Page 57 of Monster

She belonged in my bed.

And that was where she would stay.

Taking her was to keep her safe from the men who tried to take Braxton.

But it was her fault for looking so fucking appealing.

For looking like she was mine.

Did she think I could let her go once this shit was over?

Did I think I was capable of it?

I shook my head and moved to the bathroom, quickly getting ready for bed.

She didn’t stir when I finally peeled the covers back and climbed in. I wrapped my arms around her middle and pulled her to me.

She had been using my shampoo and body wash, yet there was still a unique floral scent to her that fucking got to me.

I buried my face in the back of her neck, my hand coming up and settling between her perky tits.

Fucking mine.

* * *

I wasup before the sun had even peeked through the clouds.

A look at the clock on the nightstand told me it wouldn’t be long until that.

I didn’t have shit to do this morning. Most of my work was done at night.

When all the good citizens of Sacramento were asleep.

That was when the real monsters came out to play, and here in this city, in this state, I was the biggest one of them all.

Yet here I was, lying in a warm bed with a soft woman in my arms.

Dawn came through the window, giving enough light for me to make out her features.

Did she know how peaceful she looked like this?

Peace was something I knew very little about.

My life, since the day of my birth, had been nothing but chaos.

I was born to a crack whore of a mother who cared more about her next fix than her children, and a dad who pimped out his wife for money in the same house his children slept in at night. Everything was noisy and chaotic and fucking scary.

I realized early on the only way to survive, to fucking protect my baby sister in such a dark, cruel world, was to be an even bigger monster than the people who brought me into this world.

It wasn’t without pain.

It wasn’t without loss.

Now my baby sister barely spoke to me, having moved to another fucking country to get away from all the bad shit I brought to the table.

And my nephew was dead at fifteen.

But with Emmy in my arms…

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