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Special Operations 4

Harley’s Heart

After being rescued from ten months spent in hell, all Harlan
Thomas wants to do is go home to the one man whose memory

kept him alive. Trouble is, Miko is not where Harley left him.

Mitsuaki Thomas was heartbroken when his husband didn’t come
home from a mission. He didn’t give up when the letters stopped

or even when his mother-in-law had a funeral for Harley. But
when he’s forced out of his home, Miko finally admits that maybe

Harley is gone. Still, he wants to continue the dreams they had
discussed, no matter how impossible they might be.

When Harley shows up on his doorstep, Miko is shocked to learn
that he’s alive. Miko just doesn’t know if the life he created will be

enough to keep the man home and happy.

When trouble starts, Harley and Miko have to put aside their
differences and learn to work as a team or the people bent on

keeping them apart permanently just might get their wish. With
the help of some friends, they just might have the chance to keep

their little family together.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary
Length: 41,387 words

HARLEY’S HEART

Special Operations 4

Stormy Glenn

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

HARLEY’S HEART
Copyright © 2013 by Stormy Glenn
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-652-2

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

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HARLEY’S HEART

Special Operations 4

STORMY GLENN

Chapter 1

“I think this is it.”
Harland “Harley” Thomas fingered the long scar running down

his cheek as he looked over to where his driver and friend, Manny,
was pointing. His heart pounded a little faster as he glanced at the
driveway. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he read the ranch sign
hanging over the driveway.

Crazy Acres
That sounded just about right.
He couldn’t see anything of the place beyond the sign as trees

lined both sides of the driveway for as far as the eye could see. Harley
nodded to Manny, and the SUV slowly turned onto the driveway.

“Damn!” Manny said as they drove past the tree line and the view

opened to show a majestic sight. He gave a low whistle as his eyes
darted over the land. “This is pretty nice, man.”

Harley couldn’t agree more. It was just as he had imagined,

maybe even better. Fencing lined both sides of the driveway all of the
way up to the house. The field on the passenger side of the vehicle
was empty, but the field on the driver’s side had several horses
grazing in it, looking as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

8 Stormy

Glenn

Beyond the house and fenced-in pastures, the entire place was

surrounded by tree-covered hills, like the little valley the ranch sat in
was created just for it. The driveway came to an end in a round circle
right in front of a large log cabin. Situated right inside of the circular
drive was a large oak tree with grass growing around it.

Manny brought the SUV to a stop right in front of the house. “Do

you want me to go in with you?” he asked as he cut the engine and
turned to look at Harley.

Harley grinned as he looked at Manny, and then into the backseat

where Bill and his lover Angelo were seated. He shook his head. “No,
I have this.”

Harley opened the door and swung his legs down to the ground.

His feet hit the paved driveway, and he grimaced when he had to
reach back in for his cane. He would have preferred doing this
without a cane, but if he wanted to walk, he had to carry the damn
thing with him.

As he headed toward the house, Harley’s eyes gazed over the

place, taking in the vision he had dreamt about. It looked exactly like
it had in his dreams, right down to the wraparound porch and the large
front windows. He hoped the inside looked just as he had seen it in his
head as well.

Using his cane, Harley slowly made his way up the steps to the

front door. He took a moment to look around, seeing the hard work
that had gone into building the place. Besides the fenced pastures and
the house, there was a barn set just beyond the driveway. It was all so
picturesque.

And perfect.
Before lifting his hand and knocking on the door, Harley drew in a

fortifying breath and then slowly blew it out. This was it. The next
few seconds could make or break him, and he knew it. He had been
through a nightmarish hell, and lived for only one single reason. With
any luck, that reason was about to be his reward for staying alive.

Harley’s Heart

Harley’s heart felt like it was climbing into his throat and

squeezing the very breath from him when he heard a soft musical
voice from inside the house, and then the door slowly opened. His
breath froze in his lungs, and he found it hard to breathe when his saw
a long cascade of black hair and the soul-deep caramel-brown eyes
that blinked up at him through the screen door.

Harley had to literally make himself start breathing again. The

vision was so breathtaking that all he wanted to do was just stand
there and admire the man.

“Hello, Mitsuaki,” he whispered in a voice that sounded echoed

and seemed to come from far away.

“Harley-chan?” There was a slight tinge of wonder in Miko’s

voice, the magical lilt pulling Harley in deeper. “You alive, Harley-
chan?”

Harley felt tears clog his throat, but he managed a tremulous smile

despite them. “I’m alive, Miko.” Barely, but now wasn’t the time to
think about that. Harley would rather think about the beauty standing
before him. He had pretty much been thinking of nothing else for
months.

Miko had haunted Harley’s dreams, awake or asleep, like a vision

that wrapped itself around him and brought him comfort in a time
when he needed it most. He was pretty sure the gorgeous man was the
only reason he was alive and standing on the front porch of a house he
had only fantasized about instead of dead in some drug lord’s crazy
clutches in Central America.

The screen door slowly pushed open, and Miko stumbled out,

staring up at Harley like he was seeing a ghost—like he wasn’t real or
tangible. Miko’s hand trembled as he reached up and pressed the
lightest of touches against the side of Harley’s face, his fingers as
smooth as silk and as warm as the summer sun.

“You alive, Harley-chan!”
Harley grunted and dropped his cane as Miko jumped into his

arms in exuberance. He staggered back until he hit the porch railing

10 Stormy

Glenn

with his ass, and then used that to keep himself standing while he
wrapped one hand under Miko’s ass and fisted the other in Miko’s
long black hair.

Miko’s legs snaked around Harley’s waist. His arms wrapped

around Harley’s neck. It didn’t feel like Miko had any plans to let go
of Harley any time soon, and that was just how Harley wanted it.

Having Miko back in his arms didn’t seem real. Harley still felt

like he was walking in some sort of dream. He was terrified he would
blink and Miko wouldn’t be wrapped around him, making Harley feel
like the luckiest man in the world.

The first tentative kiss was gentle, sweet, and almost chaste. The

second was anything but. It was out of control, maddeningly frantic,
and incredibly needy. Their teeth smashed together, their lips
collided, and Harley damn near swallowed Miko’s tongue as it probed
inside his mouth. The two men almost devoured each other as their
hands reached to touch and then hold tight to any body part they could
reach.

“Harley-chan, Harley-chan,” Miko whispered breathlessly against

Harley’s lips, “ai shiteru, Harley-chan.”

“I love you, too, Miko.”
“Itsumo ai shiteru?” Miko asked in a husky whisper.
Harley’s grin reached from ear to ear. “Yes, I will always love

you.”

Oh gods, it felt so damn good to be holding Miko in his arms

again. There had been a time when Harley thought he would never
experience such bliss again, and yet here he was—finally. It had only
taken a strong will to live, weeks of surgery and physical therapy, one
long-ass ride in a car, and an overwhelming need to see Miko again.

Miko leaned in for one more quick kiss and then pulled back,

smacking his small fist against Harley’s chest, an angry pout crossing
his kiss-swollen lips. “I wait and I wait, but you no come home. Why
you no come home?”

Harley’s Heart

Harley released the stranglehold he had on Miko’s hair and began

smoothing it down the man’s back. “Oh, baby, I couldn’t.”

Miko’s eyes lowered, but not before Harley saw a look that said

the man’s entire world was falling apart. “You no love me no more?”
he asked hesitantly.

“Hey.” Harley lifted Miko’s chin up with his thumb and index

finger until he was able to look into his husband’s beautiful caramel-
brown eyes. Those were the eyes Harley had dreamed about. They
were the type of eyes poems were written about. He sent up thanks to
whoever was listening that he was able to look once more into those
magical beauties. “Didn’t I just say I would always love you?”

“Hai.”
“Then I will.”
Miko didn’t look fully convinced. The pain and hurt were still

swimming in the man’s eyes, and his expression was filled with
doubt. “Then why you no come home, Harley-chan?”

Grimacing at the memories he wanted to forget and the pained

look on his husband’s face, Harley kept one hand under Miko’s ass
and pointed to the cane lying on the porch with the other one. “That’s
why I couldn’t come home, Miko.”

Miko’s dark eyebrows flickered as he stared from the cane up to

Harley’s face. “You hurt, Harley-chan?”

“Yeah, baby, I was hurt.”
Miko’s hand gently traced the scar on Harley’s face that ran from

the top of his temple, down his cheek to the corner of his mouth. It
was ugly and just now fading from pink and puckered.

“That when this happen?”
Harley swallowed hard, afraid of Miko’s reaction. Miko had spent

hours tracing the contours of Harley’s face, always saying how
handsome he was. What if Miko thought him a monster now? What if
Harley wasn’t as handsome to his husband anymore? Those fears had
stayed inside Harley where he tried his best to keep them from

12 Stormy

Glenn

surfacing. But now that Miko was openly appraising his face, Harley
couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“I’m not so handsome anymore, Miko.”
Miko had a single tear trailing down his face as he looked up into

Harley’s eyes. His lips were slightly parted, and he had a look that
said he didn’t care what Harley looked like now. “But you no dead,
Harley-chan.”

Harley titled his head, confused by the way Miko phrased his

words. It wasn’t in a question, but more of a statement. “No, Miko,
I’m not dead.”

Miko’s eyebrows pulled together in an agonized frown as more

tears started to spill from his anguish-filled eyes. “She say you dead,
Harley-chan. She say you no come home no more.”

“Who?” Harley asked softly, his eyes narrowing. “Who said I was

dead?”

The line of concentration deepened along Miko’s eyebrows and

under his eyes. “Um…you…” Miko waved his hand in a circular
motion as if the word he was looking for escaped him.
“You…okāsan.”

“My mother?” Harley’s tone became chilly as he tightened his

grip around Miko. “My mother told you I was dead?”

“Hai.”
“When did you see my mother, Miko?”
“After letters stop.”
There was a bitter edge to Miko’s voice that made Harley frown,

but he could understand that bitterness if what Miko said was true.
The letters stopped when he couldn’t write them anymore. That meant
for the last sixteen months, Miko had thought he was dead.

He could almost feel the pain his husband had suffered at thinking

he was dead. If Harley could, he would wipe away any anguish his
lover had endured.

Harley pulled Miko roughly, almost violently, to him. His arms

encircled Miko, one hand on the small of his back as he began to

Harley’s Heart

gently rock Miko back and forth. “I’m so sorry, Mitsuaki,” he
murmured against the top of Miko’s silky black hair. “I knew I
couldn’t get word to you, but I never dreamed you would think I was
dead.”

The thought had never entered Harley’s mind. It should have, but

he had been too busy dreaming of the day he would see the man
again. He just hadn’t thought he would show up as a ghost in Miko’s
eyes.

“I no think you dead for long time, but she say you dead and

she—” Miko’s hands clenched in Harley’s shirt as if the pain was too
raw to bear. “She bury you. No let me come. Say I not welcome.”

Harley’s anger became a scalding fury in the blink of an eye. “My

mother had a funeral for me?”

“Hai.”
“And she told you that you weren’t welcome?”
“Hai.”
“Did you tell her that we were married?”
“Hai.” Miko sniffled as he rested his cheek against Harley’s chest.

Harley ran his hand over his lover, trying his best to bring comfort to
what was surely a very painful memory. “She no believe.”

“I’ll just bet she didn’t,” Harley snarled. He could just imagine

what his mother had said to Miko and even the haughty tone she used.
She had a way of using her serpent tongue that made most feel like
common trash. If he had the woman in front of him in that moment,
he couldn’t say he wouldn’t have punched her right in her self-
righteous mouth.

“She say you no marry slant-eye.”
Harley was well acquainted with his mother’s lack of respect for

anyone that wasn’t white and socially acceptable. And socially
acceptable in his mother’s book meant they had a shit load of money.

His mother was a bigot, pure and simple.
The fact that Harley had chosen to marry a man was insignificant

to her. It was a worse crime in her eyes to marry someone of a

14 Stormy

Glenn

different ethnic background or someone that didn’t come from a
wealthy financial background.

Miko was of Japanese descent and didn’t have a dime to his name

when Harley met him two years ago. Harley couldn’t have cared less.
He took one look into Miko’s deep, caramel-brown eyes and waved
good-bye to his heart.

That was how love was supposed to work. It shouldn’t be based

on finances and ethnicity, but trying to tell his mother that was like
trying to pry a raw steak from a lion’s mouth.

Harley lifted Miko’s face and rubbed his thumb over the corner of

Miko’s almond-shaped eyelids. “I love these eyes.” Hell, Harley was
entranced by them. “I dreamed about these eyes, Miko.”

And those brown eyes seemed to be studying Harley intently. “I

dream of you, too, Harley-chan. I no give up hope you come home
even when you dead.”

Harley chuckled despite his aching heart at what his mother had

put Miko through. “Well, coming home would have been a lot easier
if you hadn’t moved, Miko. It took me nearly two months to find
you.”

“No stay,” Miko said. “Mother say go. She take Harley-chan’s

home.”

A muscle flickered angrily in Harley’s jaw. That would explain

why Miko hadn’t been home when Harley arrived there after being
released from the hospital. “Miko, she can’t do that. I put your name
on the deed when we got married. That condo is as much yours as it is
mine.”

Miko looked exasperated. “I say this, Harley-chan. Show her

papers. She take papers, rip them up. Say marriage not legal here.”

Harley ground his teeth together as he tried to rein in his anger.

“Our marriage is legal, Miko. It’s just not recognized in this state.
That’s why I gave you my power of attorney and made you my
beneficiary, so that everything would go to you if something
happened to me.”

Harley’s Heart

“I no want to leave, Harley-chan,” Miko said as he plucked at the

top button of Harley’s shirt, “but big men come, make me leave.”

Harley’s mouth dropped open. “She forced you out of our home?”
Miko shivered. “They really big men.”
Harley growled, anger flaring in him at the thought of what could

have happened to his beautiful little Miko. He had spent two months
at his condo after coming home from the hospital and never once had
he entertained the idea that Miko had been forced from their home.

He had racked his brain while searching for Miko, agonizing over

why the man would have left him. He had even entertained the idea
that Miko knew of his injuries and hadn’t wanted to be married to
someone that needed long-term care. He would heal eventually, but it
would take time. He thought maybe Miko didn’t want to deal with
that.

But the look of astonishment on Miko’s face when he answered

the door and then the overwhelming joy that had colored his beautiful
caramel-brown eyes when he saw Harley had put that worry to rest.

Harley lowered Miko to his feet and then pointed down to his

cane. “Miko, hand me my cane, please.”

Miko frowned and then leaned down to grab the cane off of the

porch. He held it up to Harley, his eyes going up and down Harley’s
body. “How you hurt, Harley-chan?”

“It’s a long story, Miko, and I’d rather tell you inside”—Harley

swallowed hard as a sudden worry entered his mind—“if I can come
in.”

A soft and loving curve touched Miko’s lips. “This you home,

Harley-chan.”

Harley met Miko’s grin with one of his own. “Mind if I invite

some friends in?”

Miko frowned and then glanced around Harley to the black SUV

parked in the driveway. His mouth tightened with displeasure when
he looked up at Harley a moment later. “You invite friends and no tell
me?”

16 Stormy

Glenn

Harley laughed and grabbed for Miko when the man balled up his

fist and hit Harley in the chest. He pulled Miko back toward him,
needing to feel his lover in his arms again. It had been so long, and for
a while there, Harley had thought he’d never experience this small
intimacy again.

“I missed you, Mitsuaki,” Harley whispered. “I missed you so

damn much.”

Miko gave Harley one of his enchanting and shy smiles and patted

the side of Harley’s face. “You home now, Harley-chan.”

Harley’s Heart

Chapter 2

Miko had so many emotions running through him that he didn’t

know which one to settle on first. His shock at seeing Harley alive
and standing in front of him was at the forefront. His relief that
Harley was alive ran a close second. It was followed by an
overwhelming need to not let Harley out of his sight for a single
second.

He was afraid to. If he looked away or took his eyes off of Harley,

the man might disappear again. The last time had been hard enough,
but Miko had slowly recovered and started to move on with his life. If
Harley disappeared a second time, Miko wasn’t sure he would survive
it again.

“You come, Harley-chan,” Miko said as he tugged on Harley’s

hand. “Bring friends.”

Harley chuckled as he waved to his friends and then followed

Miko through the front door. Miko guided him over to the bench by
the front door and pushed on Harley’s chest until he sat down.

He shook his finger at Harley. “Stay,” he said before taking off

across the house. He ran into the bedroom and then to his closet,
dropping to his knees to grab a small wooden box from the bottom of
the closet. He was up and running back out to the main room a
moment later.

By the time Miko reached Harley again, three other men were

standing just inside the door. And damn they were big. Two of the
men stood as tall as Harley, if not taller. The other one was shorter,
but still taller than Miko. He felt like a shrimp around them all.

18 Stormy

Glenn

“You did a good job with the entrance foyer, Miko. It’s very

nicely done and seems to fit in well with the rest of the house.”

“Hai.” Miko nodded as he looked around the genkan. Granted, the

rest of the house was open, but he had tried so hard to combine
cultures and likes when the house was built. He honored Harley’s
wish for an open floor plan but kept the formal entrance from his
culture.

The front door opened into a small entryway area. There were no

walls to separate it from the rest of the house, just a single wooden
step. Now that Harley was seated on the bench seat over the shoe
shelf, Miko was glad he had gone with that shelf instead of the
traditional getabako. Standing while his shoes were removed might
not have been possible for Harley at this point.

Miko dropped to his knees again in front of Harley. He unlaced

Harley’s boots and pulled them off, carefully setting them facing the
door in the vacant spot on the top of the shoe shelf, the one that had
remained empty for the last year and a half.

Miko’s hands shook as he opened the shoe box and pulled out the

uwabaki he had lovingly made for Harley after they met. The soft
cloth slippers had been his wedding present to Harley, and one of the
few items he had been able to take with him when he had been forced
to leave Harley’s condo.

Miko felt tears come to his eyes when he lifted one of Harley’s

feet and realized that there were bandages wrapped around his foot
under his thin sock. He glanced up at Harley for a moment and then
back down as he slowly peeled the sock back.

“Harley-chan?” he whispered hesitantly. He didn’t dare pull the

bandages off, but he was desperate to find out what had happened and
why Harley needed his foot bandaged.

“It will heal, Miko.”
Miko tucked his lips in and nodded as he reached for the slippers

and carefully slipped them onto Harley’s feet. He gingerly set

Harley’s Heart

Harley’s feet down on the floor and took just a moment to get his
emotions under control before grabbing three more sets of slippers.

He stood to his feet and turned to Harley’s friends, bowing

respectfully before holding the slippers out to them. They all turned to
look at Harley, bewildered looks on their faces.

Harley chuckled. “It’s impolite to wear shoes inside the house,

guys.” He slapped his hand down on the bench seat he sat on. “This is
called a getabako. Once you take your shoes off, put them in here,
facing the door. The slippers are called uwabaki, and they are only to
be worn inside the house.”

Miko helped Harley to his feet and then stood back and waited as

the three men took their shoes off and put on the slippers. He had not
met any of Harley’s friends before Harley left, so he hoped
introductions were coming. Miko just wasn’t sure how Harley felt
about introducing him to his friends, not after the horrible reaction he
had received from Harley’s mother.

He was still reeling from the confrontation he had with the

woman. He had been devastated when she started shouting at him that
Harley was dead and never coming back, but even he hadn’t expected
to be kicked out of his home. That had almost crushed him. The
condo was all he had left of Harley.

Until now.
Miko never thought that Harley was still alive, even if he had

dreamed about it and hoped with everything in him. The letters had
stopped coming, Harley’s mother said he was dead, and even had a
funeral for him, and Miko didn’t know any of Harley’s friends.

Miko had waited for months to hear from Harley, but as time went

by, he had started to give up hope. He had channeled his grief into
making Harley’s dreams come true, even if Harley wasn’t there to
share them with Miko.

And now, here he was.
Miko was excited to show Harley everything he had done since

the man had been gone. It had all been planned out and implemented

20 Stormy

Glenn

with Harley in mind. He just hoped that Harley didn’t get upset with
any of the things he had done.

“Miko,” Harley said when his friends all stood. “These are some

of the men I work with, my friends. They were also instrumental in
bringing me home.”

“Domo arigato.” Miko bowed respectfully.
“He said thank you very much,” Harley said when the three men

glanced at him. Harley’s arm tightened around Miko’s shoulders.
“English, baby. They don’t understand Japanese.”

“Hai.” Miko smiled at the men. He didn’t know what exactly they

had to do with bringing Harley home, but he would forever be
grateful. “Thank you.” He waved his hand toward the living room
area. “Welcome to our home.” He quickly looked to Harley to make
sure he had gotten his words right. English wasn’t always an easy
language to learn.

Harley smiled and nodded.
“This is Bill Harrison”—Harley gestured to a man with short

brown hair and brown eyes and then moved on to the other man—
“Angelo Martinez and Manny Lopez.”

Miko nodded to each man, bowing slightly. Angelo had dark-

brown eyes and short brown hair. Manny also had dark brown eyes
and short brown hair. He was also scruffy looking like he needed a
good shave. Miko hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to tell them apart.
Everyone had brown something.

He jumped a little when he was pulled tighter into the curve of

Harley’s side. In the six months they had spent together before Harley
left, Miko had just began to get used to Harley’s public displays of
affection before Harley disappeared. It wasn’t something he had
experienced growing up.

“This is my Miko,” Harley said.
Manny arched an eyebrow as he reached out to shake Miko’s

hand. “I’d like to say that Harley told us all about you, but he kind of

Harley’s Heart

kept you a secret until just a couple of months ago.” Manny smiled
and dropped Miko’s hand. “And now I can see why.”

Miko cast a quick look up at Harley, not sure if that was a

compliment or an insult or something else altogether. He often didn’t
understand the subtle ways that American’s spoke. There were hidden
innuendoes in their words that Miko almost always failed to get.

“When you started calling out for Miko when you were injured,

boss, I had no idea that Miko was so cute.” Manny winked at Miko. “I
don’t suppose you have any siblings, do you?”

Miko nodded. “Hai.”
Manny’s eyebrows shot up, which seemed to amuse the other men

in the room greatly. They all started laughing. Miko glanced at them
all in confusion, not understanding what was so funny.

“If I remember correctly,” Harley said, “Miko has two brothers

and a sister.”

“Hai.” Miko suddenly remembered Harley telling him to use

English. “Yes, two brothers, Eiko and Yukio, and one sister, Akari.”

“Uh…” Manny frowned at Harley for a moment and then smiled

down at Miko. “I would be honored to meet them one day.”

“Hai.” Miko was unsure of why Harley’s friend wanted to meet

his brothers and sister, but if that was what the man wanted, Miko
would see that it was done. He couldn’t think of much he wouldn’t do
for the men that brought his Harley home to him.

“Can you make us some tea, Miko?”
“Hai.” Miko bowed to each man again and then hurried to the

kitchen.

Harley loved his tea, and that was one thing Miko could give him

right now. Miko didn’t know why he had kept the special blend of tea
in the cupboard when he didn’t drink it, but he hadn’t been able to get
rid of it.

Now, he was glad he hadn’t.
He could hear the men talking softly between themselves as he

prepared the tea—putting the pot of water on the burner and then

22 Stormy

Glenn

pulling down the tin that held the fresh tea leaves. He quickly
prepared a tray with four cups, a tea seep, sugar, and creamer. When
the water was hot, he set it on the tray and then carried the tray into
the living room.

Miko’s heart caught in his throat when he saw Harley sitting in

the chair he had always imagined the man in. He had been so sure that
Harley would love the chair that he hadn’t allowed anyone to sit in it.
And now, here was Harley, sitting in the chair without even knowing
that Miko had picked it out for him.

Miko drew in a deep breath and then carried the tray into the

living room. He knelt down on the floor next to the table and
proceeded to prepare tea for each of the men. He knew exactly how
Harley liked his tea and easily made it and handed it to the man.

“Sugar or milk?” Miko asked as he looked up at the other three

men.

Bill’s eyebrows were up near the top of his head as if he had never

had tea before. “Uh, sugar and milk both, please.”

Miko quickly prepared the man’s tea and handed it to him and

then looked at Angelo. “Sugar or milk?”

“Just milk for me, thank you, Miko.”
“You don’t have anything…err…stronger?” Manny asked when

Miko looked at him.

Miko glanced at Harley for clarification.
“Do you have any whiskey, Miko?”
“Hai.” Miko jumped to his feet and ran to the cupboard where he

kept a bottle of Harley’s favorite whiskey. He knew it was dumb to
keep something around that he never drank, but maybe he had never
given up hope that Harley would come home.

Miko grabbed the bottle and a small glass and then hurried back to

the table. He broke the seal on the bottle and poured some into the
glass for Manny. After replacing the lid, he handed the glass to him.

Once everyone had been served, Miko walked to stand behind

Harley’s chair. Even though it wasn’t something he was used to, he

Harley’s Heart

couldn’t keep his hands from stroking down over Harley’s shoulders
just to reassure himself that the man was real and not a hallucination.

Miko felt like he was dreaming.
His heart had been so heavy for so long. It had just started to

lighten over the last few months, and now his greatest dream was
coming true. Miko was terribly afraid that something was going to
happen to take it all away from him.

“You stay now, Harley-chan?” Miko whispered.
Harley leaned his head back, his hair brushing against Miko’s

stomach. His smile was somewhat crooked as it always had been.
“I’m not going anywhere, Miko. I’m home to stay. I promise.”

Miko tilted his head forward and let his long hair fall down to

cover his face as tears welled up in his eyes at Harley’s words.
Emotional displays in front of others—especially strangers—weren’t
allowed. That lesson had been drilled into Miko’s head by his parents
from a very early age. He just couldn’t seem to help it right now.

“Come here, love.”
When Harley tugged on his hand, Miko allowed himself to be

guided around the man and then pulled down onto his lap. He knew it
wasn’t polite, but it was exactly where he wanted to be, and at the
moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care, especially not when
Harley’s large muscular arms closed around him.

“It’s okay, Miko,” Harley whispered.
Miko nuzzled his face into Harley’s neck and allowed his tears to

silently fall. He felt Harley’s hand rub up and down the middle of his
back. Harley’s other hand was fisted in Miko’s hair, holding him tight
to Harley’s chest.

“I think you never come home,” Miko murmured. “I think I never

see you again.”

“I’m home now, Miko.”
“Why you stay gone so long?”
“I was on a mission, Miko. Things went wrong. I was captured by

the people I was supposed to be watching. They held me for a very

24 Stormy

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long time, and I got injured. By the time I was rescued, I had to go to
the hospital. When I tried to reach you, the phone had been
disconnected. I sent someone to find you, but they said the condo was
empty. I didn’t know where to look for you.”

“How you find me?”
Miko felt Harley’s smile against his temple.
“Your jewelry, Miko. I met someone at a party that was wearing

one of your necklaces. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was one of
your creations. I asked her about the artist, and she told me all about
this beautiful Japanese man that had custom made her necklace. I
knew it was you, and I tracked you through your agent.”

Miko leaned back so he could see Harley’s face. “He no tell you.”

He knew his agent wouldn’t tell a soul where he was. Cecil adored
him, and he was very protective of Miko’s privacy.

Harley chuckled. “He didn’t have to. A friend hacked his

computer files and took your address off of that.”

Miko frowned. Cecil was not going to like that. “You not nice to

steal.”

“Would you have rather I didn’t and never found you?”
“No, but stealing wrong.”
“I won’t steal again.” Harley held up his hand solemnly, but the

twitch of his lips gave away his amusement. “I promise.”

Miko huffed and laid his head back on Harley’s chest. He really

couldn’t be mad at Harley, not when what he had done brought the
man back to him. But still, stealing was wrong, and Harley knew it.

“Tell me more about these men that forced you from our home,

Miko,” Harley said. “Do you remember what they looked like?”

“They big.”
Harley chuckled. “You already said that, baby. I need to know if

you remember anything else about them. What they looked like, if
they mentioned any names or anything. I need to know exactly who
they were.”

Harley’s Heart

Miko shrugged. He didn’t know why it mattered. He hoped to

never see them again. They had scared the hell out of him when they
came to the condo and forced him to leave. Miko had been given
fifteen minutes to gather his stuff and get out, not a minute longer.

And they had gone through everything Miko took with him, even

taking a few items out of his stuff and putting it back in the condo.
Miko most missed the small crystal vase that Harley had given them
when they got married. Harley always left flowers in that vase for
Miko.

“They take wedding vase, Harley-chan. Say I no have it.”
“I have it, Miko.” Harley stroked his hand down the side of

Miko’s head again. “I’ll make sure you get it back.”

“I just glad to have you, Harley-chan. No need vase.” Miko loved

that vase because Harley gave it to him, but holding Harley again was
far more important than holding a crystal vase.

“You can have both, baby.”

26 Stormy

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Chapter 3

Harley was nervous as he sat stretched out on the mattress,

leaning back against the stack of pillows at the top of the bed. He and
Miko had enjoyed an exceptional sexual relationship before he left on
his mission, but that was almost two years ago.

A lot had happened.
Harley wasn’t the same man he was two years ago, and he didn’t

think Miko was either. There was a new confidence about the man
that hadn’t been there before. A light of certainty that he could take
on whatever the world threw at him and handle it on his own.

While it was provocative, and Harley was proud of Miko, he was

also scared. The Miko he had known before had needed Harley to
fight the evils in the world and to keep him safe from those evils. The
Miko that met him at the door didn’t seem like he needed anyone.

Harley felt obsolete.
His time under the cruel hand of Miguel Fernandez had done

permanent damage and rendered him obsolete in his career, and now
he felt unneeded at home. Harley no longer knew where he fit in. He
no longer knew if Miko needed him—for anything.

Harley tensed when he heard the bathroom door crack open. He

rubbed his hands over the blankets he had pulled up to his waist,
smoothing the wrinkles down—not that there were that many. But it
gave him something to do with his hands.

Miko stepped out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and a pair of cotton

boxers. He tucked his hair behind his ear as his eyes darted up to
Harley then back down to the floor, and Harley suddenly knew that
Miko was as nervous as he was.

Harley’s Heart

“Come here, love,” he said, holding his hand out to the man.
Miko hurried across the room but slowed when he reached the

bed, crawling carefully up onto the mattress. He paused when he
reached the top of the bed, his eyes roaming up and down Harley’s
body.

“This no hurt, Harley-chan?”
“No, baby.” Harley held out both arms, wanting to feel his lover

close to him, but Miko just continued to kneel next to him, watching
him. “Miko?”

“How you hurt, Harley-chan?”
Harley sighed. He had been avoiding that question all evening, but

he knew Miko wouldn’t be put off forever. “The man that had me was
really nasty, Miko. He messed me up pretty bad.”

Miko’s head tilted up, his eyes locking with Harley’s. “How?”
Harley stroked his hand down the side of his face, cringing when

he felt the scar that went from the top of his temple, down his cheek
to the corner of his mouth. “He did this with a straight-edge razor. I
have a few more like it on my legs.”

Miko swallowed hard enough for Harley to hear it. “What else,

Harley-chan? Tell me all.”

“I had to have two surgeries to fix what he did to my insides and

my legs. He used chemicals to burn my feet, which is why one of
them still has a bandage on it. And there’s some nerve damage in my
hands.”

“That all?” Miko whispered.
“He kept me from you.”
Miko swallowed again, and nodded his head as he ran his hands

up and down his arms as if suddenly chilled. Raw anguish glittered in
his wide caramel-colored eyes. “I sorry, Harley-chan. I not know.”

“Oh, baby, I know that.”
“I get angry, Harley-chan, so angry. I…I think you not want me

anymore, and I get angry at you, but I…” Miko shook his head. Tears

28 Stormy

Glenn

spilled from his eyes and fell down his cheeks. “I never wanted—”
Miko waved his hand down Harley’s body.

Harley felt like his heart was bleeding as he reached for Miko. He

felt some resistance when he tried to pull Miko, but after a moment,
Miko gave in and fell against Harley’s chest, big sobs racking his
small frame.

“Baby,” Harley whispered to the top of Miko’s head, “none of this

was your fault. What Fernandez did to me he did because he’s a sick
bastard, not because of anything you did. And you probably had a
right to be angry with me. I was supposed to be gone for a couple of
weeks, a month tops. I was gone a lot longer than that.”

“I sorry, Harley-chan,” Miko cried. “I so sorry.”
Harley cupped Miko’s chin, tilting his head up so that their eyes

met. “Miko, this was not your fault.”

“But—”
“No, Mitsuaki,” Harley said with a note of steel in his voice. “You

have never brought me anything but love and happiness. You’re the
reason I’m here today. If I hadn’t had the memories of our time
together to hold onto, I would have died in that hell hole. You didn’t
hurt me. You saved me.”

Miko’s eyes grew large and liquid, piercing the scant distance

between them. “I do love you, Harley-chan. I never stop.”

The tightness in Harley’s chest loosened. The air rushed out of his

lungs, and he could breathe again. He fisted a hand in Miko’s long
hair and pulled the man’s face closer until their foreheads pressed
together.

“And that’s why I came back, Miko.”
Miko sniffled then laughed as he wiped at his nose. “I not cry

anymore.”

Harley’s lips spread in a grin. “Me either.”
Miko pulled away and reached over to the nightstand, coming

back with a thick-bristled brush. He held it out to Harley. “Please?”

Harley’s Heart

Harley took the brush and spread his legs, waiting for Miko to

scoot between them and kneel on his legs, his back to Harley. It had
been so long since he had been given the chance to brush Miko’s long
brown-black hair.

“It’s gotten longer,” Harley said as he stroked the brush through

the long thick strands. “It’s almost to your waist.”

“Hai.”
“It’s beautiful, Miko.”
“Thank you, Harley-chan.”
Harley loved the feeling of Miko’s long hair sliding through his

fingers. He had always adored Miko’s hair. It gave Miko an ethereal
beauty that Harley had never seen anywhere else on the planet, and he
had visited a lot of it.

Harley set the brush aside and leaned his face into Miko’s hair,

breathing in his lover’s magical fragrance. He didn’t realize how
much he had missed it until the soft scent of jasmine filled his senses.
“That scent,” he murmured, “that sweet scent. I yearned for it so
much while I was gone. I never thought I’d get to smell it again.”

Harley’s stomach did a funny little flop when Miko giggled. Now,

there was a sound he hadn’t heard in two years, a sound that he had
never forgotten about in all of the time he had been gone. Memories
of Miko tossing back his head and laughing just like that helped keep
Harley alive.

It was audio sunshine.
Harley wrapped his arms around Miko and pulled him back.

Miko’s head fell back onto his shoulder. Harley turned his head and
brushed a kiss against the side of Miko’s face. His hands moved down
across Miko’s chest.

“I want to touch you, Miko.”
“Hai, Harley-chan.” The words were spoken on a husky whisper,

barely audible, but Harley heard them just the same. He moved his
hands down to the hem of Miko’s shirt and slid them underneath.
Soft, silky skin brushed against his fingertips as Miko inhaled deeply.

30 Stormy

Glenn

There was a tangible bond between them, an intense awareness.

There always had been, from the moment they met in a small street-
side café in the city. Miko had been working, busing tables. Harley
had stopped to have coffee, taken one look at Miko, and known his
heart was no longer his.

It had taken him weeks to get Miko to agree to go out with him,

weeks of flowers and phone calls and even begging. When Miko
finally agreed to a date, Harley almost thought he was dreaming. It
had taken him even longer to get Miko to agree to marry him, but that
had been one of the happiest days of his life, equaled only by the day
Miko had taken his name.

Harley had never looked back or regretted his decision to pursue

the gorgeous little man. Miko made his heart feel lighter just by being
in the same room with him. The long months away had been more
painful because of the separation between them than from anything
Miguel Fernandez had done to him.

And now that he had Miko in his arms once again, Harley was

going to accept the gift that had been given to him and never let Miko
leave his side again. And he didn’t care who he had to kill to make
that happen. No one was going to take this from him again.

Harley felt the uneven rhythm of Miko’s breathing and knew his

lover was just as affected by their closeness as he was. He trailed his
finger over Miko’s silken skin, circling his belly button before
moving further up his chest. He might not be able to see where his
fingers were going, but he could see the response to his touch in the
slow tenting in Miko’s boxers.

“You like it when I touch you, don’t you, Miko?”
“Hai,” Miko groaned. “Yes.”
“You missed my touch,” Harley murmured as he brushed his

fingers over Miko’s taut nipples. The anxious whine that fell from
Miko’s lips was the man’s only response. Harley felt a ripple of
excitement roll through him at the needy little sound. “I missed
touching you, Miko.”

Harley’s Heart

Gods, he had missed touching his lover. Miko’s body was built to

be made love to. His slim frame fit perfectly into Harley’s arms. His
soft skin and delicate bones were in such deep contrast to Harley’s
hard, toned body that it was almost awe inspiring to look at.

Miko cried out and arched, pushing into Harley’s hand when he

rolled one hard pebbled nipple between his fingers. Harley’s mouth
went dry at the sight. Miko had always been so damn responsive to
his touch, and knowing that he was the only man to ever see Miko’s
pleasure made it even more special.

Harley reached down and grabbed the hem of Miko’s T-shirt and

pulled it up. Miko lifted his arms, and Harley pulled the cotton shirt
off, tossing it off the side of the bed. Harley brushed his hands down
over Miko’s chest again, pushing them down to the edge of Miko’s
boxers.

When the man offered no protest, Harley pushed the waistband of

the boxers down, freeing Miko’s thick erection. It bounced up and
slapped against Miko’s abdomen, leaving a trail of pre-cum against
Miko’s skin.

Hunger spiraled through Harley at the sight of the hardened flesh.

Miko’s cock was perfect in his eyes—not too small and not too large,
not too thin and not too thick. It was perfect, just like Miko.

Harley heard Miko’s breathing hitch when he wrapped his hand

around him. Harley smiled and blew a breath of air against Miko’s
ear. “Do you like that, baby?” he asked as he gave the thick shaft one
long stroke with his hand.

“Hai!”
There was a glint of wonder in Miko’s eyes as he tilted his head

back and looked up at Harley. It was too much for Harley to resist. He
fisted his hand in Miko’s hair and brought their mouths together,
devouring Miko’s lips with all of the pent-up hunger he had been
feeling for the last two years.

At the same time, he stroked Miko’s cock, tightening his fingers

then loosening them, drawing out the pleasure as long as he could.

32 Stormy

Glenn

The little needy noises Miko started making drowned out the
thundering of Harley’s heart.

Harley slid his hand down to Miko’s abdomen and pulled the man

back into the apex of his thighs as far as he would go. It pushed
Miko’s back right up against him, trapping Harley’s hard, aching cock
between them.

“My sweet baby,” Harley whispered against Miko’s lips, knowing

that his lover liked to hear him talk when they were alone like this. It
was one of the few times when Miko felt he could be open and free
with what he was feeling. “So beautiful and all mine.”

“Hai, Harley-chan,” Miko whimpered. “All yours, just yours.”
Music to my ears.
“Come for me, Miko,” Harley demanded as he sped up the

movement of his hand. The wiggling of Miko’s body against his cock
was pushing him closer to his own release, and he wanted to watch
Miko come before that happened. He needed it. “Show me how much
you want me, baby.”

A knot rose in Harley’s throat when Miko cried out and arched up.

Miko’s hips thrust up, driving his cock into Harley’s hand. Ropes of
pearly white cum shot from his cock and splattered over Harley’s
hand and Miko’s abdomen.

“Damn, baby,” Harley whispered as a hot ache grew in his throat.

He leaned back against the pillows so that he could reach down and
palm his own aching cock, but before he could, Miko flipped around
and swallowed him down to the root. “Miko!”

Harley’s eyes rolled back into his head as intense pleasure

swamped every nerve in his body. Harley knew it had been a long
time, but he came almost embarrassingly fast. One long lick of
Miko’s tongue and a deep swallow and Harley was shouting out his
release, pumping shot after shot of cum into his lover’s mouth.

Harley closed his eyes as he collapsed back against the pillows,

panting heavily. He felt Miko move up to stretch out beside him, and
felt the tentative touch of the man’s delicate fingers on his chest.

Harley’s Heart

“You okay, Harley-chan?”
Harley smiled as he opened his eyes to stare up at Miko. “I’m

perfect, baby.”

“Not…” Miko’s worried eyes roamed over Harley’s body. “Not

too much?”

“No, love, it was just right.” Harley glanced around then laughed.

“But a washcloth would be a good idea,” he said as he held up his
cum-covered hand.

“I get.” Miko bounced off the bed and ran to the bathroom. He

was back a moment later with a clean washcloth. Miko hurriedly
wiped them both down then took the washcloth back to the bathroom.
The bed bounced again when Miko came back and climbed on.

Harley held out his arm, letting out a deep sigh as a peace he

hadn’t felt in months entered his soul as Miko curled into his side.
Miko’s head rested on Harley’s chest, his finger gently stroking his
skin. Harley wrapped his arms around Miko and held him close,
stroking his hand up and down Miko’s smooth back.

“You be here in the morning, Harley-chan?”
Harley pressed a kiss against the top of Miko’s head. “Yeah,

baby,” he replied, knowing it would take time for Miko to realize he
wasn’t going anywhere. “I’ll be here in the morning, and every
morning after that. I’m home for good, Miko.”

Miko patted Harley’s chest. “I like that.”

34 Stormy

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Chapter 4

Miko wrung his hands as he bounced from foot to foot, anxiously

watching out the front window. His stomach was in knots, the waiting
and anticipation overwhelming. There had been a lot more changes in
Miko’s life since Harley left than just a move to a new house, and
Miko was terrified that Harley was going to be angry with him when
he found out.

He truly had not expected to ever see Harley again. That’s not to

say he wouldn’t have done what he did if he had known Harley was
coming back, because he would have. He just would have talked to
Harley about it first.

Now, it was too late.
Miko’s mouth went dry when he heard a car coming up the

driveway. He immediately recognized the small silver sedan. He had
been expecting it. Miko glanced toward the dining room where Harley
and his friends were talking and drinking their coffee.

This was it. The next few moments would make or break him.
“Harley-chan.” Miko swallowed past the lump of fear in his

throat. “May I speak to you in the living room?”

Miko clasped his hands together when he heard chairs scrape

across the floor then the sound of Harley walking toward him. A
moment later, Harley appeared around the corner.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?”
Miko gestured to Harley’s chair. “Sit, please.”
Harley’s eyebrow shot up, but he did as Miko asked, crossing the

floor and sitting down in the lounger that Miko had picked out for

Harley’s Heart

him. His eyebrows furrowed together as he looked up at Miko,
confusion evident.

“What’s the matter, Miko?” Harley asked as he reached for

Miko’s hand. “What has you so upset?”

“Wait, please.” Miko quickly took a step back. He was afraid if he

let Harley touch him, he would never be able to do what he needed to
do. He’d just start bawling instead. Miko cast one more long look at
Harley then turned and went to the front door. His heart beat so fast in
his chest that it actually ached.

He stopped at the front door and glanced over his shoulder. “Stay,

please.”

That request was even more significant than Harley knew, but

Miko did. Miko opened the front door and stepped out, shutting the
door behind him. He smiled at the driver as she climbed out of the car
then hurried down the steps to the backseat.

“Trip was good, Akari?”
“Oh yes, it was wonderful. We had a great time spending all of

your money. And Cecil’s place is gorgeous. He has the most amazing
view of the city out his front window. But I have to tell you, that man
is odder than a duck.”

“Cecil is one of a kind, yes.” Miko laughed as he gave his sister a

quick hug then opened the backdoor. “He sleeping. This good.”

“He’s had his morning bottle, and I changed him at the last rest

stop. He should be good for another couple of hours.”

“His father here,” Miko said as he unhooked the sleeping infant

and pulled him out of the car seat. He cradled the baby to his chest
then reached back in for the brightly printed baby blanket, carefully
covering him up from head to toe.

“Harley?” Akari whispered as her eyes snapped to the front door.

“Harley is here?”

“Hai.” Just saying the word brought a fresh flow of tears to his

eyes. “He come yesterday with friends.”

36 Stormy

Glenn

“Where’s he been?” Akari hands landed on her slim hips, an

angry gesture Miko knew all too well. “Why hasn’t he come home
before now? If that man thinks he can—”

“Enough, Akari.” Miko could understand his sister’s anger and

confusion, but she did not know all of the facts. “Harley held prisoner
in Central America. He hurt bad. He not able to come home before
now.” And Miko couldn’t be more relieved that Harley was home.
Knowing what could have happened to Harley still scared him down
to his soul.

“And you believe him?” Akari snapped.
“I see scars on body with my own eyes, Akari. He not hurt self.”
Akari paled. “He has scars?”
Miko nodded. “He use cane now. Legs injured. Foot still in a

bandage. Harley say he heal in time but…”

“Does he know about Kei?”
Miko shook his head. “Not yet.”
“How do you think he’s going to react?”
“Not know.” Miko prayed that Harley took the news well because

he couldn’t give Kei up, not even for Harley. “We find out.”

Miko started for the front door. He paused for a moment and

leaned down to press his face against the top of the baby’s head,
drawing in the infant’s fresh clean scent. Babies and puppies, there
was no mistaking them.

Gathering up every bit of courage he had, Miko pushed open the

door and walked back inside the house. His eyes immediately sought
out Harley, widening when he saw the inquisitive look on the man’s
face.

Miko swallowed again and walked into the living room. He could

feel the tension in the air as he gently laid the baby down in Harley’s
arms. Harley’s arms trembled as he cradled the baby in his hands.

“Miko?”
How long had Miko pictured this very moment? Even thinking

Harley dead, Miko had dreamt of his husband holding their child. It

Harley’s Heart

was all too surreal now that it was actually taking place. “This
Harland Kei Thomas, our son.”

“Our son?” Harley echoed, his expression one of confusion.

“How? Did you adopt?”

“No.” Miko dropped down onto his knees in front of Harley

and—with a very shaky hand—pulled the blanket back from the
baby’s face. Kei glanced up at them in wonder as he sucked his little
fist that was in his mouth.

Miko’s heart clenched at the sight of Harley holding him. The

babe had no idea, but Miko was pretty sure he would soon know the
sound of his father’s voice and love it as much as he did.

“He you and me.”
“Explain, Miko.” Harley’s tone might have been terse, but his

touch was gentle as he stroked a finger down Kei’s fat little cheek.
Miko watched the way his husband’s eyes softened when he laid eyes
on Kei. The blue in his eyes sparkled in wonderment as father smiled
at son.

“You baby sperm, Harley-chan. You save at freezer facility,

remember?”

Harley’s jaw was hanging open when his head snapped up and he

stared at Miko. “You used the sperm I had frozen?”

“Hai.” Miko nodded, still not sure how Harley felt about what he

had done. He could read none of Harley’s emotions—none except the
way Harley was staring at Kei like he couldn’t rip his eyes away from
the child. “Use power of attorney and made baby with sister, so Kei
you and me.”

Harley’s eyes lifted to the woman standing off to one side of

them. “You gave us a baby?”

Akari smiled. “Mitsuaki wanted something of you. He offered to

pay for medical school if I carried a baby for him. With your sperm
and my genes, it made the baby part of both of you. I couldn’t say
no.”

And Miko would forever be grateful for that selfless act.

38 Stormy

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“You father on birth certificate,” Miko said quickly. “I adopt.”
“How…” Harley licked his lips as he stared back down at the

baby cradled in his arms. “How old is he?”

Miko grinned proudly. “He one month yesterday, the day you

come home.”

Harley suddenly frowned. “Why wasn’t he here when I came

home?”

Akari laughed. “I took him into the city to buy him some new

clothes. He’s growing like a weed. We stayed the night at Cecil’s so
that Mitsuaki could get some work done. Medical school cost a lot of
money. If he doesn’t work, I don’t get to go to school.”

Harley’s eyes were suspiciously damp as he lifted the baby up and

rested him against his shoulder, holding him there with one arm. He
stepped over to wrap his free arm around Akari’s shoulder. “Thank
you. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you get through medical
school.”

“I would have done it anyway.” Akari sniffled. “It meant too

much to Miko.”

Miko’s eyes bounced between the two of them. He nervously

chewed on his bottom lip. “You not mad, Harley-chan?” Miko would
be devastated if Harley was. All he had wanted was a small reminder
of the man he had thought dead.

“No, baby,” Harley said as he turned around and graced Miko

with a wide smile. “I’m not mad. Bewildered, confused, and a bit
scared considering I know nothing about babies, but I’m not mad.”

“Kei good baby,” Miko insisted as he jumped to his feet. “He

sleep a lot and not cry much. He not trouble.”

Harley chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that will change as he gets

older.”

“Kei be good boy,” Miko promised. “He daddy home now.”
Harley blinked, his eyelashes fluttering madly as if he hadn’t

considered that he would be the baby’s father, despite what Miko had
told him. “I’m a daddy,” he whispered. Then he started to smile. It

Harley’s Heart

started out slow, just a quivering at the corner of his lips, but it grew
larger quickly, spreading across his face. “I’m a daddy.”

“Hai.”
“Do you even need me, Mitsuaki?”
Miko tilted his head, confused by the question and wondering if

he just didn’t understand it. “Not understand, Harley-chan.”

“You started a career, which from my understanding is wildly

successful.” Harley waved his hand around the living room. “You
built our dream home.” His eyes dropped to the baby in his arms.
“You gave us a son.” Harley’s eyes were filled with anguish when he
finally looked up at Miko. “You did all of this on your own. And
while I am very proud of you for all that you have accomplished, it
kind of makes me wonder if you need me at all.”

Miko suddenly understood the pain in Harley’s eyes. He smiled as

he walked over and brushed his hand over the side of Harley’s face. “I
need you to breath, Harley-chan.”

* * * *

Miko hummed softly to himself as he sewed tiny seed pearls onto

the custom-ordered handbag he was working on. It was supposed to
be done by the end of the week, just in time for his client to go to
some fundraiser she was attending.

The work was meticulous, but Miko enjoyed it. He loved the

designs that he could create with beads and pearls and threads of
different colors. He had one golden rule when a client ordered
something—no directions. All he asked was what colors they needed
the item in, and then he let the design flow from there.

So far, his purses and jewelry, and even a few pieces of clothing,

had all been very well received. He had a list of custom orders that
would keep him busy for the next several months, and that didn’t even
include the items he made just because he felt like it.

40 Stormy

Glenn

Besides, he could do all of his creating from the comfort of his

own home, which meant he didn’t have to leave Kei. He was a stay-
at-home parent. He loved every minute of his life. Having Harley
there to take part in that life just made it all that much better.

Harley had only been home for just a few days, but already they

were falling into a routine. They both got up with the baby in the
morning, bathed him together, dressed him, and changed him. Miko
tried to get to Kei first when he woke in the middle of the night, not
wanting to disturb Harley, but half the time, Harley beat him to the
small infant.

When Kei was down for his naps, Miko worked on his projects.

Harley was busy acquainting himself with the home that Miko had
made for them and taking long walks to build up the strength in his
legs.

It was all very domestic.
And Miko was terrified that Harley was going to get bored.

Harley assured Miko that he was happy right where he was, but there
was a restlessness in his eyes that belied that statement.

Miko kept waiting for Harley to come tell him he was leaving on

another mission. He didn’t see the marine being happy staying home
with a partner and a child and nothing to do. Harley was too used to
being active and in the thick of things. He would never be fully happy
being a stay-at-home parent.

“Miko, your sister is on the phone.”
“Thank you,” Miko called out. He was trying hard to learn more

English and speak more of the difficult language. He wanted Kei to
grow up knowing both, but he wanted him to speak both languages
properly, not with Miko’s broken speech. “Hello, Akari.”

“It’s gone, Mitsuaki. It’s all gone.”
There was a slightly hysterical tone in Akari’s voice, immediately

making Miko grow concerned. Akari never got upset. He set the purse
down and gave his full attention to his sister. “What’s gone, Akari?”
Miko asked, switching to Japanese to better converse with his sister.

Harley’s Heart

“The money for my tuition and books,” she cried. “It’s all gone.”
“What do you mean it’s gone?” Miko knew for a fact that he had

deposited money in his sister’s account to pay for the next term at the
university.

“Just what I said,” Akari snapped. “I went to the bank to draw

out the money so I could go pay my tuition, and they told me that the
money is gone, all of it.”

“But that can’t be,” Miko replied. “I deposited that money myself

just last week.”

“Well, it’s not there now.”
Miko rubbed the palm of his hand against his forehead. The

money just had to be there. Miko made pretty good money with his
custom-made items, but he wasn’t a millionaire. If the money was
gone, he wasn’t sure how he was going to replace it.

One the other hand, a deal was a deal. Akari had given Miko his

greatest wish. He had to do the same for her. “Come by the house. I’ll
write you a check that you can take directly to the university. I have
some cash on hand that I can give you to buy your books and stuff.”

“What about you?” Akari asked, her voice dropping down to a

more even tone. “Can you afford to pay my tuition twice?”

He couldn’t, not really, but Miko would never tell his sister that.

“We’ll be fine. I have a little extra saved up in the bank and enough
projects to keep me busy for the next six months. Don’t worry about
it.”

“Are you sure?”
Miko smiled, although if Akari had been looking at him, he knew

she would be able to see that it was a sad, worried smile. “I’m sure,
Akari. Just come get the check. If you don’t get signed up for classes,
you’ll have to move back in here, and I’m kind of on my honeymoon
at the moment.”

“All right.” Akari’s deep sigh of relief could be heard through the

phone line. “I’ll come by tomorrow.”

42 Stormy

Glenn

“I’ll be waiting.” After saying good-bye to his sister, Miko dug

out the phone number of his bank and called them. He knew for a fact
that he had deposited that money in his sister’s account. The record of
the fund transfer was on his laptop.

He wanted to know where the money went.
Ten minutes later, Miko felt like pulling out his hair. The bank

knew nothing. They insisted that the money had been withdrawn
through normal channels. Normal channels…what in the hell did that
mean?

Miko slammed the phone down in its cradle and just stared at it.

He knew he could pay for Akari’s tuition and books for one term and
have just enough left over to make his mortgage payment. There
would be nothing left after that.

And in three months, he’d need to do it all over again.
He had been slowly stashing money away in case of emergencies.

This qualified, but he had been hoping not to have to dip into that
rainy day fund for a while. The projects he had lined up would bring
in the money, just in time for it to go out again.

Unless…
Miko grabbed his phone and dialed Cecil’s number. He tapped his

foot restlessly while he waited for the neurotic little man to answer.
“Need help, Cecil,” he said just as soon as his manager answered.

“Of course,

Mitsuaki,” Cecil replied without hesitation. “What can

I help you with?”

“Akari tuition money gone. Need more work.”
“What do you mean the money is gone?”
“Akari call, say money gone. Bank say money gone, withdrawn

through normal channels.”

“That doesn’t sound right, Mitsuaki.”
No shit?
Miko rolled his eyes. “Rainy day money gone now. Need more

work.”

Harley’s Heart

“Fine, fine, I’ll call up some of the people on the waiting list and

find out what they want, but are you sure you can take on more work,
Mitsuaki? You’re already stretched pretty thin. I don’t want you
overdoing it.”

“I fine.”
“Mitsu—”
Miko huffed. “I say I fine, I fine.”
“Okay, I hear you, but I’ll only do this if you promise to tell me

when it gets to be too much. You have my godchild to care for. You
can’t be overdoing it. If you’re that desperate for money, I can give
you a loan.”

Miko smiled despite the worry swamping him. Cecil had a warm

heart even if he didn’t like to show it. He had been looking out for
Miko since the day they met. Cecil had taken one look at Miko and
seen a lost puppy.

Miko had been lost at the time. It was just days after he had been

kicked out of Harley’s condo. He had nowhere to go and was living in
some cheap dirty roadside hotel. He had been so desperate for money,
he had been considering selling his wedding ring—the one thing
besides his personal belongings that Harley had given him that he had
been allowed to leave with.

Cecil had adopted Miko, taken him under his wing, and helped

him create a home. Cecil was not only the godfather of Kei, but was
considered family. He had a standing invitation to come stay
whenever he wanted.

“Just need more work, Cecil. I be fine, promise.” Cecil had given

Miko so much already. Miko didn’t want to take his money, too. Cecil
had weird hang-ups about money. He had tons of it and could easily
afford to give Miko a loan, but Miko didn’t want money to come
between them. Friendships never did well when money was involved.

“All right, Mitsuaki, if that’s what you want, I’ll see if I can get

some more clients lined up. It shouldn’t be too hard. The senator’s
wife, Mrs. Hamilton, was the belle of the ball with that necklace you

44 Stormy

Glenn

made her. Everyone from the senator down has been calling to find
out if they can get some custom jewelry made by the famous
Mitsuaki.”

Miko burst out laughing at the very idea. “I not famous.”
“Oh, yes, you are, my friend. Mitsuaki is becoming a household

name in high class society. People like to see and be seen, but they
also want to do it looking their best. This year, looking their best
means wearing something made by Mitsuaki.”

“You funny, Cecil.”
“I’m serious, Mitsuaki.”
“If you say so.”
Cecil laughed. “I do say so. Now, go kiss my godson. I’ll line up

some more clients for you and then look into this banking thing. I’m
sure it’s just a mess up somewhere, probably a clerical error. I’ll take
care of it, Mitsuaki.”

“Thank you.” This was good. This was very good. Miko might

have to put in some extra hours working, but if he did things right, he
could have enough money to pay his mortgage for the next three
months and pay Akari’s tuition.

Miko felt much better as he hung up the phone and resumed

sewing seed pearls into the purse he was working on. With Cecil’s
help, he would have three months to figure out his next move because
right now, he didn’t have a fucking clue.

Harley’s Heart

Chapter 5

Harley opened his eyes just a slit and watched as Miko climbed

out of bed, dressed, and left the bedroom. As soon as the door closed
quietly behind him, Harley rolled onto his back and stared up at the
ceiling.

If he didn’t know better, he’d suspect that Miko didn’t like

sleeping in the same bed with him. For the last few days, Miko had
been sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night only to return just
before Kei woke up.

He was gone for hours.
At first, Harley had chalked it up to Miko just not being used to

having someone in bed with him. And while that thought elated him,
it also confused him. Due to his recovery they hadn’t been able to do
more than cuddle and the occasional mutual jerk off. Miko hadn’t
seemed to need more, let alone want more. He seemed content to just
lie next to Harley every night.

And Harley was getting damned tired of it. He didn’t want a

fucking roommate. He wanted his lover back, the man that had stolen
his heart. He wanted Miko.

Harley rolled to the side of the bed and sat up. He smiled to

himself as he glanced down at his feet and wiggled his toes. All of the
walking and exercises that the doctor had told him to do were
working. He had almost full use of his legs and feet again. The rest of
his body seemed to be soaking up the workouts as well. Harley felt
more like his old self than he had in years.

At least, his body did. His heart was another matter.

46 Stormy

Glenn

Harley grabbed his pajama bottoms and pulled them up his legs.

He stood up and padded to the next room, checking on Kei. A wave
of contentment and tenderness swept through him as he gazed down
at the sleeping baby.

It was quickly overshadowed by a need to protect Kei from all of

the evils of the world. Harley had firsthand knowledge of how sick
and depraved some people could be. He’d be damned if he let anyone
hurt his son, or Miko. He might not be full duty anymore, but he was
still a marine, and once a marine, always a marine.

He’d fight to the death to keep his family from harm.
But first, he had to make sure that he had a family.
Harley carefully closed the door to the nursery until it was open

just a crack, then headed out to find his man. He wasn’t surprised in
the least when he spotted the light over Miko’s work area in the
corner. He had suspected Miko’s missing time had something to do
with work. The increase in pinpricks in Miko’s fingers was a big clue.

Harley walked over to the small work area and leaned against one

of the tall shelves that housed Miko’s supplies for his project. He was
amazed as he watched Miko twist and turn a small piece of metal,
adding beads and crystals as he went. The work was intricate and
seemed to have no visible direction, yet after a few minutes, Harley
could see a design taking shape.

“Harley-chan, I wake you?”
“No, baby.” Harley had already been awake when Miko left the

room. He had been waiting to see if Miko would leave him to sleep
alone once again. He had, and now Harley wanted to know why.
“What are you working on?”

“Is necklace and earrings for senator’s wife.” Miko grinned as he

held up two matching earrings. “She have big political fundraiser to
go to, want jewelry for event.”

“When is the event?” Maybe that was why Miko was working so

late, a specific due date.

“Two months.”

Harley’s Heart

Harley’s eyebrows shot up. “It takes two months to get something

like this done?”

“No.” Miko’s long beautiful hair was pulled back in a ponytail,

but enough strands had fallen free to whip around his face when he
shook his head. “Take few days, maybe week. Not long at all.”

Harley moved to lean back against the bench right in front of

Miko, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Then why aren’t you in
bed? Why haven’t you been in bed the last several days? Do you not
want to sleep with me anymore?” Harley’s eyes dropped as he stroked
the back of his hand down the scar on his cheek. “I know I’m not as
handsome as I once was but—”

“No, no, Harley-chan,” Miko cried out as he jumped to his feet,

pressing his hand over Harley’s. “You handsome, Harley-chan. You
always handsome to me.”

“Then why do you keep leaving our bed?” Harley’s heart began to

ache when Miko’s shoulders slumped. “Miko, talk to me. Tell me
what’s going on. We don’t keep secrets from each other, remember?”

“Money gone, Harley-chan, all gone.” Miko picked up a stack of

files and held them out. “I call Cecil, ask for more work. I not want to
leave bed, but it easier to work at night when Kei sleeping.”

“Baby, that would make sense if you didn’t work all day long as

well.” Harley could see the bags under Miko’s eyes and knew that he
wasn’t doing a good job taking care of his lover. Miko was exhausted.
How he stayed on his feet all day to care for Kei, clean and cook, and
work on his projects, Harley would never know.

“Have to work, Harley-chan.” Miko glanced away and started

wringing his hands together, worry creasing every line in his pale
face. “Mortgage due, and Akari need tuition money. Kei grow fast
and need new clothes. Need work to make more money.”

“Miko, why didn’t you talk to me about this?” There was a part of

Harley that was angered by Miko’s refusal to talk to him about their
financial difficulties. He knew that bills had to be paid. He just never
thought about where the money was coming from.

48 Stormy

Glenn

Until now.
“You no worry,” Miko said. “I fix.”
“And just what do I worry about, Miko?” Harley could feel his

jaw clench with the need to shout at Miko. He wasn’t needed to help
with the baby. Miko did that. He wasn’t needed to cook and clean.
Miko did that. He wasn’t needed to help with the finances. Miko did
that. He wasn’t even needed in bed.

He wasn’t needed at all.
Harley spread his arms wide to emphasize his point. “Just where

do I fit into all of this, Miko? You handle the baby, the cooking and
cleaning, the money. You handle everything. What’s there for me to
handle?”

“You no worry. You heal, get better. I fix.”
Harley growled and spun away, storming out of Miko’s work

area. He heard Miko call out to him as he slammed the patio doors
open and stalked out. Harley ignored the soft cry and just kept on
walking. He didn’t even stop when he reached the porch railing.
Harley just grabbed it and leapt over to the ground on the other side.

He was so pissed that he could barely see where he was going. He

was not an invalid. His body might have taken a beating, but his head
was working just fine, and it was currently filled with so much rage
that Harley was pretty sure steam was coming out of his ears.

Maybe coming back full-time was the wrong choice. He had been

offered a training job, a way to stay in the service. He would keep his
rank, and maybe even advance, but he would never go out into the
field again.

And he was okay with that. Harley knew, after being tortured for

ten months, he didn’t have the heart for field work anymore. He just
wanted to settle down with Miko, and now Kei, and live a long and
very happy life.

He had paid his dues and then some.
Was a little peace and calm too much to ask for?

Harley’s Heart

Yes, he imagined he would get a little bored, but he had known

from the day he joined the marines that he wouldn’t be on active duty
his entire life. He had made a point of finding other interests. He
loved to read and watch movies. Hell, even liked bowling. Granted,
those weren’t careers, but they would do until he figured out what he
wanted to do with the rest of his life.

He had just been positive that Miko would be involved in that life.

Now, he wasn’t so sure. Miko had been on his own for a long time.
He had learned a lot. He was no longer the wide-eyed innocent man
that Harley had fallen in love with.

That didn’t mean that Harley loved Miko any less. If anything, his

time away had shown him how much he did love Miko. He had ached
for the man every single second that he was gone. Coming home to
Miko had fulfilled every promise he had made himself through hours
of torture and pain.

And now, it all felt like it was for nothing. Harley understood that

Miko felt he had to work, although Harley would have preferred
being the bread winner in the family. But fine, if Miko needed to
bring in the money, Harley would deal with that.

But he could be useful in other areas. He wasn’t the amazing cook

that Miko was, but he could toss a few dishes together. And it didn’t
take a rocket scientist to change a diaper or wash some dishes. If
properly trained, Harley was even pretty sure he could fold laundry.

There were a lot of things he could do to help out around the

house.

Having a family and being married meant that everyone had to

pull their weight. Yes, sometimes one person did more than the other
person, and vice versa. Not everyone was at the top of their game all
of the time. But it also meant give and take. If Miko was working his
fingers to the bone to provide for them, then Harley could certainly
take on some of the household chores.

If he could just convince Miko of that.

50 Stormy

Glenn

Harley stopped his fast pace and leaned against the closest tree as

he glanced around. His eyebrows rose when he realized he had made
it all of the way to the lake two miles from their home. It usually took
him a couple of hours to reach the lake. Tonight, he had done it in just
under thirty minutes.

Damn.
His legs didn’t even hurt. Harley laughed. He felt good. Tired, but

good. Maybe he should get upset more often. It certainly seemed to
do his body good. Unfortunately, it sucked on the heart. Arguing with
Miko made him sick to his stomach.

They were supposed to be a team. It was them against the world.

Just like Miko had said, they needed each other to breath, and lately,
his oxygen level had been at a minimum. They needed to have a long
talk, without Harley losing his cool and stomping off.

And then maybe they needed a family vacation.
Harley grinned as an idea began to form in his head. He knew just

the place to visit. It was full of active duty and retired marines. They
might be able to teach Harley and Miko a thing or two about being
together after getting drummed out of the service.

But first, he needed to get home, grovel, and hope that Miko

forgave him for being such a bonehead. Harley took it a little easier
on himself as he started back for home. His leg might not be hurting
right now, but it would if he continued to push it.

The sun was just starting to come up over the mountains by the

time the house came into view. The ground was still wet with
morning dew, and a light fog misted across the driveway and the
fields on either side. It gave the small cabin and trees surrounding his
new home a picturesque quality—one Harley was hard-pressed to
remember ever seeing anywhere else.

Miko really had done a good job in finding them a home. Harley

knew he needed to tell Miko that, and how much he appreciated all
that Miko did to make their dreams come true, even if he wasn’t there
to help make them happen.

Harley’s Heart

Harley heard yelling as soon as he stepped onto the porch. It was

Miko, and he was shouting at someone. Harley’s heart thundered in
his chest as he hurried into the house. The sight that met him was one
that made Harley wish he hadn’t left the service—or his guns.

Miko had their crying son held tightly to his chest with one hand.

The other one gripped a very large kitchen knife, and he was waving
it frantically in front of him. He stood across the living room from
Harley’s mother and two of the biggest men Harley had ever seen.

“Just give me the brat!” Marilyn Thomas spit out as she held her

hands out.

“Stay away!” Miko shouted, brandishing the knife in front of him

like a warrior—or a terrified father. “You no have Kei.”

“Give him to me!” Marilyn bellowed.
“He said no, Mother,” Harley said as he stepped into the room.

“And he meant no.”

Harley walked across the room and took Kei out of Miko’s hands.

He could feel everyone gaping at him as he gently juggled the baby
and patted his back, whispering shushing noises at Kei until the
baby’s sobs quieted down and he stuck his fist in his mouth.

Harley kissed the top of Kei’s head and handed him back to Miko.

“I think he needs to be changed.”

“Hai.”
Harley waited until Miko and Kei disappeared into the bedroom

then turned to put the full weight of the rage rolling through him on
his mother. “What in the hell do you think you are doing coming into
my home and demanding my son be turned over to you?”

“This is no way for that child to be raised…” Marilyn’s upper lip

curled back as she glanced around the homey cabin. “Out here in the
wild, uncivilized countryside?”

“Feed me another one, Mother. You could care less that Kei is

being raised in the countryside. I’m sure that you’d prefer if he
disappeared off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again.”

52 Stormy

Glenn

If his mother was concerned for the welfare of his son, he’d eat

manure—a truck full.

“Now, tell me why you’re really here.”
The mask fell off his mother’s face in the blink of an eye. Harley

wasn’t surprised. She was a woman used to getting what she wanted.
She usually tried charm, which didn’t work on Harley and never had.

“That man is saying the brat is your offspring. I want it stopped.

The Thomas name will not be associated with one of those kind.”

“Those kind?” Harley’s eyebrows shot up. He always knew his

mother was a bigot. He just never thought she would say it to his face.
“You mean human?”

Marilyn gave Harley a deadpan look. “You know exactly what I

am talking about, Harland, so stop acting like an idiot. Make him stop
saying the brat is yours or I will be forced to see my lawyer.”

“Sorry to rain on your parade, Mother, but Kei is my son.”
Marilyn flipped her hair over her shoulder then brushed what

Harley was positive was an imaginary piece of lint off her shoulder.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Harland. You’ve been missing for over a year.
There is no way that the brat could be yours.”

Harley cocked his head to one side as he crossed his arms over his

chest and stared his mother. “Just how did you know how long I’ve
been gone?”

“Your commanding officer told me, of course.”
“No, he didn’t, Mother.” His commanding officer was fully aware

of Harley’s nonexistent relationship with his mother as well as his
marriage to Miko. He wouldn’t have said a word. Harley was positive
of it. “Miko is my next of kin, not you. If they were to inform anyone
that I was missing, they would have informed Miko, not you. So, how
do you know?”

“I received a letter. I assumed it came from your commanding

officer.” A wrinkle that Harley was sure his mother wished was gone
crinkled her forehead. “And why is that man listed as your next of
kin? He’s not even American.”

Harley’s Heart

“You mean he’s not white and made of money, don’t you?”
“Harland, don’t be crass.”
“Oh yes.” Harley chuckled loudly. “We mustn’t be crass when

insulting another culture, one that has been around hundreds of years
longer than America.”

Marilyn’s face darkened with anger. “Harland Thomas, you will

watch your tongue or else—”

“Or else what, Mother?” Harley’s eyes briefly strayed to the two

large men standing behind his mother. They were huge. In his current
condition, Harley wasn’t sure he could take them both. “Or you’ll sic
your goons on me? Isn’t that what you did to Miko when you kicked
him out of our condo?”

“He was living there illegally, Harland.”
“The hell he was!” Harley snapped. “He had every right to be

there. It was his home, and you knew that. Miko showed you the
papers.”

“Papers can be forged, Harland.”
A sliver of something wiggled at the back of Harley’s brain, but

he was too pissed to figure out what it was at the moment. He had
bigger fish to fry, like getting his mother and her hired thugs out of
his house then going to check on his family.

“I think it’s time for you to leave, Mother.”
“I’ll leave when I’m done with what I came here to do, Harland,

and not a moment sooner.”

“You’re not getting my son.” Harley could feel tension start to

pull at his muscles as he prepared to fight for his family.

“I will not allow that brat to carry the Thomas name, Harland.

Now, I understand that there might be some attachment, and I am
willing to find him a good home with his own kind. But he cannot
continue to carry the family name. Surely you understand that?”

“What I understand is that you’re trying to take my son from me.

That will get you at least twenty years behind bars, Mother. What will
your high society friends think of you then?”

54 Stormy

Glenn

Marilyn sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I really didn’t

want to go this route, Harland, but if you can’t be made to see reason,
I have no other choice.”

Harley was expecting it, so he didn’t understand why he was

surprised when his mother motioned to the two goons standing behind
her. Maybe he thought there was a chance that his mother had a soul.

He was wrong.
The second the two men stepped toward him, Harley spun and ran

for the bedroom door, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Run, Miko!
Run!”

Harley was tackled before he could take more than a couple of

steps. His arms were yanked behind his back and tied with a ziptie.
Harley raised his head when he heard the bedroom door open, his
heart pounding frantically.

“I swear to god, Mother,” Harley snarled, “if you hurt a hair on

their heads, I will hunt you down and kill you. And I can do it. The
marines trained me very well.”

“And your father trained me, Harland,” Marilyn said as she

squatted down in front of him. “I always get what I want.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” one of the men said when he stepped back

out of the bedroom. “They’re gone.”

Gone? Harley’s heart was going to give out. He just knew it.
“Gone?” Marilyn shot to her feet. “What do you mean they are

gone?”

“The bedroom and nursery are empty. The door to the patio was

open, though. I suspect that they snuck out while you were talking.”

“Find them!” Marilyn shouted. “Search the house, the barn, the

outbuildings, everything. I want them found.”

“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ma’am, do you want us to call in reinforcements?”
“No, the less people that know about this mess, the better. Just

find them.”

Harley’s Heart

Harley began to laugh. “You’ll never find them, Mother. Miko

knows more about hiding than I know about fighting. If he’s gone,
you’ll never see him again.”

Harley swallowed hard when his mother grinned down at him. No

mother should look at her offspring in such an evil manner.

“I might not see him again, but neither will you.”
Harley frowned in confusion, not understanding what his mother

meant until he saw her nod at one of her hired thugs and a fist
slammed into his head.

And then he knew nothing but darkness.

56 Stormy

Glenn

Chapter 6

Miko gently bounced Kei in his arms, praying that the sleeping

baby stayed sleeping. The smallest little cry from the infant would
give their position away, and then they would be doomed.

From all of the shouting and yelling and the things that Harley’s

mother had said when she demanded Miko turn Kei over to her, he
knew that no good would come from their position being discovered.

The woman was pure evil. How she gave life to such a wonderful

man like Harley, Miko would never know. They were polar opposites.
Marilyn was an evil bitch that needed lessons on manners, politeness,
and kindness to others.

Harley was an angel in combat boots. He cared about everyone,

even his evil mother. He would never demand that Miko hand their
son over to that horrid woman. He would fight to his last breath to
keep them safe.

And Miko was terrified that that was exactly what happened. He

had heard a lot of shouting and yelling and crashing and then nothing.
It had been quiet for the last hour. Miko was too terrified to go
looking to see what happened.

Instead, like a coward, he hid away inside the secret hidey hole he

had designed into the bathroom closet. When he had designed it, he
never imagined he would really need it. It just seemed like the thing
to do at the time.

After his experience being kicked out of his previous home and

knowing Marilyn’s dislike of anyone that wasn’t exactly like her,
Miko had thought it prudent to have a place to hide his most precious
possessions.

Harley’s Heart

He never imagined he’d be hiding Kei.
Miko jumped when he heard a car start up and drive down the

driveway. He prayed that it meant the mean people were leaving, but
he wasn’t taking any chances that it was a trick. Miko waited another
hour before opening the secret door and climbing out of the back of
the closet.

He reached back inside and carefully arranged the blankets and

laid Kei down on them, then shut the secret door. Listening for any
sounds, Miko crept out of the closet and quietly closed the door.

He really hoped that they had bought his plan and thought he had

taken the baby and snuck out the patio doors. It had been a spur-of-
the-moment plan. Miko had just had a feeling that he needed to hide
until Marilyn was gone. He had packed a baby bag, opened he patio
doors, and gone to hide.

Miko pressed his head against the bedroom door, listening. When

he didn’t hear anything, he pulled it open just a little. The room
appeared to be empty. Miko blew out a deep breath and crept toward
the bedroom door.

This one was open.
Miko peered through the crack where the door met the frame. He

didn’t see any movement, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone
out there. There was still a whole lot of house he couldn’t see.

Miko dropped down to the floor and slowly crawled around the

door to the edge of the main room. Tears filled his eyes when he saw
everything smashed. The furniture had been destroyed along with
every vase, knickknack, and picture frame in the place. Even his work
station had been destroyed, all of the work he had done over the last
few weeks was gone. It looked like a tornado had blown through the
house.

Everything was destroyed—and Miko didn’t care one bit, just as

long as he found Harley alive and unharmed. Everything that had
been destroyed couldn’t replace the hole that started to form in

58 Stormy

Glenn

Miko’s heart when he couldn’t see Harley in the main room where he
left him.

Miko started with one side of the house, searching the guest

bathroom and guestrooms. When he didn’t find Harley, he searched
the other side of the house, starting with the kitchen and the dining
room. He even searched the pantry.

The last room that Miko had to search was on the far side of the

house from the master bedroom. It was also closest to the front door.
Miko swallowed past the lump of fear clogging his throat and pushed
open the door to the study.

“Harley!” Miko ran into the room and dropped to his knees beside

the prone form lying on the floor. The tears he had been trying
desperately to hold back while he searched the house fell unchecked
down his cheeks when he saw the large bruise on the side of Harley’s
face.

“Harley-chan, wake up,” Miko cried out as he shook the man.

“Please wake up.”

Harley was lying on his side, so it took Miko a moment to notice

that his hands were tied behind his back. He grimaced at the red
marks on Harley’s skin then jumped to his feet and raced over to the
desk to grab a pair of scissors.

Miko tried to be as careful as possible while he cut the thick

plastic tie, but it was damn hard to cut through, harder than even some
of Miko’s metal wire that he used in his jewelry. With a loud snip, the
tie fell away.

Miko put the scissors up on the desk then gently rolled Harley

onto his back. He patted Harley’s face a couple of times. When that
didn’t get him any response, Miko went to the small hidden fridge
behind his desk and grabbed a bottle of water. He chewed on his
lower lip as he carried it back, pulled the cap off, and poured the
water over Harley’s face.

Harley’s Heart

Harley sputtered and came up swinging. Miko jumped back but

not before one of Harley’s fists smacked him in the side of the face.
Miko cried out and fell to his knees, cradling his cheek in his hand.

“Miko?” Harley’s whispered was laced with horror. “Oh god,

baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.”

“You hit like girl.” Well, not really. Harley hit like a semitruck.

Miko felt like his face was going to explode. But the self-loathing in
Harley’s voice wouldn’t do either of them any good. Miko knew
Harley hadn’t meant it.

“Oh jeez, babe.” Miko eagerly went into the arms that Harley held

out to him. “The man that held me down in Central America used to
wake me up by pouring water on my face. It was an automatic
reaction. I would never intentionally hurt you. You know that, right?”

Miko smiled as he patted Harley’s face. “I know.”
“What happened?” Harley asked as he looked around. “The last

thing I remember was being tied up and my mother sending her goons
out to find you and…” Harley suddenly stiffened, his eyes wildly
searching the room. “Miko, where’s Kei?”

“He safe, Harley-chan.” Miko climbed to his feet then reached

back for Harley’s hand. As soon as they were both standing, Miko
started pulling Harley out of the office. “I no like how mother look at
Kei. We hide.”

“Where? They searched the bed—oh, Miko,” Harley stumbled to

a halt when they walked into the main room and he saw all of the
damage. “Our house, it’s destroyed.”

“House be fixed.” Miko tugged on Harley’s hand again to get him

moving. “We not be fixed.”

“Where are we going, Miko?”
“Hidey hole.”
Harley’s forehead wrinkled with a confused frown. “Where?”
“After mother take wedding vase, I make hidey hole to hide

precious keepsakes.” Miko laughed a little as he shook his head.
“Never thought have to hide most precious keepsake there.”

60 Stormy

Glenn

When they reached the bathroom, Miko opened the closet and

carefully opened the secret door. He smiled when he saw that Kei was
still sound asleep. “He sleep through tornado.”

“This is ingenious, Miko,” Harley said as he peered into the small

space.

“Of course.” Miko gently lifted Kei out of the hiding spot. He was

in no way surprised when the baby was pulled out of his arms almost
immediately and cradled close to Harley’s chest. “He okay.”

“Thanks to you.” Harley’s frown deepened, and a pensive

shimmer came into his blue eyes. “I failed you and Kei,

Mitsuaki. I

didn’t keep you safe. I know it’s unforgiveable, but I am sorry.”

“You not know mother crazy.”
“Oh no, I knew she was nuts.” Harley laughed bitterly. “I just

never expected her to come after you and Kei.”

“She obse…obse…she insane.”
“Worse yet, she’s probably going to come back. I know my

mother and she won’t give up until she gets what she wants.”

“She not get Kei.”
“She doesn’t want Kei, exactly. She just doesn’t want Kei to have

the Thomas name.”

“That no make sense. What wrong with Thomas name? It good

name.”

Harley’s face darkened, turning angry. “It is a good name, Miko.

My mother doesn’t want Kei to have the Thomas name because she
doesn’t believe Kei is good enough.”

“Oh.” Miko dropped his eyes, not real sure how to respond to that.

He knew there were those out there that didn’t like him because of his
Japanese heritage. He had run into it a lot since coming to America.

And that didn’t even begin to address how people—both

American and Japanese—treated him when they discovered he was
gay.

“We can change name,” Miko whispered, although he was loath

to do so. Kei should grow up being proud of who he was.

Harley’s Heart

“We are not changing Kei’s name,” Harley snapped. “He’s my

son, and I am not ashamed of him. No one, and I mean no one, is ever
going to make him feel less than what he is. Not even my mother.”

Miko beamed up at Harley. “Ai shiteru, Harley-chan.”
Harley blinked at Miko for a moment then slowly grinned. “I love

you, too, Miko.”

“I no like mother, Harley-chan. No want her here again.”
“No, I don’t much like my mother either. Unfortunately, I’m not

quite sure how to stop her. Once she gets something stuck in her head,
a crowbar won’t pry it loose.”

“We go.” Miko nodded, knowing that leaving was their best

course of action. He reached into the hiding hole and grabbed the
baby bag he had packed for Kei. “We stay somewhere else while
mother loses head.”

“Leaving for a few days might not be a bad idea.” Harley’s arm

tightened around Kei. He reached out with the other one and wrapped
it around Miko. “I need the two of you to be somewhere safe while I
try and stop the bitch.”

Miko smiled even as he slapped Harley’s naked chest. “No swear

in front of Kei.”

“Yes, Miko.” Harley chuckled before leaning in to brush their lips

together. “Go pack a bag, one for all of us. Pack for a few days. I’m
going to go check the car.”

“The car?”
Harley nodded his head toward the living room. “If they can do

that to the house, I can’t even begin to imagine what they might have
done to the car.”

Miko shivered. He wasn’t used to this much violence. While his

life hadn’t been the greatest before coming to America, it had been
relatively bloodshed free. He preferred to keep it that way, especially
considering he had a young baby to care for and raise.

62 Stormy

Glenn

“I pack. You check car.” Miko reached up for Kei. He could see

the reluctance in Harley’s face as the man handed over their son. “No
worry, Harley-chan. I see danger, I scream really loud.”

The chuckle that fell from Harley’s lips softened his face, taking

way the tension lines. “If I see anything, I’ll scream, too.”

“Really loud,” Miko added.
“Yes, Miko, really loud.”
Miko nodded and turned to walk into the bedroom. He laid Kei

down in the middle of the mattress and started to grab stuff and shove
it into bags. Miko caught Harley dressing out of the corner of his eye,
and it reminded him that they didn’t have much in the way of clothing
for Harley. Most of his stuff was still at the condo.

“We go to condo, Harley-chan?”
“No, love. We’re going to go stay with Bill, Angelo, and Manny.”
“Okay.” Miko liked the three men. Not only had they brought

Harley back to him, but they were nice and made Miko laugh.
Especially Manny. The man was hilarious, even if he had an unnatural
fascination with Pringles.

“They okay with Kei?”
“Sure.” Harley nodded. “Charlie, another marine friend of ours,

has two kids, Kenny and Emily. They all live in the same big house
together.”

That was good to know, but that wasn’t the answer Miko wanted.

“They okay Kei Japanese?”

“It won’t be a problem, Miko. I swear. You and Kei being

Japanese won’t even register with them. These guys are nothing like
my mother.”

“They okay with us?”
Harley’s head came up from where he was pulling on his shoes.

“You mean you and me being married?”

Miko nodded.

Harley’s Heart

“Miko, Charlie’s lover is the town sheriff. And you saw Bill and

Angelo together. Being gay is definitely not a problem in that
household.”

Miko breathed in slowly. “Okay, Harley-chan.”
“I would never take you or Kei anywhere that we weren’t all

welcome, Miko.”

“Hai.”
Harley smiled as he got to his feet. “We’ll be okay, Miko. You

just get everything ready, and I’ll go see to the car. We’ll be out of
here and somewhere safe before you know it.”

“Be safe, Harley-chan. I not lose you now.”
Miko went back to packing bags for all of them. Since Harley had

said he only needed to pack for a few days, Miko shoved his and
Harley’s stuff into the same bag. He used the other two bags for Kei’s
stuff. Babies needed a lot.

Knowing how much damage Harley’s mothers and her goons had

done to the house, and fearing that they might come back, Miko
strapped Kei into his car seat then ran around to grab a few personal
items that he didn’t want to be parted with. Some things were too
important to leave behind.

Once everything was packed, Miko got dressed, making sure he

had his good jacket, boots, and jeans on. He didn’t know how long
they were going to be on the road, and he wanted to be prepared for
anything and everything.

Miko had just finished zipping the duffle bag closed when Harley

came running into the bedroom. He didn’t even stop in his stride as he
scooped up the car seat and the extra baby blankets lying on the bed
then headed for the patio doors.

“Run, Mitsuaki!”
Miko grabbed the three bags he had packed and booked it out the

patio doors after Harley. They ran down the steps and through the
backyard, right into the forest behind the house. By the time they
stopped, Miko was panting heavily, totally out of breath.

64 Stormy

Glenn

Harley carefully set the car seat down on the ground and squatted

down to check Kei over. He tucked the blankets in around the still-
sleeping child then stood and glanced back the way they had come.

“Why—” Miko’s throat felt dry and parched. He swallowed hard

to get some moisture in his throat. “Why we run?”

“There was a bomb under the hood of the car.”
“Bo–bomb?” Miko felt his head swim as fear of what might have

happened filled his head. They could have died. And for what?
Because some crazy-ass woman didn’t want an innocent little baby to
have her last name? “Kaneko good name. Maybe we use that.”

Harley’s sudden bark of laughter woke Kei, who immediately

started crying. Harley shivered in response to the heartfelt wail. “It
still freaks me out when he does that. Our son shouldn’t cry like that.”

“Babies cry, Harley-chan,” Miko said as he unbuckled the baby

from the car seat and lifted him into his arms.

“I know babies cry, Miko, but that’s not a cry from hunger or a

dirty diaper. He’s scared, and our son should never be scared.”

“Everyone get scared, Harley-chan, even you and me.” Miko

started gently bouncing the baby against his chest, patting his back at
the same time. “Being scared not problem. Being too scared to…”
Miko frowned as he tried to find the right word. “Being too scared to
act is problem.”

Harley chuckled. “You’re right, babe.”
“Of course.” Miko grinned. “I always right.”
“Can you carry him?” Harley nodded toward the baby wrapped in

Miko’s arms. “I can carry everything else. We have a ways to go
though. I forgot to grab my phone, and I don’t want to chance going
back to the house.”

No sooner had those words left Harley’s mouth than a large

explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet. Harley leapt forward
and wrapped his arms around Miko, dragging them all to the ground.

Miko tucked himself around Kei and curled into Harley’s chest,

shaking in fear. Had the car blown up? “I no like this, Harley-chan.”

Harley’s Heart

“Me either, Miko.”
Once quiet filled the air again, Miko slowly raised his head. His

heart jumped into his throat when he saw the orange and red flames
leaping up into the sky above the tree line. He was very afraid that he
knew what caused those flames, and it wasn’t the car.

“Our home gone, Harley-chan?” Miko whispered softly.
Harley’s arms tightened almost to the point of pain. “Our home is

wherever the three of us are, Miko, not some sticks and stones in the
middle of the forest.”

“I scared, Harley-chan.” Miko had no problem admitting that he

was scared. Hell, he was downright terrified. Someone had tried to
kill them—all of them, not just Miko or Kei, but Harley, too.

“I’m scared, too, Miko.” Harley leaned back to look down at

Miko. His hand cupped the side of Miko’s face. “But we’ll be okay. I
won’t allow any other outcome. No one is going to take my family
from me, not now, not after I fought so hard to come home to you.”

Miko’s throat felt like it was clogged with tears that threatened to

spill down his face. He wanted to cry like Kei had mere moments
before. He wanted to yell at Harley’s mother and tell the horrible
woman to just leave them alone. He wanted someone to take the sad
look off Harley’s face.

“You come home, and we alive. We find new home together. The

rest will fix when time is right.” Miko silently promised his lover that.
If it took the powers of heaven and earth, he was going to create
Harley’s home again.

Harley’s smile was weak and wobbled just a bit, but it was there.

He gently pulled Miko closer and pressed their lips together in a
tender kiss that made Miko’s worries seem to fade away.

“I have my heart,” Harley whispered when he lifted his head a

moment later, his eyes gently caressing Miko’s features. “What else
do I need?”

66 Stormy

Glenn

Chapter 7

Harley was so proud of Miko that he could have burst. Miko never

complained as they trudged through the woods toward civilization,
not one single time. He just took one step at a time, carrying Kei
through the forest like it was a family outing.

By the time they reached the main road, Harley’s leg was starting

to act up. They could have simply walked through the woods
paralleling the driveway and gotten to the main road in a matter of
minutes, but Harley suspected that people were watching and waiting.

If his mother was crazy enough to try and kidnap Kei, then blow

up his house, she was crazy enough to be waiting for any survivors to
come out of the disaster. Harley wasn’t taking any chances with his
family. He had Miko follow the trail to the lake then move through
the thick trees along the edge of the water.

From previous trips, Harley knew that there was a cabin on the far

side. He was hoping for a phone inside the place. If not, there was a
service station and small general store a few miles past the lake.

Harley just hoped Miko could make it that far.
Luckily, it was still daylight out. Harley knew that wouldn’t last,

but he hoped they would get close enough to civilization that they
wouldn’t be stumbling through the woods. Worse case, they stayed
the night in the cabin by the lake.

“How are you holding up, Miko?” Harley called out.
“I fine.”
Harley rolled his eyes. That was the same response Miko gave

him every time he asked. It was the same response Miko always gave
him. Just once, Harley wished that Miko was truthful with him.

Harley’s Heart

He knew Miko was scared. He was scared so how could Miko not

be? Miko wasn’t a fighter. He wasn’t used to being in danger. Harley
was a battle-hardened soldier. Dangerous situations were second
nature to him, and he was terrified.

“Do you need me to take Kei?”
“I said I fine.”
Harley grabbed Miko by the arm and pulled him to a stop. “If

you’re fine, then why are you crying?”

Miko’s eyebrows drew together as he reached up to touch his

cheek. “I crying?”

“Oh, baby.” Harley tried not to hold Miko too close considering

that Kei was smashed between them, but Miko needed a hug more
than he needed to breath. He was falling apart, and he didn’t even
realize it. Harley knew it was shock. He expected it. He just hated that
Miko had to go through it. “We’ll be okay, love. I promise.”

“No promise, Harley-chan.”
Harley smiled and gripped Miko’s chin with his fingers, tilting the

man’s head up. “I do promise, Mitsuaki. As long as we’re together,
there’s not a force in the world that can beat us.”

“She blow up house, Harley-chan,” Miko whispered, desperation

and anguish darkening his caramel-colored eyes. “She try take Kei.
She want us dead. How we stop that?”

“We don’t,” Harley reassured Miko. “We get to my friends, and

they help stop her.”

Miko tilted his head to one side, a curious frown on his face.

“How they stop? You mother crazy.”

“They found me, didn’t they?”
“Hai.”
“I don’t believe there is much they can’t do when they work

together. And, Miko, I trust them with my life, your life, and Kei’s
life. If anyone can help us, they can.” Harley drew in a deep breath,
hating to burst the bubble he hoped he had just started to build for
Miko. “We just have to get to them.”

68 Stormy

Glenn

“Call Cecil,” Miko said, not looking in the least like his bubble

had been burst. “He take us.”

Harley arched an eyebrow. “Cecil?” He had heard a lot about the

man, but he had yet to meet him. Considering how much Miko talked
the man, Harley wasn’t sure he needed to be worried or not.

“Cecil always help.”
He stiffened. Miko sounded so sure that Harley felt a sliver of

jealousy sweep through him.

“Just how well do you know Cecil?”
Miko shrugged nonchalantly. “He friend.”
Harley frowned at that noncommittal response. “How good of a

friend?”

Miko’s sweet laughter filled the air, making Harley smile despite

the danger they were in and the jealousy coursing through him.
Miko’s laughter was the sound dreams were made of.

“He friend, manager. He take care of business contacts, get work

for me.”

“Oh?” Harley frowned.
Miko grinned. “Cecil Montgomery know right people in right

places.”

“Cecil Montgomery…I know that name.” Harley just couldn’t

remember how he knew that name.

“You not worry, Harley. Cecil just friend. You own heart.”
“Good,” Harley said firmly, drawing Miko back into his arms.
“You understand when you meet Cecil.” Miko’s grin was

mischievous as he patted Harley’s chest, and that made Harley
nervous. “He not my Harley.”

Harley could barely stop himself from puffing out his chest at

Miko’s words. He had no idea what Miko meant by them, but they
made him feel ten feet tall. That might not have been Miko’s
intention, but that was the result.

As long as Miko’s heart belonged to him, he could take on the

world—and crazy-ass mothers.

Harley’s Heart

“Come on, love. There’s a cabin on the lake not too far from here.

If we’re lucky, there might be a phone. If not, there’s a service station
another couple of miles past the cabin. And I know it has a phone.”

“We need stop at cabin anyway. Kei need new diaper and bottle.”
“Then we’ll stop there for a little while.” Frankly, Harley was

amazed that Kei was still sleeping considering the noise from the
explosion and the coldness in the air. He was sleeping like he didn’t
have a care in the world and was totally unaware of the danger they
were in.

Harley hoped that continued just little while longer.
Miko’s steps were a little slower as they started out for the cabin

again. Harley knew his love was getting tired and needed to rest.
Maybe stopping at the cabin for a little longer was their best choice.
Kei could eat and Miko could rest. If there wasn’t a phone there, they
could start the next leg of their journey after that.

Harley was so happy to see the cabin come into view twenty

minutes later that he could have danced a jig. Kei had woken, and he
was not a happy baby. No matter what Miko did, the infant would not
quiet down. He was bawling for all he was worth.

Harley walked up to the large deck in front of the cabin and set

down the car seat and bags he had been carrying. He made sure that
Miko and Kei were in sight then walked up to the door. Harley
knocked and waited, listening to sounds that someone was around.

When no one answered his knock or the next one, Harley started

searching for a key, hoping and praying that this was just someone’s
summer getaway. “Yes!” he exclaimed when he lifted a rock with
welcome written on it and found a key.

It fit easily into the doorknob.
“Stay here, Miko,” Harley said as he turned the knob and pushed

the door open. The first thing Harley noticed as he stepped inside the
cabin was the musty stale air. No one had been inside this place in
several weeks, if not months.

70 Stormy

Glenn

Harley quickly searched the cabin, which wasn’t hard considering

that it only had two rooms. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom
were both in one large room, although the kitchen was in a small
alcove. The only other room was a small bathroom.

Once Harley was sure that the place was empty, he walked back

out onto the porch and grabbed the stuff he had been carrying. “Come
inside, Miko. Let’s get Kei taken care of and then you can lie down
for a little while and rest.”

“House have phone?” Miko asked as he got to his feet and

followed Harley into the cabin.

“I haven’t looked yet,” Harley said sheepishly. “I wanted to get

you and Kei inside first.”

Miko smiled and patted Harley’s cheek as he walked past him,

headed for the bed in the corner. “You good daddy.”

Harley watched for a moment as Miko laid Kei down on the bed

and started searching through one of the bags. Kei started to quiet
down somewhere between having his butt changed and getting a
bottle of formula.

Harley smiled when Kei’s whimpers turned to the glutton sound

of a baby feeding and turned to start looking for a phone. The more he
looked around, the less hope that Harley had that he would find one.
The place barely looked like it had working plumbing, let alone
electricity or phone lines.

The stove was gas, which made sense considering the large gas

tank outside. There was water when he turned on the spigot, but it ran
brown and cruddy for several minutes. Harley left it dripping as he
continued his search. Hopefully, the rust would drain away.

“I don’t think there’s a phone, Miko.” Harley frowned when he

didn’t get a response. He looked around the corner of the kitchen.
“Oh, baby,” he whispered when he spotted Kei and Miko curled up
asleep on the bed.

Harley walked over and grabbed one of the blankets folded at the

bottom of the bed. He shook it out, coughing at the dust that filled the

Harley’s Heart

air, then spread it out over both of his guys. Miko murmured in his
sleep and curled around Kei just a little, as if trying to hold onto the
small infant.

Harley finished searching the cabin and found he was right. There

was no phone. There was, however, a nice stone fireplace, a stack of
wood just outside the door, and well pump with fresh water in the
backyard, close to the cabin.

Harley got the stove going and started heating water. He wasn’t

sure why he needed to heat the water, just that he should. Babies
needed hot water, didn’t they? Thinking of that brown crud that was
dripping from the spigot going anywhere near Kei made Harley shiver
in repulsion.

Harley also started a fire in the fireplace. He knew anyone with an

ounce of sense would see the smoke, but his family needed to warm
up. It might be late afternoon, but the air outside was already holding
a chill. He wasn’t going to allow Miko and Kei to freeze.

Food, however, was a different story. The cupboards had plates

and cups and everything needed for cooking. There just wasn’t
anything to cook except spices, rice, and flour. But knowing that this
was a summer vacation home, Harley did a little searching.

By the time the sun set and Miko padded into the kitchen, Harley

had two trout and a pot of rice cooking on the stove. It wouldn’t be
much, but it was something. It would fill their stomachs.

“Hey, baby,” Harley said as he turned and smiled at Miko. The

man still had that sleepy look in his eyes, and his hair was a bit
disheveled. He was simply stunning. “Did you get enough rest?”

“Hai,” Miko said as he rubbed his eyes and gave a big yawn.

“How long I sleep?”

“About five hours.”
Miko blinked. “That long time.”
“You needed it.”
Miko leaned up on his tiptoes and peered into the frying pan.

“That smell good.”

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Harley chuckled when he heard Miko’s stomach growl. He

gestured to the plate and forks he had cleaned earlier. “Go set the
table. This should be done in a few minutes.”

“Where you find fishy?” Miko asked as he grabbed the plates and

forks and carried them over to the small table.

“Your Harley is a man of many talents, my love.” Harley bounced

his eyebrows playfully at Miko.

Miko’s soft laughter filled the room. “Hai.”
Unbelievably, Harley felt his face flush at the hidden innuendo in

Miko’s voice. While they had fooled around a bit since he arrived
home, they hadn’t gone any farther than touching each other and a
couple of mutual masturbation sessions.

And Harley was suddenly feeling the loss. It had been a long time

since they had been truly intimate. When Harley first came home, he
was still healing. When he had grown strong enough, he had still held
off, believing that Miko needed time to get used to them being a
couple again.

But maybe that time had ended.
“You hungry, Miko?”
“Hai.”
Harley brought the frying pan and pot of rice, setting each on a

hot pad. He sat down across from Miko and served them both up a
plate. “I kind of like this little cabin. I think we should get something
like this once things settle down, a place where we can go for family
vacations with Kei and whatever other children we choose to have.”

Miko’s fork hovered close to his mouth as he looked at Harley in

stunned disbelief. “You want more children?”

“Of course.” Harley knew the idea surprised Miko, but he had

been thinking about it ever since he found Miko, long before he even
knew about Kei. “I grew up as an only child, and I hated it. Kei
should have a brother or sister, don’t you think?”

“Not sure Akari agree again.”

Harley’s Heart

“As much as I would like them to be from the same genes, I

wouldn’t mind a little boy or girl with your beautiful eyes. We can
always find another surrogate.” Harley grinned. “I want a big family.”

“You nuts.”
Harley chuckled as he watched Miko go back to eating. At least

his husband hadn’t said no to the idea. “Maybe after we eat and clean
up and get Kei settled, we can start on making that family?” Harley
bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing when Miko’s fork clattered to
the table. “I’d be willing to try until one of us got pregnant.”

Miko’s face turned bright red. “You…” Miko licked his lips then

pointed his finger at Harley. “You nuts.”

Harley grinned and went back to eating.
That wasn’t a no.

* * * *

Harley watched Miko fuss over Kei then pack and repack the

baby’s bag. He knew Miko was nervous about coming to bed. Harley
was a little nervous himself. It had been a long time since he had
made love to someone—not since the last time he had made love to
Miko.

“You know I love you, right?”
Miko’s head came up. “Hai.”
“Then come to bed, Miko.” Harley held his hand out to Miko

“This isn’t anything we haven’t done before a hundred times.”

Miko’s lips pressed tightly together as he set the baby bag down

on the floor next to Kei’s car seat then stood and crossed the room. As
soon as Miko’s hand settled into his, Harley pulled the gorgeous man
down onto the bed beside him.

“Does it make you feel better to know that I’m nervous, too?”
“Why you nervous, Harley-chan?”
“Because you’re so beautiful you make my teeth ache,” Harley

whispered as his eyes roamed over Miko’s delicate features, hungry

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for every glimpse of the man he loved. “Because you could have any
man that you wanted. Because I’m afraid that it’s been so long since I
made love to you that I’ve forgotten how to do it.”

“Only want you, Harley-chan. Only ever want you.”
“Kokoro no sokokara aishiteru, Mitsuaki.” Harley kissed he tip of

Miko’s nose. “I love you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Hai, Harley-chan, Itsumo aishiteru.”
“I will always love you, too.”
Harley trailed his fingers down Miko’s face then rubbed them

over his lips. “So don’t be afraid of how we express the love that we
have for each other. There is no touch or kiss or gesture that can be
wrong between us.”

Miko swallowed. “Hai, Harley-chan.”
Harley smiled as he leaned in to kiss Miko, trying to put all of his

love and affection into the simple brush of their lips. In the blink of an
eye and the flicker of a tongue against his, Harley went from tender
and affectionate to burning with lust.

“Miko,” he groaned as he rolled over on top of the man, pinning

Miko’s slighter body beneath his. Miko spread his legs, and Harley’s
lower half fell between them, drawing a deep, hungry moan from both
of them when their cocks smashed together through their clothes.

“Need, Harley-chan.”
“Yeah, baby, me, too.” Harley started kissing Miko, starting at the

top of Miko’s head and moving slowly downward over his nose and
cheeks, to the side of his head and just below his ear.

Harley paid special attention to the soft curve of Miko’s neck, the

sensitive skin just under his ear. If he remembered correctly, that was
a hot spot for his Miko. When Miko groaned and turned his head,
baring his throat, Harley knew he had remembered right.

“Hana no youni kirei,” Harley whispered into Miko’s ear. “You

are as beautiful as a flower.”

Harley kept his touches featherlight as he caressed Miko’s satiny

skin. One of these days he knew he would have to ask Miko how he

Harley’s Heart

kept his skin so soft, just not tonight. Tonight, he wanted to feast on
the buffet laid out before him.

When Harley encountered the collar of Miko’s shirt, he reached

down and grabbed the hem, pulling the shirt up. He didn’t care where
he tossed it, as long as it was no longer covering what he ached to
look at, to touch and kiss.

By the time he pulled Miko’s shirt over his head and then pulled

his jeans down his legs, Miko’s whole body was shaking. Harley
leaned back on his legs, reaching to pull his own shirt over his head.
His eyes glittered with arousal as he looked down at Miko’s naked
body. Christ, he was hard. His dick rubbed painfully against the teeth
of his zipper.

“God, you are so damn responsive,” he murmured, his voice raspy

and breathless. He reached out with his fingers to gently pull on
Miko’s nipple, drawing an anxious whine from his lips.

“Tha–that good?” Miko whispered breathlessly.
“Oh hell, yeah. I’ve never met anyone as responsive as you. It’s

very arousing, Miko.” Harley grabbed Miko’s hand and placed it over
the very healthy bulge in his jeans. “See what it does to me, what you
do to me?”

“Need… need…” Miko whimpered as his fingers flexed against

Harley’s denim-clad cock.

“Roll over,” he ordered.
Miko frowned but did as Harley asked, rolling onto his stomach.
“Oh damn,” Harley whispered as he brought his hands down on

Miko’s ass cheeks, gently massaging them before pulling them apart.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Miko.”

Harley bent down to swipe his tongue over the crease between

Miko’s ass cheeks. He swiped his tongue over Miko again and again,
pressing in just a little more each time. Several moan-filled moments
later, he finally lifted his head and looked down at Miko.

“Are you ready for me, baby?”

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“Hai!” Miko’s response was instant and so was the shaking of his

body.

Harley chuckled, as he jumped off the bed and unbuttoned his

pants and his shirt. He dropped them onto the floor before climbing
back onto the bed between Miko’s legs. Harley quickly grabbed the
bottle of oil he had found earlier while searching the cabin and oiled
up his fingers. It wasn’t lube, but it would do.

Miko’s legs began to tremble when Harley rubbed some lube

down between his ass cheeks and over his quivering hole, pushing in
gently with one finger. He moaned as Harley zeroed right in on his
sweet spot, stroking it several times before adding a second finger.

“Harley-ch–chan… not…not last long,” Miko groaned.
“I thought that was the whole idea.” Harley laughed as he added a

third finger, carefully stretching his love.

“Harley-chan… Harley… please, Harley… now,” Miko begged.
“Okay, baby.” Harley pulled his fingers free and replaced them

with his cock, slowly pushing his way in, a long groan falling from
between his clenched teeth. “Oh hell, Miko, I missed this so damn
much.”

Miko grabbed the sheets beside him in a tight grasp as Harley

began thrusting into him, each thrust harder and faster until the entire
bed shook. The only sounds in the room were their heavy breathing,
the occasional groan, and the noise made from their hips slapping
together.

Suddenly, Harley stopped, slapping Miko on the ass. “Roll over,

baby. I want to see you come.”

Miko quickly rolled over. He arched his back, his eyes sliding

closed as Harley lifted his legs over his arms and pushed right inside.
Miko’s nails dug into Harley’s arms as he grabbed on.

“Open your eyes, Miko. I need to see your beautiful eyes,” Harley

demanded as he began thrusting into Miko again.

Miko opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused as he looked up at

Harley.

Harley’s Heart

Gods, he was hot.
Miko’s deep, caramel eyes were smoky and filled with desire, as

he looked up at Harley. “Touch yourself, baby. I want you to come
with me. And you’d better hurry. I’m almost there.”

“Haiii,” Miko groaned. His eyes rolled back into his head, his

neck arching and his hands clenching on Harley’s arms. As he came,
spurts of white cream shot from his cock to land between them.

“Oh damn!” Harley felt the tight channel begin to contract around

him with almost brutal intensity, and his thrusts became feral and
erratic as he sought his own release. He roared as he thrust hard into
Miko, his cock pulsing with pleasure. Miko’s inner muscles tightened
around him, prolonging his orgasm until he collapsed down on top of
Miko.

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Chapter 8

Miko’s eyes snapped open, fear paralyzing him when he realized

that someone’s hand covered his mouth. He thought for a moment
that they had been found, and his heart ached because he didn’t know
if he could save Kei and Harley.

And then he saw Harley’s bright blue eyes staring down at him.
“Someone is outside,” Harley murmured, his voice barely a

whisper. “Get dressed then get the baby and hide. Don’t make a
sound.”

Miko nodded that he understood. As soon as Harley moved away,

Miko rolled to the side of the bed and reached for his clothes. He tried
to be as quiet as he possibly could as he yanked on his jeans and shirt.
He dismissed the shoes in favor of going after the baby.

Kei was sleeping peacefully in a small basket by the fireplace

where it was warm. Miko hurried over and picked him up, wrapping
the baby blanket around him. He held Kei to his chest as he scanned
the open room for a place to hide. Nothing looked promising. Miko
and Kei didn’t take up much room, but there didn’t seem to be a
single spot where they could hide.

“Bathroom,” Harley whispered as he pointed to the only other

room in the place.

Miko nodded and started to head for the bathroom when he heard

a key in the door. He froze, his eyes darting to the doorknob. Fear
grabbed ahold of Miko, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

When the doorknob started to turn, Miko dashed behind the door.

He knew he would never make it to the bathroom door in time to not

Harley’s Heart

be seen. His heart pounded in his chest as he crouched down and
prayed they wouldn’t be seen.

The door seemed to open so slowly that Miko’s nerves began to

ripple with anxiety. While he didn’t want to face the battle, he hated
the waiting. Not knowing what was going to happen was hell on his
piece of mind.

“Hello?” a male voice called out as a tall figure stepped into the

room.

“Stay where you are,” Harley called right back.
The man’s hand fell from the door and then both of them slowly

rose into the air. “Hey, look, I don’t want any trouble. Just take what
you want and go.”

“We were just leaving.”
“We? Who—” The man slowly turned, obviously scanning the

room for whoever else Harley was talking about. His eyes landed on
Miko. “Oh, hell, you have a baby.”

“Stay away from my son!” Harley snapped as he took a menacing

step forward.

The man’s head swung around to look at Harley again. “He’s your

son?”

Harley’s eyes narrowed. ‘Yes.”
The man’s eyes once again landed on Miko and Kei. “Where’s his

mother?”

“He doesn’t have a mother,” Harley argued.
Miko’s eyes darted back and forth between the two men. He could

see some of the tension in Harley’s shoulders fading and hoped that
was a good thing. As slowly as he could, Miko stood then darted
around the table to get to Harley without walking past the stranger.

Harley’s arms immediately closed around him.
“He yours, too?” The man nodded toward Miko.
Harley growled, dropped his arms and stepped in front of Miko.

“Yes, he is. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, just checking to see which way the wind blows.”

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Miko would be the first person to admit that he didn’t understand

a lot of the American slang words, but the stranger’s words made
absolutely no sense. “Harley-chan?” Miko asked in Japanese. “What
does he mean by that?”

“I just simply wanted to find out if it was safe to bring my partner

inside,” the man replied in flawless Japanese.

Miko’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. He peaked around

Harley as shock rolled through him. “You speak Japanese?”

The man smiled, making him seem years younger than he had

when he walked in. “I do.” The man clasped his hands together and
bowed. “I am Harold Wright. It is very nice to meet you.”

Miko repeated the gesture as best as he could with Kei in his

arms. “Mitsuaki Kaneko Thomas.”

“Thomas? Any relation to the Thomases that bought the ranch

west of here?”

Miko darted back behind Harley when he heard the man growl.

He wanted to believe that the man that spoke flawless Japanese
wasn’t a bad man, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to think speaking
Japanese made someone nice.

“How do you know about the Thomas ranch?” Harley asked

nicely, but Miko could hear the steel edge of anger in his voice.

“It’s a small area.” Harold laughed. “Since I have water rights, I

always keep an eye on anyone that buys land around here. I don’t
want my lake messed up, and the Thomas ranch borders the far side
of the lake.”

“Yes, it’s our ranch.”
Harold nodded as if he already knew that. “And you’re in my

cabin because?”

“We had some problems back at the ranch and had to leave in a

hurry. We needed a warm place to spend the night,” Harley replied,
some of the tension fading from his stiff posture once again. “It was
too cold out for Miko and Kei. We’ll pay for everything we used just
as soon as we can get to a phone.”

Harley’s Heart

“You can use mine.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled

out a cell phone, holding it out to Harley. “Reception is a little sticky,
but it works most of the time.”

Miko stayed behind Harley as the man grabbed the cell phone and

stared dialing. He heard Harley speaking, but he was more interested
in the man that could speak flawless Japanese than he was what
Harley was saying.

Besides his siblings, it had been a long time since he had

conversed with anyone that could speak such good Japanese. Harley
spoke it, but it was obvious that it was not his native language. This
man could have been born in Japan.

Miko jumped when Harley snapped the phone closed and handed

it back to Harold. Harley stepped back and wrapped his arm around
Miko’s shoulder, keeping him held close to his side.

“Thank you,” Harley said. “If you don’t mind us staying here a

couple more hours, some friends of mine will be coming to get us.”

“No, that’s fine,” Harold said as he glanced back toward the front

door. “But do you mind if I bring my partner inside?”

Damn! Harley had stiffened right back up at the man’s words.

Miko rolled his eyes. He was getting damned tired of all of this cloak-
and-dagger stuff. He understood that they were in a lot of danger and
Harley didn’t know who he could trust. But all of this tension couldn’t
be good on him.

“Please,” Miko said in Japanese again, “bring your partner in.”
Harold glanced at Harley, waiting for him to nod before going

back to the door and motioning with his hand. A moment later, a car
door slammed and then footsteps could be heard as whoever was
outside walked up onto the patio.

The short, dark-haired man that appeared in the doorway was not

what Miko expected. His hair was much shorter than Miko’s, but
there was no disguising the man’s Japanese heritage.

“Hiroki, we have some guests,” Harold said to the small man in

English. “This is Mitsuaki and…”

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“Harland Thomas,” Harley said.
“This is Mitsuaki and Harland Thomas, and their son. They own

the ranch on the other side of the lake.” Harold’s smile was filled with
pride and adoration as he looked from the man next to him to Miko
and Harley. “This is my Hiroki.”

Hiroki nodded. “Hello.”
Just then, Kei woke up and started fussing. Miko immediately

walked over and grabbed the baby bag then carried it to the bed. He
laid Kei down and started grabbing stuff to change the baby’s diaper
and make him a bottle. When he was done, he grabbed the baby and
turned around.

And froze.
“Why you stare?” he asked, seeing that everyone in the room was

watching him.

Harley chuckled and walked over to brush a kiss on the top of his

head. “No reason, baby. We were just watching you ignore the whole
tension-filled situation like it didn’t exist so that you could take care
of Kei.”

“He wet and hungry. He cry.” It was as good of an explanation as

Miko could come up with. “He not happy.”

Harley laughed again and turned to gesture to the couch and chairs

near the fireplace. “I’d ask you to sit while we wait for our friends,
but this is your cabin.”

Harold grinned as he directed Hiroki to one of the chairs, taking

the other one for himself. And, while they might have been sitting in
separate seats, their hands were clasped together on the arm of the
chairs.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had guests up here,” Harold

said. “I used to come up here all of the time with my family.” The
smile fell from his face, and he suddenly looked sad. “But that was a
long time ago.”

“You family die?” Miko asked.

Harley’s Heart

“In a way, I suppose you could say that. My family doesn’t

approve of my relationship with Hiroki. My children won’t have
anything to do with me until I give him up, and I won’t. That would
be like giving up my heart. So…”

Miko understood not being accepted by family members because

of who he chose to love. He understood it way too much. “Harley
mother try to take Kei, say he not have Thomas name. She mad when
we say no and make house go boom.” Miko flickered his fingers into
the air to emphasize what he was talking about.

Harold’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s why all of the fire trucks are

stacked up down the road. I thought there was a brush fire or
something. I was kind of worried about the cabin. I had no idea it was
your house.” Harold’s eyes darted between Miko and Harley. “Are
you all okay?”

“We got out in time,” Harley said. “But now you can understand

why we were using your cabin. We were trying to get to a phone so
we could call some friends to come get us. We hoped there would be
one in here. Since there wasn’t, we had planned to walk to the service
station down the road, but Miko and Kei needed to rest first.”

“You’re welcome to anything we have.”
Harley chuckled. “Not turning us into the police for breaking and

entering is more than enough.”

“Well.” Harold gazed around the small cabin. “I don’t really think

you broke anything.”

“How you meet?” Miko asked, interrupting the bonding thing

going on between Harold and Harley. He remembered vividly how he
had met Harley. He was curious as to how another Japanese man like
him met another American like Harley.

“That’s a really long story, Mitsuaki,” Harold said. “Are you sure

you want to hear it?”

“Hai.”
“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Harold chuckled as he

glanced at Hiroki then slowly turned back to look at Miko. “I was

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stationed in Japan when I was in the service. I met Hiroki at the local
market and was instantly smitten. But, because of his family and the
Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy of the United States government, we had
to keep our relationship a secret.”

Miko looked up at Harley. “That why you friends not know about

me?”

“Yeah, baby. We weren’t allowed to talk about our relationships if

they weren’t male-female. Imagine my surprise when I got home and
discovered that that policy had been repealed. I was thrilled and told
everyone about you.”

“Okay, Harley-chan.” Miko grinned as he turned back to Harold.

“You talk now.”

“Okay.” Harold chuckled. “Well, Hiroki and I had been together

for about a year when I was injured. I was shipped back home and
woke up in a veteran’s hospital. I tried to get a hold of Hiroki and let
him know where I was and that I was okay, but his phone had been
disconnected. All of the letters I wrote to him were returned
unopened. I thought he was trying to tell me it was over.”

Hiroki suddenly stood up and stepped over to sit in Harold’s lap.

For Miko, who had always been taught that public displays of
affection were wrong, it was an eye-opening experience to see another
Japanese man being so openly affectionate with his lover.

He peeked up at Harley to see what his reaction was to the

display. Harley was smiling at the two men, seeming happy to see
them together. Miko frowned and glanced back at Harold and Hiroki.
Miko wasn’t sure he was ready to outright sit in Harley’s lap—
assuming he wasn’t bawling his eyes out—but he wouldn’t mind
sitting a little closer.

Miko scooted closer to Harley on the couch until their thighs

touched. He dropped his eyes and messed with the blanket covering
Kei when Harley glanced down at him. A moment later, Miko felt
Harley’s arm casually wrap around his shoulders. Miko shot him a
quick smile and went back to listening to Harold.

Harley’s Heart

“There was a lot of pressure from my family and friends, and

without the man I really wanted, there was no reason not to give in.
So, I found a girl, got married, and had a family.” Harold smiled
again, but it was filled with sadness and regret. “My Carrie was a
good woman. And she was honest. She knew about my feelings for
Hiroki. I never kept that from her. When she got sick, she made me
promise to go find him after she passed away. She wanted me to be
happy.”

Harold drew in a deep breath and tried to smile again, but Miko

could see the tears in his eyes. “We had nearly twenty years together,
and I never regretted a single one of them. When Carrie passed away,
I hired a private detective to find Hiroki. I thought he was still back in
Japan, so I was shocked when I discovered he was living in New
York. I went and found him and…”

Hiroki stroked his fingers through Harold’s short, graying hair

when the man turned his face into Hiroki’s neck. He smiled as he
turned to face Miko and Harley. “My family didn’t want me to be
with an American. They wanted me to marry a good Japanese girl.
When they discovered my relationship with Harold, they sent me
away and wouldn’t allow me to contact him. By the time I got back,
Harold had been injured and sent back to the States. I followed,
determined to find him.”

“Did you?” Miko asked when the man stopped speaking.
“I did, but by then he had married his wife and had a couple of

kids. I didn’t want to interfere in that, so I went away again. I didn’t
see him again for nearly ten years, and then one day, he just showed
up on my doorstep.” Hiroki suddenly smiled, and this time, it was
filled with joy instead of sadness. “That was five years ago. We
haven’t been apart a single night since.”

“Just your wife died?” Harley asked. “I thought you said your

entire family had died.”

“My…uh…my children don’t accept my relationship with Hiroki.

They believe I am being disrespectful to Carrie’s memory by being

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with him.” Harold grimaced. “I don’t think it has anything to do with
Hiroki being Japanese or even being a man. They just can’t stand to
see me with anyone except their mother.”

“They come around,” Miko said. “They just not understand.”
“Maybe.”
“Family need family,” Miko said. “If you family not want you, we

take you.”

Harold’s mouth dropped open, and he just stared at Miko. Then a

loud belly of a laugh fell from the man’s lips. “I like you, Mitsuaki.
You’re a good man.”

“How old you?” Miko asked.
Harold blinked. “Huh…forty-seven. Why?”
“You not old enough to be grandfather,” Miko said as he stood up

and carried Kei over to Harold, gently placing the baby in Harold’s
arms. “You be uncle.”

Miko was quite happy with himself when he heard Harold’s soft

gasp. He turned and walked back over to sit down next to Harley, not
missing the approving nod that his lover sent him. He had done right,
and he knew it.

Harold needed a family that accepted his love for Hiroki, just like

Harley did. And if their families wouldn’t step up and do it, Miko
would create a new family for all of them.

“So, tell me about this trouble you’re having.”
“My mother hates that fact that I’ve married and had a son with

someone that is not rich, not white, and not American.”

“It’s not because you’re with a man?”
“Naw, she could care less about that. It’s the whole race thing

with her. My mother is a hateful bigot, plain and simple. Miko didn’t
have a penny to his name when I met him, and she can’t stand that.
Even if it was with another man, my mother would have approved if I
had married a rich investment banker or a doctor or just about anyone
that came from money.”

Harley’s Heart

“And the child?” Hiroki asked in his soft spoken voice. “He is

yours?”

“Oh yes.” Harley grinned as he brought Miko’s hand to his mouth,

pressing a kiss against the top. “Miko arranged for his sister to be
inseminated with my sperm. It was about as close as we could get to
having a child with both of our genetics.”

“And your mother hates that enough to try and kill you?” Harold

looked dubious as if he couldn’t conceive of the idea. Miko knew how
he felt. He was still reeling from the fact that Marilyn had tried to kill
them all.

“She wanted to just take Kei,” Harley said. “She even said that

she would find him a good home with his own kind, as long as he
didn’t carry the Thomas name. When I said no, her hired thugs
knocked me out. Miko found me and freed me. I went to check on the
car while Miko packed, and I found an explosive device attached to
the undercarriage of the car. I ran back inside and got Miko and Kei,
and we just ran. We had barely made it to the woods when the house
blew.”

“Damn!” Harold rubbed his hand down over his face, a look of

total shock making his face pale. “I can’t believe she tried to kill you
just because she didn’t want your son to carry your name.”

“The Thomas name is very important to her, and she’s not above

killing to keep it shining just the way she wants.”

“How can we help?” Harold asked.
Harley smiled at the man. “You’ve done more than enough,

believe me. Not turning us in to the authorities for squatting in your
cabin is a big help. Once my friends get here, we’ll be out of your
hair. I promise.”

Harold waved his hand at Harley. “Stay as long as you like.

Hiroki and I welcome the company.”

Just then, a vehicle could be heard pulling up the drive.
“I do believe your friends are here now.” Harold let out a loud

sigh. “I guess that means I have to give up this precious bundle.”

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Miko smiled as he got to his feet and walked over to take the

baby. “You take phone number, come visit nephew anytime.”

“We’ll do that,” Harold replied. “Thank you.”
“Miko, why don’t you get our bags ready,” Harley said as he got

to his feet. “I’ll go greet the guys and let them know what is going
on.”

“Hai.”
“Harold, would you like to join me? I’d like to introduce you to

some of my buddies.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Harold pecked Hiroki on the lips then set

the man on his feet and stood. “I’ll be right back, love.”

Hiroki nodded. They both watched as Harley and Harold walked

out of the cabin.

Miko walked across to the bed and laid Kei down on the mattress.

He grabbed one of the bags and started shoving items back inside. He
kind of hated to leave. He liked it here. Besides the fact that they had
met two new friends, Harley and he had kind of reconnected in this
small place. It was special.

“Can I hold him?” Hiroki asked.
“Hai.”
Miko watched Hiroki as he lifted the baby into his arms. The man

was very careful, making sure he supported Kei’s head. This was
good.

“He smells just like I thought a baby would smell.”
“You no be around baby before?”
“No.”
“You very good with him.”
Hiroki’s face flushed. “Thank you.”
“You need have you own baby.”
“My family would never agree, and Harold doesn’t have any

sisters.”

“Use surrogate. Not have to be relation, just Japanese.”
Hiroki laughed. “I think I’m too old to become a parent now.”

Harley’s Heart

“Never too old. Baby make young.”
“Maybe.”
Miko turned and looked at Hiroki, suddenly curious about

something. “How you speak English so good?”

“I’ve been here for a very long time. I’ve gotten used to speaking

English. To tell you the truth, it’s kind of refreshing to speak to
someone else that knows Japanese. The small community that I lived
in stopped having anything to do with me when it became known I
was involved with another man.”

Miko shook his head in disgust. “People mean.”
“As long as I have Harold, I don’t care what others think.”
“Hai.” Miko felt exactly the same way. The rest of the world

could go fuck themselves as far as he was concerned. As long as he
had Harley and Kei, no one else mattered. “You family with us now.
We be okay.”

Hiroki grinned. “Hai.”
Miko reached up to take the baby again when a loud shout came

from outside the cabin. It was followed almost immediately by a loud
bang. Miko knew what that sound was, and it sent ice racing through
his bloodstream.

He grabbed Kei and the baby bag. “Hiroki, run, hide!” he cried

out as he ran toward the bathroom. Before he could reach the safety of
the bathroom, the front door crashed in, splintering as if someone had
kicked it.

Miko spun around then quickly started backing away when he

recognized one of the large men storming into the cabin as the one
with Harley’s mother. He didn’t know who the other guy was. He just
knew he had to get away. He had to get Kei hidden before he was
taken.

“Get the damn kid!” one of the men snapped. “I’ll get the boy

toy.”

Miko’s eyes widened when one of the men started toward him. He

turned back around and ran for the bathroom. Miko made it two steps

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before he was grabbed from behind and pushed down onto the floor.
He was barely able to keep himself from falling on Kei and crushing
him.

“Give me the brat!”
“No!” Miko shouted as he started struggling, trying to hold onto

Kei and hit and kick out at the man at the same time. A large meaty
fist slammed into the side of Miko’s head. He cried out and fell to the
floor, Kei crying as he rolled out of Miko’s arms.

No,” Miko whispered as he watched the large man pick Kei up.

His head throbbed with pain. His eyes were so blurry he could barely
see. “Please, no.”

The man ignored Miko, turning to face the other intruder. “What

do you want me to do with him?” the guy asked as he pointed down at
Miko.

“Boss lady wants the Japanese guy taken to her.”
“Which one? There’s two of them.”
“Ah hell, take ’em both. The boss lady can sort them out.”

Harley’s Heart

Chapter 9

Harley woke up swinging. One moment, he was out cold. The

next, he was awake and knew he was in trouble. The second
awareness came to him, he started swinging his fist, determined to
take out whoever had attacked him.

Miko, Kei, and Hiroki were inside the cabin, and they needed to

be protected at all costs, even if it meant his life.

“Harley, dude!” someone shouted. “Chill out!”
Harley’s chest hurt with how fast his heart was beating. He slowly

lowered his fists when he realized that Bill hovered over the top of
him. “Bill?”

“Yeah, man.” Bill glanced around him. “What in the hell

happened here?”

Harley’s eyes rounded as his memories slammed into him.

“Miko!” he cried out as he rolled to his feet and ran for the cabin.
Harley’s worst fears were realized when he stepped inside and saw
the destruction inside the empty building. Praying, Harley ran toward
the bathroom. It was just as empty as the cabin.

Just as empty as Harley’s heart.
“They’re gone.”
“Who, Harley?” Bill asked. “Who’s gone?”
“Miko and Kei.”
“And Hiroki,” someone else said.
Harley turned to see Harold standing in the doorway of the cabin,

his fists clenched as he took in the scene inside the cabin. “Hiroki is
missing, too?”

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“Yes,” Harold growled. His eyes were narrow slits of rage when

he turned them on Harley. “I want to know what in the fuck you’re
involved in and why my Hiroki got dragged into it.”

“I don’t know, Harold. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough, damn it!” Harold shouted. “Someone

took my Hiroki, and I want him back.”

“They took Miko and Kei, too. Don’t you think I want them back?

All of them?”

“Harley,” Bill said as he stepped up to him, “what’s going on

here? Where are Miko and Kei?” Bill waved his hand around the
destroyed cabin. “What happened here?”

“Oh man.” Harley’s throat felt like it was going to close up as he

looked around the room. There hadn’t been much in the place to begin
with, but what was there had been completely destroyed. “That bitch
took them.”

Bill blinked. “Could you be more specific?”
“My mother.”
“Your…mother did this?”
“No, my mother sent her goons to do this. They jumped me and

Harold when we went outside. We heard a car and thought it was you
guys showing up. Miko and Hiroki were inside the cabin with Kei,
getting our bags ready to go.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”
Harley winced as he ran his fingers over the top of his scalp.

“Getting hit over the head with a gun.”

Bill turned to look at Harold. “And you? What’s the last thing you

remember?”

“Pretty much the same thing.”
“How many were there?”
Harley frowned as he shuffled through his memories. “I think

there were four or five of them. I know I knocked one out, and I saw
Harold fighting two others. Two jumped me. I don’t remember
anything after that.”

Harley’s Heart

“Anything else you remember?”
“I saw at least two of the men at my house with my mother before

she knocked my ass out and blew it up.”

Bill’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “She blew up your

house?”

“Yep.”
“Okay, I’m calling Charlie,” Bill said as he pulled his cell phone

out and flipped it open. “We’re going to need everybody on this one.”

“Everybody?” Harley asked. “Who is everybody?”
Bill grinned. “Half of them were part of the team that went in to

Central America and pulled your ass out of a sling. The other half was
at home directing the show.”

“And you think they’ll help?” Harold asked. “They don’t even

know me or Hiroki.”

If anything, Bills grin grew bigger. “Oh yeah, they’ll help.”
Harold’s head tilted slightly as he frowned. “Why?”
“Once a marine, always a marine.”
Harold’s mouth dropped. “How did you know I was a marine?”
“It’s the way you carry yourself,” Harley said, knowing exactly

what Bill was thinking by the smirk on his face. “Every man that’s
been through marine training has it.”

“I could have been in a different branch of the armed services,”

Harold protested.

“Naw.” Bill chuckled. “Because then we wouldn’t like you.”

* * * *

A few hours later, Harley found himself standing in a room filled

with marines, both active duty and retired. He was still reeling at
everything that had happened, and how fast it had happened.

One minute Bill had been on the phone. The next, Harold and

Harley were rushed into a car and driven to a nearby helicopter pad.

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They were flown through the air, landing in a field a stone’s throw
from a large antebellum mansion.

Now, a war room had been erected in the study of that mansion.

People had been called in to consult that had so many initials after
their names that Harley could barely keep up with who was who.

From what he gathered, there were several marines—most of

them Harley knew from missions they had gone on together, a former
DEA agent, a sheriff, an older gentleman that was richer than Midas,
an old farmer, and Charlie, who seemed to have more connections
then the Pentagon.

“How are you holding up, son?”
Harley rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to look at the old

man speaking to him. He was pretty sure this was the farmer. He
certainly was dressed like a farmer. Harley tried to send him a smile
but knew he failed when the man snorted.

“Be honest, son. I know you’re scared for your family.”
“I am. I know what my mother is capable of. I also know that

Miko will do anything to keep our son safe. Both thoughts scare me to
death.”

“If anyone can find them, Charlie can.” The old man gestured

over his shoulder with his thumb. “He’s good at this sort of thing.”

“He has to rescue a lot of kidnapped victims, does he?”
“He helped plan your rescue and Angelo’s. And a few months

back when my grandson Robby got kidnapped by a psycho bitch from
hell, Charlie helped rescue him. So, yeah, I’d have to say Charlie has
gotten kind of good at this.”

Harley grimaced as he glanced beyond the old man to the men

gathered around a large table. “That’s too bad. I can’t think of
anything worse than becoming good at rescuing kidnap victims.”

“Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today.”
Harley heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”
“But that’s not all Charlie does,” the man insisted.
“Oh?”

Harley’s Heart

“Take this house here. Charlie bought it, but he didn’t understand

why he had bought such a large house when, at the time, it was just
him and the two kids. Not more than a few weeks after he moved in,
my grandson John Henry and a bunch of Charlie’s former unit were
living here. There have been a few more additions over time, like
Robby, Bill, and Angelo. But Charlie created a home here for them,
one where they are safe to be who they are and love who they want.”

“Sounds nice,” Harley mused. It sounded real nice. Living in a

household full of marines also sounded safe, the one thing he hadn’t
been able to give to Miko since he’d been back.

“Oh, it gets noisy on occasion, but it’s a good place to be. I know

my grandsons have never been happier than they have since being
here, all three of them.”

It suddenly dawned on Harley who the old man was. Bill had

talked about the man endlessly while they were out on missions.
“You’re Bill’s grandfather.”

John Henry I grinned. “That’s me.”
“Bill’s a good marine.”
“He’d better be,” the other old man in the room barked out as he

walked over to them, laughter clear in his voice. “He was raised by
the best gunner to ever serve in the armed forces.” He held his hand
out to Harley. “I’m Charles Kenneth Pennington I.”

Harley shook his hand. “Harland Thomas.”
“I’m Charlie’s grandfather.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’ve worked with Charlie when I was

on active duty. He’s a good man.”

“Here.” Charles held out a small glass filled with an amber liquid

in it. “I thought you could use this.”

“Thank you, sir.” Harley took the glass and downed it in one

swallow, coughing roughly when it burned on the way down.

“Easy, son.” John Henry I chuckled. “That shit will burn the hair

right off your balls.”

“Damn.” Harley wheezed as he pounded his chest with his fist.

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“Told ya.” John Henry I chuckled. “Charles ships that stuff in

from Louisiana. He gets it from some old goat that lives in the back
bayous down there. Crazy old coot, too. He won’t tell anyone where
he lives or makes his hooch, or even how he makes the damn stuff,
but he ships a case of this shit up to Charles every few months.”

Harley smiled. “Sounds like my type of guy.”
John Henry I nodded. “You’ve been hanging out with the wrong

guys, son.”

“I’ve been hanging out with your grandson,” Harley protested.
The lines around John Henry I’s eyes crinkled as he grinned.

“Exactly.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Pops,” Charlie said as he walked over, setting

his hand on John Henry I’s shoulder. “I need to speak with Harley.”

The jovial mood that Harley had fallen into talking to the two old

gentlemen evaporated in a single sentence. Fear renewed itself,
making it hard for Harley to breath. Harley bent over and dropped his
head into his hands.

Good god, he had forgotten all about Miko and Kei. It might have

been for a brief few minutes, but he had still forgotten that his loved
ones were being held captive by the sadistic woman that had given
him birth.

He was such a fucking asshole.
“Hey, now, son,” John Henry I said, patting Harley’s shoulder. “I

know what you’re thinking, and don’t. Having a few minutes to
unwind in a stressful situation is going to make you better able to deal
with whatever is coming.”

“If you stayed strung too tight,” Charles added, “you won’t do

your family any good.”

“I’m not doing my family any good right now.”
“Then come talk to me,” Charlie said. “I need to get some

information from you that I think might help us locate Mitsuaki, Kei,
and Hiroki.”

Harley’s Heart

Harley jumped to his feet, all too eager to give Charlie whatever

assistance he needed. It was better than just sitting on his ass
worrying. Harley wanted to take an active part in getting Miko and
Kei back. He no longer considered the bitch that took his family his
mother. She could burn in hell for all he cared.

The only thing Harley wanted was his family.
Charlie walked down the hallway and into the largest kitchen

Harley had ever seen outside of a restaurant. He waved for Harley to
have a seat at the small breakfast table. “We need to know where your
mother might take your family and Hiroki.”

“Hiroki is family,” Harley corrected Charlie when he thought of

how Miko had adopted the two strangers. His husband would never
cease to amaze him. Their house had been blown up, and bad guys
were after them, but Miko still found kindness in his heart to adopt
two misfits that no longer had a family of their own.

Harley could feel himself starting to fall apart at what could be

happening to the three at this very moment. But he couldn’t. He had
to pull himself together or he would be of no use to Miko and Kei, or
even Hiroki.

“It could be anywhere,” Harley admitted bitterly. “She has quite a

few real estate investments and money at her disposal to hide them
anywhere in the world.” It killed him to think where his husband and
son might be shipped off to. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to
send them to Japan.

She was that fucking evil.
“The first forty-eight hours are the most critical,” Charlie said.

“I’ll need you to make a list of her properties and even where she
resides. I found in cases like these, the kidnapper likes to keep their
victim close, just so they can keep an eye on them.”

Harley wasn’t so sure about that. His mother couldn’t stand the

sight of Miko, and she wanted nothing to do with Kei. There wasn’t a
grandmotherly bone in her damn body. “She might try and send them
to Japan.” He voiced his worst fear.

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“Then we need to get on this right away.” Charlie grabbed a

pencil and a piece of paper off the counter and slid them over in front
of Harley. “Give me those properties and her place of residence.”

Harley wasn’t sure what good it would do, but he scribbled down

what he knew. There could be more, or she could have sold the
existing property off. He had no idea what she did with her time and
money.

Apparently some of her time was spent plotting against Harley’s

family, though. If he ever saw her again in life, it would be too soon.
“Here.” He slid the paper over to Charlie, giving the man a solemn
look. “Please get them back.”

Charlie nodded as he grabbed the paper and left the room. Harley

sat there feeling like he should be doing something, anything to help
his husband and child. He had just met Kei and hadn’t really had a
chance to get to know his son.

No, he wasn’t going to think like that. Harley had to remain

positive and confident that these men knew what they were doing. If
they didn’t, his entire world would be gone. Harold walked into the
room, taking a good look around.

“You have some very scary friends,” he said as he took a seat at

the table. “I’m glad I’m not the bad guy in all of this. I wouldn’t want
them coming after me.”

“No,” Harley admitted. “You wouldn’t.”
“You’re mother really doesn’t have a clue, does she?”
Harley cocked his head to one side, not real sure what Harold was

talking about.

Harold just shook his head, a small chuckle falling from his lips.

“I know from personal experience that people with money believe
they can get anything they want out of life. Hiroki’s family came from
old money. They used it to try and keep us apart. Hiroki just walked
away, left everything behind. He could have cared less about all of the
money he would have inherited if he had stayed and done as his
family wanted.”

Harley’s Heart

“Sounds like a good man.”
Harold’s eyes had a suspicious sheen to them when he replied.

“He’s the best.”

“Do you think they actually know how much we’re wrapped

around their little fingers?”

Harold threw his head back as a loud bellow of laughter filled the

air. “Oh, they know. Believe me, they know.”

Harley grimaced although he wasn’t exactly upset, more resigned.

“There’s a daunting thought.”

“Right?” Harold’s eyes began to twinkle with amusement.
“Miko is a pint-sized ball of beautiful fury. He can bring me to my

knees with a single wink.” Harley smiled even as he felt tears gather
in his eyes. “He thinks it’s his job to protect me from the world.”

“Yeah, they do tend to think they can take on the world, don’t

they?”

Harley chuckled low in his throat as he nodded. “Even thinking I

was dead, Miko—”

Harold’s eyebrows drew together as he suddenly sat forward.

“What do you mean dead?”

“I got captured while on a mission in Central America. I was held

prisoner by a drug lord for nearly ten months. During that time, my
mother told Miko I was dead and kicked him out of our condo. She
even held a funeral for me.”

Harold’s eyes rounded. “Damn.”
Harley chuckled. “Miko didn’t let that stop him, though. He found

a career that he loves, built us a house, and got us Kei. He made the
dreams we talked about before I left a reality. He didn’t let a little
thing like my death stop him.”

“My bad.” Harold grinned. “All this time I thought your mother

needed to be worried about your friends.”

“Yeah, she’s not too bright, is she?” Harold asked, his disdain

obvious in the tone of his voice.

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“She was stupid enough to take the most precious thing in the

world from me.” Harold suddenly grew serious. Harley could feel the
man assessing him, watching for his reaction as he spoke. “You know
I can’t just let that go, right?”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Harley answered. What other response

could give Harold when he felt the same way? “Just make sure that
whatever you do can be justified in a court of law. I don’t want you
facing twenty years because my mother is crazy.”

“Harley, you do know what I’m talking about here, right?”
The corner of Harley’s mouth kicked up as he folded his hands

together and rested them on the table. He knew exactly what they
were talking about. He didn’t condone murder, but some people
needed to be taken out for the sake of humanity.

“I suspect you’re talking about the same thing I am—making

damn sure the bitch that gave birth to me isn’t a threat to Miko, Kei,
or Hiroki ever again.”

“Yes, well…” Harold rubbed the bridge of his nose then dropped

his hand onto the table. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the
same page. She is your mother after all.”

“No.” Harley shook his head. “She stopped being my mother the

moment she went after Miko and my son. She’s nothing to me now.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Charlie said from the doorway, “because

we may have a lead.”

Harley’s Heart

101

Chapter 10

Miko paced back and forth across the floor, bouncing Kei in his

arms. He gently patted the infant’s back, trying to sooth him. Kei had
been changed, fed, and burped. Nothing seemed to work. Kei just
continued to cry for all he was worth. Miko had used every trick in
the book, and still Kei cried. He had been bawling so hard for so long
that now just faint, muffled whimpers came from his tired little body.

And Miko was at a loss.
“How’s he doing?”
Miko glanced over at Hiroki and shook his head. “He exhausted.”
“Could he be getting sick?”
“Not know.” Miko prayed Kei wasn’t getting sick because he

seriously did not know that much about babies. He was kind of
learning as he went along. It was like an experiment in the insane and
inept.

“Maybe he misses his daddy.”
Well, that made sense. Miko missed Harley so much he felt like

his insides were going to spill right out of him. If Kei was missing
Harley just as much, it would explain why he was crying. Miko just
didn’t know if a baby so young could grow an attachment to someone
they had only known for a matter of days.

“Any idea why this woman wants us?”
“She want me, not you.”
“Okay.” Hiroki pursed his lips. “Any idea why she wants you

then?”

“She Harley mother. Not want me or Kei have Thomas name.”

Miko glanced up at Hiroki, hating the fact that the guy had gotten

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dragged into the crap with Harley’s mother. “She bad lady. She try
take Kei before and blow up house.”

Hiroki’s eyes rounded. “She doesn’t sound like much of a lady to

me.”

“I sorry, Hiroki. I not mean this happen.”
Hiroki waved a dismissive hand at Miko. “You didn’t do this,

Mitsuaki. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“You no get taken if—” Miko’s lips snapped closed when he

heard a key in the lock of the door. His chest started to ache, and he
realized he was holding his breath. He tried to draw in a lungful of air,
but nothing seemed to be getting through. Miko’s head started to
swim. He pressed his hand to his chest, wheezing.

He was hyperventilating.
He— “Ouch!” Miko cradled his sore cheek and looked at Hiroki

like the man had lost his mind. “Why you hit?”

“Because you’re losing it,” Hiroki snapped. “If I learned anything

from dealing with my parents, it’s that you never let them see you
sweat.”

Miko arched an eyebrow then slowly raised his arm and sniffed.

“I no sweat,” he snapped, miffed that Hiroki had hit him and said he
stunk.

“It’s a metaphor, Mitsuaki.”
“Meta-what?”
“Metaphor,” Hiroki said in Japanese. “A figure of speech. It

means that no matter what, you can’t let them know that you’re upset
or scared.”

“Why you no say that?”
Miko didn’t understand why Hiroki was just staring at him, his

eyes slowly blinking. It sounded like a reasonable question to him.
Apparently, Hiroki had been in America too long. He was picking up
their confusing way of talking.

Hiroki rolled his eyes and turned to face the door as it opened.

“Just remember not to let them know you’re scared, Mitsuaki.”

Harley’s Heart

103

Miko wasn’t real sure that was possible. He was more scared than

he had ever been in his life. He was even more scared than he had
been when Marilyn Thomas had shown up at the condo with her hired
thugs and booted him out.

At least that time, he knew he was going to live.
This time, he wasn’t so sure.
Miko knew that Marilyn’s ultimate goal was to get rid of him and

Kei. He wasn’t exactly sure if the woman was crazy enough to kill her
own grandson, even if she had ideas of selling him off to a Japanese
couple.

But, the insane woman would have no problem killing Miko, and

that was readily apparent when she stepped into the room with one of
the man guarding them. Her lips twisted in an angry frown when
Kei’s cries filled the air.

“Can’t you shut him up?” Marilyn snapped.
“I try,” Miko said quickly. “He no stop.”
“He scared,” Hiroki added in broken English.
Miko blinked at him for just a second before looking back at

Marilyn. He wasn’t quite sure what game Hiroki was playing, but if
the man didn’t want Marilyn to know he spoke perfect English, Miko
wouldn’t give him away.

“Well, make him stop.” Marilyn glared. “And clean him up. A

buyer is coming by to look at him.”

Miko’s heart just about jumped out of his chest at Marilyn’s

words. He tightened his arms around Kei. “No, he mine. You no
take.”

Marilyn’s perfectly manicured eyebrow arched up on her

forehead. “You don’t have a say in this. You can either do as you are
told, or my guards will do it for you. Your choice, Mitsuaki.”

“Why you so evil?” Miko asked. “He you grandson.”
“That abomination is no grandson of mine!” Marilyn snapped as

her faced reddened with rage. “Every Thomas ever born was an
American. We do not sully our bloodline by mixing with others.”

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Miko licked his lips as he tried to come up with any solution that

would keep Kei in his arms. “Kaneko good name for him.”

“Oh, no.” Marilyn waved her hand back and forth. “It’s much too

late for that. I tried to be reasonable, but you and my son insisted on
keeping him. I know that Harland won’t give up until he has that little
brat back. The only way I can solve this mess you’ve both gotten the
Thomas name into is to remove you both from the situation—
permanently.”

“You no have to do this,” Miko insisted with a breath of

desperation. “We go away. Never come back. Promise.”

“Like I would believe one of you.” Miko felt his skin crawl when

Marilyn looked him up and down. He knew he didn’t meet her
standards when the woman sneered at him. “Your kind all lie to get
what you want.”

Miko’s eyes widened at the woman’s implication. He lied?

Really? Had the woman ever looked in a mirror?

“Harley no like this.”
“Harley will never know. You’ll be long gone by the time he even

figures out what is happening. And by then, it will be too late. He’ll
never be able to trace your disappearance back to me.”

Miko stared at the woman, fascinated by just how much she really

didn’t know about her son. Miko had no doubt that not only had
Harley figured out what had happened and who had him, Kei, and
Hiroki, but he was on his way here to save them all.

They just had to hold out until that happened.
“You no take,” Miko said again as he backed away, holding Kei

tight to his chest. “I keep.”

Miko swallowed past the fear building in his throat when he saw

Marilyn’s eyes narrow to tiny little slits. This was going to hurt. He
just knew it.

Marilyn turned her head slightly and glanced at one of the massive

men standing beside her. “I want that brat ready to go in the next ten

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105

minutes. My buyer should be here anytime, and he’s not going to
spend good money on a crying kid.”

The thug nodded and started for Miko and Kei. Miko backed

away. “No, not you baby!”

“Give me the kid.”
“No.” Miko shook his head rapidly. “He my baby.”
The man’s eyes darted to one side as if watching the others in the

room. When they came back to Miko, there was a hint of regret
darkening them. “Give me the baby so he doesn’t get hurt.” The man
spoke in bad Japanese, but Miko understood him nonetheless. “She’s
not above using force to get what she wants. You don’t want him
caught in the middle.”

“What are you saying to him?” Marilyn screeched.
The brown-haired man glanced at Marilyn over his shoulder. “I’m

just telling him to give me the baby before he gets hurt, ma’am.”

“Hmm.” Marilyn’s lips thinned as if she wasn’t sure she believed

the man. “Well, hurry up.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He turned back around to face Miko, holding his

hands out. “Give me the kid.”

Tears sprouted to Miko’s eyes as he looked down at Kei. He knew

Marilyn would do anything to get what she wanted. Miko’s heart felt
like it was breaking, but he knew he’d rather Kei go to some stranger
than die.

“He no feel good,” Miko whispered as he wrapped he blanket

more securely around Kei’s body. “You keep warm.”

The tears that Miko had been holding back spilled down his

cheeks as he kissed Kei’s forehead then carefully handed him over to
the large man. The guy was gentle and handled Kei like he had vast
experience with children.

Still, Miko’s heart beat erratically in his chest as he watched his

son being carried out of the room. The second the door closed behind
the guard, Kei, and Marilyn, Miko cried out and collapsed to the

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floor. He wailed and pulled at his hair, feeling like his life had left
with Kei.

“Shhh,” Hiroki whispered as he knelt down next to Miko. “We’ll

get him back, Mitsuaki.”

“How?” Miko cried as he waved his hand toward the door Kei had

disappeared through. “She sell Kei.”

“We’ll find a way. We won’t give up until we have Kei back.”
Miko cried as he fell against Hiroki. He didn’t want to hear about

finding a way to get his son back. He just wanted him back. Kei might
have only been in his life for about six weeks, but already the small
infant had become necessary to Miko’s survival in this world. He
couldn’t imagine being in it without him.

This pain was just as bad as when Harley died, just in a different

way. Miko still felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.
Only this time, he felt like he should have been able to do something
to hold onto Kei.

It was his fault that he had lost his son. If he had fought harder…if

he had not given Kei Harley’s last name…if he had tried something
instead of just handing his child over to some thug. If he had been a
good father and done any of those things, Kei would still be lying in
his arms.

“Mitsuaki, we—”
They both looked up when the door opened again. Miko’s jaw

dropped to his chest when he saw the man that walked in with
Marilyn and her guards, one of which still held Kei in his arms. He
started to say something, but the intense glint in the blue eyes staring
back at him told him to keep his mouth shut.

“Which one is he?” Cecil Montgomery asked as he looked Miko

and Hiroki over.

“The one with long hair,” Marilyn said.
Cecil’s eyes raked over Miko, a grimace coming to his lips. If

Miko didn’t know better, he would have thought that Cecil was
disgusted by him. “He’s not much to look at, is he?”

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107

Marilyn laughed. “They never are.”
“Well, I suppose he’ll have to do. Stand him up and bring him to

the middle of the room.” Cecil waved a hand at Miko as he pulled a
camera out of his pocket. “My clients will want to see a picture of him
before they buy the infant.”

Despite knowing that Cecil was there to rescue him, Miko still

cringed back when one of the guards walked toward him. Miko
whimpered as the man’s hand wrapped around his arm and jerked him
to his feet then pulled to the middle of the room.

Cecil held up the camera and snapped several pictures as he

slowly walked all the way around Miko. When he was done, he
pointed to Hiroki. “What about this one? Does he have any brats?”

“No.” Marilyn frowned as she looked over at Hiroki. “I’m not real

sure who he is. He was with Mitsuaki and the kid when my men
found them. He doesn’t speak very good English, so I couldn’t
question him.”

“Hmm.” Cecil walked over and grabbed Hiroki by his hair,

jerking his head back. “Show me your teeth.”

Hiroki just stared mutinously up at Cecil, his lips pressed tightly

together.

“Show me your fucking teeth before she figures out I don’t have a

clue what I’m doing,” Cecil said in Japanese as he jerked on Hiroki’s
hair. Hiroki opened his mouth, but Miko was pretty sure it was out of
astonishment rather than complying with Cecil’s demand. “Well,”
Cecil said as he released Hiroki after a moment and walked back to
stand next to Marilyn. “At least he has all of his teeth.” Cecil nodded
toward Miko and Hiroki. “Are they for sale as well?”

“I suppose they could be for the right price,” Marilyn replied as

she looked at them with speculation in her eyes. “I just have to
wonder why you would want them. They barely even speak English.”

“It’s the fingers,” Cecil said as he walked over and grabbed

Miko’s hand, holding it up for Marilyn to see. “See how delicately
boned they are? They’re perfect for working on small items like

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jewelry and purses. Big fingers just screw it up. That type of intricate
work needs smaller fingers.”

Marilyn’s eyebrow arched. “Is that where you get that jewelry

I’ve heard so much about?”

Cecil smirked. “I do have to keep my secrets, my dear.”
Marilyn’s lips began to curve up into a smile. “I’ll sell them both

to you for one hundred thousand, and not a penny less.”

“Fifty,” Cecil answered right back, not even blinking at the

amount of money Marilyn was demanding.

“Eighty.”
“Sixty, and remember that I will be taking them off your hands

totally untrained.” Cecil dropped Miko’s hand and turned away from
him but not before sending Miko a little wink. “As nimble as their
fingers are, it will still take me months to train them. My custom
creations cannot be learned overnight.”

“Fine.” Marilyn huffed. “Sixty-five thousand dollars, and that’s

my final offer.”

“Done.” Cecil walked back over to stand next to Marilyn. He

grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss across her
knuckles. “You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Thomas.”

“Shall we discuss arrangements in my office?” Marilyn asked,

pressing a hand against the low neckline of her blouse.

Cecil smiled, and it was a smile Miko knew well. It was the one

Cecil used on people he couldn’t stand but had to deal with. Miko had
never received one of those smiles himself, and he was glad of that
fact. It was a very cold, forbidding smile.

“I would enjoy that greatly, darling.” Cecil glanced at the two

guards standing by the door. “Make sure they are ready to go, and
don’t harm them. I can’t very well train them if they are damaged.”

“I knew your father, you know,” Marilyn said as they headed for

the door. “You’re not much like him.”

“No, ma’am, I tend to follow in my mother’s footsteps. She was a

woman to be reckoned with, a true lady. My father never understood

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109

that. But then again, mother did marry down when she wed my
father.” Cecil heaved a deep sigh. “I think she regretted that until her
dying day.”

“I’m sorry,” Marilyn replied. “I never had the opportunity to meet

your mother.”

Cecil smiled broadly. “You would have adored her. In fact, you

remind me of her. You both have the same air of refined
sophistication about you—another thing my father never understood. I
swear, that man would have eaten with the servants given half the
chance.”

“Didn’t your father pass away a few years ago?”
Cecil’s smile widened, going from ear to ear. “Yes, he did.”
“You don’t seem heartbroken over that.”
“He never understood that the Montgomery name is meant for

greater things. It should not be mixed with those that do not deserve
it.”

“Oh my, a man after my own heart.”
Cecil stuck his arm out. “Shall we dispense with the business at

hand, my dear? And then maybe we can enjoy a cocktail together.”

Marilyn’s laughter filled the air as she wrapped her arm around

Cecil’s. “That sounds divine, Cecil. May I call you Cecil?”

“I would be enchanted, Marilyn.”
Miko held his breath as he watched Cecil and Marilyn walk out of

the room, the door shutting behind them. He knew Cecil would be
back but from the dark look on the guards’ faces, he wasn’t sure he’d
be in one piece when he did.

Cecil just better hurry the hell up.
“Who in the hell was that?” Hiroki whispered in Japanese as he

eyed the guard.

“That was our ticket to freedom.”
Hiroki’s eyebrows shot up. “You know that man?”
“Oh yeah. That’s Cecil.” Miko let his hair fall forward to hide his

grin. “And he just bought our way out of here.”

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“Well.” Hiroki turned to look at the door. “I wish he’d hurry the

hell up.”

Miko wished the same thing. He was more than ready to get the

hell out of here. He just hoped it happened. If Marilyn became
suspicious, they were all screwed.

Miko didn’t know how long he and Hiroki waited for Cecil to

return, but it felt like hours. When the door finally opened and the
guard that had taken Kei away walked inside, Miko thought he was
going to be sick to his stomach.

His nerves were totally shot.
“Come,” the man said as he gestured with his hand to Miko and

Hiroki. They stood up slowly and walked across the room. As soon as
they were within distance, the man reached out and grabbed them
both by their arms. “Try and get away from me and I’ll break your
arms.”

Miko swallowed hard and nodded just as quickly as he could. He

and Hiroki were escorted out of the room and down a set of stairs to
the main floor. Cecil was waiting for them in the entryway, his arm
wrapped around Marilyn’s waist as he talked with her.

“Ah,” Cecil said as he turned. Miko’s eyebrows rose when he saw

the same shade of lipstick on Cecil’s cheek and the corner of his
mouth that Marilyn was wearing. Just what had they been doing?
“Here’re my little jewelers now.” Cecil glanced around, frowning
deeply. “Where’s the brat?”

Miko’s heart leapt into his throat, his eyes darting around. Where

was Kei?

“He’s in the kitchen with my cook,” Marilyn said calmly.

“George, would you be so kind as to go get the brat?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the guy holding Miko and Hiroki replied. He

dropped their arms and walked out of the room.

It was all Miko could do not to scream for Kei’s return when the

man walked back into the room a few minutes later with a car seat in

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111

his hand. His eyes watered when he looked into the car seat and saw
his sleeping son.

“Let’s go,” Cecil said. He smiled as he turned toward Marilyn,

taking her hand and kissing the top once again. “You will call me,
won’t you, my dear?”

“Of course, Cecil,” Marilyn replied. Astonishingly enough, there

was a slight blush on her face. Who knew the old bitch could blush?

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Marilyn. Please call

me again if you come across any more specimens. I always have
clients looking for new inventory.”

“I will.”
Cecil nodded and headed for the door. He glanced over his

shoulder, sighing in exasperation, snapping his fingers. “Well, don’t
just stand there,” he said as he glared at the guard holding Kei. “Get
them into the car. We have to deliver the brat before midnight.”

Miko squeaked as his arm was grabbed once again and he was

escorted out the front door and down the steps to a waiting limo. Cecil
was standing next to the open door, looking vexed that things were
taking so long.

“Put them inside and then buckle the brat in,” Cecil ordered. “If

he’s damaged, I won’t get my finder’s fee, and that’s a lot of money.”

Miko and Hiroki were shoved into the limousine. A moment later,

the guard climbed in and sat down on the seat across from them,
leaning forward to set Kei next to Miko. “Buckle him in,” the guard
said as he settled back in the seat like he had no intention of going
anywhere.

Miko quickly buckled the car seat in place then hovered over Kei

as Cecil climbed in. Cecil smiled and pointed to the guard sitting
across from them. “Miko, I’d like you to meet Creed.”

The man saluted with two fingers.
“He’s been keeping an eye on Marilyn Thomas since we met. I

suspected if she was stupid enough to kick you out of your condo and

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have a funeral for a son that wasn’t dead, she’d try something else. I
was right.”

“You no guard?” Miko asked as his entire opinion of the massive

man began to change.

“Oh, I was guarding all right.” Creed smirked. “I just wasn’t

guarding things for that bitch. I was guarding them for Cecil.”

Before Miko could question Cecil more, the man reached over and

slammed the door shut and rapped on the roof. The limo shot forward
so fast that Miko was tossed back in his seat. He wrapped one arm
around the car seat and grabbed onto the seat beneath him with the
other one.

Miko’s eyes snapped to one side of the car to the other as it

barreled down the road in front of Marilyn Thomas’s mansion. He
didn’t let out the breath he had been holding until the large limo
passed through the gates of the estate.

And then he turned and pinned his eyes on Cecil. “You crazy.”
Cecil chuckled as he ran his hand over his mouth, wiping away

the traces of Marilyn’s lipstick. “I’m also disgusted, contaminated,
and in need of some heavy-duty antibiotics before I die.” Cecil’s lips
twisted in a deep grimace. “I can’t believe I let that woman kiss me.”

Miko’s eyebrows shot up as shock rolled through him. “You kiss

Marilyn?”

“I had to convince the bitch that I was”—Cecil made quote marks

in the air with his fingers—“one of her kind. I was trying to be
charming. I had no idea she would think I was coming on to her.”

“Gross.” Miko’s stomach threatened to rebel just thinking about

kissing the disgusting woman.

“Right?” Cecil wagged his fingers at Miko. “You just be better be

glad I like you so much. I don’t normally go this far out on limb to
help a friend.”

Miko frowned, his eyebrows drawing together as he stared at

Cecil. “How you know?”

“How did I know what?”

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113

“How you know evil woman kidnap us?”
“Because she was stupid enough to talk about it,” Cecil replied. “I

knew Marilyn Thomas was Harley’s mother. We’ve met a few times
at social functions. When I heard that Marilyn had a Japanese baby
that she was trying to get rid of, I put two and two together, especially
after I discovered that the money that went missing from your bank
account was withdrawn by an older blonde woman going by the name
of Mrs. Thomas.”

“She take Akari tuition money?” Miko snapped, feeling an

overwhelming urge to go back to the mansion and smack the woman
right in the mouth. “Not her money. She no take.”

“No kidding. I’ve already got my lawyer and accountant looking

into it. If they can prove that Marilyn didn’t have access to your
account, which I know she didn’t, then we can have her brought up on
theft charges.”

“Not good enough, Cecil. Want bitch dead.”
Cecil chuckled, and it was such a low, menacing chuckle that

Miko shivered. He had never heard a sound like that come out of
Cecil’s mouth before, and he hoped not to ever again. It was scarier
than Marilyn Thomas.

“No, I think we’ll let Mrs. Thomas go to prison for her crimes,

one where she’ll be guaranteed to be placed in general population
with every low life, murderer, and drug dealer there is. Hell, if we’re
lucky enough, she might even become some gang banger’s bitch.”
Cecil rubbed his hands together like an evil scientist. “And wouldn’t
that be delightful?”

“You one scary ass dude, Cecil.”
Cecil’s perfect white teeth gleamed in the low light of the limo as

he smiled impishly “You have no idea, my friend.”

114 Stormy

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Chapter 11

“Okay, an infrared scan showed at least ten people inside the

mansion,” Charlie said as he leaned over the blueprints spread out
over the hood of the truck. “We’re not sure exactly who is who, but
we know where they all are.”

Charlie stared, pointing at different spots on the blueprints. “The

two targets upstairs haven’t moved since we arrived so we’re
assuming they are Miko and Hiroki. There are three targets
downstairs in the front of the house, and another one in the back of
the house.”

“What about Kei?”
Harley’s heart climbed into his throat when Charlie shook his

head. “We haven’t seen him, Harley. I’m sorry.”

Harley pressed his lips together to keep from crying out in denial.

If something had happened to his son, he was going to rip his mother
apart. He didn’t care if the woman gave birth to him. She was going
to die.

“We’ll find him, Harley,” Charlie said. “We won’t stop until we

do. I promise.”

He nodded, swallowed past the lump of tears forming in his

throat, and glanced back down at the house plans. He wasn’t sure that
Charlie could keep that promise. If his mother had done as she
promised she would do, Kei could already be gone.

They might never find him.
“Car coming out of the estate, Commander,” someone whispered

over the com-unit they were all wired with. Harley dropped down
behind the truck to stay hidden from whoever was coming and

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115

watched for headlights to appear. “It’s the same limousine that went
in two hours ago.”

“Copy,” Charlie replied as he rolled the blueprints up and stuck

them into the truck through the open window. “Set up a roadblock,
Manny. I want to know who is in that vehicle.”

“Copy that, Commander.”
Manny jumped into one of the large trucks they had arrived in and

pulled it across the road. Bill jumped in the other one and pulled in
right beside Manny’s vehicle, making it impossible for anyone to get
past them.

Once the trucks were in place, they jumped out and walked over

to the side of the road. Harley knew it was just in case whoever was
coming down the road thought they could run the roadblock.

His nerves were strung so tight he suspected that they were going

to snap at any moment. They had tracked his mother down to her
country estate in the Hamptons, but they weren’t absolutely positive
Miko, Kei, and Hiroki were inside with her. The infrared signatures
showed people inside but it didn’t show who those people were.

Harley was starting to wonder if he would ever see his husband

and child again. He knew the loss of hope was wearing on him. He
just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about how miserable his life would
be without Miko or Kei.

His mother could kill him. Hell, Miguel Fernandez could have

him again. Harley wouldn’t want to live. He had no idea how Miko
had gone on thinking he was dead. Harley could barely stomach the
though without throwing up.

“Headlights, Commander,” someone said.
Harley’s eyes snapped to the headlights heading toward him. He

couldn’t tell what kind of vehicle it was until it was almost to where
they were all hiding. The limo came to a slow stop, and then it just sat
there.

Harley and Bill took one side of the vehicle. Manny and Charlie

took the other. Together, they walked down their prospective sides of

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the road toward the vehicle. Harley knew that their backs were being
guarded by Charlie’s unit. If anyone inside the car made the wrong
move, they’d be dead before they could blink.

“Get out of the car,” Charlie called out in a loud voice. “Hands in

the air.

For the longest time, nothing happened, and then the door slowly

opened and a small figure stepped out.

“Harley-chan?” There was a slight tinge of wonder in the voice

that brought peace back to Harley’s world. “That you, Harley-chan?”

“Miko?” Harley’s breath slammed out of his chest when caramel

eyes blinked up at him.

“Harley-chan!”
Harley barely had time to lower his gun before Miko was

barreling into him. He caught the little man in his arms, wrapping
them so tightly around his love that he had to wonder how Miko
continued to breath. He’d soak Miko right into his skin if he could.

“Oh, baby,” Harley whispered as he peppered Miko’s face with

kisses. He wrapped one hand under Miko’s ass and fisted the other in
Miko’s long black hair. Miko’s legs snaked around Harley’s waist.
His arms wrapped around Harley’s neck.

It didn’t feel like Miko had any plans to let go of Harley any time

soon, and that was just how Harley wanted it. Having Miko back in
his arms didn’t seem real. Harley still felt like he was walking in
some sort of dream. He was terrified he would blink and Miko
wouldn’t be wrapped around him, making Harley feel like the luckiest
man in the world.

Their lips met, smashing together. The two men almost devoured

each other as their hands reached to touch and then hold tight to any
body part they could reach.

“Ai shiteru, Harley-chan,” Miko whispered breathlessly against

Harley’s lips.

“I love you, too, Miko.”
“Itsumo ai shiteru?” Miko asked in a husky whisper.

Harley’s Heart

117

Harley’s grin reached from ear to ear as a sense of déjà vu floated

through him. “Yes, I will always love you.” Oh gods, it felt so damn
good to be holding Miko in his arms again. He was never going to let
Miko go.

“You come,” Miko whispered.
“I’ll always come for you, Miko. You have my heart.”
Tears clung to Miko’s long eyelashes as he leaned back and

locked eyes with Harley. A slow, easy grin began to spread his lips.
“Hai,” Miko said softly. “I Harley’s heart.”

That wasn’t exactly what Harley said, but it was close enough,

and it was pretty much the truth. “Hai, anata nashidewa ikite ikanai,”
Harley replied. “I can’t live without you.”

“Damn right!”
Harley blinked in surprise. He wasn’t sure he had ever heard Miko

swear before. He wasn’t exactly complaining, but it was just odd to
hear any curse word come out of his love’s mouth.

“Are you okay?” Harley asked as he ran his hand through Miko’s

hair. “She didn’t hurt you?”

“I okay. She no hurt.”
“What about Kei? Is he—” Harley’s throat closed up as he

considered the possibility that Kei was still missing. Harley had Miko
back, and he would forever be grateful for that. But he needed his son
back in his arms as well.

“Is this who you’re looking for?”
Harley’s eyes snapped up to the smartly dressed blond man

standing several feet away, and the bundle wrapped in a blue baby
blanket held securely in his arms.

Miko’s light lyrical laughter filled the air as he pushed away from

Harley and walked over to take the bundle. “Domo arigato, Cecil.”

Harley’s eyes filled with tears as he watched Miko turn and walk

back to him. His hands shook as he took the blue-wrapped baby that
Miko held out to him. When Harley peeled back the edge of the

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blanket and saw Kei’s sleeping face, Harley cried out and dropped to
his knees on the ground, holding his son tightly to his chest.

Harley gave into the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks

when he felt Miko’s arms wrap around him. He didn’t care if
everyone saw him crying. He had his family back in his arms, and that
was all he cared about.

“No cry, Harley-chan,” Miko murmured against his neck. “We

back. We okay.”

“Oh, baby,” Harley whispered as he pulled Miko into the curve of

his arm and held both of his loves close to his body. “These are good
tears.”

“Promise?”
Harley chuckled. “Yes, Miko. I promise.”
“Okay, Harley-chan.”
“I’m never letting you or Kei out of my sight again.”
“Have to, Harley-chan.” Miko’s face was all serious looking when

he tilted his head back. “Have to work. Owe Cecil money.”

“Don’t worry about it, Miko,” Cecil said. “It was pocket change. I

spent more on my dry cleaning. Call it a Christmas present.”

“It not Christmas,” Miko insisted.
Cecil laughed. “Call it an early Christmas present then.”
“Miko, we’ll find a way to pay for Akari’s tuition.”
“Not tuition,” Miko said. “Cecil buy us from you mother.”
“What?” Harley growled through teeth that were suddenly

clenched. His eyes slowly rose to meet Cecil’s. “You bought my
husband and son?”

“And your little friend Hiroki,” Cecil said, nodding toward the

other side of the limousine.

Harley glanced over to see Hiroki wrapped in Harold’s arms, the

two men kissing like they didn’t have any intention of ever coming up
for air. Charlie stood just behind them talking to the biggest man
Harley had ever seen. He was even bigger than Wren, and that was
saying something.

Harley’s Heart

119

Harley slowly looked back at Cecil. “I wasn’t sure before but

we’ve met, haven’t we?”

“We have. I believe we’ve attended the same fundraising benefits

in the past.” The man bowed, but it wasn’t just a bow. He bowed like
a ballet dancer, arms spread to his sides and one leg moving behind
the other. “Cecil Montgomery, fairy godmother at your service.”

“Fairy godmother?” Harley’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead.

“Don’t you mean fairy godfather?”

“Naw.” Cecil’s hand waved at him. “Have you seen the tights

those guys have to wear? It’s like shoving ten pounds of shit in a five
pound bag. I’d much rather have the magical wand and tutu.”

“Uh…” Harley just didn’t know what to say to that. “Thank you?”
“Miko is a good guy. He deserves to be happy.” Cecil grinned as

he pushed his hands into the pocket of his jeans. When his eyes
strayed beyond him, Harley had no idea where the man was looking.
“Of course, if you wanted to introduce me to that tall dreamy man
back there, I’d call it even.”

Harley glanced over his shoulder. He could see several men

standing behind him, but he didn’t have a clue who Cecil was talking
about. “Could you be more specific?” Harley asked as he looked back
at Cecil. “There are a lot of guys back there.”

“I’d say he’s at least six two and about two hundred and twenty-

five pounds. Dark-brown eyes and hair, tanned skin, and lots of
yummy muscles. I suspect he has some Hispanic heritage in him.”

Harley’s jaw dropped as he turned and narrowed in on the man

Cecil was describing. “Manny?”

“Is that his name?”
“Manuel Lopez,” Harley replied. “We call him Manny.”
“Manny.” Cecil grinned. “It suits him.”
“I’d be more than happy to introduce the two of you,” Harley

replied as he turned to look back at Cecil. “But just how much money
are we talking here?”

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Cecil never took his eyes off of Manny as he answered Harley’s

question. “I paid a hundred thousand for Kei and sixty-five thousand
for both Miko and Hiroki.”

“Dollars?” Harley gasped.
Cecil’s eyes finally dropped to Harley. “That’s what your mother

was asking for. She did want a hundred thousand dollars for Miko and
Hiroki, but I talked her down to sixty-five thousand.”

Harley didn’t know what to go with first. His anger that his

mother had sold his family or his gratitude that Cecil had been there
to buy them. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you, but I will, even if
it takes me the rest of my life.”

Cecil’s face flushed. “Like I said, just introduce me to Mr. Tall,

Dark, and Sexy, and we’ll call it even.”

Harley blinked. “Done.”
Cecil’s lips spread into a wide grin. “Perfect.”
Cecil was out of his mind, and Harley couldn’t seem to find it in

him to care. If the man wanted to meet Manny, Harley would
introduce them. He’d give Cecil almost anything he wanted. He owed
the man big time.

“We do need to talk about your mother, though,” Cecil said. “That

woman is bat shit crazy.”

“Yes, I’m fully aware of Marilyn’s insane tendencies.” Harley

tightened his arms around Miko and Kei, suddenly feeling like this
whole mess wasn’t over with. “I’m just not real sure what to do about
them.”

Cecil looked pensive for a moment, his forehead wrinkling as he

frowned. “Do you know what a manager does, Harley?”

“Uh…not exactly.”
Cecil crossed his arms over his chest and stepped over to lean

against the hood of the limo. “My job, as Miko’s manager, is to make
sure that his life is as easy as possible so that he can work on his art. It
doesn’t matter if that entails making reservations for dinner or
tracking down leads at financial institutions or even gathering

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evidence to get some crazy bitch out of his life. I do whatever I have
to do to take stress off of Miko so that his life runs smoothly and he
can make his beautiful creations.”

Harley’s eyebrows shot up. “You have evidence on my mother?”
“I do, but before I give it to you, I want to know what you intend

to do with it. Are you going to destroy it so your socialite mother can
continue her evil ways, or are you going to use it to convict her crazy
ass and slap her in jail?”

Harley was just as serious as Cecil when he stood to his feet and

replied. “Since firing squads were outlawed, I’ll just have to convict
her crazy ass and slap her in jail.”

“She is your mother.”
“Not anymore,” Harley snapped. “She stopped being my mother

the moment she started messing with my family.” His lip curled back
in an angry snarl when he thought of everything his mother had done
to the people he loved. “I hope she rots in hell.”

Harley could feel Cecil eyeing him, measuring the truthfulness of

his words. Hell, he could see it. Cecil’s blue eyes just stared for the
longest time. Finally, Cecil nodded as if he had come to some sort of
conclusion. Harley just hoped it was the right one.

“Creed,” Cecil called out, never taking his eyes away from

Harley.

Harley’s arms tightened around Miko and Kei and he took a step

back when the man Charlie had been taking to walked over. “You!”
he snapped, pointing a finger at the man. “You were at my house with
my mother. You’re the man that went looking for Miko and Kei.”

The larger-than-life man simply cocked an eyebrow, not looking

the least bit intimidated by Harley’s outburst. “I’m also the man that
didn’t find them, even when I heard Kei crying from his hiding spot
in the bathroom closet.”

Harley’s eyes widened.
“I’m also the man that waited until you and your family cleared

the house before blowing it.”

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“You blew up my house?”
“I had to. Mrs. Thomas was waiting down the road for the place to

blow. If she didn’t see an explosion, she would have gone back and
discovered that the three of you had escaped, and then she would have
called in reinforcements to help track you. I was trying to give you a
chance to escape.”

Harley felt the need to thank the man, and yet not. “Why were you

working for my mother?”

Cecil raised his hand. “I can answer that. When I met Miko and

learned what your mother had done, and having run into her at various
social functions, I didn’t trust that she would just let Miko go live his
life. I hired Creed to be in the right place at the right time and get
hired on as one of her guards. I wanted him to keep an eye on her and
document her actions in case I needed them later on.”

Harley didn’t know what to think when Creed held out a small

silver flash stick. “What’s this?” he asked as he took it and turned it
over in his hand.

“That flash stick”—Creed pointed to the small device—“contains

everything you will need to put your mother behind bars for the rest
of her life.” Cecil grinned evilly. “And I hope it’s a very long life.”

“What’s on it?” And how could he use it to get his mother out of

their lives?

“Video surveillance of Marilyn Thomas making various illegal

deals to have Miko killed and Kei kidnapped. There are also bank
records indicating the money she received for their sale as well as the
money she paid to have them kidnapped.” Cecil grinned, wrinkling
his nose. “I might need that information to keep my ass out of a sling
when the authorities learn that I bought them. Trafficking in human
slaves is illegal.”

“I tell truth, Cecil,” Miko said. “You pay but you save us.”
“Well, let’s hope the authorities believe us or I might end up in a

cell right next to your mother. There’s enough evidence on those
tapes to make a federal prosecutor cream his pants.”

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123

Harley’s jaw dropped. “Is that all that’s on here?” Hell, it was

enough to put his mother in the deepest darkest hole imaginable.

“No,” Cecil replied. “I had Creed hack her computer and get

copies of her banking statements, e-mails, and contact list. I haven’t
been able to go through all of it, but as sure as I am standing here,
there is something in there that will point to some of the things your
mother has done.”

“You think she’s done more than just mess with Miko?”
Cecil’s lips turned down in a grimace as he turned to look at

Creed for a moment. Creed nodded. When Cecil looked back at
Harley, a resigned expression had darkened his eyes. “I’m sorry,
Harley, but the evidence we gathered points to your mother as the
person who contacted Miguel Fernandez and informed him where you
were.”

“No.” Harley shook his head. “I never told my mother where I

was going. I wouldn’t do that. It was a classified mission.”

“True.” Cecil nodded. “But your mother has been sleeping with

one of your commanding officers for the last two years, since about a
month after you married Miko. I suspect that she got the information
from him.”

Harley shivered, suddenly chilled to the bone. “You’re saying if I

had never married Miko, none of this would have happened?”

“You know your mother better than I do, Harley. What do you

think?”

“I think my mother is capable of doing anything to get what she

wants, including murder and kidnapping. I also think that marrying
Miko was the best decision I could have ever made, and I’d go
through everything all over again if it meant I got to keep him.”

Cecil chuckled, his features softening. “Good answer.”
“Hai,” Miko said, patting Harley’s cheek. “Good answer.”
“I’m glad you think so, love.” Harley laughed as he handed Kei

off to Miko. “I need to go talk to Charlie about this evidence. I want
my mother locked up nice and tight before we leave here tonight. She

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has enough money and connections to get out of the country and flee.
I’m not going to allow that, not after what she did.”

Harley turned and started to walk around the limo when he

realized that Miko was trailing close behind him. So close in fact, that
when Harley stopped and turned, Miko ran right into him.

“Miko—” Harley almost groaned when he saw the desperation in

the beautiful caramel-colored eyes staring back up at him. He smiled
instead. “I think maybe you should stay with me, huh?”

Miko nodded rapidly.
Harley wrapped his arm around Miko’s waist and walked with

him over to where Charlie was now talking with Harold and Hiroki.
The two lovers were wrapped tightly around each other as if they
didn’t have any intention of every letting go.

“It’s good to see you, Hiroki.”
“It’s good to be seen,” Hiroki replied.
“I’m sorry you got pulled into this mess.”
“Well, I’d say we can’t pick our family, but Miko picked us,

so…” Hiroki shrugged. “It’s all good. Harold and I are back together,
and we have more than we did twenty-four hours ago. If dealing with
the bitch from hell brought that on, then it did. I’m not too happy
about being kidnapped, mind you, but I’m not sorry I met you both.”

“Uh… thank you.” Once again, Harley found himself confused

about what to say to someone. How was he supposed to respond to
that?

“You family,” Miko said.
That pretty much said it all.
Harley glanced over at Charlie, not missing the grin on the guy’s

face. He held the silver flash stick out to him. “Cecil says this flash
stick holds enough evidence to put my mother away for the rest of her
life.”

“Oh?” Charlie took the flash stick.
“He also says that my mother has been sleeping with one of my

commanding officers for the last two years and there is evidence that

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125

she was the one that contacted Miguel Fernandez and had me held
captive. Cecil believes that she learned the information from my
commanding officer.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
“That means this is a lot bigger than just kidnapping and

attempted murder, Harley. You know that, right?”

Harley nodded. “I know. I just want the bitch gone.”
“This just might do it.” Charlie held up the flash stick. “Why

don’t you catch a ride back to the house? I need to make some phone
calls.”

“I want in on whatever goes down, Charlie. I need to see her go

away with my own eyes.”

“I understand, Harley. I’ll keep you informed.”
“Whatever you do,” Harley said, “you need to do it fast. The

second Marilyn gets wind that her little scheme is up, she’ll take off.
And she has friends in a lot of countries, not all of them with
extradition treaties.”

“Oh.” Charlie grinned, and it was one of those grins that made

marine recruits shake in their combat boots. “I have no intention of
letting this bitch get away from me, even if I have to tack her halfway
across the world. And there are always ways to work around
extradition.”

If his mother hadn’t been such a bitch, Harley would have felt

sorry for her. As it was, he was just glad that Charlie was on his side.
He never wanted to face that man when he was pissed or on a
mission. Charlie was creepy.

“Okay, I’m going to see if Cecil can give us a ride home. Do you

mind if we borrow Manny to keep us company?”

“No, that would be fine. It’s probably a good idea for you to be

guarded until we finish this.”

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“Oh, that’s not why I wanted Manny.” Harley couldn’t help the

small smile that fell from his lips. “I owe Cecil for rescuing Miko and
Kei, and all he wants in return is an introduction to Manny”

Miko burst out laughing. “Mr. Yummy.”
Charlie blinked. “Huh?”
“Cecil calls Manny Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy.”
A wide grin began to slowly cross Charlie’s lips. “Tell Cecil to

invest in Pringles. It’s probably the only way to win Manny’s heart.”

Harley felt his face flush as he remembered the lust in Cecil’s

eyes as he looked at Manny. The man wanted to eat Manny alive.
Manny might be a battle-tested marine, but Harley didn’t think he was
ready for someone like Cecil Montgomery.

“I’m not sure it’s Manny’s heart that Cecil is after.”
Charlie’s lips spread into an even wider grin. “Perfect.”
Harley shook his head as he led Miko back over to where Cecil

was talking to Creed, even though the man’s eyes were still on
Manny. “Hey, I was wondering if I could ask you for one more
favor.”

Cecil arched an eyebrow. “Another favor?”
“Call it a trade. Miko and I need a ride back to Charlie’s place.

Charlie believes that it would be better if we had a bodyguard with us
until this was all over.” Harley shrugged, knowing from the growing
glint in Cecil’s eyes that the man was going to love what he had to
say. “I requested Manny.”

Cecil sighed deeply, pressing his hand against his chest as if his

heart was beating out of control. “You, sir, are a true gentleman.”

“No.” Harley drew Miko and Kei into his arms and rubbed his

cheek over the top of Miko’s head. “I’m just a man that got his heart
back because of friends like you. And that means more to me than
you can ever imagine.”

“No.” A sad, wistful sheen came into Cecil’s eyes as he gazed

over at Manny. “I can imagine that just fine.”

Harley’s Heart

127

Chapter 12

Miko woke with sweat pouring off of him. He stiffened when he

felt an arm pull him back against a rock-hard, muscular chest. It took
him a moment to remember where he was and who was lying next to
him. Miko relaxed and lay there quietly.

The man was strong, reassuring, and exuded masculinity,

something Miko had always craved. Harley was perfect in Miko’s
eyes and all his.

Miko swallowed when he felt a hard cock press against his back.

He was afraid to move a muscle. His heart was beating out of his
chest as Harley mumbled, shifted around, and then pressed his thick
shaft against Miko’s ass.

Miko bit his lip to stop the moan threatening to spill. His hands

curled into fists as he pressed them into his stomach, waiting,
wanting. His breath froze in his lungs when Harley’s hand skimmed
up his body. His fingers made circular motions on his hips and then
continued their trek up his side.

He wanted desperately to turn over and let Harley have whatever

it was he wanted, but uncertainty kept him rooted to the spot. He had
never approached Harley for sex. It just wasn’t something he had
grown comfortable with, not yet. He was working on it.

Miko groaned when Harley’s lips softly kissed behind his ear and

then trailed down the back of his neck. The hot breath blowing across
his flesh was spicy, masculine, and welcoming. Miko was dying for a
kiss.

“I know you’re awake, Miko. Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” Miko whimpered in a voice filled with need.

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Harley’s strong hand pulled at Miko’s shoulder, turning him over

to stare up into the marine’s rich, deep-blue eyes. In that span of time,
that single moment, Miko knew that no other man would ever do for
him. Harley looked down at him as if Miko was his entire world.

Harley’s fingers ghosted over Miko’s face, his lips slowly

capturing his. Miko whimpered softly as he allowed Harley to kiss
him. One of Harley’s hands pushed under Miko, pulling him closer as
his tongue pushed between Miko’s lips, wanting entrance. Miko
opened, finally tasting man and desire as Harley’s tongue swept
through his mouth.

Miko uncurled his hands, tentatively reaching out and grabbing

Harley’s arms, gripping them tightly as he opened his mouth wider,
trying his best to drink Harley in. He gasped when one of Harley’s
legs slid between his, giving his hardening cock friction as Harley’s
hand encouraged Miko’s hips to move.

He rode the strong, muscular leg as Harley slowly rolled until he

was laying on top of Miko, his weight pressing Miko into the
mattress. Miko’s head spun as Harley ground their cocks together. He
reached up, circling his arms around Harley’s neck, feeling how
strong the man truly was by the broad shoulders he felt under his
hands. Miko wanted. He wanted with a desperation that bordered on
insanity.

“Miko,” Harley moaned as he broke the kiss and then slowly

pushed himself down Miko’s body until his lips hovered over Miko’s
hard cock. Miko hissed when Harley took his shaft into his mouth.
Miko began to pant heavily, his mind swirling with lust.

He cried out, unable to stop his orgasm. Miko had wanted it to

last, but his body was too amped up, too excited to hold off. Harley
gave off a low growl as he drank Miko’s seed down his throat, licking
him clean as he massaged Miko’s balls.

Miko blinked up at the ceiling, unsure of what he should do now.

He lay there stiffly as he wondered what Harley wanted. Harley gave

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129

one long lick to his still-hard cock and then climbed back up Miko’s
body.

“Fuck, Miko. You taste delicious.” Harley took Miko’s lips,

sharing the taste of his own body with him. Miko groaned. He wanted
to do the same to the man, but he was afraid to ask for what he
wanted. He wanted to do something. He wasn’t sure what, but he
wanted to make Harley cry out his name.

Harley leaned forward, grinding his cock into Miko’s. Miko

reached between them and grabbed Harley’s cock. He watched
Harley’s face as he slowly stroked the man’s hard length, his fingers
gliding over the silky shaft.

Harley bit Miko’s lower lip, pushing his cock into Miko’s hand

with his hips. “Do you want to suck it?”

Miko’s mouth went dry at the thought. He nodded rapidly.

“Please, Harley-chan.”

Harley rolled until he was on his back. He brushed his hands over

Miko’s hair and then guided his head to the large cock lying against
Harley’s abdomen. Miko maneuvered around until he was looking
directly down at Harley’s cock.

“Suck it, baby.” Harley’s fingers massaged his head as his other

hand grabbed the base of his shaft, guiding Miko’s lips lower.

Miko’s lips parted, taking the crown into his mouth. The salty

taste of Harley exploded across his tongue as he opened wider, letting
his tongue explore the satiny skin.

“That’s it, Miko,” Harley encouraged as his hips began to thrust,

making his cock drive deeper into Miko’s mouth. Miko gagged,
pulling back as his eyes watered. Once he caught his breath, Miko
took Harley’s cock back into his mouth, bobbing his head up and
down as he tried to please his husband.

Miko’s hand snaked down between Harley’s powerful thighs, his

fingers grazing Harley’s tight sac. He wasn’t sure how good of a job
he was doing as slobber escaped his mouth and dripped down
Harley’s cock, but he wasn’t going to give up.

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Harley’s fingers slid through Miko’s long hair moments before his

hips shot forward, shouting Miko’s name as hot spunk shot to the
back of his throat, choking Miko. He gagged and pulled back, most of
Harley’s seed leaking from his mouth. He wiped the string of pearly
white seed from his mouth as he looked everywhere but at Harley. He
was a little embarrassed.

“That was perfect, love.”
Harley leaned forward and dropped a small kiss on Miko’s neck.

“That was perfect, love.”

“Yeah?” Miko asked as he glanced up at Harley through the fall

of his hair.

“Yeah, baby, it was wonderful.”
Miko blew out a relieved breath. He could live with wonderful.

“Okay, Harley-chan.”

“But I’m not done.” Harley reached over and pulled Miko until

his lover was draped over his chest, looking down at him. Miko
squirmed around, their semi hard cocks brushing together.

Harley groaned and grabbed Miko’s hips. “I want you, Miko.”
Miko’s eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly. “Okay, Harley-

chan.”

Harley leaned up for another small kiss, then another, each one

getting longer and longer until he didn’t remove his lips from Miko’s
skin at all.

“Mmm, feel good,” Miko whispered, arching his head back and to

the side to expose more of his throat.

“Yeah?” Harley whispered against Miko’s sensitive skin. “You

like that, baby?”

“Hai,” Miko groaned. “Want more.”
“Never let it be said I don’t aim to please.” Harley reached over to

the nightstand, grabbing the lube he had deposited in there while
Miko was showering. “Turn around. I want to watch you stretch
yourself for me.”

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131

Miko’s entire body flushed at Harley’s request. He bit his bottom

lip and then turned around, presenting his ass for Harley’s viewing
pleasure. He heard Harley flip the lid on the lube and then felt cold
lube being squirted down his ass crease.

“Give me your hand.” Miko reached back, giving Harley his

fingers. Once his fingers were lathered, Harley set the bottle aside and
guided Miko’s lubed hand toward his hole. Miko felt around his tight
entrance and then pushed one of the digits past the ring of muscles.

“Oh, sweet hell.”
Miko hid his grin behind his hair as he slowly pushed another

finger inside of himself. It was a heady sensation to know he could
pull words like that out of his lover.

“That’s it, baby. Fuck your fingers.” After Miko inserted a second

then a third finger, Harley reached up and began massaging his
rounded ass cheeks, kneading them in the palm of his hands.

“I ready, Harley-chan.” Miko turned back around. He started to

climb off of Harley, but he stopped Miko from going anywhere by a
hand on his hip.

“You have the softest skin,” Harley whispered as he stroked his

hand down Miko’s side until he reached the curve of Miko’s ass.
Harley’s fingers slid right down between his ass cheeks.

Harley moved his hand up under Miko’s chin and cupped his jaw,

tilting his head back. Miko moaned when he felt Harley’s tongue
swirl over his skin. There was nothing on earth as good as being loved
on by his Harley.

“I want to you, Miko. I want to fuck you,” Harley whispered

against Miko’s hot skin.

Miko inhaled sharply. “Hai.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a

moment at Harley’s words. He had dreamed of holding Harley in his
arms again for so long, he had started to wonder if he would ever see
the day. When that day finally arrived, it seemed like fate itself was
conspiring to keep them apart.

And yet, here they were

132 Stormy

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When Harley leaned forward and claimed his lips, Miko groaned

and leaned into the kiss. Kissing Harley was heavenly. Touching him
was even better. The soft little moans of delight that fell from
Harley’s lips as Miko caressed his heated skin made him harder than
steel. He felt like he could fuck a brick wall.

Miko stroked his hand over Harley’s chest as he kissed him. His

heart tripped when he felt Harley’s nipples pebble under the palms of
his hand. He twirled his fingers around one nipple, stroking the
sensitive flesh until Harley was shuddering in his arms.

“You like, Harley-chan?” Miko asked as he tugged on a nipple

with his fingers. Harley’s only answer was a slow moan as he arched
toward Miko’s fingers. Miko laughed lightly and switched from one
nipple to the other, giving it the same treatment.

“Hell, yesss,” Harley hissed. “I want you to ride me, Miko.”
“Okay, Harley-chan,” he murmured as he stared down at the man

of his dreams with a little bit of apprehension. It had been a while
since they had made love in that position—like two years. Miko was
afraid he wouldn’t be very good at it.

“I’ll show you, love.” Harley repositioned Miko while holding the

base of his cock. When the tip of his shaft touched Miko’s hole,
Harley had to breathe out. “Go slow.”

Miko placed the palms of his hands on Harley’s chest as he slowly

lowered his body, impaling himself onto Harley’s shaft.

“You feel so good, Miko.”
Miko blushed at Harley’s words, finally bottoming out. “I full.”
Harley grinned up at him and then gripped Miko’s sides. “Tell me

when you’re ready to move, baby.”

Miko took a few breaths and then nodded. Harley braced his feet

on the mattress and then tightened his hold on Miko’s sides as he
thrust upward. Miko dropped his head back on his shoulders and just
breathed once Harley’s cock was fully incased inside of him.

“You have me, Miko,” he groaned. “Every inch of me.”
“Hai, Harley-chan!” Miko shouted as he fell forward. “Do again.”

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133

Harley wrapped his arms around Miko and began to thrust up into

Miko over and over again. Miko’s head was swimming, and his body
was humming as his body took pleasure in the cock pounding into
him.

The groan that had been building in Miko’s chest was going full

speed by now. His cock ached so much he was afraid it might break
off if he nudged it even a little. Miko was in heaven, and his name
was Harley.

Miko leaned forward and captured Harley’s lips. The kiss sent

new spirals of ecstasy through Miko. He grunted as he pushed back,
sitting up straight and planting his feet on either side of Harley.
Harley lifted his hands up, giving Miko something to hold onto as he
took over and rode him.

“Feel good, Harley-chan.” Miko’s lips parted slightly as Harley

wrapped his fingers around Miko’s bobbing cock.

With just a few strokes of his aching cock, Miko could feel

himself getting close to the edge of bliss. He could feel his balls
drawing up tight against his body. He knew he only had moments
before he flew over the edge with abandon. He wanted Harley to go
with him.

“Come, Harley-chan,” he whispered right before he sank down

onto Harley’s cock again. The loud roar of Harley’s release flooded
Miko’s ears. Miko felt himself teeter on the edge of his own orgasm.

One more thrust from Harley and Miko went spiraling over the

edge. One moment he was on the wave, savoring the exquisite feeling
of having Harley’s cock balls deep inside of him. The next moment,
he was crying out his release as shot after shot of cum splattered all
over Harley’s tanned skin.

Miko shuddered at the feeling of Harley’s cock pulsing inside of

him. Each little tremor rocked through him, prolonging his pleasure
until Miko thought he was going to pass out. Miko collapsed onto
Harley’s chest, sweaty and gasping for breath. Harley wrapped his
arms around Miko as he pulled the blanket over them.

134 Stormy

Glenn

When he could finally breathe again, Miko leaned in and brushed

a small kiss across Harley’s lips. “Love you, Harley-chan.”

Harley grinned. “Hai.”

* * * *

Harley’s nerves were strung tight, making him antsy and anxious.

It was all he could do not to shout at Charlie to drive faster as they
headed up the driveway toward his mother’s mansion.

This was it, the final showdown. They had discovered enough

evidence on the flash stick Cecil had provided to them to put his
mother away for the next hundred years. She wasn’t just going away
for kidnapping Miko, Kei, and Hiroki, or trying to kill them. Those
charges were almost considered piddley shit compared to the
numerous federal charges she was facing.

Her bank accounts had been tracked to drug operations that led all

of the way down to Central America. Apparently, not only had she
called Miguel Fernandez to inform him of Harley’s mission, she had
gone into business with the drug lord to pad her bank account.
Considering how much she hated anyone that wasn’t white, that
information had been a huge shock.

The officer she was having the affair with had sung like a bird

when his involvement in Harley’s kidnapping became apparent.
Marilyn had been blackmailing him to get her hands on classified
information that she was using to help Miguel get drugs into the
United States.

Harley was just glad he had been allowed to come along when the

Feds went in to arrest her. He wanted to see the look on her face when
she realized that she had been caught. He just wished that he had a
camera to capture the event for Miko.

It had only been three days since Miko and Kei had been returned

to him, and they were all still trying to get over the entire event. Miko
refused to leave Harley’s side unless someone was with both of them,

Harley’s Heart

135

watching over them. He was terrified that someone would separate
them again.

He had only agreed Harley could come on this trip if he promised

to stay next to Charlie and Manny. Cecil had stayed back at the
mansion with Miko, Kei, Harold, and Hiroki. Most of Charlie’s men
had stayed to keep an eye on them.

Manny had volunteered to accompany Harley and Charlie just as

soon as the mission came up. Harley was pretty sure he would have
volunteered to go on a mission to the moon if it would get him away
from Cecil. Harley didn’t know what had occurred between the two
men in the last three days, but Manny was running scared.

Harley just didn’t think he was going to be able to run far enough.

Cecil was a man determined to get his hooks in the tall marine. And
somehow, Harley was pretty sure that Cecil was also a man used to
getting what he wanted.

Manny didn’t have a chance.
“We’re here,” Charlie said as he pulled the truck to a stop and

turned it off. “Okay, you need to promise me something, or you have
to stay in the truck.” Charlie turned to look at Harley.

“What?” Harley asked even though he had a pretty good idea what

Charlie wanted.

“You can’t go after your mother, no matter what she says. I know

how much you want her to pay for what she did to you and Miko, but
this thing is bigger than just the two of you. If you go off half-cocked,
we could lose the leverage we have over her.”

“Charlie, I just want to be there to see her taken in. I need to see it.

I need to know that she hasn’t gotten away with this.” Harley brushed
his hand through his hair, absently realizing how long it was getting
since he had stopped with the military haircuts. “I won’t cause any
problems. I just need to see it.”

“In that case, you might want this.”

136 Stormy

Glenn

Harley’s mouth dropped open when he realized the small

rectangular object Charlie was holding out to him was a cell phone.
When he looked at Charlie, the man’s face flushed and he shrugged.

“I thought Miko might want to see it as well.” Charlie pointed to

one of the apps on the phone. “That’s Face Time. If you click it and
hold the phone up, he’ll get to see the whole thing from finish to end
as it happens.”

“God, I love technology,” Harley said as he hit the button and

waited for Miko to answer on the other end. When Miko’s gorgeous
face appeared on the screen, Harley began to smile. This was going to
be epic. “Hi, baby, ready to watch the show?”

“Hai.” Miko sounded nervous, but he also sounded excited.
“Don’t worry, Miko. I’m staying in the background. I just want to

be here to see her taken in. I won’t get into any trouble.”

“No be good, no get ass.”
Harley blinked, shocked that Miko actually understood what that

meant and was using it as a threat to keep him in line. And he could
tell that Miko did. His entire face was flushed red. Maybe he had been
hanging out with Cecil too much.

“I’ll be good, Miko. I promise.”
“Then you get ass when you home.”
Harley chuckled. He kept the phone turned on as he climbed out

of the truck and followed Charlie and several armed agents of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service up the front steps. It was a
joint bust between all of the agencies because just about everyone in
the government wanted Marilyn Thomas for some type of crime.

“Stay quiet,” Charlie murmured out of the side of his mouth. “You

wouldn’t believe what it took to get them to agree to allow you to
come. If you mess up, it’s my head on a platter.”

“I can top that threat.” Harley grinned. “Miko swore to withhold

sex if I misbehaved.”

Harley’s Heart

137

Charlie stared for a moment then burst out laughing. “Yeah, that

would make me toe the line, too. Luckily, John Henry can’t keep his
hands off me long enough to go through with a threat like that.”

“Want to bet?” Harley arched an eyebrow at Charlie. “I’d bet just

about anything that if John Henry thought you were in danger, he
could go through with any threat, including withholding sex.”

“Yeah.” Charlie sighed. “You’re probably right. John Henry can

be testy like that.”

“He loves you.”
Just in the couple of days that Harley and Miko had been staying

at the mansion, he had seen the love that practically vibrated between
Charlie and John Henry. It didn’t seem like John Henry could be
home from work more than five seconds before the man was hunting
Charlie down and dragging him off for a quickie.

Harley had learned to avoid the pantry.
Charlie grinned. “Yeah, he does.”
Harley’s laughter faded away as one of the agents knocked on the

front door. His heart started to beat a little faster as they waited. When
the door opened and his mother stood there, Harley wasn’t sure
whether to lunge at the woman or stay where he was and just yell at
her.

The arm that wrapped around his wrist decided it for him. Harley

glanced down to see Charlie’s hand wrapped around him. When he
glanced up at Charlie, the man just shrugged.

“Figured you could use the help.”
Harley snorted and turned back to watch the scene playing out

before him, holding the cell phone up so Miko could watch as well.
“Here we go, baby,” he said quietly. “This is when it all ends.”

“Marilyn Thomas.” One of the agents with FBI written on the

back of his jacket grabbed her arms and started handcuffing her.
“You’re under arrest for the assault and attempted murder of Harland
Thomas, Mitsuaki Thomas, and Harland Kei Thomas. You are also
under arrest for the kidnapping and human trafficking of Mitsuaki

138 Stormy

Glenn

Thomas, Harland Kei Thomas, and Hiroki Sato and financial fraud,
theft, forgery, and the destruction of private property.”

Another agent, one with the initials DEA on the back of his jacket

stepped forward. “Marilyn Thomas, you are under arrest for
trafficking drugs into the Unites States, the illegal sale of drugs, and
aiding and abetting a known drug lord and fugitive.”

Harley almost burst out laughing when the NCIS agent stepped

forward.

“Marilyn Thomas, you are under arrest for selling classified

secrets, treason against the United States, and endangering the life of
a US Marine.”

Marilyn’s face paled even further with each charge that was read

to her. She started to shake her head. “There must be some mistake,
gentlemen.”

“There’s no mistake, Mother,” Harley said as he stepped forward.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to say anything, but he just couldn’t
help himself. “You’re finally going to get what’s coming to you, and I
am going to spend the rest of my life with my husband and my son,
happy in the knowledge that you are behind bars right where you
should be.”

“You!” Marilyn shrieked, her face going from one of complete

innocence to red with rage. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t
married that… that man, none of this would have happened.”

“No.” Harley shook his head, a part of him aching that his mother

was he woman she was and not a true mother. “If you hadn’t been
such a bitch, none of this would have happened and you wouldn’t be
going to jail for breaking more laws than I can count.”

Harley grinned because there was a perverse part of him that was

truly enjoying watching his mother get what was coming to her. “You
are never going to see the light of day again. You’re going to spend
the rest of your life buried in some hell hole with every low life
murderer and drug dealer on the planet. If you’re lucky, one of your
fellow inmates might make you her bitch.”

Harley’s Heart

139

Marilyn screeched and lunged toward Harley even though her

hands were cuffed behind her. She started screaming and yelling
about what she planned to do to Harley once she got free, and some of
them were pretty imaginative. Harley knew more than one agent gave
him a sympathetic glance.

“Good-bye, Mother. I truly hope we never meet again.” Saying

those words settled something inside of Harley. He turned and walked
away, knowing that he had a much better place to be than this,
someplace where he was loved and accepted. “Charlie, can you give
me a ride home? My husband and son are waiting for me.”

“Yeah, sure.” Charlie glanced between Harley and the agents

leading Marilyn down the steps toward a waiting squad car. He
looked a little freaked out but hurried after Harley as he walked
toward the truck.

“Hey, baby,” Harley said as he smiled at the beautiful face

looking back at him through screen on the cell phone. “I’m on my
way home.” Even if that home was a sprawling mansion filled with
marines.

“Good.” Miko’s fingers trailed over the screen. “Come home,

Harley-chan. We be waiting.”

That was good enough for Harley.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots

is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first
sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand

and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man
for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers.

For all titles by Stormy Glenn, please visit