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 ...

“How can she just discard him like that?” Emil looked at his dad. “What kind of parent does that?”


“The kind who doesn’t visit their son in prison even once?” Dad frowned, disapproval written all over his weathered face.


Emil’s jaw dropped. “Jesus,” he hissed. “No wonder he doesn’t stay in touch with her.”


“He even gave her money after he got out, to make sure she’d be okay for a while at least, because I don’t think his brother is the most reliable type.”


Dad shook his head and huffed. “From what I gather, no, he’s not. Makai, on the other hand….” The smile Dad gave him then was somehow… proud. “I’m glad you found him, son.”


Emil gave him a wobbly smile back and nodded. “You have no idea, Dad.”


Emil hated the wait the most. It took eight hours for him to be able to see Makai.


Chapter 73