Homeless and hiding from his mother's abusive boyfriend, Davie -- along with his friend Grey -- accept an offer to move to a safe haven called the Encampment. Owned by Slade, and overseen by Maddox, and Ran, it's a well-protected site in the mountains for endangered street kids. Among the present residents is the very taciturn loner, Vin. To everyone's surprise, Davie and Vin become friends of a sort.<br><br>Soon after arriving, Davie discovers there is more to the Encampment than it appears at first glance when Ran, with Vin's help, begins training him in various forms of self-defense.<br><br>Davie finds out why when Slade sends him and Vin on an assignment to stop a vicious gang of slavers preying on homeless teens. From there things get interesting, to say the least, as the two young men try to survive while dealing with their growing attraction for each other.

The Encampment

“You won’t leave until after Buzz’s birthday, I hope.”


“It’s tomorrow, right?” When Grey nodded, Davie said he’d be there.


Saturday morning, Grey and Davie did laundry. While they waited for the washer to run its course, they checked out what was available in the room where used clothes were stored for anyone who needed them.


“These are so not you,” Grey said with a grin as he dug through a pile on one of the tables. He handed Davie two pair of sweatpants that would have fit someone half-again his size. Davie eyed them, tempted to put them back on the table before thinking better of it. Not me, or at least not the ‘me’ anyone would remember, which is what I’m supposed to be going for.On another table, he found a sweatshirt and a hoodie that had definitely seen better days. He had the feeling they’d belonged to one of the other guys, who had traded them in for something more presentable.


Chapter 21