angel - rafe cameron (outerbanks)

6 - nassau

chapter 34
nassau

rafe stared out of the airplane window, watching as the endless stretch of ocean blurred beneath them. he should've told angie. he wanted to. he had almost called her a dozen times before takeoff, his thumb hovering over her name in his contacts. but he didn't.  

maybe it was because he knew what she'd say—knew she'd tell him that flying to the bahamas with his dad in the middle of the night was a bad idea. maybe it was because, deep down, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

instead, he'd sent a half-assed text before boarding:

won't be around for a couple of days. don't do anything stupid.

it felt shitty. like a lie, even if it technically wasn't one. but what was he supposed to say? hey, angel, flying to nassau with my dad. no clue what's happening, it feels off. see you soon.

she'd see right through that.

rafe sighed, running a hand through his hair. he didn't know what was wrong with him. his stomach had been twisted in knots ever since they left, and it wasn't just because of the way his dad had woken him up at three in the morning, telling him that it was time to go. it was something else. something heavier.

he wanted to talk to her. needed to talk to her. but before he could even reach for his phone, his dad's voice cut through his thoughts.

"rafe, let's go." 

he blinked, snapping back to reality as he realized they had landed. the bahamas air was thick and humid, the sky still dark as they stepped off the private jet and into the waiting car. the ride to the house was quiet, ward focused on whatever deal he had been working on, while rafe kept his head down, scrolling through his texts.  

nothing from angie. not that he expected there to be. 

when they pulled up to the house, rafe hesitated for a second before stepping inside. he'd been here a hundred times before, but something about it felt different now. heavier. like there was something lurking beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered.  

his dad must've noticed his hesitation because he clapped a hand on rafe's shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts. 

"i didn't just bring you here because i need your help," ward said, leading him deeper into the house. "i wanna show you something." 

rafe frowned. show him something? he had been coming here since he was a kid—there wasn't a single inch of this house he hadn't seen before. 

"is this the deal you've been working on?" he asked, following his dad into a room at the back of the house.  

ward didn't answer right away. instead, he walked toward the massive safe sitting in the center of the room. it was old, heavy, placed in the middle of the floor like it belonged there. 

ward glanced at rafe over his shoulder, a slow smirk pulling at his lips. "you could say that."

ward turned the dial with practiced precision, the heavy metal clicking into place before he gripped the handle. he glanced at rafe, his expression unreadable.

"you ready?"

rafe huffed a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest. "what you got in there? the hope diamond?"

his dad just smirked, shaking his head as he pulled the door open.

the breath left rafe's lungs.

stacks of gold bars. perfectly arranged, gleaming under the dim light. it didn't look real. it looked like something out of a goddamn movie—like some pirate's treasure hoard that shouldn't exist outside of legends.