HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

  Johnny was pretty freaking amazing. Had I not been completing a crucial task, I would have been just as wrapped up in his performance. He was so damn sexy, and his charm and confidence gave off such power. He owned the stage. Johnny was well aware of the effect he had on every girl in the audience. They all climbed over each other to get closer to him. And he relished in their affection. There was a clear exchange of energies—the excited crowd overflowed with adoration, and he absorbed in their liveliness and gave it all back to them with his performance. It was magical and beautiful to witness.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the agents trained on the perimeter of the crowd, and I refocused. I was able to scan the crowd from my spot backstage, and looked for any unusual behavior. Like a magnet, my eyes kept trailing back to Princess Marina-Claire. Her face lit up each time Johnny threw her a dazzling smile or nodded in her general direction. He made a point of looking only at her as he sang a particularly sexy line of lyrics, and she fanned herself, finally breaking down to laugh and squeal along with her guests.

  Johnny ate it up. He knelt on the stage and reached a hand down to her, singing the chorus directly to her. And when she placed her hand in his, he pressed a kiss to her hand. She was in a trance. It reminded me of how he had made the same move on me when I first met him, and I wondered whether both times were just an act. If that were the case, it would only make it easier for me to let go when the time came. As much as I enjoyed his company, I was more than willing to have a clean break after this gig ended, and would be fine with parting as friends. It allowed for simplicity, and less involvement of some of the human emotions I had still been struggling to master.

  “What do you think?” A voice murmured in my ear.

  I turned, startled, and found myself staring into Kevin’s eyes.

  I shrugged my shoulders, and with the noise, I mouthed the words, “What do you mean?”

  He nodded in Johnny’s direction and shouted. “The show.”

  “It’s great,” I said, turning to focus on my job.

  Kevin was silent for a beat, and we both watched Johnny as he finished another song. He took a few moments to grab a drink from his water bottle on the other side of the stage. The volume was low enough for Kevin to resume. Unfortunately.

  “I think he’s into Princess Ameena more than the other one.”

  I nodded, unwilling to be phased by the assertion. “They’re both beautiful women.”

  “Indeed. You’ll have to watch him closely,” he added.

  My head snapped to look at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnny ends up with one of them tonight, or both,” he said, laughing. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  I was tempted to tell him it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to me if Johnny did that, but I held my tongue.

  And on he went. “Amanda, I can see what’s happening between you two, but you should know that Johnny has two sides. And this”—he gestured at the stage—“what you’re seeing here is who he really is. Surely you can tell he was born to be a performer. He won’t settle down or change who he is. Not for anyone. You two have had your fun, but it looks like he’s ready to move on. Try not to take it personally. He’s an artist. It’s best to let him be free to express himself. However, and with whomever, he wants.”

  I smiled and nodded. If only he knew I had no intentions of pursuing Johnny. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response, and turned back to the stage just as Johnny was about to resume. Kevin finally stepped away as Johnny started a new, more upbeat song. When he got to the chorus, he leaned forward toward the crowd and reached out his arms. He held on to Princess Marina-Claire’s arm and lifted her up to the stage, and her friends helped push her up.

  The audience cheered and whistled with excitement. He placed an arm around her waist, and she began to grind on his hips. It was pretty apparent that she had been drinking, but it was her nineteenth birthday. Considering the shenanigans I had gotten into on my nineteenth birthday, this was all tame to me.

  Johnny had a short break after the song ended, and the princess left the stage to rejoin her friends as they waited. Shortly after the show resumed, a voice of the central security dispatcher came over my earpiece. He told me to meet Fred in Johnny’s dressing room so we could double-check it before he returned at the end of the show. I confirmed I was on my way, and headed further backstage to exit down the rear staircase. I did not see Fred on my way there. I got to the room. Fred was not there, and he never came.

  That’s when I saw it.

  On the foot of the bed was a huge wrapped fruit basket. It was not here when we left to go pool-side. I walked in the door slowly, and crossed the room to inspect it. The basket was filled with fruit and nuts. I flipped over the tag, which read—

  You were incredible tonight. I wish my surprise was ready. It won’t be long. I’m getting close.

  A wave of nausea swept over me, and my heart raced. It had to have been the stalker. The stalker had been here! I tried my earpiece to get back to central dispatch. When we connected, I told him what I found, and he asked me why I had left the stage. I told him he had instructed me to go to Johnny’s room, and he replied that he did no such thing. I did not dream it up, so it was clear to me that something was not right. I urged him to send Fred over to Johnny’s dressing room. Stat!

  While waiting, I carefully peeled back the layers of wrapping and used a pen to dig through the contents. There were tropical-looking fruits and bags containing various types of nuts. My gaze caught on the nuts. Something about them triggered a memory. I realized it was the LAX airport brand I had seen in the executive lounge.

  “Get Johnny secured now!” I yelped into the earpiece.

  I dropped the pen and raced from the room, adrenaline flooding my veins as I ran to ensure Johnny was safe. Fred met me in the hall as he was already walking back to meet me in the dressing room. He pulled the earplugs and radio earpiece from his ears.

  “She’s here!” I told him. The stalker’s been here! We need to get Johnny off that stage right now, Fred.”

  “He just finished the show. My men have him. What happened? Eric just told me there was some mix-up over your earpiece? You were supposed to be on the detail that covered him on stage.”

  I swerved around Fred. “There’s a package in the room. It’s from her. She must be here! Look. I’ll explain everything on the way. Let’s go!” I insisted.

  He took my word for it and we took off at a run to get back to Johnny.

  Chapter 8 - Johnny

  It was well past midnight, local time, when I finally finished the show—including the encore that the screaming girls demanded. I took my final bow, pouring what little energy I had left out onto the stage. I said goodnight, waved at the crowd, and exited, expecting to see Amanda waiting in the spot where she had been for most of the show. She was gone. Kevin was standing there, alone.

  “Where’s Amanda?” I asked Kevin as I walked backstage.

  “I’m not sure,” he answered.

  “Listen, Johnny. Look. About Amanda. I’m not really sure this is working out. This is only the first stop on the tour, and I know it is smaller than some of these other venues, but I don’t think she’s a fit. Fred and his team can handle it.”

  “I don’t want to have this argument again. She’s staying. Period.”

  I turned to walk away. Between the jet lag, lack of sleep, performing for three hours, and the stress over Amanda, I was in no mood for his shit. I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep for the next two days straight—preferably with Amanda beside me.

  Before I got anywhere, Kevin and I were surrounded by Larry and four more of Fred’s men.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Larry spoke up. “Johnny, Kevin. Something has happened. There’s an imminent on-site threat. We need to get you inside.”

  The five FBI agents flanked us and Larry told us to stay close. He probab
ly didn’t need to tell us to stick to them—they practically carried us back to the dressing room before the pack of party girls could catch up to us. I did not mind. Spending the afternoon with them had been more than enough for me.

  “Johnny!”

  I looked up as Fred and Amanda ran down the hallway toward us.

  “We need you to wait where the FBI and security detail are stationed while we sweep your room again,” Fred told us all.

  “What are you talking about?” Kevin asked.

  “Amanda found something suspicious. Larry, get them inside quickly. And ensure no one uses these ear pieces to communicate. They’ve been compromised. Daniel, come with us.”

  Again, Kevin and I were whisked away to a large sitting room to wait with four of the new FBI agents. After about twenty minutes, Daniel came back for us.

  “What the hell is going on?” Kevin shouted as we followed Daniel down the hall to the dressing room.

  Fred and Amanda were standing over a basket. He wore latex gloves, and was putting the contents of into individual bags.

  “We believe the stalker was here,” he said, and asked us to sit in the two armchairs while they were finishing up. “Don’t touch anything.”

  Kevin was beet red with worry, and some frustration. “Look. Can one of you start from the beginning and tell us what the hell happened?”

  Fred called Daniel over to finish packing up the items, and asked Amanda to sit with us so the two of them could go over what had happened. Fred gave us the minute-by-minute chain of events, from Amanda receiving the instruction over her earpiece, to finding the suspicious basket. Kevin asked one of the two obvious burning questions.

  “How the hell did someone else get on the radio and call her off the stage? I hope central dispatch wasn’t away from his post. Fuck. How could this have happened?”

  “It’s easier than you may think, Kevin. Remember, the person we’re dealing with has expertise online. All they would need is a radio scanner or a software-defined scanner, which is a common radio frequency tool to listen in or hack radio communications. With the scanner, the person can be up to seven hundred and fifty feet away to listen in, and with the right software scanners, they could be anywhere.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re the FBI, and you let someone do this?”

  “Calm down, Kevin. The radio equipment is not FBI-issued. That was our first oversight. We used what your private security detail brought with them. Their earpieces were not encrypted.”

  “What?” Kevin shouted, shaking his head.

  “They weren’t, and what’s worse is without encryption, they became just like bugging devices. If the stalker is as skilled as we believe she is, she could hear all of our conversations, even when we weren’t speaking to central dispatch. It means we need to assume she heard everything that was since before the concert started.

  “How could this happen?” he asked, running an anxious hand though his hair.

  “Look. There’s enough blame to go around, but let’s focus on how we can be more prepared on the next leg of the tour. I’ll take on command of communications, and we’ll use an FBI-issue encrypted system.”

  “Fine. What about the basket?”

  “It means she was very likely here. It makes sense, if she was listening in on our conversations, and gave that order for Amanda to come to the dressing room.”

  “Can she still be here?”

  “It’s unlikely, but possible. We’re looking into it now. Unfortunately, as so many guests have already left, they decided not to institute a lockdown on the island.”

  One of the uniformed island staff arrived at the door with two of the Sheikh’s personal guards. “Excuse me,” the man said as he stepped into the room. “I was told you had some questions for me?”

  “Yes,” Fred said. “This basket was delivered to this room for Johnny. I need to know who delivered it and if anyone signed it in. I’ll also need access to all security footage from the last six hours.”

  He nodded and left to gather up the information and files for the FBI.

  Kevin seemed like he was still not ready to let go of the blame game. He exploded. “I hold you responsible,” he said, now aiming his wrath toward Amanda. She braced and sat quietly as she listened to his tirade. “It’s your job to protect him!”

  “She thought the order to leave her post came from me,” Fred jumped in to her defense. “And you should be thanking her for her quick thinking. Had she not noticed the basket, who knows what could have happened if Johnny ate from it after the concert.”

  Kevin would not back down. “You’re missing the point, Fred. She never should have left the stage. What if something had happened out there?”

  “That’s enough,” I said, standing up to square off with him. “I’ve had it tonight with the way you keep throwing Amanda under the bus every chance you get.” I turned to Fred. “Who are you going to assign to join Amanda and me on the helicopter ride back to Athens?”

  “Larry. Daniel. Eric. You three go on with Johnny.”

  “Come on,” I held out a hand to Amanda. “We’re leaving.”

  Amanda snapped up to her feet, but hesitated, looking at my extended hand. Kevin didn’t say anything further, dismissing us with a flick of his hand. I put my arm over her shoulder when she didn’t take my hand, and got her out of the room and away from his abuse. We stepped out of the room just in time to see a pack of drunken girls from the party, wobbling down the hall in our direction. Kevin’s security guys stopped them, and the five of us headed back to the helicopter sitting on the helipad. Two of the Sheikh’s guards stood nearby, keeping watch as they were now aware the stalker might still be on the island.

  We waited for a few minutes before the pilot was ready for us, and I looked at Amanda out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to reach over and run my fingers down the smooth skin of her bare arms. I could not decipher the expression on her face. My gut told me she felt partly responsible for what had happened. I didn’t raise the issue. It would have been pointless, with the chopper blades’ deafening roar in the background. The five of us were directed to board a few minutes later, and our silence continued as we flew back and took the waiting limousine to the hotel.

  The FBI and Amanda did another sweep of our suite, and once it was cleared, the men left. Only when we were finally alone in our shared hotel room did I finally break my silence.

  “Amanda, what happened tonight wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

  “Yes. More or less.”

  “Kevin’s just overreacting as usual.”

  “He’s really gunning for me, though. I don’t think he’ll stop until I have no choice but to leave.”

  “You’re not going anywhere. You promised me, remember? And besides, Kevin can’t fire you now that Fred wants you to continue on the investigation.”

  She walked away from me, pacing across the living area. “Kevin doesn’t strike me as willing to lay down for anyone, not even the FBI.”

  I took her hand and led her to the sit in the sofa. She sat beside me, and leaned forward, putting her face into her hands. “If he does, it’s probably for the best, anyway.”

  “I don’t want you to leave, Amanda. You’re great at what you do. And I enjoy having you around.”

  “Kevin doesn’t give a crap about that.” She shook her head. “Let’s just drop it. I need some sleep.”

  “What the hell, Amanda?” I said, getting to my feet and doing some pacing of my own. “I don’t get you. I’m putting it out there for you, but you make me feel like I’m wasting my time.”

  “I don’t want you to put it out there! I never asked for that,” she shouted, jolting herself off the sofa and spinning around to face me. “I told you before we even left LA that I don’t do relationships. So, why are you pushing this so hard?”

  “Did I say anything about a relationship? I said I don’t want you to leave and I enjoy having you around. I wasn’t talking about a relationship. I�
��m not pushing anything. I’m asking you to open up and trust me—as a friend.”

  Her eyes were wide as she stared up to me. I sensed some skepticism, but her face softened. “Okay.”

  “So let me handle Kevin. Deal?”

  “Fine,” she answered, finally relaxing.

  “Good,” I said, and stood to up. “Now kiss me.”

  Chapter 9 - Johnny

  “I want you, Amanda.”

  She looked up at me and shook her head.

  “Didn’t you just say all you want is my friendship?”

  I pulled her closer. “Friends can kiss.”

  “Friends with benefits, maybe,” she joked. “Not a pretend girlfriend who also happens to be your personal bodyguard.”

  “Okay. I can do that. Now let me help you relax, friend.”

  Something changed as she looked up at me. She gave me her silent permission. I pulled her gently by the hands and stopped in the middle of the living room, turning just enough to pick her up and carry her to our room.

  Before we made it to the bed, I lowered her to stand. She slid her hands up my chest and wrapped them around my neck. Her body loosened up. She was intoxicating as she let her hips grind on me. I leaned down and cradled her face in my hands to kiss her. She let out a sexy moan when I parted her lips, and our tongues sought each other. When I growled in response, she hissed and slid a hand down to my throbbing cock.

  “I want you too, Lorne.”

  I pulled away from her slowly and took a step back. I just wanted to look at her for a moment; to appreciate how beautiful she was, eyes darkened with desire, skin slightly flushed with need. I stepped forward again, closing the gap between us as I pulled her back into my arms. My hands roamed down her body, and I dropped to my knees and peeled the hem of her dress up to her waist. She looked down into my eyes, running a hand through my hair as I kissed along the line of her panties. Her breathing quickened, and her hips swayed in reaction.