Page 63 of Wicked Little Nightmare

"Fuck the movie," Lakey breathed against my mouth.

I laughed, low and rough. "Thought you'd never ask."

My hands slid under her shirt, tracing the familiar landscape of scars and soft skin. Every piece of her meant everything to me. Sometimes I forgot that in our everyday. I kissed a particularly nasty one on her collarbone, remembering the night I'd stitched it up in a dirty motel bathroom.

"You're thinking too loud, again," Lakey murmured, nipping at my earlobe.

I growled, flipping us so she was pinned beneath me on the couch. "Then why don't you give me something else to think about instead then?"

Her answering smile was pure sin. As clothes hit the floor and skin met skin, I couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly we fit together. Every touch, every gasp, every breath - it was heaven and hell and everything in between.

"Cam," Lakey moaned, her nails raking down my back. "I need—"

"I know, baby," I whispered, losing myself in the heat of her. "I've got you. Always."

The credits rolled, casting a flickering blue light across our tangled bodies. I ran my fingers through Lakey's hair, loving how peaceful she looked in the afterglow. It was rare to see her so unguarded, the usual manic gleam in her eyes replaced by something softer.

"What're you staring at, weirdo?" she mumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.

I chuckled. "Just admiring the view. You're almost tolerable when you're not talking."

She cracked one eye open, her lips curving into a smirk. "Careful, Axley. I might start to think you actually like me."

"Perish the thought," I deadpanned, but pulled her closer all the same.

We lay there in comfortable silence, the white noise of the TV a soothing backdrop. For a moment, I could almost pretend we were normal. Just two people in love, not a pair of fucked-up killers with a laundry list of enemies.

"Hey, Cam?" Lakey's voice was uncharacteristically small.

"Yeah, babe?"

She traced the outline of her name on my chest, her touch feather light. "We're gonna make it through this, right? All this Chimera bullshit?"

I kissed the top of her head, inhaling the lavender scent of her shampoo. "Hell yes we are. And if we don’t, I’ll meet you on the other side. I’ll follow you to hell in this lifetime, and through the next."

"Always," she whispered.

As the last notes of the movie's credits faded out, I found myself staring at the ceiling, my mind racing. Tomorrow, we'd dive back into the chaos. Back to unraveling Chimera's web, back to planning stakeouts, dancing at strip clubs and torturing people for information. But for now, with Lakey's warmth pressed against me, I allowed myself to believe in the lie of a normal life.

Just for a little while.

Twenty-Four: Lakey

Ijolted awake, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. Janine's house. The thought blazed through my mind, urgent and all-consuming. I had to get back there, had to know what the fuck was going on.

"Cam," I hissed, shaking his muscular shoulder. "Wake up, dick breath. We've got work to do."

He groaned, dark eyes cracking open. "Christ, Lakey. What time is it? You gotta stop waking me up like this. I’m getting PTSD."

"It’s seven o’clock, asshole. Time to get our asses in gear," I snapped, already scrambling out of bed. My skin itched with the need to move, to act. "We're going back to Janine's place. Tonight."

Cam sat up, rubbing his face. "You sure that's smart, babe? Place is probably scrubbed."

I whirled on him, blue eyes blazing. "I don't give a rat's ass about smart. I need answers, and that bitch's house is the only place we're gonna find them."

He studied me for a long moment, his gaze intense. I could see the gears turning in that devious mind of his. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, sweetheart. We'll go back to her house. BUT. No unnecessary risks. That means, if you see something you don’t like, you gotta stay calm, ‘ight? We handle everything with a level head."

I grinned, savage and wild. "When have I ever been unnecessary?"

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