Can two broken men build one life? Ten years. That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there. Ten days. That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him. Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future -- and a relationship -- that both had thought impossible. Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know ...

A man who could only be Mr. Kelly stood at the shore, looking at the slightly rippling water. He turned around and noticed Makai.


“Oh, hello! You stay there and I’ll join you!” he called out and started the short trek up.


Without anything to do except wait, Makai walked along the edge of the backyard until he met Mr. Kelly by the cottage.


“Mr. Stone, nice to meet you!” Mr. Kelly said and vigorously shook Makai’s hand.


“Mr. Kelly, I presume,” he replied dryly.


“Yes, yes! Let’s see, there’s some paperwork you need to sign and get copies of, and keys, yes, mustn’t forget the keys,” Mr. Kelly rambled on in a distracted tone as he waddled to the front yard. Makai assumed he had his suitcase in the car and was proven right soon.


The man beamed at him and gestured at the cottage. “Would you like a tour or to look around by yourself?”


“Uh, I think I’m pretty much done with people for today, so I’ll explore by myself. Thank you, though,” he tagged to the end, just to be polite.


Chapter 6