Page 1 of Rising Storm

Chapter 1

The first thing Gareth Jones saw when he walked into the kitchen that morning was blood streaking the brown tile. Alarmed, he rushed forward.

“Stop. There’s glass everywhere.”

Gareth glanced at his bare feet, then up at Helix Rossington, who stood leaning against the counter, a wadded up mass of paper towels pressed to his hand. Sunlight shone through the massive dining-room windows, making the tiny slivers of glass all over the floor sparkle.

“I’ll grab my shoes and help. Don’t move.”

He ran back up the stairs and snatched his tennis shoes. He shoved them on then hurried back downstairs to the bathroom where they kept the first aid kit. When he went back into the kitchen, Helix had turned toward the sink. There was also blood smeared on the side of one bare foot.

“I got this, Cop.” Helix growled with his normal sneer over his shoulder.

Gareth just rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time to deal with Helix’s usual brand offriendliness. Crunching over the glass, he grabbed the broom. He swept up all the pieces around Helix’s feet, then held the man’s arm. He did his best not to stare at the gorgeous bare chest in front of him, though it was hard. It was always hard not to stare at Helix, at the smooth skin and muscles. The swirling, black tattoos. Gareth even wondered about the circular burn scars dotting his chest and arm. There was one at the base of his throat. They looked like cigarette burns. “Let me see your hand.”

“I told you I got this,” Helix snarled, jerking his arm out of Gareth’s grasp. Blood splattered the sink and Helix winced and shoved the towels back on his hand.

“Stop being an asshole—even though I know that’s awfully hard for you to do.” Gareth removed the paper towels and grimaced at the slash across Helix’s palm. “You may need to get stitches.”

“Nah,” Helix said, his voice low and gravelly. “It’ll be fine. Back off.”

“Quit being a baby and let me take care of this.” Gareth turned on the water. “Did you get all the glass out?”

Helix remained stubbornly silent.

Gareth cleaned up and bandaged the cut on his hand, wishing Helix didn’t seem to hate him so much. “Why don’t you hop up onto this counter and I’ll sweep up all this glass?”

A smirk twisted Helix’s lips as he did as Gareth asked, his body agile and graceful. His loose jeans slipped low on his abdomen and Gareth swallowed. Hard. Before he could pop wood, he picked up the broom again. He knew Helix was gay but figured he wouldn’t appreciate Gareth’s reaction to him.

Once he had all the glass swept up, he glanced across the room to find Helix watching him, his golden brown eyes narrowed. “You got a nurse complex or something?”

“What? You don’t think I’d look good in scrubs?”

“I don’t think about what you’d look good in.” Helix scowled. “I don’t think about you at all.”

“Then why do you snarl at me so much?”

“Pretty arrogant to assume my moods have anything to do with you.”

“The important part of that question, which you apparently missed, wasat me.” He looked down at Helix’s foot and grimaced at the blood dripping onto the floor. It wasn’t much, but it probably meant he had glass stuck in his foot. “No nurse complex. Just helping. I still need to look at your other… booboo.” He winked at Helix.

Those eyes went even narrower. “I’m a grown man.” He jumped down from the counter and grabbed the first aid kit. “I can take care of my ownbooboos.” He strode from the kitchen, even though walking on that foot had to hurt.

Stubborn man.

Gareth watched him leave, frowning. No matter how friendly he was to Helix, the man continued to act like Gareth had crapped in his cereal. Gareth poured himself a cup of coffee, grabbed the paper and walked outside, letting the door slam behind him. The noise scared a gull off the back deck, which squawked and zoomed past his head. Nothing like starting his day with the smart-ass in the kitchen. Gareth wasn’t in the mood for his attitude today, so he planned to enjoy the deep blue sky and beautiful morning outside.

July in Maine was like living in another dimension when compared to mid-summer in Oklahoma—which he was used to. He’d only lived here a little over a month and he was accustomed to sweating like a pig and running up electric bills with the constant air-conditioning. Here, the mornings especially were still cool, yet he could sit in the warmth of the sun and enjoy its heat on his skin. Watch it glisten like jewels on the water of the bay. Birdsong met him upon waking every morning, and the woods were a feast of color with the green of the trees and the various blooming wild bushes. There were black cherry and blueberry bushes all over the property and even a few apple trees.

And the place was completely remote and private—the perfect home base for all the ex-thieves that had started gathering here. A big beautiful wood-shingled house with dark green trim and diamond-patterned windows that let in tons of sunlight. There were eight bedrooms inside and with its location on the water, the home could have easily been turned into a bed-and-breakfast.

It really hadn’t fit the evil man who’d lived there before.

Gareth still couldn’t believe Hayrick Letsen was gone. His friend, Quincy, hadn’t told him exactly what had happened to the man, but he knew the absence was permanent. That Letsen was dead. They’d moved into his damn house, after all.

Gareth settled at the table, sipped his coffee, and closed his eyes.

It was time to find his own place. He opened his eyes and turned to the apartment ads, frowning when he saw the same ones listed as the week before. He’d already looked at all of them and none had appealed. At this rate, he wouldn’t be moving out of the big house he was currently staying in—though a part of him didn’t want to. He’d enjoyed living in this beautiful place and it wasn’t lonely with Quincy living here along with his boyfriend, Lane. The only problem was Helix.

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