A Time for Secrets

Someone is chasing Amy Watson in the small western Florida community. After running into a handsome man named Mark Dallas at the beach, she realizes he's not all he seems to be, becoming almost like a superhero to her. He has bodyguards from his business -- a gaming software company named Madcap -- and seems to know all the big shots in town.

When a dead body is found in Amy's apartment, it's time that Mark sets the record straight, leading them on a scavenger hunt around the nation to find out why Amy's being targeted. Could it be because she's collaborated with the NSA to tell them how to do their job, or maybe her ties to the Department of Homeland Security to explain how to find terrorists without racial profiling? Or maybe it's a simple game of cat and mouse, hunting for something long lost. Regardless, Amy and Mark are on the run, to save her life while she holds secrets from the world.

Excerpt

I had to get away from the man in black, chasing me down the sidewalk in downtown Devon, Florida. Something like this always happened in the movies. The mild-mannered bank teller decides to take a break at the beach nearby and wham!—she's attacked by a huge man who's always dressed in black—usually at night. It would be cool to see it on the big screen, but this was different. This was reality, it was lunchtime, and I was the victim.

I ran into the middle of a busy street. The man dressed in black wouldn't be stupid enough to follow, I hoped. While I waited on the yellow lines, cars blasted their horns as they passed. This wasn't exactly one of my brightest ideas, but being chased by a muscle-clad man isn't an everyday occurrence either. As I glanced back at him still standing on the sidewalk from where I'd started, he glared at me, then watched the traffic pass by.

When the traffic light changed, I finally got a break, so I dodged waiting cars and ran to the other side. Some Asian men on the sidewalk watched me approach, but I ignored them, checking for the big man in black running after me.

I ran south, dodging pedestrians on the sidewalk. The small town was crowded for a Friday morning in early May, which was a small break in time between Spring Break and summer vacation. Located on Florida's west coast, Devon was a small, often-forgotten town, between Fort Myers and Naples.

At the next intersection, I turned west onto another sidewalk, finally able to see the Gulf of Mexico in front of me. I could feel the man in black lessening the distance between us and glanced back to verify my thoughts. For some reason, the Asian men were behind him by about a hundred yards, making me wonder if they were going to the beach, too. But why would they run? The ocean wasn't going anywhere. Maybe they were just tourists, excited to be here.

Once I hit sand at the end of the brick building, I turned a corner and ran smack-dab into a beautiful specimen of a man with blue eyes and short brown hair.

He stopped me with both hands on my shoulders before I bowled him over. "Slow down."

"Sorry." I gasped, moving to run past him.

He grabbed my arm and held me back. "Are you out jogging?"

I didn't have time for chitchat. "Not exactly." I looked behind me. The man in black wasn't there, but I was sure he was hiding somewhere.

"Why are you running, then?"

"Someone's chasing me." I extracted myself from his grasp and took off down the beach. Running for all I was worth, I knew I could outrun the man in black. I'd practiced running distances for some time, in case something just like this would happen. I knew it was just a matter of time, but never thought my chaser would be so large and evil looking.

The handsome man caught up and ran in front of me right just as I reached the water line. He was a fast runner, because I'd been in training for a while. He turned in front of me and ran backward to watch me.

"Stop," he said, trying to breathe.

I tried to push past him. "I can't. I'll be killed."

He took hold of my hand and pulled me toward him, gasping for air. "Why?"

I wished I had my purse with me for defense, just in case. He was stronger than I was, because I couldn't pull myself from his hand. I leaned down to catch my breath for a moment, then stood up. "Are you a serial killer?"

Mr. Adorable laughed at me, the creep. "No. What's going on?"

I sucked in some air. "There's a huge man in black chasing me. He looks like a murderer."

The man turned to look behind me, from the way I'd come, and let go of my hand. "There's no one there."

I spun around. The beach was empty, except for a few families with kids, about a hundred yards away from us. "Where did he go?"

"I have no idea." I turned back to see him. His expression seemed to indicate that I was nuts.