A cannibalistic serial killer targeting gay men is on the loose. Devin, who has become increasingly erratic in the last two months, just split up with Gary, his lover of three years. Vanni, a habitué of the gay clubs, makes extra spending money on his knees in the club johns. Is one of these men the killer? Or will one of them instead become the killer’s next target? Detective Hollis Robbins is in charge of the case. He intends to stop the killer, if he can. When the killer strikes again the four men’s lives intertwine as the search for the murderer intensifies. Will the attraction that two of them begin to feel for each other survive the hunt? Do they have the strength to continue on after tragedy strikes and teaches them that love can be bittersweet?

The Beast Within

“Yeah, let’s hope.” The cabbie looked at Vanni to ask, “Where to, buddy?”


The last thing Devin heard as he closed the cab door was Vanni giving the cabbie his address in a very slurred voice. 6


“We have another one,” were the first words Hollis heard when he answered his phone. “And this time it’s different. The body didn’t make it out of the city,” Richter continued.


“Where?” Hollis asked as he rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder while he took a piss and listened. “Damn, I was just there earlier tonight,” he said when the lieutenant told him the address. “Yeah, on my way,” he replied seconds later.


He washed up, dressed quickly, slid his gun into its holster, made certain he had everything else he needed, and headed out.


Chapter 9