Page 8 of How to Hack a Hellhound
“How was last night?” he asked.
I stared at him, frowning. “You know, I thought Toby was asking me over for an orgy.”
Cass choked out a laugh. “Geez, Q, why would you think that?”
“He said he wanted me and batted his eyelashes. He was all awkward in that Toby way of his, and said I could sit in a corner and watch. He said I needed to get back into things. What the hell was I supposed to think?” I groused.
Cass laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, that sounds like Toby. He’s awkward, but he means well.”
“Yeah. They have a nice place out there. Would be nice if we could get Aiden out there for a visit. I think he’d like the woods and shit. He won’t go with that many people, though. Toby means well, but he might be a little much for Aiden for extended periods of time.”
Cass nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll talk to Corbin or Jude. Aiden knows both of them. Maybe a visit to see them would be good. Would you take him?”
“Of course,” I said. I didn’t add that I would probably insist on going. I didn’t like the idea of Aiden going anywhere alone. I started wiping down the counter as I said, “I might go into the city tonight. Aiden was gonna go out for a walk in the woods with Kushiel later, right? Maybe you guys could hang out with him for a bit after that?”
Cass had been leaning against the counter, but he stood up and stared at me. I avoided eye contact. “Of course we can, but Q, are you sure…” he trailed off, and I was saved by the bell chiming above the shop door.
A pretty steady stream of customers came in as lunch drew near, and we got to work filling orders. If Cass kept glancing my way suspiciously, I ignored it. I was a big boy, and I could go into the city if I wanted to.
If the idea terrified me a little bit, that was ok. I’d tell Cass and Aiden exactly where I was going. I had people who would look for me now.
There was a little voice in my head that said even if people would look for me, it didn’t mean they would find me, but I quieted it as best as I could. After all, these weren’t just people. Cass, Dex, and all my new “friends”—I was pretty sure they were all something not-human.
It occurred to me that I should probably ask for help, but that required trust. I trusted Aiden, but I would never ask him. He had his own shit. Besides, I didn’t know anything yet. I’d get some information, and then I’d decide what to do.
Stupid? Probably. But what harm could come from just visiting a club? I knew even as I thought it that those sounded like famous last words.
Chapter 4
Liam
Iwas almost back to Paradise Falls, and my hellhound was… restless. I thought about pulling off to stop and check on Quinton, but I knew he was at work now. I’d watched him last night through his laptop camera. I’d also monitored his computer and interfered a time or two in order to subvert his attempts to look into the club that I’d already traced to Marcus.
I’d also watched him sleep for a bit. He usually left his computer open, and it soothed me to see him safely resting in bed. When Aiden came in for his nightly cuddles, I figured the two of them would be ok, and I’d shut down the computer and started the drive.
When I stopped for a break, I found out Quinton had done some research this morning, but I didn’t think he’d been noticed. He hadn’t activated his old social media accounts or contacted anyone, so he should still be under the radar. As far as the ring who had taken him knew, he’d died in that house fire. I wanted to keep it that way.
I crossed the border into Paradise Falls, rolling down my window and breathing in deeply. I resisted the urge to stick my head out the window. It smelledgoodhere, like home. AndQuinton was here. I suppressed a low growl of pleasure at the thought of seeing him in person.
I could wait. I didn’t want to scare him. He was feisty and had claws, but he was still a human. And he’d been kidnapped. That was probably damaging, and he refused to get therapy. Humans seemed to need to process events like that, and I wasn’t sure Quinton had done that.
I could be patient.
I pulled onto the drive leading to our pack’s group of homes. I thought about adding another house. We could build it without much problem. We all had construction experience in our backgrounds—Wilder had thought it an essential skill. Jude and Corbin were living in Dex’s old house, and Dex was living with Toby. For now I could live in the empty house, but I thought Atlas would eventually want his own place. The rest of the pack thought the pool house, built on the third property, would work for Atlas, but I had other plans for it.
Quinton and Aiden lived downtown in an apartment by the shop, but I wanted Quinton closer. I knew he wouldn’t go anywhere without Aiden, so it seemed like the perfect solution. Plus, those two were human, and they needed protection. It would be best to have them right in the middle of pack land.
I pulled up the driveway to Dex’s house since I could hear them on the front porch there. I checked my phone for any alerts on Quinton, but GPS showed him still at work, exactly where he belonged. I had a couple hours before I needed to start watching him.
“Liam!” Toby shouted as I got out of the car, jumping out of his chair and waving excitedly. Jude, Corbin, and Dex were all sprawled out in chairs on the porch as well, although none of them jumped up to greet me.
“At least someone is happy to see me,” I called out so Toby’s human ears could hear me. A crow squawked above me, and Ilooked up to see the trees full of black-winged creatures. Corbin was settling in well, then.
“Ah, here comes the sun. It seems like years since you’ve been here,” Jude joked, and I rolled my eyes, hopping up onto the porch.
“It’s only been a couple weeks,” I answered, reaching down and pulling Jude into a hug. I did the same with Corbin, then Dex. I hesitated when I got to Toby, but he pulled me in for a hug, even though I heard Dex growl just a wee bit.
“The gang’s all here,” Toby said excitedly. “And they said you’re really good with computers, and I have this new idea for a book…”
