Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 18

Rafe's POV

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the empty lawn as I stood at the edge of the property, staring out at the darkening sky. The air was thick with the scent of saltwater and the faint, lingering warmth of the day, but all I could feel was the simmering rage bubbling just beneath the surface.

Sarah and John B. Hiding away in the Bahamas with our gold, living it up like everything they'd done hadn't torn this family apart. Like they hadn't left a trail of destruction and chaos in their wake.

I clenched my jaw, my hands tightening into fists at my sides as I replayed Ward's words over and over in my head. They'd stolen everything from us—everything I'd ever wanted, everything I'd ever been promised. And now they were laughing about it, celebrating like they'd won.

But this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, the sound breaking through the haze of anger that clouded my mind. I pulled it out, my gaze narrowing as I glanced down at the screen.

A message from Ward.

Handle it, Rafe. 

I let out a harsh breath, the words sparking something dark and dangerous inside me. Handle it. Like I was supposed to be able to fix this mess—like I was supposed to be able to make everything right again.

But how the hell was I supposed to handle this? How was I supposed to fix something that was so broken, so fucked-up that I didn't even know where to start?

"Rafe?" a soft voice called out behind me, hesitant and cautious.

I turned slowly, my gaze flickering over the dark figure standing at the edge of the lawn. Rose.

"What?" I muttered, my voice flat and emotionless.

She stepped closer, her expression a mix of concern and something else—something that looked almost like pity.

"I... I heard about Sarah," she murmured softly, her gaze searching mine. "About the gold."

"Yeah?" I snapped, my voice sharp. "What about it?"

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, her voice edged with worry.

I let out a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking my head. "What do you think, Rose? My sister's a fucking traitor. She ran off with the gold and that piece of shit who ruined everything."

"Rafe, I—"

"I'm fine," I muttered, cutting her off. "I don't need your pity."

She flinched, her expression twisting with something like hurt, but I didn't care. Couldn't care. Not when everything inside me felt like it was tearing apart at the seams.

"You know," she murmured softly, her gaze steady. "This doesn't have to be the end."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I growled, my hands tightening into fists at my sides.

"I'm just saying..." She hesitated, glancing away before meeting my gaze again. "There are ways to get it back. The gold."

I stared at her, my chest tightening with a mix of confusion and suspicion. "What do you mean?"

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial murmur. "Ward's not the only one with connections, Rafe. There are people—people who can help. People who know how to get what they want, no matter the cost."

"People," I echoed slowly, my gaze narrowing. "What kind of people?"

She gave me a small, almost sad smile. "The kind you go to when you've got nothing left to lose."