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

“Give it back,” Jake said again, low and menacing. He took a step toward Hype’s brother.


“That’s enough,” Rob said to all of them. He’d just come through the door from the basement stairs, holding a package of paper towels that he dumped onto the chaise lounge. His voice was only a little louder than Jake’s had been, but the weight of his authority behind it froze everyone. “Now.” Rob turned to the two men. “You said you were worried about Hype, which is why I let you wait for her. I didn’t say you could use my shop to threaten one of my employees.” He pointed at the door. “Get out.”


“She stole my money!” Teddy-Bear-Ass thrust a skinny finger at Hype. “I left it on my fucking dresser and now it’s fucking gone! The bitch took it!”


“Don’t call her that.” Jake’s voice had gone deadly. He started forward again, but Gabe put his hand on his arm. The cords of Jake’s muscles were like metal.


Chapter 68