Page 102 of Unbelonging
No, this guy was an asshole. I wantedmyLawton back, and so help me, I'd have done almost anything to get him. Where his brother had disappeared to, I had no idea. But his influence had obviously remained. I needed to get through to him, and if giving up a little dignity was the price, well, I guess he was worth it.
"All my clothes?" I asked, my voice very quiet.
He seemed to give it some thought. "No," he finally said. "Guess not. Just the outer ones should be good." He crossed his arms and waited.
"Fine. You win." Feeling incredibly awkward, I yanked off my T-shirt and threw it, hard, onto the floor. Then, I pushed off my tennis shoes and shimmied out of my jeans. In spite of my lost attire, the room suddenly felt incredibly hot as I stood in my black bra and panties. "There," I said, lifting my chin. "You happy?"
"Not particularly." He crossed the room and picked up my shirt. He ran it through his hands as if checking for something. Then, he did the same thing with my shoes and jeans.
"What are you looking for?" I demanded.
"Nothing."
"Drugs? Because I'm not on any, if that's what you're wondering."
Instead of answering, he turned and headed toward the door. "You still coming?" he asked.
I heard a note of challenge in his voice, and it grated on me in the worst way. Did he really think I was afraid to see whatever he had down there? If so, he had the wrong girl. "You bet I am," I said.
The basement door was located just off the kitchen. I followed him, barefoot, down the narrow, closed stairway. The light was dim, and I gripped the rail tighter than I probably needed to.
Vaguely, I wondered if I was the worst cliché, some stupid, half-naked girl walking cluelessly into dangers unknown, wielding an overly ripe banana or a pink powder puff to fend off some guy with a chainsaw.
I pushed those thoughts aside. This was Lawton. He wasn't a monster. He was – well, I didn't know what he was exactly. My boyfriend? I'd called him that earlier, but honestly, I wasn't feeling quite so sure at the moment.
As I neared the final step, portions of the basement came into view. I looked around. The place was gray and spotless with a painted floor that matched the painted concrete walls. I saw a few cardboard boxes, a weight bench, and some skis leaning against a far wall.
Near the center of the room, I spotted a big oak table surrounded by four huge oak chairs. Ahead of me, Lawton turned around at the foot of the stairway to face me as I took the final step. He motioned to the table. "Have a seat."
It was a lot cooler down here, and I felt my lack of clothing more keenly than I had just a couple minutes earlier. "Why?" I asked, rubbing my arms as I looked around. "What's down here, anyway?"
He walked over to pull out a chair. "Sit. You'll see in a minute."
With a sigh, I walked over and sat, resting my hands on my lap as I tried to figure out what exactly was down here. On the far side of the room, I spotted a sturdy-looking door with a deadbolt lock on it. Was he going to show me something from there? Because I sure as hell didn't see anything in the main area that warranted his strange behavior.
I was still looking around when almost before I knew it, my hands were yanked from my lap and pulled behind me.
From there, everything happened so fast I could barely process it all, but the sensations were unmistakable – the feel of cold metal on my wrists, the sound of the cuffs clicking shut, and Lawton's voice, colder than the metal itself, as he said, "Alright. You wanted to see something? Well, you got your wish."
Chapter 57
"Lawton!" I shrieked, yanking against the cuffs. "This isn't funny."
"It's not meant to be," he said.
I turned my head as far as it could go. He stood immediately behind me, his arms crossed, and his face cast in shadows. He looked like a stranger, and I felt myself shiver. Still, with an effort, I kept my voice shockingly calm as I said, "Lawton, I'm serious. Let me go. Right now."
"No," he said. "I don't think so."
"Son-of-a-bitch!" I said. "I'm serious."
"So am I."
A moment later, I felt his hands on me, resting on my shoulders as he said, "Now listen up. I don't wanna hurt you. But I've gotta check for something."
I tensed. "What?"
"Electronics." Slowly, he ran a finger under my bra straps, and then over the bra itself. I felt a mortifying surge of heat wherever he touched, even when he went lower, skimming his hands over my panties, both the front side and the back.
