Blue | Rafe Cameron

viii

'What do you mean Topper tried to drown John B and JJ started shooting the gun?' I hiss into my phone, my eyes wide in shock and frustration. I sit up in my bed, all signs of sleep gone as I turn my body and dangle my legs off the edge.

'Exactly what I just said,' Pope said plainly, and I sigh, my eyes closing in disbelief. 'You sure missed one hell of a night Rory, where did you even get to?'

'I-'I hesitate, my heart racing as I try and come up with a convincing lie. 'I had to get back to the Cameron estate, I hadn't seen Ward since my mom dropped me off and I guess looking after other people's kids is stressful work. By the time I assured him I was fine and had eaten it was late, and I ended up crashing.'

The words came out evenly, the lie coming out easier than it should have been.

Pope doesn't speak for a few moments and the silence makes my inside turn to jelly, anxiety and guilt closing up my throat.

'Well, it all went to shit anyway' Pope chuckles lightly and I try not to groan as a relieved puff of air escapes me.

'I guess that's what happens when I'm not there' I tease, 'John B starts thinking he's in Rocky, and JJ thinks this is Al Pacino.'

'You've seen those movies?' JJ exclaims suddenly, his voice further out and I realise I'm on speakerphone now.

'Why are you so surprised?' I roll my eyes, even though he can't see me and a smile lines my lips 'Were you expecting me to exclusively watch The Notebook?'

'Something like that' JJ snorts and I grin at the sound of a slap and JJ crying out in pain a few seconds after.

Definitely Kiara.

'Hey, cut it out idiots' John B chastises, and I hear the line distort, probably from him picking up the phone to speak to me. I yank my hair out of its ponytail, letting my silken brown locks fall messily down my back, and I rub at the ache on my scalp.

'Hey John B' I greet, smirking 'Heard you took a dip last night?'

'Ha ha,' He deadpans drily making me giggle, 'Listen, we have a plan to get down to Scooter's boat, but it's not exactly law-abiding.' His voice drags out, the tone usually in conjunction with a bad plan and us getting in a shit ton of trouble.

'When is it ever something simple and legal' I sigh, rubbing my face 'I'm listening' I mutter lowly, and my eyes glance to my door, making certain that it was firmly shut.

'We need scuba gear to get the shit off the Grady and guess who happens to have more than enough and won't miss it for a few hours?' JJ mocks, and I can hear the grin on his face.

The realisation quickly kicks in and I frown 'You want me to steal from the man who's letting me stay under his roof' I hiss, standing up as I speak and going to the bathroom. Once I'm inside, I lock the door and turn on the shower, paranoia making me cautious.

'No, no,' John B amends quickly 'I'm going to steal from the man letting you stay under his roof, and if someone sees me, I'll say I'm on a job for the boss.'

'Okay,' I say slowly, nodding my head 'That's not the worst plan ever.'

'Glad that it's Rory approved.' JJ snorts and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

'What do you need from me?' I ask, leaning back against the marble countertop and watching as the steam rose from the flow of hot water and began fogging the glass.

'Distraction' John B chimes and I raise a brow with a smile. 'We need you to distract them, Sarah, Ward, Rafe' My heart leaps at the mention of his name but I remain silent as John B continues strategizing.