I closed the door to the truck and looked at the Bahama house I used to spend time in with Rafe and his family every other summer in. "God, nothing changed." I mumbled to myself as I walked up the stairs and went to the room I used to stay in.
I heard Ward talking with Rafe and I frowned "Rafe, I didn't just bring you here
because I need your help. I wanna show you something." I heard and I went down the stairs quietly. "Is this the deal you've been working on?" "You could say that." I heard beeping then I peeked from the corner to see Ward opening up a safe "You ready?" "What do you got in there? The Hope Diamond?" Rafe chuckled and Ward laughed.
Ward opened the safe all the way and I saw the gold, my eyes widened "Is that real?" "Son, that's the realest thing there is." Ward said and I shook my head "How..." "I found it." Ward said and I frowned "You found... You found the Royal Merchant?" "It's what all this has been about. All this gold, it's ours now." Ward said and I came out from behind the pillar
"Jesus."
"Like hell it is!" I yelled and Ward sighed "Olivia..." "No! You didn't find shit, I found it, me and my friends found it. You just took it!" I yelled and he took a step towards me.
"I know you're upset but it's all business. What's done is done and I can give you a cut you and your family deserves, I know your sister doesn't wanna hear all the things about you..." he said and I looked him in the eye. "You don't want her image of you to be ruined, do you?" Ward told me placing a hand on my shoulder and I shook my head, tears formed in my eyes "This can't bring Sarah back or your father and grandfather, but it can save us. All of us." Ward said looking between me and Rafe. "See, Rafe, by the time Hurricane Agatha hit... we were in a financial hole, a deep one. Same with your father Olivia. We're not in a hole anymore." Ward said and I frowned.
"What are you talking about?" I questioned and he sighed "Chris was in debt with the medical bills with your mother and from your rehab. The only way to survive was to make a deal with an outside company. That's why he was shot, I didn't kill Chris and Chet." Ward said and I shook my head. "What? No..." "I'm sorry but it wasn't me." He said.
I looked at the gold and sighed "What do you need me to do?" I questioned looking up at him and Ward smiled "You're already doing it, you're here..." Ward said and Rafe chuckled "I mean, I'm looking... I'm looking at what here?" Rafe questioned and I sighed "Half a billion." Me and Ward said in unison and Rafe nodded "Half a billion. Oh my God. Holy shit!" Rafe yelled screaming in cheer and I rolled my eyes. "Dad! What? How is this possible, huh?" Rafe asked and Ward smiled.
"This is what I need to tell you. Look at me. Look. I'm hard on you, Rafe. I'm real hard on you, all right? I know that." Ward began to say and I sighed "That's why you need to hear this. That day on the tarmac, right? This is what was on the cargo plane. You are the only reason we were able to fly that out. You, Rafe. No gold." Ward said and I saw the smile on his face I smiled at how happy he was that his father looked proud of him but It wasn't real, Ward never cared.
Ward came up to me and he smiled "If you love my son like I know you love him, you'll do this for him... You're part of this family." He said and he handed me a gold bar, I looked down at it and traced my thumb over the wheat symbol.
Ward Cameron has done it again, threaten my family, blackmailed me, manipulated to get his way and I can't do anything to stop him.
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I walked out of the bathroom in my pajamas and dried my hair with a towel and looked at Rafe on the bed "Remember when we came here as kids and play hide and seek." "Yeah and since you were smaller you'd always win by hiding in the small places." Rafe muttered and I chuckled.
"I also remember three summers ago... you kissed me right on that porch out there." I told him then laid right on top of him straddling his lap. I stared into his eyes and smiled "Thus our fling started until you met Taylor." Rafe muttered and i wrapped my arms around his neck.
"And he's in jail... and we're finally together." He added then pulled out a small box. "Rafe..." "It's not a ring." He mumbled then opened it to reveal a bracelet with little charms on it and I sighed in relief. "Oh good, I thought you were proposing." Rafe laughed "No, no, no. I think we should wait... I want to ask you the right way." He said and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Okay..." "This is just a little something to say how much I love you. And that our bond will never break." Rafe said and placed it around my wrist.
One charm was a turtle and another was a two hearts "I love it thank you, Rafe." I kissed his cheek then collapsed down beside him. Rafe fiddled with his ring and I knew something was going through his head.
"What do you wanna ask me?" I
"What?" Rafe mumbled.
I sighed then gave him a look. "You clearly want to tell me something. What's going on in your head?" I asked moving some of his hair to the side and he nodded "I'm sorry about everything that I put you through... I wasn't thinking when I held you like that at the tarmac. I was too focused on saving my father that I almost hurt you... I did hurt you. I never want to hurt you again, I don't want you to be scared of me." Rafe told me.
"Rafe." I sighed then placed my hands on each side of his face "I know you don't want to hurt me... I'm not scared... and I know you love your dad but..." I stopped then looked out the door to see Ward. I gulped.
"It doesn't matter. We should go to bed..." I told him and he nodded "We got a big day tomorrow." "Okay." I walked to the door to close the door and my eyes met Ward's. My heart beat faster, the fear that he could do something to my family or to me was scaring me, silencing me.
I closed the door completely, while Rafe turned off the lights and I crawled in next to him "Goodnight." "Goodnight." Rafe kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes.
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In the morning I walked out the front door to see Rafe and Ward putting boxes of the gold in the back of a truck and I looked outside the gate to see a guy with binoculars inside a car which made me frown.
"What I want you to do is bring the car to the airport. It's about a half hour from here." I heard Ward tell the guards and Rafe came over to me "You okay?" He asked me and I nodded "I'm fine." I told him but I didn't want to tell him how uneasy I felt. "Let's go, Rafe! Let's go!" Ward yelled at us and I sighed "Ready?" I asked and he grabbed my hand and pulled me close then kissed my hand "Hey, no matter what happens I'll be here. For you... I'll do anything." Rafe said and I nodded then got into the truck in between Ward and Rafe "Buckle up, buddy. Liv." Ward told us and I put on my seatbelt and Rafe held my hand.
John B
I washed my face with water and sighed, I wonder if Liv is doing alright. "Ready, Sancho?" Sarah came up beside me and I nodded "Let's do this." Cleo cheered holding up the signs and I sighed "Yeah." "Hey, they're going to clear your name and you'll be able to see Liv and your cousins soon." Sarah told me and I nodded "I know... c'mon. Let's go." I told her and we got into the truck and drove to our stop while Stubbs staked out Sarah's vacation house.
"They got a truck and two defenders." "But just my dad in the truck with the gold, right?" Sarah asked and I looked at her. "It's three in the truck." Stubbs said and I frowned "Three?" "Yeah. Two men and a short blonde girl." Stubbs said and Sarah frowned "Rafe and Liv." "Two defenders, front and back." Stubbs told us and I nodded "Are they armed? Does the girl look in distressed?" I asked and waited for his reply.
"To the teeth."
"pistols?" Terrance asked and Stubbs sighed "AKs."
"Shit is about to be hot."Terrance looked at us and I nodded "What about the girl?" I asked and Sarah looked at me "She looks frustrated... scared even. Why?" Stubbs asked and I sighed "She's my cousin." I told them and Sarah held my hand.
Liv
We started driving to the airport and once we got into the town we were stopped by a bunch of kids "What is this?" Ward questioned and they started banging on car "Oh God. It's just some kids." Rafe groaned and I sighed looking out the window. "No! No! Guys, get away from the car! Get away!" Ward honked the horn.
I saw a group of guys coming towards the truck and my faces dropped "Rafe." I muttered then he looked over to where I was looking. "Dad!" "Get out of here!" The guards yelled and Ward frowned "I don't care! Drive that truck!" "We gotta go." Rafe told Ward and I felt like something was going to happen.
"Come on! Mike, let's go!" The truck in front of us went forward but we heard a pop and I frowned "It's a trap! It's a trap!" "Yeah, no shit!" Rafe yelled and I gripped his hand.
"Mike, let's go! Let's go, goddamn it! Move the car!" Ward yelled. "We gotta get out of here." "He's got us trapped. They can't go forward." Ward said and we heard men yelling which Rafe pulled me down protecting me from anything and I closed my eyes. "Dad. Go!" Rafe yelled and I looked up to see him pointing at a alley.
"Here, take the alley. You're good. You're good, you're good." Rafe told him and he tried to go down a alley but a guy with a cart blocked our way. "Hey, what are you doing?" "Move! Get out of the way!" Rafe yelled and Ward frowned "They're part of it." Ward said and i frowned "Where you going?" Some guys yelled
Rafe pulled me closer to him making me somewhat safe.
"Get down, Liv! Get down!" Rafe told me and I nodded then Ward driving down a different road. "What the hell was that?" "Where we going? Find where we are!" Ward yelled giving us a map and I helped Rafe look at it "All right! Hey, this road goes down the same place. We're good." Rafe told him and I sighed.
"All right, stay through, stay through here." I directed Ward.
I ran my fingers through my hair "Are you okay?" Rafe asked and I nodded "I'm good." "See anybody in the mirror?" Ward asked and Rafe looked back and shook his head
"No, we're good." "Are we going the right way?" Ward asked and I looked at the map "Yes. Stay on this road. It's gonna take us directly to the airport." I told him and sighed.
"Are you kidding me?" Ward muttered and I looked up from the map to see two people and I frowned "What do we do? Nowhere to turn." "Dunno." Rafe muttered and I folded up the map. "Get the gun. Get the gun, Rafe. Just hide it."
Rafe pulled a gun from the compartment and put it in his belt loop "What's going on?" "Sorry. Road's closed. Nobody coming through!" A girl said and I noticed she was a little young to be a construction worker but I ignored it.
"Well, can you let just one truck through? We just... we kinda gotta get through today. We got a delivery that--" "I don't think so. Sinkhole. Massive." The girl told Ward and I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm begging you guys. If--" Ward stopped whenever they pulled a gun out in front of us pointing it at him "Let me see your hands." The guy said and my face dropped "Don't do anything stupid." The girl said putting a knife to Rafe's neck and my eyes widened "Get out. Easy." "Listen to your papa." The girl looked at me and I held my hands up.
"That's right Everything nice and easy. This is what we'll do. You're gonna walk to the sign. You'll put those signs on the side for me. You go to that sign. You go to that sign. And you girlie just stay there and be still." The guy told us and I felt tears go down my cheeks as I was terrified. "Move the damn sign. You too, buddy. Put it on the side of the road." The guy told them.
The girl stayed by my side and held her knifes handle to my back "Easy. Easy... I not gonna hurt ya." The girl whispered into my ear.
"Get on your knees!" "On the ground. Come on!" The girl yelled at me and Ward began to kneel down "Hands up. Kiss the ground." "Who are you? Who are you?" Ward yelled and I held my hands up and the girl pushed Rafe to the ground and I kneeled down next to him.
"I'm the Royal Commission for the redistribution of wealth. Kiss the ground."
"You guys are idiots. Our escorts are right behind us." Rafe told them.
I looked to him scared out of my mind. "Rafe." "A wise guy, huh? You should listen to your girl." The girl said and Rafe looked at me "It'll be alright." He told me and I nodded "Don't move!" "Go, go, go!" The man yelled and I saw Ward look back and he looked shocked.
"Sarah?" He yelled and I frowned
Sarah?
"Sarah! You're alive!" Ward yelled and I turned around and locked eyes with John B and I smiled. "John B?" I questioned and he saw me and smiled but then looked to Ward.
John B pointed a gun at Ward and I turned to Rafe to see he pulled out his gun "Rafe, no!" I yelled standing in front of him wrestling and trying to get the gun, I heard the gun go off twice, the girl came at Rafe grabbing the gun then pointed it at him.
John B and Sarah drove by us and I couldn't believe they were alive.
"You gotta go." Rafe told her and she looked at me then got into the other truck with the other guy then drove away. Moments later the security guards came passing us, Ward and Rafe yelled for them to follow them but not to shoot.
I felt something not right, I looked down to see my shirt becoming soaked with blood then I slowly looked up.
"Rafe."
My breathe became shaky and he slowly turned to me and saw me holding my stomach.