Taylor Smith

When a talented ex–cop turned private security agent–driven by a single, personal motivation–stumbles upon a disturbing global plot designed to bring america to it's knees, her chances of survival are slim to none

With her exotic looks and fluent Arabic, Hannah Nicks is a natural at the freelance security game amidst the tension and rubble–strewn streets of post–Saddam Baghdad

For six years Hannah had pounded the mean streets of LA as an undercover cop before her career dramatically imploded–along with the rest of her life. Since then, the lure of big bucks and the power of a mother's love has been the sole driving force behind her existence: dodging bullets in the world's worst hotspots. After all, when you've got nothin', there's nothin' left to lose Right?

WrongWhen the Iraqi mission, set to be her last, ended disastrously–her co–agent dead, her reputation in tatters, Hannah was distraught.

Two years later, still haunted by guilt, she's back in LA trying to piece together her life. Then she catches sight of himWhite Foxthe ghostly assassin who gunned down her ally in that final Iraqi ambush.

But Hannah's not the only one after this ruthless, shady killer. John Russo–a cop also at war with his own personal demons–is 'unofficially' on the case. A case that conceals a stream of greed, hatred, suspicion and terrorism flowing from Russia, through the maelstrom of the Middle East, and into the heart of the White House.

It's White Fox's links to America's underclass, though, that holds the real key to the end of that nation's global domination–but not before Hannah Nicks must confront her ultimate personal challenge.

And this time there's no doubt about what she's got left to lose

Between jobs and feeling financially strapped, gun–for–hire Hannah Nicks takes on an assignment that promises easy money and an all–expenses–paid vacation on the Mexican Riviera.

Hired by her sister's friend, a gallery owner, Hannah sets out to transport a minor artist's painting to its buyer in Puerto Vallarta. But when Hannah arrives at the delivery point, she finds the tail end of a massacre and is nearly killed herself. She hides the painting, fearing it is not a meal ticket but a death warrant, and flees back to the States.

But it only gets worse for her in L.A. The gallery owner has been killed, and Hannah is named as the murder suspect. In order to prove her innocence, she must hunt down the person who framed her...and uncover the secret of a deadly work of art.