Bound to the Widow

Mariam Bello buried her husband on a Tuesday and inherited his job on the Wednesday. She is now the neutral courier between two families who would happily kill each other and occasionally her. The condition of her protection is Tarek Aziz — twenty years older, silent on the ferry, impossible to read, and the only man who ever told her husband to walk away from the deal that killed him. Twice a month, cabin 4B, Marseille to Algiers and back. Nine crossings is a long time to sit across from someone who knows the truth. Long enough for Mariam to decide she wants it. When she gets the name of the man who ordered the hit, Tarek does not stop her. He simply stands where the knife is going.