Freedom was almost in sight. Then everything changed.

Within fifty miles of the Canadian border, Nate finally decides Clem will stay with him and Eve. The three of them will cross together and build a life far from slave hunters and fear.

But one freezing night, fourteen-year-old Clem wanders from camp, and a slave hunter named BJ tracks him down and drags him south toward Louisville to be sold. Nate and Eve face an impossible choice: continue north without him, or turn back into slave country to save the boy they now see as family.

They choose the road south.

Their journey is punishing. They battle cold, hunger, storms, and men eager to turn them in for a few dollars. Clem endures wild dogs, rope burns, and the long march toward a city that sees him only as profit. Every mile pulls Nate and Eve deeper into a system built to break them.

When they finally reach Louisville’s outskirts, the three leave the city with one unexpected companion and a long, uncertain road ahead. Together, they turn north again, chasing the fragile hope of Canada and the promise of something better.

Perfect for readers of Toni Morrison and Colson Whitehead, Cotton Bondage: The Price of Mercy delivers a gripping story of loyalty, sacrifice, and the devastating cost of freedom. Can be read as a standalone or as Book Two of the Cotton Bondage trilogy.