The Soldier's Atonement

Several lost years in Liam’s life remain a mystery until The Soldier’s Atonement fills in the silence. The story reveals Liam’s escape from prison and his daring plan to build three hidden villages as sanctuaries for undocumented people. Along the way, he forges bonds more profound than any he’s ever known.

The next morning, Liam sat at his kitchen table, trying to alleviate his hangover with coffee when a soft knock sounded at the door, and Desray stepped inside. She helped herself to some coffee and sat down across from him.

“Graves is still mad at you,” Desray said.

“I gathered that, since you came alone,” Liam replied. “You can tell him all is fine.”

“Why, did you kill Drew with alcohol poisoning?” Desray inquired.

“Maybe,” Liam admitted. “But he was fine before that.”

“So, we aren’t outing ourselves to the construction king?” Desray said.

“No, we are not,” Liam confirmed. “And speaking of outing ourselves, has Kiera spoken to her brother yet?”

“Yes,” Desray confirmed with a sigh.

“And?” Liam pressed.

“He was a bit surprised. He’s fine with her preferences, but I get the sense he wishes it wasn’t me,” Desray said shyly.

“Yeah,” Liam agreed, laughing. “He seems to have a bias against fugitives dating his sister.”

“Enough about me, show me your tattoo,” she demanded.

Liam pulled off his shirt to reveal the new 1550 printed across his left pectoral.

“What does it mean?” Desray asked.

“You, of all people, should know,” he said, and she looked at him with a questioning expression. “It’s the number of days they took from us. The number of days we were locked up. This is my reminder not to let it happen again.”

Desray nodded her approval.

“And the other one?” she asked, pointing to his right shoulder.

“Oh fuck!” Liam exclaimed. He didn’t remember asking for a second tattoo. He tried to see what it was in the reflection of the window.

“How drunk did you get last night?” Desray laughed.

“Apparently, very,” Liam sighed. The second tattoo was a bear, and he was relieved to see Abby had done a good job.

“It looks good,” Desray assured him. “Do you want me to check for others?” she teased.

“Maybe later. And Drew as well. I'm not exactly sure what happened last night,”