Guardian Gabe — Sam E. Kraemer

Gabriele Torrente

“Mr. Torrente? You should come down here.” Little did I know when I walked down those stairs, my life would change in ways I couldn't begin to fathom.

“Mom told Grandma you're our dad…” Those words spoken by a seven-year-old boy nearly had me flat on my back on the floor. I'd been careful all my life when it came to sex as a bisexual man. When I was with women, I wore a condom and pulled out to be extra safe. With guys? I wore a condom. There should have been no way I was a father, but the little boy with the glasses handed me a picture of myself embracing a woman in my arms that possibly told a different story.
When a handsome man came speeding into the Victorian where the offices of my security firm, Golden Elite Associates-America, LLC, were housed, I was speechless at the sight of him.

He was a dancer. He was beautiful and funny and infuriating. He was leaving town to work on a cruise ship that made eight trips a month between New York and Bermuda. He was trying to get me to admit I was the father of two adorable kids. His name was Dexter Carrington.

What the hell happened to my normal life?

##

Dexter Carrington

I received a call from my mother that she had my niece and nephew living with her for the summer because my sister, a mediocre hair stylist from Jersey City, had taken a job that would require her to travel. I lived six blocks from my mother, and my sister never visited. It made no sense, but I went over to my mother's house to spend time with two little people I barely knew.

I auditioned for last-chance jobs on Broadway because at twenty-something-too-old, and my options were beyond limited. I got a part-time job at a gay club as a dancer to supplement my income while I still auditioned for everything available. I finally landed a job working as an entertainer on a cruise ship with a six-month contract to help my mother care for my niece and nephew while my sister…who hated my gay ass…disappeared.

I received a call from a social worker informing me my mother was dead, and my niece and nephew were about to go into foster care. I worked a deal with Social Services to take the kids until we could identify their father, which my mother had already hired an investigator to find based on a photo in a box of crap my sister gave her in the event she didn't return.
The man was handsome. He owned his own business. He would need to step up to the plate to take care of his children because I was never cut out to be a father, and I had no way of getting in touch with my sister. They needed the stability the man offered because I couldn't provide the same.

He was a wedding photographer. He carried a gun. He looked nothing like my niece or nephew. His name was Gabriele Torrente.

What the hell happened to my normal life?

Please Note: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers. It includes graphic language, violence, a brief description of child abuse (past tense), and/or adult situations and descriptions of sexual activity between two, consenting adult males. This fictional story is intended for adults over 18, is approximately 102,000 words in length, and doesn't end on a cliffhanger. It is the second book in the series entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.” Each book can be read alone or as part of the series. I hope you enjoy them.