Page 7 of How to Hack a Hellhound
“Are you staying safe?” I asked.
“I woke up, went to the shop, baked, and came home. I ordered take out to be delivered to the shop before I came home, so no one knows where we live,” Aiden said. Then he added quietly, “You went out today. You ok?”
“Yeah. It was like some kind of weird gay guy version of girls’ night. Toby wanted to invite you,” I told him.
I could feel him shaking his head against the pillow, and I chuckled. “Yeah, I agreed that wasn’t a good idea. Although they do live out sort of near the woods. It’s nice. Might be nice to visit them. Maybe talk it over with your therapist.”
“It’s hard, but it helps,” he whispered. “You should go.”
“Maybe,” I said, but we both knew I was lying.
I didn’t need therapy. I needed revenge.
We both eventually slept, and I vaguely heard Aiden’s alarm at the crack of dawn, although I went back to sleep for a few hours. Aiden usually worked every day, even though Cass yelled at him for it. If he wasn’t over at the shop baking, though, he was baking here in the apartment, and the place did not have a big kitchen. Aiden had once told me that he didn’t think about all his shit when he was baking, so I guess it was like another form of therapy for him.
Sometimes I wished I had something like that. Instead, I laid in bed and stared at my laptop, open and taunting me on my dresser. I knew I needed to go back to the city. If I was going to figure anything out, I needed to go back to where I met Marcus.
I rolled over and groaned before climbing out of bed, grabbing the laptop, and heading into the kitchen. I placed it on the eat-in kitchen table as I poured myself a cup of coffee—bless Aiden for always making it—and grabbed the blueberry muffin he’d left for me. I sat down and woke up the computer, getting ready to dive into more research.
Before I tried on the club again, I opened up my old email account.
It wasn’t like I was in hiding. When Dexter had asked me if I wanted to go back to my old life, I hadn’t said yes because there hadn’t been much to go back to. I didn’t think anyone even missed me. Marcus had chosen someone who wouldn’t be missed, and he’d covered his tracks.
I’d gotten an email from my landlord confirming the cancellation of my lease, so apparently Marcus had done that and had someone go clean out my clothes and personalbelongings—the rental had been furnished, so I hadn’t had much.
I had worked at a temp agency, and though I’d been in the middle of an office job as a secretary, I’m sure Marcus had put a call in telling them I quit, because I hadn’t even gotten an email from them, although they had deposited my last check into my account.
I guess I was fortunate I still had my bank account and my storage unit, which held stuff from my parents’ house that I actually cared about, but I guess Marcus hadn’t had me for long enough to fully get rid of my existence. Thank fuck for that, at least.
My email account had a lot of random marketing emails, but that was it. And really, what did I expect? Who the fuck even used email anymore? It was all social media now, and Marcus had used my phone to post on all my accounts that I was taking a social media break to find myself.
I’d left them like that. I hadn’t posted anything. I hadn’t emailed or called anyone. After all, what was the point?
I had gone missing, and no one had even noticed. No one cared.
It was fucking depressing.
It was mostly my fault, and I knew that. I had lots of party friends, lots of acquaintances, but no one close to me. Not since my parents died and I left my hometown. I hadn’t let anyone get close. I had been a fucking island, and it made me easy pickings for a psycho like Marcus.
I leaned my head down against the kitchen table, probably getting crumbs on my forehead in the process, but I didn’t care.
I needed to look into Bliss, the club where Marcus and I had met and where I’d been a pretty regular partier. It was perfect for casual hookups and random fun nights, and I’d lost myself there plenty of times. Of course there were always rumors about theplace, but weren’t there rumors about every popular club? Add in that this was a gay club, and of course people talked shit.
But Marcus had friends there. He knew people. It was a lead I couldn’t leave alone.
I just had no desire to go back to that life. I didn’t want to see those people, didn’t want to pretend that I was the same party guy I’d been before. I didn’t know if I could put on that persona anymore.
But I didn’t think I had a choice. Iwasn’tthe same anymore. I had a purpose now, and I hadn’t had one in far too long.
With that thought, I pulled up the club website, opening tabs as I clicked on all their social media accounts, reading over all the gossip and shit I’d missed over the last few weeks. It was weird to feel like nothing had changed in that world, when for me so much had changed.
I only had about an hour of scrolling before my phone alarm went off, letting me know I needed to get ready for work. I closed the laptop and hopped in the shower, trying to scrub away the feeling of grime from being back in that world, even just peripherally.
I got dressed, grabbed my phone, and walked out the door. I should probably just go to the club. Rip the bandaid off, so to speak. Get back out there and start putting feelers out.
I thought about it as I double checked the locks, set the security alarm, and went downstairs to head over to the shop. It was mid-morning, so it was pretty quiet when I walked in. Cass was behind the counter, talking on the phone. Except I knew that half the time Cass was supposedly on the phone, his phone was actually not on a call.
I didn’t ask questions. I just waved and headed into the back. Aiden had music playing and was mixing dough. I nodded at him and he nodded back. I grabbed an apron and headed back out to the front just as Cass took out his ear pods.
