Paul Mitchell wasn't sure how things could get any worse.

Sure, he'd been booted from the Marine Corps and was forced to work as a freelancer because he couldn't hold down a regular job. He'd signed on with a mysterious crew of women, sailed across the void, and met interesting aliens and new people who tried to kill him. Against all odds, he'd somehow found himself stuck between a criminal psycho, Naval Intelligence, and a drop-dead gorgeous skipper who actually liked him. He'd even pulled a regular Prince Charming and saved a damsel in distress.

If past performance was the best predictor of future success, he should have been well on the way to an early retirement. Too bad his past was coming back to haunt him. With his assets frozen and warrants out for his arrest, retreat was the only option. He just hoped he didn't drag the rest of the crew down with him—and that was if the skipper didn't toss him out an airlock in his sleep.

Despite feeling like he'd finally turned over a new leaf, Mitchell would have to figure out a way to prove that he was worthy to stay among the crew he'd grown so close to. If he somehow accomplished that, then he'd worry about the assassins, intergalactic politics, and crazy aliens with weird ideas about human dudes. If nothing else, his life as a freelancer was never dull.