Very absorbing storyline. Pamela Fries (USA)

I wanted to continue reading late into the night in order to get to the end. And what an ending! Camille Macchia (USA)

AWESOME book. Nicole Burns (USA)

… definitely a unique & imaginative story as are all of Susan May’s books. Loretta (Canada)

I don't usually read books with paranormal elements but I really enjoyed this one. Shari Gross (Canada)

This book kept me riveted from the opening page to the last page. David Place Jr. (USA)

… deep and dark… Cath McTernan (USA)

It's been a while since I've read a thriller, and this book reminded me of how much I love them. Meghann (USA)

A truly exceptional well written story that I highly recommend. Jim Phillips (USA)

Towards the end I didn't want to put it down. Sherry Martin (USA)

Another great read from a great author. Dominic Lagonigro (USA)

I haven't read a book I enjoyed this much in a long time. Heather Hackett (USA)

Susan May's incredibly taut thriller keeps the action going fast enough to take your breath away Rosemary Kenny (Wales)

Loved the book. A great read...well done. Suzanne SingletonBrown (Australia)

Dedication nobody gets

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss

Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger.

William Shakespeare from Othello

Dedication everybody gets

To my husband, who always told me I'd write a best seller.

Honey, you were right!

1

Nem had named the kitten Patch even before she knew whether or not she could keep him. The black mark surrounding the little creature's right eye reminded her of a pirate, and she liked the idea of sailing away on a ship looking for treasure.

Earlier that day, on the way home from school, she'd found the tiny animal in a shadowed alley. The kitten's mewling stopped her. She squinted into the scattered-garbage scene, as Patch appeared from behind a dumpster. He crept toward her as if they were old friends, pausing at her feet, before curling his body around her ankles.

"Oh, you cutie!"

She picked him up, delighting in his softness as she ran her fingertips along his fur. How could she leave the darling little thing? Without food or someone to care for him, he might die. No, Patch needed to come home with her, and that was that.

* * *

Nem had hidden Patch in a box in her bedroom. She feared her mom might take him away before she had a chance to convince her having a pet was a great idea. But her mom wasn't easy to persuade. Nem should have listened and then what was to come may have been avoided. Instead, they stood in the kitchen arguing, neither backing down.

"You must take him back where you found him. It might even have a disease." Her mom sighed. "Besides, the building superintendent won't allow animals."

"Mrs. Klein, the lady in Apartment Fourteen, has a dog."