Major Charlene "Charlie" Hawk has been in the thick of battle many times, but she's never had a deployment quite like this. A prison riot on the Moon. Fifty heavily armed, violent felons with nothing to lose. Two dozen innocent corporate drones with no way of escape. There's no retreat and failure isn't an option—not with so many civilian lives in her hands. And especially that one life.

Gail Moore runs Moon Colony with a soft heart, a head for business, and a stomach full of fear. Fear of the cold, dark lunar surface. Fear of blood on her hands. Mostly, though, fear of the way her eyes linger on the soldier who drops into her domain full of unquenchable courage and a body she can't ignore.

The odds of survival were never good. The odds they could make something of their mutual attraction were even worse. But as the inevitable orbit of their lunar prison carries them away from the life-giving power provided by the sun, their chances evaporate faster than the fading light. If they are to survive, they need to move quickly. Death waits for them across the dark horizon.