Page 150 of Psycho

He seemed to calm from my touch,slightly.

“They pushed me around a bit and t-tied me to a chair, but they didn’t get the chance to hurt me.” Tears welled in my eyes, even when I tried so hard not to cry. Murderous rage darkened Micah’s face as he watched me muddle through the explanation. “They were going to let me run in t-the cornfield and h-hunt me down like an… like an animal.”

The last part was said in whispers, but I knew he heard me, and so did the man nearby.

I had almost forgotten he was there until he said, “What the fuck?”

Micah closed his eyes, as if trying to calm down, and when he opened them, there was something off about them.

He looked at the man. “Roman, take Lainey back to my house and stay with her.”

I shook my head and gripped his hand tighter. “No. Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be away from you right now.”

I should have kept my distance. I should have been stronger, but fuck being strong.

I just needed Micah.

I didn’t care if it made me weak or if I had shown him my hand.

I clutched onto the front of his shirt beneath the King’s Men’s cut.

His muscles tensed when he felt my hands.

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and I really thought he would come home with me, hold me, but then he closed his eyes, and I knew I’d lost this battle.

When he opened them up, there was something tortured about his eyes that I couldn’t ignore.

“Please,” I whispered.

He leaned down and kissed me, hard. “I’ll come back home to you, okay? But I need you to be good for me and leave with Roman.”

“But—”

“No buts, sweetheart.” He pressed another kiss against my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving up to my tippy toes and keeping him to me. I didn’t want to let him go.

Gently, he unwound my arms around him and pushed me toward the other man standing nearby. I didn’t look at him.

I kept my eyes focused on Micah, who was watching me intently as Roman gently pulled me toward his bike.

Roman grabbed the helmet hanging on the back of it and put it on my head, securing the buckles beneath my chin.

Then he hopped on the bike and held out his hand to me.

I hesitated and looked back at Micah.

Go, he mouthed.

I let Roman help me up, and then we were off.

Away from the cornfield, from my nightmare, but also, away from Micah, who I hadn’t realized until this very moment, had become such an integral part of me, I didn’t know how to let him go.

24

MICAH

I watchedas my brother drove off with my world hanging off his back.

I didn’t move, didn’t fucking breathe, until they took a sharp corner and disappeared from my sight completely.

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