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

“Stop!” Joe stood in his tub, dripping with water and suds. “Now.’’


Two guards rushed to Joe’s side, and one of them pushed his stick into Joe’s throat. “Calm down, Vega. Or it’s back to the hole for you―”


“Get your hands off him,” Joe growled, choked by the stick. “He’s drowning him―”


“Dawson,” the guard on Joe’s left screamed, “let him go. Let the kid go.”


The guard slowly moved his stick from under Joe’s chin, and trying to catch his breath, Joe watched Dawson release Dubois.


But Dubois was choking now, spitting water, unable to get air.


“Help him.’’ Joe jumped out of the tub. The tiles were wet and he nearly slipped, but the guards didn’t interfere, and he made it to Dubois’s tub. He jerked him up by the shoulders, bending Dubois over the side of the tub, and slapped his back. “Take a breath now. Come on. That’s it. Easy does it. Come on.”


Chapter 24