He didn’t like this. Not only was he outnumbered, he hadn’t told anybody what he was doing tonight. Not that there was anybody to tell.
“I’ve already told you; I don’t know what he looks like. I’ve never really seen him.”
“Call it here.”
“How in the hell am I supposed to do that? It’s not like he gave me his cell phone number.” No way was he telling them he did actually have a way. Austin gestured at the men behind him. “And what’s up with that? What’s going on?”
“I saw we take him. Bet it’ll come running then,” one of the men said from behind Austin.
“Why would you think that?” Maybe he could make them think he was only curious. “You act like I have some kind of relationship with it. I only wanted to know what the thing is. That’s all.”
“Bullshit,” Tom said. “We’ve kept an eye on you ever since your father started screaming about the monster who threatened him.”
Shit.
“You do have some kind of sick relationship with. The fact you aren’t scared says a lot. And you’re aren’t,” Tom said. He eased a knife out from behind his back. “You never asked how to get rid of it.”
Double shit. No, he hadn’t because he didn’t want to get rid of his monster. He never stopped to think how that looked.
And what was up with that knife? He’d never seen anything like it. The blade was black, but it didn’t look like any metal he’d ever seen. Hell, he wasn’t sure it was metal. And what were those knobby things on the end of it ?
Austin debated fighting the guy for the knife—he was trained—but taking on three grown ass men wouldn’t be easy. Instead slapped a hand to his chest and gasped loudly.
“Damn, man, I thought that was understood!” Maybe it was a bit overdone, but it accomplished what Austin wanted. He discreetly rubbed the pendant he wore around his neck then dropped his hand.
The arrowhead shaped pendant appeared on his dresser on his thirteenth birthday thanks to an asshole at the prep school Austin attended. The other boy liked to pick on Austin.
After his monster saw the bruises, he was furious because he hadn’t been there to help Austin when Austin needed it. Learning how to fight was the result of the bullying, which was a good thing. He had a blackbelt now.
But the damn creature had nearly drowned in guilt. The necklace showed up soon thereafter. Rubbing it somehow summoned his monster, but only if he was in trouble. Yes, he’d tried when he didn’t need help. Of course he did.
He wasn’t sure what type of stone it was, but his research hinted it was obsidian. Only problem was, there seemed to be a black swirling mass inside the stone, and nothing he’d found explained that. It was as creepy as it was fascinating.
To this day Austin didn’t know what his monster did to that boy, but the kid was pulled from school. It was believed he had a psychotic break. Something having to do with seeing a monster. Kind of like Austin’s old man.
Imagine that. Did he feel bad about that kid? Nope. Not at all. Call him heartless, he didn’t care. One less bully in the world.
“I won’t ask you again to call it.”
The two men from behind closed in on Austin. Things were about to get ugly. These guys were a threat to him and his monster. And he had summoned it into this trap, dammit.
