as director of special projects for a global security firm, emmy black is well acquainted with trouble, but she didn't expect to run into a proverbial nightmare in small-town oregon. the place is just hills and trees, right? but a quest to help an injured woman soon leaves emmy fighting for not only her own survival but the lives of many others too. when nine came to baldwin's shore, the former member of a russian hit squad had two goals: to hide and to heal. but someone else has the same idea, and the consequences threaten to upend nine's carefully crafted existence. with the appearance of old friends and enemies as well as a madman intent on provoking a war and-most disturbingly-an unfamiliar feeling that might be love, nine is left with one burning question: can an assassin ever truly retire? secret weapon is a romantic suspense crossover between blackwood security and baldwin's shore.