“She was married to my dad, and everything was fine until he got killed in some freak tractor accident.Yeah, that’s what I said, a freak tractor accident.”

“You ask me about tragic accidents? If I am on my tractor at my farm and it rolls over on me and kills me, that's a tragic accident. If I die in a race car, that's life. I died doing what I love.”

“They all think I'm some kinda freak." Ethan laughed and put his arms around me. "You're my kinda freak," he said, and kissed me until I didn't care anymore.”

“We’re freaks, that’s all. Those two bastards got us nice and early and made us into freaks with freakish standards, that’s all. We’re the tattooed lady, and we’re never going to have a minute’s peace, the rest of our lives, until everybody else is tattooed, too.”

“Will your dad freak if I kiss you good-bye?” he asked.”

“He took a long draw then asked, “What’d I do?”“You knew about the guy threatening my dad?”He paused, shifted in his chair, so freaking busted, it wasn’t funny. “They told you?”“Why, no, Swopes, they didn’t. Instead, they waited until the guy knocked the fuck out of my dad and readied him for spaceflight with duct tape then tried to kill me with a butcher’s knife.”