Mind Over Matter ⇀ John B Routledge [2]

i. cruel summer

Harsh waves crashed against the side of a Nassau bound freight ship as it inched closer to its final destination. With the coast of the Bahamian capital in sight, every crew member was preoccupied, knowing they'd be reunited with their families as soon as the ship docked.

That excitement didn't reach everyone onboard though.

Below deck, hidden away in the captain's quarters was John B Routledge, Ashtyn Hughes, and Sarah Cameron. Three teenage runaways with large bounties currently hanging over their heads.

They'd hardly slept since the discovery of John's wanted poster; and as Ashtyn clutched onto her shaking fiancé, she knew things would only continue to get worse once they came into port. He was wanted for the murder of a well established United States sheriff, and she and Sarah were his co-conspirators.

To top it off, they were now in a foreign country. Their rights weren't the same, so if they got arrested, who knew what bad things would follow.

As the brunette contemplated every possible outcome of their trip, her blonde counterpart laid passed out on the nearby couch. Sarah was scared, you'd be stupid not to realize that, but she had options unlike John B and Ashtyn.

If something happened, she could simply call Ward to bail her out.

She wouldn't be stuck in a foreign prison.

"Hey," John broke their silence, "Ash?"

While the males body shook from fear, his voice didn't waver and that was something Ashtyn admired about the man at her side. He wanted her to feel safe and secure at all times, even if he himself was scared shitless.

"Yeah?" Her voice was hoarse from having not been used in awhile. "You okay?"

It must have been important because John leaned back slightly, hazel eyes staring deeping into her blue ones so he could get a clear read on her reaction. "Tell me about Rafe. The version of him that you knew."

"Are you sure?" Her brow raised in question, not understanding why he'd want to reopen old wounds. She knew Rafe was a touchy subject for him. He hated the thought of another man looking at her, let alone loving her. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Johnny."

His thumb traced light circles against her exposed hip bone, a small hickey contrasting against her light skin tone. "I need to understand how you could love someone like him, even if it was in the past. I've only ever known this Rafe..."

"Well, he was my best friend." She thought for a second, contemplating the best way to share her complicated history with the Cameron boy. "Sure, our parents forced the friendship because they expected us to get married, but Rafe never cared about that. He took care of me. Actually, he took care of all of us... When Claudia's abuse became too much, Luke would run to him in the middle of the night for help."