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

“At least I wouldn’t’ve had to know about it!” Alice threw up her hands. “At least if he wasn’t hereI wouldn’t feel like I was the fucking ball in some tennis game from hell, being smashed back and forth between so scared I can’t think and so angry I can’t breathe. Oh, damn it.” She put her hands on her temples, squeezing her eyes shut. “God, it sounds like I want him dead, doesn’t it? I don’t. I really don’t. God. It’s just…” She took a heavy breath, and Gabe didn’t say anything as she used her fingers to wipe her eyes. “I just…I just don’t think I can take this anymore. Sometimes I wish he’d just go ahead and…and do something so it could finally just be overand I wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. And then I imagine it and…” She stopped talking, swallowed, and shook her head mutely.


Alice flicked her hand. “It’s nothing. I’m just stressed and stupid.”


Chapter 108