When they were teenagers, Quinn MacGregor and Aaron Larsen fell in love over the course of one magical summer. It ended in bloodshed and tragedy. Now, ten years later, Quinn is back in Spruce Creek, Nevada, to inherit his family’s criminal cartel. His cousin Jimmy has been making friends -- and enemies -- in dangerous places, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy to hand over leadership to Quinn. And Jimmy might not be the only one who wants Quinn out of the way for good, especially if Quinn’s secret comes out. Aaron Larsen is back in Spruce Creek to sell his former family home. Aaron lost a leg in Afghanistan, and he’s drinking too much and battling depression and PTSD. The last thing he needs is for Quinn MacGregor to drop back into his miserable life. But when Quinn is shaken by the news that he left more behind in Spruce Creek than his bad memories, he turns to Aaron like it’s old times, and Aaron doesn’t know how to say no. The events of ten years ago cast a long shadow, and in a town where they can’t trust anyone else, Quinn and Aaron just might have to learn to trust each other again.

A Desperate Man

Quinn strolled to the booth like he had every right to be there.


“Quinn, you remember Henry and Eric, right?” Uncle Ian said, and Quinn shook the hands with the two enforcers he did, in fact, remember.


“Hey. Uh, I need a word.” He looked from Ian to Arthur and back. “I thought I’d find you here.”


Ian got serious. “Alright.” He gave a patented Boss look at Henry and Eric who finished their coffees and slid out of the booth smoothly.


As soon as they were gone, Quinn sat in their place and sighed. He didn’t know how to begin.


“I have two things I want to talk about. One is business, the other isn’t. Which one first?”


Arthur chuckled. Ian grinned. “Let’s get the business out of the way first. What’s up, son?”


The word made Quinn’s heart constrict. He smiled, then pulled the emotion back and sighed. “Okay, so, I have contacts all over. One of them just called me and…Do you guys have dealings with the Burned Skulls?”


Both men looked confused, then suspicious.


Chapter 24