"Ryan,"he hisses. "Heidi dumped this jackass for cheating on her right before the Upheaval."
On the recording, they're arguing. Heidi doesn't get out of her car during the altercation, but then her ex grabs a rock from the ground and swings it wide at just the right spot.
Glass explodes in a spray of glittering shards. From this angle, Heidi is barely visible, flinching back before her ex reaches into the car to shake her shoulder hard, screaming at her.
Bile tries to crawl up my throat as, for a fraction of a second, I'm reminded of all the times my father screamed at my mom. The way she'd just freeze up, unable to function in the line of fire and from the terror of what else he might do.
Heidi is frozen just like that in her car as he shouts at her.
Kaenon's voice is quiet, but there's an edge to it. "That is her ex-mate?"
"Ex-boyfriend," Ian mutters. "Humans don't usually call each other mates."
"I'm going to remove his arms for daring to touch her so cruelly," the ancient warrior decides.
"You can have his arms. I'll shred the rest of him," Zak seethes.
The recording stops after the ex falls on his ass and Heidi drives away. The timestamp glows accusingly at the bottom of the video, showing that this happened a few days ago. Ian clicks the laptop shut, and then it's silent for a moment.
Zak folds his arms, stewing. "All right, when're we killing that fucker?"
"Now," Kaenon votes.
As much as I wouldn't mind letting these guys rip apart the drunk asshole we all just witnessed assault Heidi, that would require hunting him down. As in, leaving Heidi here, alone.
Knowing the shit she's gone through over the last few days, that's not happening.
"We'll wait and let him come to us," I decide. "That sack of shit won't be able to stay away from someone too good for him like Heidi for long."
Ian glances at me. "Why wait? You're a hotshot bounty hunter. Just send your equally renowned giant hellhound to hunt this guy down and drag this sorry ass to us."
The suggestion hits me like a sucker punch.
For a moment, I swear I hear the low rumble of a growl that isn't there. The faint scent of smoke and sulfur that hellhounds always carry with them. The phantom weight of a massive head of dark fur nudging my shoulder, prompting me for an order.
My gut twists hard, and I look away. "No. We'll wait."
"Why?" Zak asks before frowning. "Come to think of it, if you've got a hellhound, where is it? Heard those things almost never leave their master's side."
"Mind your damn business, you sleazy motherfucking infernal shithead," I warn, easily irritated by the half-demon thanks to some nasty run-ins I've had with full demons in the past.
"Whoa, there. Cool it, or I'll start blushing as much as Heidi does. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm only here for her?" Zak huffs, exasperated.
The hell? I seriously do not understand this guy's sense of humor.
Kaenon looks between us. He may be new to this time, but he's intuitive as fuck because he immediately puts together that Zak and Ian have just stepped on an invisible landmine for me. The ancient warrior's face takes on a sympathetic expression.
"Ah. You lost this hellhound companion?"
I turn abruptly, storming toward the bedroom door. "I'm getting coffee."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the most subtle deflection in history," Ian grumbles before standing, too. "Wait, Douglas. I'm sorry for suggesting it. I didn't realize?—"
"I know. Drop it."
I'm almost to the door when it swings inward, nearly hitting me in the nose.
And just like that, whatever negative feelings were spiraling in my head turn into nothing but background noise.
