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

While he was on the phone, Abbie answered hers when it rang. She listened, nodded once, and hung up. When Hollis ended the call to the hospital she told him, “The CSI team found some trace evidence that could be linked to our man given that it was on the bed where he left Vanni. They also found a couple of prints on the headboard that weren’t Vanni’s or the manager’s and that didn’t match any of the others in the place. Their supposition is that the man may have grabbed the headboard without thinking to steady himself as he helped Vanni onto the bed. The only prints on the front door handle belong to the manager, which means someone wiped it clean, and the manager’s and Vanni’s are the only ones on the bathroom door.”


“Have they run those two prints yet?”


Abbie waggled her hand. “Yes and no. There’s no match in our files so they sent them off to IAFIS. They hope to hear back from them within the hour.”


“Fingers crossed he’s on file with them. Call me the second you hear.”


Chapter 24