Page 3 of How to Trust a Hellhound
Luckily, Aiden took over. He didn’t comment on the broken stuff in the apartment, and he found his way into the bedroom, not making a comment about the clothes all over, either. He managed to find bags and a suitcase in the closet, and he started emptying out drawers and picking up clothes and packing. I knew I should help, but I sat on the bed, sort of dazed, cradling my wrist.
Aiden kept up a steady stream of conversation the entire time, telling some story about Q arguing with a customer. He emptied the drawers and took some of the clothes from the floor and closet. Heeven went into the bedside drawers, didn’t make a single comment about the sex toys, and then made his way into the bathroom, still talking loudly, this time about Jude and the sheriff and their ridiculous flirting, some of which I’d seen.
He kept up the chatter as he made his way into my home office, apparently packing everything up in there. I knew I should help, but I had very little that was actual paper—I kept everything digitally. Fluffy stayed with me, and I was comforted by his presence and by Aiden’s voice talking loudly from the other room, even if I wasn’t really processing what he was talking about.
By the time he had a suitcase, duffel bags, and my work laptops and stuff all packed, he was finishing a story about his boyfriend eating dog biscuits, explaining that really they were the same recipe as cookies so it wasn’t a big deal. Fluffy was just patiently waiting, occasionally glancing at the door as if he was listening for Rick.
“Ok then. The guys will come get the rest of the stuff,” Aiden declared, and then he ushered Fluffy out the door, dragging the bags out with him. I heard the front door open and shut, and then Aiden walked back into the bedroom. “Do you need anything else? Anything you want to bring that’s important to you?”
I thought Aiden had grabbed most of what I needed, so I shook my head no.
“Let’s get some ice for your wrist, okay?” he asked, and he went to the kitchen, where I could hear him rifling about. He came back with a hand towel and a ziplock bag filled with ice, and he placed them on my wrist. I gasped a little, because it really did hurt to touch, and then he helped me off the bed and out the door.
“I don’t have shoes on,” I muttered stupidly.
“I grabbed them. They’re in the car,” Aiden replied, like it was perfectly normal to walk outside in socks. Fluffy and my bags were in the backseat, and I wasn’t sure when Aiden had done all that. It didn’t seem to really matter, either.
He opened the passenger door, helped me into the car, and got inthe driver’s side, and off we went. I just leaned my head against the car window.
What was I doing?
Rick was going to come home and find me missing, and then he’d bereallymad. I winced at the thought.
If I was lucky, maybe he’d stay out tonight. He did that sometimes when we fought and I made him really angry. I shouldn’t have said the bank of Josh thing. I knew I shouldn’t have. I made more than him, and it was always a sticking point.
I was such an idiot.
“Hey,” Aiden said, distracting me. “Do you want to go to the ER? Or can one of the brothers take a look at your wrist? They have some… training.”
Yeah, I remembered Toby saying something about Dexter maybe being in the military (after he’d decided Dexter probably wasn’t a serial killer), and since the brothers all looked nothing whatsoever alike, maybe they all had that in common. Wilder seemed like he had some kind of military background, and maybe the guys followed in his footsteps. They were all incredibly well-built, handsome men.
“Yeah, they’re okay,” I said.
I didn’t really know most of them, and they were a little intimidating, but I didn’t think Toby would let any of them hurt me. Dexter was nice, if a little weird, and I knew he’d help.
Was I really gonna do this? Was I going to leave Rick?
I looked down at my wrist, red and swollen. It wasn’t the first time Rick had hurt me, but this seemed different, maybe because everyone could see his marks this time. I couldn’t just ignore it and pretend it hadn’t happened.
I didn’t think there was anything left to salvage in the relationship. Maybe there hadn’t been for a long time.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think Rick would agree, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it. I wasn’t sure he wouldlet me go easily, and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to stand up to him. It was probably why I hadn’t left him already.
I was just so damn tired. My face and wrist were both throbbing, and my eyes were heavy and ached from crying.
Aiden seemed to sense it, because he said, “Just close your eyes and rest a minute. It’s okay, Josh. You’re safe.”
Safe. I was safe. I don’t know why I believed him, but I did exactly as he said, closing my eyes and letting myself rest.
Chapter 2
Wilder
Isipped some coffee as I walked down the steps to what had been nicknamed the “torture basement.” It really was an accurate name based on what Dexter was currently doing to the… man? Woman? I wasn’t sure there was enough left of them to make that call without using my hellhound senses.
Dexter was always one of the messier boys growing up. He did enjoy his work.
“Make sure to burn off the blood underneath your fingernails and in your hair before you go see Toby. And your right ear is covered in blood. Probably get inside your ear a bit, too, for cleaning up,” I told Dexter.
