Carolina Variant

Tess Oliver's memory is a killer.

When the lead that could save her law practice is destroyed in a suspicious fire, only her recollection of it remains. Tess can relive memories, but her gift comes at a cost. The last time she used it, she nearly died.

This time, she only takes a peek. A single moment spent in her memory of the defendant's encoded document gives her a brutal migraine and a phone number.

Luke Broussard answers her call from the wreckage of a downed plane. His charter passenger is dead. A mutated virus seeps from the man's broken cargo. And when rescuers take Luke to an Atlanta hospital, the virus comes with him.

Tess follows her lead to Luke and finds an instant connection. As they run from a psychopath who'll stop at nothing to retrieve the document, the city falls apart around them. The code hidden in Tess's mind may be the only thing that can keep the outbreak contained, but using her gift to decipher it could kill her. If the virus - or whoever engineered it - doesn't get to her first.