Page 24 of Wicked Little Nightmare

I straightened, my playful demeanor evaporating like mist. “Now, Skeets, we just have one little issue…”

He swallowed; his tear crusted eyes landing on mine. “Wh…what?”

“We don’t know where it is. You see, a lot of my time there is a big, black hole. So, you’re gonna need to refresh my memory.”

He shook his head. “I don’t… don’t know where it is! Lakey, please, I swear-”

Leaning down, I grabbed his nuts and twisted. “Listen here you sweaty little piece of fuck, give me that address or I will cut your balls off and feed them to you. I’ll cauterize the wound with a piping hot pan, so you don’t bleed to death and make sure you die a very slow, very painful death.”

Cam slapped my ass. “Damn girl, you trying to make me take that ass right now?” He leaned down to whisper, “You’re gonna get it as soon as we’re out of here.”

I looked back and winked as Skeeter groaned in disgust. “What? You don’t like consensual sex, Skeeter? Makes sense, I guess. Be hard to find it underneath that pot belly you carry around. Is that why you picked an old lady? Blindness makes it easier to accept your fate, I suppose. Anyway…” I sighed, leaning back and wiping my hand on his shirt. “The address. Now.”

He started talking so fast I couldn’t make out a word.

“Are you fucking stupid? Slow down, no one can understand your incoherent babbling.”

“The old mill. I think it’s by the old mill. I don’t have an address, but that’s where that guy in the SUV said to meet him next week with information on you.”

Hmmm… information on me…“Why does he want information on me? I ain’t been around him for… a very long time.”

“He didn’t say. Just that he wanted to tell you something, or give you something, or something. I don’t fucking know. Cam, please. I’ve told you everything I know.”

"Well, well," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "Looks like we're not killing anyone today. Might need him again."

Cam's answering grin was all teeth. "He does have a penchant for lying."

My mind raced, plotting our next move. The group home held secrets, alright. And we were about to blow them wide open. Or up. Depended on my mood when I got there.

I gave Skeeter one last saccharine smile before turning to Cam. "Make yourself comfortable, sweet summer child. We’ll be back later."

Cam nodded, his dark eyes glinting with barely contained violence. We left Skeeter whimpering in the tub, his muffled cries fading as I shut the bathroom door with a decisive click. The sound echoed through the apartment, a final note to our twisted symphony.

"Well, that was fun," I chirped, skipping towards the kitchen. "I don't know about you, but I could use a drink."

I yanked open the fridge, the cool air a stark contrast to the heated intensity of moments before. My fingers closed around two bottles, the glass slick and cold against my skin.

"Catch," I called, tossing one to Cam. He snagged it effortlessly, his huge hand dwarfing the bottle. I popped my capoff with practiced ease, the sharp hiss cutting through the eerie quiet.

"To old times," I murmured, clinking my bottle against his. The group home loomed in my mind, a specter of pain and rage. So much of my time there was blank, but what I did remember was a cesspool of pain and misery. I’d never wanted to revisit those memories, but something about this hit list got me excited to exact revenge.Who knows? Maybe I will find peace and healing.I was just grateful I wouldn’t be going at it alone. With Cam by my side, I was ready to face those demons.And make them pay.

“Nah, babe, to new ones.” He grinned, leaning down to capture my mouth in a searing kiss before tearing away with a sexy smirk.

I took a long swig of beer, the bitter taste washing away the metallic tang of violence still lingering on my tongue. My mind was already racing, piecing together our next move like a jigsaw puzzle.

"So, Cammy," I said, my voice light as a spring breeze, "what do you think about a little field trip to my old stomping grounds?"

Cam's lips curled as he licked his lips. "Feeling nostalgic, Lakey?"

I giggled, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. "Oh, you know me. Nothing says, 'home sweet home' like revisiting the scene of the trauma I can’t really remember."

He lifted the bottle to his lips, downing almost all of it before motioning for me to grab him another. "And here I thought you'd want to savor our little reunion with Skeeter a bit longer."

"Please," I scoffed, waving my hand dismissively. "He's small potatoes. The real prize is waiting for us at that hellhole."

My mind flashed back to those endless nights of abuse, the constant fear, the burning rage that had forged me into thewoman I was today. I could almost smell the musty corridors, hear the echoes of muffled sobs. There was a giant piece missing. I vaguely remembered being strapped to a gurney and being wheeled down a hall, but everything after that was dark.

That was the piece that I needed to fill. Well, one of them. My childhood was a pretty big black hole as well and according to Google, that’s a sign of repressed memories.

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