Bellann Summer

With today's snippet I've gone back to Rescue for Hire and selected Jack's Sweets. This book featured Pip Hayward. Pip makes appearances in many stories and his family members end up as main
characters in quite a few books and different series.
This story was my first attempt at creating a tale that was a little different than the usual. Being a newbie to writing, I remember what a challenge it was.
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. 
“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 threeyear-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.
Jack carried Brian over to the side of one of the vehicles where there was less of a crowd watching the drama. Setting him down onto his feet, he pressed their foreheads together.
“What’s your name, sweets?”
“Brian Hayward.”
“When I’m done helping the rest of the people out of this situation, I’ll be back to ask you when you’re free to have dinner with me. Tell me now if I’m stepping on anyone else’s toes.” Jack wasn’t planning on backing off either way, but he didn’t want Brian thinking he was a complete caveman by dragging him off by his gorgeous blond hair.
“No, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
 “Great, I’ll talk to you later then.”
 Jack smiled and dropped a brief kiss on those pouty lips. The next instance Jack was making his way back into the building with the boss’s voice in his ear, telling him which rooms they thought other victims may be in.
 Brian just stood there a moment, stunned by the events of the afternoon. Holy cow!