he hasnât created a new yacht design. With Reginald unable to carry out Chien Fouâs plan, will his life and the lives of everyone in Ravenâs Cliff be forfeit?
The Fortune Teller â Who is this mysterious woman who knows everything about Cole and Amelia, and whose cryptic words prophesy love â or doom?
Chien Fou â The ruthless domestic terrorist who has named himself âMad Dogâ plans to destroy Americaâs economy, and anyone who impedes him risks his very life.
Ross Fancher â This ambitious young man is interested in Amelia, but heâs in Chien Fouâs way.
Mayor Wells â His political ambitions have put him in the pockets of criminals and have endangered the town. Now it appears heâs in league with the terrorists. Is he ready to sacrifice the town and even his daughter to gain his own ends?
Camille Wells â The mayorâs daughter is in a coma, watched over not only by her parents, but by a shadowy figure who only shows up in the dark of night.
For Allison and the great group of authors with
whom I was privileged to work.
Chapter One
âThere is a pall cast over this town. Your destiny andthe destiny of Ravenâs Cliff are entwined like lovers.â
Amelia Hopkins tried to pull her hand away from the fortune-tellerâs red-tipped fingers, but the womanâs grip was surprisingly strong.
âMaybe you havenât heard,â Amelia said, âbut the Seaside Strangler is dead and the poisoned fish are gone. Even the mayorâs daughter, whoâs been missing for months, has been found alive. There is no pall.â
As she talked, she studied the womanâs face, trying to see beneath the layers of stage makeup. She was surprised that she didnât recognize her. She knew almost everyone in Ravenâs Cliff.
âI thought you were going to tell me about meeting the man of my dreams.â
Her friends Carrie and Rita had come out of the fortune-tellerâs shadowy booth with promises of love and marriage, beautiful babies and happily-ever-after. No warnings of doom and gloom. No ominous, cryptic predictions.
Amelia had tried to refuse to have her fortune read. But her friends had insisted.
Fortune-tellers. Crystal balls. Palm reading. All woo-woo tricks designed to provide a momentâs distraction and to part people from their hard-earned money.
Although sheâd loaned the mayorâs assistant her stage makeup case, which had seen years of use in the small dinner theater in town and had funded a large part of the boat festival, sheâd refused to play fortune-teller.
She didnât have time for such nonsense. She had a business to run.