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

After a few minutes, she quieted down. She leaned back and wiped her eyes with her apron. They were red and puffy from the tears. “I prayed for you. Every night. Every morning.” She squeezed Joe’s knee. “Promise me you’ll be happy now. Promise me you’ll live a good, decent life, Joseph. No more night clubs and sleeping all day.”


He shifted in his seat. “I’m gonna try and find some work, maybe with the—”


“Yes, that’s exactly what you must do. Maybe with the Montreal Heat and Electric Company—”


“Yeah, sure why not.” The city would never hire him. A private company wouldn’t take the risk. There were men out there, family men without criminal records, ready to work. Why would anybody take a chance on a man like him? “I’ll be all right. Don’t worry ‘bout me.”


His mother obviously didn’t want to talk about Linhart. About the last three years of his life. “Christophe is a very nice man,” she said, patting Joe’s hand.


Chapter 69