Next Stop Chicago (ePub)

Three friends are reunited through unlikely circumstances five years after their high school graduation in Jasper, Illinois.
A violent storm causes Jody Hansen to make some ill-fated decisions that land him in jail, accused of car theft, possession of an illegal firearm and assaulting a police officer who later died. Although he is innocent, Jody's family lacks the funds to hire a seasoned criminal attorney, settling instead for one used to handling simple domestic cases. His opponent is a high-priced prosecuting attorney who relishes an easy conviction.
Anna Sanchez returns to Jasper, Illinois from her home in Chicago to help her father Miguel who suffered a stroke during the storm. When she learns Jody is also in town, she realizes the feelings she had for him in high school are still very much alive. Anna's amorous feelings intensify when Jody informs her that he planned to begin a marketing internship in Chicago prior to his arrest.
When Jody sees how Anna has transformed herself into an attractive woman with the physique of a competitive runner, he can't stop thinking about her.
Aaron Cole, who makes up the third member of the trio dubbed fuerzas especiales or special forces, returns to Jasper from his home in New York to come to the aid of his brother, who was arrested while protesting the George Floyd murder.
Jody's legal predicament isn't the only conflict in his life. When he learns it's been his father's dream to work as a fatther/son tandem at a local hardware store he now owns, Jody feels torn. Does he honor his father's wishes or act on a desire to move to Chicago to be with Anna, the woman he now loves?
It will take a galvanized effort from all three, plus an overmatched lawyer's determination to right a wrong for the group to have any chance at proving Jody's innocence.
If he can secure his freedom, Jody must now choose between breaking his father's heart or his own.