27. Chapter Twenty-Seven Cam
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Cam
I kicked the door open, my arms full of the unconscious girl I was carrying. Lakey stumbled in behind me, panting like she'd just run a marathon.
"Jesus, she's heavier than she looks," I grunted, maneuvering towards the couch.
Lakey shot me a look that could curdle milk. "Less complaining, more moving, big guy."
Finally making it to the couch, I laid her down as gently as I could manage, which wasn't very.
Her head lolled to the side, dark hair spilling across the cushions.
For a second, Lakey and I just stood there, staring at each other like we'd both lost our damn minds. Which, let's be real, we probably had.
"Well," I said, breaking the silence. "This is new. Normally we're dragging unconscious girls out of the apartment to the killing spot, not dragging them in."
Lakey ignored me, dropping to her knees beside the couch. She reached out, hesitating for a split second before brushing a strand of hair from the girl's face. Something in her expression softened, and it sent a shock through me. She actually seemed to care about this woman.
"What are you thinking, doll?" I asked, keeping my tone light.
Lakey's fingers lingered on the girl's cheek. "Well, I thought it might be someone I knew. But it's not. So, now I'm thinking we might've just made the biggest mistake of our lives." She paused, a grin spreading across her face. "Or the best decision ever. Jury's still out."
I couldn't help but chuckle. It was always a toss-up with Lakes. She liked to wait until the last possible second to figure out what she was doing and how she felt about it. "And here I thought our lives couldn't get any more complicated."
Lakey looked up at me, those big blue eyes of hers swimming with emotions I couldn't quite decipher. "We have to help her, Cam. We can't just... we can't send her back there."
I raised an eyebrow. "Since when did we start running a charity for wayward lab rats?"
"Since now," Lakey said firmly, her jaw set in that stubborn way that meant arguing was pointless. "Besides, WE are wayward lab rats, dipshit."
"Yeah, well, whatever," I said, running a hand through my hair.
Truth was, I had no idea why I'd let Lakey believe we'd take the girl. I was just going to dump her on the lawn and let whatever happen, happen. But no. If my girl said jump, I said how high. Call me whipped, but at 5’1, she was more terrifying than the assholes I went to juvie with.
Lakey turned back to the girl, her expression a mix of determination and something softer, almost maternal.
It was a look I'd never seen on her before, one I assumed had a connection to the way she so badly wanted to be a mother.
Only this wasn't a child, it was a full-grown woman.
Malnourished, sure, but a woman, nonetheless.
"What have we gotten ourselves into, darl'?" I asked, more to myself than to her.
Lakey's answer was quiet, but it echoed in the stillness of our apartment. "Something big, Cam. Something that's gonna change everything."
And as she tended to our unexpected guest, I had an eerie feeling settle over me. For better or worse, our little family of two had just become a family of three.
I took a step back, crossing my arms as I eyed the scrawny little thing on our couch. She was all skin and bones, pale as a ghost with a mess of dark hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in years.
"You sure about this, babe?" My voice was low and skeptical.
"We ain't exactly equipped to handle a stray, especially one that looks like she's been through hell and back.
I mean, look at us for Christ's sake. We can barely take care of ourselves and now we've brought her in.
Like what the fuck? Are we going to be her parents? Is that what you want to happen here?"
Lakey shot me a look. "We can't just leave her, Cam.
You saw what they were doing to her. Besides, she's probably twenty or something.
Even if I wanted to be her mom, that would be ridiculous.
" She snorted as if she told the world's funniest joke, but I knew it was just a deflection for the pain she was hiding about the girl she'd been searching for.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, I know. But—"
My words were cut off by a sudden scream that nearly made me jump out of my skin. The girl's eyes had flown open, wild and terrified. She thrashed on the couch, her skinny limbs flailing as she tried to escape some invisible threat.
"Shit!" I took a step back. The girl's screams echoed off the walls of our apartment, making my ears ring.
"Easy there, girl," I tried, putting on my most charming smile. But the girl wasn't having any of it. She scrambled off the couch, backing herself into a corner. The way she looked at me made me feel greasy. Like she could see exactly what I was.
I glanced at Lakey, raising an eyebrow. "Any bright ideas, Lakes? 'Cause I'm starting to think we might be in over our heads here. If she doesn't stop screaming, we're bound to have the 5-0 called and we don't need that, do we babe?"
Lakey stepped forward, her hands raised in a placating gesture. Her voice was smooth as honey when she spoke, but I could hear the steel underneath.
"Hey there, little one. It's okay. You're safe now," she cooed, her blue eyes wide and innocent. It was the same look she'd give right before slitting someone's throat. "No one's gonna hurt you here. Promise."
Lakey worked her magic. The girl's screams died down to whimpers, her gaze darting between us.
Huh. Who knew someone besides me would find peace in Lakey's presence?
Normal people sensed something was off about her the minute they tried to engage with her.
They always stayed, just a bit longer, which usually led to their downfall.
However, for those few minutes before, the ray of her light was so intense, so beautiful, it made it all worth the pain.
"That's it," Lakey continued, her tone gentle but firm. "Just breathe. In and out. Nice and slow."
The girl's chest heaved as she struggled to follow instructions.
I couldn't help but admire Lakey's technique.
She could charm the pants off a priest one minute and gut him the next.
The thought of her doing that to the Father made me hard and I had to turn and adjust my pants to refocus on what the fuck we were doing.
"We're not like the others," Lakey assured, taking a slow step closer. "We got you out of that hellhole. Do you remember anything about that?"
The girl shook her head profusely. Well, she was unconscious, so that tracks. She slumped against the wall, all the fight draining out of her. The silence that followed was deafening.
I studied her, taking in her haunted expression. Those eyes had seen some serious shit, no doubt about it. Maybe she wouldn't remember any more than we did. Part of me wondered if we'd bitten off more than we could chew. But hell, when had that ever stopped us before?
I figured it was time to make my introductions. Stepping forward, I flashed my most disarming smile. "Name's Cam. And this lovely lady here is Lakey." I gestured to my partner in crime, who was still crouched by the girl like some psychotic guardian angel.
The girl's gaze locked onto mine, fear and curiosity mixed on her face. She was sizing us up, trying to figure out if we were friend or foe. Smart kid. I dunno why the word 'kid' fit for her, but it just did. Maybe because she looked so small and innocent.
"We're the good guys in this story," I said, laying on the charm thick. "Well, as good as it gets in this fucked-up world, anyway." I winked, hoping to coax a smile out of her.
Lakes shot me a look that screamed 'tone it down,' but I ignored her. This was my moment to shine.
"So," Lakey interjected, her voice soft but eager, "what's your name, honey?"
The girl's lips parted, and for a second, I thought she might actually speak. But then she clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head vigorously, gripping her arms around her knees and hugging them to her chest.
Silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. I could almost hear the unasked questions bouncing around the room. Who was she? Where did she come from? And more importantly, what was going to happen now that she was here?
I glanced at Lakey, seeing my own uncertainty reflected in her face. We were in deep now, no turning back. As I watched the girl curl in on herself, I knew we'd just adopted one hell of a stray.
I leaned in closer, drawn to a flash of white on the girl's wrist. "Well, shit," I said, reaching out to gently turn her arm. She flinched but didn't pull away.
"Patient 101011," I read aloud, my voice low. The plastic wristband was a neon sign screaming trouble. "Looks like we've got ourselves a patient, Lakey."
Lakey's face shifted between horror and intrigue.
"Oh, you poor thing. I was hoping that you were some kind of new recruit when we found you down there.
But looks like they've gotten to you before.
Crying shame," she cooed, trying to raise her hand to pet her head, only to drop it when the girl winced.
"They've reduced you to a number, haven't they? We... we were patients too."
Lakey's gaze roamed over the girl, probably cataloging every bruise and scar. Her face lit up suddenly, and there was that look. It was the same one she got right before suggesting we adopt a three-legged cat or toast marshmallows over a burning body.
"Look, Cam!" she exclaimed, pointing to a faded tattoo on the girl's arm. "It's a rose. Isn't it beautiful?"
I squinted at the blurry ink. "If you say so, babe. Looks more like a blob to me."
Lakey ignored me, her face breaking into a radiant smile. "That's it! We'll call you Rose. Do you like that, little one?"
The newly christened 'Rose' blinked, her expression a mixture of confusion and tentative hope. I couldn't help but chuckle. Leave it to Lakey to try and slap a pretty name on our potential time bomb.