The Compound

Lipstick. Bright, red lipstick. Nothing but lipstick. Even though it's against our faith to wear a color that screams of sexual promiscuity and deviant behavior, I'm not allowed to protest. But, I want to. So badly.

Secrets. So many secrets. Nothing but secrets. I started another life with a new husband, 13 new sister wives, and a new place to call home. But the secrets weigh on me, on all of us. And every secret leads back to the Prophet, the self-proclaimed mouthpiece of God. The man I've worshiped since childhood, the man we obey without question. And he's the man who will destroy us all. I must reveal his secrets. Prove his betrayal, his lies and his deceit. I will not be silenced, no matter how hard he tries. And I will never give up.

Months ago, I agreed to help Aspen Black take down the Prophet of the FLDS—to prevent her daughter from being married at an early age, and to save innocent lives from systemic abuse on the compound. The obstacles, in this case, are mounting, as are my feelings for Aspen. The tension between us is palpable and I know there’s more to our connection than the increasingly difficult case at hand.

Aspen Black, a seemingly ordinary woman of the compound, transformed into the utter bane of my existence in just a matter of months. She had the gall to question me, to seek the counsel of an outsider, and to disobey my word. To add to her list of transgressions, Aspen recruited my own brother in the crusade against me. For this, they must both be punished. And their daughter Ruthie is the key to their retribution. Aspen and Paul will pay for their crimes against the one true prophet. If it’s the very last thing I do.