Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“And? What else did you find? Mental illness, he used to kill animals as a child, what?”
Brix lets out a little laugh. “No. None of that. From what I can find, he’s a slightly too-obsessed fan who had his head in the clouds and got carried away on a notion that the glimmer in your eyes that you give all your fans was just for him.” He lowers his voice. “I can’t say I blame him.”
“What?”
Brix ignores me. “Now, who are you?”
“All I am right now is confused.”
“Not trying to be philosophical or deep here. Who are you to the public?”
“Harley Valentine,” I say quietly.
“Harley-motherfucking-Valentine. You’re a Grammy-award-winning artist with millions of fans. Your life is perfect. Blushing fiancée, millions of dollars, and you’re happy, happy, happy.”
“You know the fiancée thing is bullshit and about to come to an end.”
He points outside. “Everyone out there doesn’t. Putting your life next to Billy’s, he’s nothing. He has nothing. You’re above it.”
I finally get what he’s trying to get me to see. “So I shouldn’t let him have any power over me.”
“Exactly. I’m going to regret the day you finally see all this shit for yourself. You won’t need me anymore.”
That’ll never happen. Brix always manages to make me see things from another side, and I don’t want to lose that. But he’ll go back to his real job when I feel safe enough. I have no doubt about it.
I also don’t want to think about him leaving because even though hooking up with him was a mistake, he’s important to my team.
Sure. Team.
I tell my conscience to shut up.
“When you run out of perspective lessons, I’ll still need someone to take a bite of my food for me.”
Brix laughs, and I’m finally relaxed enough to laugh with him.
“Seriously, though, aren’t you getting sick of babysitting me? Don’t you want to go out there and blow up bad guys and collect kill numbers?”
“Kill numbers? Is that what you think we do?”
“I don’t know what you guys do.”
Brix’s eyes shine with pride.
I step closer to him. “Out of curiosity, if you and Iris did have a kill list, whose would be longer?”
The sides of Brix’s lips curve upward. “Whose do you think?”
“Hmm, you’re more serious and you look lethal when you get all scowly, but here you are …” Another step closer. “Yet again, telling me to stop being a dramatic pop star and somehow making me get over myself.”
Brix sucks in a shuddery breath as I stop in front of him, just inches away. “Don’t mistake me for someone who has a heart just because I know how to do my job.”
“Calming me down isn’t your job, so you can’t play the broody loner card,” I whisper.
His dark brown eyes are trained on mine, giving away the softness inside him.
I want to kiss him. I want to kiss him hard and rough again. All it would take is pressing myself against him and claiming his lips.
Back away, Harley.
I force myself to put distance between us. “Yeah, you’re not such a hardass. Iris’s list is longer, for sure.”
I leave the bathroom with a smile on my face.
Billy is sentenced to only one year of probation and ordered to stay away from me. While I was expecting it and it’s disappointing he didn’t get more, I feel safe knowing Brix has my back.
If he does ever get tired of his actionless job, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Chapter Fourteen
Brix
Harley’s schedule picks up a bit after his attacker’s sentencing. A few talk shows wanted to chat about it, and Gideon said it would be good for Harley to make a few appearances in public so people don’t think he’s fallen off the face of the planet since his last tour ended.
Always in the spotlight. Always under a microscope.
It’s no wonder he’s a little neurotic.
He said something at the courthouse about me getting bored with this position, and honestly, I thought I would hate it. I took it because of the money, but I enjoy it because of Harley.
I like talking him down. I like giving him perspective.
If I were to quit Mike Bravo, Trav could replace me with another trained soldier in a flash. What I give Harley … it might not seem like much, but it makes me feel important.
Harley makes me feel important.
Everything I do for him or around him is instinctual. Instead of tactical thinking and analyzing what I should do, I just act.
It may not be adrenaline inducing, but it’s fluid. Reflexive.
His new schedule is testing me in ways I haven’t really dealt with yet.
Fans actually camp outside studios to get a glimpse of Harley. Most of them are tame and only want a selfie or an autograph, but some like to get pushy, and I have to be the bad guy and get them out of Harley’s way.