Page 86 of Wicked Little Nightmare

Rose beamed at the praise, and I felt that weird twinge again.Fuck. Maybe Lakey was right. Maybe I should just admit that I like all this homey house shit.

It struck me as I watched them spar, Lakey's laughter mingling with Rose's determined grunts. This was some type of family. It felt more like home than anything I'd known before. And with our expanding family, came more responsibility. More people to protect. When it was just me and Lakes, it was easy. She could take care of herself, but I was never far. Rose added in a wildcard that I wasn’t sure I knew how to handle.

I stepped out onto the balcony, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. The nicotine hit my system, but it didn't do shit to calm my nerves. My eyes scanned the street below, same routine I'd been following for days now.

And there it was. That fucking all-black car, parked in the exact same spot it had been occupying for the past week. My jaw clenched, paranoia creeping up my spine.

"I see you, you piece of shit," I muttered, watching for any sign of movement. Nothing. Just the same lifeless hunk of metal, sitting there like a damn tumor on our crack-addled little street.

I took another drag, my mind racing. Were we being watched? Had someone finally caught up to us? The thought of anyone threatening what we'd built here — this unhinged, beautiful thing with my girls — it made my blood boil.

I heard Lakey's laughter floating out from the living room, followed by a thud and Rose's muffled "oof." Despite everything, I felt the corner of my mouth twitch upward.

"Alright," I growled to myself, crushing the cigarette on the railing. "Playtime's over."

I strode back inside, greeted by the sight of Rose sprawled on the floor, Lakey grinning down at her like a cat that got the canary.

"Having fun, ladies?" I drawled, leaning against the doorframe.

Lakey's eyes lit up at my presence. "Just teaching our little Rose some valuable life skills. Like, how never to let me get the upper hand.”

I snorted, eyeing Rose as she picked herself up off the floor. "Yeah, she has been improving. Well, how about we teach her something else while we’re at it? Like, I don't know, hotwiring a car?"

Lakey's grin widened, and it was like the sun had just come out. "Oh, Cam," she said. "What a positively wicked idea. I love it."

Rose looked between us, apprehension on her face. I felt that weird protective instinct flare up again, but I squashed it down. Kid needed to learn, after all.

"What do you say, Rosie?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ready for your first lesson in grand theft auto?"

Rose hesitated, and for a moment, I thought she'd balk. But then she straightened her shoulders and gave us a shaky smile. "I'm in," she said, her voice strong and steady.

"That's the spirit," Lakes said, cocking her head to the side. “But first, we eat.”

She disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared a few moments later with grilled cheese piled high on a plate, setting it on the table before grabbing a couple bowls and going back for one more. "Rose made us grilled cheese and fancy tomato soup," she had a proud smile on her face as we all took our seats. "Remember when we used to steal this stuff all the time, Cam? From that diner down the way? Shit, feels like so long ago."

I nodded, taking a seat across the table from her. The smell of warm bread and melted cheese wafted up, making my stomach growl. We sat down at the table together, my thoughts drifting back to those simpler times when we'd had each other and nothing else. Life was easier back then, or maybe we just didn't care as much about what we were doing wrong.

We ate in comfortable silence, lost in our own thoughts until Rose broke it by asking if either of us had ever tried to escape from here. It was an innocent question, but something about it made me angry.

Lakey laughed softly. "We tried once but found ourselves right back here. Seems like there’s a reason we were never able to leave. Running away only brings more trouble than it’s worth." She glanced at me before adding under her breath, "Unless you’re running towards someone worth dying for."

"So..." Rose began hesitantly. "These dreams...they're getting weird lately." Her voice trailed off for a moment as she looked between us with a frown on her face. "They feel real sometimes... Like flashbacks almost. Except they're not really memories.”

Her gaze darted around the room nervously before landing back on Lakey who didn’t seem bothered by her admission in the least. "And sometimes there's this burning sensation at the back of my neck...like… I don’t know how to explain it." She shrugged uncomfortably before taking another sip of soup. "I dunno, maybe it’s just paranoia or PTSD rearing its ugly head."

The two of us exchanged a look over her head. I reached for my grilled cheese, taking a big bite and swallowing. "It's probably just that," I said, my voice carefully neutral. "Trauma can do strange things to the mind, you know?"

Lakey nodded in agreement. "You're just adjusting to everything that's happened, that's all. Give it time, you'll be fine," she said, her voice soothing but her eyes never leaving mine.

I stood abruptly, pushing my chair back and pretending not to notice Rose's startled expression. If I knew anything, it was that trauma could manifest in dreams. Which meant that she was reliving something and Lakey hadn’t even thought to tell me about it. Trauma responses made me dangerous. Unpredictable.How the fuck am I supposed to protect the two people I care about when I don’t even know what is going on inside their minds?"Right, well... I think it's about time we get started on those lessons. Lakes, let’s go grab the kit, Rose, if you’d be so kind as to clear the table, we can have the rest for leftovers."

"Cam?" Rose asked, confusion clear in her tone as she watched Lakey stand and follow me down the hall.

"What the hell is going on?" I hissed at Lakey once I was sure we were alone. "Why didn't you tell me that these dreams were still going on?"

“The fuck Cam. I didn’t know. What the fuck do you want from me? How am I supposed to mind read? You’ve been so hot and cold about her, I didn’t think you’d wanna know about some petty ass dreams she’s having.” She gave me a hard glare. “Besides, what does it matter? They’re just dreams.”

“They might not be, that’s the thing. They could be shit she’s gone through. I’m concerned that her head is burning. I know that there’s certain compounds that could cause that. Lakey, it could be dangerous.”

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