Harley's Achilles (The Rock Series Book 3) (2 page)

“Squish them, eh?” I grinned.

“You know what I mean.” Achilles chuckled.

I jumped up on the counter and swung my feet out. “Do you even like hanging around me?”

“Well, you’re never boring, that’s for sure. You keep me on my toes.”

“Do you like your job?” I picked up a carrot and munched on the end.

“Yeah. I mean, the hours are weird, but the paycheck is good and I get to see different places.”

“I always wanted to travel when I was younger. Holden and I—” I stopped and swallowed hard.

“You and Holden what? Tell me.” Achilles leaned against the counter.

“We were both going to join the military. I mean, I wanted to, but he begged me not to.”

“Why?”

“Because he said he couldn’t stand it if something happened to me,” I said softly.

“But something happened to him.” Achilles lifted my chin with his fingers and searched my eyes.

“Yes,” I nodded. “Why did you join?”

“I wanted to see the world.”

Achilles removed his fingers from my chin and stepped back. He jerked his chin toward the sliding glass door.

“I’m going to check the potatoes.”

I stared at him. That was the first time Achilles had ever touched me like that. I didn’t know if he knew it or not, but he almost touched my face today at my parents’ house. I was almost positive he wasn’t gay. I think. He looked older than me, too. I wondered how
much
older.

He brought in the potatoes, and we sat at my little kitchen table and ate. It felt weird to be sitting there with him, although, I had to admit I enjoyed the company. I wanted to know more about him, but was afraid to push too hard. Achilles seemed a little closed off.

“So, how’s the album coming along?” The question startled me out of my thoughts.

“Really good. We’ve got twelve tracks completely done and when Jinx comes back, we can finish the rest.”

“You miss Jinx, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I’m happy for him though. He had it rough in school.”

“What about you?” Achilles asked as he spread butter on his potato.

“I didn’t have a problem with the ladies.” I shrugged. “I guess I have charisma,” I smirked.

“You have something, all right.” Achilles basically snorted, and that made me laugh.

“I know, I’m a pain in the ass.” I leaned back in my chair and let out a sigh.

“No, I wouldn’t say pain in the ass. You are…adventurous?”

“Pain in the ass.” I pointed at him with my fork.

“Thrill seeking?”

“Nice way of saying pain in the ass.”

Achilles chuckled. “You are something else, Harley Payne.”

I tilted my head. “How did you get here? I always see you, but don’t see what you drive.”

“Well, tonight I’ve come in my pickup truck. Normally, I’m on my Tomahawk.”

My mouth fell open. “Excuse me? Dodge Tomahawk?”

“One and the same.” Achilles nodded.

“Well, fuck. No wonder you catch me all the time. How fast does that go? Four hundred?”

“Four-twenty. Zero to sixty in two point five seconds.”

“Fuuuckkkk. I think I just came.”

Achilles cracked up and I smiled. I loved the sound of his laugh. Rich and hearty.

“Do you think I could ride it sometime?” I asked with a grin.

“I’ll take you for a spin tomorrow if you want.”

“I would. I miss being on a motorcycle.”

“Why don’t you buy one? Rebel has one.”

“Because the one I want, I can’t have.” I stood, grabbing my plate from the table. “Are you finished?”

“I am, but I can get my own plate, Harley.”

I took my dish to the sink and ran the hot water. Achilles joined me and placed his plate on top of mine. The heat from his body seemed to fill the air and I inhaled his intoxicating scent.

“Um, do you think you could stay? I mean, here…tonight?”

“Sure.” Achilles nodded. “Let me just grab my bag from the truck.”

“You packed a bag?”

“I always have an emergency go bag in my truck. Clothes, food, water, all the things you’d need if you were stuck.” Achilles motioned to the water. “I think it’s hot. How about I check on the fire?”

“Sounds good. I’ll finish this, then bring the chocolate and stuff.”

I had a maid, but I actually enjoyed doing stuff for myself. Except windows. No one liked doing windows. I finished cleaning the dishes, then grabbed the s’more stuff and walked into the living room. Achilles was stoking the fire. His bag was propped against the sofa and I eyed it. It was one of those military rucksacks. He turned to me and I handed him the goods. I sat on the floor right in front of the fireplace and Achilles stretched out on his side next to me. We sat there and watched the flames licking up.

“Why did you want to join the military?” Achilles asked softly. “Weren’t you into music?”

“Yeah, but joining would have taken me away from home.” I punctured a marshmallow with one of the sticks I kept by the fireplace and held it near the flames, browning it. “Between Holden and Jinx, I stayed put.”

Achilles grabbed a stick and placed his own marshmallow near the fire. He seemed to be concentrating hard, like he wanted to ask me something, but didn’t know how.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I can’t see you as a soldier. Not that you’re not physically fit to be one, but your attitude would have gotten you smoked.”

“Oh, you mean my utter lack of caring?” I snickered.

“If you hold a combat boot to your ear, do you know what you’ll hear?”

“The ocean?” I smiled.

“No, you can hear your first drill sergeant calling you a moron.”

“That’s good,” I laughed. “Cute. Didn’t know you had it in you, big guy.”

“I do, on occasion, try to have a good time.”

“Why is it that you guys hardly ever talk then?”

“It’s called keeping it professional. The more time you spend with your charge, the more the lines seem to disappear. In order for us to keep you safe, we can’t make it personal.”

“But you’re here.”

“That’s different.”

“Why is that different?” I narrowed my eyes.

“I am assigned to you, Harley. I’m not the kind of guy who stands in the corner and says nothing. Especially if we’re in each other’s space all the time.”

“Assigned to me? Meaning what?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer to that question. Was Achilles with me all the damn time because the guys thought I’d do something stupid? Okay, I did a lot of stupid shit, but I’d never tried to off myself.

“I’m keeping you safe.”

“From what?”

“Yourself.”

“I’m not going to try and kill myself, ya know.” I placed my browned marshmallow on the chocolate and grabbed some crackers. I bit into it and moaned.

“I know you wouldn’t do it intentionally, but you do get yourself into some pretty precarious situations.”

“I’m thrill-seeking, remember?” I grinned and Achilles smiled — just a tad. He reached over and thumbed something off the corner of my mouth.

“Chocolate.” He showed me his thumb as proof. “What’s on the agenda tomorrow?”

“Studio time. A couple more tracks need to be tweaked.” I yawned. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until just then. “I think I’m going to hit the sheets. I’m fucking wasted. Want to crash on the couch or do you want the guest room?”

“Couch.”

“Okay, I’ll get you a blanket.” I stood up and glanced over my shoulder as I headed to the linen closet. Achilles was licking his thumb. I didn’t know why, but my dick popped up immediately from just watching him. I grabbed a fluffy blanket from the top shelf and went back to the living room. Achilles was just making his own s’more.

“Here ya go. Anything else?”

“No, goodnight, Harley.”

“Night.”

Achilles

I watched Harley’s ass as he walked back to his room. Part of me wanted to join him, the part that had lost all perspective when it came to Harley Payne. I cursed myself for the thousandth time. I needed to stay focused when it came to Harley. He’d had enough shit in his life without adding me to the mix. I needed to keep him safe, and that was all. He didn’t remember kissing me back in L.A., and I wasn’t going to bring it up. I thought for sure he’d say something the next morning, but he didn’t remember any of it.

Not the pool.

Nothing.

I talked a lot with Jinx and the other guys, so I knew Harley hadn’t had it easy. Especially when it came to his parents. I was an only child, so I didn’t know what it was like to have a sibling.

I leaned back on my elbows and watched the fire. I’d done my homework and I didn’t like what I saw. Harley’s older brother was killed in combat and although Harley
seemed
fine on the outside, he was anything but. I was lucky enough to be raised and loved by my parents. I was born in New York, but my parents moved back to Greece when I was ten. My grandparents had died in a car crash and left their restaurant to my parents. My father had his own company in Greece and my mother ran the restaurant. Sometimes I’d go just to help out in the kitchen. The place was still very successful, even now. I held dual citizenship, so I went back and forth between the U.S. and Greece a lot.

I moved back to the U.S. and joined the military at eighteen. On a range day six months later, I impressed one of the visiting colonels. I was sent straight to sniper school and became part of Delta Force not long after. I was one of the youngest who had ever been hand-picked for Delta.

The skills I learned in training suit my bodyguard job perfectly. Being stealthy while guarding someone like Harley was a must some days. Harley was always surprised when I popped up right next to him, but if he knew me even a little bit, he’d know I could stand in a room with him and he’d never even know I was there.

I tilted my head to the side and heard Harley getting in the shower. My dick hardened at the thought of his body slicked with soap—what I could do to that body. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I’d always been gay, I knew it at the age of thirteen when I was checking out the local boys on the beach. My parents didn’t even bat an eyelash when I told them. Once I joined the military, a whole new world opened up to me and I found out that a lot of guys were gay. They just kept it quiet. My first boyfriend was actually my spotter. We spent countless hours together and ended up kissing one night. Brian and I were together for two years before the night that he was taken from me.

I balled my fist and squeezed my eyes shut. I’d lost him that day in Ramadi when all hell had broken loose. I took a deep, calming breath and opened my eyes, staring into the orange and blue flames of the fire. Three years later and I could still smell the gunpowder in the air, the sounds of screaming, and the fierce burn of multiple bullets entering me. I tried so hard to protect the guys around me, still firing off rounds with most of my right arm hanging by a thread. Then the Apache helicopter swooped in and decimated everything in sight.

I had woken up in a hospital in Germany four months later with my parents at my side. When my time was up, I got out. Then I met Mac Collins; he was the owner of Collins Security. A former Master Sergeant in the Navy, Mac hired guys such as me to run his business. Between bodyguards and assassins, Mac had a go-to business, it seemed.

I came on as a bodyguard, mostly because I’d seen enough death in my time. I saw a shrink to help me deal with my time in the military and what had happened to me. I still had nights when I woke up a sweaty mess, but they were few and far between at this point. I could understand Paul Vincent, the band’s old manager and former guitarist, a little better now. He’d gone through a car crash with Gareth Wolf and Ransom Fox, and the result was a damaged hand, PTSD and clinical depression. Paul grew up with the guys and they formed Skull Blasters together. When Gareth came out, Paul took that opportunity to send Gareth threatening letters and tried to scare him out of the band.

I still remember flying across the room when Paul had pulled a gun on Gareth. I had been too late, though, and the gun went off, shooting Axel Blaze. Paul was currently in a mental hospital getting help. I smiled thinking about Axel. His babysitting job turned into something more, and he and Gareth were now married.

The water shut off in the other room and I closed my eyes. I could almost see Harley climbing into bed. I hadn’t been with anyone for a long time, and now I was starting to feel something for Harley. I didn’t know what it was about him. He could be infuriating, reckless and irresponsible, but he was also very loving and caring with the rest of the band. Then there was the way he looked. He was shorter than me by a few inches, but he was quite built. His smile was what drew me to him immediately, that and his eyes.

Harley was so full of life, it pained me to know he wasn’t truly living it. He was stuck in the past and tried to extract love from two people who should have been giving it freely. I knew what it was like to be fractured, to have shards of yourself lying this way and that, and it took a strong person to glue himself back together. I knew Harley could do it. He just had to want it bad enough.

I leaned back against the couch and sighed. Tomorrow would be another day. Another day of watching Harley fly apart on the inside, pieces of him slowly dropping off until there was no more.

I wasn’t going to let that happen.

~*~

My eyes sprang open and I checked my watch. I’d slept for four hours, which was plenty for me. It was still dark outside as I crept into the kitchen and started making coffee. I checked on Harley and found him asleep on his back, one hand behind his head. He looked so peaceful just then, like everything that was raging inside him was quiet for the moment. Just watching him, I knew that I was there for a reason. That it was no accident I was chosen to watch over Harley. I’d always believed in fate and destiny, and Harley was mine.

I put together a breakfast of bacon, eggs and some biscuits, and then I cleaned up as quietly as I could in the bathroom. Harley needed his rest; it was evident to me, even if it wasn’t to him. Three hours later, a sleepy Harley wandered into the kitchen where I was sitting with my coffee and reading the paper.

“What’s all this?” Harley lifted the lid on one of the pans and sniffed.

“You need to eat more.” I eyed him over the top of the paper.

Harley made himself a plate and grabbed a cup of coffee, then sat down with me at the table. He ate a bite and looked over at me in surprise.

“This is really good. What did you add?”

“Secret recipe.” I lifted a brow. “My mom taught me how to cook. She said whoever I ended up with would appreciate it.”

“Um,” Harley sipped his coffee. “Were you ever married?”

“No. Haven’t found the right one yet.” Although, I had a sneaky suspicion
the one
was sitting right across from me.

“Dated?”

I set the newspaper down and pinned Harley with a look. “What do you really want to know?”

“Nothing. Sorry I asked,” Harley muttered.

“What about you?” I threw it back at him. “Serious with anyone?”

Harley snorted. “Nope. I don’t have time for a relationship.”

That was a crock of shit. Harley had time, especially in between tours. It was his parents who kept him from being with anyone. The guy didn’t think he deserved to be loved.

“Are you running with me this morning as well?” Harley asked.

“If you’d like.”

“I’d like to see if you can beat me,” Harley smirked.

“You do realize I was in the military, right?” I reminded him.

“Yes. But you’ve been out for how long?”

“You’re never really out, Harley.”

~*~

We took off after eating and Harley was ahead of me. His house sat up against a mountain, and trees surrounded it. I kept a good pace behind him, keeping my breathing steady, and watched the landscape as I did. We were about an hour in when Harley came to a stop. He leaned up against a tree and wiped his forehead. I stood next to him, offering him my bottle of water.

“Damn,” Harley panted. “How are you not breathing hard?”

“I’m used to running with a hundred pounds on my back, Harley. I’ve scaled buildings, hopped from rooftop to rooftop, all with said one hundred pounds on my back. I can run for miles and never get tired.”

“You’re a machine.” Harley coughed, sipping my water.

“I’m a soldier, Harley. Like I said, you never really stop being one.”

“Wanna go for a swim?”

“In your guitar pool?” I snickered. Harley’s pool was actually in the shape of guitar.

“Yup.”

“Sounds good.”

We walked back to Harley’s house. I think he’d overdone it trying to beat me. The thought made me smile and Harley cocked a brow at me as we entered his back yard.

“Why are you so chipper?” he asked, removing his shirt.

I glanced around the yard. The weather was cold, but the pool was in its own building off to the side. Slate rock covered Harley’s patio, and a table with six chairs was underneath a covered section with tiki torches all around. It had a Hawaiian feel to it. Harley was waiting for me to answer. I shrugged and began removing my own shirt. I walked past him and heard an audible gasp from behind me. I stopped and sighed, hanging my head. I’d totally forgotten about my tattoo.

“Achilles,” Harley said slowly. “What is your tattoo?”

“I think you know since you have one of your own.” I stood still as Harley’s footsteps resounded on the slate floor behind me. He was right at my back and I cursed under my breath.

“You have a Valkyrie on your back,” he marveled softly.

“So do you,” I pointed out.

“But…why?”

I turned to face him. His mouth was slightly agape, but I couldn’t blame him. I’d seen his tattoo. It was almost identical to mine.

“Where did you get yours?” I asked.

“My brother. He wasn’t just a jock or a soldier, he was an awesome artist. He drew it a long time ago, just before he entered the military. He said that a lot of the guys believed that when they died on the battlefield, they would go to Valhalla.”

“Mine represents almost the same thing, but being who I am and what I’ve done, mine serves a purpose. It’s there to remind me that although there is a dark place inside me that allows me to do the things I need to do, I have to remember that there is also a place inside me to protect. I can’t ever lose that or I’ll be a monster.”

“What do you mean?” Harley tilted his head.

“I was a sniper, Harley. I had to take lives to protect the innocent. A part of me, that dark, ugly part, was equipped to deal with that. I needed a reminder that there is a light inside of me as well, a light that reminds me that I have a soul.”

“I’ve seen you, you know. I would never think you were a monster. You take care of people, Achilles. Why would you ever think you’re a monster?”

“Because I have it in me, Harley. I wouldn’t have been able to do my job if I didn’t. The day we were ambushed, I killed so many people, Harley. My guys were dying all around me and I was…” I turned away from him. “I didn’t care, do you understand? I took those lives and I didn’t fucking care. I wanted them to pay, to suffer horrendously for what they’d done.”

Harley’s hand crept into mine and he turned me back to face him. I was expecting disgust or pity, what I saw was anger.

“Don’t you ever apologize for what you did, do you understand? My brother,” Harley stopped, took a deep breath, and continued. “He didn’t die right away. They tortured him first.” Harley wiped at his eyes. “So don’t ever apologize for what you did.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

“Holden knew going in that it could happen one day. I got to talk to him a week before he died. We were online, laughing and talking about how we were going to take the bike out on the highway. I needed it, ya know? My parents were the same as they’d always been, but it was really starting to bother me. Then he died, and it was like, I don’t know, like somehow I didn’t exist anymore. At least before, they kinda talked to me. They’d ask me to take out the trash or pick up the mail, go grocery shopping. When Holden died, the silence was so loud.”

I wiped the tear that cascaded down his cheek with my thumb.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this,” Harley snuffled.

“Because you’ve had enough, I think. Or at least, I hope you have. Did you get Holden’s letter?”

“What letter?” Harley asked, confused.

“When we deployed, we all wrote letters to loved ones, in case we didn’t come back. Every soldier does it; well, almost every soldier.”

“Did you?”

“Yes, I did, but my parents never got it because I was in Germany in the hospital. Somehow, I lived.”

“I’m glad, Achilles. I know I bitch, whine and moan, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“How ʼbout we swim?” I motioned to the pool. “I think my sweat is freezing to my back.”