MONEY, POWER, GLORY rafe cameron x latina!gf pairing, 2381 words, in which Rafe Cameron drags his gf along the journey to move the cross to an island
WARNING : mention of kidnapping, claustrophobia, manipulative and some abusive nature
requested by @iheartaly and inspired by @lacydear
Your leg, bare, slid over the fabric of the bed sheet, attempting to hitch over Rafe’s hip while your arm simultaneously stretched out towards him. But he wasn’t there. Your fingers grappled with the empty bed, nails scraping against fabric and yet still you couldn’t find him. So your eyes were forced open.
The room still had his lingering scent, intoxicating and suffocating all in one, and you pressed your nose into his pillow before whining and lifting your head. Knees pressed into the mattress, you sat back on your heels, thighs spread, then brought your legs together to turn and face the door.
“Rafe where are you..” you breathed, slipping your legs off the bed. Your feet hit the cold wooden floor, and you stepped to the door, pressing down on the handle just slightly.
His voice, sharp and pleading, hit you. Curious, you pressed your ear against the door, eagerly listening to try and hear his frustrated words. “Sarah- come on! Sarah, i’m not gonna let you out until you’ve calmed down okay?”
“No- Sarah, hey! Don’t do that!” He snapped, and you frowned. Why was he yelling at Sarah? Worse, why was he locking her in somewhere. Although you knew the siblings to have their occasional disagreements, this was extreme. This.. made you scared.
A quick scan: your things were strewn across the room, but you’d really only need to be fully dressed; Rafe was downstairs, you thought, it just seemed that his voice carried; and if you were quiet enough, you could maybe slip out the window to escape what was escalating downstairs. And if it was bad, like you worried it was, then maybe you could alert the pogues.
You moved deftly, grabbing your random items of clothes and pulling them onto your body. The stairs creaked. “Fuck..” you mouthed to yourself, all while you heard the noise louder and louder, approaching the door.
You tossed the remainder of your clothes to the floor.
Rafe’s heartbeat eased at the sight of you: arms hooked around the pillow you were sleeping on, face down, half-dressed, and tangled in the sheets. As he left you. Sinking to his knees beside you, his hand trailed up your back, feeling the shiver of your body when his cold ring grazed your skin. “Hey pretty girl..” he murmured, kissing the shell of your ear.
Letting out a pleased sound, you rubbed your eyes and turned your head to see him, a sleepy smile across your face. Your heart was thrumming, and it was a miracle he couldn’t hear it. It was also good that in whatever Rafe had going on downstairs, he’d failed to notice how your top was now on. “Where’ve you been Rafe?” You ask, digging for any information he might give you.
“Just.. dealing with some stuff, aight?” He responds, scratching his jaw in seriousness for a brief moment. Then he leans back in, and brushes your cheek with his thumb. “Listen- baby, baby,” he coos, as you seem to drift elsewhere in thought. “Listen to me, we’ve gotta go.”
You try not to sit up immediately, instead slowly pushing your way to sit upright. “Wait- Rafe, what? What do you mean?” You brush your hair back, and his hand falls from your face, down to your thighs. “We’ve gotta leave,” he repeats, his eyes flicking over the room. “So pack some of your stuff, okay? And then we’re gonna leave in a few hours.”
“No, Rafe, I can’t,” you rush to say, panic creeping in. His eyes fix on you. Narrow. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t leave now. My family- I haven’t told-”
“You’re not supposed to tell anyone, babe,” he says with a smile you’re sure is slightly forced. “You can drop ‘em a text, say we’re going on vacation. Just a short trip, okay?”
“Baby!” He snaps, his palm slamming down into the mattress beside you. You flinch, and in return, he inhales sharply, then exhales heavily, sliding his hand back over your skin. “Baby listen to me.. we don’t have time. We’ve gotta go, and I want to do this with you. Don’t you want to be with me, support me?”
Too scared to say anything else, you simply nod. “Y-yeah.. of course Rafe.” Any other day, when Rafe would get clipped with you and his temper would raise, you’d shove him back in place. But today’s different. So you only nod. “Good..” he sighs. “Yeah, good good good..” He stands and rubs your shoulder. “Right so, pack some shit up, an’ meet me downstairs, yeah?”
“Good girl..” he leans down and kisses the top of your head, then with a slightly fidgety movement, leaves the room.
“Rafe..where are we going?” You ask tentatively, bag dangling from your fingers as you stand by the bottom of the stairs. His face brightens when he sees you, immediately moving towards you. “On a ship, baby. I’ll tell you more when we get there, ‘kay?”
He holds your hand, tightly, like he’s afraid you’ll let go any minute now. You can’t bring up Sarah, but all the same you wonder where she is. How she is. Did Rafe hurt her? Is she coming with you guys? Do the pogues know?
The car journey is tense. At one point his phone rings and with a quick glance at the caller, then your face, he swipes to decline. You notice after a bit that you’re following a truck in the dark, and Rafe keeps drumming his fingers against the wheel in excitement.
“Hey Rafe.. are you gonna tell me where we’re going yet?” You ask nervously, looking about you both in the dark. It’s cold when the door opens, and he’s leading you out. “Yeah, yeah baby.. just one sec okay? We’re gonna get you on board, then I gotta do something, and i’m gonna tell you everything after, ‘kay?” He says, while guiding you by the shoulders into the ferry.
“Just wait here,” he instructs, before nudging you into a small room, a true wolf in sheep’s clothing. Your back hits the wall sooner than it should. The room’s only dimly lit, and appears to be some sort of office. Cramped. “Wait..Rafe?” You call out, but the door’s shut now.
“No no no.. Rafe!” You bang on the door, panicked in the tight environment. It feels like he’s trapping you in here, like he’s keeping you prisoner. You need to get out- need to find Sarah, more importantly, and figure out what the fuck is going on. “Rafe!” Your fists hit harder. “Let me out! Rafe- please!” No matter how loud you raise your voice, or bang against the door, your pleas go unanswered. “Rafe!” You say desperately once more and finally-
It’s been at least ten minutes, but in your panic it’s felt both like ten seconds and ten hours.
“Jesus baby!” Rafe grabs your arms and pulls you out of the room, hugging you to his chest. “Rose got worried.. said you were makin’ a racket.. you okay?” He peers down at you, and you sigh in relief, nodding. “Uhm.. yeah.. i’m just claustrophobic y’know, you can’t lock me in a room like that Rafe..”
“No.. yeah.. my bad..” he says slow. “Well- hey! I can tell you everythin’ now, c’mon.” He keeps you close, arm around your shoulders as he eagerly leads you elsewhere, upstairs to a more lavish area. He stops just outside a door, and cups your face in his hands. “Remember that cross I was after?” He asks.
“Mhm..” You remember the cross the pogues were after, but you don’t mention that to Rafe, because you know they’d be competing for it.
“Well I got it,” he laughs, shoulders trembling with the weight of his excitement. “I got it!” Your smile nearly falls, but you pick it back up in an instance before he can even tell. This is why Sarah was being held. She would’ve known, and she would’ve told the pogues.
“That’s so good, Rafe,” you smile alongside him, trying to pretend in this moment. He nods eagerly. “Yeah- yeah, and y’know, me and Ward we’re gonna ship it somewhere safe, a new island-”
“Wait- Ward?” Ward, as in dead Ward? The one everyone mourned? Your eyes flicked to the closed door, having a bad feeling as to who was behind it now.
“Yeah baby he’s alive,” he grins. “And then we’re gonna have our own island, and we’re gonna be so rich.. that’s gonna be our legacy too. Forget yours an’ my dads’ money, me an’ you’ll have our own life!”
You breathe out a giggle at his words, and for Rafe, you look the picture of happy. His future wife. His gorgeous girlfriend. But still, if you’re right, and Rafe has hurt Sarah, then it’s not as good as it seems. It’s horrifying.
When you step foot into the room, your eyes immediately land on Sarah, who finds you in return. She looks drained of all life, numb beyone belief, but a little alivened to see you. Then deflated when Rafe steps up behind you, and slips his arms around your waist.
“Y/N,” Ward from the hospital bed you’ve now noticed speaks, and your eyes are drawn to him instead. “I’m so glad you’re here, all Rafe does it talk about you..” You smile weakly. “She’s the best Dad, you’ll see,” he says from behind you, squeezing your hip.
Rafe eventually leaves, and Ward becomes occupied elsewhere. So you slide over to the corner by Sarah, who instantly reaches out for your hand. “Please tell me you’re not deluded by him,” she murmurs, eyes pointedly staring at the door Rafe just left through in a clear indication.
“Sarah what happened?” You ask instead, urgency laced in your quiet whisper. “What did Rafe do? I heard him yelling, and-”
“He took the cross, and when i went to go see, he locked me in the house!” She retold the story, and your eyes widened in fractions of horror each word she spoke. Your hand tightened around hers. “Are you okay?” She nods, although she looks sick. Her skin’s pale, and clammy. Her hair greasy, so it’s evident she’s not been well taken csre of. “I’ll be fine, only if we get out of here the moment this boat reaches the dock.”
“But Sarah, Rafe said we’re going on this island.”
“I know- we’ll find our way off!” Her voice raises just a little and Ward looks over. The pair of you fall silent, and she throws him a cautious smile. They all know she doesn’t want to be here, and they’re all walking on eggshells around her also.
You don’t say anything. Leaving Rafe? Won’t go well. But she seems so determined…
“Y/N we gotta go! Come on!” Sarah rushes past you, grabbing your hand and hauling you upwards. When you both propel through the doors, minutes after your last conversation, the world on the boat has escalated. People are running around, and you don’t have time to look back even as Ward calls back for Sarah. She dashes past numerous people, and you’re left trailing behind, climbing the multitude of stairs up and up and up and up…
“Sarah!” John B calls, grabbing Sarah’s free hand. You drop her hand and pause on the top of the ferry. The light is blinding in this heat, but you squint enough to see the cross being lifted. Lifted and then-
By Pope, who then rushes to get out the crane. He sees you, and runs towards you. “Y/N? You’re here? What- come on! Come on!” He ushers you, nudging you forwards with his hands against your arms.
But you see it. Rafe. And he’s grabbed the rope, and he’s hauling it up. Blindly, you’ve run to the edge with Pope and he’s jumped off, swam and clambered into the inflatable down below. JJ’s there, so is Cleo, and everyone. Sarah’s safe.
Rafe is yelling. He’s gathering people, and they’re all latching onto the rope. “Y/N come on!” JJ calls, hands cupped around his mouth. Rafe’s not looking. He can’t see you, and if you jumped now.. you’d be free. “Come on!” They keep hollering, but you’re frozen staring at him.
Rafe strains. His head snaps to the side as his feet push him back, and pull the cross along with it. But then, in turning his head, he spots you. Lingering at the edge, looking over at the traitorous pogues in the boat below.
“No! Y/N, no!” He roars, and his grip slips on the rope. But then he scrambles to get it back up again as him and all his men haul.
JJ’s calling. Sarah’s calling. Pope’s calling. Cleo’s calling. Everyone’s yelling your name below.
But you stay watching him.. waiting.. Is Rafe willing to sacrifice the cross? Let it fall? Or is he so consumed? Does he need the glory for himself?
He stays calling out to you, but he doesn’t let go of the cross. Rafe loves you, but he loves money, power, and glory all the more. He won’t let go. He grits his jaw, and encourages the men to pull harder, all while begging for you to stay from a distance.
You glance down at the boat. Then, bracing yourself, jump off the edge. The water splashes around you, cold and shocking, but before you know it, hands slip under your arms and haul you out the water, and into the boat.
Rafe’s got the cross safely now, but by the time he’s gotten to his feet.. you’re gone. You’re on that boat, with those fucking pogues. His fingers tighten around the gun, around the trigger, and as he aims it at your boat..
He knows he could shoot right now.
Hit the plastic. Sink the boat. Maybe cause a few injuries or two.. but what if he hits you? Hurts you? He couldn’t possibly..
You’ve betrayed him. But he loves you.
A problem for another day. When he gets back on Kildare, he’ll come back for you, and remind you why you should’ve stayed on this ferry with him. Always. And then he’ll never let you go again.
