Page 132 of Wicked Little Nightmare

But I’d tell them. When the time was right.

Because one thing was crystal clear: Chimera had taken something from me. I was going to get her back.

And I’d need their help to do it.

Forty-Five: Cam

Ileaned back in my chair, a smirk playing on my lips as I watched Lakey demolish her third helping of chicken. The girl could eat, I'll give her that.

"Slow down, babe. You're gonna choke," I teased, reaching over to wipe a smear of sauce from her chin.

Lakey's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Aw, you worried about little old me, Cam? How sweet."

I snorted. "Nah, just don't want to deal with your corpse. Too much work."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You two are disgusting, you know that?"

"That's our charm," I winked at her, earning a groan from Kyle.

The banter flowed easily, a strange sense of normalcy settling over us despite the shit storm brewing outside. It wasalmost nice, if you ignored the whole 'running from a secret organization' thing.

Suddenly, a dull thud echoed through the room, cutting off Rose mid-sentence. We all froze, eyes darting to the door.

"What the hell was that?" Rose whispered, tension radiating off her in waves.

I felt my muscles coil, ready to spring into action. "Dunno, but I'm not liking the sound of it."

Lakey's hand found mine under the table, her grip tight. To anyone else, she looked perfectly calm, but I could feel the slight tremor in her fingers. She was itching to kill someone.

"Should we... check it out?" Sarah's voice wavered as she grabbed a knife off the table. I resisted the urge to scoff. The fuck is a butter knife gonna do?

"I'll go," Kyle announced, pushing back from the table. "You all stay put."

I followed him to the door wondering how the fuck we got made. Everyone’s eyes were on my back as Kyle approached the door. My heart pounded in my ears, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Whatever was waiting on the other side, I had a feeling our little dinner party was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

"See anything?" I said, breaking the suffocating silence.

Kyle's eye pressed against the peephole. "Nothing. No one’s there."

I felt Lakey shift beside me, her fingertips grazing my arm. I hadn’t even heard her come up behind me. Her fingers dug into my skin. She was ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, big guy," I goaded Kyle. "Open it up."

He hesitated, hand hovering over the doorknob as he looked back at Sarah. I rolled my eyes. "Christ, I'll do it myself if you're worried."

That did it. Kyle's jaw clenched, and he yanked the door open in one swift motion. We all leaned forward, expectant, only to be met with... nothing.

Then I saw it. A small dart, embedded in the wood, pinning a folded piece of paper.

"Well, fuck me sideways," I muttered, pushing past Kyle to get a better look.

As I reached for the note, a chill ran down my spine. I plucked the dart from the door, careful not to prick myself. The note came away easily, and as I unfolded it, a photo fluttered to the ground. Lakey snatched it up before I could even blink.

"We're watching you," I read aloud with a chuckle. "Well, ain't that cute."

I glanced at Lakey, expecting to see her usual deadpan smirk. Instead, her face had gone white as a sheet, those baby blues wide with... was that fear? Fuck me, I'd never seen Lakey truly and utterly afraid before.

"Cam," she whispered, her voice uncharacteristically small. She held out the photo, and I felt my world tilt on its axis.

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