Page 10 of How to Hack a Hellhound
“Nah, I don’t think so. I thought of it with Toby, but I think they’d notice if they woke up with a scar,” Dex said, and I heard the crunch of potato chips as he took a bite.
“Hmm,” I murmured, swerving around another car. I was about to get on the highway, and according to the GPS on Quinton’s phone, he was moving just about a half a mile in front of me. I’d be able to catch up.
“Anyway, I’ll let you get on with your not-stalking, and I’ll tell Cass you’ll look out for him,” Dex said, then he hung up without a goodbye.
I just rolled my eyes, concentrating on catching up to the car Quinton was in. When it was within sight, I was finally able to unclench my hands from the steering wheel. He was fine. He was in the car in front of me.
Dammit, I really needed to get access to his phone’s microphone. I should’ve hacked that before now. It would be so much better to be able to hear what was happening in the car.
Nevertheless, I remained relatively calm as we got closer to the city. The club wasn’t too far off the highway, and it at least had a parking lot. I’d be able to watch Quinton get safely inside and follow him in. He wouldn’t be out of my sight for long.
Fuck. This was such a bad idea.
I thought about taking him before anyone saw him. I could manage it easily enough, but he didn’t know me yet. And he’d been kidnapped, so that would probably be kind of traumatic. I didn’t think grabbing him and preventing him from going into a club would put me in a favorable light.
I passed the Uber when we were about a half mile out, pulled into the parking lot behind the club, and found a spot to squeeze my car into. It wasn’t technically a spot, but the place was packed, and I didn’t have time to wait or drive around looking for parking. I kept my eyes on the road, and Quinton’s ride pulled in a minute later, letting him out.
He stood there, looking at the club as the car drove off.
“Turn around, Quinton. Go back home,” I murmured from inside my car.
He looked entirely too lovely to go into that shithole. He did have on eyeliner, making his eyes appear wider and even more striking. His t-shirt was tight enough to show his nipples in the chilly air, and I swore even from here I could smell his soul—sweet but also with a hint of bitterness, like dark chocolate. I breathed in deeply, thinking again of grabbing him before he could walk in, my hellhound growling at the thought of him in danger.
Quinton scanned the parking lot, looking back in my direction suspiciously. His eyes lingered in my vicinity for a moment, almost like he knew he was being watched. I was too far away for him to see me clearly, and before I could do anything stupid, like hop out of the car and approach him, he turned around and walked into Bliss.
Chapter 5
Quinton
This was a bad idea. I knew it was a bad idea. I walked into Bliss anyway.
The door from the parking lot led down a long hallway, and I could feel the bass of the club music in my chest before I even made it to the second entry door, where the bouncers stood. Not much of a line, and I got in quickly enough.
I made my way to a back wall away from the dance floor to get my bearings. I hadn’t thought about what I would say if I saw anyone I knew, but it was a Thursday night, and my old crew was most often here on weekends.
Bliss was still pretty packed. Apparently Thursday was the new Friday.
I looked around, and I saw a few familiar faces, but no one who really knew me. No one who I’d partied regularly with or hung out with outside the club. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to see those people. I didn’t want to pretend that I’d just been finding myself or some shit for a few weeks.
None of my “friends” would really care, anyway. I was bitter about it for a minute, but they weren’t bad people. It was as much my fault as theirs. I had never let anyone in.
“Hey beautiful,” I heard a voice say next to me. I looked over to see a tall, muscular guy leaning against the wall. I just shook my head, and he shrugged and wandered off.
What the fuck was I doing here? It was like the bass in the music was taking over my heart, replacing it with nothing but sound and thumping. I tried to focus on something else, looking at the dance floor, but it was all grinding bodies, arms waving, naked chests, hands groping. I looked away, letting my eyes wander around, looking for… I don’t know what.
My eyes stopped on a man who was staring at me. He was standing next to one of the cocktail type tables they had scattered around the place. He was tall, and he looked pretty muscular underneath his dress shirt. A dark dress shirt should’ve looked out of place here, but instead it just looked incredibly sexy on him. He had short dark hair, stubble, and a chiseled face with beautiful eyes. I couldn’t tell exactly what color they were from here, but they were light against his sharp eyebrows.
A figure cut in front of us, and I realized I’d been staring and quickly looked away. I couldn’t help taking a peek back, though, and the guy was still staring at me.
Usually I’d take it as interest, and I’d saunter over and flirt. But this guy looked polished and suave, and I couldn’t help being paranoid. Marcus had frequented this club. He’d known a lot of people. I didn’t trust my judgment of people anymore, and finding him attractive did not mean I could trust him.
Maybe showing up here alone wasn’t the best way to look into Marcus and his cronies. It would probably be even more suspicious if I just left, though. I’d get a drink, put a smile on my face for the bartenders, and then I’d get the fuck out of here. I could admit I hadn’t thought this through. I just felt the need to dosomething.
I walked over to the bar, my spine itching like I was still being watched. I sidled up and grabbed a seat just as someone vacated it. I recognized the bartender—his name was James, and he’d served me plenty of times. His eyes widened when he saw me, then he walked over.
“Man! I haven’t seen you in ages! Where you been?” he asked, looking around.
“Oh, you know, took a break from the club scene. Tried dating life,” I lied.
