Page 54 of The Huntress and Her Hound

“Um, do you even care I’m here?” I tease him, grabbing a protein shake from the fridge. “But he’s in his cave.”

Henry lets out a sigh, leaning against the counter. “He’s distracted, and I don’t know why.”

“I don’t know,” I lie, having an inkling that I might have something to do with it. “But he seems obsessed with his computer.”

“Yeah, that’s his normal.” Henry drums his fingers on the counter. “But there’s something else going on. He’s been going out every night for weeks. And then, on top of it, he’s been searching all these random guys’ names.”

My heart skips a beat. “What’s that mean?” I play stupid, cracking the lid of my drink. “You’re going to need to expand. I don’t know your friend. It sounds like any other guy in Vegas—or anywhere.”

“No,” Henry says flatly. “He started out searching this guy named Sam Erickson, and then he started looking into a guy named... Ben something, and now the newest—the one I found on the server is a guy named Chris Hemlock. He died at the party we were at last night, and now... I don’t know what to think.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be snooping?” I offer up, trying to ignore the lump growing in my throat. It shouldn’t surprise me Jude is digging into me... But it’s only a matter of time before he stumbles on some amount of truth, though I don’t know how.

“Normally, I wouldn’t,” Henry sounds legitimately concerned. “But he’s my best friend, and once he gets on a track, he’s like a hunting dog. He won’t stop until he finds the answer. He almost always tells me what he’s doing. I’ve checked with all our friends and acquaintances. No one has him working a side job that I know about.”

“You sound worried,” I squeak, covering my reaction by coughing.

“I’ve only seen Jude get involved in one personal thing, and it was for his sister. She took a job at this seedy place, and he was there every night she worked. She still works there, but he’s backed off after realizing he can’t stop her.”

“His sister?”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine him having a girlfriend,” Henry chuckles, shaking his head. “He might put a leash on her and never let her go out. He’s seen the dark side of the world through his hacking shit.”

“You can’t run from it,” I reason, leaning against the counter.

“True, but Jude isn’t like me. I don’t think he has the courage to face it—and take care of it. He’s more likely to try and avoid it or get his revenge online.”

“He got in fight though.” I down the rest of my drink and toss it in the trash. “Maybe you underestimate him.”

Henry appears to mull it over for a few moments. “Maybe. If I did, Jude might be crazier than all of us combined. He’s different, Cher.” There’s a hint of a warning in my brother’s voice.

“What makes him different?” I ask carefully, trying to sound nonchalant, but I’m pretty sure my face is giving me away at this point. Maybe my plan for tonight is not a good idea.

“I just think he comes across as levelheaded, trustworthy, and loyal to a fault, but I think if he becomes obsessed with something—or someone—it will eat him alive until he figures out whatever or whoever it is.”

I nod. “Doesn’t sound so different than you, given how you were with Lydia.”

He glares at me. “One day you’ll meet the right person and understand.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “No, I don’t think I’ll understand.” My phone buzzes in my hand, and I glance down at the screen.

Jude: Ready?

Furrowing my brow, I quickly type a message back.

Me: I still have a couple of hours.

Jude: Yeah, we’re getting dinner. Meet you downstairs in ten minutes.

I like his text, because...what the fuck else am I supposed to do? I grab my purse from where it hangs on the rack and sling it across my body, ignoring the looks from my brother.

“Work?”

“Yeah,” I make sure to meet his gaze as I lie—the same way I used to tell him I was meeting my tutor at the library instead of his house. “Just meeting friends for dinner beforehand.”

He narrows his gaze. “You just drank a protein shake.”

I glare back at him. “Are you calling me fat right now?”

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