Toronto, Canada, 2006. A few months after the worst year of the Iraq war. Gabriel Navarro splits his time between his job slinging ink at the Atlantis Ink tattoo parlor, and working on his master’s degree in fine art. Gabe is twenty-two, sure of his beliefs and his artistic integrity, and na?ve enough to think he’ll never have to compromise. And then one night Jake MacLean walks into the shop and changes everything. Jake Maclean is twenty-eight and a veteran American Army pilot. He's been staying with his ex-pat sister in Toronto while he tries to get his life in order. The problem is, he can't. After his disastrous final mission in Iraq, he's overcome with anger and survivor’s guilt, trapped in a losing battle to atone for a failure he’s sure can never be forgiven. Left without hope, he decides to have his memory of the mission tattooed on his back, with the condemning words: God Will Judge Me. He doesn't expect to fall for the tattoo artist. Gabe falls just as quickly and deeply for Jake, though Jake's reluctance to talk about what happened frustrates and worries him. Gabe knows Jake isn't doing well, but accepting Jake’s claims that he's "fine" is far easier than dealing with the frightening truth. But soon it’s horribly clear Jake can’t control his panic attacks or flashes of violence, and he's getting worse. If Gabe can’t help him face his demons, Jake is headed for a crash -- and there’s every chance he’ll take Gabriel down with him.

Black Hawk Tattoo

“No.” Gabe shifted in annoyance. “He didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask, because frankly I don’t see how it’s any of my business. If he wants to tell me, he will.”


“I think it might be your business if you’re sleeping with him.”


The hot stab of embarrassment and the blast of anger that followed it had Gabe standing, ready to leave. “And you know what? That’s none of your goddamn business, either. I’m an adult, and I think I can spend time with people without you making a federal case out of it. Jake hasn’t done anythingto me, and I’m not going to stand here justifying my relationships to you! And I’m not going to talk about someone I care about behind his back!”


“I’m not asking you to.” Rob’s voice was as infuriatingly calm as always. He stood up as well and put his hands on his hips. “I’m asking you to be careful, that’s all. What if Jake has another one of these episodes and hurts you? I’ve seen it happen.”


Chapter 49