Collateral || Rafe Cameron

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆

The days after the bonfire blurred together, a haze of tension and avoidance as I did everything in my power to pretend Rafe didn't exist. It was easier that way, easier to ignore him, to push aside the guilt that gnawed at me every time I thought about the way his eyes had looked that night on the beach.

But no matter how hard I tried to distance myself, Rafe was always there, hovering on the edges of my life like a shadow I couldn't shake.

I hadn't forgiven him. I wasn't sure I ever could. But I couldn't deny that things had changed between us, even if I didn't want them to. There was something vulnerable in the way he looked at me now, something that made it harder to keep my walls up. But every time I felt myself softening toward him, I'd remember Alden. I'd remember that my brother was still missing, and that Rafe was part of the reason why.

So, I pushed him away. I ignored him, avoided him whenever I could, and focused on the only thing that really mattered: finding out what had happened to Alden.

The Cameron estate had become a labyrinth of secrets. I had spent weeks memorizing the ins and outs of the house, learning the rhythms of its occupants, the times when Ward and Rafe would leave, the moments when the house was silent and empty, giving me a chance to dig deeper into their world.

My investigation had been slow at first — snippets of overheard conversations, glances into rooms I wasn't supposed to be in. But now, after everything I had learned, I was getting closer. I could feel it. There was something in this house, something that could lead me to Alden, and I wasn't going to stop until I found it.

One afternoon, as I went about my duties cleaning the house, I found myself standing outside Ward's office. It was one of the rooms I hadn't dared to enter before, one of the few places that still felt completely off-limits.

Ward was meticulous, careful with his secrets. But today, the house was quiet. Too quiet. Ward had left for a business meeting, and the rest of the staff was occupied elsewhere. It was the perfect opportunity.

My heart raced as I stepped inside, the door creaking softly behind me. The room was immaculate, every surface polished to a shine, every paper neatly organized on his massive oak desk. It was the kind of room that screamed power and control, a reminder that Ward Cameron wasn't just a wealthy businessman; he was a man who could ruin lives with a single phone call.

I moved quickly, my hands shaking slightly as I began rifling through the papers on his desk, searching for anything — anything — that might give me a clue about Alden. Most of it was boring, business documents, financial reports, things I didn't fully understand. But then, my eyes landed on a small sticky note sitting on top of a stack of papers.

One word caught my attention: Hayes.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the note. It was my last name. My family's name. And beneath it was a date, the date when Alden had disappeared.

My heart pounded in my chest as I looked around the office, my eyes scanning the room for anything else that might be related to Alden. There had to be more. There had to be something that could explain why Ward had my brother's name written down.

I moved to the cabinets lining the far wall, my hands trembling as I opened one drawer after another, rifling through folders and papers. Most of it seemed unrelated, more business files, more financial statements. But then I saw it.

A row of folders, each with a sticky note attached to the front, just like the one I had found on Ward's desk. Each note had a name on it, and as I scanned the labels, my eyes landed on one folder that stood out. It had no sticky note. It was blank. And something about that made my stomach twist.