There are worse things than getting lost in the Great Smokey Mountains with a handsome police detective. Like finding oneself on a hit list for some shadow figure nursing delusions of grandeur. With bullets and accusations flying, the only thing standing between her and certain death is a detective with steel blue eyes. If only they looked at her with admiration instead of suspicion... A struggling secretary and aspiring author from Nashville, Jessica McConnell must sort through meager clues and live to write the tale of a lifetime with the hero of her dreams.

Chapter One

Jessica McConnell stared into the dull hazel eyes of the man she was about to kill.

 “Stop!” she commanded in a surprisingly firm voice.

The man took another step forward and stood just five feet in front of her. God help her, she didn’t want to kill him.

“I said stop!” Her arms shook and her eyes burned with the threat of tears while she tried to hold the gun steady.

The man smirked, tilted his head slightly, then balled his hands into fists. A growl emerged from his thin lips and he lunged toward her.

 She pulled the trigger; her arms rose slightly from the recoil.

The man fell to his knees with a thud. Seconds stretched into hours as he toppled to the side, lifeless. Her attacker’s face no longer held any distinguishable features. The bullet had transformed his eyes, nose, mouth and chin into nothing more than hamburger meat.

 Her throat closed around a whimper of revulsion and she tried to swallow the bile burning her throat. Oh dear God! She wanted to run, drop the gun and leave this nightmare. But she was cemented to the hardwood floor. Her gaze moved in slow motion to the gun and the small wisps of smoke floating toward the ceiling. Her hands and arms were spattered with the man’s blood. She attempted to suppress her trembling; she must remain in control and ready. What if he moved? She toppled back on her haunches with the gun pointed in front of her, arms extended, and reined in her rising hysteria. Apparently she’d seen too many movies when the bad guy came back to life.

 Her arms began to quiver as a tremor moved through her entire body.

From a great distance a gentle voice filtered into her mind as if coming through a thick fog. Slowly, she turned toward the sound.

"Jess. He’s dead. Give me the gun."