Book excerpt: Fighting Destiny series # 1 Reissue originally published 2012 Set in a dark and crumbling near-future... Navy SEAL LT Shane Laughlin was dishonorably discharged and blacklisted—for being too honorable. Desperate for work and down to his last ten bucks, he takes a job as a test subject—a human guinea pig—at Boston’s Obermeyer Institute, a fringe scientific research facility. Shane’s skeptical when he finds out that OI’s focus is to find and train certain exceptional people, usually young girls—called “Greater-Thans”—whose skill-sets include telekinesis, telepathy, rapid self-healing, and super-human strength. And he’s even more surprised when he discovers that Mac, the mysterious woman who rocked his world in an epic one-night stand, is part of an elite team of kickass OI operatives who use their G-T skills to rescue and protect innocents. Because OI’s not the only organization trying to find Greater-Thans—and the other guys are out to exploit them. An illegal drug called “Destiny” is being made from the blood of young, untrained, and powerless Greater-Than girls. Addictive and dangerous, it gives its wealthy and reckless users instant G-T powers—including eternal youth—at a lethal price. Dr. Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie and her OI team are at war with the shadowy corporations who enslave girls to meet the rising demand for Destiny, and Shane wants to join them. He may not be a G-T, but as a former Navy SEAL, he’s got talents of his own. Still, Mac’s got powerful reasons to keep her distance from Shane. But when one very special little girl goes missing, Mac’s ready to do anything—including accept Shane’s help—to find and save her. Mac’s used to risking her life, but she now faces sacrificing her heart... Originally published in 2012 (170,000 words, original hard cover edition was 513 pages)