37. Chapter Thirty-Seven Cam #2
"You okay, baby?" Lakey's voice pulled me back.
I shook off the memory. "Never better, sweetheart. Just thinking about all the fun we could have in a place like this."
Lakey's grin was wicked. "Oh, I'm counting on it."
Kyle cleared his throat. "Alright, enough. Time for the grand tour of our little fortress."
I raised an eyebrow. "What, no chocolate on the pillow?"
Kyle snorted. "Sorry, fresh out. But I've got something better."
He pressed a hidden panel in the wall. A portion slid open with a soft hiss. My eyes widened as I took in the arsenal concealed within.
"Holy shit," I breathed, running my fingers over the gleaming metal of an assault rifle. "You weren't kidding about being prepared."
Lakey's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Ooh, dibs on the sniper rifle!"
I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You don't even like guns." I poked her in the ribs. "Let's hope we don't need to use any of this. If this place is as good as you say, we shouldn't need to."
Kyle nodded. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. There are more hidden compartments throughout the house. I'll show you the rest later."
As he continued his tutorial on the defenses, my attention drifted. Sarah and Rose's muffled voices floated down from upstairs. I noticed Lakey's gaze flicking towards the sound.
"You happy, babe?" I murmured, giving her hip a gentle squeeze.
Lakey's smile was brittle. "Just peachy. Why wouldn't I be?"
I studied her face. The conflict in those beautiful, dangerous eyes. The battle between her softer impulses and the darkness she wanted to unleash.
"You know," I said softly, "it's okay to care about the kid. Doesn't make you weak."
Lakey's laugh was sharp. "Says the emotionally stunted nut."
I shrugged. "Takes one to know one, sweetheart."
An hour later, the stove crackled, casting flickering shadows across our little band of misfits. I lounged on the threadbare couch, Lakey curled against my side. The smell of Sarah's beef stew filled the room.
"This is nice," I said. "Real cozy. Just a few friends, hanging out."
Kyle snorted, ladling out bowls. "Yeah, if your show involves guns and death."
"You've clearly never met my foster families," I said. Fists and broken bottles flashed through my mind. I pushed them away, focusing on the warmth of Lakey against me.
Sarah shot me a look. "Can we be serious for a moment? We need to discuss our next move."
I raised an eyebrow. "By all means."
Kyle set down his bowl. "Right. Chimera. They're not your average evil corporation. These guys are relentless. Once they've marked you as an asset, they don't stop until they've got you or until you're dead."
"Charming," Lakey muttered, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my thigh. "You know we already know quite a bit, right? We stole some fat dude and made him sing like a Tweety bird."
I leaned forward, squeezing her thigh so she didn't say anything else. "What exactly makes us so special? I mean, besides our obvious charm and good looks."
Kyle's expression darkened. "They're obsessed with enhancing human potential. And from what I know, you two are already operating on a different level. Chimera wants to understand how and replicate it. You were their most successful projects. Aside from one other."
A chill ran through me. Flashes of needles and cold metal tables surfaced. I forced a cocky grin. "Well, can't blame them for recognizing talent."
Kyle shoved a spoonful of food in his mouth and chewed hard.
"Anyway," I said, wrapping an arm around Lakey, "thanks for the new home, but what are we doing now? I say we should storm headquarters and leave them in pieces."
Sarah sighed, rubbing her temples. "We need information first. Things have shifted in recent weeks, thanks to your murder spree, so almost everything we'd collected has changed.
We need to rebuild our database. For now, we lay low and gather intel.
We have old plans from when Kyle got out, but things are always changing.
Believe it or not, you killing their foster providers has caused quite the commotion.
Kyle noticed enhanced guards on his stake-out rounds. "
I nodded, half-listening. Playing defense wasn't my style, but I'd bide my time.
Lakey's lips twisted into a pout. "Fuck that. We should hit them hard and fast. Cut the head off the snake before it can strike."
I squeezed her shoulder. "Easy there, sugar. We've done good, but we can do more if we see what Kyle's got." I hated to admit it, but if his intel was better than mine, I wanted to see it. I'd brought Skeet's laptop, and I'd share it once he'd earned the right. He had to show me his first.
She pouted, looking for all the world like a disappointed kid who'd been told she couldn't have ice cream for dinner. Almost cute, if you ignored the fact that her idea of "dessert" involved significantly more stabbing.
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "We can't just charge in blind. They're too well-connected. Think politicians, senators, cops. They're not a person. They're a spider web. We need a strategy."
I was about to chime in when Rose's quiet voice cut through. "I... I think I might know someone who could help."
All eyes turned to her. She shrank back, her face saying she regretted opening her mouth.
"It's okay, Rose, you have a voice here," Sarah coaxed.
Rose took a deep breath. "There's this woman... Janine. I think her name was Allamy or something. She used to visit me at the facility sometimes. I think she might be important in Chimera."
The name hit me with physical force. Janine fucking Almine.
Images flashed through my mind. A kind smile, a gentle touch, promises of safety that turned to ash.
I'd trusted her once, back when we were first placed with her.
Before I learned that she was a goddamn cunt, and that trust was for pussies and fools.
Lakey went dead still. She was probably thinking about her daughter. Her eyes flashed up to mine, pleading with me not to say anything about Lillianna. Not yet.
"Well, isn’t that fun," I forced a smirk to hide the turmoil in my gut. "Looks like our old friend Janine's been busy. Small world, huh?"
Kyle leaned forward. "You know her?"
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Oh yeah, we go way back. Let's just say she's got a real talent for playing mother hen to lost little lambs. Right before she leads them to the slaughter."
Looking down at Lakey, her eyes burned with untampered rage.
"Hey, sugar," I said, loud enough for the others to hear. "Mind helping me check the perimeter? All this talk of old ghosts is making me twitchy."
Her lips curved into that wicked smile. "Aw, feeling jumpy, big guy? Don't worry, I'll protect you from the boogeyman."
We slipped out into the cool night air, leaving the others inside.
As soon as we were out of earshot, I let out a long, shaky breath.
"Fuck." I needed to tell her about what I remembered, but we weren't much for the feelings-type conversations.
It felt weird having this pressure sitting in my chest.
Lakey's hand found mine, her touch both an anchor and a reminder of how far we'd come. "Talk to me, Cam. What's got your panties in a knot?"
I closed my eyes, reopened them to see hers fixed on my face. "Thought we could use some air. I'm just so full of rage. For us, but mainly for you. Janine triggered you, I could tell."
"She deserves to die, but not before we get my daughter." Lakey's eyes narrowed on my twitching jaw. "What is it, Cameron?"
The use of my full name. She knew something was off. She always knew.