Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 35

Rafe's POV

I'm slouched on the couch, letting the quiet settle around me. I'm not thinking about anything in particular, just staring at the ceiling, letting my mind drift. The weight of the day has finally caught up to me, and for once, I'm almost calm.

Then, her phone buzzes on the table beside me.

It's a simple sound, nothing out of the ordinary, but my gaze flickers over, catching the name on the screen for just a second. JJ.

My jaw tightens instinctively. Just seeing his name snaps me right out of the calm I was holding onto.

The room suddenly feels suffocating. No matter how many deep breaths I take, I can't seem to calm the storm inside me. Every time I close my eyes, I see Teresa's smile—my Teresa—aimed at him. At JJ. Her ex. The one who thinks he still has a chance with her. It's like acid burning through my chest, and I can't put it out.

I thought I could handle it. I thought if I just stayed close, kept her in my sight, I'd be able to trust her. But then I see the way she laughs when JJ's around, the way she lets her guard down, and something in me snaps. It's like a fucking switch flips, and all I want to do is tear him apart—rip him to shreds for thinking he could have her back.

And it's not just jealousy. It's more than that.

I know too much. I know things Teresa doesn't. Like the fact that JJ has always hated me, always seen me as a threat to his precious little crew. And now that she's mine, I know he'd do anything to get inside her head, to turn her against me. To make her question me. Especially if he ever finds out what really happened to her aunt.

I clench my fists, trying to keep my emotions in check. I can't let her see how much this is tearing me apart. I can't let her see the darkness twisting up inside me, the voice that's telling me to drag her back to Tannyhill and never let her leave. I hate feeling this way—hate that I'm spiraling out of control. But I can't stop it. Not when JJ's still in the picture, still hovering around like he has a right to be in her life.

"Rafe, what's going on?" Teresa's voice is soft, but I can hear the hint of concern in it. She's trying to stay calm, trying to understand why I'm acting like a fucking lunatic. But I don't need her understanding right now—I need her to listen.

"It's about JJ," I say, the words practically spitting out of me. "I don't want you seeing him anymore, Teresa. Not ever."

She looks at me, confusion and hurt flashing across her face. And God, I feel like a complete asshole for doing this, for pushing her like this. But I don't have a choice. Not when JJ could easily blow everything up. One wrong word from him, one little slip-up, and the fragile web of lies I've spun will unravel. He could tell her everything—that I was there the night her aunt was shot. That I pulled the trigger. And I can't risk that. Not for a fucking second.

"What? Why?" she asks, and it almost kills me—the way she says it, like she doesn't know how much this is destroying me. "JJ's my friend. You know that."

I grit my teeth, struggling to keep my temper in check. "Your friend?" I repeat, my voice dripping with bitterness. I hate how weak I sound, how desperate. "He's your ex, Teresa. And I don't care how much you try to pretend it's all in the past—I'm not okay with you hanging out with him."

She stares at me like I've lost my mind, and maybe I have. Maybe I'm going insane, but I don't care. All I can think about is how JJ could ruin everything. How he could take her away from me—not by getting back with her, but by telling her the truth. He'd paint me as the monster I am. He'd show her the blood on my hands. And once she sees it... I'll lose her. Forever.