Bullard's barely aware of his surroundings, as he slowly emerges from a coma and months of slow healing. He recognizes the general area but not the facilities or the woman attending him. Neither does he remember exactly what happened. Leia, a gifted surgeon in her own right, hadn't expected this giant of a man to wash up in the shallows by her beach, nor to call on every trick she's ever learned to keep him alive. Her instincts tell her to take a leave, to keep him hidden, even as she struggles to answer his questions. The longer he's with her, the more she realizes how hard it could be to let him go. But he has turned the corner and is healing quickly. Only the real world intrudes faster than expected, as one of Bullard's team shows up on her beach, bringing others, who'd been watching and waiting for the team to find Bullard for them-and now swoop in for the kill ...