Collateral || Rafe Cameron

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

The weight of Alden's watch felt heavy in my pocket, like a stone dragging me down into the deepest depths of my fear and anger. Every time I touched it, my heart would race, my chest tightening with the realization that Rafe Cameron was involved in whatever had happened to my brother.

I couldn't believe I'd found it, sitting right there on his bedside table, as if it was just another forgotten trinket. But it wasn't. It was Alden's, a piece of him, and now it was in Rafe's possession.

How dare he.

Rage simmered inside me, growing hotter with every second that passed. My brother was missing, and Rafe knew something. He had to. And yet, here he was, strutting around like nothing was wrong, like he wasn't tangled up in something that had ripped my family apart. I couldn't stand it any longer.

I needed answers. I needed to know what he had done to Alden.

By the time Rafe returned from his golfing trip with his friends, I was seething. I could feel the tension in my body, my muscles tight with anger, my hands clenched into fists. I didn't care about the consequences anymore. I didn't care if confronting him blew my cover, if it exposed everything. I had reached my breaking point, and I wasn't going to stay silent any longer.

I waited for him in one of the smaller sitting rooms, pacing back and forth as the minutes ticked by. My mind raced with thoughts of Alden, of what Rafe might have done, and with each passing second, the knot of anger in my chest tightened. I couldn't keep pretending everything was normal, couldn't keep walking through the Cameron estate like a ghost, silently watching from the shadows. It was time to get answers.

Finally, I heard the door to the house open, followed by the muffled sound of footsteps. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but the moment I saw him — Rafe, walking through the hall with his usual cocky swagger — I felt my control slip. He was laughing about something, his golf clubs slung casually over his shoulder, completely unaware of the storm that was about to hit him.

I stepped out into the hall, my heart pounding in my chest as I called his name.

"Rafe."

He stopped mid-laugh, his eyes locking onto mine. For a second, I thought I saw a flicker of something — surprise, maybe? — but it was quickly replaced by that same arrogant smirk that I had come to hate so much.

"Well, look who it is," he drawled, tossing his golf clubs onto a nearby chair as he sauntered toward me. "The maid. What, you here to clean up after me again?"

I felt my blood boil. I wasn't here to play games. Not anymore.

"I'm not here to clean up after you," I snapped, my voice trembling with anger. "I'm here to ask you what the hell you did to my brother."

For a second, Rafe's smirk faltered, but he recovered quickly, his eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about?"

My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the tears threatening to spill over, but I refused to let them. I refused to let him see how much this was breaking me. "I'm talking about Alden. My brother. You know damn well what I'm talking about, Rafe. I found his watch in your room."

His face twitched, just for a moment, but it was enough to confirm what I already knew. He was hiding something. He knew more than he was letting on. He tried to brush it off, that same sarcastic edge creeping into his voice.

"Look, I don't know what you think you found, but I have no idea where your brother is," he said, his eyes shifting away from mine.

I stepped closer, my hands shaking with a mix of fear and fury. "Stop lying. You've been involved in this from the beginning, haven't you? You know something, and you're not telling me."