Charles and Philip Barnett have settled down to raise their children, but their domesticity is disrupted when Philip's nephew Steve is delivered to their doorstep early one morning after being beaten senseless by his homophobic father.<br><br>So the family grows, but of course, that's the easy part. A rabidly fundamentalist sheriff and a gay-bashing incident leave Steve and his new boyfriend in legal hot water and at the mercy of the deputies' harassment, and Charles must once again take up the fight for justice for his loved ones.

Triumph

“My partner and I have two four-month-old sons, and he happens to be the victim’s uncle.”


“Well, I have one this age,” he said, pointing at the file folder containing the photos, “and if anyone ever did that to him, I’m not at all certain that I could stand by and let justice take its course. I think I could cheerfully track the guy down and shoot him myself—and save the state a lot of money.”


“Believe me, I understand the urge,” I said. “Would you guys like to see the scene of the crime and interview the other boy before we leave?”


“Yes, we would,” Simon said, “but I wouldn’t want you to miss your flight.”


“That won’t be a problem—the airplane can’t take off without me. I’m the pilot.”


Jeff and Rob had just come back to the van, each carrying a large box, so I called Jeff over.


Chapter 12