Sixx and the Hellhound: The Sidekick Chronicles

by Becca Vincenza

  Pushing down my irrational hurt, I ate my omelet and thought through our plan. It wasn’t much of one yet, but I supposed having Ana on the inside doing recon would help.

  “Okay, fine. Maybe it’s not a horrible idea for you to get that bartending job, especially since the drug bust location is probably still blocked off by the police. I’ll drive over there before work and snoop around. We can go back to the scene tomorrow together.”

  Ana nodded and finished eating her breakfast then breezed to her room to get ready for the day. Guilt bit at me. I shouldn’t have fought her on the bartending job, but old insecurities couldn’t be easily squashed. In high school, my friends were few and far between. I didn’t connect with many people, but when I found my few, I held them close and held on tight.

  After what happened to us back then, I found it hard to return to the human world. Ana wouldn’t abandon me just because she was curious about her heritage. I needed to remember that. My thoughts and intentions were selfish if I kept her away from this job.

  ****

  Standing in front of a string of caution tape made it abundantly clear why I was so against the idea of following this investigation. It had nothing to do with the fact that my best friend was trying to get a job at a bar that catered to paras. Neither was it because any mention of drug abuse drove me to immediate anger.

  No. It had to do with my complete lack of in-the-field training… all my own doing, of course. Couple that with the fact I had none of the advantages the paras had: stuff like agility, speed, nimble reflexes. Fast forward to now when I was being cornered by someone who looked like he was snooping around for the same reason I was, and I was convinced this was a really, really bad idea.

  Especially when his body heat seeped through my layers like something I could almost touch. The heat brushed against my skin and for reasons I had yet to figure out, and my body relaxed even though he had me caged in. Wide hands were pressed against the brick building behind me, strong, ridiculously thick, muscled arms trapping me. One was right next to my neck, the other placed by my hip.

  “Pchelka…we meet again. Are you – what is the American word – stalking me?”

  After I stopped hyperventilating because he grabbed me from behind and shoved me against the wall, I snapped out of my wide-eyed stare at his massively muscled chest. I slapped my hands against him, trying to push him back, but he shuffled his feet forward instead, undeterred. Glaring up at him, I realized how close he was to me.

  “No. You know darn well I’m not stalking you. You’re stalking me! Now get out of my way. I was on my way to work.” The lie slipped from my lips before I realized my mistake. He knew where I worked. Where we stood now was the opposite direction from where I was headed when he grabbed me.

  Cocking a brow, I grumbled, annoyed that he caught me in a lie.

  “Now, pchelka, why would you tell me such tales?”

  “That’s not my name!” I snapped, trying to avoid the subject of my lie and why I was in the area in the first place.

  “No…it is not, Sixx.” With his Russian accent, my name sounded different, exciting. Almost sensual. Which was impossible because my name was nothing but a number, another reminder of how distant I was from my parents.

  “Okay, Z. What are you doing here? Following me, I mean. ‘Cause I wasn’t here, here. I was just headed to…”

  “Work, yes, you said. Yet we both already know you lied about heading there. So why not tell me why you are really here, Sixx?”

  I gulped. I think I liked it better when he called me whatever that little pet name was he kept using. When he used my real name, it reminded me that I could be dealing with a depraved criminal right now. My anger and fear rose as the memory of him and that woman flashed in my head. Of him tucking the drugs into her cleavage. Touching her hip in a sexy, dominant way. Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder on his chest. I needed to get away from him.

  “Pchelka,” he growled, leaning closer and brushing his nose against my neck. I stiffened as his hand tangled in my wayward ponytail. “Why are you scared of me?”

  “Please let me go,” I whispered, closing my eyes, honestly getting worried about where this was headed. He can’t possibly know I saw him, right? There’s no way he knows we’re on to him and his friend!

  “Tell me why you fear me,” he growled, his voice dropping an octave.

  My heart stuttered; my muscles were clenched and ready to take me away from this situation. “You mean besides you being a perfect stranger, a dude twice my size, trapping me against a brick wall behind some crime scene tape?”

  “I would not hurt you, pchelka. I would never,” Z vowed, sounding almost disgusted by the idea.

  “Then please let me go.”

  “I do not think that I can, my pchelka.”

  I swallowed hard. What did I do to give myself away? Blood rushed through my ears, and my mouth went dry as I tried to formulate a plan to get me out of this situation.

  “Come on a date with me, Sixx.”

  Time stood still as I stared up at Z. That was the last thing I thought he’d say. “Excuse me?”

  “I would like to take you on a date. Tonight if you are free.”

  I blinked for a good minute. “Huh?”

  “Tonight, then.”

  I think I nodded. I must have because he smiled brightly and took a couple of steps back. “I will pick you up from your job, then.”

  With that, Z disappeared, and my knees gave out. I braced myself against the wall with wide eyes.

  What the hell just happened?

  Chapter 8

  My head kept spinning, and it quickly became apparent that I was going to be stupid-late to work. I pulled out my cell and called in, asking if I could come in a couple of hours later. Thankfully they agreed. Instead of staying around to check out the bust site, I rushed back home.

  “What just happened?” I muttered continuously on my drive home. And why did I still have a hint of his scent, masculine and delightful, in my nose? I shook my head and tried to focus. When I walked in the door, I was dismayed to see Ana still wasn’t there. I had hoped to talk to her.

  Plopping down on the couch in a daze, I re-shuffled the events in my head. I didn’t get the information from the drug bust site I was hoping for, but maybe… maybe I could use this date to my advantage. Z was probably planning to use this date to try to find out exactly what I knew, so I might as well do the same. I could only hope he hadn’t seen us at the club. He didn’t give any indication that night that he did, but he had to know we were close on their trail since he ended up at the same crime scene as me.

  This could get dangerous. I needed Ana as back-up if things went south. I didn’t trust myself not to get into trouble when it came to Z – in more ways than one. My brain became mush around him. From fear! I told myself sternly. Not because of any other reason.

  I rushed around the apartment to find a date-worthy but not super datey-like outfit to switch into after work. Then, I tried calling Ana three times before I gave up, realizing she might still be working on getting her new job. Huffing, I prayed she would call me back before the date. I left for work with a ball of nervous energy fluttering through my system.

  ****

  At work, I constantly checked my phone, waiting for Ana to respond, but she never did. My anxiety over the date quickly morphed into worry for her. Even so, the day went by quickly, a little too quickly. At the end of my shift, I changed clothes in the work bathroom, eliciting a round of wolf whistles from my coworkers when I walked out. My cheeks heated.

  I’d chosen a flippy little dress that I wore on nights out or casual get-togethers. Admittedly it wasn’t much, and I hadn’t worked my curls into any sort of style, instead allowing my hair to fall freely. I hated that even though I knew this was only a recon date on which I planned to use him to get information, I still felt butterflies in my stomach. Plus, silly little thoughts kept rushing through my head. Bad, stupid thoughts.

  I walked
to my car and convinced myself I would only stay another five minutes since he hadn’t shown up yet. He probably didn’t even know when I got off work. I rapped my thumb against the steering wheel, steeling myself to stand him up. I could almost picture the disappointment in his eyes. Why I felt a pang of guilt at the thought, I had no idea. He had a girlfriend! Or, more likely, he was a player and was seeing a bunch of someones.

  Just then, there was a knock on my window, and I jumped. Z leaned against my car, peering in at me with fire dancing in his eyes. He wore jeans and a thin flannel, looking casual and delicious, all at the same time. My insides flared at the look he gave me, my cheeks burning as I fumbled to pull my keys from the ignition.

  I turned to my passenger seat to grab my purse, and when I turned back around, Z was still watching me. My heart thudded. I went to reach for my door handle when he opened it from the outside.

  “Trying to escape me?”

  “No.” I laughed nervously, uncertain how to respond since that was precisely my plan.

  “I believe you owe me this date.”

  “How so?” I lifted my chin defiantly.

  “To show you off, obviously. You are krasotka.”

  “What?”

  “Gorgeous.”

  My cheeks heated again. I swung my legs out of the car, trying to make sure I didn’t flash him. The car parked next to me was shiny, black, and sleek. It was nice, even though I wasn’t overly impressed with fancy vehicles.

  “Is this you?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

  His grin turned almost feral as he turned to the vehicle with a smug look on his face. Straightening my back, I climbed out of my car, ripping the door from his hand. Or more like I tugged it away from him, and he gently released it. Z took a step back and opened his car door for me.

  I clicked the fob on my car to lock it before slipping inside. Only after he shut the door behind me did I realize how dumb it was to get in his car. I started to twist toward the door to get out just as he climbed in and the car purred to life. The locks clicked, and he backed out of the space in record time.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, fiddling anxiously with the strap of my purse.

  “Not too far from here. You’re perfectly safe with me, Sixx.”

  “I don’t know you, Z.” I shifted in my seat and fumbled in my purse, trying to locate my phone. My panic started to rise when the longer I rummaged, all I turned up was my wallet and keys.

  “Don’t fear me, Sixx.” Z reached over and touched my wrist gently. I tugged my hand out of my purse and breathed a little easier. I had to remember that I needed him to think this was a real date. I was doing this for information.

  He pulled into the parking lot of a quaint little Italian place that had the best breadsticks in town. My mouth watered at the prospect. Even if this date was fake, the food I would be eating was very real.

  We didn’t speak much as we headed inside, but Z placed his hand on the small of my back, gently guiding me inside the building. The hostess ogled Z, practically ignoring me as I stood next to him. When she finally did notice me, she gave me a tight smile, and a tingle of awareness prickled up my neck; leftover magic that Ana had used on me after the werewolf attack, which signaled another para was nearby.

  “Follow me.” The hostess led us to an intimate table in the back where the lighting was low and it seemed a little quieter. The walls were painted a soft cream color with bold splashes of red used sparingly as accents. Each linen-topped table held a crystal tumbler with a flickering candle enclosed within.

  I fidgeted, feeling silly and out of place. Of course, he would pick a romantic spot. He’s playing the dating game, after all.

  Z even went as far as pulling out my chair for me. He took the seat across from me, and the waitress took our drink orders.

  As soon as she left, Z ignored the menu and stared across the table at me. “Tell me about yourself.”

  I didn’t really need to read the menu since Ana and I ordered take-out from there often, but it gave me something to hold onto. I shrugged a shoulder. “I’m nothing special. Tell me about you. What do you do?”

  “You are very special, Sixx. I know you work in a pharmacy, but I am more interested to learn what you were doing the night we met.” He reached over to brush his fingertips over the back of my hand.

  I shouldn’t have felt a swirl of heat race from my hand to my stomach. Nor should I have looked up at him to see his gaze devouring me. I swallowed as my insides tightened.

  “That’s none of your business. Besides, I wasn’t the only one out there. What were you doing out there?” I asked, raising my brows. When he smiled, his eyes lit with humor. I hated how it lightened my own mood. My heart pounded as I waited for him to respond.

  He waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Do not worry about that. Do you enjoy your job? What made you get into pharmacy?”

  I shrugged again. “It kinda fell into my lap. I’d just moved to the city, and my roommate and I were trying to find any job that was available. I’ve worked there for a couple of years now. They put me through classes so I could get my license.” I offered nuggets of information, hoping he would return the favor.

  “And your roommate?”

  Disappointment stabbed at me even though I should have known better. This was further proof he was only using me to get to Ana. But I wouldn’t give him any information he could use against her.

  “I’ve known her since high school. How about your friend from the other night? How do you two know each other?”

  “Through work,” he answered quickly. “Any siblings?”

  I twisted in my seat. “You don’t like to talk about yourself much, do you?”

  “I would rather hear about you.”

  “Why?”

  Z ran his hand through his hair and looked over his shoulder, pausing as the waitress came back to take our orders. Once she left again, he returned his attention to me. “Obviously, you know a bit about our world, but you don’t belong, no?”

  My jaw clenched with bitter anger. This wasn’t the first time someone from their world tried to bully me back out. They had problems with humans knowing about their world and being part of it. It pissed me off.

  “Look – you didn’t have to ask me here just to tell me to butt out of your world. I’ve had plenty of your kind try to bully me before.”

  “I think you are getting the wrong idea here, Sixx.”

  “No, I got it. You’re trying to tell me I have no place in “your” world, is that about right?” I snagged my purse with the intention of leaving.

  “Sixx… I was asking if you were human without saying it flat out since we are in a human establishment. I want to be here with you because I want to know more about you. There is no other motive,” Z said, his tone turning a little sharp.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t understand your end game here, Z.”

  “Olezka, call me Olezka, please.”

  “Look, Olezka –”

  As soon as his name left my lips, he growled, and his eyes flared with an inner fire. His shoulders seemed to swell, and a strange smile crossed his features. The waitress picked that moment to approach with our food, but my stomach had soured. I didn’t know what he was planning. I hoped I could just scarf down my food and he would take me back to my car. Then, I debated calling for a ride.

  Ana usually walked to work since we didn’t live too far from the bar. That reminds me…

  I itched to pull out my purse and dig around for my phone once more. The waitress placed our plates in front of us, and Olezka thanked her. He had been utterly considerate to the waitress since we arrived, which made it hard to hate him. Without hesitation, we both started to eat. The silence between us felt comfortable. If anything, I became hyper-aware of the little sounds I made when I ate, and my cheeks flushed.

  Especially when I peeked up to see Olezka watching me intently, his own food forgotten.

  “Stop looking at me like
that,” I mumbled, tucking a wayward curl behind my ear. My insides flared again, and I tried to smother the undercurrent of desire rushing through me.

  “How am I looking at you, Sixx?”

  I swallowed. Did I really want to tell him I thought he was looking at me like he wanted to devour me? Nope. That was a can of worms that needed to stay firmly sealed.

  Instead, I answered lamely, “Like I got sauce all over my face.”

  “That is not how I am looking at you. But I will allow your denial for a time longer.”

  “Denial of what?” I scoffed.

  “Your attraction to me.”

  I didn’t respond because, regardless of the type of para he was, he knew more than I wanted him to. It was best to keep my answer to myself. We finished our food, and the waitress swung by to check on us another time before bringing the check.

  I grabbed my purse even though I already knew he wouldn’t let me pay.

  “Nyet. Do not even think to grab your money,” he growled, his brows dropping sternly.

  “I can go Dutch.”

  “I do not need ‘Dutch’, and I refuse for you to speak yourself out of believing this is a date.”

  “It’s talk myself out of…” I offered.

  “And you will not do that, either.”

  I bit my bottom lip but remained silent. Needing to occupy myself as he paid, I searched for my phone again. My stomach dropped to my feet when I realized it wasn’t in my bag. It must have fallen out onto my passenger seat when I was waiting on him to show.

  “We need to go.” I practically bolted up from my seat. I hadn’t heard from Ana all day, and I was worried she’d tried to call me while I was out on this foolish date. She knew my schedule, so she would know I was late. Fudge. Fudge. Fuck.