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

“This is…” one of the younger guys asked, shutting up when the bruiser with the club stepped toward him.


Sullenly, the guys took a sandwich and water then sat on the ground outside the truck to eat.


“Okay, bedtime,” Butch announced ten minutes later. “Get in the truck.”


“What about our backpacks?” one teen asked.


“I told you, you get them back when the job is done, not before.”


“You said at the end of the day,” the teen replied.


“I lied. Want to make something of it?” Butch said, his hands fisting.


“So far,” Vin murmured after he and Davie climbed in, “it’s going just like we thought, down to the cages.”


There was a row of them along one wall. “Your own private bedrooms,” Butch said, smirking. “Sleep well.”


“In these?” Vin said, feigning surprise and dismay.


“Yeah. Got a problem with it?” the bruiser with the club asked, pounding it against the palm of his hand.


Chapter 30