Growing up on the streets taught smuggler Natasha Orlov one thing —the universe will kick you when you’re down. Nothing ever comes easy. Not friends, not jobs, and certainly not money. So when she stumbles onto a starship buried in a sea of sand, she’s not about to let it slip through her fingers. This is her shot at digging out of the black hole of her past.

Too bad her past just caught up with her.

A ghostly mercenary with muscles and brains stakes a claim on her ship, blowing her plan to smithereens. His arrogant refusal to see reason forces her into a battle of wits and wills that tests her determination. And her patience.

Then the Feds start sniffing around.

The clock is ticking, but abandoning ship isn’t an option. Which means trusting the one person guaranteed to stab her in the back. Why does the universe have such a wicked sense of humor?