Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R. Paulson Read Free Book Online

run Cassie. Get out of here! I pivoted my foot, ready to run the other way.
    The door creaked when it opened. I spun back and met a man’s eyes at the same level as mine. Pock-marked skin covered the lower half of his face like a ski mask, under a beady gaze that took me in faster than I could drag in another breath. I lifted my hand, like a small hello. My calm returned. “Hey, is Kari home?”
    He glanced over his shoulder, then back to me. “Nah. But she should be back in a few minutes. You can come in and wait.” Sick S.O.B. I couldn’t even cuss in my head.
    “Sure. Thanks.” I out-waited him as he stood to the side to let me pass. No way was I going to let him get behind me. “I’m Cathy, by the way.” He’d never get to say my name. Never know who I really was.
    “Sheldon. I’m Kari’s uncle. Nice to meet you.” Missing a front tooth and the rest a color I’d rather not identify, Sheldon motioned me to the front living room. An open pizza box displayed a half-eaten pie beside a twelve pack of beer waiting for him on the coffee table. Decorated in a classic style, Kari’s house lacked clutter. Her mom liked simple.
    Less was best in my book. Less to mess me up.
    My advantage lie in the familiarity of Kari’s house. Sheldon hadn’t been there often and his alcohol drenched blood would give me an added benefit. He wouldn’t try to do anything since he couldn’t be that sharp.
    “Go ahead. Have a seat. You look like you might be a little warm.” He eyed my chest. Yeah, not too obvious there Uncle Sheldon. He tapped his finger on his thigh. “Why don’t you get comfortable? I’ll get you something to drink.” He pointed toward the beer. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer...” The question lingered.
    I giggled, adding to my youth. Kari’s age of fourteen appealed to the bastard. He’d raped her at thirteen. Maybe I could pull off twelve with my already-small breasts oppressed by two sports bras. “I’m not old enough to drink.” I giggled again. Oh, ick. I had enough respect for myself at fourteen, I recognized the giggle sounded… I didn’t have the word, but the sound coming out of my mouth irritated the crap out of me.
    Sheldon placed his hands on the couch. “Go ahead and sit down.” He smiled, but it seemed off, like he’d already shifted to predator. “How old are you, Cathy?”
    Hopefully, Deegan had made it inside.
    Yeah, I wasn’t stupid. I recognized Sheldon’s size wasn’t a threat, but as a teenage girl I also had an innate knowledge that men were stronger than me. No matter how much I ran. I twisted the watch on my wrist. I’d worn the Minnie Mouse one from my parents. Pink. Not the biggest fan of the color anymore. “Twelve. I’m almost thirteen. I go to school with Kari.”
    If I sat, I’d be more vulnerable – or so he hoped. Thinks were shifting too fast toward physical. I hadn’t had a chance to confront him. Maybe coming in and acting younger than I was hadn’t been the smartest choice. If I sat lower than him, I’d be in a position to protect myself, but I’d lose the preferable option of running. I claimed a spot on the easy chair next to the couch.
    His smile widened with a lecherous sheen. Like an alligator, he had too many teeth, even with one missing. “I’ll get you something to drink. Kari should be home soon.” Yeah, right.
    Oh, man! I wanted to yell out for Deegan to hide, run, something, but I bit my inner cheek. Tipping off Sheldon wouldn’t help Deegan at all.
    The i diot returned after about five minutes. He handed me a glass with ice and a dark liquid, most likely soda. No way was I drinking something he’d opened. My mom had once told me men slipped drugs into drinks to take advantage of girls. The advantage part I hadn’t understood at the time, but I had a pretty good idea it had to do with what he wanted to do to me. What Bobby had tried to do. The crazy thing was, most drugs didn’t need to have a flavor, odor, or a color. This