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

Biker stood in the doorway and glowered at all of them, still holding his nose. “This ain’t over, Hyacinth,” he spat at her.


“Yes, it is,” Rob said. He closed the door in Biker’s face, then locked it.


“Assholes! Fucking assholes!” Hype screamed through the glass. She ran to the door and kicked at the frame, making the door rattle.


“Hey, hey. That’s enough.” Rob put his hand on her shoulder and gently steered her away from the door. “Dee, could you take Hype to the washroom and help clean her up, please?”


Dee nodded and came around the counter. “That was intense.” She went to Hype. “You okay, sweetie? Come on—let’s get you cleaned up.”


“I’m not a baby,” Hype said, but she was still wiping her eyes and she went with Dee willingly enough.


Rob took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt. Outwardly he seemed completely calm, but Gabe didn’t miss the small trembling in his long-fingered hands. “Is everyone all right?”


Chapter 69