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

Gretchen would have had access to his laptop whenever he wasn’t home. Though he kept his files locked up most of the time, he got lazier the safer he felt. Gretchen had never expressed any interest in his strip, which meant he stopped being careful when he was at home. Her only interaction with it came as a fresh set of eyes to look it over before he posted anything. She occasionally made comments about sketches that didn’t meet his usual standards, or offered suggestions about what should happen next. He didn’t always listen to her, especially at first, but the longer they were friends, the more he acceded to her ideas. The strip was more well-rounded that way, he argued with himself. It was better to have new vision brought into the story, or he would run the risk of growing stale.


Chapter 34