Gabriel's Pretty [Rescue for Hire 6](Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)
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Rescue for Hire 6
Gabriel’s Pretty
Welcome back to the world of Rescue for Hire. Meet the team members that form a family of heroes. Gabriel Simmons has just interviewed and has been offered a field medic position with the rescue company, when a rescue call comes in. When the helicopter pilot arrives, the attraction between them is instantaneous and Gabriel’s wild, single days are over. But they have to push it aside because it’s going to take clear heads to save a kid mauled by a bear.
Little did Pete Kenyon know on the day of his father’s funeral, he would get a call to find a missing hiker and meet the love of his life. Of course, trust doesn’t come easy for an abused kid who grew up in a drug den. Then there’s the puzzle of his uncle’s threats to stay away from the house and land he just inherited. Can Gabriel and the team get there in time when Pete finds out the truth?
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary
Length: 32,324 words
GABRIEL’S PRETTY
Rescue for Hire 6
Bellann Summer
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
GABRIEL’S PRETTY
Copyright © 2014 by Bellann Summer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-390-1
First E-book Publication: October 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 Gabriel’s Pretty 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 Bellann Summer’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
This story is for those fans who said Rescue for Hire couldn’t end.
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
GABRIEL’S PRETTY
Rescue for Hire 6
BELLANN SUMMER
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
“I’m actually doing it!” Eric Thompson thought. For a moment he forgot to step carefully and started practically skipping down the extremely challenging bear trail. Quickly getting himself back under control, he tried to watch his footing and keep the heavy fifty-pound backpack centered so it wouldn’t tip him over. On reality shows nobody seemed to have any problem carrying backpacks or keeping their footing.
One of his feet slipped off the wet boggy trail and cold, green, algae-covered water swamped his hiking boot as it became entrenched in the mucky bottom. It took a bit of muscle but he managed to pull the boot out with a gross slurp as the suction released its prize. Unfortunately for Eric this put him off balance making the overladen backpack propel him sideways. Desperately he tried to right himself only to have his other foot land in the greasy mud on the other side of the trail. This time he was stuck up to his camouflaged covered knee.
Using the low-hanging branches from the trees that grew thickly throughout the national forest and covered half the trail he was following, Eric struggled and tugged until he finally managed to drag himself out. Eric ended up lying across the bear trail, hands stinging and arms aching, trying to catch his breath and ignore the wet gooey mud that now covered him. Itchy musky sweat coated his skin, dampening the back of his matching camouflage shirt, drawing in swarms of mosquitoes. Unfortunately the bug spray was buried at the bottom of his backpack.
Struggling to his feet, the bulky army green backpack with its reflective tape caught on more overhanging branches, thick brush and sharp twigs, trying to unbalance him again. With a jerk he managed to yank it free. Eric knew if he were going to accomplish his goal of surviving in the wilderness alone, he had to get moving and find a place to put up his brand new tent.
During the last month of his senior year of high school, he had the great idea of trying to survive an entire week, in the middle of nowhere. His goal was to live on nothing but the land and what he could carry in.
There had been a few issues to get over. Namely his dad wanted him to at least have a hiking partner. His friend Mark had agreed to go along. But then last week Mark broke his arm playing baseball. Eric might have kinda, sorta forgot to mention that Mark wasn’t coming along anymore.
The other issue that had been under intense discussion was that he wanted the adventure to last for a whole week. Unfortunately that wasn’t happening. That argument ended with Eric being reminded that although he may be eighteen, he still lived at home and was required to abide by the house rules. The bottom line being, he had to be home by Monday at noon and check in every day.
Since it was only midafternoon Friday, Eric figured he had at least five hours of daylight left before he ran out of light. That was plenty of time to hike deep into the woods and set up a camp by a stream he t
hought he remembered seeing when he had Googled the area.
Three hours later Eric was lost. The compass application he had downloaded onto his phone didn’t work because his battery was dead, due to his service having switched to roaming to find a tower. The vegetation had become so thick he couldn’t see four feet in front of him. Sharp twigs and thorns tore small cuts and scratches on his exposed skin, making his hands and face sting as he fought his way through the wall of green.
If he didn’t exactly place his boots on the huge bear paw prints, long stepping and sometimes hopping from bright green, moss-covered, downed log to log. The slimy smelly mud would suck his feet under the water, up to his knees. Eric was starting to think maybe he should have stayed on the premade hiking trails that he saw the other hikers take at the lot where he parked his car.
Eric did pat himself on the back that he had printed out a map for his mother, and drew a circle around the area of where he was going to explore and camp. Although after driving to the National Forest he decided to travel up the road another five miles, and instead of going south like he had told her, he thought he might have gone north. If he couldn’t find his way out, he was sure that it wouldn’t be too much of a problem for someone to find him. For the last three months he had watched every reality survival television show that was available. With all of the modern conveniences, no one got lost anymore.
Looking around, Eric realized that it was starting to get dark under the thick canopy of trees and he still hadn’t found a suitable dry spot to set up his tent. Taking a deep breath and willing his shaky legs to keep going, Eric tried to ignore the constant high-pitched buzzing of the biting insects surrounding and attacking him.
Another hour went by and Eric was miserable. He couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering together he was so cold. His shoulders and back ached so badly he wasn’t sure how much longer he could carry the overstuffed pack that was getting heavier by the minute. Though he valiantly tried to ignore them, the stinging bug bites and sweat-coated cuts made him want to cry.
Taking a deep breath, he trudged on, making his way through a particularly thick section of growth. His swollen grimy hand pushed aside a huge feathery fern leaf that was blocking the trail.
Eric hesitated, trying to get his mind to understand what was in front of him. He had just found paradise.
Before him was a small clearing made up of dry, knee-high, thick grass. Triumphant, he jumped over the last muck-hole and landed heavily as the weight of the backpack propelled him forward. Straitening up, he paused, confused by the sound of a strange deep huffing sound. Turning his head to the right, Eric realized in horror that he had not only jumped into the clearing, but he had landed just five feet away from a giant black bear.
The startled bear immediately stood up on its back legs, towering over Eric, and out of its chest came a deep growl. Eric’s brain screamed, “Run, run, run!” But his legs were frozen in place and no matter how much he willed it, they refused to move.
With a thump against the rich vegetation, the midnight black animal came down onto his four legs and charged at him. Eric turned with a blood-curdling scream and ran. He didn’t get far when the force of a semi-truck slammed into him, driving him face-first into the unforgiving ground.
Pain burst from his shoulders and Erick heard a ripping sound. The bear’s huge claws were tearing at the pack that somehow was still attached to his back, reducing his body to a jerking toy. The next second, daggers pierced the back of his head and it was slammed down into the sharp blades of grass, until his nose was pressed against the moist, musty, rotten vegetation. Fire erupted when it felt like knives were dragged down his neck, slicing painfully through the tender skin.
What felt like sharp metal nails encrusted in a vise clamped down onto his shoulder. Bright white light exploded behind his eyelids, as the vise squeezed until the bones snapped, like twigs under the pressure.
And then the heavy weight, the heated huffing breath, and everything else, was gone. The only sound Eric could hear was his own ragged breathing echoing in his ears. He wanted to lift his head, but he was too terrified to move. He kept wondering where the bear was. Was it waiting to attack any sign of life? Any movement?
Eric didn’t know how long he lay there. Everything was so quiet, not even the insects making any noise. He forced himself to stay still just a minute longer, and then another minute longer after that. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore. Desperate flight-for-life instincts kicked in and adrenaline started pumping through his system. The need to get out of there overran every other thought racing through his mind.
As best as he could with a now useless arm and the backpack still hanging on his back, Eric got up and attempted a shaky run across the clearing.
One second he was upright, and the next he was slammed painfully to the ground, this time his backpack flying off his broken body. On his back, Eric watch the looming bear snarl and growl above him, spraying foamy spit in all directions. Total fear seized his soul when the giant mouth stretched open wide, coming closer, revealing rancid smelling huge sharp teeth. The angry animal’s roar filled his ears.
Using his legs, Eric tried to desperately scramble backward away from the terrifying deadly animal. The bear pounced and he watched in horror as large teeth sank into the top of his thigh and bit down, blood spraying out the sides of its mouth. Eric howled and the world became red. He thought he heard a gunshot and then realized it was his thigh bone giving away under the massive pressure of the bear’s jaws.
Eric had one last thought before the red turned to black. He was too young to die.
* * * *
In disgust Peter Sabastian Kenyon threw the blue striped tie into the corner of the brightly sunlit, sparkling clean kitchen. It was finished. His last responsibility from his old life was to bury his son-of-a-bitch of a father, and it was done. He was free, almost.
He had been reminded of that fact as he was leaving the cemetery after he had dutifully shaken the hands of the few people that had shown up to pay their respects.
“Hey, boy.” Pete turned to see his dad’s brother standing there, his ever-present, spit-covered, sour-smelling cigar hanging from his mouth. Behind his uncle stood his cousin, Howard, whose receding hairline and advancing beer belly made him resemble Pete’s uncle more and more every day.
Keeping his face emotionless, Pete fully faced the man he hated most, right behind dear old Dad. “Uncle Marvin,” he said.
“Don’t get any ideas about the house or land, boy,” Marvin said. “I’m not leaving, and there’s no way I’m letting you take over. Your name may be on the deed, but that only means you’re paying the taxes.”
His uncle took a quick step toward Pete and jerked his fisted hand up to his waist. Like the coward he was, Pete swiftly stepped back. Turning, Pete left his uncle at his father’s burial site before anything could happen. Pete knew from experience that there had been a fifty-fifty chance that his uncle’s fist would have connected with some part of Pete’s body had he stayed.
Pete had learned early in life that he could never win against his uncle or his father. Neither had ever hesitated to use every nasty, evil trick in the book to hurt him. Between the two elders, that had been an almost daily occurrence since the day his mother had left when Pete was only eight years old. He escaped most their wrath when he moved to the small apartment above Damian’s airplane hangar. Behind him his uncle’s laughter followed him all the way to his rusty old Chevy truck.
Now there were some decisions to make. Should he stay in the area or should he make a total break from it? He had the job of his dreams working for Damian White, maintaining his planes and helicopter. He also flew big-wig businessmen around, usually to their corporate offices in different states. He’d hang around and explore the sights of the city, and when they were ready, he would fly them home again.
For the last year he had also been helping Damian fly the guys from the Rescue for Hire Company out to rescues. Unfortunately a li
ttle over six months ago there was an accident, and the owner and the field medic of the company were hurt. Now the company was going through some changes and so was Pete.
His ringing cellphone sitting on the kitchen counter grabbed Pete’s attention. Picking it up, the Rescue for Hire Company’s number blinked on the screen. That was odd because the team had been out on a rescue mission in Minnesota since Monday, helping victims caught in terrible flooding conditions from weeks of crazy rainstorms.
From the short, very intense phone calls he had received from Damian, things were pretty fucked up over there. Hell, Pete hadn’t even had a chance to tell Damian that his dad had died and now it was already Saturday.
“Hello,” Pete said. Absently, he walked over to the corner of the room and picked up the discarded tie. Carefully, he folded it so the stripes matched and the corners were exactly lined up.
“Pete, this is Cade Miller, from Rescue for Hire. I was wondering if you would consider taking the helicopter up for a missing persons rescue over in the Nicolet National Forest?”
Pete hesitated for a moment. “I thought the team was in Minnesota?”
“They are. The daughter of an old friend of my aunt’s called me. She and her husband are worried about their son who had the bright idea of hiking into the forest and staying there for the weekend. He was going to try and live off the land, just like on his favorite reality shows,” Cade explained. “Apparently he had agreed to take a friend along. But his parents just learned that he went alone. They didn’t receive a text from him last night like they had agreed and now she thinks something might have happened to him.