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

Brody had wandered off and came back just as Quinn finished with the first-aid kit. At least Jimmy had been prepared for everything.


“We can put him in the room over there, it’s empty,” Brody said, pointing at a door Quinn hadn’t noticed.


Jimmy winced in a different way now. He seemed to deflate, and it took until Quinn frog-marched him to the doorway to realize why that was. The room had obviously been furnished for the human trafficking. There were mattresses on the floor and buckets nearby. That was it.


“You have any more guns on you?” Quinn asked, not really wanting to pat Jimmy down. He could tell how fucking defeated he was already.


“Nah, I don’t bother with knives and you took the pistol.” He used his good hand to dig out his phone and handed it to Quinn. “There.”


“There’s water in the office fridge…”


“I’ll get it,” Brody said, jogging off.


Chapter 67