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 ...

Next, he made sure the old refrigerator was cold enough to store his food, and looked around in the kitchen, sighing at the amount of dusting and wiping everything he’d have to do.


“Cleaning supplies….” He felt like face-palming. He hadn’t gotten any cleaning supplies.


He needed to start a list. At least the old coffee maker in the kitchen was in working order, and after wiping it down with water and ancient dish soap and running three pots of water through it, he deemed it clean enough to make fresh coffee.


Through the power of caffeine and some sandwiches, he managed to get himself going again. He went to check out the shed where he planned to make his woodworking space and ended up spending most of the evening clearing it up and planning on where to put the little tools he had.


Chapter 7