Erica Morgan has yet to fully realize what she's capable of, but when her abusive husband holds a knife to her throat and threatens to kill her, she knows right away she's not above hiring a hitman. Seeking one out, she discovers that-in fear of his employer-the underworld won't touch him. She'll have to bloody her own knuckles to survive, but her loss of innocence will cost her dearly. Out of death will arise a covetous evil. If she can harness its wrath, she might achieve something more valuable than freedom. If she fails, the price will be her soul.

Jeffrey Holt tears apart decommissioned ships that have been crash-landed in the Nevada desert. He's a shipbreaker, no one of consequence-just as he wants it. However, decades after his role in the world mattered, someone is trying to kill him. Searching for a reason, he tears into the bridge of a derelict Kappa-Class freighter and finds corpses. As he stands on the bridge considering how to stay alive, a hand grips his leg...