16. Chapter Sixteen Lakey
Chapter Sixteen: Lakey
I clicked the security box shut with a satisfying snap, my fingers tracing the cool metal as I slid the key in, locking it.
Perfect. Couldn't have those envelopes falling into the wrong hands. Technically, I guess we were the wrong hands, but no one else needed to see these. I pushed the key into Cam’s pocket and handed him the box and the rolodex.
"Wanna grab some pics or nah?" Cam's low voice rumbled behind me.
I nodded, already whipping out my phone. "Yeah. I do." My thumb flew across the screen, slowly videotaping the office before walking out into the main lab. I grabbed shots of the jars before taking a video of the whole room.
Once I was satisfied with my photoshoot, I pocketed the phone and met Cam's gaze.
“Let’s make like a sportscar and zoom,” he said, chuckling when I rolled my eyes. He always had the absolute worst puns.
I took point, and led us out into the hall. Every nerve in my body was on high alert, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My ears strained for any hint of danger—a footstep, a whisper, hell, even a mouse fart. Do mice even fart? I think I read somewhere that they don’t…
"You're enjoying this way too much.”
I shot him a wicked grin over my shoulder. "What can I say? Learning that I was made infertile and seeing the absolute atrocities committed to Lydia gets my pussy pumping. Nothing quite like some extra trauma sprinkled on top of a lifetime of sordid deeds."
What if we ran into some of those sick fucks who ran this place?
The thought sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
My fingers twitched, itching to inflict some well-deserved pain.
I traced the outline of the knives strapped to my legs.
I never left home without them, and it had been a hot minute since I fed them.
"Easy, tiger," Cam whispered, his hand ghosting over my lower back as he noticed the tension radiating off my body. His thumb gently pushed and prodded into my muscles to ease the tension that had built. "We got what we needed. Take a deep breath and relax."
I pouted but nodded. He was right, of course. Didn't mean I had to like it.
The corridor seemed endless, each step heightening the swirl that had coiled in my gut. I could practically taste freedom, but at any point, someone could come down… one wrong move and we'd be royally fucked.
"Almost there," I breathed, more to steady myself than anything else.
As we rounded the final corner, I allowed myself a small smile. We’d made it back to where the corridor split into three. Just a bit further and we could climb up and get the fuck back home. Mission accomplished, bitches.
Suddenly, a sharp scuffling sound from upstairs shattered the silence. I froze mid-step, my body going rigid as a corpse. Cam's hand clamped down on my shoulder, steadying me.
My head snapped around, locking eyes with him. The adrenaline surged through me like liquid fire, and I could feel my lips curling into a feral grin. Oh, how I wanted to charge up there and unleash hell.
"Cam," I whispered, my voice dripping with barely contained excitement. "Did you hear that? We could—"
But before I could finish, he shook his head, his expression a perfect mask of calm authority. He raised a finger to his lips, then pointed to the side. The message was clear: stay put, stay quiet.
I bristled, every fiber of my being screaming to act. My fingers twitched, already imagining the satisfying slick of blood running over them. "But—"
Cam's grip on my shoulder tightened, just shy of painful. He leaned in close, "Patience, little psycho. We play the long game, remember?"
I huffed out a frustrated sigh but nodded all the same. Cam knew best when it came to strategy. It's why we made such a deadly pair; his cold calculation tempered my white-hot rage. He pushed me down one of the off-shoots and we flattened ourselves against the wall.
As we stood there, frozen in the shadows, my heart slowed, my breathing steadied. It was almost romantic, if you ignored the fact that we were two seriously fucked-up individuals.
"Fine, but next time, I get to play."
Wouldn't have it any other way, darlin'.
Now shhhhh." He pressed his finger into my lips, and I bit down on it, sucking it into my mouth before releasing with a wink.
I swore I could have heard him growl, his other hand gripped into my ass, surely leaving beautiful imprints on my skin underneath my pants.
The dim lights flickered, and darkness pressed in around us, but I could sense everything. My heart went steady, each beat hammering in my chest. My soul itched for action, for violence, but I held myself still.
If I killed these fucks now, we might not be able to move on down the target list… we might fuck up our chance at finding the real assholes behind this whole thing. Frustration made me want to scream, so I bit down on my cheek instead, swallowing the blood as a cut opened and leaked into my mouth.
"Shit," I hissed under my breath. "This fucking sucks."
Cam gripped my ass tighter, grinding me against him. He didn't speak, but I felt his silent approval of my restraint.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. My entire body tensed, ready to spring if they discovered us hiding away in this little nook.
Two figures emerged from the shadows wearing plague masks and long white coats, carrying what looked like a limp body between them. As they passed by our hiding spot, I caught a glimpse of their burden, a young girl, unconscious and pale as death.
My eyes narrowed, taking in every detail. The girl's stringy blonde hair, the bruises on her arms, the way her head lolled unnaturally to the side. My mind raced, piecing together possibilities faster than I could process them.
"Looks like they haven’t quit their day jobs. We should go fuck them up."
Cam's grip on my hand tightened, but I was already lost in the thrill of the hunt, imagining all the delicious ways we could use the information I’d pry from their lips.
"Oh, don't worry, big guy," a wicked grin spread across my face. "I'm not gonna do anything stupid. But you gotta admit, this changes things."
“Lakes, I know you wanna go free her, I do too, but if we get caught, or if there are more of ‘em upstairs, then we get fucked, do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
The footsteps faded with the swinging of the door at the end of the hall, and Cam nodded. We moved like shadows, our feet barely touching the ground as we crept down the corridor. My heart hammered against my chest. The ladder loomed ahead, our ticket out of this hellhole.
I scrambled up first, my fingers finding purchase on cold metal rungs.
We had no idea what was above, but from the silence, we were probably safe to head up and land back in the shed.
Cam followed; his massive frame somehow just as silent as mine.
We burst onto the rickety wooden floor; the musty air complimented the stale underground scent that permeated from the open cellar door.
"Fuck," I peered through a crack in the wooden slats. My eyes widened at the scene outside.
A black SUV with a gaudy cross emblazoned on its side sat in the driveway, engine running. Nuns scurried around like demonic penguins, sloshing gas from red cans. There, sitting on the front step with a smoke hanging out of her mouth was none other than Sister Anne.
"They're trying to torch the place," I spat, my fists clenching so tight, my nails broke skin. "Those fucking bitches."
Cam's hand landed on my shoulder. "They must have figured out someone was on their tail. Probably saw that old dickless fuck decaying in his living room.”
I turned to him, a manic grin splitting my face. "Well, ain't that just peachy? Guess we're not the only ones with a hard-on for violence. What do you think the odds are that they know it’s us?"
My mind raced, cataloging every detail of the scene.
The way the gas splashed, the nervous twitches of the youngest looking among them as her head swivelled from Sister Anne to the screeches of her kin barking orders, the acrid smell seeping through the cracks.
Part of me wanted to stay, to watch it all burn.
But Cam's grip tightened, reminding me that we couldn’t.
Not if we wanted to make it out of here. We got what we needed anyway.
But oh, how I loved a bonfire. Too bad Sister Anne wouldn’t be the centerpiece, but alas, no such luck of her burning herself.
"Yeah, yeah. We gotta bounce," the words tasted like betrayal in my mouth. "But I swear, I'm coming back to dance on the ashes of this fucking place."
Without a word, Cam and I locked eyes. A silent understanding passed between us—it was time to get the hell out of dodge.
My heart hammered against my ribs. If we weren’t fast, they’d see us.
I pointed to a treeline that was straight ahead and out of sight from the main building.
Cam squeezed my shoulder, his other hand gripped tight on the items we’d brought with us.
I burst through the shed door, sprinting towards his motorcycle. The roar of blood in my ears drowned out the startled shrieks of the nuns. Fuck, they saw us. Cam was right behind me.
"Move your ass, sunshine!" I yelled, throwing my leg over the bike.
Cam vaulted onto the back, his chest slamming against my spine as he clutched our hard-won prizes. His arm snaked around my waist, fingers digging into my hip.
"Hang on tight, babe," I revved the engine. "Mama's about to show you how to really ride."
We peeled out of there like a bat out of hell, gravel spraying in our wake. The wind whipped through my hair, carrying the stench of gasoline and the muffled curses of our holy pursuers.
My eyes darted, scanning for any sign of pursuit.
"See anything?" Cam's voice was rough in my ear.
"Not yet," I growled, taking a sharp turn that had us both leaning dangerously. "But I've got a feeling those penguin-suited psychos aren't gonna give up easy."