Bloomsbury Publishing

Chapter One: Ice Planet

Chapter Two: Nasty Men

Chapter Three: Alien Eyes

Chapter Four: A Nice Trophy

Chapter Five: Green Slime

Chapter Six: A Storm Coming

Chapter Seven: Real Danger

Chapter Eight: Big Momma

Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman.

cell had been used to house old furniture in need of repair and was cluttered, but dry and relatively clean. Rather than make him wait while they emptied it completely, they'd left a few pieces behind. A cracked washtub, a rickety table, and my old bed with the broken leg weren't much, but they were more than most prisoners had.

a promise was law; a promise was currency; a promise was your bond

“Love won’t feed a hungry belly,”

Time off can feel impossible and is a luxury that many cannot afford. But can you find ten minutes to give yourself and start from there? Can you gift yourself thirty minutes of quiet time, to turn away from the world and tune into yourself to see what happens, without scrolling on your phone?

or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either

the hydrangea her father had planted, that was to bloom pink or blue depending on the soil. It did not prove to Ruma that her father had loved her mother, or even that he missed her. And yet he had put it there, honored her before turning to another woman

“I don’t understand,” my father said.

“Neither do I,” I replied. “You haven’t wanted a picture of anything in years.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

Name one hero who was happy.”