Adrik Marinov was raised to be a monster. The heir to a ruthless Russian dynasty, he spent his life groomed in the shadows of violence and blood. He finally did the impossible: he walked away. But freedom is a fragile thing when your father is Viktor Marinov, and Adrik knows that as long as he’s breathing, he’s never truly out.
He escaped the mafia, but he couldn’t escape the target on his back.
Hans Schroeger is everything Adrik isn’t calm, scholarly, and safe. A German professor with a novelist’s soul and a laid-back California charm, Hans has built a life out of quiet oceanside mornings in Germany and old books. He’s survived heartbreak by choosing solitude, convincing himself that being alone is the same thing as being content.
When New Yorker, Adrik crashes into Hans’s peaceful world in Germany, the collision is instant and undeniable. Hans offers a warmth Adrik never thought he deserved; Adrik offers a dangerous intensity that wakes Hans up.
