Page 6 of Monster's Claim
Chapter Four
Lara jerked, sitting up upright the momentMatthias revealed his name.So, she knew about the Familia.Good.This would make things so much easier.Brownie pointsto her for not screaming at the sight of his messed-up face.Instead, she stared him down, not something even grown men could doafter realizing who they were up against.
“What do you want with me?”shewhispered.
Lara looked pale under the basement lights,bleached out of color, of life.He yearned to see her smile again,like the photos he took of her during his surveillance.On her wayto work, she’d cut through the local park and bumped into a friendwith a baby.Matthias could never forget her smile, so carefree, soout of this world.
Matthias bet she’d taste heavenly, like lifeitself.He, on the other hand, was a creature who thrived in thedark, and he wanted to devour every inch of her.Corrupt her.
It took him a second to realize she’drepeated her question.
“Answers,” he replied.
“To what?”She blurted, “I’m no oneimportant.”
“You’re of no interest to the rest of theFamilia,” Matthias agreed.He shrugged.“After I get what I wantfrom you, they told me I can do whatever I want with you.
She shivered, clutched the blanket at thefloor and wrapped it around her shoulders, like armor.As if thatlittle piece of cloth could protect her from him.He could takewhat little comfort she had, strip her naked if he wanted to.
Down here, he was the king who wrote andchanged the rules all the time.Matthias could use the same oldtechnique.Break his prisoners down with cruelty and pain, andthey’d beg for his kindness later on.
She kept stealing glances over his shoulder,to the hook and the assortment of toys on the wall.Matthias didn’tintend to use them on her, of course.Not as a last resort.Shedidn’t know that however.
“Please, you’ve must’ve made some kind ofmistake,” she blurted.
“No, I think not.One question,” he said,raising one scarred finger.“What are you to Skip Diaz?”
She widened her eyes, mouth hanging slightlyopen.Lara’s chest heaved, and fuck, but he couldn’t take his eyesfrom the swell of her generous breasts.He’d taken her on her dayoff, so she wasn’t in that drab and ugly pink waitress uniform.Lara wore a thin white tee, pink bra underneath.A pair of skinnyjeans topped off her simple outfit, black denim that hugged everyluscious curve and those killer legs of hers.
“Skip?”She spat out that name like it wasvenom.“This is all about that bastard?”
Hearing the anger in her voice, he forcedhimself to ignore his dick, to study the tight lines around herface.Genuine rage.For some reason, seeing her riled up made himhappy.Matthias did wonder how someone like her wound up with scumlike Skip.
“Skip used to work for us.You didn’t knowthat despite having lived with him?”
She shook her head, a vehement expression onher face.Lara bit on her bottom lip.So tempting.He knelt.Thechain on her ankle made a clinking noise as she backed away—intonothing but the wall.
She grimaced, but he did nothing but run hisfingers up the length of the chain, to the band of metal around hercalf.The gesture felt strangely intimate.In better circumstances,Matthias would relish tying her down in bed, putting his mouth toher pussy and making her scream out his name.
Better circumstances,he remindedhimself.Still, Lara was here, and each second he had to put upwith this charade killed him.Matthias would rather be doingsomething else than playing the role of torturer.He wanted her tocrave his touch, not be repulsed by it.
“I thought all he did was hang around sportsbars.His breath smelled of alcohol every time he came home,” shesaid bitterly, drawing her knees to her chest.A sob tore out ofher chest.She began rocking back and forth.The urge to comforther arose, but that would be sending the wrong message.
A weakness.Matthias knew that the momenthe’d been assigned the task of surveilling her and eventuallycapturing her.He’d known right from the start that she’d be hismost difficult job yet.Matthias didn’t completely understand whyshe seemed to possess the ability to mow down all his defenses.
“Don’t cry, little bird.”
She jerked her head and stared up at him.“What did you call me?”
“Little bird.That’s what you remind me ofright now.Sing me the right song, and I might just let you out ofthis cage.”
“That’s what my mother used to call me, backwhen she was alive,” she whispered, looking spooked.
“Focus, Lara.”
She clenched and unclenched her hands on herknees.Matthias wondered if she’d try to lash out at him again, digher little claws into his skin the way she did in the alleyway.This time, Lara seemed to take the wiser route.
She took deep breaths and met his gaze.“I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Skip.”
