About Heartbeat
by Helen Gabriel
36 pages / 13000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-378-9, 1-60370-378-0
Available file types - lit, pdf, prc, html
Closed-mouthed military man Sean Cantrell has deep feelings for his foster brother, major league baseball player Jacob O’Malley. He's never let them show the way he wants to, because it's his job to protect Jacob from everything, including him.
When Jacob is kidnapped by a deranged lunatic, Sean mounts a rescue in short order. There are still rough times ahead, though, as both Sean and Jacob learn to deal with the emotional results. Can Sean and Jacob admit that what they feel is far more than brotherly love?
Sample
Sean felt his heart stop as the meaning of the reporter’s words sank in, his hand freezing halfway to his mouth, the drink he’d been looking forward to all week forgotten.
“A source close to the police investigation has confirmed that sports great Jacob O’Malley has been kidnapped,” the reporter said, her voice a somber death knell to him.
His heart chose that moment to start beating again, pounding so loudly he couldn’t make out the rest of what she said.
“Oh, fuck. Jackie,” he said, not even realizing he’d spoken aloud until Nelson’s question.
“Jackie? Where? I’d like to meet the cold-hearted bitch who put your heart in a deep freeze and give her what for.”
He ignored Nelson in favor of catching the bartender’s attention.
“Turn it up, Mitch,” he said, raising one hand to indicate the television in the corner behind the bar.
He ignored Nelson’s and Mitch’s identical looks of astonishment as he spoke. To say he didn’t talk much was an understatement – seven words was a speech for him. A lengthy one.
A publicity photo of Jacob in a suit flashed on the screen, his dark good looks shown to their best advantage, quickly followed by a montage of clips highlighting some of Jacob's athletic fetes. He swallowed hard, making a conscious attempt to slow his heart rate and even out his breathing.
Years of military training took over, sending him on high alert as his brain catalogued the details of the kidnapping: the name of the street Jacob had been driving on, what he’d been wearing, the lack of a ransom note, the blood on the front seat.
“O’Malley was on his way home from an awards ceremony honoring his work with underprivileged children when he was apparently pulled from his car at a red light.”
“Damn it, Jackie. I told you to hire a bodyguard,” he said, furious that Jackie had ignored his advice.
“You’re shitting me, right, Cantrell? Jacob O’Malley is your Jackie?” Nelson asked, one ebony hand pulling Sean around to face him.