Page 1 of Beast

1

BEAST

The clock on the church tower chimed midnight as I chased after the lunatic who tried to steal from me. He’d broken into my fucking car and taken my wallet. His skinny legs drove him ahead of me, but I could taste his fear in the wind as I followed. Behind me, the woman whose purse this asshole stole, sobbed with her kids clutched close to her. He was an amateur criminal and he didn’t know how big of a mistake he’d made.

The streetlights shone like stars as he ran. His shoes padded along the sidewalk as he weaved in and out around a few late-night pedestrians. At the end of the block, he cut left and ducked around a corner. The little shit was fast, but he couldn’t shake me that easily.

A metal door of a dumpster clanged shut, but I didn’t need to hear that to know where he was. His heartbeat drummed out a syncopated rhythm of fear, but he didn’t even know what fear was. He would, though, once I got ahold of him. Then he’d know true terror.

I darted across the street and dove into the alley between two buildings. He didn’t know who he was dealing with.

My claws extended and I raked them down the side of the dumpster. I heard his heart rate speed up, and I smiled.

“You stole from the wrong person,” I said, adding a growl at the end.

“What do you want? Money? I’ll give you half,” he blurted out.

It was a waste of time trying to negotiate with me; it only egged me on to hurt him more. “And if I kill you, I’ll just take all the money.”

“Fuck, man, don’t hurt me,” he whimpered and tossed out my wallet. “Take it. Take it.”

Too late for that shit, but I pocketed the wallet anyway. “And the money you took from the mom with the three kids?” I mocked. “Come out and I’ll make this quick.” If he forced me to crawl in the garbage to get him, I was going to be pissed.

My gaze locked on the sliver of light as the guy emerged from the back of the dumpster onto a small patch of dirt. What a fucking idiot. He was no more than five foot eight, not even coming to my shoulders. I flicked my wrist, causing the silver ring on my middle finger to glint in the low light.

“Please,” he begged while putting his hands in the air. “Just take it.” He held out his trembling hands to me, weeping rivers of tears. “I just needed something to eat.”

Please.

No fucking way he wanted food. He just needed his next hit. I rolled my eyes. “Good luck buddy.”

At my words, he pulled out a gun, waving it at me. “I-I’ll shoot.”

What a chicken shit. “You got a last request? Or are you ready to die now?”

“I'm the one with the gun.” As though feeling the tension of being prey and me the predator, his gaze darted between the mouth of the alley and me, biting his lip until it was bright red.

“I can fuck you up.” I loved fucking with terrified people. The wolf inside me paced in anticipation.

I took a step toward him and he paled, shaking so badly the gun wobbled in his hand.

“Stop it!” His voice rose to a scream. “I’ll kill you. I will!”

“Try it.” I took another step closer. “See what happens.”

His eyes widened like he thought I was crazy, and he wasn’t far off. When you’ve hunted for the mafia, killed people they didn’t want to bloody their hands with, and taken out whole families, nothing sane remained.

I leapt at him and he fired the gun. Slow, stupid human. I dodged the bullet, not that it would’ve mattered much since my pain tolerance and healing ability were far above average. He fell backward and my wolf snarled, wanting to clamp its teeth around his throat.

“Please.” He tried to get away, crab-walking backward, his face nearly green. “Here. Here’s a purse. It’s got money in it. I-I saw the broad go to the ATM.”

He lifted his shirt, pulled out the red purse, and pressed it into my hands.

“Don’t kill me,” he begged like he believed I would interrupt my plans of justice just so I could grant this asshole’s one request of not being murdered.

I stood, glaring down at the trash. His nostrils flared as he tried to suck in a breath. Pathetic. If he wasn’t strung out on drugs, I’d offer him a second chance. But this asshole had not only stolen from me but from a family that looked like they saved every penny.

“This doesn’t pay for the damage you did. For the nightmares that mom and her kids will have because of you.”

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