23. Twenty-Three Cam
Twenty-Three: Cam
I paced the apartment, back and forth, back and forth, my mind a fucking whirlwind. The urge to keep Lakey safe warred with letting her blow off steam. She'd been fucking nuts since we'd dealt with that prick, Steve— if that’s even his real name— liable to snap at any moment. She wanted to go dancing at the club, but we were both strung up, riding the wave between adrenaline and the inevitable crash.
"Fuck," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. The idea of her out there, vulnerable and unstable, made my skin crawl. But caging her in might just make her more volatile.
Lakey sauntered in, all dolled up and ready to paint the town red. My stomach clenched.
"Looking good, sweetheart," I said, forcing a grin. "But I think we should stay in tonight."
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Excuse me? Since when do you decide my plans?"
I held up my hands. "Woah, easy there. I'm just worried about you after... you know."
"I'm fine," she snapped, but I caught the slight tremor in her voice.
"Lakey," I said softly, closing the distance between us. "Let me take care of you tonight. Please."
She glared at me, but I saw the fight drain out of her. "Fine," she muttered. "But you owe me a night of dancing, Axley."
Relief flooded through me. "Deal," I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "How about a bath? I'll even break out the fancy lavender shit you like."
A ghost of a smile played on her lips. "Throw in a back rub and you've got yourself a deal."
I chuckled, heading for the bathroom. "Your wish is my command, princess."
As I ran the bath and poured in the lavender oil, I allowed myself to relax. I dodged a bullet. Lakey was a ticking time bomb, and I was the only one who could diffuse her. Most times she didn’t listen to me, so the fact I was able to have her relent was a Goddamn miracle just on its own.
"Bath's ready!" I called out. "Get in there and relax, babe. Doctor's orders."
Lakey appeared in the doorway, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Only if the doctor joins me."
I grinned, almost unable to resist her pull. "Well, I never could say no to you. Buuuuut, I gotta do some work, okay? You just relax, read that weird monster book you like, or listen to music. I dunno, just do you for a while. When you’re out, come find me, this is just part one."
As she soaked in the tub, I settled at our cluttered dining table, surrounded by shit I’d printed off Skeeters laptop. I got into my tech headspace as I dove into the chaotic web of information. This was my element — piecing together the puzzle, unraveling the secrets that would bring Chimera to its knees. Hopefully.
People often thought I was stupid, but I wasn’t. In juvie, they tested me, and I tested well above 150. Not that it mattered, courses in the clink were all kid-level shit. Learning how to use a wood saw, learning to weld. Nah, I spent my time reading. And not those fun, fluffy books either. Learning human psychology. The good shit. Even went down the rabbit hole of learning about the justice system and all the loopholes. Read a few conspiracy novels while I was at it.
Never know, might come in handy one day.
But one thing that always gave me pleasure, aside from Lakes, of course, were puzzles. When we were kids, we had this shitty ass box TV and we spent hours watching grainy murder documentaries, interviews, news stories. Whatever thrilled us enough. I’d been drawn to the cold cases, trying to figure them out. This was a lot like that, only it was our fucking lives.
I’ll be damned if I let our own history go cold. So, with a cold beer and a keen eye, I’m gonna work this puzzle through, one piece at a time.
"Alright, you bastards," I muttered, spreading out the documents. "Let's see what you're hiding."
My eyes darted across the pages, connecting dots that seemed to make sense. Years of living on the edge had honed my instincts, and I could smell the bullshit a mile away. Chimera thought they were clever, but they'd never faced someone like me.
As I sifted through the papers, a pattern began to emerge. "Well, well, well," I chuckled darkly. "Janine, you sneaky bitch."
I grabbed a red marker, circling names that popped up repeatedly. Sarah Johnson. Emily Parker. Maria Rodriguez. All different, yet all eerily basic. All from different small towns, with different addresses. Beside each one was a similar description, only changing the hair color. Each woman was the exact same height, weight and age. My gut twisted with a mixture of disgust and triumph.
"Hey, Lakey!" I called out, unable to contain my excitement. "You're gonna want to see this!"
She appeared a couple minutes later in the doorway, wrapped in a towel, hair dripping. "This better be good, Axley. I was just getting to the good part of my bath."
I grinned, gesturing to the mess of papers. "Oh, it's good alright. Looks like our friend Janine's been playing dress-up. Multiple aliases, all tied to different child agencies. Look, Sarah was an adoptions worker. Maria was a foster care supervisor. Looks like Emily is a birthing advocate and doula, whatever the fuck that is. And Janine is a foster mom. Sadie is blank. No description yet. She must be in transition to her new alias."
Lakey's eyes widened as she leaned over my shoulder. "Holy shit," she breathed. "How many?"
"At least five that I can see," I replied, my excitement slowly being replaced by a cold fury. "And each one's connected to a different branch of Chimera. It's a fucking spider web of corruption."
I felt Lakey tense behind me. "So, what you're saying is..."
"Yeah," I nodded grimly. "This goes way deeper than we thought. These bastards have been trafficking kids through the system for years. And Janine? She's been their funnel."
The tension in the room was palpable. I could feel Lakey's anger radiating off her in waves, matching my own. This wasn't just about revenge anymore. This was about stopping a monster that had been hiding in plain sight for far too long.
"We're gonna burn it all down," Lakey whispered, her voice like steel.
I reached up, lacing my fingers through hers before pulling her down on my lap. "Damn straight we are, babe. And we're gonna enjoy every fucking second of it."
As I stared at the papers, the walls of the apartment seemed to fade away. Suddenly, I was back in juvie, the stench of piss and blood filling my nostrils. The memory hit me unexpectedly.
"Yo, Axley!" Some punk-ass kid was yelling at me from across the yard. "Heard your little girlfriend's gettin' passed around like a party favor in foster care. How's that make you feel, big man?"
I remembered the rage that flooded through me, the way my vision went red. Next thing I knew, I was on top of him, my fists connecting with his face over and over. It took three guards to pull me off. After that some big fucker named Spider took me under his wing. Kept me protected for the remainder of my two-year sentence. I swear to God that him and his shady ass friend, Cloak, weren’t under 18, but somehow, they were in the clink with me, feeding me, having my back in the showers, knocking down anyone who tried to step up.
The only time they failed me was…
"Fuck," I muttered, shaking my head to clear the memory. No. I can’t go there. The one place that was locked and buried. Shame burned through me at the thought of what happened. Lakey didn’t even know, but the guy paid the price seven-fold for what he did. Meanwhile, all this torture shit was happening to my girl. The guilt crashed over me in waves. While I'd been locked up, playing tough guy, Lakey had been out there alone, vulnerable. I'd failed her. I was the one who broke her because I wasn’t there to protect her.
"Cam?" Lakey's voice snapped me back to the present. "You okay? You looked like you were a million miles away."
I swallowed hard, my resolve hardening like concrete. "I'm good, baby. Just thinking about how we're gonna make these fuckers pay."
Her hands started working my thighs, kneading out the tension. "Mmm, I like the sound of that," she purred, planting a kiss on my neck.
I put my hands on hers, squeezing before letting go so she could keep working on a knot in my quad. "We're gonna send the lot back to hell. And then when we arrive at those flaming gates, we’ll track them down all over again."
She stood, flexing her fingers before sitting down to face me, straddling my lap, her eyes gleaming with that dangerous light I loved. "You always did know how to sweet talk a girl, Axley."
I grinned, pulling her close. "And don't you forget it, sweetheart. Now, how about you tell me what ideas that pretty little psycho brain of yours is cooking up?"
I gazed into Lakey's eyes, seeing that familiar mix of mischief and mayhem. But beneath it all, I could sense her exhaustion. The Steven situation had taken more out of her than she'd admit. Time to switch gears.
"Actually, you know what? Fuck the planning for tonight," I said, gently lifting her off my lap. "I've got a better idea."
I sauntered over to our beat-up liquor cabinet, fishing out a dusty bottle of peach schnapps and putting it on the counter. Lakey's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"No fucking way," she breathed. "Is that...?"
"The same shit we stole from Mrs. Hannigan's cellar when I was fifteen? You bet your sweet ass it is," I grinned, grabbing two mismatched glasses. "And that's not all."
I reached behind the TV, pulling out a worn VHS tape. Lakey's jaw dropped.
"'The Goonies'? Cam, you sentimental asshole," she laughed, but I could see the emotion in her eyes.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for the classics," I shrugged, popping the tape into our ancient VCR. "Now get your cute little dimpled ass over here."
Lakey flopped onto the couch, accepting the glass of schnapps with a smirk. "You trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me, Axley?"
I settled in beside her, draping an arm around her shoulders. "Please, like I'd need to get you drunk for that."
As the movie started, I felt her relax against me, the tension melting from her body. She sipped her drink, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"Remember when we used to dream about finding pirate treasure?" she murmured, her eyes fixed on the screen.
I chuckled, running my fingers through her hair. "Yeah, and now we're chasing down psycho cult leaders instead. Funny how life works out, huh?"
Lakey snuggled closer, her voice taking on that rare, vulnerable tone I only ever got to hear. "I wouldn't want it any other way, Cam. You and me against the world, remember?"
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, my chest tightening with an emotion I couldn't quite name. "Always, baby. Always."
As the movie played on, I found myself watching my girl more than the screen. The way her eyes lit up at certain scenes, the little snort she'd let out at the cheesy one-liners— it was fucking adorable.
"You know," I said, tracing lazy circles on her shoulder, "if we ever did find buried treasure, I bet you'd make one hell of a pirate queen."
Lakey looked up at me, a wicked glint in her eye. "Oh yeah? And what would that make you? My loyal first mate?"
I grinned, leaning in close. "Nah, baby. I'd be the rival captain who steals you away."
"Mmm," she purred, her lips brushing against mine. "I'd like to see you try."
The kiss started slow; a gentle exploration that quickly turned hungry. I tangled my hand in her hair, pulling her closer as she climbed into my lap.
"Fuck the movie," Lakey breathed against my mouth.
I laughed, low and rough. "Thought you'd never ask."
My hands slid under her shirt, tracing the familiar landscape of scars and soft skin. Every piece of her meant everything to me. Sometimes I forgot that in our everyday. I kissed a particularly nasty one on her collarbone, remembering the night I'd stitched it up in a dirty motel bathroom.
"You're thinking too loud, again," Lakey murmured, nipping at my earlobe.
I growled, flipping us so she was pinned beneath me on the couch. "Then why don't you give me something else to think about instead then?"
Her answering smile was pure sin. As clothes hit the floor and skin met skin, I couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly we fit together. Every touch, every gasp, every breath - it was heaven and hell and everything in between.
"Cam," Lakey moaned, her nails raking down my back. "I need—"
"I know, baby," I whispered, losing myself in the heat of her. "I've got you. Always."
The credits rolled, casting a flickering blue light across our tangled bodies. I ran my fingers through Lakey's hair, loving how peaceful she looked in the afterglow. It was rare to see her so unguarded, the usual manic gleam in her eyes replaced by something softer.
"What're you staring at, weirdo?" she mumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.
I chuckled. "Just admiring the view. You're almost tolerable when you're not talking."
She cracked one eye open, her lips curving into a smirk. "Careful, Axley. I might start to think you actually like me."
"Perish the thought," I deadpanned, but pulled her closer all the same.
We lay there in comfortable silence, the white noise of the TV a soothing backdrop. For a moment, I could almost pretend we were normal. Just two people in love, not a pair of fucked-up killers with a laundry list of enemies.
"Hey, Cam?" Lakey's voice was uncharacteristically small.
"Yeah, babe?"
She traced the outline of her name on my chest, her touch feather light. "We're gonna make it through this, right? All this Chimera bullshit?"
I kissed the top of her head, inhaling the lavender scent of her shampoo. "Hell yes we are. And if we don’t, I’ll meet you on the other side. I’ll follow you to hell in this lifetime, and through the next."
"Always," she whispered.
As the last notes of the movie's credits faded out, I found myself staring at the ceiling, my mind racing. Tomorrow, we'd dive back into the chaos. Back to unraveling Chimera's web, back to planning stakeouts, dancing at strip clubs and torturing people for information. But for now, with Lakey's warmth pressed against me, I allowed myself to believe in the lie of a normal life.
Just for a little while.