Page 204 of Psycho

What a strange turn of events my life had turned out to be.

“Your brother,” Dominic answered.

Roman smiled. “Oh, yeah. Fucker’s whipped.”

I shook my head and looked straight ahead.

They only said that because they hadn’t seen the domineering ways Micah had.

I squirmed a little in my seat, feeling the soreness from earlier when Micah had bent me over the kitchen island and spanked my ass hard with his enormous hand.

“A reminder,” he said. “I want you to fucking feel me every time you move around on your seat and know that it was me who marks you, who claims you…ownsyou.”

He had said it as if he thought I could ever forget.

Afterward, he had teased me by licking and sucking on the healing scab where he had marked me with his blade until I was crying and begging him to stop.

Yeah, Micah Stone was not whipped, but especially not for me.

Dad came out when the fight finished, coming up on stage and holding up the hand of a man who was covered from head to toe with blood, but he was smiling victoriously at the cheering crowd.

“You okay, Lainey?” Roman asked me.

I turned to him and nodded, though I couldn’t really say anything.

My eyes were focused intently on Dad.

I had loved him at some point, hadn’t I?

Inevitably, children just loved their parents without question.

I wondered when that love had gone away.

Was it during the time he pushed me down the stairs, and I ended up spending months in the hospital?

Or when he threatened Grandma’s health to keep me in line?

Or was it not one big thing, but all those small little things that I had tried to let go of and had never really succeeded?

But looking at him now, I realized I didn’t love him anymore.

I didn’t love either of my parents, and something about the thought just made me sad.

Dad looked out to the crowd and froze marginally when his eyes connected with mine.

I didn’t show any reaction, not when his eyes turned from surprise to disgust and anger.

I blinked, not knowing what I had done to warrant his anger when he had been the one to push me toward Micah to settle his debt.

I turned away from him and found Roman watching the entire interaction. I tried not to think too much about the look of pity I saw in his eyes.

“I know Micah told you, but Ozzy Reyes betrayed the club. You know what that means, don’t you?” Roman asked.

He didn’t need to.

I nodded. “Yes, I know.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

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