Page 6 of How to Hack a Hellhound
“Of course I’ll come. You think I’m going to let my boys have all the fun without me? Someone needs to check up on you miscreants,” he joked.
And that was why Wilder was more of a father than any of our original parents. We were always his boys. Still, I let out a sigh of relief.
“How is everyone?” he asked. “I know you’ve been keeping tabs. Always the big brother of the group.”
“They’re good. Atlas has even shown up a few times in Paradise Falls. I think he’ll end up staying as well. I’ve designated a back house on the one property for him if he wants it,” I answered. “The sale has gone through on the house next to Dexter’s, so we own both properties, and Dexter’s mate owns the third. Dex has basically moved in there, so we have two houses between the rest of us, along with the smaller back house. There’s a lot of land, and we can expand if necessary.”
Wilder grunted in approval.
“There’s a decent number of angels and demons running around town, which concerned me at first, but they really seem to be flying below the radar as well. The only demon who showed up to cause trouble was actually dealt with by an angel, an oracle, and Dexter,” I added.
“An angel, an oracle, and a hellhound walk into a town…” Wilder joked. He trailed off then, and I let him have a moment to think.
I turned back to the cameras that Dexter had installed around Toby’s property. I could still see lights on inside, and no cars had come or gone, so I was sure Quinton was safely inside. I’d have to hack into his phone’s microphone. It would be so much simpler if I could hear what was going on.
“Ok. I’ll be coming, but right now I’m working on something… delicate. Tell the boys not to worry, and I’ll be in touch,” Wilder said, dragging my attention back to the call.
“I’m not there yet, either. I just finished my last bit of business here, but my place is cleaned out and I’ll be packing up the car for the road trip back to Paradise Falls in the morning,” I answered.
“Good. You boys look out for each other, and you know how to get in touch if any of you need me,” he said.
“Of course. Same for you, you know. We’ll gladly help with anything you need,” I reminded him.
He just laughed. “You boys are wrecking balls. I love you all, but this needs a finer hand than that. I’ll be in touch,” he said, and he hung up without waiting for a reply.
Wilder liked to remind us that he loved us, but he often didn’t give us the opportunity to say it back. That was ok—I think he knew what he’d done for all of us. He’d made us family.
I sighed, turning back to the computer screen. I watched the outside of Toby’s home impatiently, tapping my fingers, until eventually a message popped up on my computer. Quinton had texted Aiden to let him know he was taking an Uber home. Good boy, letting his roommate know what he was doing.
I checked the Uber driver’s background, because of course, I did, and I watched the CCTV cameras to make sure Quinton got home and into his apartment safely. Then I just waited for him to boot up his computer so I could watch him. And monitor his online activity.
Quinton was starting to dig a little too deeply into his own kidnapping, and it was only a matter of time before he caught someone’s attention. It would help flush out the ring of human traffickers, because so far they had been good at covering their tracks, but I still didn’t want him placed in any danger, which was why I watched him so closely.
Well, I wouldn’t lie to myself. It was part of the reason I watched him so closely. The other reason was because I wantedhim. My hellhound wanted him. And if Dex got to keep a human, why couldn’t I?
Quinton was a flame in the darkness, and I wanted to set him free and watch him burn. I would make sure no one ever again tried to put out his fire.
Chapter 3
Quinton
It was almost midnight by the time I went to bed. I hadn’t gotten very far in my online searching, probably because I really didn’t know shit about computers. I could google with the best of them, but unfortunately “sex traffickers who kidnap people” didn’t serve up a list of names. I had dived into Marcus’s life, but that was pretty much a dead end. The guy would’ve been caught if he had left any kind of trail that someone as inept as me could follow.
I probably needed to go back to the club where I’d met him. It was something I had avoided thinking about, but I needed to dosomething. I couldn’t just settle into this new life knowing that someone else could be locked in a basement right now. I’d started looking the club up, but my computer kept freezing, so I’d just given up at that point and climbed into bed.
I tossed and turned, and eventually, I must have drifted off to sleep. I was locked back in that basement room, and the door was opening. It was my chance to escape. I shot up in bed, breathing heavily, only to see a dark silhouette in the doorway, the lit hallway behind them.
Despite the dream, I recognized who it was. I let my racing heart slow down as I scooched over and threw backthe comforter, inviting Aiden into bed with me. He walked in, leaving the door ajar—he didn’t like the dark—and climbed into bed next to me.
I laid back down, asking, “Was it my nightmare or yours?”
Aiden just shrugged, cuddling up next to me. I guessed he was right. Did it really matter what woke him? I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close while his own breathing calmed.
Weren’t we just two fucked up peas in a pod. I was a prickly son of a bitch who purposely pushed people away with my attitude—I’d had issues letting people in well before I’d been held captive. Aiden, meanwhile, had a hard time letting people in both emotionally and physically. He didn’t like being touched, and yet at the same time, he was incredibly touch starved.
Most nights, Aiden ended up in my bed, snuggled up with me, the sheet an extra layer between us. I didn’t mind. Somehow Aiden had become like family, even though I’d tried my damndest to keep him shut out. He was like a puppy dog, though, and you couldn’t help loving him at least a little.
God, I hope nothing happened to him.
