Page 3 of Heartless Monster

I feel three feet tall and helpless as I stand there, allowing them to drink up my presence. I have no idea who these guys are or what they’re capable of. What I do know is that my fear will give them power if they see it.

Straightening my back, I steel my shoulders and lift my chin. “Who’s the girl you were talking about?”

“Forget her,” another guy chimes in, wearing the same sinister grin as his friend. This one has jet-black hair and eyes so dark I can barely see them. “You’re here now. She’s just a distant memory.”

I cross my arms over my chest, eyes dancing from one guy to the next. “Tell me if the girl you were talking about is Brogan?”

They share a look, shrugging. The blond says, “Hell if I know her name. What I do know is she had sexy curves and big tits that popped out of her pink tee shirt.”

Sounds like Brogan. In which case, I’m proud of her for not leaving with these guys. Also a bit surprised because she usually makes terrible decisions for herself.

The blond continues, “She also had a mouth on her.” He nudges my shoulder with his. “One I wanted to come all over.”

My insides twist in a mix of disgust and terror. I make no attempt to mask my disdain as I snarl at his response. “You’re sick,” I spit out. “I’d say my sister did herself a favor rejecting you.”

A deep, guttural laugh escapes from his lips, sending chills down my spine. My instincts scream at me to run away as fast as I can.

“Sister, huh?” Mischief sparks in the blond’s green eyes.

The shorter of the three, with red hair, pats his hand on the dark-haired guy's shoulder. “Come on, guys. Just leave her alone and let's get to the car.”

“Fuck off, Miles!” Blondie snaps as he steps even closer to me. With the dark-haired guy at my side and this one in my face, I’m certain if I try to run, they’ll snatch me up and keep me in place.

My pulse quickens and I force a smile on my face. “This was fun.” I shoot a thumb over my shoulder. “But I really should go.”

“You should have never been here in the first place.” Blondie scoffs. “The residents of this town aren’t too keen on outsiders snooping around.”

“There was no snooping.” I chuckle nervously. “I’m simply just passing through.”

I go to step around him, but as suspected, my wrist is snared. I’m not certain by who, and I don’t care. My first instinct is to jerk away, but I fail miserably. I attempt to twist it so that I have the advantage, but I’m too slow and he gains the upper hand.

“Let me go!” I growl, my voice thick with anger and frustration. In seconds, I’m surrounded as the sound of devilish laughter drowns everything out around me.

I shouldn’t have tried to take a shortcut. I knew going through the park was a bad idea. But my laziness overpowered my shrewdness, and here I am. Captured by some wannabe thugs who will probably rape me and leave me for dead.

When he tries to pull me close, I shove at his chest, now able to see that it’s the blond. “Keep your dirty-ass hands off of me, you disgusting son of a bitch. My sister was an idiot for even talking to your ugly ass.”

My eyes go wide when I see him go from playful to downright evil in a split second. His grip on me tightens to the point of pain as he pulls me up against him with his two friends right at my back, leaving me no escape. I’m certain he can feel the thudding of my heart as he grinds his jaw.

His hot breath fans my ear as he whispers, “Your sister might have rejected me, but what she doesn’t know is when I want something, I get it.” He squeezes my wrist even tighter, causing me to bite my tongue in order to keep from crying out. “And right now, what I want is for you to get on your knees and say you’re sorry for running that pretty little mouth of yours.”

He’s delusional if he really thinks I’m getting on my knees for him. I heard what he said about Brogan. He thinks all he needs to do is snap his fingers and girls will drop for him. I know damn well he’s testing his limits right now. If I get on my knees, I’ve no doubt he’ll force more than an apology out of me. I may be terrified of how he’ll react when I say no, but I will put up a fight until my dying breath before giving in to him.

I might walk the straight and narrow—might even be considered a goody two-shoes, but what I'm not, is weak. And I’m certainly not a pushover.

I gnash my teeth together, allowing two simple words to spill out. “Fuck you.”

My eyes narrow, challenging him. In the blink of an eye he has my hair in his fist as he jerks my head back, breaking my eye contact. “Is that an offer? Because I’ll gladly accept.”

“I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on earth.” I try to pull on his grip but it’s steadfast. I can see his friends getting a kick out of this from my new angle and I want nothing more than to put them all in their place.

“So cliché,” he tsks. “I take you to be that type of girl. Probably come from a rich little family. Bet you drive an Audi. Captain of the cheer team and all that jazz.”

“All that jazz?” I laugh glumly. “Sorry, asshole, but you’re mistaking me for my sister. She drives the Audi.”

“Of course she does.” He chuckles, looking at his friends as if communicating a secret. “Just another family full of spoiled brats who will live off Mommy and Daddy’s money for the rest of their lives.”

“You don’t know a thing about me or my family.” I cock an eyebrow when he finally loosens his grip on my hair. “Don’t act like you’re any better. Pretty sure Willow Creek was built on rich soil.From what I gather, everyone in this town has money, so don’t act like I’m the only one here who was fed with a silver spoon.”

---