The Cardinal Rule: Author's Preferred Edition

When CIA Agent Alisha MacAleer's cover is blown by ex-lover Frank Reichart, she's forced into a spy game that draws a curtain back on a world she never even suspected existed...

The clandestine Sicarii have hired Brandon Parker, the brilliant, estranged son of Alisha's handler, to develop an artificial intelligence capable of enforcing their divine right to rule. No one, not even Brandon's father, imagines he can do it--not until Alisha herself faces one of the AI's battle drones in combat. It's suddenly a race between the CIA, the Sicarii, and Alisha's mercenary ex, to see who can keep--or steal--the AI for themselves.

No matter which way Alisha turns, she faces new dangers and heartbreaking betrayals. In the end, she has no choice but to adhere to the cardinal rule...

Trust no one but yourself.