Book excerpt: A mother will do anything to obtain justice for her child. After crashing a holiday party, Samantha Wycoff slips away to the restroom where she stares at her reflection and wonders, "How the hell did I get here?" Six months earlier, her son, Thomas, was beaten so severely he did not recover. Samantha knows his girlfriend, Velvet Flores, is guilty, but with no witnesses and what Samantha knows is a fake alibi, the police and courts can do nothing. Micah Kerrick, Thomas's childhood best friend, offers to help her, but only if she'll join his team of government troubleshooters. A retired schoolteacher slash church lady slash professional volunteer would be the perfect cover for any mission - except one. Will Samantha agree to a career change and join Micah's Misfits? Will Micah's handler allow such an unusual agreement to stand? Or will Samantha find herself facing certain termination?