Bear's Pup [Rescue for Hire 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Rescue for Hire 1

  Bear’s Pup

  Welcome to the world of Rescue for Hire. Meet the team members that make up a company that form a family of heroes. Cade Miller is the owner of the company and is a dominating alpha in mind and body. Cade rescues Bret James on a mission. The instant connection between the two cannot be denied, and he decides to keep him.

  Bret may have submissive qualities that mesh completely with the big bear, but it is his mischievous side that keeps Cade on his toes and coming back for more.

  But Bret has evil stalking him. When the past wants revenge, can Cade discover who has taken Bret and stop him from being a victim again? The team will have to use all of their skills to rescue Bret before all hell breaks loose. Because when the big, bad alpha is crossed, nothing will stop him from getting his pup back.

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

  Length: 21,449 words

  BEAR’S PUP

  Rescue for Hire 1

  Bellann Summer

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Siren Erotic Romance ManLove

  BEAR’S PUP

  Copyright © 2014 by Bellann Summer

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-212-4

  First E-book Publication: February 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 Bear’s Pup 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

  To my husband who is always standing solidly beside me when I get these awesome ideas and is ready to catch me if I fall.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  BEAR’S PUP

  Rescue for Hire 1

  BELLANN SUMMER

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  “Get ready, Midwest, this is going to be a big one,” announced the buff blond weatherman enthusiastically, grabbing Cade Miller’s attention. “This area highlighted in red could see at least sixteen inches of rain during a twenty-four-hour period. We’re talking record amounts, folks.”

  Tearing his eyes away from the eye candy, Cade speculated on the ramifications this storm could have, as they were smack dab in the middle of the huge red circle on the weather map.

  Five years ago Cade started a rescue-for-hire company. He had carefully screened many people and had finally chosen a very elite group of men. Besides Cade himself, four other men made up a team who each had a specialty, although they all knew weapons and first aid. The company was hired out to rescue people mostly in North America, although they had been flown across an ocean a time or two. Their rescues went from disasters to hostage situations.

  Last winter the area had more snow than most could cope with. State of emergencies had been declared at least three times. He and his men had been called to rescue people out of their homes and trapped in cars. They had also found dozens of people who had become lost when a huge blanket of snow covered everything familiar.

  Cade had found that most people could handle a day or two of no electricity, but when it started to last more than three days with below zero temperatures. That was when the fires started. When people became cold, some became desperate enough to turn on the burners of their stove for warmth. He had witnessed the results of people bringing their propane and charcoal grills into the house. This had led not only to fires but carbon monoxide poisoning.

  During one of the storms, a whole fifteen-mile radius was without electricity for five days. His recue-for-hire company had been called in by the townships of the problem areas to help local departments search for the missing and bring people to safety. They had ended up going house to house and down all the back roads. There had been some really amazing and some terrible rescues and recoveries with that job. Now it was spring, and all of that snow was melting quickly. In a couple of days, according to Mr. Eye Candy weatherman, there would be a large amount of rain coming down on top of that snow, making it melt even faster. Added to the problem was the fact that any day now, the dams upriver would have to be opened so they wouldn’t break under the weight of the rising rivers and lakes up north. This would not only bring even more water down the river, but it would become very fast moving, creating even more problems. The people around here were used to a little flooding every spring, but this potentially could be devastating.

  Just the year before, in a neighboring state, the ice had broken up on a river so fast that during the night the water rose, flooding homes, trapping the occupants inside. Cade and his team had used special airboats to evacuate people, sometimes out of windows or holes in the roof. Cade had
felt sorry for them, as they hadn’t had time to bring any medications along, or purses. Most were still in their nightclothes, only managing to grab a beloved pet before they were forced to climb to an upper floor or the rooftop of their home.

  Cade had at one point carried a shivering wet elderly woman, who couldn’t have weighed more than eighty pounds, through waist-deep water over a quarter of a mile to a waiting ambulance. As he laid her on the waiting gurney, the head of a small striped kitten popped out of the blanket she had been holding the whole time. The poor woman hadn’t managed to save anything else from her home, but she wasn’t letting go of that cat.

  Cade had visited the woman in her new apartment months later. It had warmed his heart to see, even at her advanced age, how well she managed to bounce back from tragedy. He had also enjoyed watching that kitten scamper around the room playing with kitty toys, but always going back, now and again, for a scratch under the chin from his beloved owner.

  It was time to call his team and have a meeting before getting all of their gear and rescue vehicles at ready.

  Four days later found Cade with the other four members of his team doing everything in their professional arsenal to help as many people as they could escape the raging waters. In twenty-four hours with thirteen inches of rain on top of heavy melting snow and ice, it had created a watery hell. They pulled adults, children, babies, and elderly out of cars being swept down what were once roads. Not to mention the pets people would not leave to the mercies of the water.

  His crew was tired, wet, cold, and hungry. But there was no time to stop yet. They were on the river itself right now, two rescue members and a volunteer driving an airboat, specially equipped for water rescue. They found people hanging from the branches of trees and clinging to anything they could reach, somehow trying to keep their heads above the death that awaited them below the river’s surface.

  Cade had witnessed three houses being swept away by the raging currents. They looked like they had been made of paper with the ease the river had yanked them off their foundations and torn them to pieces. He had just gotten word that another house had been swept away a few minutes ago upriver. He knew a massive amount of debris was heading toward them and they had to get off the river until it passed. Then something in the water caught his eye.

  Amid splintered boards, furniture, and other debris floating past was a person clinging to what looked like the headboard of a bed. Cade signaled the driver, and immediately Cade and his teammate, Tony, were heading toward the person. As they got closer, Cade could now tell it was a man they were trying to get to. He also realized the guy wasn’t wearing much clothing. That wasn’t unusual, as clothing tended to be ripped away in fast-moving water. They had to slow down before reaching him so that they didn’t cause a wake and push the board further away. There was also the possibility of swamping the headboard with water and sinking both it and its occupant.

  With skillful maneuvers the driver managed to get the boat close enough so that Cade and Tony could both grab the small man from the churning waters. Not wasting any time, the boat was turned around and headed to the shore. Cade held the guy close trying to stop any more damage from being inflicted from the rough ride. He could tell in a glance the poor fellow was pretty banged up.

  Finally they reached the designated boat ramp where Jack, who was his second-in-command and a paramedic, had a first aid station set up. Reluctantly, Cade handed the injured man to a volunteer who took him over to where a couple of cots were set up for an initial medical evaluation. Immediately, Jack was checking the little guy over. The same volunteer had a clipboard and was writing and checking boxes on a form as Jack continued his exam, quietly asking questions. Getting out of the vehicle, Cade went over to the small man in the makeshift bed and stood by him, watching. For some reason, Cade couldn’t move away.

  “What are your orders, boss?” Tony asked.

  Not taking his eyes off the small man and finding he was a bit irritated that Jack was touching him, Cade ordered, “Have everyone come in and take a break. Find something to eat and rest for thirty.”

  The man on the cot turned his head and looked at Cade. Even though the poor guy was exhausted, cold, and injured, he had the most beautiful warm, velvety brown eyes Cade had ever seen. And they just grabbed a hold of something inside, taking his breath away. Cade couldn’t stop himself from gently placing his hand on the man’s thin wet leg.

  “Don’t leave me,” the man pleaded.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Cade stated.

  Turning to Jack, he asked, “Does he have to be taken to the hospital, or can I take him home with me?”

  “What the hell, boss?” Jack was clearly confused. Standard procedure after a massive disaster rescue was getting basic identification details. Jack also evaluated the victim and decided if the person needed a hospital or just had to go to a shelter that was usually set up for victims to be reunited with loved ones. Jack couldn’t recall any of his teammates ever becoming personally involved with a victim. Especially his powerful, by-the-book boss. Jack had never seen him act this way toward a recue before.

  “Answer the question, Jack.” Cade may have been addressing Jack, but his attention was clearly on the man lying on the cot.

  “Well, I will need to draw blood. Standard procedure for infections. I have meds for that and the pain, which should help him over the next couple of days. He’s conscious and aware, but should be closely monitored over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Mostly he will sleep and need hydration,” Jack explained.

  “Alright, do what you have to do. Then when the rest of the team is finished with their break, take over. I’m taking him home to recover. If you need anything, I’ll have my phone on me,” Cade told his second. Jack looked him right in the eye for a minute, and then they seemed to come to an understanding. Nodding, he went back to work.

  Cade, on the other hand, didn’t quite know why he was acting like this. He just knew he was taking this little man home to heal. During that time he would find out if this attraction, connection, and what his gut was telling him were real.

  Chapter Two

  Slowly opening his eye just enough to see where he was, Bret knew immediately he wasn’t where he last remembered being. Oh, he was still in a bed. But it didn’t have dirty, blood-encrusted sheets or handcuffs attached to the corners as the one in the house Dirk rented had. No, Bret was in the bedroom of a log home from what he could make out. Through the door he could see a stone fireplace that, when it was lit, looked like it would keep everyone toasty warm. Now that was something Bret never seemed to be able to be. No body fat, no matter how much he ate, combined with a small stature made him always feel icy unless the temperature was over eighty degrees.

  A small sound drew his attention to a very large man sitting in the corner on a cushioned, wooden rocking chair. Slamming his eye shut, Bret froze. To his way of thinking, if he didn’t move and couldn’t see anything, then he wouldn’t be seen. Most of the time this never worked, but since puberty brought him nothing in the way of height or build, this was how he coped. Then if that didn’t work, he ran as fast as he could. Unfortunately, running hadn’t worked with Dirk. And when he was caught, he hadn’t been able to hardly move for a week, much less run. He sincerely hoped that that crazy nightmare was over.

  Bret hadn’t had much experience with the dating scene. In high school he and his best friend had experimented together, finally managing to have the most horrible sex in history. They were both so embarrassed afterward they never were friends again. After that, even though he had tried, he could never find anyone to fill his need of being taken in charge of, but not hurt. Then he met Dirk.

  He had only gone out with Dirk on two dates. Going back to his house after the second date had seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh, the sex was okay, but the next morning he had found his ankle manacled to the leg of the bed by a long chain. Dirk informed him that he had decided to keep him around to play with, and he woul
d be cooking and cleaning, also. When he had objected, Dirk introduced him to the cane. Bret had found out real quick that Dirk loved punishing him with that cane, especially his feet.

  Over the next few days he cooked and cleaned and plotted escape. Dirk would attach the chain to the kitchen table leg or whatever was available in the room he wanted Bret to work in. Thank goodness Dirk didn’t seem to want anything sexual with him. He found out why the day he was introduced to Dirk’s boyfriend, Keith. He had never met a more mentally twisted individual. Bret refused to remember the rest of that day, but when he woke up he was alone. Luckily, all the blood made everything slippery, and he managed to get the chain off his ankle. He couldn’t find his phone, so he just hobbled out the door and kept going, trying to find someone to help him. Unfortunately he ran into Dirk.

  It was over a week later before he could do more than literally crawl out of bed to go to the bathroom. Things were quiet for a while until Dirk brought Keith back to the house. Bret was terrified. The guy was nuts. They had cuffed him down on the bed and Dirk had methodically used his cane to cover his body on both sides with stripes. Keith had insisted they were to be spaced exactly one and a half inches apart. When they finished and grew bored with his screams, they unlocked him from the bed and left. The next thing he knew, an angel was pulling him from icy cold water. But hadn’t that been a dream of someone desperate to be saved?

  * * * *