27. Chapter Twenty-Seven Cam #2
"Rose it is," I said, shaking my head. "Let's just hope our little flower here doesn't have too many thorns."
I leaned against the wall, watching Lakey fuss over Rose like she was an abused puppy instead of a potentially dangerous escapee.
My mind raced, trying to piece together the clusterfuck we'd just landed ourselves in.
If she was anything like Lakey, it was just a matter of time before she fucked us over or worse, killed us in our sleep.
"You realize we're basically harboring a fugitive, right?" I said, running a hand through my hair. "Christ, Lakey, we don't even know what she's capable of."
She turned on me. "Oh, please. Like we're ones to talk about capabilities."
She had a point, but I wasn't about to admit it. "Yeah, well, at least we know our own brand of crazy. This girl? She could be a serial killer."
I glanced at Rose, who was now watching us both with a mixture of fear and something else. Curiosity, maybe? Or was that a glimmer of hope?
"Look at how she's watching us," I said, lowering my voice. "It's like she's never seen two people just... exist together before."
Lakey's face softened as she followed my gaze. "Poor thing probably hasn't. God knows what kind of hell she's been through. If it's anything like the files... it was bad."
Rose's brow furrowed in concentration as she looked between us. It was like she was trying to decode some complex puzzle, and we were the pieces.
"Hey, you think she understands what normal even looks like?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Because if she's looking to us for that, she's in for one hell of a disappointment."
Lakey's jaw tightened with that stubborn determination I knew all too well. "Normal's overrated, baby. We're gonna give her something better."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"
"Freedom," she said, her voice dripping with conviction. She turned to Rose, softening. "You hear that, little Rose? You're free now. And we're gonna make sure it stays that way."
I couldn't help but snort. "Free to do what, exactly? Become psychos like us?"
Lakey elbowed me hard in the ribs. "Don't be an ass, Cam. She deserves a chance at... whatever she wants. A normal life, if that's her thing."
I rubbed my side, grumbling. "And how exactly are we supposed to give her that?"
"We'll figure it out," she insisted.
I sighed, feeling the fight drain out of me. If I was being honest, the idea of helping this girl, this broken, haunted creature, had a certain appeal. Maybe it was the challenge, or maybe it was just Lakey's infectious enthusiasm.
"Fine," I conceded. "But if this goes south, we bolt. No hesitation."
Her face broke into that unhinged grin I loved and feared in equal measure. "Deal."
I slumped onto the armchair across from the couch, watching Lakey and our new...
what? Ward? Prisoner? Fuck if I knew. Rose was curled up in a ball, her eyes wide and wary.
Lakey sat beside her, all soft smiles and gentle touches.
My gut had been right. She really would have made a fantastic mother.
A weird feeling settled in my chest. Uncomfortable and tight as I thought about what a dick I'd been about the kid.
It didn't really matter if the girl was mine, did it?
I loved Lakey and by extension, loved everything to do with her.
I sighed heavily, leaning back and closing my eyes for a moment.
"So," I said, breaking the tense silence. "What's the plan, babe? We gonna enroll her in high school? Get her a part-time job at the mall?"
Lakey shot me a withering glare. "Don't be a dick, Cam. We'll figure it out as we go."
I snorted. "Yeah, 'cause that always works out so well for us."
Rose just watched us.
"Look, kid," I said, leaning forward. "I don't know what kind of life you had before, but—"
"Cam," Lakey warned, her voice low.
I held up my hands. "Relax, I'm not gonna scare her. Just being honest." I turned back to Rose. "Thing is, we're not exactly model citizens. But Lakey here seems to think we can help you. So... here we are."
Rose just stared at me, silent and unblinking. Christ, it was unnerving.
I ran a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling everything what we'd taken on. "Fuck," I said. "What are we doing, Lakes? She doesn't even talk. Who knows if she even fucking can? What are we gonna do with a mute?"
Lakey met my gaze. "We're doing the right thing, for once," she said quietly.
I couldn't help but laugh, a harsh sound in the stillness of the room.
"Us? Doing the right thing? That's rich.
Lakey, we've lured people to their deaths, do you remember that?
How the fuck... What? Do you think this is going to cleanse our sins?
Cuz baby, I love you EXACTLY as you are.
I don't need some purified fucking version of you to love you.
" Now I was getting heated. Lakey was acting like salvation was right around the corner and all she had to do was fix this thing.
But you know what? You can't fucking fix broken. No. It just compounds and builds and reshapes until the thing in front of you is some unrecognizable mass of sinew and steel with a heart as black as coal. No. There was no 'saving' us.
The fact of the matter was, I didn't fucking want to be saved. Didn't need it. Purity was for the saints who touched little kids at night, and if that's what it means to be saved, keep me chained to Lucifer himself, serving hell on a silver platter.
Lakey's face contorted as she processed my words, turning towards me in anger.
As she opened her mouth to no doubt spew some angry tirade, I cut in.
"I'm sorry, baby. I don't mean to piss you off, but the thing is, you and I...
we are who we are. I need you to stay my wicked little nightmare because that means you're real.
It means you are exactly who you've always been and who you are meant to become. "
Her face softened as she stood and sat in my lap.
"Oh, my twisted little dream. I'm not changing who I am, I'm evolving.
I don't want to run in the same spot like some fucking hamster.
Knowing what I know, I have found my purpose, and I'll drag you with me at the end of a chain if I have to, but we are doing this together.
" She smiled and kissed me gently before biting my bottom lip so hard blood spilled into her mouth.
I looked at Rose and then at Lakey, her face set with that beautiful brokenness I knew so well, and something shifted inside me. Maybe we were monsters, yeah. But even monsters could choose to be something else. Something more.
"Alright," I relented. "Let's do this. God help us all."