by HJ Welch
“Oh,” said Raiden, offering the waitress his card again. “Okay. I’d like to pay for that family’s bill, then. But please don’t tell them it was me. Is that all right?”
She stared at him for a moment. “Um, yeah, I’m sure that’s fine. Let me just, uh, take your details.” She wandered off, presumably to swipe his card for when the young family came to pay their bill.
“What?” Raiden asked when he caught Levi staring.
“Nothing,” he said, feeling the wry smile creep onto his lips.
The rest of the drive into Pennsylvania was pretty much uneventful. They listened to the radio while Levi drove and Raiden navigated. They were able to stick to the highways for almost the whole way through, so aside from heavy traffic at times, it was hardly challenging conditions.
Raiden napped for some of the last leg, but Levi let him. He knew where he was going by that point, and chances were Raiden had endured as restless a night as Levi. He was hopeful now that things between them weren’t half as fucked as he had feared. They had the new worry of the hacker getting into their car’s system of course, but if they weren’t at each other’s throats, it would make working together far simpler.
As they got further into Pittsburgh, Raiden roused naturally with the city lights beaming down around them. Levi was feeling tired from two full days of driving, but the fact they were near their hotel perked him up considerably. Maybe he’d hit the gym or the pool once they’d checked in, then order some food.
Or he and Raiden could always grab dinner together, if he fancied.
He chewed his lip and tried to tell himself that it was so Levi could keep an eye on him for security reasons, and why should they eat alone if they could keep each other company? Except he had to admit that Raiden was kind of fun to be around, and he wouldn’t mind maybe hanging out more.
Keep it in your pants, Marine, he thought savagely to himself.
This time, he helped Raiden bring all his bags inside, as they were going to be staying a couple of days. Plus, unlike the night before, Levi wasn’t pissed off with him. They walked inside the hotel together, side by side.
The guy behind the desk got starry-eyed at the sight of Raiden, but managed to keep a professional manner. Levi wondered if he would need to run out back and scream once Raiden left the front desk. Raiden had called ahead and asked for rooms next to each other, impressing Levi. He was taking his security more seriously now.
“Man, I’m shattered,” Raiden said in the elevator as they traveled to the fifth floor. “I didn’t even drive. You must be a zombie.”
“That’s what coffee is for,” Levi told him with a wink. “But yeah, I’ll sleep well tonight, I’m sure.”
The mention of sleeping made him think of beds and things two people could get up to in them. He clamped his mouth shut until the elevator opened on the right floor for them.
“This is me,” Raiden said with a happy sigh as they came upon the correct room number.
Levi held his hand out for the key card. “I’ll go first, check it’s okay.”
Raiden nodded and handed it over, stepping back with a yawn. Levi placed the bags he was carrying onto the carpet so he had his hands free, then swiped the card to let them inside.
The room was a suite, and the door opened into a living room area.
There were people waiting for them on the other side.
Before he had time to think, Levi pulled his gun.
“Freeze!”
12
Raiden
“NO!” Raiden bellowed, shoving in front of Levi. “No, no, Levi, these are my friends,” he babbled. Levi had barely registered him. He just bounced the gun back up to point it at the group behind Raiden. “Levi?” he tried again, stepping in front of the gun. “That’s two-fifths of Below Zero and their fiancés you are aiming a fucking gun at.”
“Three-fifths,” a low voice rumbled from the direction of the minibar. “But no fiancé. Cool piece, bro.”
Levi seemed to come back to his senses, blinking as he lowered his weapon. “And what,” he asked in a voice like ice, “are they doing sneaking into your hotel room?”
“I don’t know,” Raiden said, bubbling with excitement as he turned around to the very shocked party. “But it’s awesome.”
He stepped forward as the five guys relaxed a fraction. Most of them still seemed rattled at having a gun pointed their way. Raiden couldn’t say he blamed them.
“It’s okay, I promise, Levi just got a little overexcited is all. You can chill.” Raiden arched an eyebrow at Levi, willing him to back him up.
Levi finished hauling the rest of the bags into the room and closed the door. “Sure,” he said, his voice like stone.
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a party pooper. Come here and meet my friends. They’re totally normal.”
“Speak for yourself,” said Blake. He was the first of the group to recover and come over to meet them. He clapped Raiden on the back. “Some of us are quite exceptional.”
“He’s talking about me,” said Elion as he bounced over and shoved his hand in front of Levi. “Elion Rodriguez, Blake’s fiancé.”
To Raiden’s utter astonishment, Levi smiled as he shook first Elion’s, then Blake’s hands. “I know all y’all. You do that dancing show. Flaming Feet?”
Blake laughed, showing his dazzling teeth. With his blond hair and impressive physique, he really was an all-American heartthrob. “Feet of Flames,” he corrected with amusement. “Wouldn’t have pegged a guy like you to be a fan.”
Levi shrugged. “The guys on my last tour loved it. We watched it all the time when we could get signal.”
“Shut up,” said Raiden. “That’s amazing.”
“That Nessa chick is super hot,” Levi said forcefully.
Typical. He didn’t want any hint of the fact he might not be straight to even peek out. He could only watch a show if there was a babe to jerk off over. Raiden resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he turned back to his friends.
“I can’t believe you’re all here,” he said weakly.
“We couldn’t let you down, dude,” Blake said affectionately.
“Hell no,” agreed Elion, rocking on his heels in excitement. “Do you like your surprise?”
“Love it,” Raiden said, beaming at the people around him. Elion and Blake had been together almost two years and had recently gotten engaged. “Can I see the ring?” he asked Elion with a grin.
Elion preened and held out his hand. The stones in the silver band were pink to match the tips of Elion’s black hair. “My boy did good,” he said proudly, bumping his hip against Blake’s.
“Okay, all right,” said Joey Sullivan, pretending to be annoyed. “But this isn’t your bachelor party, is it? You’ll get your turn next.”
“Joey,” said Raiden warmly.
“Ray!” Joey cried, throwing himself at Raiden for a fierce hug. Joey was smaller than Raiden but made up for it with larger-than-life enthusiasm. His unruly curls accosted Raiden’s face, making him laugh. “We missed you so much!”
“It’s been too long,” Gabe, his fiancé, agreed. He took his turn and hugged Raiden as well, then eyed Levi warily. “So…we’re not under arrest or anything?”
Raiden scoffed and slapped Levi’s chest, purely to irk him. “Nah, Levi’s a teddy bear, just like you.”
It was true. Gabe was allegedly a librarian. But thanks to a keen interest in rock climbing and many years volunteering as a firefighter, he was stacked almost as much as Levi was.
Gabe and Joey had got engaged just over a year ago and their wedding was taking place in a couple of months. Raiden hadn’t expected that they could all get together like this beforehand, not with all their crazy schedules.
Raiden blinked as a shot glass appeared in front of his face. “Good to see you, dude,” a friendly voice growled from behind his ear. “We’ve got some catching up to do.”
Raiden knew there was no fighting it, so he took the drink and d
owned the burning liquid with a spluttering cough. “Missed you too, TJ,” he said.
TJ gave a sort of battle cry and picked him up from behind for a hug. He was easily as big as Levi and Gabe with more tattoos and brushes with the law to actually make him seem scary. But Raiden knew better.
“So, who’s your friend?” TJ asked when he’d put Raiden down again. He shoved his hand around Raiden and offered it to Levi. “Trent Charles,” TJ said.
“Trent?” Joey scoffed.
TJ licked his lips and winked at him. “I’m trying a new thing, little man.”
Levi grabbed the proffered hand and pumped it once. His eyes were narrow. “Levi Patterson. I’m Raiden’s security.”
“You still have security?” Elion asked. Raiden had mentioned Levi a few weeks ago, if not by name. “Is this because of that hack?”
“Are you all right?” Blake demanded. Their concern was warranted after the attack they had gone through a couple of years ago.
Raiden smiled and held up his hands. “I’m fine,” he insisted. The last thing he wanted was to spoil this night. He couldn’t remember the last time he, Blake, Joey and TJ had all been in the same room together. Possibly not since the band had split. “Levi keeps everything running smoothly. So you can see why picking the lock to my room gave him a heart attack.”
He glanced apologetically at Levi, who still looked unimpressed.
It had been pretty hot the way he’d been ready to fuck shit up in an instant for Raiden, though. Raiden knew he shouldn’t be having thoughts like that, but he couldn’t help it.
“No lock picking,” said TJ with a smirk. “That poor guy on duty almost flooded his basement when three members of Below Zero walked up to him. He agreed to let us have a key card.”
“I could get him fired for that,” Levi grumbled.
“But we won’t, will we,” Raiden said pointedly. Levi didn’t mean it. After all, he was just rattled. “Because it was the best surprise, ever.”
Joey hopped from foot to foot. “We thought we could hang in here,” he said. “Avoid any hassle from going to a bar.”
“I already bought supplies,” said TJ, ambling back to the minibar and holding up a bottle of tequila. Presumably, that was where Raiden’s shot had come from. “So let’s get this party started.”
Raiden took a moment to orientate himself as he and Levi moved their bags into his bedroom. Levi didn’t seem to want to leave Raiden’s side, despite being told everything was okay, and said he’d relocate his luggage to his own room later.
This was the best surprise Raiden could have ever wished for. After the unpleasant shock of realizing their GPS had been hacked and missing the stop in Cincinnati, Raiden had been feeling pretty low. Not to mention confused about what had happened between him and Levi last night. But having the guys reunited felt like stepping back in time into familiar territory where he was safe and loved. Even better, because Elion and Gabe were here too.
And Levi. Raiden glanced at him as he rummaged in one of his suitcases for a fresh shirt to wear. “Are you okay with this?”
“With your very basic security being breached?” Levi muttered, arching an eyebrow. “Not particularly.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Right now, no. There’s no issue with you hanging with your friends. So long as none of you tag the hotel’s location in any posts. Are we clear?”
His stern tone sent a little shiver down Raiden’s spine. It was probably messed up that he liked it when Levi got bossy with him.
“Yes, sir,” he replied seriously. “I’ll make sure they behave.”
Levi snorted, his incredulity breaking the tension. “I somehow doubt that,” he said, looking back out where TJ was threatening to light a fresh line of shots on fire. “Just get them to understand about the location thing.”
Raiden came to stand next to him. “You’re not going to sit like a sourpuss in the corner though, are you?” he asked.
“I’m on duty,” Levi said simply.
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Okay, but these are my best friends in the whole entire world. Would it maybe kill you to have a couple of beers and get to know them?”
Levi regarded him strangely. “Why?”
“Because you’re a human being and you’re allowed to have fun every once in a while,” Raiden said with a laugh.
He was aware, though, of what he was saying. He wanted Levi to get along with his friends because he wanted them to like each other. Which was kind of dumb because Levi was just his bodyguard.
The memory of his body pressed deliciously against Raiden’s and his tongue thrusting into his mouth was somewhat at odds with that statement.
Raiden wasn’t allowed to think about that, though. “Come on, man,” he said. “I won’t be able to have fun if I feel like you’re sitting around judging us. Nothing bad’s going to happen. My friends are getting married. It’s a celebration.”
He knew he was stooping to emotional blackmail, particularly when he gave Levi his best puppy dog eyes. But he didn’t care. He wanted to party with his boys and maybe see Levi thaw out a little for once.
Levi licked his lips. “Okay,” he said slowly. “But I won’t do any shots, of any kind. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Raiden replied, trying not to sound too eager.
“Are you guys making out in there or what?” Elion’s teasing voice floated across the music TJ had put on in the main room. Raiden did his absolute best not to blush. “Come on, you’re missing the fun!”
Raiden poked his head around the door. “We can’t all be as naturally pretty as you, can we?” he said, throwing Elion a kiss. “Give the weary travelers a second to freshen up. You did crash my room, after all.”
“It’s fine,” said TJ, slapping Elion on the back. TJ towered over most people as he was built like a linebacker. His many tats made him seem intimidating too, but next to beautiful, slim Elion, the contrast was even more evident. He winked at Blake’s fiancé. “They can play catch up when they’re good and ready.”
Levi pulled Raiden back into the bedroom. “No. Shots.”
His fingers dug into Raiden’s arm, just a little. This time, his whole body shivered. He wondered if Levi noticed.
“I promise,” he said.
He was starting to get the feeling he’d do anything when Levi asked like that.
13
Levi
This was a bad idea and Levi knew it, especially after the breach in security they’d had the day before with the GPS. There was no doubt in his mind that someone had tried to fuck with them, and the fact they’d made contact again since the initial hack made Levi nervous.
Before, Raiden was just one of a dozen celebrities to be targeted in the hack. The fact Levi was there, providing security, was just to set everyone’s mind at ease.
Now Raiden had been singled out. Levi would have to wait to hear back from his uncle to see if anyone else had experienced anything sinister off the list. But the chances of them publicizing any further attacks were slim. They weren’t going to say anything about Raiden’s issue, after all.
So did that mean this threat was more serious than they thought? If so, Levi should not just shrug off the fact that Raiden’s hotel room had been violated. What if it hadn’t been his friends, but someone waiting with a gun? Or even worse, someone who had entered and left already, leaving a bomb behind?
Yet here he was, walking back into the main room of the suite with Raiden like they were just going to a frat party, no big deal.
One of the bigger guys, Gabe, raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting on the couch. “No gun this time?” he asked. He was obviously put out by the weapon. Levi had met plenty of civilians who were. It didn’t bother him.
“It’s within reach,” he said. He didn’t want a gun sitting around with a bunch of drunk dudes anyway. It was safer to keep it in Raiden’s room. “I hope that’s not a problem?”
“I’m sorry again if we gave you a fright
,” Blake said.
Levi hadn’t been lying when he said the guys out on tour liked to watch dumb reality shows. They preferred watching fluffy, mindless stuff after all the shit they had to deal with while on duty. So he genuinely did recognize Blake Jackson and Elion Rodriguez.
They seemed like actually nice guys. Their concern for Raiden appeared sincere too, which elevated them in Levi’s books.
Because his well-being was Levi’s job. Nothing more.
Joey Sullivan and TJ – Trent – Charles, Levi had researched online like he’d said. Gabe, Joey’s fiancé, was an unknown. But he seemed like a steady enough guy.
“It wasn’t really a fright,” Levi said wryly in response to Blake’s apology. “More just acting on instinct.”
“We’re still sorry,” said Blake. He pulled Elion to him and arched an eyebrow. “But some people were convinced a surprise would be a good idea.”
“You’re such a spoilsport,” Elion grumbled with a smirk that suggested he didn’t mean it at all.
Levi appreciated Blake’s concern, however. A couple of years ago the two of them had been involved in a serious incident with an obsessed fan that almost got deadly. Levi wondered if Raiden was facing a similar situation now.
Raiden scoffed and accepted a beer from Gabe. “This was honestly the best thing that’s happened to me all year.”
Joey, easily the youngest-looking guy in the room even without his baby face and cherub curls, leaned forward on the sofa. “But…you worked with Lady Gaga a couple of months ago.”
Raiden flashed a grin at him. “What can I say? Bros before critically acclaimed international megastars.”
The group laughed. There was an extremely easy dynamic between them all. It made Levi able to relax a little, although he was glad he had bolted the door once he’d brought all the bags in. If he could help it, he didn’t want any more surprises.
