Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 65

Rafe's POV

I drive to Teresa's house with my knuckles still throbbing, bloodied and bruised, the raw skin stinging every time I flex my fingers around the steering wheel. The pain is a dull, constant reminder of everything that just happened—of how close I came to completely losing it. Again.

 I need to see Teresa. I need to see her, to make sure she's still here, to feel the calm that only she can bring. Even if she's mad at me, even if she yells and pushes me away—I just need to see her. Need to be near her. Because she's the only thing that keeps me grounded. The only thing that keeps me sane.

I pull up to her house and cut the engine, my chest tightening as I stare at the familiar door, my mind whirling with a thousand thoughts, a thousand worries. What if she's still upset? What if she doesn't want to see me?

No. I push the thoughts away, shaking my head as I step out of the car, heading to the door. I have to see her. I have to—

The door swings open before I even knock, and there she is, standing in front of me with a look of shock and concern etched across her beautiful face. Her eyes dart down to my hands, her breath catching as she takes in the sight of my bloodied knuckles.

"Rafe..." she breathes, her voice soft and shaky. "What the hell happened?"

I let out a rough breath, running my good hand through my hair, feeling the familiar sting of guilt twisting in my chest. "It's not what you think," I murmur quickly, taking a step closer. "I didn't... I didn't do anything to JJ. Or Pope. Or Kiara."

Her gaze flickers back up to mine, her eyes narrowing slightly with suspicion. "Then what?" she whispers, her voice tense. "What happened, Rafe?"

I swallow hard, taking a deep breath. "It was Barry," I mutter, my voice tight with the lingering anger I can't quite shake off. "I went to see him. After everything he did, after he ratted me out to the cops... I couldn't just let it go."

"Barry," she repeats slowly, her voice carefully neutral. She blinks, her gaze shifting back down to my hands, and I see the way her shoulders tense, the way her jaw tightens. "You beat him up."

"I had to," I say quickly, shaking my head. "He needed to understand that he can't fuck with me and walk away like nothing happened. He needed to pay for what he did."

Teresa's silent for a long moment, her gaze locked on my hands, her expression unreadable. I wait, my chest tightening, my heart pounding painfully as I try to gauge what she's thinking, what she's feeling.

She finally lifts her gaze, meeting mine with an intensity that makes my breath catch. "Good," she whispers softly, the word barely more than a breath.

I blink, the air stilling around me, the silence stretching out like a taut wire between us. "What?" I murmur, my voice rough, confused. "What did you just say?"

"I said good," she repeats, a strange, almost detached smile tugging at her lips. "I wish you'd done worse."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I stand there, staring at her, my mind reeling. Did she really just say that? Did she really just say she wanted me to hurt him?

"Teresa, I—" I start, my voice breaking, but she shakes her head slowly, her eyes gleaming with something dark, something I don't quite recognize.

"After everything he did," she murmurs, her gaze dropping back to my hands, her smile fading. "After he tried to get you arrested, after he made me stand up there in that courtroom and lie for you... he deserved it. He deserved worse."