Total Rush Read Online Free PDF

expected The Stinker to be some kind of urban ascetic, gaunt and unsmiling. Instead, the door was opened by a tiny, curvaceous woman with wild, tumbling red hair and the kindest eyes he had ever seen. Her poise impressed him; so had the photos on her bedroom walls. Leary’s “Marlin Perkins” crack had annoyed him, because it kept him from finding out more about Gemma Dante, who was obviously related to the hockey player, Michael Dante, Theresa’s husband. The photo on the dresser was a dead giveaway. Was Gemma his sister?
    On the other hand, Leary’s ribbing was a good thing. Yeah, they rode him hard about being “Birdman,” but teasing the shit out of the guys at the house was a firefighter’s favorite pastime. Since he’d come from Wall Street, it had taken them a long time to accept him. The wisecracks meant he was one of them.
    Down the hall, the current shift at Engine 31/Ladder 29 was sitting down to dinner. Sean could smell the enticing aroma of Al Dugan’s famous “Help! My butt’s on fire!” chili as it wafted onto the apparatus floor, making his stomach rumble.
    â€œYou guys up for a burger and a beer?” he asked.
    â€œDepends,” Ojeda said. “You paying?”
    â€œWhat, in return for services rendered?”
    â€œShit, you make us sound like hookers,” Leary said. He turned to Ojeda. “Don’t make the man pay for a favor, you cheap little bastard.”
    â€œWhat?” Ojeda whined. “It’s burgers and beers, for Chrissakes, not filet mignon and Dom.”
    Leary thought a moment then turned back to Sean. “The little bastard’s got a point.”
    Sean grinned. “Geez, if I’d known you two were such cheap dates, I’d have asked you out sooner. Shall we?”
    Together, the three men left the firehouse and headed down the street.
    The first thing Gemma did when she saw her cousin Michael in the green room at Met Gar the next night was playfully punch him in the arm.
    â€œOuch!” Michael recoiled, rubbing the spot where her fist had landed. “What was that for?”
    â€œThat blind date you set me up on! All he talked about was screwdrivers and gum! ”
    â€œHe’s a nice guy!” Michael retorted.
    â€œThere’s a difference between nice and boring.”
    Michael shrugged philosophically. “So it didn’t work out. What matters is you did a nice thing, right?”
    â€œTrue.”
    â€œC’mere, give cousin Mikey a hug, you do-gooder, you.”
    Gemma stepped into her cousin’s embrace. It always amazed her how solid he felt. He’d been a scrawny little thing when they were kids, all pointy elbows and knobby knees and lack of coordination. And now look at him, Gemma marveled. Mr. NHL Bigshot.
    And happily married, too, to the woman of his dreams, with a new baby girl. Pride burgeoned within Gemma as she recalled the pivotal role she’d played in getting Michael and Theresa together. It hadn’t been easy; both were stubborn as mules, not to mention melodramatic. But with a little help from some tarot cards and a big, heaping dose of Dante family-style meddling, she’d helped them past their foolish pride and into each other’s arms.
    â€œSo, who are you playing tonight?” she asked as they gently broke their embrace.
    Utter disbelief flitted across Michael’s face. “Do you ever bother to crack open a newspaper? Or are you too busy stirring your cauldron?”
    â€œYou’re hilarious.”
    â€œI try.”
    â€œSeriously, Michael, who are you playing?” Gemma repeated, pushing back the hair from her forehead. Sometimes she just wanted to cut it all off, it was so wavy and unruly. “I’ve been really, really busy, I didn’t have time—”
    â€œSshh.” He put his index finger to her lips. “Relax. It’s okay.” Removing his hand, he said, “We’re playing an