Page 134 of Psycho

Like the morning before, we drove to school in silence.

Micah wasn’t talkative, and neither was I.

There was something comforting about sitting in his truck while he dropped me off and picked me up from school.

They were the highlights of my entire day.

I looked at him when he pulled up, already expecting the kiss. My lips puckered before my cheeks turned a little red when I noticed the look of amusement on his face.

I pouted and was about to turn away when he cupped the back of my neck and pulled me to him.

“Have a good day, sweetheart,” he muttered against my lips as he kissed me softly.

I sighed into his lips, and he deepened the kiss and pulled away.

I was smiling when I climbed out of the truck and made my way to the school.

22

MICAH

I walked into the bar,feeling light.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I had felt this light.

Perhaps soon after I killed my old man and took Roman away from that fucking house for good, knowing we would never have to return to the abuse. But that feeling of lightness had only lasted for a little while.

There was nothing light about living on the street as a teenage boy, trying to provide safety for his little brother.

Nothing light about doing whatever shit I had to do to make sure Roman didn’t go to bed hungry, time and time again.

Things were a lot better when Roman turned eighteen. By then, I had secured us an apartment through the illegal street fights I had done, and Roman was no longer considered state property.

But this lightness…

It stayed with me for a long while after I dropped Lainey off at school, and I had a feeling it would stay as long as she stayed by my side.

I went to the back of the bar, to the table that was unofficially reserved for Dominic and those closest to him—which was only Roman, Kai, and I, and their women when they came.

I tried to imagine Lainey here.

I wondered what she would think about it all.

I doubted this was all new to her.

Del Paso Heights was ruled by the King’s Men, and even a five-year-old kid living there knew it.

The club wasn’t new to Lainey, especially with her father's association, but would she be so accepting of it all?

It didn’t matter, I decided.

She was a part of my life now.

As permanent as the King’s Men tattoo on my rib.

She was the very air I breathed, so fucking deep inside me, her name might as well be carved into my skin.

It didn’t fucking matter.

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