He's trying to scrub away the past. She's the only clean thing in his life.
Jack "Knuckles" O'Connor isn't looking for forgiveness; he's looking for a paycheck. Fresh out of prison and desperate to keep his nose clean, he lands a job as a roughneck on Rig 54. The work is brutal, the hours are long, and the danger is real—exactly what he needs to quiet the noise in his head. His only solace is the 3:00 AM coffee at the local diner, and the woman who pours it.
Elena Ramirez owns "The Early Bird," a struggling diner on the edge of the oil patch. She's seen enough roughnecks come and go to know they are all the same: trouble. But the quiet, scarred giant who sits in the back booth every night is different. He's polite, he tips well, and his eyes hold a weariness that tugs at her heart against her better judgment.
When a violent ghost from Jack's past tracks him down, the safe bubble of their late-night routine bursts. The criminals want Jack to use Rig 54 for a smuggling operation, and they aren't afraid to use Elena's diner as leverage.
Now, Jack must make a choice: run again to keep her safe, or stand his ground and fight for the life—and the woman—he never thought he deserved.
