Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True (16 page)

“Angel, come on!” Bass growled. “Give me his damn number, or give me Max’s so I can at least ask him.” Bass’s eyes glowed with need. “Don’t you remember the feeling you had when you first saw Max? You knew in here…right?” Bass pointed a thick finger into the firm flesh of his large pectoral muscle over his heart. He eyed Angel.

Angel glared hard at Bass before his eyes finally softened and he nodded in the affirmative.

“Well, that is the feeling I’m having for Ryker. You may not think he’s into my lifestyle, but my years of this life tell me he is very much into it. I felt his reaction to me, he’s the one I’ve been waiting for.”

Angel finally relented. He’d known his CSO for over ten years, and the man was not a bullshitter. If he said Ryker was the one, Angel believed him.

“Bass, I know you are wonderful at what you do. I’ve seen you with other subs. You are fucking breathtaking. If we weren’t such good friends I would’ve begged to scene with you too.” Angel’s comment made Bass raise one thick brow. “But please be sure of this. Max and Ryker have a special bond that is rock solid, and I know that Doms have strict rules about their sub’s time and commitment to others.”

Bass raised both hands, cutting Angel off. “Angel, come on, I’ve seen their bond and would never even think of interfering with that knowing that it would hurt Ryker if I did. I would lose my chance before I even got it. But you’re right. His brother would be the only one allowed to touch him if I was fortunate enough to make him mine,” Bass stated.

Angel looked at his manager for a long time. Bass was a gorgeous motherfucker. Not only was he big as fuck with a monster cock to match his size, but he was smart as hell too. He’d gotten a Master’s degree in Political Science before serving twenty years as an Army Ranger Lieutenant. Angel’s father had crossed paths with Bass while they were both enlisted in the service. Angel’s dad felt comfortable with Bass in charge of not only his club’s security, but also Angel’s personal security.

Angel knew that his father informed Bass when he agreed to the position that if anything happened to Angel while on his watch there wouldn’t be a safe place on the seven continents for Bass to hide. Bass was a man of honor and he took his position very seriously, but he’d needed to retire from the Special Forces so he could live his lifestyle openly and settle down with his life sub.

The sub that Bass thought was the one ended up cheating on him and playing with another Master while Bass was deployed on a mission. It took Angel a long time to comfort his friend and convince him that his true sub was still out there waiting for him. Sebastian may be one tough son-of-a-bitch, but it didn’t mean that his heart was any less fragile than the next man.

“Here’s his number…good luck, friend!” Angel winked and handed Bass the small business card with not only Ryker’s business information on it, but also his personal cell number.

Angel knew Bass would show Ryker the beautiful world of domination and submission, sexual pain that morphed into unbelievably exquisite pleasure
.
But he would have to tear down the closet Ryker lived in.

Chapter Fourteen

Max pulled the oxygen mask off his face to conserve some of his air.

“Two men in the front and two men up the back stairs!” his Captain yelled into the radio. “Strong, you and Pierce take the ax through the back walls into the last four condos. Let’s move men! We only have a small window before the structure becomes too unstable.”

Before the Captain could even finish his orders Max was hacking away at the singed drywall, working his way into the first apartment. The heat was intense. He could feel Pierce at his back like always, watching for trouble.

Max stayed focused on his task.

“Is there anyone in here? Yell out if you hear me!” Max yelled as loud as he could, pausing for any type of response. He and Pierce busted thorough the front door of another apartment—calling out again—no answers. Finally, they were at the last condo. Max could see the pictures in the hall melting from the heat, and knew they wouldn’t be able to go back the way they came.

They would have to burst through the crumbling drywall and come out the other side. The fire was on their floor and closing in fast.

“Anyone in here?” he called.

“Help…pleeease.” The weak voice could barely be heard over the roaring of the fire above them.

Max’s heart dropped into his stomach. The cry was coming from the end of the hall in the spacious apartment. They were in a living room and he could see toys scattered around in the dim space. The electricity had been cut twenty minutes ago and the flashlight Pierce held only gave them a few feet of visibility through the thick fog.

“Yell louder!” Max yelled as loud as he could, trying to be heard over the groaning building. He was more than a little anxious but refused to panic.

Their time was winding down fast. He could feel the vibration from the powerful fire hose shooting ninety-five gallons of water per minute into the upper floors. Flames licked up the sides of the wall, forcing them to duck under the large, black billowing cloud that loomed over their heads.

Pierce was still there. “Stay calm Max, move to the left, it sounds like it came from behind that door,” Pierce stated.

Max moved with determination. “Yell if you can hear me!” Max roared, but heard nothing as he searched frantically, masterfully swinging his ax to remove tables and chairs out of his path. He got to the closet and yanked the door open. There she was, crouched down on the floor, clutching a dingy stuffed animal in her arms. Her face was smudged with ash and her long blond hair looked wild around her tiny face.

Max watched Pierce assess that she was not hurt or burned and was able to be moved.
Thank you God!
Clear blue eyes were open wide with terror. Her tears made tracks in the soot on her cheeks.

“Come on sweetie, it’s okay. I can take you to your momma.” Max tried to talk in a soothing voice as he held out his hand, a large pickax in the other one. The little girl didn’t budge. They had to look scary as hell in their full turnout gear with large masks covering their faces.

“Three minutes, everyone clear out…now!” The captain’s voice crackled loud and clear over the radio.

Fuck me.

Pierce radioed their position. “We’re coming out the east side with a child in need of immediate medical attention. Over.”

“Copy that. Move your asses,” the Captain replied.

The girl would suffer from terrible smoke inhalation by the time they made it all the way to the other side. Max couldn’t think of the excruciatingly painful, burning sensation she’d experience in her small chest over the next few weeks. He shouldn’t focus on that right now. He had to get her the hell out of there first.

“Max we have no time, get her and come on.” Pierce’s firm command was enough for Max to rip off his mask and put it over the child’s small face and hoist her up into his arms.

“What the fuck? Max put your goddamn mask back on. Right the fuck now!” Pierce yelled. “That’s an order!”

Max ignored him. He let out a hard cough as he grabbed the heaviest coat he saw in the closet and threw it over the girl and stormed past his best

friend and out of the apartment. Max held his breath as he ran with the girl clutched to his chest. He operated on pure adrenaline, because if he’d been thinking rationally he would’ve known he was diminishing his chances of getting out alive if he collapsed from inhaling the toxic smoke. There’d be no way Pierce could carry them both out. Pierce would do the exact same thing if put in that situation…leave his best friend and save the girl.

The thick smoke choked him with every step he took. The heat felt like it’d kicked up another one hundred degrees. The bright orange flames streaked angrily over his head. If it wasn’t for his helmet his hair would’ve been singed to the scalp by the time he got out of there.

The fifteen-story building screamed and roared at them to get the fuck out, it wasn’t going to remain standing much longer.
I’m going you bastard. Just
give me ten more fucking seconds.
Max’s eyes burned like he’d run through a sandstorm in Iraq, and the sweat dripping into them didn’t exactly help rinse them. He was running blind now. Pierce tightened the strong grip on his shoulders and guided Max’s way to the exit. Max’s chest heaved at the lack of oxygen and he instinctually sucked in a much-needed breath.
Oh shit!
The putrid smoke barreled past his windpipe and slammed into his lungs.

Remnants of the gas swirled around in his mouth and stomach, causing him to wretch at the taste.

Pierce yelled again into the radio as they hurried down the long corridor.

“Strong is not in cover. Get the EMTs with an ambulance to the far northeast end, now! We’re busting out in five seconds.”

Damn. I don’t think I can make it another five seconds.
Max’s pace slowed considerably.

“Come on Max. Goddammit! You better not fucking give up now!”

Pierce released his hold on Max and gripped his steel pike in both hands and swung it hard into the weak structure creating a hole large enough for them to come through.

They were right on their exit point now, but Max’s lungs burned like he’d just swallowed a quart of acid. He sucked in more thick smoke before going down on one knee. Max was just conscious enough not to drop the little girl.

A strong grip returned to his neck, and it comforted him that his best friend was still with him. He tried to take in another breath and couldn’t.

Fuck, I’m suf ocating.
He knew his training and tried desperately not to panic.

He could feel someone trying to pull the girl out of his arms but he held on tight, his eyes squeezing shut so hard it caused an instant migraine.

The grip on his shoulders was gone, but he could hear Pierce’s distorted voice in his ear. “Let her go, Max, let rescue take her.”

At that point he had no choice but to let her go because his world was turning shades of gray. Only one word was on his dry tongue, and he barely rasped out the sweet name “Angel” before he was plunged into total darkness.

Max teetered on the edge of consciousness. Every time he tried to wake the pain would be too much and he would beg any god that could hear him to take him back under. He could hear the faint sound of beeping and footsteps, then hands were on him, prodding and skimming over his skin giving him unwanted chills.

“Come on Mr. Hero, you need to wake up. There are some pretty anxious people out there wanting to see you, including every news station on the East Coast. If you don’t wake up soon I think your captain is going to have a coronary. But I think he just wants to chew you out. You’re in big trouble mistttirrrrrr,” the nurse singsonged matter-of-factly as she went about her job.

Max could hear her but he still didn’t want to open his eyes.
News stations.

Last thing Max wanted to do was talk in front of any cameras while they painted him as the all-American hero. He was only doing his job. He was a firefighter. It was his job to rescue people from burning buildings. Any one of the other fighters would’ve done the exact same thing.
Except they would’ve
kept their fucking mask on. What was I thinking? Oh yeah…I wasn’t.

Max didn’t want to think about his Captain or his brother tearing him a new asshole for this one. All Max wanted to do was get out of the incredibly

uncomfortable hospital bed he was currently in and lie next to the sexiest man in the world and let him lick his wounds…literally. Then the word “brother” registered in his mind and he knew he couldn’t be selfish any longer, he needed to wake up and let everyone know that he was okay.

“Nurse,” Max croaked out. His voice sounded like he’d smoked cigarettes for ninety years and his throat felt like he’d swallowed crushed glass.

“Oh goodness! Hang on, Mr. Strong, I’m going to get the doctor,” the nurse said.

“Painnn…” Max moaned and closed his eyes again.

“I know, let me get the doctor and we can get you some pain meds.”

Max heard her rushed footsteps as she left the room.

Max tried to open his eyes but the room lights stung his corneas. He heard the doctor’s loud voice.

“Mr. Strong, good to see you awake. Let’s check your vitals first, and then we can get you something for the pain. Can you open your eyes for me Mr. Strong?”

Max slowly cracked one eye open and then the other. He felt the doctor pull on his eyelids and flash a bright light back and forth in front of it. “Very good,” the doctor commented. “Good news is you don’t have any internal damage at all. You have mild first-degree burns on your face, just a little redness. The burn resident says they should heal quickly and leave no scarring. You did suffer from smoke inhalation and a mild concussion when you collapsed. We are going to hold you for observation for forty-eight hours to monitor your head. Right now I don’t want you over exerting or getting stressed…so no news cameras.” He winked. “The Mayor was here speaking to your Captain about you being awarded The Fire Commissioner’s Individual Commendation. Congratulations.”

Max shook his head. “Can I just get some pain medicine and get out of here, Doc? I really don’t want any commendations or to do any interviews.”

“Like I said…you’re here for the next two days at least. I’ll make sure your visitation list is restricted for now. When you’re released, you’ll have some soreness in the throat and eyes for the next couple of weeks. I will have

the nurse bring you some ice chips, but you don’t want to eat or drink anything right now, not until we get more antibiotics in you. I’ll have her bring some numbing elixir for your throat too.”

He took Max’s chart and put it back in the holder at the foot of his bed and came around to stand in front of him. Max was silent as the doctor continued to stare at him. “It was very brave, but extremely reckless of you to have removed your oxygen mask while in that fire Mr. Strong.” He paused before speaking again and Max could see the admiration in the doctor’s eyes.