Six years ago, Jarrett Kessel helped his best friend’s little brother deal with his family’s rejection when he came out. He saw potential in the tempestuous teenager. Talent. Then, they both moved on with their lives.<br><br>Now, the FBI needs Jarrett’s help. Sketch artist Eli Locke is their only lead in finding a killer, but he’s nowhere to be found. Though the Feds are convinced Jarrett is the best way to lure him out, he’s not so sure. Until they show him the web comic Eli has created, with a superhero who bears a striking resemblance to Jarrett.<br><br>When Eli gets an email out of the blue from the man who changed his life, he doesn’t even consider saying no to a meeting. Jarrett is even more amazing than he remembers, and the fact that he’s all right being the role model for the one thing that means the most to Eli is just icing on the cake. But the truth about the murder comes out, and even though he had nothing to do with it, Eli wants to run. It’s up to Jarrett to keep him from ruining his life for good, before the killer finds them both and does it first ...

Outlined in Ink

Eli showed no signs of stopping. He’d made the second pot of coffee around one, and was still nursing it, even though the last cup had been mostly sludge. His dark eyes danced every time he looked away from his laptop, which wasn’t often at all with the work he was trying to get from it. The quieter Jarrett got, the more Eli chattered, like he had to make up for the silence with his own side of the conversation, regardless of whether Jarrett participated or not.


Jarrett didn’t actually mind. Normally, his apartment was a tomb. The only noise it got was the CD player every once in a while, and Ven’s voice when she came out to Aurora to see him. Having Eli around warmed the sometimes sterile space, like he’d left the windows open during a hot summer day. He could easily get used to the company. It was a shame he couldn’t allow himself to get used to it.


Chapter 16