HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

  There were many evenings spent in his buddy’s living room over the years; mostly taking in sporting events and joking about their friends work. These days Sebastian only visited sporadically and although he felt guilty about it he couldn’t help it. Their lives had gone off in different directions. He was happy to still call Clint Caleb his friend after everything that had happened.

  Sebastian looked over at Clint. “Why do you watch this crap, man? Put it on ESPN or something.”

  “What? It’s entertainment.” Clint laughed. Crow’s-feet crinkled around his eyes, and his belly shook. He puzzled over celebrity segments, scratching at his shiny bald head. “I like to keep up with the celebrity news, you know? But don’t tell the guys, though. Keep that on the QT. If anybody asks, Beth was watching this.”

  “What the hell do you find entertaining about celebrities? Most of it isn’t real. After all, they’re just people.”

  “They’re not just people. Look at them. They’re in a different world from everyone else.”

  “Last time I checked, the media still covered planet earth, buddy.”

  “Don’t bust my balls. You know what I meant. And besides, have you ever seen any of them in our part of the world? Name one.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Case closed then.”

  “Okay, okay. For the sake of putting this shit to rest, here’s an example. I grew up with that girl they were just talking about…right here in Tucson. In real life, she’s just another pretty girl with a nice voice.”

  “No kidding. Lexxi Rock? Get out of town. I never knew that.” Clint shook his head and said, “Nah, you probably read that somewhere. No way you know her personally. You would have told me before.”

  “I’m serious. She was Alexandra Storme back when I knew her. As a matter of fact, her dad is still my neighbor. Damn, time flies. That had to be…what, eight years ago. She went to school out west, and fell off my radar completely. But man, she was hot back then. Next thing I know, I’m hearing her songs on the radio, and she’s all over the celebrity news.”

  “You’re telling me that if we ran across Lexxi Rock right now, she’d recognize your ugly mug?” Clint crossed his beefy arms, showing off expanse of colorful tattoo art. He grinned in disbelief. “That’s pretty crazy.”

  “Hmmm. I don’t know if she’d recognize me. I look so different now. Who knows? We went to the same high school, but she was one of the popular chicks. If she noticed me back then, it was because I was an awkward looking douchebag with pimples and a bowl-cut. Trust me, you don’t want to see the yearbook pictures.”

  “And, look at you now, Bash. You’ve got a never ending trail of hot chicks in and out of your house at all hours. Chicks dig firefighters. I wish I was still—ah, well, I told you, you need to hook me up and show me your workout routine. If I shed about thirty or forty pounds, I might still be able to catch up.”

  “Yeah, right. I’m so much of a stud, the guys down at the firehouse want me to try out speed dating.”

  Clint looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. “No shit?”

  “No shit.”

  “I might have to get the guys to pick me up for that show.”

  Sebastian shook his head, chuckling. “Not a chance!” He leaned back in his chair as the entertainment news anchor went to commercial break. “I can’t believe she’s out partying in the Riviera while her dad’s here in the hospital.”

  “What are you going on about?”

  “I saw them pick her dad up by ambulance the other night. I wonder how he’s holding up. Alexandra was never selfish like that. It doesn’t seem like the girl I remember, but I guess it’s like they say. Money changes people.”

  “I thought you said she was one of the popular girls.”

  “Yeah. She was pretty hot. Even back then she could sing her ass off….” He patted his pockets absently, feeling for his always-misplaced phone, unable to find it as usual. “Hey, what time is it? I have to be back at the house before noon. I’m expecting a delivery.”

  Clint checked his watch and whistled. “You’re cutting it close, brother. You might want to head out now. I happen to know from experience, them UPS guys won’t leave that blow-up doll waiting on the porch for you. You got to be there to sign for it.”

  “Yeah, you would know.” Sebastian playfully jabbed Clint in the shoulder and got up, sauntering past him. “I’m off, buddy. Are you still coming to the firehouse shindig at my place this weekend?”

  “Yeah. We’ll be there.”

  “Great. Be there by five. We’re getting Jeff’s retirement party kicked off early Friday night since his geriatric ass goes to bed before eight o’clock these days. And, bring Beth with you this time, would you? You don’t want her thinking I’m getting you out of the house to pick up chicks, you jerk.”

  Clint wheeled around the card table in his electric wheelchair and followed Sebastian to the door. “Nah. She understands. She gets girls nights, and sometimes I want to hang with the guys. I’ll bring her for sure. Can’t wait to see that old fart, Jeff. I wonder what he’s going to do when he isn’t working anymore,” Clint said pensively. “This job gets in your bones, and soon it’s hard to separate it from the man. Even if you don’t have an ending like mine, it’s hard to give it up and move on to something else.”

  Sebastian stood at Clint’s front door. He looked back to survey his older friend who lost both his legs fighting a fire at his side a few years back. It tore at his chest. Clint’s world had been so drastically changed by their line of work, and no matter how many visits he made, he would never get used to seeing him like that.

  “I’ll see you later, buddy,” he said softly. “Take care.”

  Clint shook his head and let out a wry laugh. “Don’t give me that ‘sorry for you’ look, Bash. Stop that shit. I’m glad you dropped by. Take care of yourself, and make sure you bear down and get that knee checked out like you’re supposed to. Jesus H. Christ, you need a woman to keep you in line. Hey, why don’t you invite over a plus-one for next weekend.”

  “You’re kidding me, right? I don’t need a plus-one from my phone list. Besides, I’m feeling pretty confident about that speed dating thing.” He gave Clint an eye roll.

  Other than Sebastian, Clint rarely got visits from the rest of the old crew. Few of the guys made it out to see him. It was too much of a reminder of what could happen to any one of them on any given day. The line of work they were in had a tendency to kill and maim. Sebastian worked his knee, flexing the leg up and down to loosen the stiffness. Coming out to see Clint was almost too much, but his loyalty went too deep to abandon the mentor who gave him hands-on training back when he was a rookie firefighter.

  “See you later, man.”

  He made his way down the ramp to his Jeep with a mild limp. The pain in his leg was a lot less disabling since he had started physical therapy. With a sigh, he shook off his mood and drove home. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed someone he didn’t recognize, sitting on Maxwell Storme’s front porch. As self-appointed neighborhood watchman and curious cat, Sebastian studied the teenage-looking stranger.

  He climbed out of his Jeep and waved at the kid. Then, he squinted. The kid’s face was…vaguely familiar.

  “Afternoon!” he called out, deciding to step over and be neighborly—and to get a closer look. He smiled pleasantly and moved across the narrow stretch of grass separating his house from Mr. Storme’s.

  “Hi there! How’s it going? Sorry for bothering you, but I was expecting a package today…and um…” he trailed off, mouth wide open, finger pointing back to his house. He dropped his hand, losing his train of thought entirely.

  What is Alexandra Storme doing sitting in front of her dad’s house? Isn’t she supposed to be on the French Riviera? And…why the hell is she dressed like a teenage boy?

  Sebastian pushed his fingers through his dark hair, rubbing at the back of his neck, trying to figure out what was really going on. “Um…did you see a delivery
guy stop by?” He tried to recover.

  Her glossy, black hair fell around her face in short, tousled curls. Wide indigo eyes with an upward tilt stared out from her face, and her pale pink lips slightly parted in surprise at being addressed.

  “Oh, I’ve only been out here for a minute,” she stammered. “I’m waiting for my da—for my uncle’s assistant to get here so we can go to the hospital.”

  Sebastian could tell she was trying to deepen her voice, but it was not nearly masculine enough. Not by a longshot. He moved his gaze up and down, from her AC/DC t-shirt to her baggy jeans and Chuck Taylor sneakers. She could easily pass for a boy from a hundred feet away, but having grown up living next door to Alexandra Storme, he was not fooled. He had pictured that face so many times as a teenager, he could have drawn her from memory. The triangular tip of her nose, the slightly full chin with a hint of a dimple in the center, the lips he pictured kissing—she was the same girl.

  Only…in disguise?

  He made a snap decision to play along. She had to have her reasons. He thought about the entertainment channel he had been watching at Clint’s, and figured it had something to do with avoiding the media. Still, he couldn’t resist asking a few questions to feed his own rabid curiosity about what she was doing here—dressed as a boy, purple hair gone and replaced by the short black curls.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve never seen you around here before. I’m pretty good friends with my neighbor, Max. I was just wondering if you two are related? You kind of look like him. And don’t mind me if I’m asking too many questions.” He scanned her face, turning away to hide a smirk. Out across the yard, the convenient sound of a neighbor starting a lawn mower helped him hide some of his amusement.

  Alexandra squirmed when he looked back at her.

  Did she just check me out?

  He smiled broadly, unable to contain it anymore. He could tell she was not at all comfortable speaking to him. Her eyes shifted around as if looking for some escape.

  “I’m…uh…I’m his nephew, Alex Roberts.” Her cheeks glowed pink, now that she had just got caught checking him out.

  Sebastian suppressed a laugh, and stuck out his arm for a handshake. “I’m Sebastian Sullivan. Everyone calls me Bash. So, you’re related to his late wife?”

  He knew the entire family. Juniper Roberts-Storme had been close friends with his mother before her passing. Maxwell Storme was a little less sociable, and Alexandra Storme was…well, she was a famous rock star sitting on the front stoop of her old house, trying to pass for a guy.

  Stranger things have happened, but not around here.

  She took his hand, and he held the handshake a touch longer than he should have, mostly to watch her blush a deeper shade of red.

  “Yeah, um, I’m visiting for a few weeks. I mean, I’m here to help look after him and stuff. He’s been sick, you know, so….yeah…”

  “I heard. Sorry he’s going through a tough time. Please send him my regards.”

  “I will.”

  “So did you say you’re here to look after him? On your own? You look a little young for that. How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen?”

  “What? No, man, I’m twenty—um, twenty-one.”

  Right.

  Alexandra Storme was two years younger than him, but it probably occurred to her that she could never pass for a twenty-four-year-old guy. Sebastian stepped back, realizing she was going to stick to her story—and a crappy one at that. He was not going to blow her cover.

  He nodded his head to leave and replied, “Well, it was nice meeting you, Alex. See you around.” He was tempted to wink at her, just to see what kind of reaction he would get after her blush-fest, but thought better of it. She probably had enough to deal with already.

  As he made his way back to his house, the UPS truck pulled up. He waited at the bottom of the front steps to accept the delivery. He paused before heading inside, and looked over at the house next door. Alex was climbing into Rosa’s SUV just as the UPS driver left.

  He smiled with intrigue, walking into his place and shutting the door behind him.

  Well, this is going to be interesting.

  Chapter 8

  ALEXANDRA labored up the front steps of her father’s house. Rosa followed behind. The two of them were loaded down with armfuls of shopping bags.

  “Do you really think you can pull off this reverse-drag, dress-like-a-guy thing for the entire time you’re here?” Rosa asked, passing her to unlock the front door. She did not seem entirely convinced.

  “I’ll have to be careful, but I think I can do it. Think about it. No one knows who I am. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve walked a mall without being swarmed for autographs, pictures and God knows what?”

  “It won’t be easy, Alexandra. The longer you keep it up, the more likely someone will figure it out.”

  “True, but maybe by then, Daddy will be better, and it won’t matter.”

  “All right. I hope it works, honey, for your sake. Let’s get these bags right upstairs.”

  They climbed the two sets of stairs to get up to Alexandra’s old room.

  “By the way,” Alexandra continued, “I have to say, I can really appreciate what actors must go through now. I never knew how hard it would be to constantly remind myself to walk, talk, and act like a twenty-one-year-old guy.” She grunted and kicked open the door to her room. “Ugh! This stuff is heavy. Dammit, see what I mean? Guys wouldn’t say that. Okay, just put everything down right here.”

  They dumped everything into a pile in the middle of the bed. Rosa stood back and chuckled as Alexandra went through everything. The shopping bags mostly contained her wardrobe for whatever duration of time she would remain in Tucson. With her petite build, her figure could fool the unsuspecting if she dressed in loose-fitting clothes. Rosa complained the whole ride home that she couldn’t figure out why Alexandra still needed to go incognito, now that she had made it safely to Tucson.

  “I just wonder if it’s necessary. In the few days since you’ve touched down, you’ve barely left the hospital, and you travel discreetly by private car or with me. Couldn’t you wear reasonably chic, fashionable women’s clothes? I’m sure you wouldn’t be recognized as Lexxi Rock.”

  “Oh, you don’t know how persistent the paparazzi can be, Rosa. One time, I had a particularly dedicated creep follow me around for three weeks without me even knowing. It bordered on stalking. No, wait. It was definitely stalking, because Lilly found him swimming in my pool one morning while I was on tour. After the court put him on a restraining order, do you want to know how he kept it up? He wore a fat suit…that’s right, a fat suit. He dressed up as an old lady, hiding his camera in an oversize handbag! I never even would’ve found out, if he didn’t park his same beat-up old Lincoln on the hill outside my gate every day.” She rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Paps scum.”

  Rosa smiled. “Well, that must have been an interesting experience.”

  “If that’s what you want to call it. I know it seems like I’m going to great lengths here, but I don’t want those piranhas swimming around right now. I have enough on my mind without having to worry about what they’re printing or that they’re swarming around the hospital, trying to get into Dad’s room for an interview, or just for a photo of me. And the problem is once one of them sinks in their teeth, the freak show turns into hundreds of them, all invading Tucson. They’ll be everywhere, including your place, Rosa.” Alexandra sat on the bed. “I think it’s best if Rick keeps the story going that I’m having a sunny, fun vacation out of the country.”

  She upended a bag filled with men’s cologne, sticks of deodorant, and hair gel for her new shorter look. Uncapping one of the colognes, she took a whiff. She coughed at the strong scent and quickly held it at arm’s length. “God, that stinks…but I can’t keep showing up around the nurses and doctors smelling like roses and lilacs. Let me tell you, Rosa, this has to be as close to method acting as I’ll get. Maybe I should go into acting after this.
I’m going to have to call Eva and let her know what I’m doing. She’ll be so proud.”

  She snickered at the thought of what Eva would have to say about all of this. With that idea, she stopped what she was doing, grabbed her phone, and took a quick selfie for the next time they talked. Evangeline would appreciate the dramatic lengths she was going to, if no one else did.

  “Okay. Have it your way. It does look like fun, I have to admit.” Rosa laughed and stood up. “I have a few things to take care of at the office for your father. By the way, Alexandra, I’d be happy to go over any of the legal paperwork with you when you’re ready. Your father has detailed instructions prepared…about his…his last wishes, as far as the business work is concerned. He set it all straight before his condition worsened. He wanted you to take a look at it at some point. There’s also a new acquisition deal he wanted you to look at. Everything’s in his office, if you get a chance.”

  Alexandra swallowed thickly. For a few minutes, she got to pretend like the situation was not as dire as it was, but reality always intruded.

  She forced a weak smile, and murmured, “Thank you, Rosa. I’ll get around to it. In the meantime, I’ll get these things put away. I’m going to see Daddy again in a few hours.”

  She crinkled her nose at the pile on the bed. Rosa accepted the cue to leave and ducked out of the bedroom. Alexandra turned back to the shopping bags and shoeboxes with a frown. Spending the morning scouring racks at the mall for looks to fit the style of a twenty-something-year-old male without being too over the top was a worthwhile chore. Now she had a number of different jeans and slacks, t-shirts, button down shirts, sneakers, loafers, fitted caps, and hats. She especially liked the fedoras, which explained why she was staring down at six of them. She had even purchased men’s sunglasses, watches, and a wallet—anything that would help her transform herself. It would have been funny, if it weren’t for the reasons she was doing all of it—to protect Dad.