The Great North, Quebec, 1934. Joe Vega, the Beast, has been locked up in Linhart Prison for three years. The brutish guards harass him because of his size, but Joe remains cool. Until Christophe Dubois, the disowned son of an affluent politician, is led into Joe's cell. From the moment Joe sees him, he suspects the ginger-head is trouble. Christophe is bold, curious, and feisty, and Joe can't resist the temptation of climbing into the man's bunk for long. However, the beautiful spoiled Christophe is a furnace to which both guards and convicts want to warm their hands, and Joe must fight to keep Christophe safe. Linhart Prison may be a cruel place, but when the two men are released from its walls, they find an even tougher world out there. Is the flame burning between Joe and Chris enough to keep them together?

Linhart's Beautiful Beast

Dubois sat as well, wringing his hands, watching him. It was close to day, but who could tell in this forsaken part of the country?


“I need to sleep.” Joe stretched out on his back, the exhaustion weighing him down into the cot. “I go back to work tomorrow.”


“Oh, Joe, really? How did you manage it? I thought Williams would never allow it.”


“You’re good leverage in this place.” Joe flipped to his side and pulled the blanket over his shoulder. Why was he constantly looking to insult Dubois?


“Well, I’m happy to know it.” Dubois’s tone was icy. “Then tomorrow, you can go back to chopping wood like a huge dumb brute because of the leverageI’ve provided you.”


“You’re gonna start with me again?”


Dubois was quiet for a long time. “Joe?” he whispered softly, after a while.


“What?” Joe snapped, annoyed, yet unwilling to lose the connection he felt to Dubois in this moment. The space between their bunks was like a precipice, and he prayed he’d have the strength not to fall into it.


Chapter 19