A crippled economy changes Lola JonesтАЩ silver-spoon status to copper and threatens to rip her sheltered family from the upper echelons of society, dropping them into the rotten bowels of East St. Louis. Only one thing can save LolaтАЩs children from the claws of poverty, and that comes in the form of a million-dollar life insurance policy. It is, however, just a useless piece of paper unless sheтАЩs dead. With that in mind, Lola vows to make the ultimate sacrifice for her childrenтАЩs well-being.
There are two problemsтАФshe doesnтАЩt have the guts to kill herself, and her insurance doesnтАЩt pay out on suicides. With only days left before her family learns the true meaning of homelessness, Lola turns to Blas├й, a desensitized hit man with a тАЬno turning backтАЭ policy, to execute her murder. To foot Blas├йтАЩs upfront bill, Lola seeks prostitution. ItтАЩs not long before the hole sheтАЩs dug gets deeper.
Living on the erotic edge leads her to an unforgettable sexual encounter with Mannish Major, a lonely married man with skeletons swinging in his closet. Their tryst explodes into a full-blown love affair that renews LolaтАЩs will to live. But not even a budding romance will cancel the expiration date Blas├й has set on LolaтАЩs soul. Now Lola and Mannish must make a final and desperate attempt to stop the hit man, or else they will die trying.
Oasis is a craft expert and certified creative writing instructor. He is the author of Duplicity and White Heat and the CEO of Docuversion, a full-service editing firm.
Brenda Hampton is a native St. Louisian, with a gift and passion for writing. She maintained journals for several years, but it wasnтАЩt until she read Terry McMillanтАЩs Disappearing Acts that Hampton was prompted to explore writing in ways she never thought were possible.