Rainey Paxton

Rainey Paxton was born addicted to heroin. In the fragile first hours of Rainey's life, hospital doctors and nurses fight to keep her alive. Several months later, she is released into her parents' custody, where she is forced to live on neglect and tainted breast milk. Constrained in her home infested with drug addicts and drifters, Rainey's drug-addicted parents leave little hope for her protection. While Rainey is still an infant, her aunt Sophie visits her and finds the baby dirty and hungry. A bond forms between the two until tragedy strikes. Rainey is alone again until her sister Ivy is born, and the child breathes new life into Rainey's small, isolated world. But her parents have another plan, and with no one there to intervene on Rainey's behalf, she must make sacrifices to feed her parents' cravings and to keep her sister safe. Follow Rainey's journey from a house crawling with junkies to the violent confines of a juvenile detention center, where she finds friendship and learns fearlessness from the most unexpected people.

Nothing matters more than getting the next fix. First came the shocking story of Rainey Paxton being born addicted to heroin and the sacrifices she made to accommodate her parents' reckless lifestyle. Now comes the terrifying, extraordinary novel that picks up after Rainey's release from juvenile detention. With no money and lost in a section of North Philadelphia dominated by gangs and violence, Rainey won't accept that it may be too late to save Ivy. Instead, she pushes all limits to fight for her sister, surrendering herself to keep her vow. When Rainey finds her eight-year-old sister Ivy, she is neglected by her parents and ravaged by her circumstances. Against the odds, Rainey presses forward to create a different life. The pain of her childhood and the realization that her parents are more in love with heroin than their children are reminders of the lessons her aunt Sophie taught her when she was young. Rainey Paxton attracts people from the wrong side of the tracks-some who love to hate her and others who live to be loved by her. But nothing comes between her and fate-not even her willingness to die to save her sister. Contains mature content.

Some people die long before their heart stops beating. Rainey Paxton is convinced there is a link between the disappearances of several women and her friend Winnie. Her obsession leads her back to the mysterious house where she said goodbye to Winnie years prior. Rainey is certain there is something sinister about the man who took her friend to Florida. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Dakota Jagger is on her own, looking for shelter. While roaming the city streets, Dakota meets a charming and persuasive man who offers to help her. This is the same man who stalks women and keeps them as his own. Dakota does not know the man she trusts is a serial killer until she wakes up in a cold, dark place with no recollection of how she got there. The only hope for any survivors is if Rainey Paxton has enough fire in her belly to feed her craving to find Winnie. Intended for mature listeners.

Not all killers get away with murder. Rainey Paxton never gave up on finding her friend Winnie after she was abducted by a serial killer. But the person Rainey knew wasn't the one she found. The woman Rainey loves has changed, and this new version is disturbing. Dakota Jagger finds that being free doesn't mean she has freedom. She longs for love and acceptance, pulling Winnie along with her to the life they dreamed of while in captivity. But Henry Thomas Bishop, the barbaric serial killer they escaped, is still out there. He is stalking the two women... waiting to collect his property. Tensions heighten for Dakota and Winnie when they learn from the police that Henry is feeding off other unsuspecting prey. Then, one night, Henry makes a tragic mistake so devastating that Rainey's rage fuels her desire for revenge. Rainey knows the stakes are high, and the consequences could be fatal. She seeks redemption, but the price Rainey pays-and the losses she endures to even the score-are unimaginable.