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 ...

“I heard this song the other day and then again this morning. I don’t know what it’s called, but I’d like to find it again.”


“Well, first of all, if you remember how it goes, I might know it, and secondly, if you get a smartphone, you can get this app called Shazam, and you can use it to figure out what a song is called. It’s really neat, let me show you,” he said and turned to see where Joey was. “Going down the hill, Joey!”


Makai and Emil walked to the table as Emil dug out his cell from his pocket. “Like this,” he said and held the phone so that Makai could see the app. “Do you know this song?” he asked, nodding toward the radio still playing on the table


“No, haven’t heard of it before.”


“Okay, so you’d do this, then.” He touched the screen and the app “listened” for maybe ten seconds, then changed the display to show them the song title and artist. “Ta-da!”


Chapter 30