Page 7 of Untamed Monster

Rain slid off the mattress and began grabbing their clothes just as my phone vibrated. “Would he do that?”

I sighed as I glanced at Pops’s text that’d just come through.

Asshole Father

You’re not moving very fast.

I gritted my teeth. “Without a doubt,” I muttered to Rain.

Me

Thirty minutes.

Asshole Father

Make it twenty five.

Dad’s text came through next, and my shoulders lost some of their tension.

The Nice Father

He saw Rain on the security feed a few nights ago, and he’s not happy. But I’ll try to rein him in. Be safe. Love you.

Me

Love you too Dad, and thanks.

Five

Rain

Vargas kept a vice-like grip on my hand as we walked up the small concrete walkway to the front door of his parents’ massive home. I’d seen it numerous times. Had hidden in the woods on more than one occasion when Vargas turned his phone off, making it impossible for me to track him. But I’d never thought I would be coming inside, much less meeting his parents.

One of which was also a psychopath and could make his sons look like perfectly normal members of society if he unleashed his own monster. Winston Dean built a small empire, gained connections with some of the worst people in the world, and then raised four psychopath quadruplets to follow in his tracks.

“Whatever happens, just stay quiet and let me handle this,” Vargas said. “Pops is not one you want to cross, but Dad seems to be on my side. Hopefully, that works in my favor.”

“Okay,” I said softly. What else could I really say? While Vargas wasn’t nervous—I didn’t think that was an emotion he was capable of feeling—he was cautious. That was alarming.

Vargas opened the door, then led me inside. I swallowed thickly at the sight of his entire family in the sitting room. I thought we were just meeting his parents, not his brothers, too.

Vargas heaved an annoyed sigh. “Guess this is payback?” he asked, looking at his brothers, who were sitting with their significant others. His youngest brother, the only one who hadn’t been born with psychopath traits, was slouched on a beanbag, playing on his phone.

“For the times you decided to show your face just to be an ass when one of us was on the chopping block?” Onyx asked all while he ran his fingertips up and down his husband’s arm. “Yes.”

“Onyx,” Korain, Onyx’s husband, hissed, elbowing Onyx in the side.

“What?” Onyx feigned a pout. “He deserves this.”

“Quiet,” Winston snapped from where he was perched on the edge of the couch. Vargas’s dad, Kasey, was sitting next to him, his hand curled around Winston’s knee.

“Pops…” Vargas groaned. “Is an intervention really needed?”

“You’re supposed to be the level-headed one, Vargas, yet here you fucking are, entertaining your stalker. You’re even holding their fucking hand.” He shot a disgusted look at our joined hands, and I swallowed thickly. “Yeah, I’d say a goddamn intervention is fucking needed,” Winston snapped.

Vargas rolled his eyes. “Oh, my God. Rain’s been stalking me for months. I’ve been aware of them the entire time. Do you see cops or feds crawling this place? No? They’re not a fucking threat.”

Winston jerked to his feet. Kasey hurried to stand, gripping his belt loops to keep him from rounding the coffee table and coming at Vargas. Vargas though, just couldn’t fucking seem to help himself. A cruel smile twisted his lips, and the sight of it sank into my gut like battery acid. I’d never been more grateful he wasn’t aiming that smile at me because it was terrifying.