Nessa Maine

Nessa learned young that being underestimated was better than being respected. Her older brother took the fall for her first real crime and died in county lockup at nineteen, teaching her that loyalty was something only fools practiced. By twenty-two, a smuggling charge should have been probation, but she laughed at the judge and got five years at Blackridge instead. Now she runs D-wing's black market from her bunk, trading contraband and favors with a sweet smile that makes guards think she's harmless. She cannot afford to let anyone see past the game, because the moment someone knows her, she loses control. What she wants and will not admit: someone who refuses to be charmed, manipulated, or scared off when she tries.