37. Chapter Thirty-Seven Cam #3
I nodded, remembering shit Janine used to do to me that I'd pushed so far down it was as if it had never happened.
"She will die, babe, that's for sure. But yeah, there's more.
She used to do shit to me. I didn't remember it until now.
I dunno, babe, I just... there's a lot swirling around in my chest right now.
I need you to keep it together because right now I'm struggling to hold the rage at bay. "
Lakey's grip on my hand tightened until our knuckles went white. "We should kill her. Slowly."
I barked out a laugh, some of the tension easing. "God, I love you. And we will. Soon. She might be useful first."
"Always the strategist," Lakey teased, but I could hear the concern underneath. "We get my daughter back and then we peel the skin from her face and feed it to her."
I pulled her close, breathing in the scent of her hair. Pine and blood and that cheap shampoo she liked. "I get the sense Kyle and Sarah are genuine, but I still don't trust them. They aren't like us."
Lakey snorted. "Spectators, really."
"Exactly," I agreed. "Which means we might need to improvise, if it comes down to it. You with me?"
She looked up at me, those baby blues gleaming. "Always, baby. It's you and me."
I kissed her, hard and desperate, pouring all my fear and rage and twisted love into it. Her mouth opened under mine, and I tasted the stew and something sweeter, something that was just Lakey, and for a second the noise in my head went quiet. When we finally broke apart, I was steadier.
"Let's go see what brilliant plan they've cooked up. And Lakey? If things don't pan out the way they're saying..."
"I know," she finished, her smile sweet and soft. "We do what needs to be done. Fuck their plans."
As we walked back into the main room, Sarah was hunched over a map, her fingers tracing routes while Kyle paced behind her. Rose sat in the corner, looking small, but there was something new in her eyes. Resolve.
I cleared my throat. "Alright, folks. What's the grand plan?"
Sarah looked up. "We go after Janine. It's risky, but she's our best lead on Chimera. If we can get to her, maybe we can finally put an end to this."
Lakey's hand tightened in mine. I squeezed back. Play it cool.
"And how exactly do we find her?" I asked, keeping my voice casual. Didn't need to reveal that I knew her other aliases. Not yet. "I'm guessing she's not listed in the yellow pages under 'Evil Foster Mommy.'"
Kyle snorted, but Sarah shook her head. "Rose thinks she knows where Janine might be hiding. It's a long shot, but it's all we've got."
I turned to Rose. "Care to share with the class, sweetheart?"
Rose rolled her eyes at the endearment, but her voice was strong. "There's a research facility, about a hundred miles north of here. Janine used to talk about it sometimes. Said it was her 'backup plan' if things ever went south. She offered to bring me with if I wanted to leave."
"Well," Lakey said, her eyes glittering, "I'd say things have gone pretty fucking south, wouldn't you?" Then her face shifted. "Weird that she was so attached to you, though."
Sarah frowned. "What did Janine do to you guys, Lakey? I know I placed you with her and her husband, but he turned up missing a couple years back."
"None of your business."
Sarah sighed, coming around to put her hand on Lakey's shoulder. "I'm here to help, Lakey. If you're not ready to tell me, that's fine. I'll wait. But whatever you're hiding might help us."
I chuckled and she cut me a sharp look. "You want to tell me then, Cam?"
I shrugged. "Nah, it's your story, baby." Then I looked at Sarah. "And she will tell you when she's good and ready. If she ever is. As for right now, we're ready to go on the attack. Let's just say we have some personal reasons for wanting a chat with Janine."
"We're not attacking anyone," Sarah said sharply. "This is a recon mission, nothing more. We get in, we find Janine, bag and tag her, we get out. Nothing else."
I bit back a laugh. As if this woman could tell us what to do. The only thing that mattered was finding out where they took Lakey's daughter, and me crushing Janine's skull under my boot as payment for her sins. But I kept my face neutral, nodding along.
"Sure thing, boss," I said, throwing her a mock salute. "So, when do we move out?"
"First light tomorrow," Kyle answered. "We'll take separate vehicles, approach from different directions. Less chance of being spotted that way. There's an old sedan in the back. Ain't pretty but still runs."
As they continued hashing out details, excitement started to replace the anger. The anticipation of violence, of chaos. I glanced at Lakey and saw the same hunger.
"Well," I said, clapping my hands with false cheer. "Sounds like we've got a busy day ahead. Best get some rest while we can."
As we walked upstairs to our room, I caught Lakey's eye. The unspoken promise passed between us: No matter what happened, we'd do whatever it took to survive. To win. Fuck the rest.
And if that meant leaving a trail of bodies in our wake? Well, that was just par for the course, and our new friends would have to accept us for what we were.
Murderers. Vigilantes. Reapers of revenge.