35. Thirty-Five Cam
Thirty-Five: Cam
T he hot water stung as it hit my skin, washing away the blood and grime. Lakey's hands traced my scars, her touch electric even after all these years. It had taken a little over an hour and a half to haul Christian to the spot where we kept the beater and then drive to the cliffs. I had to knock him out again once we got there so I could carry him fireman style up to the edge. And then of course Lakes wanted to toy with him, wearing her mask from the car all the way up the hill until she slid her knife into his gut. Gotta admit, I loved the way it made her seem so mysterious, blocking the homicidal look she always got in her eyes. She looked blank. Angelic.
She had always loved her theatrics. The hot water caressed my skin, wiping the slate clean. I was tired. My bones hurt, my muscles ached, my brain was screaming at me for a break. If I could, I’d have just sunk onto the shower floor and fallen asleep, but we had a guest waiting and questions to ask.
I stepped out first, wrapping a towel around my waist. Lakey followed, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. We dressed quickly in sweats and shirts, both too exhausted for our usual post-murder flirting.
As we headed back to the living room, I caught Lakey's eye. The dark circles under her eyes were more prominent now. Fuck, we looked rough. But her lips quirked up in that little smirk I loved, the one that said we made it through another shit show, babe.
The living room was dim, early morning light barely filtering through the newly boarded-up windows. Sarah and Rose sat on the couch, sipping tea like this was a fucking garden party. All the blood had been cleaned and the room reeked of bleach.
"Well, isn’t this nice," I drawled, dropping onto the armchair. "Nice handiwork with the windows. Very post-apocalyptic chic."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well it’s all we could find. I see your charm hasn't improved with age."
I grinned, all teeth. "Aw, you know you missed me, Sarah."
Lakey perched on the arm of my chair, her fingers idly playing with my hair. I leaned into her touch, letting some of the tension drain from my shoulders. We were safe, for now. But how long would that last?
Rose cleared her throat, gesturing to a plate of sandwiches on the coffee table. "I made these for you both. Figured you'd be hungry after... well, you know."
"Fuck yes," I said, grabbing a sandwich and taking a massive bite. The taste of ham and cheese had never been so goddamn heavenly. I nudged Lakey. "Babe, you gotta try these. Rose, you're a fucking angel."
Lakey snagged her own sandwich, practically inhaling it. Between bites, she mumbled, "This is amazing, Rose. Thank you."
I watched her eat, a weird warmth spreading in my chest. It wasn't often we got moments like this — just existing, not running or fighting or killing. That’s why when Rose came, we took the time to play house. We were so used to living in our own chaos that there wasn’t room for much else, but this… it felt... normal. Which was fucking terrifying in its own way. Now that I’d had a taste, I craved more. More peace, more fun adventure, more time to just exist outside the bloodlust that always seemed to follow me.
Sarah set down her mug, her expression turning serious. "Now that you're both settled, I think it's time I filled you in on what's been happening."
I swallowed my last bite, leaning forward. "Yeah, about that. How the hell did you get away from Chimera? From what we pieced together, they don’t let go easily."
Sarah's eyes hardened, a flash of something dangerous crossing her face. "It wasn't easy. They had me for years, running foster homes, placing kids. You weren’t the only ones who went through extensive testing to see your capabilities. No, I can’t answer where you first came from. I just don’t know. They never told me. Just handed you both to me and saw to it I placed you wherever they told me too. I wear the scars of my own. It took years to build up their trust in me, it started so simply. Just monitor kids in and out. Then they piled more on. Then the testing started, and it was too late to back out. They knew everything about me."
"Sounds like a real fucking picnic," Lakey muttered.
Sarah nodded, a grim smile on her lips. "Oh, it was. But they underestimated me. I played along, let them think they were succeeding. All the while, I was watching, learning, planning."
I felt a grudging respect growing. She had always been tough, but this? This was next-level badass.
"One night, during a power outage, I made my move. They’d moved me into this ‘housing unit’, which was really just a way to monitor us," Sarah continued, her voice steady but intense. "I'd memorized the guard rotations, hence how I knew Christian. Anyway, I knew exactly where the blind spots in their security were. It was like a dance – duck here, wait there, take out this guard silently."
"Damn," I whispered, genuinely impressed. "How many did you have to kill?"
Sarah's eyes met mine, unflinching. "Three. It wasn't pretty, but it was necessary."
I nodded, understanding completely. Sometimes, you did what you had to do to survive. No judgment from the nuts who enjoyed tasting blood on their tongue.
"After that, it was a matter of staying off the grid, gathering resources, and tracking down allies. I had a friend in a morgue fake my death," Sarah said. "It took months of careful planning, but here I am."
Lakey leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. "And how exactly did you find us? We're not exactly listed in the phone book."
I tensed, waiting for Sarah's answer. It was the question that had been nagging at me since she showed up.
Her eyes flickered between us, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. "That's where Kyle comes in," she said, her voice dropping a notch.
My hackles instantly rose. "Kyle? Who the fuck is Kyle?"
Sarah took a deep breath. "Kyle was... is... a Chimera operative. One of their best, actually."
I felt Lakey stiffen beside me, her hand instinctively reaching for her knife. I placed my hand on her arm, a silent signal to wait.
"Continue." I prodded, keeping my tone neutral despite the alarm bells ringing in my head.
Sarah nodded. "He underwent intense conditioning, more than most. They twisted him into their perfect weapon – ruthless, efficient, unquestioning. Similar to you, actually." She pointed at Cam. “Same training techniques, though, yours was tamer compared to his. At least, according to what we have on file.”
"Sounds like a real charmer," Lakey snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sarah continued, unfazed, "But I got through to him. Slowly, painfully, I helped him break free of their programming. Now he's different. He wants to bring Chimera down as much as we do."
I leaned back, studying her face. She seemed sincere, but then again, so did most people right before they stabbed you in the back.
"And we're supposed to just trust this guy?" I asked, my skepticism evident. "A guy who, by your own admission, was Chimera's top lapdog?"
Lakey's laugh was bitter. "Yeah, 'cause that doesn't sound like a trap at all."
I could feel the tension radiating off Lakey, could practically taste her distrust. Hell, I was right there with her. This whole thing reeked of a setup.
"Look," Sarah said, her patience clearly wearing thin, "I know it sounds crazy. But Kyle's intel is what got me here. He knows their systems, their protocols. Without him, we don't stand a chance. Also, he’s my husband. I wouldn’t have married him if I didn’t feel a hundred percent sure he wasn’t a risk to my safety."
I exchanged a glance with Lakey, seeing my own doubts mirrored in her eyes. This Kyle character was a wild card, and in our line of work, wild cards usually ended up getting people killed. Look what happened just hours ago with Rose and the tracker.
"Sarah," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "I get that you believe in this guy. But you're asking us to put our lives in the hands of someone we've never met. Someone who would've happily put a bullet in our heads."
Lakey nodded emphatically. "For all we know, this could be an elaborate trap. Maybe they've reprogrammed him, sent him to lure us out."
I could see the frustration building in Sarah's eyes, but I didn't care. We'd survived this long by being cautious, by trusting our instincts. And right now, my instincts were screaming that this was a bad idea.
Sarah leaned forward, her eyes burning with an intensity that made me sit up a little straighter. "I get it, I do. But you didn't see him, Cam. You didn't see the way he broke down when the conditioning started to push through. The nightmares, the panic attacks... It was like watching someone claw their way out of hell."
I felt Lakey shift beside me, her hand finding mine under the table. Her touch was a silent reminder that we'd been through our own hell. We knew what it was like to fight your way back from the brink.
"Look," Sarah continued, her voice dropping to a near-whisper, "Kyle's not just an asset. He's a goddamn goldmine of information. He knows how Chimera tracks their targets, how they communicate, even the layout of their main facilities. He’s still considered on their roster, but he’s been ‘decommissioned’. No longer in use. That means we have resources we wouldn’t otherwise have."
Now that caught my attention. I raised an eyebrow, unable to keep the interest out of my voice. "What are we talking here?"
Sarah's lips curved into a small, triumphant smile. "Down to the air duct systems, Cam. He can tell you which guards take smoke breaks and when, which security cameras have blind spots. Hell, he even knows the override codes for their containment units."
"Jesus," I muttered, my mind racing with the possibilities. With that kind of intel, we might actually have a shot at bringing Chimera down for good.
Lakey squeezed my hand, her voice tight with barely contained excitement. "Cam, if this is legit..."
"I know, babe," I said, my thoughts already spinning out plans and contingencies. "Sarah, what can you tell us about their tracking systems? That's been our biggest hurdle so far."
As Sarah launched into a detailed explanation of Chimera's tracking tech, I found myself leaning in, hanging on every word. Part of me still screamed caution, but a bigger part made the decision that life really couldn’t get much worse.
Maybe this Kyle guy was our ticket to ending all this. And if he turned out to be playing us? Well, Lakey and I had plenty of experience dealing with traitors. One way or another, things were about to get real interesting.
But I couldn't shake the nagging question that had been buzzing in my brain like an annoying fly. "Hold up, Sarah," I interrupted, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. "Something's not adding up here. You didn’t really answer Lakey’s question. How the hell did you find us? We've been ghosts for years."
Sarah's lips quirked into a knowing smile. "You think you're the only ones who've been keeping tabs, Cam? I've had eyes on you two since the day you escaped."
I felt Lakey tense beside me, her fingers twitching like she was itching to wrap them around Sarah's throat. Unease crept over me. If she had managed to stay in the dark, who else had been watching us? Who else noticed us coming and going while we were fucking around?
"Bullshit," I said, forcing a casual tone. "We would've noticed."
Sarah's laugh was sharp enough to cut glass. "Please. You think you got this apartment based on your stellar credit? No, Cam, I set this place up for you. I’ve been making sure Chimera doesn’t come close. I fucked up last night. I didn’t realize you had Rose. I should have been paying better attention because then Kyle could have taken him out before he got up here. I apologize for that."
My mind reeled, reassessing years of near-misses and lucky breaks. Fuck me sideways, had we really been that blind?
"Why?" Lakey demanded. "Why help us?"
Sarah's expression softened, just a fraction. "Because I saw myself in you two. The potential to break free, to fight back. I couldn't save myself then, but I could give you a fighting chance."
I exchanged a long look with Lakey. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, and I felt my own suspicion start to crack.
"Alright," I said slowly, "let's say we buy this. You, Kyle, all of it. What's our next move?"
Sarah's grin was positively feral. "We hit them where it hurts. Their central data hub in Chicago. Kyle can get us in, and with your... particular skill sets, we can bring the whole system crashing down."
Lakey's eyes lit up with that beautiful, terrifying gleam I loved so much. "Ooh, Cam," she purred, "think of all the chaos we could cause."
I couldn't help but grin back. "It would be one hell of a party, babe."
We turned back to Sarah, and I saw the moment she realized she had us. Hook, line, and sinker.
"Fine," I said, trying to sound grudging despite the adrenaline already pumping through my veins. "We're in. But if this goes sideways..."
Sarah nodded, deadly serious. "You'll kill us both. Trust me, I wouldn't expect anything less. There is a spot we have to hit before we get to the hub, but we will go over all of that once you’re comfortable with Kyle."
As we began to hash out the details, I felt a familiar, intoxicating thrill building. Chimera had no idea what was coming for them. And honestly? Neither did we. But with Lakey by my side and the promise of sweet, chaotic vengeance on the horizon, I couldn't fucking wait to find out.
As Sarah finished laying out the broad strokes of our potential assault on Chimera, her eyes shifted to Rose. The kid was huddled in the corner, eyes darting between us like a spooked animal.
"There's something else we need to address," Sarah said, her voice softening. "Rose's conditioning. I can help her, if you'll let me."
I felt my jaw clench. Rose was ours — mine and Lakey's. The idea of someone else messing with her head set my teeth on edge.
"And why the fuck would we trust you with that?" I snarled, my earlier camaraderie evaporating.
Sarah met my gaze unflinchingly. "Because I've done it before. With Kyle. I can help her heal, Cam. Give her a chance at something resembling normal. I can actually help you both as well."
I barked out a laugh. "Normal? After what we’ve been through? What the fuck makes you think we want to be anything close to resembling normal? Maybe Rose doesn’t want to be normal either."
"As normal as she can be, if she wants it," Sarah amended. "Look, I'm not promising miracles. But I can help ease the trauma, give her tools to cope. It's a start."
I glanced at Lakey, seeing my own conflicted emotions mirrored in her eyes. Rose deserved better than the shit hand life had dealt her. But letting Sarah in... it felt dangerous.
"We'll think about it," I growled, not committing to anything.
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. I needed a distraction, something mundane to cut through the heaviness.
"Fuck it," I declared, pulling out my phone. "I'm ordering pizza."
Lakey snorted. "Really, babe? We just finished planning to take down an evil organization, and you want pepperoni?"
I grinned. "What can I say? Plotting world domination makes me hungry. Besides, if we're going out in a blaze of glory, might as well have some garlic bread to go with it."
As I dialed, a thought struck me. "Hey, Sarah," I called out, "you want in on this order? Or are ex-Chimera agents too good for greasy pepperoni?"
Sarah's lips twitched. "Make it double Hawaiian with sweet and smoky sauce and you've got a deal."
"Pineapple on pizza?" I clutched my chest in mock horror. "And here I thought Chimera was evil."
The laughter that followed was strained, but genuine. For a moment, we were just a group of damaged people who were going to break bread. The calm before the storm. I savored it, knowing full well the chaos that lay ahead. But hey, that's what made life interesting, right?
As I hung up the phone, Sarah's face suddenly turned serious as she looked down at her phone. The playful atmosphere evaporated like mist in the morning sun.
"I need to head out," she announced, her voice tight with urgency. "Kyle's waiting. He wants to meet you guys. I’m going to go pick him up and I’ll be back, alright?"
"Another unexpected guest" I drawled, trying to keep my tone light. "And here I thought we were just getting to know each other. I just ordered pizza."
Sarah's eyes met mine, unflinching. "Every second I'm here puts you at risk. I’ve managed to disappear, off their radar, but you never know. They're relentless, and they've got resources we can only imagine. Kyle can keep us safe while we figure shit out. We will be back to eat pizza with you, I promise."
"How long do you think we have?" Lakey asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Sarah shook her head. "It's hard to say. A day, maybe. A couple, if we're lucky. You need to be ready to move at a moment's notice."
I glanced at Lakey, contemplating letting this Kyle guy into our house. If he was as dangerous as Sarah said, it would take both of us to take him out, if it came to that.
"Alright," I said, standing up. "Go. Do what you need to do. But remember, Sarah, if this is some elaborate setup, if you're playing us--"
She cut me off. "I know. You'll hunt me down and make me wish I'd never been born. I get it. You forget I just saw your handiwork. I know you’ve been thrill killing, I know you’ve been hunting your foster families. Trust me when I say, Cam, I know what you’re both capable of and I don’t want to be on the receiving end."
Lakey stood too, her posture tense. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head, weighing the risks, considering every angle. Finally, she nodded.
"Go and get him," she said, her voice soft but steely. "But don't make us regret this."
As Sarah headed for the door, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were standing on the edge of a precipice. One wrong move, and we'd all go tumbling into the abyss. But I felt more alive than I had in years.
With the soft click of the door, she was gone, leaving us alone with our thoughts and the lingering scent of bleach in the air.