Page 2 of Monster's Claim
The huge, scary figure hadn’t moved an inch,didn’t speak a single word either.
“Um, it's fine.You can park your ugly-asscar here,” she muttered under her breath, slowly backing away,toward the salon’s back door.Her right foot got caught insomething.She looked down, seeing the discarded beer can.Toolate.
Lara stumbled, and the stranger moved, farfaster than she imagined a man his size could move.She cried out,except big callused fingers closed over her mouth, muffling herscreams.He broke her fall, his massive body impossibly dwarfinghers.He wrapped one steel-hard arm around her waist.Refusing togive up, she managed to pull out the spray, only for him to knockit from her fingers.The can made a startling noise as it hit theground.She tried to kick at him, punch and claw at him.It feltlike hitting a solid brick wall, like he didn’t even feel thepain.
Please,Lara thought, eyes fillingwith ears.Someone, please help me!
Merciless, pitch-black eyes bored into hers.Then the stranger spoke for the first time, his voice harsh, raspy,as if he hadn’t spoken to a living soul in a long time.“Why didyou cut your hair?I liked it long.”
Those words chilled her, paralyzed everybone in her body.
He liked it long?What the hell?What didthat mean?So many questions buzzed in her head.
The back door of the salon opened.Relieffilled her at seeing Dan.
“Hey!What the hell are you doing, man?I’mcalling the cops,” Dan began.
Her kidnapper transferred her to one arm.God.Was this entire man’s body made of metal?Lara froze,seeing the revolver her kidnapper took out.
The salon manager, Lisa, appeared, turningpale at the sight of her kidnapper.
“Mind your own business unless you want theFamilia knocking on your doors,” the stranger said in that sameharsh voice.
“We saw nothing,” Lisa said, much to Lara’shorror.
Dan began to protest, but Lisa grabbed hisarm and dragged him back inside.The door closed.
Despair filled Lara as her captor begandragging her back to the car.What just happened?Dan and Lisa wereabout to call the cops, right?
Why are you doing this?She wanted toyell if she could, but he still had a hand over her mouth.
“You won’t behave?”
Was he kidding?
She stubbornly shook her head, pissed.Shetried kicking at him again, to no avail.
“Feisty little firecracker.I need to youfall asleep for a while.”
Like hell she’d do that, but she didn’texpect him to pull out a handkerchief from his jeans.The soakedfabric made her queasy, as did the chemical smell that came fromit.He placed it over her mouth.Lara buckled and tried fightinghim off again, but all of her senses began to dull.Her visionswayed.Her entire body felt weightless.
She tried to remain conscious, but it wastoo hard.
“Sleep, my sweet Lara,” he whispered againsther ear, breath warm.“When you wake, I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter Two
“Skip’s bitch is downstairs then?”MarcoSeverin asked.
Matthias listened with half an ear to Marco,now the head of the Severin Familia.It felt like an entirelifetime ago since they’d both squabbled for Giovanni’sposition.
Both of the suits standing next to his twinbrother looked uneasy around him.Matthias didn’t miss the fact onepuppy kept sliding his hand to the gun tucked to his belt.They’dheard of him then.Matthias knew what they called him behind hisback.
Beast.Monster.Bogeyman.Matthias mighthave stopped appearing in public thanks to his happy littleaccident, but he continued operating from the shadows as theFamilia’s best information extractor.
Matthias loved his family, lived for them,would do anything for them, but these puppies?They were fodder tohim.Disposable.Easily replaceable.Part of him hoped that nervousone would pull a gun on him so he could rip it from his hand.Teachhim a lesson to toughen him up.
So soft.
