Pretty When You Cry ୨୧ Rafe Cameron

twenty three

They finally got back to the OBX. Isla was surprised that gave her a sense of relief, but she knew it didn't make a difference. The bad things that happened recently weren't due to where she was, they were due to Rafe Cameron.

He was particularly annoying today. Every word she said, true words, was like a dagger in his chest by the way he reacted. He was setting her on fire and acting like he was the one burning.

Being back at Tannyhill however was not her preference. Rafe got a text message as they laid down their bags on the bed.

'Somebody wants to meet us at Smith's,' Rafe said, referring to the mechanics down the road. He wasn't sure why somebody texted him saying only 'hey, got something that could make you a lot of money, you've gotta bring the Routledge girl though.'

It was sketchy, but Rafe didn't care. He wanted money, he wanted to make his dad proud. If he could bring in some unexpected cash, that worked for him.

Isla, as per usual, didn't really have the luxury of rejecting going, so she got in the car with him and they headed off.

When they got to the dingy garage she felt like something was off, like something was lurking in the shadows behind the cars and small aircraft.

'There's nobody here Rafe, can't we just go?' she complained, feeling unusually nervous.

'Yeah no,' JJ appeared from behind a car, along with Kiara and Pope.

'You're fucking joking, come on Isla. You aren't talking to them,' Rafe demanded.

'Don't feel so sure about that,' JJ took out his shotgun, and Isla wanted to throw up. Couldn't there ever just be another way to handle things than pulling out a rifle?

'JJ, don't. Please, you don't understand,' Isla begged.

'No, we do. Isla he's making you be with him, you wouldn't do it otherwise. I know you. Just come home,' Kiara reasoned.

'She's not,' Rafe argued, grabbing onto Isla's arm with a tight possessive grip.

'Let go of her,' JJ said, approaching Rafe and putting the gun to his head. Rafe slowly took his hands off of her and put them in the air.

Before Isla could grasp what was happening JJ was launching himself at Rafe, quickly beginning to beat the fuck out of him, and Rafe was just letting it happen. She knew Rafe was much more physically advantaged in a fight with JJ, so why was he just taking it?

'Stop!' Isla screamed, but JJ ignored her and Kiara grabbed onto her arm with a comforting touch, Pope coming to stand at the other side of her.

Why was she feeling guilty about Rafe's pain? He had caused her unimaginable turmoil, grief over the person she thought he was, pain. But as she stood there, unable to intervene, she pitied him. Maybe she pitied him because he was at his core just a very troubled person who made mistakes, who didn't know how to handle the emotions he experienced and transformed them into violence to cope. Maybe it was because she understood him so deeply it burned her from the inside out.

By the time JJ was finished, Rafe was a bloody mess. He deserved it, Isla knew that, but this wasn't the plan. She needed the money, and she needed to keep her friends safe. They seemed to have keeping her safe on their minds more.

'Stay the fuck away from her,' JJ spit.

They took Isla by the arm and brought her to the Twinkie, but Rafe managed to yell something out despite his lack of strength.

'Just so you know Isla, you were never getting that fucking money!'

She was never getting the million. The words weighed a thousand pounds, resting on her shoulders. All that hope that flickered in her when she thought of after her deal was over, it was all a lie.