I Can Fix Him (no really I can) || Rafe Cameron

11. Calm Before The Storm

The days blur together. I barely recognize what time it is anymore. All I know is that I'm constantly moving- trying to keep my head down and stay out of trouble. But it's impossible. The island's too small, too suffocating, and the tensions are rising faster than I can keep track of.

The Pogues are acting like everything's normal, but none of us are fooling anyone. The gold? Gone. The treasure hunt? Over, for now. All we've got left is each other and the chaos we've found ourselves caught in. The Kooks are still circling like sharks, and with Ward's influence tightening its grip, I don't know how long we'll be able to outrun them.

I'm supposed to be focusing on staying out of trouble, but every time I try to focus, my mind drifts back to Rafe.

It's been weeks since that night at the pier, but I can still feel his presence in the air like static. Every time I hear his name, every time a Kook glances at me like they know something I don't, It's like I'm holding my breath, waiting for the inevitable fallout. I try not to think about it, but it's impossible.

Today, we're back at the Cut, picking through old maps and scouring the shorelines. There's a lead we need to follow, something about another piece of the puzzle- something that could get us back on track, back to the treasure, back to being able to live like we're not being hunted.

But even as i focus on the task at hand, the pressure is building again. Rafe.

"Hey Penny." Kie's voice pulls me from my thoughts. She's standing across from me, her arms crossed, watching me carefully. "You good? You seem a little...off."

I glance up at her, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just... thinking."

"About what?" She presses.

I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to say it aloud, but she knows me too well. "Rafe. And what happens next."

Kie doesn't say anything at first. She doesn't need to. She just nods, the weight of the words hanging between us. "He's not gonna stop trying to get to you, you know that, right?"

"I know," I mutter, glancing down at the map in front of me. "But I'm not the one who left, am i?"

Kie's quiet for a long moment. I can feel her gaze on me, but I keep my eyes focused on the faded lines on the paper, the markings from the last hunt we barely got out of. "You deserve better than this. All of us do."

A sudden crash of laughter echoes from across the beach, and I glance up to see JJ and Pope wrestling over something- probably nothing important, as usual- but it's enough to break the tension in the air. Still it's hard to shake the feeling that something bigger is coming, something darker, and that we're all just waiting for the storm to hit.

Later, we're back at the makeshift camp, the campfire crackling in front of us. Pope's been quiet, more so than usual, but I can tell he's been holding something back.Kie's been catching me up on some of the leads we found, but the words don't quite stick in my head.

Then I hear it.

A car engine.

I freeze.

The others notice it too, but it's too late. The car slows, and then stops- a mere few feet away. My heart sinks when i see the familiar, High-end SUV parked in the distance.

A figure steps out.

Rafe.

I feel my blood run cold. He's here, in the place he knows we all are, at the worst possible moment.

Rafe doesn't glance in my direction immediately, but I can feel the weight of his eyes, his presence like a stormcloud ready to break. The tension is so thick I can barely breathe. He's not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to have to deal with this.

"Penny, stay here," Kie warns, her hand on my arm, but I can already feel myself rising to my feet.

I'm done running.

I don't know if it's anger, frustration, or something else pushing me forward, but I march towards him, pushing past the others who are watching silently.

"Rafe," I call, my voice steady even as my pulse races.

He turns, a slow, calculating smile spreading across his face when he sees me standing there, arms crossed. There's a brief flicker of something- maybe surprise- but once again it disappears just as quickly. His expression settles into that familiar, smug look, the one i used to hate.

"You really thought you could hide from me forever?" Rafe's voice cuts through the space between us like a blade.

"I wasn't hiding," I say, though I know the words sound weaker than I want them to. "But you should've stayed away."

He steps closer, the distance between us shrinking as he stands just inches away. "I'm not the one who's been hiding, Pen. You and your friends are the ones who've been lying to everyone. You think you're better than me?"

I can't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "You've never been better than me, Rafe. You never will be."

His eyes flash with something darker, but before he can say anything else, Kie steps in between us, pushing me back slightly.

"You need to leave, Rafe," she says firmly. "Now."

Rafe glances at her, but his attention is still on me. He smirks again, his voice low. "We'll see how long you can keep this little act up, Pen. You're all in over your heads."

And with that, he turns, strutting back towards his car.

I watch him go, but the knot in my stomach doesn't loosen. It feels like we're back to square one. Nothing's changed. And I have a sinking feeling as though things are about to get much, much worse.