When the police call the slaughter of his mother and brother a home invasion gone bad, Mika doesn't believe it. Because he has no way to prove otherwise, he closes down, refusing to talk about what happened.<br><br>That is until Buck, a bouncer at a local bar Mika visits, convinces Mika to open up to him. When he does, Buck not only learns about the murder, but also that Mika grew up living off the grid until his father died, two years previously, at which point his family moved to the city.<br><br>They begin to bond as they try to figure out the reason behind the murders, which may revolve around the family property in the mountains. All they have to do is prove it, without being killed in the process. Only if they can will they take a chance and move their growing friendship on to something more.

Hunting a Killer

“No, there’s not,” Mika agreed when he pulled away. “But more than friends is better, I think.”


“It is, when it’s you and me.” Buck cupped Mika’s jaw with his hand, looked into his eyes for a long moment, and then kissed him softly. He broke it quickly, before it could become more. I…we need to be sure what we’re feeling is real. After what we’ve gone through it could be heightened emotions that will fade too soon.


As if he’d read Buck’s mind, Mika said, “One step at a time, for now, right? Until we know each other better, I guess.”


“Yes. If we rush into things and find out it’s not real…” Buck rubbed the pad of his thumb over Mika’s lips. “I want us to continue being friends, not matter what, which might not happen if we push too fast.”


Mika nodded, smiling slowly, “I think that makes sense, in a sort of convoluted way.”


Feigning dismay, Buck replied, “I thought that was very straight forward.”


Chapter 30