Rescuing Kaye: A Special Forces Protector Romantic Suspense Novel, page 1
RESCUING KAYE
Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists: BRAVO Team
ELLIE MASTERS
JEM Publishing
Copyright © 2023 Ellie Masters
Rescuing Kaye
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this ebook ONLY. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, transmitted, or distributed in any printed, mechanical, or electronic form without prior written permission from Ellie Masters or JEM Publishing except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
Editor: Erin Toland
Proofreader: Roxane Leblanc
Published in the United States of America
JEM Publishing
This is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my one and only—my amazing and wonderful husband.
Without your care and support, my writing would not have made it this far.
You pushed me when I needed to be pushed.
You supported me when I felt discouraged.
You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.
If it weren’t for you, this book never would have come to life.
Also by Ellie Masters
The LIGHTER SIDE
Ellie Masters is the lighter side of the Jet & Ellie Masters writing duo! You will find Contemporary Romance, Military Romance, Romantic Suspense, Billionaire Romance, and Rock Star Romance in Ellie’s Works.
YOU CAN FIND ELLIE’S BOOKS HERE:
ELLIEMASTERS.COM/BOOKS
Military Romance
Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists
Rescuing Melissa
(Get a FREE copy of Rescuing Melissa
when you join Ellie’s Newsletter)
Alpha Team
Rescuing Zoe
Rescuing Moira
Rescuing Eve
Rescuing Lily
Rescuing Jinx
Rescuing Maria
Bravo Team
Rescuing Angie
Rescuing Isabelle
Rescuing Carmen
Rescuing Rosalie
Rescuing Kaye
Cara’s Protector
Rescuing Barbi
Military Romance
Guardian Personal Protection Specialists
Sybil’s Protector
Lyra’s Protector
The One I Want Series
(Small Town, Military Heroes)
By Jet & Ellie Masters
each book in this series can be read as a standalone and is about a different couple with an HEA.
Saving Abby
Saving Ariel
Saving Brie
Saving Cate
Saving Dani
Saving Jen
Rockstar Romance
The Angel Fire Rock Romance Series
each book in this series can be read as a standalone and is about a different couple with an HEA. It is recommended they are read in order.
Ashes to New (prequel)
Heart’s Insanity (book 1)
Heart’s Desire (book 2)
Heart’s Collide (book 3)
Hearts Divided (book 4)
Hearts Entwined (book5)
Forest’s FALL (book 6)
Hearts The Last Beat (book7)
Contemporary Romance
Firestorm
(Kristy Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes World)
Billionaire Romance
Billionaire Boys Club
Hawke
Richard
Brody
Contemporary Romance
Cocky Captain
(Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward’s Cocky Hero World)
Romantic Suspense
each book is a standalone novel.
The Starling
~AND~
Science Fiction
Ellie Masters writing as L.A. Warren
Vendel Rising: a Science Fiction Serialized Novel
To My Readers
This book is a work of fiction. It does not exist in the real world and should not be construed as reality. As in most romantic fiction, I’ve taken liberties. I’ve compressed the romance into a sliver of time. I’ve allowed these characters to develop strong bonds of trust over a matter of days.
This does not happen in real life where you, my amazing readers, live. Take more time in your romance and learn who you’re giving a piece of your heart to. I urge you to move with caution. Always protect yourself.
Contents
1. Kaye
2. Zeb
3. Kaye
4. Zeb
5. Kaye
6. Kaye
7. Zeb
8. Kaye
9. Kaye
10. Zeb
11. Zeb
12. Kaye
13. Zeb
14. Kaye
15. Zeb
16. Kaye
17. Kaye
18. Zeb
19. Kaye
20. Zeb
21. Zeb
22. Kaye
23. Kaye
24. Kaye
25. Kaye
26. Zeb
27. Kaye
28. Zeb
29. Kaye
30. Zeb
31. Zeb
32. Zeb
33. Kaye
34. Zeb
35. Zeb
36. Kaye
37. Kaye
Cara’s Protector
ELLZ BELLZ
Also by Ellie Masters
About the Author
Connect with Ellie Masters
Final Thoughts
The End
ONE
Kaye
My phone buzzes like a relentless swarm of angry bees; each text more aggressive than the last. Every word more cruel. More threatening.
Kaye, don’t ignore me.
My ex-boyfriend, ex-lover, and ex-professor (don’t judge) demands I respond, but I remain silent. Less than five seconds later, that demand turns ugly.
Dammit, answer me!
My hands curl into tight fists as his words seep into my soul like poison.
This isn’t over until I say it’s over.
Anger boils inside me, and there’s something else lingering in the background. It’s something I’m not ready to acknowledge.
You’ll regret this. You’ll regret leaving me.
Barbi, my best friend, notices the tense look on my face and comes over to where I sit on the couch. Taking the phone from my trembling hands, she swipes the screen and looks at the messages. A gasp of shock follows as she reads Scott’s texts.
“You’ve got to block him.” Her tone’s firm. Her voice hard and unyielding. “He’s trying to manipulate you and it’s going too far. These are threats.”
I retrieve my phone as another text buzzes in.
Darling, we need to talk about this.
The phone rings and I press cancel, declining the call.
You’re acting like a child.
I clench my fingers around my phone and bite down, grinding my molars. I flop back on the couch and wonder.
Answer the damn phone.
Is he right?
Did I overreact?
Should we talk it out like Scott says?
Barbi gives me a stern look. “He’s a lying, cheating, bastard, and this is going too far.”
“He’s just upset.”
“Why do you keep defending him?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, feeling defeated. “Maybe I should give him a chance to tell his side of the story?”
“What side would that be? That you caught him fucking Denise Hamilton in his office? It’s not like his clothes spontaneously fell off and his dick slipped in that tramp’s cunt. You saw what you saw. It happened. And he’s trying to deny it. Worse. He’s trying to blame you.”
“But…” I place my phone in my lap and wring my hands as uncertainty about the whole horrible thing twists in my gut.
“No buts about it. You called things off. End of story.”
My thoughts race in circles. I need to protect myself, but also keep my dreams alive. This is where the fear comes in.
“If I make him angry… If he gets Dean Alder to pull my spot, all my hard work goes up in smoke.”
“If he dares to yank your spot in vet school, I’m going straight to his office and will feed him his balls. He doesn’t have…”
“Don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’ll retaliate. You know how important this is to me.”
“I don’t know why you won’t report him. Carmen and I will be right by your side.” She spins around and drops onto the couch beside me. “He’s sleeping with his students, you and Denise. Who knows how many others? That’s a fireable offense. Let the university deal with it. If he retaliates…”
“He’ll do it to spite me. To teach me a lesson.” Barbi doesn’t understand the power he holds over me. “All my dreams will go up in smoke.”
“Then you find another veterinary school to attend.”
I’m caught in a tug-of-war between being safe and taking a risk. If I say nothing, Scott wins. If I go back to him, who knows how long he’ll be pulling my strings? If I report him, the chance I’ll ruin my future is too much of a risk. I take in a shaky breath and let it out real slow.
Professor Scott Parker may hold my future in his hands, but I’m the one responsible for giving him that power in the first place. I was so eager to get into UC Davis’s highly competitive veterinary program that I didn’t stop his advances. I encouraged them, precisely because I knew he could help me.
I used him.
This is my fault. I’m the one to blame and now I’m paying the price for trying to take a shortcut. Scott seduced me with his power and dominance. He knew exactly what strings to pull to get me into his bed and keep me there. He also knew how desperate I was to get into vet school. I’m such an idiot.
“I did this to myself.” I curl in on myself, angry and frustrated for getting myself into this mess. “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
“But you don’t have to get out of this by yourself. Carmen and I are here for you, and Rosalie will be too.”
Rosalie is new to Barbi and me. New in that we’ve never met, but she grew up with Carmen, and the way Carmen talks about her childhood friend makes it feel as if we know Rosalie too. Now, Rosalie’s moving in with us, and our little trio is becoming a quartet of sisters by choice.
Barbi’s the optimist.
Carmen’s the risk taker.
Rosalie is a survivor.
I’m the idiot.
Professor Scott Parker can crush my dreams in an instant. All it takes is one phone call to Dean Alder, head of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, who happens to be Scott’s best friend, and I’m kicked out on my ass before I have a chance to begin.
Again, this is my fault.
Barbi wraps an arm around my shoulder and squeezes in reassurance. “You can do it, Kaye. I know you can. There’s always another way.”
“I just need to figure out how to handle this.” I don’t dare tell Barbi the best solution is to cave into Scott’s demands.
“How about we start by blocking that asshole from your life?” Barbi’s relentless. Like a mother bear protecting her own, she’s not going to let this go.
But I can’t let her fight my battles. This is my mess to fix.
“I’m not going to do that.” I sit up straight and inject confidence into my words. No surprise, but I fail completely.
“Why not?”
“Because…”
“You’re still hung up on him, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want to burn bridges I might need later. It’s not just the scholarship. He can…”
My phone buzzes with another text. I grit my teeth, expecting another threatening text, but it’s our bestie, Carmen. A profound feeling of relief rushes through me.
“They’re ten minutes out.” I squeal with excitement, eager to meet Rosalie. Carmen’s told us so much about her that I feel like we’re already the best of friends.
“Crap, they’re early.” Barbi glances at her watch.
“So?” I shrug because it doesn’t matter.
Only Barbi is far more OCD than me.
“We haven’t moved your things out of your room.” She hops up from the couch and claps her hands. “Come on, your things won’t pack themselves.”
It’s been only a couple of weeks since graduation, but it feels as if it’s been a lifetime. The day Carmen, Barbi, and I graduated from UCSF, we were headed out for an amazing night on the town. Only, Carmen’s father sent his goons to escort her home to Nicaragua. Which left Barbi and me to celebrate alone.
And boy, did we party.
We had a fabulous night.
Carmen, however, entered what can only be described as a living hell. Her father basically kidnapped her and held her hostage. He arranged a loveless marriage to a tyrant of a man, and Carmen had no way out.
At least until a group called the Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists came into the picture. They were rescuing a woman named Isabelle LaCroix, and Carmen hijacked that rescue.
Suffice it to say, Carmen went back to her father. Which sounds bad. But she did it as part of a plan by the Guardians to free the women her father was trafficking. She acted as a cool, super-secret double agent. Part of that rescue, something she insisted on, included freeing her childhood friend, Rosalie.
Only things didn’t go as planned.
Carmen spent the better half of a week beside herself with worry over Rosalie’s safety while the Guardians launched another rescue mission to get Rosalie back.
That was a few days ago.
Now Rosalie’s moving in with us. She’s finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited.
The day Carmen called to tell us Rosalie was safe, a great weight lifted off my shoulders. I’m thrilled we’re here for Carmen to not only celebrate her reunion with Rosalie but to welcome her into our little girl-gang.
But even with the great news, this thing with Scott hangs over me. I have to find a way to deal with my ex-boyfriend, and former professor, and the way he’s trying to manipulate me. I take one last look at the phone before shutting it off, then slide it into my back pocket.
Barbi’s right. I need to find another way to deal with Scott.
Somehow, I’ll figure it out. Until then, I follow Barbi into what used to be my room and begin packing up my things.
Since I’m moving to UC Davis as soon as the fall semester begins, I don’t technically need my room in our little townhouse. Barbi and I are going to share her room for the summer. Then, I’ll move to a small studio apartment at Davis.
As for Rosalie, she literally has nothing. She escaped Nicaragua with nothing but the clothes on her back. We’re hoping UCSF will accept her into their undergraduate program. Carmen says she knows people with pull who can make that happen. Which means Rosalie needs a place to stay. I’m happy to give her my room.
I guess we’ll see.
In the meantime, Barbi and I rush around my room like two lunatics, throwing clothes in suitcases and cardboard boxes. We drag those from my room upstairs into Barbi’s room downstairs. We make a total mess of things and are nowhere near done when Carmen’s text comes in that they’re almost here.
Barbi and I sprint down the stairs and fly out the front door to wait outside.
“Do you see them?” I lift on tiptoe, peering down the street.
