Page 38 of Wicked Little Nightmare

"What the fuck is this?" Her fingers traced the lines of drug names.

My mind raced, piecing together the horrific puzzle. "Scopolamine, ketamine, fuck... even good ol' sodium thiopental. Jesus Christ, they threw the whole pharmacopeia at you, didn't they?"

"Cam," Lakey's voice cracked. "I remember... things. Terrible things I did. Things I’d never, ever fucking do to an innocent human being. I feel like I’m watching myself, my hands… moving, cutting. But it wasn't me, it was—"

"It wasn't you," I cut her off, gripping her hips tightly. "It was whatever they pumped you with."

I could feel the rage being replaced by a chilling numbness, a familiar darkness clawing its way up from the depths of my soul. The things they'd done to her, the way they'd violated her mind and body... it was making me irrational. Grabbing the pictures from her, I flipped to the last one. She was standing over acrumpled body, unrecognizable. This wasn’t my girl. This was something out of a nightmare. Her hair was dark, stained with blood as she stared with unseeing eyes at the corpse below her. In her hand, a small karambit.

As much as I loved her murderous tendencies, I loved them when SHE was in control. Not when someone else was pulling the punches. This just felt perverted.

What the fuck were they testing this shit for? Who wants to control a bunch of girls in a nunnery?

I cradled Lakey against me, savoring the silence that fell between us. Her warmth seeped into my skin, a stark contrast to the ice in my veins. My fingers traced lazy circles on her arm, possessive yet gentle.

"You know," I mused, breaking the quiet, "those bastards thought they were so clever. Unlocking your potential for violence." I chuckled darkly. "As if you needed any help with that, sweetheart."

Lakey tilted her head up, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Are you saying I was already perfect, Cam?"

"Perfect? Maybe," I smirked. "But a goddamn work of art? Fucking rights."

She giggled, that tinkling sound that never failed to send a thrill down my spine. "Flatterer."

As I held her, my gaze swept the room, taking in the chaos. Papers strewn everywhere; furniture overturned. It looked like a tornado had hit - fitting, considering the storm raging inside us both.

That's when I saw it.

Amidst the debris, a glint of metal caught my eye. I narrowed my focus, zeroing in on a pile of shredded paper. There, half-buried under the carnage, was a rolodex box.

"Well, well," I murmured, a predatory grin spreading across my face. "What do we have here?"

Lakey followed my gaze, her body tensing with anticipation. "Is that..."

"Oh yeah, baby," I breathed, already imagining the possibilities. "Looks like we just hit the lotto."

I lunged forward, snatching the rolodex from the debris with a triumphant laugh. The sound echoed off the walls, wild and unhinged. "Fucking jackpot, indeed!"

Lakey's eyes widened, a flicker of hope igniting in those icy blue depths. It was a rare sight, that spark of life in her usually dead-eyed stare.God, I loved it.

"Let me see," she demanded, reaching for the box.

I held it just out of her grasp, teasing. "Ah, ah, ah, patience, darling. You know good things come to those who wait."

She pouted, but I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. "Since when have we ever been good, Cam?"

"Fair point," I conceded, flipping open the rolodex. Names, identifying numbers, a weird, color-coded dot at the top of each card – an encrypted gold mine of information on the sick fucks who'd tortured us. My mind raced, already plotting our next move.

"You know what this means, don't you?" I asked.

Lakey's answering smile was razor-sharp. "Playtime?"

I nodded, a dark thrill coursing through me. "Oh yeah, baby. It's time to go hunting."

As I thumbed through the pages, visions of vengeance danced in my head. We'd make them pay, every last one of them. Slowly, painfully, creatively. The thought alone was intoxicating.

"You're thinking violent thoughts again," Lakey observed, her tone almost dreamy. "I can tell by that look in your eyes."

I grinned, pulling her close. "You know me so well, sweetheart. Wanna hear what I've got planned for these bastards?"

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