In the five years she's been married to Navy SEAL Kel Bennett, Marilyn has Lived with fear as a near-constant companion. But the morning she sees two men in naval uniforms approaching her doorway with solemn faces, her fear turns to terror. This is what she signed up for when she exchanged wedding vows with that stunning man in military dress whites: a husband who leaves home whenever the phone rings and who might not ever come back. Turns out Marilyn is lucky this time: Kel is still aLive although gravely injured from the Saint Squad op that thwarted a terrorist attack in the southwestern US. While his wife is relieved to have him stationary in a hospital bed, Kel's necessary lack of openness about his work puts a strain on their already troubled marriage. As the distance between the couple widens, Marilyn turns to the book she's secretly writing to express her unspeakable emotions.

Meanwhile, the backlash from the foiled terrorist mission brings Halim Karel to the States in search of Seth, the undercover agent who'd infiltrated his organization and spearheaded the abduction of his boss's niece. As danger mounts and the SEAL team springs into action, Marilyn is shocked by her first glance into the grisly realities of her husband's profession: violence, deception, even killing. And when she becomes a central ploy in Halim's revenge plan, she struggles to find needed trust and confidence in this military man she loves-not just to save their marriage but to save their Lives.