Page 67 of Wicked Nightmare

Now they wouldn't.

Maybe I would have been able to be something else, someone else, if Chimera hadn't existed. Maybe I wouldn't have needed to gut a rapist, but I did, which led me, led us, here. A sick feeling crawled up my spine. If Lakey and I were both products of the foster system, how did they plan all of this? Was she always going to end up at that nun home? Was I always going to end up in prison? Were the foster placements chosen? Was Carmen selected? Were the Almines? Was every single moment of our lives, from the fork to the cliff to this apartment, mapped out on a whiteboard somewhere by people who watched us through the glass and took notes?

You were released.

How the fuck had they planned all of this?

More importantly, I couldn't figure out why the fuck we were even still alive. The more I thought about it, the more a sick ball twisted in my gut. There was more to this. More than we were piecing together. I just couldn't see the shape of it yet.

And now Cloak and the warden were in the same room, watching Lakey dance. In a club three blocks from our apartment.

They weren't hiding from us. They were checking in on us.

"So," I said, my hands on her hips, shoving the thoughts down before they could swallow me whole. "You ready to raise some hell?"

Lakey leaned in, her lips brushing mine. "Baby, you had me at 'roleplay'."

"Alright, let's get our shit together. We've got a busy night ahead."

She hopped off my lap. "What's the plan again? Sorry, I was daydreaming. Are we going full 'damsel in distress' or more 'lost pizza delivery'?"

I stood up, stretching my arms above my head, pulling the tension from my back. "I'm thinking we play it simple. Charming new neighbors who just moved in down the street. You can be your usual bubbly self, and I'll be the doting husband."

"Ooh, domestic bliss with a side of murder. I like it," she said, already rummaging through our closet. "How about this?" She held up a pastel sundress that screamed 'innocent housewife'.

"Perfect," I nodded, grabbing a polo shirt and khakis. "We'll look like we just stepped out of a fucking 1950’s painting."

Lakey slipped into character. One minute she could be shoving a severed cock down someone's throat, the next she was the picture of suburban perfection. She'd give a lesser man whiplash with her range.

"Don't forget to grab the pie from the fridge," I called out as I checked my reflection. "Nothing says 'harmless neighbor' like pie. Oh, you got a brown wig? If this guy is entrenched, he will recognize you."

“Already got it on.” Lakey appeared behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "And I can fill it with poison, right? Wait, when did you get pie?"

I turned, cupping her face in my hands, stunned at how different she looked with the short brown wig. She actually looked domestic. "I dunno, I found it in the freezer and thawed it in the fridge. I think it's chicken, but who really cares? Not like he's gonna eat it with us." I spun her in a circle. Damn, she looked good as a soccer mom going out for dinner. Might have to fuck her later like this. "No poison, darl'. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we gather intel. Then we decide how to deal with our new friend."

"Fine, but I call dibs on the first stab if things go south."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," I said, kissing her forehead. "Now, let's go introduce ourselves to the neighborhood."

As we stepped out of our apartment, arm in arm with a pie between us, I felt that peace. The one that happened when the hunt started. Not jittery. Not manic. Just locked in.

Small steps were still steps, especially when it meant slotting one more piece into the puzzle. And this puzzle was getting bigger every day.

But so were we.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lakey

The midday sun beat down on us as Cam and I strode down the street, our footsteps in sync. My heart hammered with excitement, but I kept my face neutral, matching Cam's cool demeanor. The pie was clenched in my hand, my other casually holding Cam's. I loved how his dwarfed mine.

I'm sure to an outsider, we looked ridiculous. His massive frame towering over mine. I've even had comments that I was a child, and he was sick for being with me.

Usually I just smiled, leaning over and making out with him, calling him daddy to make them uncomfortable. But a few assholes took it too far, digging in how small and 'prepubescent' I looked. Those guys got a punch upside the head and knocked out cold. Anyway, it usually didn't bother me much. I could do most anything he could do, except the heavy lifting. We were kinda like superheroes. Bouncing off each other's strengths, forming one amazingly talented being.

I guess we were closer to villains. Whatever, semantics.

"So, what else did you get from Skeeter's laptop?" I asked, skipping along the sidewalk.

Cam glanced down at me. "Our guy's knee-deep in Chimera's logistics. He's can find Janine. Skeeter had them all arranged by file and job type. I picked this one because he's close-by, but also because he has direct dealings with the kids. Once I opened his file, there were pictures of him and dear old mom. And before you ask, no there were no photos of the girl. She seems to be pretty well off the radar. No known date of birth records, nothing. It's like she doesn't exist. Her name is Lillianna, by the way."