Page 10 of Wicked Little Nightmare

“Right, that explains exactly where it is,” I muttered under my breath and started rummaging around, trying to find it. Just as Iwas about to tell him I couldn’t find it, I noticed it peeking out of his sweats. Rolling my eyes, I snatched it out of the pocket and flipped it open.Twenty? That’s it?

Fuck.

I’d have to go dance tonight ‘cause rent is due next week. “Babe, I’m gonna go dance tonight. Just thought I’d let you know. Be back in a bit, I’ll grab brekky.”

He stuck his head out of the bathroom. “Lakes, if you just wait, I can come with.”

“It’s fine. Honestly, I just want some air.” While that was true, I also wanted to see if that little girl was home. “Be back in twenty.”

It was the perfect day, and my chest expanded gratefully as I inhaled the crisp morning air. Setting off on a brisk pace, I made it to the cafe in record time, placing our usual order and sat down to wait. People watching was my favorite past-time. Making up stories about who they were, what they did for work and how they performed in the sack. Some couple was sitting in the back. She was pretty with long dark hair. He was absolutely obsessed with her from the look in his eyes. Dark hair, baseball cap. Seems like he’d fuck her missionary and then they’d make some tea and biscuits after, asking each other “was that good for you?” Just as I started giggling to myself, a man got up from his corner seat, his chair scraping obnoxiously on the linoleum.

“I’ve been here for fifteen minutes and I’m late for work. Where the fuck is my breakfast.” He jabbed his finger in the direction of the waitress who had taken my order.

She looked nervously towards the kitchen before softly replying, “Sir, I’m sorry, we are unusually busy this morning. Please take a seat and I’ll go see about where your order is in the line.”

“Unusually?! The place is dead in here.” He scoffed, looking around. “Fine, but if I don’t get my fucking eggs and bacon in the next two minutes, I want to speak to the manager.”

He turned around and stomped back towards his table, but not before I got a good look at him. He was stocky, bordering on fat. A greying beard, untrimmed. Wearing an ill-fitting navy-blue suit, so he must be someone important. Or at least, someone he thought was important. I recognized him but couldn’t place from where. His eyes landed on me, a spark of recognition flashing through them before he shook his head, his ruddy face flushing as he averted his eyes from my prying ones. My mind was spinning as I tried sifting through memories to figure out where I knew this arrogant bastard from.

Honestly, if Cam wasn’t waiting for me, I’d lure this fuck behind the dumpster and drive my knives through his soft midsection. Something about him just felt… off.

Shaking my head, I resumed people watching until finally, she called my name.

“Thanks, um...” Looking down at her name tag, I cracked a smile. “Emma. Have a nice day.”

She nodded and I left the cafe, still wondering who the fuck that asshole was. Rounding the corner to head home, I hesitated. If I went left, I’d go through the suburban neighborhood that took me toherhouse.

Just a peek, to see if she’s home. If she wasn’t, I’d run back, and Cam wouldn’t even notice the extra minutes I’d spent taking a detour. Standing opposite her house, I leaned against a tree and pretended to be very interested in grabbing a paper from the stand.

The cars were gone from the driveway and the house was empty. I guess that made sense. It was a weekday. Didn’t normal kids go to school or something? They’d tried to make me andCam go to school, but… we never went. The schools just pushed us through because they didn’t want to deal with us.

Not sure I would have actually learned anything anyway. Everything I knew was self-taught. The way the world should be if you’d ask me. With a defeated sigh, I turned and booked it back towards the apartment. The food would be cold, but whatever. Cam would deal.

Opening the door, he was lounging on the couch, wearing nothing but those ridiculous boxers I’d bought him as a Christmas gag gift. They were sparkly, dark blue and custom written with the words, “this is the dick of a killer, Lakey.” Yes, it was a spin of my favorite movie. I thought it was hilarious and clearly, so did he.

“Nice boxers, babe.” I grinned and opened the bag, grabbing the containers and plastic forks, walking around to hand him his eggs benny before opening mine.

“Oh, a certain loco bought it for me.”

“It’s loc-A, Cameron. LOCA.” I shovelled eggs in my mouth, muttering under my breath as I chewed, “Uncultured swine.”

He threw a piece of bacon at me and laughed. “Whatever. Sorry I prefer movies about murdering unsuspecting women while wearing a sexy mask over sparkly vamp dicks.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small smirk that played on my lips. He’d never admit it, but he loved those movies. We watched them every year. “So, what are we doing today?”

He shrugged, stuffing more food into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “I dunno, a voice in my head keeps telling me to go kill someone,” he said, gesturing around with his spoon, “but I dunno, I think we should relax. Go down the pier, maybe?”

I grinned like a maniac. “Deal. Though, I have to be back later because I gotta dance tonight. We’re short rent and I don’t think Joe will let us default again.”

Cam snorted. “That fat fuck wouldn’t do a damn thing, and he knows it.”

“Yeah, but killing the landlord would just put this place into foreclosure or whatever they do when shit like that happens.”

“I dunno, probably. Don’t know much about real estate. Eat faster. I wanna go swim.”

I grinned, inhaling the rest of my food and shoving the container back into the bag. “Let’s go, babe. Just don’t try to drown me this time. I need my lungs intact if I want to work.”

“Be right back,” Cam hopped to the room and came out a moment later wearing black swim trunks and a hot pink shirt, his hair effortlessly styled as he ran his fingers through it with a glob of gel.

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