Page 61 of Psycho

Another contradiction to add.

He pulled up to the school, and I looked out at the window at all the kids hanging about.

There was one thing about being older than everyone else here.

I had nothing in common with any of them. Perhaps two years wasn’t that big of an age gap between the other kids and me, but somehow, it felt like it.

I blinked and turned to him, unsure of what I was supposed to say.

Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to run away from you?

I wondered what he thought would happen once I left this car and pretended to go inside the school. My money was hidden at the bottom of my backpack.

He smiled a little as if he could read the thought on my face. There was nothing nice about his smile, and I resisted the urge to shiver again.

Fucking psycho was right.

But this psycho had kissed me.

“Before you leave and do whatever you’re planning on doing, you should see this.”

He held out his phone to me.

I didn’t do anything for a beat. Just took him in.

Then, cautiously, I took the phone from his hand, as if it would bite me.

The screen was on his email.

I blinked, trying to make sense of the words I was reading, until they came into focus, and I looked at him with wide eyes.

“You took my grandma out of her nursing home?”

He nodded. He didn’t even look remorseful about that.

“She’s now under a facility paid for by me, under my care. Your dad signed off on it. She doesn’t leave without my say-so, and no one can come in and take her out unless I give permission. You get me?”

I shook my head. “You’re using my grandma to get me to—”

I took a deep breath. This couldn’t be happening. It was the exact same thing with Dad. Only Micah had no ties to her. He could hurt her and not even lose a second of sleep over it.

“To get you to behave,” he confirmed. “I’m not above hurting a sweet little old lady with dementia to get what I want. No one comes between me and what’s mine.”

“And I’m yours,” I said.

It wasn’t a question, and I knew he didn’t miss the bitterness in my voice.

He nodded, confirming my words anyway. “Mine.”

I looked away from him. The hopelessness feeling was back.

“Go to school, Lainey. I will be right here to pick you up after school.” He grasped my chin and turned me around to face him. “Got it?”

“Got it,” I said through gritted teeth.

His eyes roamed over my face, and somehow, I thought he saw more than he led on. Finally, he let go of me. I reached down for my backpack, opened the truck door, and climbed out.

I walked to the school without looking back at him to see if he was watching me.

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