Ilya by Barbara Elsborg

Two desperate men, one stolen necklace and a daring escape—what could possibly go wrong?

Ilya hadn’t imagined that attending his sister’s wedding would mean being imprisoned in the family home. For the last month, he’s been put through conversion therapy by a ruthless bastard, employed by his father, who’s determined to beat the gay out of him. Ilya plans to make a break for it while the wedding is in full swing. Fate is on his side when he catches a guest stealing his stepmother’s necklace. Ilya blackmails the thief: he’ll hand over the necklace for a ride out of there.
A tragic mistake in Julien’s past led to his life and future disintegrating. Now he can’t break free of the gangster he feels forced to work for. So when the cocky young Russian propositions him at the wedding, he has no choice. He needs that necklace back. His life and that of others depend on it… But Ilya’s presence upsets Julien’s plans at every turn. He can’t afford to make mistakes, but somehow he finds himself saddled with this flirty problem who’s pushing all his buttons. How can he make Ilya understand he’s not gay?
Except the more time they spend together, the more Julien questions a lot of the choices he’s made. Maybe they can keep each other safe. Either that or they’ll die trying.

Warning : Homophobia, conversion therapy, violence, guns, injury, death of a sibling