Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 43

The room feels like it's closing in on me, the walls pressing in as if they're suffocating me. I'm caught between Rafe's desperate grip and the chaos unraveling around us. My mind is racing, and my heart is a jumbled mess of fear and betrayal. Then there's the sound of the door slamming open, and suddenly, JJ is there, standing in the doorway like some impossible lifeline.

"Get away from her, Rafe!" JJ's voice cuts through the fog, loud and full of fury.

I flinch as Rafe spins around, shock flickering across his face for a split second before it's replaced by anger, pure and burning.

"This is none of your business, JJ! Get out!" Rafe snaps, his voice tight and dangerous. He pulls me closer, his grip like iron around my wrist, as if letting go would mean losing me forever.

JJ takes a step forward, his blue eyes blazing as they lock onto mine. I see worry there, and it sends a wave of something—relief, maybe?—crashing through me. But I'm too stunned, too paralyzed, to speak.

"I'm making it my business," JJ says firmly, his gaze shifting back to Rafe. "Teresa, are you okay?"

The question hangs in the air, but I can't answer. My throat feels like it's closing up, and I'm trembling so hard I can barely stand. It's like I'm trapped in a nightmare, and all I can think is how did everything fall apart so fast?

Before I can find my voice, Rafe jerks me behind him, his broad shoulders blocking me from view, as if he can shield me from JJ's presence. But it's not protection—it's control. It's ownership.

"I said get out, JJ!" Rafe shouts, his voice rising to a pitch that makes my skin crawl. "She doesn't need you—she's staying with me!"

The way he says it—staying with me—makes my stomach twist. It's not love. It's not concern. It's possession. Like I'm some object he can keep, no matter how much I want to leave. I look at JJ over Rafe's shoulder, pleading silently, Please, get me out of here.

JJ steps closer, his jaw clenched tight, his hands forming fists at his sides. He looks like he's barely holding himself back, and I can see the anger radiating off him in waves.

"She's not staying with you, Rafe," JJ says, his voice low and controlled, but the fury simmering underneath is unmistakable. "You've done enough damage. Let her go."

Rafe's entire body tenses, and I can feel it like a coil tightening, ready to snap. His head whips back to me for a brief second, and I see it in his eyes—he's panicking. He's losing control, and it terrifies him.

"She's mine, JJ!" Rafe snarls, lunging forward. The sudden movement jolts me, and before I know what's happening, he's shoving JJ hard, sending him stumbling back. "You don't get to take her from me!"

My heart leaps into my throat as JJ stumbles, but he recovers quickly, his expression darkening with rage.

"You're out of your mind, Rafe!" JJ shouts, taking another step forward, getting right up in Rafe's face. "She's not a possession—she's a person! Let her go, or I swear—"

But JJ doesn't get to finish. Rafe's fist flies out, connecting with JJ's jaw in a blur of movement. The impact is brutal, and I let out a choked cry, my body freezing in place as if I'm glued to the spot.

No, no, no—this isn't happening.

JJ staggers back, clutching his jaw for a second before he shakes it off and lunges at Rafe, his own fist swinging out in retaliation. It's chaos. They're brawling now, fists flying, shouts echoing off the walls of the tiny cabin. I'm too shocked to move, watching as the two of them tear into each other like wild animals.