16. Chapter Sixteen Lakey #2
The thrill of escape coursed through my veins, a heady cocktail of adrenaline and barely contained violence. Part of me—a big, loud part—hoped they'd try to follow. My trigger finger was itching something fierce.
"Next time," Cam said, as if reading my thoughts, "we'll get ‘em."
The motorcycle's roar echoed off the concrete walls as we descended into our buildings underground parking. The gloom enveloped us, a welcome respite from the chaos we'd left behind. I pulled into our spot, killing the engine with a flick of my wrist.
"Home sweet home," I sighed, my body still humming with leftover adrenaline. "Shit, I could use a drink."
Cam dismounted first, grabbing me to steady me as the bike groaned under the loss of his weight. I watched him, admiring the way his muscles rippled under his shirt. He caught my eye and smirked, the bastard.
"Like what you see, Lakey?"
I rolled my eyes, swinging my leg over the bike. "Don't flatter yourself, asshole. I'm just making sure you didn't drop anything important."
As I stood, my legs wobbled slightly, the adrenaline crash hitting me harder than expected. Cam's hand shot out, steadying me without a word. I loved how my skin still tingled at his touch.
"You good?"
"Yep," I muttered. "Let's get this shit upstairs before I change my mind and go back."
We made our way to the elevator, the security box and rolodex clutched tightly in Cam's hands. As the doors slid shut, an eerie silence fell over us. Guess we were just both lost in our thoughts because we didn’t speak the entire ride up.
My mind raced, replaying the day’s events on a loop. The tunnels, the files, those goddamn nuns. It was all so fucked up, I almost wanted to laugh. Who knew our little town could harbor so much fuckery?
"You're thinking too loud," Cam's voice cut through my thoughts.
I glanced at him, taking in the tightness around his eyes, the set of his jaw.
He was wound up tight, ready to snap at any moment.
Just like me. The only difference was, he could still look relaxed and sexy, I just looked downright feral.
Catching a glance at myself in the scratched metal of the elevator door, I grimaced. I looked horrid.
"Can't help it," I replied, leaning against the elevator wall. "All that shit was wild."
Cam's lips quirked in a smile. "That's one word for it."
The elevator dinged, doors sliding open to reveal our floor. As we stepped out, I sighed suddenly feeling exhausted. I wasn’t one for puzzles and this was just about the longest one I’d ever done.
The apartment door clicked shut behind us, and my legs gave out. I crumpled to the floor, my back against the wall, as the adrenaline that had been keeping me upright finally drained away. Cam slid down next to me, our shoulders touching.
"Fuck," I breathed, my head falling back with a thud. "I feel like we left so much undone."
Cam grunted in agreement; his eyes closed. I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. We sat there in silence, both processing the shitstorm we'd just escaped.
"Those fucking nuns," anger bubbled up in my chest. "They’re getting rid of everything. They must have pieced it together, which makes me think all these foster homes are a funnel of sorts."
"Guess they didn't appreciate our little scavenger hunt," Cam replied.
I snorted, a hysterical laugh threatening to escape. "Ya think?"
Cam's eyes snapped open, fixing me with that intense stare that always made my insides squirm. "We got what we came for, Lakey. That's what matters."
I nodded, trying to focus on our victory instead of how nice it would have felt to sink my blade into their soft bellies. Cam pushed himself up suddenly, striding over to the fireplace. He reached for the bottle of whiskey on the mantle, his movements smooth and confident despite the night's chaos.
He turned back to me. "Think we've earned this, don't you?"
I couldn't help but smirk. "Fuck yeah, we have."
Cam dropped back down beside me, unscrewing the cap and taking a long swig before passing the bottle. The whiskey burned going down, but it was a welcome sensation. Something real to ground me in the moment.
"To not being fertile anymore," I toasted sarcastically, raising the bottle before taking another gulp.
"To making them regret the day they fucked with us."
We passed the bottle back and forth, the alcohol slowly dulling the hazy red that tinted my vision.
I could feel Cam's body heat next to me.
There was nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, plotting revenge with the only person who truly understood me.
The only thing that would have made today the best in my depressing existence, would have been kidnapping Sister Anne.
Oh, fuck! Skeeter!
“Babe, we still have Skeets in the tub.”
“Eh, let him chill for a bit. We have a lot of work for him to do, so let’s let him rest for now. Besides, my heads starting to spin and I kinda want you to ride me like a cowgirl.”
I leaned back against the wall, letting my head fall onto Cam's shoulder. His arm snaked around me, pulling me closer. The scent of his skin mixed with whiskey and adrenaline made my head swim.
"You know," I murmured, tracing the outline of his tattoo through his shirt, "sometimes I think we're the only real honest people on this planet."
"That's 'cause we are, babe. Everyone else is just playing pretend. At least we’re honest enough to admit our impulses exist and act on them. Whether they’re right or wrong is merely up to personal interpretation. Personally, I rather like when you’re painted in blood like one of those abstract paintings.
The red makes your eyes stand out. Like a cute little owl, or a trash panda. "
I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the grin spreading across my face. "God, you're such an asshole."
"Yeah, but I'm your asshole," he retorted, pressing a rough kiss to my temple.
The silence stretched between us. I thought about the girl we'd seen being carried away, the nuns with their gas cans. The world was full of monsters wearing masks of righteousness. Cam and me? We wore our monstrosity on our sleeves.
"Hey," I said suddenly, sitting up to look him in the eye. "You ever regret... this?" I gestured vaguely between us. "All the blood and chaos?"
Cam's dark eyes bore into mine, his expression unreadable. For a moment, a flicker of the boy I'd known in that hellhole of a foster home, scared, angry, desperate for connection surfaced. Then his smirk returned.
"Regret?" he scoffed. "Sweetheart, you're the best goddamn thing that's ever happened to me. I could never regret you. You’re the only thing I’ve done right in my life."
Cam might be a sadistic bastard, but he was my sadistic bastard, and I was his murderous little pet. It wasn't love, at least, not in any way the rest of the world would recognize. But it was ours, forged in blood and fire and shared trauma.
I leaned in, biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood before kissing him fiercely. "Good," I breathed against his mouth. "'Cause I'm not done with you yet, Cam Axley."
His answering grin was all I needed. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Lakey Aldrich."