Jack's Sweets [Rescue for Hire 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Rescue for Hire 2

  Jack’s Sweets

  Welcome to the world of Rescue for Hire. Meet the team members that make up a company that form a family of heroes.

  Jack Woods is a paramedic of the team, a caregiver by nature, but on his off time turns in to a wild, hard partier. After watching his best friend and boss fall in love he decides he wants that. Putting his party ways behind him turns out to be harder than he thought when an ex won’t s stay an ex.

  Brian Hayward is tiny, delicate, and fragile. He has never felt an excepted part of anything. Meeting Jack and being brought into the family of the rescue team is a dream come true. Then a horrible tragedy strikes, causing Jack to use his every medical skill to keep life going.

  Can Brian and Jack’s relationship survive the consequences of the past? When the whole team moves in, can the couple survive the chaos?

  Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary

  Length: 23,906 words

  JACK’S SWEETS

  Rescue for Hire 2

  Bellann Summer

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

  JACK’S SWEETS

  Copyright © 2014 by Bellann Summer

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-352-7

  First E-book Publication: March 2014

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Jack’s Sweets by Bellann Summer from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Bellann Summer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Summer’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  This one is for my two sons, who are always making sure their mom is okay.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  JACK’S SWEETS

  Rescue for Hire 2

  BELLANN SUMMER

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  Jack surveyed the perimeter of the community center building from his hiding place. He was crouched behind a tree off the side of the front doors. Who would have thought some kid would bring a gun to the center in the small town near his house and proceed to start shooting everyone in sight? He supposed everyone was surprised when these incidents happened in their own town.

  Jack watched the local police, many of whom Jack knew socially, crouch down behind cars and pull out their guns, positioning them in the at-ready stance. Jack wasn’t used to seeing his friends wearing protective helmets and heavy flak vests. Faces that were usually laughing and telling jokes were now tense and drawn, prepared to face death in order to save the helpless victims trapped in the center.

  The gunfire had stopped for the last few minutes and Jack wasn’t sure where the shooter presently was in the building. He and the rest of the team waited for the boss’s orders at various points surrounding the building. The county sheriff was behind a barricade in the parking lot, shouting directions to his people, the fire department, and law enforcement from other counties who had just arrived. He could see that at least three ambulances had carefully made their way through the growing crowd, ready to treat and transport any victims to the hospital. Further back he saw there was an even larger crowd gathering. Some were what he referred to as gawkers, people who just wanted to see what was happening. Then there would be the ones who had family inside.

  “What are our orders, boss?” he murmured into the small mike at his mouth.

  “We make our way in and wait for an opening to get the people out,” Cade replied.

  Jack took a deep breath and then he was on the move.

  * * * *

  Brian Hayward was sitting on the floor of a storage closet, leaning back against an industrial-size box of paper towels. In front of him were seven three-year-olds crouched down, being as quiet as they could manage. They thought they were playing a game of hide and seek with the community center’s manager as the seeker.

  Just minutes before he had been reading the children a story, one of their usual activities at the community center. Five days a week he had the privilege of teaching, playing, and giving them the care and affection they needed as their parents worked to provide them with a home. When he had heard the commotion, he had quietly stepped out of the door to his room and looked around the corner to the lobby.

  Standing inside the lobby doors, he recognized a teenager that sometimes participated in one of the after school programs that the center offered. In his hands was a large gun. The room was in pandemonium. People were ducking under tables and behind chairs. Brian watched as the kid raised his gun and proceeded to shoot at any movement that caught his eye.

  Brian quickly stepped back into his room. In a calm low voice he told the children, “Hide and seek. Mrs. Grayson is it.” Pointing to the little room off on the other side of his
room, he said, “Let’s go into the store room. She’ll never find us there. Quietly, so she doesn’t hear us.”

  Seven sets of little feet scurried into the storage room. Brian could hear muffled little giggles behind tiny hands. He hurried after them, shutting and locking the door. Using all of his strength, he managed to pull a metal stand of shelves in front of the door. Turning back to the children, he gave them a smile that he really hoped looked halfway genuine and whispered, “Let’s pull that big box out a little and hide behind it.”

  Fourteen eager hands helped him push the box far enough away from the back wall for them to all fit behind. Then they settled down close together.

  Brian could hear shouting and more gunshots ring out on the other side of the door. He said a silent prayer that the morning four-year-old class had managed to hide or get away safely. Then everything became really quiet.

  “Do you think Mrs. Grayson will find us, Mr. H.?” little Eric Timmons, red hair and freckles vibrating with excitement, loudly whispered.

  “We’ll wait a while longer and then I’ll go see if we’ve won,” Brian whispered back.

  Then his heart just about stopped as he heard scratching against the doorknob behind him. Slowly, the doorknob turned. Panicking, Brian leaned over and grabbed a broom that was propped up against the wall. The children looked a little perplexed that Mr. H. would need a broom while playing hide and seek. The door opened, ramming against the metal shelves.

  * * * *

  Slipping inside the front door of the community center and immediately stepping sideways behind a fake interior tree, Jack surveyed the lobby. He didn’t see the shooter but could hear shouting coming from down the hall where he knew the pool area was. Silently he made his way to a woman lying on the floor, bleeding from her abdomen area. Tony was crouched down next to her. Jack recognized the woman as the manager of the community center, Mrs. Grayson.

  Jack had just pulled a plastic pack from his pocket that contained special wound sealing sterile dressings when the woman grabbed his wrist and pleaded. “Please, you have to get the babies out.”

  “Where are the babies?” he demanded.

  Mrs. Grayson pointed to a small hallway to the right. “The three-year-olds’ room.”

  Tony grabbed the pack of dressings and said, “I’ll take care of her and get her out of here. You see about the children.” Jack then remembered Tony’s last name was Grayson and realized the handsome Italian must be related to this woman somehow.

  Straightening, Jack quietly made his way around the corner to the door where there was a paper sign hanging above it with hand drawn colorful letters that said, “Three Year Olds Welcome.”

  Slipping into the room, he saw that it was empty. But there was a closed door at the far side of the room. Quietly he shut the door to the hall and made his way to the other door, staying along the parameter of the room, not wanting to give the shooter any open targets.

  Reaching the door, he found it locked. Taking out a special device that Tony had created, he had the door unlocked in seconds. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open only to have it crash against some metal shelving.

  A chorus of high-pitched shrieks echoed throughout the room. Then he heard a shushing sound, followed by a low murmur of the sweetest voice Jack had ever heard.

  “Hello. My name is Jack Woods. I’m here to get you out,” Jack softly called out.

  “But Mrs. Grayson hasn’t found us yet,” Jack heard one of the children object inside the room.

  Jack then again heard the low murmur of the voice that had caught his attention. Jack was stunned when he felt a sudden overwhelming need, deep the depths of his body, triggered just by the sound of that voice. Jack found that need was demanding to hear more.

  There was a moment of quiet and then he heard metal scraping across the hard surface of the floor as the shelving was pushed away from the door. A voice that marched goose bumps up and down his arms said, “You can open the door all the way now.” Jack’s breath caught in anticipation at what he was about to find.

  Brian had managed to keep the kids thinking they were still playing a game. He had, again, somehow pushed those shelves aside to let their would-be rescuer in. At least he hoped it was rescuing that was happening and not killing. He knew after moving the metal shelving twice he wouldn’t be much of a threat. He had never been a strong person and now his arms felt like spaghetti. But these kids were his responsibility.

  So, he stood there ready to protect his children from a potential threat with a broom. Brian prayed he had made the right decision letting the guy in. Then the door opened further and what he saw made him freeze. A mountain of a man walked in. He had to be at least six foot five and he was all dressed in black. His shoulders looked to be as wide as a yard stick. He was wearing some kind of vest and a helmet on his head, but Brian could still see blond hair sticking out from beneath it. His face was suntanned and Brian fell into the most piercing grass-green eyes he had ever seen. Brian wasn’t quite sure if he should go plaster himself up against the guy or run the other way.

  Jack opened the door and stopped in mid-step. Before him stood the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He was very small, maybe about five foot three or so. He wasn’t just thin, he was almost fragile looking. He had tiny hands that were fisted around a broom handle in front of him, ready to fight. His face was delicate, with a cute little nose tipped up at the end and pouty lips. But what drew Jack in were his eyes. They were large and blue. Not light blue or dark blue, but a blue, blue with long, thick, dark lashes surrounding them. For just a moment Jack stood there, memorized by those gorgeous eyes. He watched as they filled with an answering spark of attraction.

  Jack knew the man was scared, yet the tiny teacher was determined to protect the children in his care. Jack noted that this was not an easy task as another little head popped out and then disappeared, from their hiding place behind a large box. And just like that, Jack decided after the rescue was over he was keeping him.

  Chapter Two

  “We need to get these guys out of here to safety as quickly and quietly as possible.” Jack tried to get back into a professional mode.

  “Is it safe? Did they get the shooter?”

  Jack could understand the man’s concern. Getting these three-year-olds out was going to be tricky. In his ear, he could hear his team mates relaying the situation.

  “Mrs. Grayson’s clear. And two others injured were moved from the lobby,” Tony reported. Jack was relieved to hear the news. Hopefully Mrs. Grayson would make a full recovery.

  “The shooter is still in the pool area,” said Alex, the team’s expert tracker.

  “SWAT has the pool room surrounded,” the Boss alerted. “Get everyone you can out now!”

  “I have seven children and one adult,” Jack informed the team. “I’ll get them to the lobby doors, and then I need back up.”

  “You’ll have your back up,” the Boss assured Jack.

  Jack crouched down onto his knee before the children. Making eye contact with each of the little ones, he said in a quiet, friendly voice, “Hi. I just saw Mrs. Grayson down the hall and I know a great place we can go to hide so she can’t find us. Would you like to come with me and see if we can sneak to it?”

  “Mr. H., too?” It was becoming obvious the little redheaded boy was the spokesman for the group.

  “Mr. H., too. Now you follow me and Mr. H. will follow us to make sure we all get to that great hiding place.” Jack was trying to make this fun. He really loved kids but didn’t have much of an opportunity to be around them.

  Straightening up into a standing position, Jack nodded at the beautiful Mr. H. to see if he understood and received a nod back. Turning to the door, he crept to it and carefully checked the other room for the shooter. It was empty. Putting a finger to his lips, he quietly made a shushing noise. Instantly he received seven shushing noises back.

  Brian watched as the huge man interacted with his students. He could tell he wasn
’t used to children but had good instincts and was trying really hard. A part of him just melted at the big guy’s actions. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to start hero worshipping their rescuer.

  On their tiptoes the children followed Jack around the perimeter of the classroom. Just before the door, he indicated that they should stop, which they did instantly with only a minimum of bumping into each other. Brian watched as Jack seemed to glide to the door of the classroom and peer through the side of the window. He appeared to be scanning the outer hallway for any danger. He then ducked down under the window and scanned the hall from the other side. Turning back to the children, he crouched down to them again.

  “I need you to be very quiet now. We’ll sneak through the lobby and out the front doors. Outside the door there are going to be more guys that look like me and they’re going to help you hide from Mrs. Grayson. Okay? Can everybody keep real quiet and be sneaky?”

  A chorus of a loudly whispered “Yes,” came as an answer. The world started to revolve in slow motion for Brian at that point. The pounding of his heart in his ears drowned out all sounds. He kept his eyes on Jack’s back while making sure all the children were staying in line behind the big man. Finally they made it to the outside door. One by one the children went through and he could see other men dressed in black picking up two at a time and running across the parking lot to the police waiting behind the wooden barriers. Jack picked up little red-headed Eric then turned and grabbed Brian around the waist and with him clinging to his arm they took off at a run. When they reached the police barrier, Jack handed Eric to a waiting policeman, and Brian watched as Eric’s parents pushed through the crowd and grabbed their son, hugging him with love and tears of joy.