This is Me Trying ⭑ Rafe Cameron

forty one

Cassie stumbled back against the fishing nets dangling above her, where she held onto a pole as JJ pulled the boat out of the middle of the river. She glanced over to Rafe, who was looking out from the side, trying to see who was approaching himself.

"Hurry!" Kiara yelled, eyes focused in the same place Rafe's were.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" JJ yelled back over the sound of the engine.

Cassie saw Rafe turn and look at her from the corner of her eye. And from the heat of his gaze, she knew what he was trying to communicate with her. A sort of 'prepare yourself' kind of look.

JJ turned the engine off as they got close to the bank, letting it cruise closer to the tree line. "Get down!" He waved everyone off as he tucked the boat into its own little hiding spot in the trees.

Cassie moved back over to where she previously was with Rafe, hunkering down behind the side of the boat like everyone else did as the other boat crept closer.

"It's Singh." Rafe spoke.

This caused a wave of unease to wash over everyone. Once again, they all exchanged worried, unspoken glances. Cassie looked back ahead just as the fishing boat passed them, holding her breath the entire time.

She could see just the outline of Singh, and some of his guys that she'd come across before. All still holding the same big guns.

"But they're not looking for us." Cassie spoke, as if it were a question. She thought at any moment she'd hear gunshots, or at least see their boat start to turn and make its way toward them. But it carried on like they didn't see them.

"Yeah, they're moving real quick." JJ agrees, still standing, but behind a tangle of ropes and netting. Then, he realizes something. "They're looking for John B and Sarah. They'll know where they're headed." He says, as he quickly begins to move back to the wheel.

Rafe got to his feet, walking over to JJ. "Hey—" he said. Cassie winced at the confrontational tone he started with. "Hey, don't get too close to—"

"I was actually gonna get just right up on their ass," JJ says, as he starts to mess with the engine and get it running again. "But now I won't. Thanks, buddy."

Cassie watched as JJ gives Rafe a pat on the shoulder. One you would usually see exchanged between two friends, but it was clearly not intended that way.

Rafe clenched his jaw. "Listen, man. Your dumbass is gonna end up getting us all killed—"

JJ laughed, then immediately dropped what he was doing to turn and speak to Rafe. "Oh, my dumbass? How about—"

"Guys!" Kiara spoke sternly. "Seriously? So not the time." She looked at the two of them like they were idiots.

Rafe gave up first, passively wiping his nose as he turned back around to join Cassie again, all while not missing the chance to give Pope the same glare he was giving him.

As Cleo went to sit back down; she tripped over something covered by a barley sack. "Shit, man." She said, as she stumbled over it.

Pope pushed back the rest of barley sack, further revealing what Cleo half-way did as she tripped. "What is it?" JJ asked, as he got the boat back up and running on its previous course.