Harley’s Achilles(23)

“Of course I trust you! You saved my life!”

“Good. Now, shush,” I chuckled.

“Excuse me?” Harley narrowed his gaze.

I pulled into Harley’s driveway and cut the engine. Harley was out the passenger door before I could even shut mine. I followed him up the walk and waited patiently for him to unlock the front door.

My eyes strayed to the living room window and I grabbed Harley’s bicep.

“What the —” he began.

I placed a finger over my lips and pointed to the window. Harley looked back at me in shock and I pulled him behind me, removing my gun from the waistband of my jeans. I motioned to him to give me the keys and I unlocked the door, keeping Harley behind me as I entered. I left the lights off and peered around the semi-lit house. Everything was quiet, but the ripped screen on the front window did not make me comfortable. I dragged Harley to his room and shut the door. After checking the closet, under the bed, and anywhere else someone could hide, I threw Harley his suitcase.

“Stay in this room and pack,” I said quietly. “I’m going to check the rest of the house. Lock the door behind me.”

“Wait, what if someone’s out there?” Harley whispered.

I showed him my gun and Harley’s eyes widened.

“Stay put!” I ordered.

I did a thorough check of the rest of the house, but didn’t find anything. Nothing was even out of place or missing. The window was cracked open just enough to get a finger through and I shut it and locked it before going back to Harley’s room. I knocked softly.

“It’s me.”

Harley let me in and I shut and locked the door behind me. He was packing his clothes into his suitcase just like I’d asked him to.

“Where are we going?” Harley asked.

“Greece.”

“Isn’t that a little far? I mean, a ripped window screen doesn’t call for a trip across the Atlantic.”

“Just finish packing, we’re going to my house tonight and we’ll leave in the morning.” Harley stood there with his mouth hanging open and I sighed in frustration. “What?”

“What’s really going on?” Harley sat down on the bed.

“Look, I wanted to talk to you about this anyway. My dad isn’t doing so well and I would like it if you came to Greece with me.”

Harley looked down at his lap and wrung his hands. I sat down next to him and playfully shoved his shoulder.

“What is it?” I asked. He mumbled under his breath and I leaned in closer. “What?”

“I don’t like to fly,” he mumbled.

Well, that was interesting.

“But you fly all the time on your tours,” I pointed out.

“Well, I’m usually asleep when I fly. I take, um, stuff to knock me out.”

“Okay, so you’ll take it. Are you afraid of flying?”

“I’m afraid of crashing.” Harley peered up at me through his lashes. “You’re not going to make fun of me?”

“Why would I do that? There’s nothing wrong with how you feel. You’re not the only one, I’m sure. You can pack your coloring books if you want. That will help too, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I want to bring my guitar.”

“That’s fine. You need help?”

“Nope.” Harley stood up and then looked down at me. “Thanks, ya know? For everything.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to go to Greece,” I admitted.

“Who doesn’t want to go to Greece? I’ll just make sure I bring my pills.”



I helped Harley pack the rest of his things and then opened the door slowly. I peeked out into the house and moved forward, keeping Harley behind me. We left the house and I made sure I locked the front door. I kept my eyes on the neighborhood as I helped Harley into my truck. Once we pulled away, I relaxed a bit. I was going to have to call Axel and have his guys do a sweep of Harley’s house. I had no idea if someone had broken in or not. Harley had some fans, but deranged? I wasn’t so sure.

I pulled up to my house and realized both Hammer and Buster were home. This should be fun. I helped Harley with his bags and walked behind him as we headed to the front door.

“So this is where you guys live, huh?” Harley looked around appreciatively.

“Yes, for now. Eventually, we’ll buy our own place.”

I unlocked the door and ushered Harley in. A sinful smell was emanating from the kitchen and I headed in that direction with Harley close on my heels. I stepped into the kitchen to see Hammer in his apron cooking what looked to be spaghetti. Buster was at the table working a crossword puzzle. I cleared my throat and they turned to look at me.