Chapter 1

Taylor cracked the seal on the bottle of Redbreast 12 Year that he’d bought for just this occasion. He held the bottle aloft as he twisted the cork free. A new town, a new place, a new job. Relief, heavy and pure, melted over him.

Taylor swirled the whiskey in a glass he’d bought just for swirling whiskey, and sipped deeply, gagging momentarily at the taste of nail polish remover. A handful of ice was added on top, and Taylor blinked the fresh inklings of moisture from his eyes. He sipped gently, and breathed in the smell of fresh air and cardboard boxes. It smelled like freedom. The walls were still bare and gray, the boxes along the walls still unpacked, the furniture still en route. But, with the light shining in above the river outside, and the cold drink in his hand, it was feeling pretty damn peaceful.