WILD RIDE (Rafe Cameron x OC) *COMPLETE*

Chapter Fifty-Nine (Alana)

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Alana

Red at night is a sailors delight. Red in the morning sailors take warning. Big John used to say that whenever he'd get ready to go out on the boat. He taught me that and taught me about choppy waters and swimming or sinking. Everything with him was an analogy to the water. The water that he sought out for early one morning when the sky was bright red. He didn't die because of the ocean. He died because he set off for the ocean to find the gold.

The sky was red last night. I may not be at sea right now, I'm running with all the force within my body, getting ready to jump into the back of this truck while Rafe has a death grip on my hand.

The truck slows down and I jump on first. Rafe comes up behind me and there's a man sitting there. He stands up and comes toward us, immediately ready to throw us off but Rafe grabs hold of him.

The guy pushes him down and grabs me by my throat. My air is cut off for a moment. Everything starts flashing before my eyes. Flashes of memories I didn't know I even had. A woman kissing my head while I stand by the door way. She's got her bags in her hands.. Leaving. A memory of Julia Routledge as she abandoned me and John B. Her face is a blur but the feeling is familiar.

I struggle to get his hand off my throat when stars and darkness take over my vision. The memory of my Dad, Big John- taking my money that I saved up to earn. He didn't hurt me as a teenager that time no- the girl inside me was the child who started working to save that money. The little girl who couldn't understand why she was unwanted.

The hand tightens and I feel sleepy until the hand released. I fall to my knees into the hay that's in back of the truck. Gasping for air and feeling my skin on my neck already bruising. I blink a few times and my vision comes back.

Only for me to witness Rafe holding the man by his throat now. "One finger on my wife... Is a death wish."

Rafe Cameron snaps the man's neck and dumps his body off the side of the truck. I lay back in the hay and pull my knees to my chest. Rafe sits next to me and I wince away from him. I swallow the bile that's burning the back of my throat.

"You... You killed him."

Rafe nods. "He was going to kill us. I had to do it, Alana. He almost fucking killed you."

"You killed him." I repeat and hold everything in. Opening my mouth would result in a mess that cannot be cleaned up right now.

"I'm sorry." He touches my knee. "It was him or you and I'll be damned if I ever lose you."

We get to a checkpoint and Rafe throws the tarp over us. He holds me so close to his body it feels like we're one. One heart beating in tandem. One body that's shaking with terror. Our lips unintentionally brushing against each other's. His hands so tight on my body.. While dragons are swarming inside of me.

Holding my breath with all my might. My lungs may collapse before we get the all clear. I look into Rafe's eyes and I see his brows furrow. His eyes shoot down and a quick smile curls on his lips.

"All clear!" A man yells from the front. "Let 'em through!"

My breath releases and I can feel my body again. Rafe pulls the tarp off of us and sits straight up. The air cooler as the breeze from the drive smacks us. It was almost suffocating being under that tarp.

"How often does that happen?" Rafe asks with a smile. "A lot?"

I look at him confused. "Having to hide under a tarp so I don't get my face blown off? Not very often, no. But I guess I can cross that off my bucket list?"