32. Thirty-Two Lakey
Thirty-Two: Lakey
T he shattering glass jolted me awake, my heart instantly racing. Cam was already up, his massive frame silhouetted in the darkness. I watched him reach for the nightstand, the metallic click of his gun loud in the silence.
"Stay here, baby," he whispered, motioning with his hand to stay put.
Like hell I will . I grabbed my knives, one in each hand, ready to slice and dice ‘em. As soon as Cam slipped out the door, I was right behind him, silent as a shadow. The excitement bubbling in my chest felt like champagne - fizzy and intoxicating. Someone was about to have a very bad night, and it wasn't gonna be us.
We crept down the hallway, the floorboards creaking softly under Cam's weight. My bare feet made no sound at all. Up ahead, I could hear shuffling, the clumsy movements of our uninvited guest. Amateur hour.
Cam paused at the corner, gun at the ready. He glanced back at me, those dark eyes glittering with a familiar bloodlust. God, he was beautiful like this - all raw power and lethal grace. I gave him a feral grin, my fingers already itching for violence.
"Ready to play?" I mouthed.
He nodded once, a vicious smile curving his lips. Then we were moving, bursting into the living room like avenging angels. The intruder never stood a chance.
As Cam stepped forward, I circled left, keeping to the darkness. My heart pounded, but not from fear. This was pure, unadulterated thrill. We needed this. God, did we ever. Between all the playing house and the lows that came with not killing someone, we needed the burn. That sweet, delicious ache that crawled into our systems and wormed its way around until there was nothing but pin pointed vision and a target.
"Evenin', asshole," Cam drawled, his voice dripping with charm. "Bit late for a house call, don't you think?"
The intruder whirled, surprise evident even in silhouette. That moment of shock was all Cam needed. He closed the distance in two long strides, his right fist connecting with a sickening crunch. I could practically feel the impact in my own knuckles, and fuck if it didn't make me all hot and bothered.
Cam didn’t like using guns unless he absolutely had too. It was just one of those things. Honestly, I didn’t like guns much myself. I preferred the beauty I created as my paint poured from my canvas, dousing me in one-of-a-kind masterpieces. And right now, they were burning in my palms, wanting to get a slice of my latest muse.
The fight erupted in an instant. Fists flew; bodies slammed against furniture. I watched, transfixed, as Cam unleashed his brutality. He was poetry in motion, each blow calculated yet savage. The intruder fought back, landing a few hits of his own, but he was outmatched, and we all knew it. Almost the same size as Cam, but not nearly as well versed in murder. And Cam had practice from his underground fight ring days. He was a fucking madman when he fought.
Strange, really. This guy had to be one of the convents men, which was weird that they sent someone so ill prepared to our doorsteps. I’d have to remember to ask him how the fuck he got up here. It wasn’t like those old fire steps worked anymore. Rusted to shit these days.
The crash of my favorite vase snapped me back to attention. Blood roared in my ears, the familiar itch beneath my skin growing unbearable. I wanted — no, needed — to join in. To feel flesh give way under my fists, to taste the metallic tang of violence on my tongue.
"Cam," I whined, my voice husky with need. "Stop hogging all the fun."
He glanced at me, a feral grin splitting his face. "All yours, baby. Show our guest some hospitality."
I didn't need to be told twice.
I lunged forward, ducking around his swinging arm until I made it to the window, grabbing the light-weight cotton curtain as I went. Cam tripped him, sending him face first onto the ground. The fabric tore from its rod with a satisfying rip, and I spun, twisting it around the intruder's neck before he could blink. His eyes bulged as I yanked back, using my knees as leverage on his shoulders, cutting off his air supply.
"Surprise, motherfucker," I purred, tightening my grip. The rush that came with it set my nerve endings alight. Fuck, it felt so good to be moving my body like this again.
Cam's eyes met mine, dark with approval and something hungrier. "Sick move, Lakes," he growled, pinning the intruder's arms.
Together, we wrestled our unwelcome guest to the ground. We worked in perfect harmony - Cam's brute strength complementing my vicious creativity. The intruder thrashed and gasped, but he didn't stand a chance against our twisted synergy.
"Grab the zip ties, babe," Cam instructed, his knee digging into the man's spine.
I reluctantly loosened my grip on the curtain, mourning the loss of control for just a moment. As I rummaged through our "fun drawer" beside the couch, a giggle bubbled up in my throat. Who said romance was dead?
Bet we’ll fuck like rabbits after this.
"Here you go, darling," I chirped, tossing Cam the ties. "Want me to get the chair?"
He nodded, already securing the intruder's wrists with practiced ease. I dragged over our sturdiest dining chair, humming a cheery tune that clashed beautifully with the grunts and curses of our captive.
"Up you go, sweetheart," I cooed, helping Cam hoist the man into the seat. "There, all comfy cozy!”
Just as we finished securing our uninvited guest, a blur of movement caught my eye. Rose burst into the room like a feral cat, all claws and hissing fury. I blinked, not quite believing what I was seeing.
"Well, fuck me sideways," I muttered, watching as she vaulted over the coffee table with inhuman grace.
Her eyes were wild, locked onto the intruder. In one fluid motion, she grabbed my second favorite vase and swung it like a baseball bat, connecting with a sickening crunch against the man's jaw.
"Jesus Christ!" Cam exclaimed, jerking back. "Where the hell did that come from?"
I couldn't help but cackle, equal parts impressed and turned on by the unexpected violence. "Looks like our little flower has some thorns after all."
Rose stood there, chest heaving, vase dangling from her white-knuckled grip. The look in her eyes was familiar - the same feral gleam I saw in the mirror after a particularly satisfying kill.
"Well, well, well," I giggled. "Aren't you just full of surprises? Rose, I love what you did to his face, but you could have killed him. Also, not super impressed that now both my vases are broken."
She barely spared me a glance, her teeth bared as he looked her over. She did a number on him. The whole one side of his face was cut open and bleeding profusely. It was gonna be a frustrating clean, but at least she didn’t knock him unconscious.
Cam's eyes narrowed, his brain clearly processing what we just saw. "Time for a little chat, I think," he said, voice low and dangerous.
I cracked my knuckles, grinning at our captive. "Oh goody, I do so love our heart-to-hearts. Shall we start with who the fuck you are and why you're interrupting our beauty sleep?"
The intruder spat blood, glaring defiantly. "Go to hell, you psychotic bitch."
I tsked, wagging a finger. "Now, now. That's not very nice. Babe, perhaps our friend needs some motivation to be more... cooperative?"
Cam's answering smile was all teeth and promise of pain. "With pleasure, babe."
As his fist connected with the intruder's face again, I felt that familiar tingle of excitement. The crunch of bone, the spray of blood - it was better than any foreplay. This time he grunted as blood poured out of his nose, the bone sticking out at a funny angle.
"Let's try this again," I said, tapping my foot impatiently. "Who sent you?"
He coughed, spitting out a tooth. "Chimera," he gasped. "They want the girl back."
I sighed and rolled my eyes. Of course it was. Well. I suppose that’s slightly worse than if it was say, the pope. But then again, maybe the pope is Chimera. Maybe they’re all Chimera. Chimera. Chimera. Chimera. Fuuuuuck Chimera.
"Fuck," Cam muttered, echoing my thoughts. "How much time do we have?"
The intruder laughed, a wet, gurgling sound. "You don't. They're coming. And they won't stop until they have her."
I glanced at Rose, seeing the fear etched on her face. Before I could process it further, she lunged forward, her hand connecting with the intruder's face in a resounding slap.
"You bastard!" she screamed, eyes wild. "You were supposed to protect me, not drag me back to that place!"
I blinked, taken aback by her ferocity. "Well, now isn’t that interesting," I drawled, impressed despite myself. "Looks like someone's got some fight in her after all."
Rose whirled on us, her chest heaving. "You don't understand," she hissed. "Chimera... they'll never stop. I won't go back. I can't. This motherfucker was my ‘guard’. He kept me safe from the more… unstable patients. And yet here he is, trying to bring me back. Fuck. You."
The rage in her voice stirred something in me. I looked over at Cam, who was casually playing with his knife, seeing my own resolve mirrored there. Well, fuck me. Now we knew two things. Rose had some weird fucking ability to go from docile to full on offense with the flick of a switch. And whoever the fuck this guy was, he knew shit.
Shit that we want to know. If only tongues could talk without a mouth. Then we could just cut it out and put it in a jar to tell us it’s tales.
Cam's eyes narrowed, that murderous glint I knew all too well flashing across his face. He stalked towards the intruder, stopping just before him, eyeing him up and down.
"Let's see what other goodies you've got, shall we?" He started patting down the bastard's pockets.
I grabbed the gun Cam had lost in the scuffle and trained it on our unwelcome guest, finger itching on the trigger. One wrong move and I'd paint the walls with his brains.
"Jackpot," Cam smirked, fishing out a cell phone and what looked like an old-school beeper. The thing was flashing like crazy. "Now what do we have here?"
Before I could stop him, the idiot pressed the beeper's button. I opened my mouth to curse him out, but a strangled gasp from Rose cut me off.
"Fuck!" she cried out, hands flying to her neck. "It burns! Make it stop!"
Cam was on her in an instant, his large hands surprisingly gentle as they probed her skin. He frowned as he felt around. "There's something here," he muttered, pushing aside her hair. "Jesus Christ."
I edged closer, curiosity overriding caution. "What is it?"
Cam's face was grim. "Looks like a wire. Embedded right into her skin. How the fuck did I miss this? I checked her neck. Jesus Christ."
Rose's eyes were squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Chimera... they... they said it was... for... for my own... own good. Oh God, I remember now. I remember."
I shared a look with Cam. They had been spying on her this whole time. Son of a bitch.
"Get it out," Rose whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Please, just get it out."
I turned back to our captive, tapping the gun on his forehead.
"You're going to tell us everything you know about that fucking thing," I growled, pressing the gun to the intruder's temple. "Or so help me God, you'll wish I'd just shot you already."
His eyes darted between us, fear and resignation warring on his face. "It's... it's a neural chip," he finally spat out.
Cam's hand tightened on Rose's shoulder. "A what now?"
"Chimera uses them to track their patients," the guy continued, words tumbling out in a rush. "It's connected directly to her nervous system. They can monitor her vitals, her location, even her emotional state."
My blood ran cold. This was some next-level sci-fi bullshit. We didn’t have those. Obviously. Or they’d have known we were here the whole time. This guy must not know who we are…
"Can it be removed?" I demanded, pressing the muzzle of my gun against his temple.
He flinched. "Yes, but... it's not easy. You'd need specialized equipment, someone who knows what they're doing. If you fuck it up, you could fry her brain."
"Lovely," I muttered, meeting Cam's gaze over Rose's trembling form. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck . We were in deep shit and sinking fast.
Cam's eyes narrowed, that familiar glint of determination sparking to life. I felt an answering surge of adrenaline, a grin spreading across my face despite the fucked-up circumstances. Walking up to him, I reached towards his face on my tiptoes, giving him a chaste kiss.
"Well," I giggled. "Looks like we've got ourselves a little project."
He smirked, all cocky bravado and dangerous charm. "You thinking what I'm thinking, darlin'?"
I nodded. “Yeah, let’s get the information out of him on how the fuck to get that tracker out. I’m sure he knows something that he’s not telling us.”
The asshole’s gaze darted from me to Cam, a type of fear settling in his eyes. "You... you can't... I won't tell you shi—"
Rose ran up to him and decked him right on his broken nose, effectively rendering him unconscious. “Shut the fuck up, Beaver.”
I looked at her. “His name is… Beaver?”
She giggled, “I mean, no. He probably has a real name, but the girls called him Beaver because of his gnarly front teeth. You didn’t notice the chiclets he has going on? Yeah. Could probably eat through a tree with those. Hence… Beaver.”
Cam spoke, nudging the guy’s shoe with satisfaction. “Well, I’ll be damned. Alright, when this asshole wakes up, let’s get what we need and take him out to the woods. Kill him at the cliffs so we don’t have to dump anymore bodies. If anyone starts checking the dumpster, we’re gonna be in for a shit storm.”
"Tonight just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting than that dream I was having," I said, grabbing Cam and dragging his face to mine, sealing our excitement with a kiss that tasted of blood and promise.