Gabe's quitting the game and heading somewhere no one knows his name.

Or his face.

His plan backfires spectacularly-because, of course, it does.

It'll be fine. Everything will be fine.

Less than twenty-four hours on Heartstone Island and Gabe's already earned a trespassing citation from an uptight-and infuriatingly hot-forest ranger and has made two good old boys very angry. What can he say? It's a skill. But if bad things come in threes, he's not sure he wants to find out what the third will be…

So it doesn't make sense for him to lend a hand when a local goes missing, but Gabe's never been that sensible. He refuses to dwell on why he'd rather focus on a stranger's bad luck than on his own, but if it makes the hot ranger crack a smile and flex his biceps again, it could be worth it.

The fact is, his mom was right. He's always had a soft spot for losers.

The Last Grift is the first in the Subtle Deceptions series, which follows Gabriel Karne's various adventures as he finds love, family, and not just a few dead bodies.


Related series: Veiled Intentions and West Coast Forensics