Page 57 of How to Flirt with a Hellhound
“Dead?” I asked.
“Probably,” Liam admitted. “That was over a year ago. Police questioned everyone he had given names for, but they all had alibis, and there was no body and no sign of foul play. No sign of struggle in the guy’s apartment, either. His phone, computer, wallet, and a suitcase were gone as well, so it couldn’t be proven that he hadn’t just up and left. The police couldn’t very well press charges against anyone with no proof of anything.”
“Fuck,” I said. “So what about the suspicious guys? And where was this?” I asked.
“About two hours north of you. So I’ve got three names, and I started looking into them,” Liam said.
“We can go and check them out. I can send Jude and Corbin while I stay with Toby. If this guy stalked and kidnapped someone, they’ll be able to smell his rotten soul a mile away,” I said.
“Good. I’m going to wrap up some things here and then head to Paradise Falls as well,” Liam said.
I groaned. “Coming to the rescue,” I joked.
“Hey, if we’re buying that property, which apparently we are since Jude’s bid for the house was accepted, then I want to check it out,” Liam admitted.
Huh, I hadn’t realized they’d already finalized buying the house next door. Plus, more eyes on Toby wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Oh, Atlas is around, too,” I added.
I heard a pause in the clicking. “Is he?” Liam asked.
“Yeah. He talked to Jude and was at the flower shop owner’s house. I forgot to tell you. He didn’t come back with me, but I didn’t really expect him to,” I added.
“Yeah. The place must have his seal of approval, though, or he would have let us know. I’m sure he’ll pop up at some point,” Liam said, starting to type again.
Atlas was… well, he was a loner. He was pack, but he was pretty feral, and we all loved him, but we gave him plenty of space. None of us really won any awards in the growing up department, but Atlas had a really fucked up past. At least we all knew who our parents were, even if they’d died or abandoned us or given us to Wilder because it was for the best.
“Yup,” I answered. “Send me the names.”
“Done. Keep me posted,” he said, and then he was gone.
I heard Toby still chatting on the phone, and Jude and Corbin must have heard most of my conversation with Liam, because they came out of my house and headed over to Toby’s porch.
“We heard there are leads,” Jude said. “You want us to head out now?”
It was nearing dusk—quite a bit of the day had passed with Toby asking questions—but I was too impatient to wait until morning. Not that it mattered—we were hellhounds. Darkness was natural to us.
“Yeah. I can text you…” I started, but Jude held up his phone.
“Liam already forwarded the info to us. We should be able to track these guys down pretty easily,” Jude answered. “I doubt it’ll take more than a night.”
“Don’t worry—we’ll hold onto him for you,” Corbin smirked.
I nodded, and they walked over towards their car.
It felt… anticlimactic. Not that I wanted Toby kidnapped, but I couldn’t seem to shake that dream I’d had. There was no way, however, that anything would happen to him with me here, and chances were good that Jude and Liam would track the guy down. Not only that, but even if someonedidtake Toby, I would be able to find him. His scent was permanently engraved in my nose, and his taste was in my mouth. I felt tied to him, and I knew I could hunt him down anywhere.
It was comforting.
Not sure if Toby would see it that way, but he didn’t have to know about it.
I listened to him talk to Josh from the front porch, and eventually their conversation wound down. When he got off the phone, I headed back inside, filling him in on my conversation with Liam.
He looked a little nervous hearing about his stalker, and I swooped in to give him a kiss, ready to take his mind off that unpleasantness. Before it could get too heated, he put a hand on my chest.
“I just realized… I mean, I realized before, but…” he hesitated, biting his lip. It was so cute, but he smelled unsure, and I didn’t want that.
“What is it, baby?” I asked.
