My head was forced under and I swallowed a mouthful of freezing river. I kicked back to the surface, forcing myself to breathe in through my nose, only to choke as I inhaled yet more water. I let go of her. We each had to fight our own battle now. She looked at me, her eyes the size of saucers as she realised what I had done. That wasn't my problem; it would only become one if I couldn't get her body out of the water and they found out who she was. Nick Stone, ex-SAS, now a 'K' working for British Intelligence on deniable operations, is tough, resourceful, ruthless, highly trained - a master of his trade. Sarah is beautiful, steel willed, intelligent, cunning - the only woman that Stone has ever let under his guard. And now he's been sent to hunt her down ... As the pair are pursued through the backwoods of the American South, Stone's mission becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy to which only Sarah holds the key. And as the tension builds to breaking point, the two are led to a confrontation that echoes our worst nightmares.