Page 19 of Monster

“And you look good in my shirts.”

I lunged up at him, baring my teeth. “People will be angry at my disappearance. And when they finally realize I’ve gone missing and I’m not just on vacation, whatever scheme it is that you and your little buddy of yours are running is up. You’re finished, do you hear me? They’ll come after me and take you down in the process.”

My heated words hung in the air as he stood from the edge of the bed. His eyes traveled to my hands and my wrists, but he didn’t make a move to untie me. And that was becoming an issue, because I really had to go to the bathroom.

“Well?” I asked.

He slid his hands into his pockets with a swagger that made me nauseous. “You know you tried to stab me with a pen last night, right?”

I blinked. “What?”

He nodded. “That’s why you were tied down. I gave you a pretty powerful sedative, and you fought it every step of the way. I had to give you a second dose just to knock you out.”

“Yeah, well. You can only drug me for so long. And when you release me, you’re done. You hear me?”

He shrugged. “Unless I just don’t untie you.”

“I’ll piss and shit all over this bed until you let me off it.”

“You haven’t looked around much, have you?”

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

He backed up towards the door. “I didn’t come up the stairs to get to you, Number Four. I came down the stairs. The second you attempted to harm me, you forfeited your right to that oceanfront room.”

“Does this sentiment have a point?”

His eyes hardened on my face. “It means you’re in the basement. And that means a lot of shit and piss will have to be had before the smell even starts to trickle upstairs. Are you ready to see how much it will actually take? Because I am.”

“You bought me, drugged me, and now you’re pissed that I stabbed you with a pen? While you had me drugged!?”

He held his finger up. “Attempted to. You didn’t actually stab me. But, it showed me your true intentions. So, until I’m absolutely convinced you won’t run anywhere or hurt anyone once I untie you, you’re going to stay down here.”

“And what happens when I have to eat or go to the bathroom, huh?”

He snapped his fingers. “Lyle can help with that. Lyle?”

I watched a brute-force, muscle-bound man step into the room and hurry off into a corner. I craned my neck to keep him in view, but it didn’t take long for me to see that he was armed to the teeth. A gun on both hips. An ankle gun he didn’t even try to keep concealed. And that didn’t even account for the rifle-looking gun he had strapped against his chest.

Mr. Ten Mil continued. “Lyle will make sure you get to the bathroom and are fed appropriately. And once you’re ready to play nice, we can talk.”

I growled. “I’ll never talk to you.”

He shrugged. “Then, I hope you enjoy your new home.”

Before I could protest, Mr. Ten Mil was out the door, leaving me alone with a massive man looming in the corner and a shirt hiked so far up my thigh, I felt the cool air-conditioned temperature against my bare pussy lips.

I have to get the hell out of here. I have to find a way.

Even if it meant cooperating, for the time being.

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