Six years ago… Elliot’s world changed forever. He couldn’t walk away from the girl who was at death’s door, the girl who was being stalked mercilessly by the men who’d failed to finish the job. The Gypsy Brothers. He stole away with her, into the night, throwing away a promising career in the LAPD in the process. He never once regretted the things he did to protect her, to give her a second chance at life. He loved her even as she consumed his universe. But in the end, she became his poison, his darkness, and so he left… He drove away, and went back to where it all started. Venice Beach. The place where dreams are broken, the place where power is measured in drops of blood. He swore he’d avenge her past, but life had other plans. Because nothing lasts forever … not even ink.