Page 64 of How to Flirt with a Hellhound
I nodded once. I didn’t understand why we even needed to talk about this.
“Dex, this guy stalked someone else a year ago according to Liam,” Jude stated.
“Yeah, Liam told me. We’ll make him suffer for that man’s death,” I growled. He would have done the same to Toby, and I would make sure his last moments on the mortal plane were excruciating.
I heard Toby’s footsteps coming up behind me, and Jude looked at me, but I only nodded for him to continue. I wouldn’t hide anything from Toby. If he wanted to know what was going on, then he deserved that closure.
“I… Dex, I smelled another human on a lot of this guy’s clothing. He lived alone, and according to all Liam’s digging, he doesn’t have a boyfriend or post about anyone on social media,” Jude said.
“A coworker?” I asked.
“The other person smelled like fear and innocence, Dex,” Jude answered.
Toby grabbed onto me from behind. “Do you think the other guy he stalked is still alive?” he gasped.
Jude shrugged. “I don’t know. The scent wasn’t fresh, but it wasn’t so old that it had faded. There was no one in his ritzy apartment complex that fit the smell—I searched the halls on each floor to be sure. He’s well off, and Liam is trying to find out if there are any other properties he owns. There’s some family money, but most of the estate looks like it’s lived in by other family members. If he has this guy stored somewhere, we have quite a few possibilities.”
“So you’ll find out,” Toby answered. “You’ll do whatever you need to in order to find out where this guy is, and you’ll save him.”
He kissed the back of my arm then, saying, “Go talk to him, Dex. I’m ok. Jude and Corbin are here with me.”
I turned and pressed a kiss to his lips, then I jumped off his porch and stalked over to my house. Toby was right; I had work to do.
By the time I was in the door and walking down the basement steps, the stench of the decaying soul was overpowering.
Atlas was in his human form, a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie that were obviously mine thrown on. He sat sulking in the corner, staring at the guy who was tied up and gagged in a chair. The guy was bruised and bleeding, and his wrist was definitely mangled, but he looked pretty intact otherwise.
“Thank you,” I murmured to Atlas. He had saved Toby. He had taken care of things when I was too distracted, and he hadn’t killed this guy when I would’ve because he had obviously been in touch with Jude.
Atlas merely grunted in acknowledgement. That was our Atlas—a hellhound of few words.
I took the gag out of the guy’s mouth. “What’s your name?” I asked, even though I could’ve just asked Jude.
“Bradley. Bradley Howard. I have money. My family has money. They’ll pay a ransom for me,” he rambled.
I laughed. “You think this is about money? You tried to kidnap Toby.”
“I didn’t,” the man started, and I slapped him across the face. He whimpered even though it was barely a tap.
“My Toby,” I snarled.
That seemed to shake something loose in him, because he stared at me hatefully.
“Did you think he wasyours?” I snarled. “He isn’t yours. He would never be yours. He would never stoop to a disgusting piece of shit like you. You aren’t worth the ground he walks upon.”
“I could’ve given himeverything. He doesn’t want you; he wants me! We’re fated to be together!” the man yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Just like the bartender? Is he fated to be with you, too?” I asked.
“Aiden and I broke up,” Bradley said. “I would never cheat on Toby.”
I’d seen all kinds of delusional shit, and I knew that this guy totally believed his break up story. The only question was whether or not Aiden was still alive, or if their “break up” meant that Bradley had killed him.
“Time for some answers, Bradley,” I muttered, walking over to a table that had some tools laid out.
“Finally,” Atlas muttered.
If Aiden was still alive, we’d find out where he was. If I happened to try out some more torture methods for my boyfriend along the way, well—anything for my Toby. I smiled as I turned around to face the piece of shit who had tried to hurt my Toby, and he whimpered at the look on my face.
