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

Too soon, Charlie had taken their plates into the trash can in the kitchen and came back to sit on the floor. “Now talk.”


Quinn took in a deep breath and everything he’d thought he’d say in this situation evaporated from his mind.


“You both know now that Ian’s dying and everyone thinks it’s either Jimmy or me who is going to take over, right?” He watched both Charlie and Aaron nod and sighed. “Well, when I say I’m not here to take over, it’s the honest truth.”


Aaron frowned. “But you’ve said yourself that things will go all fucked if Jimmy does, so…”


There was an accusation in those words; if Jimmy took over, people would be in danger, if Quinn did, well, Quinn supposed people including his friends thought he’d be the lesser of two evils? That was what made the final decision for him.


He rubbed a palm over his mouth and looked from Charlie to Aaron and back. “This is…this is the moment I need to ask you to leave if you don’t want to know something that’s potentially dangerous.”


Chapter 38