Page 46 of Psycho

I turned to him.

Did he just…

“What?”

Dad stood up, and I flinched, moving toward the wall. I still haven’t forgotten the little lesson he taught me that night after Tyler left.

The man—Micah Stone—took in the movement with narrowed eyes.

I tried not to react so much to it.

“You’re going home with him,” Dad said, pointing to the larger man.

“Why?” I asked slowly.

I could probably guess. It just felt like molasses in my brain, and it was taking too long for my thoughts to catch up with my feelings.

I was going to be sick.

This was worse than when I found the thumb.

I had gotten rid of the thumb easily enough, but something told me I wouldn’t be able to get rid of Micah all that easily.

I edged my way over to the door.

“I wouldn’t,” Micah said, speaking up for the first time.

His voice was rough yet smooth at the same time, his words clear, and the deep baritone sent a myriad of emotions over me, setting lightly over my skin, making it vibrate from awareness. “I’m not in the mood to chase you around.”

I shook my head and opened my mouth, but nothing seemed to be working.

Nothing came out.

“Lainey, go pack. You’re going home with Mr. Stone, and that’s that.”

I turned my gaze on Dad, and my fear of this new man pushed back aside momentarily in place of my anger.

“Why?” I asked again, stronger than the first time.

Dad opened his mouth, but I cut him off.

“No, I don’t need you to tell me to do what you say. I want to know why. Don’t you think I deserve to know what you’re selling me for? What the fucking price was for me?!”

His eyes hardened, and he took a step toward me. I forced myself to stay glued to where I was standing, even as my legs shook, threatening to give out from under at any moment.

“Don’t talk back to me, girl—fuck!”

My heart thudded loudly, all the blood ringing in my ear as I watched Dad fall to the ground when Micah kicked the back of his leg when he passed him to get to me.

I knew Dad wasn’t the strongest man around, nor was he the biggest. I had known that my whole life, considering the men I’d seen come into his gym to work out, and later the fighters when he finally set up the cage fights. But he had always been so much bigger than me, stronger than me that it just looked so…

Oddto see him on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

“Didn’t I tell you she belonged to me now? You better watch the way you talk to what’s mine. Got me?”

I waited for Dad to explode on Micah, even though I knew that would be a stupid mistake.

Dad wasn’t a match for the man, and I supposed that was why a part of me hoped he would. But he nodded and gazed down at the carpet, looking so defeated I didn’t know what to do with the sight.

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