Page 81 of Wicked Nightmare

I leaned back, drumming my fingers on the laptop balanced on my knee. "Speaking of languages, I've been decoding some of Skeeter's files. Turns out our favorite techno-weasel had quite the treasure trove of dirt. I'm not just talking about operative names... places too. So much shit in here and he played the part of a good village idiot. I'm impressed. I almost miss the guy."

Lakey's head snapped up. "Spill it, Axley. What'd you find?"

I savored the moment, watching her squirm. It was rare to have information she didn't, and I'd be damned if I didn't milk it for all it was worth. "Oh, just a little connection between that orphanage we're gonna go see and a certain nunnery we both know and loathe."

"Bullshit," Lakey breathed, but I could see the wheels turning behind those baby blues.

"Cross my innocent lil' heart, sugar," I said, tapping my chest where her name was inked. "Seems Sister Sadist and her merry band of psychos had their fingers in more pies than we thought. Skeets wasn't lying when he said they were everywhere. I've connected them through a list of places. Some are close to us. Many are dotted all around the states. We can't hit those up, but we can do whatever is closest. Orphanages, social work offices. There's even a cop shop on there. But my all-time favorite, is that giant Catholic church that sits atop that mountain as you drive into town. Head office, it appears."

Lakey was on her feet in an instant, the photo forgotten as she stalked towards me. "Show me," she demanded.

I turned the screen, revealing a web of connections that would make a conspiracy theorist cream their pants. Lakey's eyes devoured the information, her lips moving silently as she pieced it all together. St. Agnes had been quite busy, but every thread pointed back to that specific nunnery as ground zero. Made sense why they burnt it down.

I'd created a web of sorts, linking places and people together, but it was becoming more complex as I discovered more things. I could spend a decade in these files and not hit the bottom.

There was only one glaring piece of information missing.

Who the fuck Chimera was, or where it started.

"Well, fuck me sideways," she said, a grin spreading across her face that would've sent saner men running. "Looks like we've got ourselves a two-for-one special, Cam. Chimera and answers. All we gotta do is hit all these spots up. Starting with the orphanage."

I couldn't help but mirror her grin. Distracted Lakey was gone. In her place stood the version I lived for. All fire and fury, ready to burn the world down just to watch it smolder. Not that I didn't love all of her. Just this was my favorite version. The one that hurt the least.

"What d'you say, darlin'? Ready to crash a nun party?"

Lakey laughed, the sound unhinged and perfect. "Oh, Cam," she said, straddling my lap and pressing a kiss to my neck that was more teeth than lips. "I thought you'd never ask. The deeper we get, the more I know that this list is 100% the best birthday gift you have ever gotten me. It's like we really are the pirates we dreamed of being. Pillaging, plundering and destroying those who take our treasure."

As she pulled back, a knot formed in my gut. Sure, I'd gotten what I wanted. Her focus was back on our mission. But did I just stifle something she needed? Closure? Healing? Something?

Lakey was a force of nature when she got like this, beautiful and deadly as a hurricane. But that little girl's photo was still there, taunting me from the corner of my eye. This wasn't just about Chimera anymore, at least for her, and that scared the shit out of me.

"Hey, slow your roll there," I said, grabbing her wrists as she started unbuttoning my shirt. "We need to talk about this."

Her smile turned sharp. "What's there to talk about, Cam? We've got a lead. Let's follow it. After I impale myself on your cock, that is."

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. I could just leave it. Drop the subject and ride the storm, but I couldn't. She was masking and as sexy as it was, I hated when she fronted around me. "It's not that simple, and you know it. This isn't just about Chimera anymore, is it? You're getting too wrapped up in this kid."

The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees as her smile disappeared. "Don't," she said, trying to pull away.

I held on tight, refusing to let her retreat. "No, we're doing this now. You're obsessing, Lakey. It's dangerous."

She laughed, harsh and bitter. "Dangerous? That's rich coming from you, Mr. 'Let's-piss-off-every-crime-lord-in-the-city'. Since when do you care about danger?"

"Since it started clouding your judgment," I shot back. "You're losing focus, getting emotional. That's how people end up dead."

Her eyes flashed, and for a moment, I thought she might actually hit me. "You don't get it, do you?" she snarled. "This isn't just some random kid. She's—"

I cut her off. "She's what, Lakey? Your ticket to redemption? A chance to play mommy? Wake up, sweetheart. We're not the kind of people who get happy endings."

The silence that followed was deafening. Lakey stared at me, her face a mask of fury and pain. I'd struck a nerve, and part of me hated myself for it. But it was better she fucking hated me than get herself killed chasing ghosts.

Lakey stood, her voice steady but tight. "I'm finding her, Cam. With or without you. She's out there, and I need to know why. I need her and I get that it doesn’t make sense, but fuck, I thought you’d be supportive. What? Now you don't want a kid with me. Is it cuz she's nine and not a cute little baby? Better she isn't, cuz you know, a stripper and a criminal don't make the best parents to babies, but I CAN help her now. Or what is it, Cam? You mad cuz she isn't yours? That she didn't come from your spunk? Sorry to tell you, shitty things happened to me, and this is a result of that. I don't know what the fuck you want me to say."

“Ah, so there it is. You think she’s your daughter.”

“She is.”

“No, Lakey, she can’t be.”