Page 19 of The Boy I Loved (Eternal Hell #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

DOMINIC

“Trouble in paradise?” Mason asked as we walked through the school parking lot.

Classes had ended for the day, and I just wanted to get home and rest—something that probably wouldn’t happen if Clay or Kurt had anything to say about it.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He shrugged, reaching into his pocket to fish for his pack of Marlboros. “You and Hazel. You two used to be inseparable.”

My fingers curled into the palms of my hands. I scoffed in response, keeping my gaze on the assortment of cars littering the lot. “We weren’t as close as you think. Her father asked me to look out for her when we were younger.”

Lies.

I’d done that of my own free will.

Mason arched a dark, blonde eyebrow. “Really?” he deadpanned as we reached our vehicles near the back of the parking lot. “You seemed to take your role seriously back then.”

My steps faltered, panic punching through my chest. I whipped my head in his direction. “Are you accusing me of something?” I demanded in a low growl.

“Accusing you?” He snorted like the entire conversation was beneath him—like he had no interest in Hazel, whatsoever, when that was clearly a lie. He wouldn’t keep asking me about her if he wanted nothing to do with her. “I’m simply just trying to understand what happened between you two.”

I leaned my hip against the trunk of Nicholas’s car, rolling my lip between my teeth in a thoughtful gesture. My entire body was vibrating with nervous energy, and anything I said could easily be misconstrued.

“Have you ever seen a butterfly hang out with a wasp?” I asked slowly.

Mason’s eyebrows dipped in confusion. “No…” he trailed off, not sure where I was going with this.

“Why do you think that is?”

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at a few girls walking toward their vehicles before returning his attention to me. “I don’t know, man. Why don’t you enlighten me.”

“Wasps are natural predators. They hunt caterpillars and butterflies. Why would I befriend my prey?”

A stitch formed between his brows as he contemplated that. After a few long moments, he nodded. “That actually makes sense.”

Vincent and Nicholas strolled up, their gazes assessing us before turning on the multitude of students idling by their vehicles. The sun illuminated Nicholas’s olive complexion and made Vince appear paler in contrast.

Their footsteps crunched against the asphalt, kicking up small pebbles with every step. They walked with an air of confidence—like they were untouchable. Hell…they were. We were as long as we did as we were told.

“I’m starving.” Vincent announced.

Nicholas rolled his eyes. “When aren’t you hungry? ”

Vincent turned to him, his eyebrow ring glistening beneath the luminosity of the sun. “I have to keep up my energy somehow,” he retorted.

“We can go grab something,” Mason offered. “We still have an hour before we need to be at the shop for work.”

The less time I had to spend with them, the better. “You guys can go. I need a shower and maybe a power nap.”

Lies.

I just needed a moment to breathe and think without them looming over me.

It was odd. We used to be inseparable—best friends even.

But once Clay got his hooks in all of us, it all changed.

Mason and Vincent enjoyed the pain they inflicted.

Sometimes I did too. Nicholas was harder to read, but he seemed to be just as stuck as I was.

“Dom,” a girl called out, causing my muscles to lock up.

We all turned to face the intruder as she strode up, tucking a piece of caramel-colored hair behind her pierced ear.

Lauren DeMello.

“Can I help you?” I asked dryly, turning so that my back was to the vehicle instead.

Her dark blue eyes flicked between me and the guys for a moment, nervous energy rolling off of her in waves. “Have you heard from Stacy by any chance?”

“Why would I have heard from Stacy?” I retorted. “I haven’t spoken to her since?—”

“I know she was at your welcome-home party,” she interjected. “I also know that she fucked Mason.” Her gaze drifted to the guy in question.

My throat tightened and my heart started pounding furiously. She couldn’t suspect we had anything to do with her disappearance—not that it had even been announced yet. However, it was only a matter of time before she was .

Mason moved to stand at my side, his eyes hardening. “Yeah. I fucked her. What’s your point?”

Lauren licked her lips, her chest stuttering with a ragged inhale. “She also mentioned that she was going out with you the other night…” she hedged. “That’s the last time I’d heard from her.”

Motherfucker.

My teeth scraped against the inside of my cheek, copper flooding my mouth from the sharp pierce. This was bad. This was very fucking bad.

Keeping my cool was probably even more difficult. There were cameras everywhere, so snatching her wasn’t an option. Telling her to get in the car to go look for her wasn’t an option. We needed to be smart about this.

Blowing out a breath, I glanced over at Mason, hoping to God that he could pull something out of his ass. I thought we’d have a few more days before any alarms were raised.

“That’s the last time we saw her,” Mason replied, folding his arms over his chest. His expression was calm and disinterested—a stark contrast from the emotions warring inside me.

A frown tugged at Lauren’s mouth. “Where did you take her? Did you ever bring her home?”

“We went to a bar right outside of town,” Vincent answered, drawing her gaze to him.

“She and Dom got into an argument, and she refused to let us take her home. She said she’d call a cab, or have you pick her up.

That’s the last we heard.” The lie rolled off his tongue like butter, and even I couldn’t help but be a little impressed.

My relationship with Stacy had never been black and white. One moment, we were hanging out in the same social group, and the next, I was insulting her.

Lauren’s throat bobbed with a swallow, and she glanced away, blinking back a few tears that threatened to spill. “This is just…so unlike her.” She shook her head, causing a few strands of hair to tumble around her shoulders.

“Are you sure she isn’t at home?” Mason suggested.

A stitch formed between her brows. “I mean … it’s possible. But she would have answered my calls by now, right?” She gave us hopeful glances, like we held all the answers she needed. In a weird way, it seemed as if she trusted us.

“Unless she’s sick,” Vincent offered.

I nodded in agreement. “She’s probably at home sleeping. If it’ll make you feel any better, we can all go with you to check after we get off work.”

Vincent’s lips twitched, but he rolled his lower one between his teeth before she could notice.

“Really?” she asked, relief spilling off of her in waves. “I’d really appreciate that. Thank you, Dom.”

“Don’t mention it.”

She shot us a small smile before turning on her heels and made her way toward her vehicle at the other end of the lot. Her curls bounced with every movement she made, and I couldn’t help but notice the exaggerated way her hips swayed.

“What if she goes straight there?” Nicholas whispered, his gaze pinned on the girl who had just departed.

“We’re going to tail her,” Mason replied. “Let’s go.”

So much for rest.

Annoyance trickled through my veins as I turned toward my tinted-out Ford Explorer. I jerked open the driver’s door and slipped inside with Mason joining me in the passenger seat moments later.

“Cheer up,” he said, reclining the seat and settling back like we were going on some kind of entertaining road trip.

“Eat my dick.” I inserted the key into the ignition and twisted until the vehicle revved to life, vibrating beneath my shoes.

Mason released a snort as I backed out of the parking space. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He winked .

Insufferable.

Why had I befriended him again?

Nicholas pulled ahead of us in his SUV, creeping out of the lot with us right behind him. A few paces ahead of him was Lauren’s red convertible.

All I could hope was that this didn’t end badly.

The street was jam packed with vehicles—students leaving school, and parents driving home from work.

I followed closely behind Nicholas, making sure to keep a good distance. My heart beat frantically within my chest, a mixture of anticipation and exhilaration flooding through my system.

As much as I hated what I’d become, there was a part of me that enjoyed it just as much. The things I did, the pain I inflicted, gave me a high like no drug ever could. The screams as I took what I wanted, the begs, the bribes, the bones snapping beneath my fingers.

My cock stirred just thinking about it. It wasn’t the women who turned me on—it was the sadistic nature of it all.

Hazel would hate me if she saw what I’d become.

That thought put a damper on my growing erection.

She was the complete opposite of me—clear-headed, kind, delicate, soft, empathetic, down to earth.

Everything she was, contrasted against my very nature.

In order to keep her safe, she needed to stay away from me, otherwise … she’d end up just like Stacy.

Forcing the thoughts of my childhood friend to the back of my mind, I pressed on the gas with more force, keeping my gaze pinned on the convertible up ahead. Lauren took a right at the intersection, leaving us to trail her cautiously.

As expected, she was heading in the direction of Stacy’s house. There was no reason she should be going this way—not if she’d intended on going home. She lived near the mechanic shop.

Mason tsked under his breath, coming to the same realization I had moments ago. “Naughty, naughty girl.” His lips stretched into one of those devious smiles of his, his blue eyes darkening with the temptation of inflicting pain.

At the next intersection, I went straight rather than right—like Lauren and Nicholas had.

Mason straightened in his seat, confusion fluttering across his face. “What are you doing?”

“Cutting her off. What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?”