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

“Now they’re going to think you’re just like me, Joe.” Dubois fiddled with his spoon, not looking up at him. “They’re going to think I’ve corrupted you.” He stole a look at Joe and smiled. “But I haven’t had that pleasure yet.”


The laugh Joe had kept sealed up inside him, erupted so loudly, he was surprised at the sound of it.


If he could laugh in the Icebox, he could survive anything. Dubois was giving him a reason to live again.


Your love is a flash of light at the edge of the cliff, and its brightness, though elusive and short lived, has the power to reveal the black sea below me.


Joe paused, smiling at his own dramatic words.


It was funny to him he could write like this. He put the pencil to the paper again.


Without your love to show me, how could I ever stop myself from taking that final leap into oblivion?


The words came easily and were so much bigger than he was. It was easy for him to write. Could he pursue this?


Chapter 34