Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  Raiden didn’t find the look sexual. He was sure a lot of guys would, but to him, it just screamed ‘fuck you, world.’ He liked it.

  Her most striking feature though, and what he immediately saw as a crucial marketing tool, was the lilac hair that fell in large rolls to her shoulders. Coupled with a full face of shiny, glittery makeup, he immediately recognized her value as the face of the band.

  “Hi,” he said, sticking out his hand as she approached. “You must be Pearl.”

  “You must be Raiden,” she said, pronouncing his name correctly. That made a nice change. “I don’t know who you are, though?”

  She looked Levi square in the eye. Raiden chuckled.

  “Oh, this is my buddy, Kevin. You don’t need to worry about him.”

  Levi ground his teeth, clearly not getting that movie reference either, or getting it and being pissed off even more.

  “My name is Levi Patterson, ma’am. I’m here as Mr. Jones’s private security. I hope you won’t mind if I give the room a quick once-over.”

  The guy by the speaker sat up. “Like a bodyguard?” he asked. “Cool.”

  “Do you have a gun?” the girl with the bass guitar asked from the sofa. She had a deep voice for a girl and was dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt with a cartoon duck on the front.

  Levi flashed her a smile. “Of course, ma’am. I wouldn’t be much use if I couldn’t protect my client.”

  The girl giggled.

  Raiden scowled. Of course G.I. Joe was nice to her. Would it really kill him to treat Raiden with anything less than strained civility?

  “Well,” Raiden said loudly, clapping his hands. “This is the band, huh? I like the tracks y’all sent over. I guess you’re looking to work on some more?”

  Pearl looked him up and down, then retrieved a dog-eared notebook from a backpack by the sofa. “Yes,” she said, walking back over to him. “We currently have two singles and an EP out. That’s been enough to land us some gigs, but we need to get an album out soon if we’re going to capitalize on that work. I thought we could maybe collaborate, see if we can get some songs together in time for the tour.”

  “Y’all have a tour booked already?” Raiden was impressed.

  “Five dates over two weeks,” said the girl at the drums proudly. “Over three states. “We’re opening for Dyrnoir when they play Madison Square Garden.”

  “Isn’t that insane?” said the guy with the guitar, his eyes sparkling.

  “Dyrnoir?” Raiden repeated. “Fuck, that’s incredible y’all!”

  It really was. Dyrnoir had been around for over a decade and had sold millions of records worldwide. Their pop-rock style and equally charismatic front woman matched up nicely with what Raiden had seen of Glittergasm so far. Basically, they couldn’t have asked for a better band to open for.

  “I’m actually going to die when I meet Janel Rider,” said the bassist, referring to Dyrnoir’s lead singer. She even got a little teary-eyed.

  Raiden felt a warm sensation of pride for the kids. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

  “We want to polish some new songs by then,” said Pearl. She handed Raiden her notebook, something he guessed she didn’t let just anyone look at. “I’m the main lyricist, but you do music and lyrics. We figured, if you liked our sound, you could help us get a few more tracks together in time.”

  “I do like your sound,” Raiden agreed. Christ, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so excited about a project. “When do you want to start?”

  “Now?” Pearl suggested, gesturing towards to the couch.

  The guitarist and bassist hopped up to perch of the arms of the sofa, allowing Raiden and Pearl to sit side-by-side. Raiden looked around, fixing on Levi as he finished his walk around the room. Having failed to locate any incendiary devices, he took up position by the door, hands behind his back, eyes straight ahead.

  Raiden wondered if he was bored already.

  He smirked, getting a small, perverse kick from that. If Levi had been nicer to him, maybe he’d have more sympathy. But seeing as he insisted on being a jackass, Raiden could take a tiny bit of joy from forcing him into the world of music that he claimed to hate so much.

  Nobody hated music, Raiden was convinced of that. If he was going to be saddled with Levi for the time being, perhaps he’d get a chance to prove that to him.

  Raiden did like a challenge, after all.

  7

  Levi

  The pounding on the door had Levi awake before he even knew what was happening. His feet swung out of the bed and his hand flew to his gun on the nightstand as he raced over and yanked the door open.

  Raiden froze with his fist in the air. His eyes went wide with shock as he took in the gun Levi had raised. Then his gaze swept down Levi’s almost entirely naked body.

  Levi would have been thankful he was at least wearing briefs, if it wasn’t for the glaringly obvious morning wood he was sporting.

  He refused to get embarrassed. He couldn’t help what his damn dick did when he was unconscious. So he stood there, defiantly, until Raiden’s eyes eventually flicked back up to Levi’s face.

  “May I help you?” Levi asked, his voice rough with sleep.

  To his credit, Raiden didn’t blush. He cleared his throat and put on a decent smile.

  “I came to see if you wanted to go for a run?” he asked. “I’ve been a very good boy and used the treadmill since this whole thing started. But if I don’t get a real run in the fresh air soon I’m going to get murderous. And not the fun kind.”

  Levi arched an eyebrow and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Thankfully, his cock was calming down.

  “There’s a fun kind of murderer?”

  “Would you like to find out?” Raiden asked, his eyes sparkling.

  He was wearing a simple pair of shorts, a t-shirt and some sneakers that looked like they’d been well loved. His hair was just long enough that he could tie it back, which made sense to keep it out of his eyes. Except there were a few strands hanging free that were infuriatingly inviting Levi to tuck them behind Raiden’s ears.

  Yet again, Levi reminded himself that Raiden wasn’t cute. He was an annoying little brat, as was obvious from the puppy dog eyes he was currently throwing Levi’s way.

  “The treadmill is infinitely safer.”

  Raiden pouted. “But it’s so boring. Come on, if you run with me, I’ll be fine, right? My route doesn’t go out of the grounds, and y’all made the compound all super secure now, right?”

  Levi sighed and rubbed his head. Truth be told, he’d love a proper run. He still hit the closest gym as often as he could, but there was no substitute to pushing through a few miles in the open air.

  “You have to do exactly as I say,” he said, pointing a finger at Raiden’s face as it lit up with excitement. “I’ll stay a couple of feet in front. And under no circumstances is there to be any chit-chat. The only reason I want you to open your mouth is if you see the glint of a sniper rifle.”

  Raiden hopped from foot to foot. “Yes, yes,” he cried excitedly. “Scout’s honor, I promise. Let’s go, let’s go.”

  Without a word, Levi stepped back and let the door close on Raiden. He could still hear Raiden chittering and jumping about in the hall as he yanked on a shirt and pair of shorts himself. Levi wasn’t joking about making him keep his mouth shut. If he tried to jabber on about anything while they were out, Levi would have to take him to task.

  For a horrible second, he wondered what that would entail exactly. Grabbing Raiden by his collar, perhaps, making him look Levi in the eye while he scolded him.

  For some ungodly reason, that image made Levi’s dick twitch to life again.

  “Knock it off,” he grumbled, glancing down at it.

  He then looked at the gun where he’d laid it down on top of the dresser. It would be a pain to bring it, but in the end, he decided on a holster. Better to deal with the rub from the straps than go out unprepared.

  After gulping down hal
f a bottle of water, he opened the door again to find Raiden just as keen as when he left him.

  “So, um, cool tats,” Raiden said with a grin before Levi even had a chance to close his bedroom door. He looked at Levi’s chest where moments ago his body ink had been on display.

  “What did I say?” Levi asked with an arched eyebrow.

  Raiden mimed zipping his mouth shut, locking it, then tossing away the key.

  “Good boy,” Levi murmured.

  They jogged their way through the house and stretched in silence on the patio. Then Raiden pointed towards the path that took them in front of the property, the direction of the stables, and Levi set off at an easy pace.

  Despite his stern words, Levi felt more natural falling into step beside Raiden rather than running in front of him. He told himself it was because he could protect him better with him in his line of sight, but the truth was it just felt rude to ignore him like that.

  By the time they got into a good pace, the house diminishing behind them, it was about oh-six-thirty. The sun had risen for them, bathing the grounds of the estate in hazy light. Birds and insects chirped in a dawn chorus, and Levi felt a calm he hadn’t experienced in a long while. Things were so much simpler when it was just your feet slamming against the earth in the otherwise quiet of the day.

  “So, you’ve lived here your whole life?” he found himself asking Raiden before he even realized what he was doing.

  Sure enough, Raiden raised his brow and gave him the side-eye. Levi knew what he’d said about chit-chat, but it was different if he was the one asking the questions.

  “Most of it,” Raiden answered after a minute or two. “I was about ten when we moved here. My dad’s always been keen on horses. The ranch came with an impressive stock. He loves it here.”

  “But not the rest of you?” Levi asked.

  Raiden shrugged. “We’re all more academics. Into learning and technology and such.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Luckily Dad’s not the sore type, or he might have got upset no one in his family wanted to go camping or hunting with him.”

  Levi thought of his own dad with a pang. “So he got himself a whole farm instead?”

  Raiden jutted his chin over to the stables. “He’s probably out there now, working with the crew, looking after the horses. He always did like to get his hands dirty.” He wiped sweat from his forehead. “I think you visited our old place before we moved here. Or so my mom says.”

  “Yeah?”

  Levi wasn’t sure how to respond. Discussing anything about their dads’ friendship was like stepping into another life. Even though it had been a couple of years since his passing, it still hurt to talk about how things used to be.

  “He and your mom came to my sister’s wedding,” Raiden continued. “It’s kind of funny, how our dads were best buds, and we’re only just getting to know each other now.”

  Levi wanted to reply that they weren’t getting to know each other, that they weren’t friends. But even if that wasn’t his intention, thanks to the proximity of the job he was finding out more about Raiden.

  He knew how he took his coffee, he knew he didn’t like potatoes and what his shoe size was. Levi was getting familiar with the way he moved, what his different little sighs meant. All kinds of stupid stuff he normally only ever noticed about the guys in his unit, the ones he spent night and day with.

  This was probably how it would be with every client, he figured. He’d step into their world for a time, get to know them inside and out, then move on to the next. For a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, the idea made him sad.

  “I guess you must miss your dad, huh?” Raiden continued. “I’m really sorry, man. I know I said it before, but I can’t imagine what that’s like. To lose a parent.”

  “I didn’t lose him. I know exactly where he is,” Levi snapped. He knew it was a douche reaction, but Raiden was right. He didn’t know what it felt like. So maybe he should just leave it.

  “Sorry,” Raiden mumbled.

  Levi sighed. He didn’t want to be the bad guy. “Yeah, I miss him,” he conceded.

  He glanced over at Raiden and caught the small smile he offered him. Levi didn’t want anyone’s pity. Sometimes things just happened in life. You may not like them, but you just had to get on with it.

  Raiden left it, though. He didn’t probe any further, asking what had happened, like most people did. He just jogged on in companionable silence. Levi appreciated it.

  They didn’t go far, maybe only covering a couple of miles. But Levi knew it did his legs and lungs good, and he imagined Raiden felt the benefit too. He was certainly glowing by the time they made it back to the house, his cheeks flushed and his skin covered with a light sheen of perspiration.

  “Good work,” Levi said to him as they approached the back door to the kitchen.

  Raiden quirked a smile at him. “Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate you letting me out.”

  That made him sound like a naughty dog and Levi rolled his eyes. “Well, now I know you can behave yourself, perhaps we can do it again sometime?”

  Raiden pulled the sliding patio door open. “I’d just like to inform you that you look all gross and sweaty and the urge to push you in the pool is real. I should get credit for resisting temptation.”

  “You’re hardly an oil painting yourself,” Levi lied. Some people did indeed look grim after a workout. But others, such as Raiden, simply looked healthy after working up a sweat. It suited him.

  Raiden laughed, a full, throaty sound. “You gonna throw my ass in the pool then?” he led them into the cool A/C of the kitchen. “To be fair, that would be way more likely than me besting you.”

  “You know it,” said Levi, heading to the fridge for water. As reluctant as he was to admit it, he was kind of having fun.

  He swallowed down several gulps from the bottle he’d opened, then threw another to Raiden. He wasn’t here to have fun. This was work, no different to out in the desert. The second he forgot that someone could lose their life at any moment was the instant they were in real danger.

  He didn’t really believe Raiden was in any danger, certainly not like his battalion had been on any of his tours. But still, he couldn’t lose sight of his primary mission. He needed to put some distance between them again.

  He opened his mouth to tell Raiden he was going up for a shower. But before any words came out, the sound of the front doorbell rang through the house.

  Raiden raised his eyebrows and Levi held his hand up to steady him. Considering the time, both Mr. and Mrs. Jones would have already left the house for work, so it was just the two of them aside from any staff on duty.

  “I’ll get it,” said Levi.

  He wiped his hands dry on a towel, conscious of the piece still strapped to his side. He didn’t want to scare the mailman shitless, but he knew better than to approach the door unarmed.

  Raiden followed him to the front of the house. The bell rang again as they entered the lobby.

  “Someone’s eager,” Levi murmured. He unlocked the deadbolts and pulled the door inwards.

  Pearl, the girl from the band Raiden had been working with, was stood on the other side.

  Despite the hour, she was fully made up with her purple hair expertly styled. Her outfit looked more suited to shooting a music video than it did running early morning errands. Levi noted the old but well-kept car parked in the driveway that he assumed to be hers.

  “Hi,” she said, tilting her head. She wore heart-shaped pink sunglasses that she peered over to assess Levi. “You’re the bodyguard, right?”

  “Yes, I am, ma’am,” he confirmed.

  She nodded and removed the shades. “Good, I probably need to speak to you as well. Where’s Raiden?”

  “He’s here,” Levi said warily. “Can I ask what this is regarding – hey!”

  She slipped under his arm and into the house. He had to stop himself from grabbing her arm and hauling her back. She was just a kid, after all. But h
e was still irritated.

  Unfortunately, Raiden’s excitement undermined his ability to scold her.

  “Hey, girl,” he cried, pulling her into a hug. “This is a surprise.”

  Pearl nodded, her gaze wandering around the front of the house. “Sorry, I know it’s early. But time is a factor and I like talking to people in person. May I come in?”

  Levi and Raiden both looked at each other. She wasn’t a security threat, Levi was certain, so this was a social call. That left the decision up to Raiden. Even if Levi was pissed.

  “Oh, sure,” Raiden said after a beat. “Come on in. You want something to drink?”

  “Tea would be very nice,” she said. Her head turned from side to side as if she was cataloging everything she saw as they walked through the house. “Why are there horseshoes everywhere?”

  Raiden smiled despite the fact Levi felt the question was slightly rude. “My dad’s thing. He collects them. Cool, aren’t they?”

  Pearl took off her glasses and didn’t reply.

  Raiden didn’t seem all that bothered, though. He gestured for her to take a stool at the island counter and routed around in the cupboards. “English breakfast okay?”

  “Perfect. Milk and sugar, please.”

  Pearl perched on one of the seats and watched Levi take another halfway down the table. He was here merely as an observer. By all rights, Raiden could tell him to get lost now they knew there was no danger. But he didn’t, so Levi stayed. Besides, Pearl had said something about wanting to talk to him too, whatever that meant.

  “What brings you down here, then?” Raiden asked.

  “We got some extra tour dates,” said Pearl without any preamble. “We hit the road in a few days.”

  Raiden looked up from the tea he’d been preparing. “Oh,” he said. “Well, that’s fantastic.”

  Levi knew right there and then he was definitely spending too much time in Raiden Jones’s company.

  He could see, clear as day, the disappointment that flitted across his face. Levi may not understand about making music, but he got how much it meant to Raiden to have been working on the kind of stuff he really liked. If Glittergasm were off on tour, presumably that meant their progress would be greatly slowed.