"You shouldn't do that." "Why?" "Don't you think you're a little old to be sitting on your father's lap?" My mother asked, annoyance thick in her voice. "It's movie night, we always cuddle on movie night," I replied. "You're 19 years old. You ought to be able to sit in your own seat," Mom huffed. "For God's sake, Barbara. We're not bothering anyone. You prefer her to come over to cuddle with you?" My dad said with teasing...

Chapter One The Sunday sunlight was merciless for almost everyone. It spilled across the kitchen tiles like judgment, bright and unflinching. The house smelled of coffee, bacon, and faintly of smoke from last night’s fire. By the time I got downstairs, everyone was already in various stages of hangover: Dad clutching an aspirin bottle, Mom buried behind her sunglasses, neighbors murmuring over black coffee. Even Aunt Marl...

Chapter One The Port of Miami was one of the busiest ports in the United States. It serviced thousands of shipping container freighters coming in and going out of the country. Tourists loaded up on seven different cruise lines. Lorenzo stated there was a finite window tonight when both Marlene and the ship would be brought in and loaded onto a shipping container, and the ship would remain in port. He warned, though, that...