Willows POV
"How long does it take to go two miles and back?" Pope asks, I chuckle at his rolled up pants and sleeves while he trudges around in the marsh stressing out. "I feel like they're taking a minute. Should I go look for them? Should I go find them and bring them back?"
Him stressing is making me stress, I pinch my forearm while looking out at the water as it slowly rises, getting closer and closer to the inside of the van. I sneak a peak at Emmy to make sure she's asleep before slipping outside.
"I don't... I don't... I don't know." John B talks while biting his bandana around his neck, gross, he hasn't washed that thing in weeks, "Just give me a sec."
"Damn it! Every time!" Pope exclaims angrily. I look up at Sarah while she sits on the roof of the Twinkie, sharing a look, "Why do we got to send JJ and Kiara, the slowest people on earth? Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! This is always happening to us."
"Pope, shut the hell up for a minute." I yell, "Chill man, stop dogging on JJ and Kie for like five fucking seconds."
He stops in his tracks and narrows his eyes at me, "Did you just yell at me?"
"Yeah I did, you're always mad at JJ, you always talk down on him, when all he does is try to please everyone."
"That's not true," Pope raises his voice, "I don't talk down on him."
"Yes you do!" I exclaim, "You get mad and you say shit to make him feel bad, and then he beats himself up about it for weeks."
"Well he does stupid shit." He seethes while towering over me, "And you let him get away with it every single time. I mean he puts his hands on you, you're cool with it, he yells at you, you don't mind, he does something dangerous, you forgive him like its nothing."
"I don't let him get away with it," I stumble to the side but quickly recover, "I don't control him, but I understand why he does the things he does so I'm patient with him. And I wasn't okay with the shit he did in the past, but we worked through it."
"What happens when he hits you?" Pope angrily asks, "You going to stick around then?"
"Don't say that, Pope, he won't hit me. He's not like his dad." I shove him backwards after he scoffs.
He gasps when he stands up, wiping water from his face, before crossing the distance between us, slamming his hands into my chest sending me flying into the water.
"Willow, get up."
I feel something clamp onto my leg, dragging me backwards, "Ah! Help--" My head dunks under the water, my hands fumble around, grasping for anything in reach while pain radiates through my entire leg.
"Fight."
My body thrashes around, getting my head above water, "HELP--" I'm dragged back down, fear rushes through me when I realize what has me. A fucking mama gator. I fight as hard as I can, "Ah!" my body rolls when the gator spins in the water, dragging me with it, gasping for air every time we surface.
I can hear my friends screaming my name, and Emmy crying in the distance.
Sarah gets to me first, a knife in hand, slashing at the gator while I frantically punch at it, finally my leg slips out of its mouth, giving me enough time to pull away. John B and Pope splash their way over and grab my arms, pulling me towards the Twinkie.
"Holy shit." I breathe out, coughing up water after they all get me up on top of the van. John B passes Emmy's car seat up to Pope when he sits next to me, I lean into his side while looking at Emmy, "Mama's here, sweet girl. I'm still here."
"Willow, I'm sorry." Pope pats my back, "I didn't mean what I said. I know JJ won't hit you. That was a low blow."
I nod, "Yeah it was, Pope. JJ is a good person, he cares about all of us, we're all he has."
"Are you okay?" Sarah sits down on my other side, grabbing my leg to inspect my bite wound.
"Careful." Pope grimaces, "I'm pretty sure that'll get infected."
"Yeah, you're lucky. It didn't cut into muscle too much." Sarah mutters while twisting my leg.
"Yeah, I'm," I gasp in pain, "so lucky I got bit by an alligator and our car is underwater."
"Do you have something to wrap it with," Sarah asks, "to stop the bleeding? It can--"
John B hands her his bandana, she avoids eye contact and gets to work on my leg, ignoring me when I cry out in pain.
"Oh, and speak of the fricking devil."
I look up when someone honks at us, JJ and Kie back up the truck to the Twinkie before jumping out.
"Look who it is, the tortoise and the tortoise. Just a couple hours late." Pope huffs, "Where the hell were you guys?"
"Paternal complications." Kie points to JJ.
He avoids looking our way and grabs something from the bed of the truck, "Luke was at the Chateau."
"Oh, great!" Pope angrily exclaims, "While you were having family time with your pops, Willow got bit by a gator."
JJs eyes go wide when he finally looks at me, "Like, for real?"
"Does it look like we're joking?" Sarah points at my bloody leg.
"Okay, what the hell happened?" Kie asks in disbelief.
"What happened? I got bit by a gator!" I yell back, my patience out the window while pain nips at every nerve in my body.
"She got bit by a gator!"
"I dunno why I'm being yelled at. I put my ass on the line."
JJ runs his hand through his hair while he starts to get mad.
"You're being yelled at because it was 20 minutes--"
"We got here as fast as we could." Kie cuts Pope off.
I start to cry when everyone starts to yell at each other, JJ locks eyes with me and frowns.
"Shut up! Seriously, guys, I can't take it anymore, alright everyone just cut it out for a second." JJ laughs out of anger, "Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's not ever coming back. He's straight up like the Spanish. Just, Bon voyage."
What...
"That's not the right language." Sarah eyes him.
"All we got... And I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it." JJ looks around, his eyes locking with mine before continuing, "And I've come too close to losing you, all of you. I mean, shit, like Kie almost drowned in a sewer looking for Rafe's gun. Pope, you were kidnapped in Charleston. Sarah your brother tried drowning you. John B you were jumped by the Kooks. Willow, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, and.. you.. well we all know what else you've been through. So, this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, alright? We don't do that. Okay? We're Pogues... Sorry, that was a lot right now. I didn't mean to..." He looks around, embarrassed for ranting.
"Well-done." Pope starts clapping.
"I gotta be honest. That was the best freaking speech you have ever given." John B joins in on clapping. "Also, you should think about, like, Rosetta Stone because your Spanish and French are flip-flopped."
"We should bon voyage out of here." Sarah jokes, making all of us laugh.
"Alright, let's get this damn Twinkie out of here."
I lay back and watch the sky while they hook up the winch to the van, scolding myself for wanting oxy for my pain since I'm breastfeeding and definitely don't need it.
"Princess," JJ pops up next to me, "time to go."
"Can you help me?" I look over to see John B taking Emmy from Sarah.
JJ scoops me in his arms and jumps down, my body clinging to him while wincing.
After they pulled the Twinkie out, we split into two groups to drive both vehicles to some church up the road. Freedman's Church I think. I need to stop zoning out during important times.
"What happened?" JJ caresses my face.
"Pope and I got in a fight, I pushed him so he pushed me back, a gator grabbed me while I was underwater."
He raises his eyebrows in surprise, "Pope pushed you?"
"Yeah, but I pushed him first," I tell him, "so don't be mad."
"You got attacked by a gator, baby, that's.. that's.. scary." He lifts my leg to look at my injury, "Are you okay? You've been quiet today."
"I've been quiet for weeks, you're just now noticing?"
"No, no, I just.." JJ looks around before continuing, gently putting my leg down, "I didn't realize just how much you're struggling, Willow, you don't seem okay."
"I'm not okay." I shake my head, "I told you I wasn't okay, so it shouldn't be surprising to you."
"I know, but it seems like maybe this is more serious than we think, baby. You can't even look at Rafe--"
"Don't say his name." I snap, "Stop, why would you do that to me?"
"Do what?" His face drops when I burst into tears, "Hey-hey," He scrambles over to kneel in front of me, ignoring John B and Sarah asking what's wrong from the front seats, "Princess, I'm sorry. Fuck I didn't mean to upset you."
"D-Don't say his name." I sob, "I.. I can't.."
I want to tell him that Rafe's face taunts me when I close my eyes, making me want to scream and throw things at him, even though he's not really here. That I can hear his voice in my head, reminding me of what he could do if I don't go along with what he wants. But I don't tell JJ all of this, it's too much for him to worry about.
JJ cups my face, wiping my tears with his thumbs, "I won't, baby, I won't do that again."
"He's everywhere." I whisper, my eyes looking into his sad eyes.
"I know, but so am I." He reassures me, "I'm here for you, baby."
I hum in response, my body too tired to keep talking about this. I painfully climb out of the van once we pull up to the falling apart building, wrapping my hands around JJs bicep after he climbs out with Emmy in his arms. She coos and chews on her toy in her hands, I smile at her before kissing JJs arm, he smiles at me while we walk inside.
Well more like limp for me. My leg hurts so damn bad.
"Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" John B questions.
"Mm-hmm." Pope hums.
"Everybody, just spread out." Kie walks past me.
I take Emmy from JJ and sit down while he scurries off to help search for this giant cross.
John B sighs while he looks around, "Okay, well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?"
"Freedman's alter."
Oh yeah I forgot about that.
"The spyglass is there for a reason."
My eyes roam the walls, "Up high."
"Are you sure that Denmark hid the cross here, Pope?" JJ is looking under the benches as if a six foot tall cross could easily hide there. Oh goodness. "What if we have to push a secret button or, like, play, like, a... a certain chord, and then, all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?"
John B laughs, "How about we try to find obvious clues? It's not an escape room."
"No, no." Pope stresses, "There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing. The clues led us here. The cross is in this church.
John B walks over and pats him on the back, "Pope, it'll be alright. We've had setbacks in the past, and we figured it out. We're gonna find it."
"Pope," I speak up, "go to the alter and use the spyglass to find it. Look high."
He quickly pulls the metal device from his pocket and rushes to the alter, we all watch as he slowly scans the room until he freezes, "The rafters. Holy shit, Willow," He smiles at me, "you figured it out."
Everyone's eyes light up, smiles reflect back at me while I awkwardly nod, not liking all the attention on me now.
"Pope! Hey, no!" JJ yells when he starts to scale the wall to get to the rafters.
Oh here we go..
"Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B runs his hand through his hair, "This is great, so wonderful, nothing could go wrong."
JJ moves to my side, "Yo, let me just be real. You're not the most coordinated person on planet Earth."
Pope knocks on the wood, "Alright, this one's solid wood. I'm gonna try the other beam." He twists his body around the beams to cross to the other side, "Ah shit this is tough."
"Pope, that's rotten as shit right there, okay?" JJs says in a strained voice, his hand gripping my shoulder.
John B groans, "Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that's just wood."
"No, no. It has to be here. I know it."
"Bro, just look out for that giant wasp nest right above your head." JJ points to the massive nest next to him, "Don't touch it."
Oh hell.
Pope knocks his knuckles on the beam, "Look! It's hollow. Go get me a crowbar!"
Sarah takes off out of the door, returning seconds later.
"Sarah, Throw it." Pope holds his hand out when she tossed it up to him.
Damn good catch.
Kie chuckles, "Not bad."
He starts to hack at the wood, making the wasps swarm around him. Yikes. This is getting really stressful. I can feel my heartrate rising, my palms feel sweaty while my hands start to shake. I hate feeling like I'm on the verge of a breakdown every minute of the day, this can't be healthy for me, or Emmy. I'm sure she picks up on my moods sometimes or when I cry for the hundredth time of the day.
"Hey, Pope, just move slow, alright?" John B warns him.
"What is that?" Sarah asks, something shines through the hole Pope made in the wood. "Do you guys see that?"
Kie laughs, "Shit."
Everyone gasps when wood falls away, uncovering the entire cross.
"Holy shit." I breathe out, "It's stunning."
"It's here. Oh my God." Sarah looks at me with a smile right after everyone starts cheering.
"Okay they're stinging now! Ah!" Pope slips, his body drops until he grabs onto the beam with his hands, leaving his body dangling in the air.
Okay, my heartrate is really fucking high now.
"Grab the cushions!" John B starts throwing the bench cushions on the ground below him.
"I'm slipping!" Pope yells, then his body starts to fall from the ceiling, crashing to the floor before anyone can do anything.
Everyone screams and runs to him but I stay frozen, watching the cross slowly moving forward.
Before I utter a word, Pope rolls out of the way, "Move!"
The cross lands in the same spot he had been in moments ago.
We stare at it in admiration as the gold and jews shimmer in our faces. This thing is priceless. Everyone starts arguing over putting it in a museum or how to split the money but I just tune them out and run my free hand down the side, clutching Emmy to my chest with my other arm, this thing is mesmerizing.
How did this just sit here for all this time. Left to decay in a church.
"Something's are meant to be left alone."
I guess that's true, but shouldn't it at least deserve to be on display somewhere instead of hidden away?
"It could but not everything has to be admired to be worth something."
So wise.
"As are you."
I stay out of the way when everyone lifts the heavy cross, they all curse at each other, but I just focus on patting Emmy's back to calm her down while my brain tries to traumatize me with stupid Rafe's face.
"Damn it!" JJ breathlessly yells, "You almost dropped it on my foot!"
"'Cause I'm the only one lifting it!" Sarah argues back.
He scoffs, "Oh, you sure--"
"Okay, okay, okay, okay!" John B cuts off their fight, "Listen, we'll make like a sling, like a little--"
"Yeah, yeah, and then put it on the hitch." JJ talks over John B.
"Guys! Guys, guys, I'm not okay. I'm not okay." Pope struggles to breathe, slumping on to a bench.
I gasp when I notice his face swelling.
"Shit!"
"Your eye, it looks all puffy." Sarah moves his face to look at it.
JJ grimaces, "You good? You don't look too good, bro."
"I can't--" Pope gasps for air.
Kie leans closer to look at him too, "He's having an allergic reaction."
"We need to take him somewhere!" Sarah pushes John B towards Pope, "He can't breathe!"
"What about the cross?" Kie cries out, her hands find their way to her hair.
My mind can't handle this right now, so I walk outside with Emmy to get away from the stress, I care about Pope, he's like another brother to me at this point, but right now I am not in the right head space to watch him struggle to breathe. My leg is swelling, my head hurts from my relentless thoughts, and Emmy is hungry.
I felt like someone was watching me when I walked out to the van, but I figure JJ was probably checking on me, so I brush it off and climb inside, cuddling up with Emmy in the backseat, letting her nurse while I bundle JJs extra hoody around us since it's chilly today.
"Go back to the others."
No.
"Yes, you aren't safe out here alone."
After a few minutes of peace and quiet, my friends voices bellow across the lawn, carrying Pope to Kie's dads truck. I furrow my brows when they take off down the road; without me and Emmy.
"You should have listened to me, Willow, I'm only trying to help you."
I don't feel safe.
"I know. Stay still and don't make a sound."
Is someone here?
"Yes. He's watching you."
Damnit.
~~~~~
JJs POV
"JJ, try and hide it." John B yells at me, his arm snaking around Pope so he can help Kie carry him to the truck.
"I got it. I got the cross." I yell back while frantically throwing various things around the church on top of it.
Good enough.
I run through the church doors, making my way to Kie's dads truck where everyone is loading Pope into the back seat. This is going to be a tight fit for all of us and Emmys car seat.
"I can't breathe." Pope wheezes.
"Sarah, I didn't hide it well enough." I panic, "Someone might find it."
She shakes her head, "Don't worry about that right now."
"We gotta get Pope some help." Kie stresses in a high pitch voice.
"Pope, what do you need, buddy?" I ask, hoping everyone will chill out a little so they don't make Emmy cry or stress Willow out more than she already is.
"Keep his legs elevated." Kie shuffles around by the door while I tug the driver side open, "He needs a shot."
"I know where to go! Give me the keys!" I catch the keys she throws at me and jump into the front seat, keeping my eyes forward while I try to mask how freaked out I am, "All good?"
"Yes, go!"
My foot hits the pedal making us tear off down the road, leaving the Twinkie and the cross behind for now.
Sarah turns in the passenger seat to look back at everyone, "Keep a hand on his pulse."
"We got you, Pope." Kie mutters.
"Hang on, Pope! We're going." I race through the cut, trying to get to my cousins house, knowing he can fix this.
I tune out everyone when they panic over Pope starting to pass out, I can't handle this on top of worrying about Willow. I'm too scared to look back and see if she's struggling, I won't be able to hold it together and drive if she's crying right now. Because all day I've had this fucking guilt for not helping her more, for not paying attention to her more. Of course Emmy is top priority, that's how it is for parents, but Willow is still important to me. Emmy didn't replace her in my life, they're both my girls, both equally special to me, but Willows struggling and I didn't notice sooner.
The truck tires screech when I slam on the breaks in front of Ricky's house, my body falls out of the truck when I go to run to the front door, "Ricky!"
"Are you good?" I hear Kie behind me.
"Ricky! Hey! Bro!" I bang on his glass screen door, he gives me a look and shakes his head, "Ricky! Ricky! Hey, Ricky!"
"Not today."
"Ricky, hey, I got a problem, bro! I know you're mad at me!"
He frowns, "Remember that time you stole my ambulance?"
"Yeah. I know. I know. I know you're mad. No!" I panic more when he closes the inside door, "Don't do that!"
"No! Please! Please, we need help!" Sarah cries. "He got stung by a wasp! He's having a reaction! Please help!"
"He can't breathe, Ricky!" I call out, knowing he can't turn down someone needing medical attention.
Ricky slowly opens the door, "Who can't breathe?"
"Look at him! Help my friend!" John B stresses while holding Pope up in the doorway.
Pope wheezes and groans in pain.
He opens the door all the way, "Alright, Jesus Christ."
"Hey! Nice to meet you. Sorry." Sarah scurries past Ricky and knocks everything off the kitchen table, we all lay Pope down as fast as we can.
I turn to Ricky, "You know I wouldn't come to you if it wasn't an emergency."
"Hang in there, buddy." Ricky leans over to look at Popes face, "What's wrong with him?"
"Wasps!" Everyone yells at once.
He furrows his brows, "Wasps?"
"Yes!"
"A beehive worth of wasps."
"What's his name?"
"Pope."
"Hey, Pope?" Ricky pats his cheek, "Hang tight. I gotta get my kit."
I panic and chase after him when he walks off to look for his stupid kit, questioning him as I go, he dismisses me and rummages through his closest for a minute until he grabs a large cube shaped bag. We run back into his kitchen, where he starts to dig through the kit.
"What do we do now?" I ask, keeping my eyes on Ricky so I can level my breathing.
"You don't do anything, 'cause you're not a paramedic." He gets a small glass bottle out and a syringe, "Okay. Hey, Pope. How you doing, man? You look like shit. Here's the thing. This is a pediatric dose of epinephrine."
"Is that gonna be enough?" Sarah asks.
"He's not a kid!" Kie adds.
"It is ten times a normal dose. So if... if it doesn't stop his heart, it'll help him. But I gotta use the whole thing, or it won't work." Ricky pauses, "And I'm not going down if he dies."
"Okay! Fine! Do it! hit it!" I rush out.
"Pope, hang in there, buddy." Ricky tells him as he gives him the shot in his arm.
Pope wheezes in response.
"I hate needles, man." I mumble as I look away.
Ricky sets the syringe down, "Okay, um, that's it."
"Now what?" Sarah quietly asks.
"Now we wait." Ricky turns to me, "Where's Willow and Emmy?"
I look around the room now that everyone has settled down, realizing they aren't with us, then I notice the wide eyes around me, "Uh, she's probably out in the truck.."
Sarah shakes her head, "JJ.."
I run my hands through my hair, "No.. no.. we.."
"We left her behind." Pope breathes out, "She was with Emmy in the Twinkie when we left, I tried telling y'all but I started to pass out."
"No." I glance outside at the truck, my fears confirmed when I see its completely empty, "No because that means Rafe could find them.. he's.. fuck, we have to go."
Pope jumps up off the table, "It's hot! I'm real hot, guys."
"It's okay. Take it easy." I steady him when stumbles while tearing his jacket off, he pushes passed me and runs outside.
"I owe you." I call out to Ricky while I run off, only one thing is running through my mind. I have to get to my girls. If something happens to them.. fuck, it'll be my fault.
How did I forget them? How did I put them in danger like this?
"Are there any side effects we should be concerned about?" I hear Sarah ask Ricky behind me.
"He'll have a rocket up his ass for about half an hour, then he'll be fine."
"Let's go get that cross! Whoo!" Pope yells while running in circles around the yard with his arms outstretched.
We all jump into the truck, Pope somehow ending up our driver, I nervously bounce my leg while we tear through the cut again.
"Uh, Pope, you're driving pretty fast." Sarah states in a worried voice.
Pope yells out in glee as a response.
"Pope, last to judge, but I think you should slow down a little." I stress, "I'd like to get to my girls in one piece if I'm being honest."
They're probably scared in the dark, all alone. What is wrong with me.. why did I do this to them?
"That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross. We gotta get there.
"Not just the cross, Pope, we need to get there and check on Willow and Emmy."
Why does everyone always push Willow to the side for gold?
"Why did we let him drive again?" Kie asks the group, shit if I know.
"I said I'd rip your ears off." Pope states, while swerving the truck, "I was joking about that, by the way."
"That's a really funny joke." Kie sarcastically responds.
"Hey, how ya feeling, buddy? How ya doing?" John B asks, noticing him driving erratically.
Pope rolls his window down, "Uh, fantastic. I don't know what JJ's cousin gave me, but I am moving!"
"We couldn't tell." I mutter, scooting over when Kie leans into my side.
"Okay, well, um, you're going really fast right now." John B casts a nervous glance at me, "You need to chill bro."
Pope turns around in his seat to look at us, "Yeah, really fast!"
We all start to yell at him to turn around, stressing about the fact that we're no longer in the right lane. We scream when he goes to pass a car in front of us, missing on-coming traffic by inches to spare. I cannot die right now, this shit is making my heart feel like its going to burst from my chest.
"What an asshole, right?" Pope asks, referring to the car he passed.
"He's going the speed limit!" Kie yells.
"We're not gonna get to the cross or the girls if we're dead, Pope!" I cling to my seat when he swerves again.
He laughs, "We're not gonna die. It's our divine right to get that cross."
"Maybe your families divine right," I raise my voice, "but the rest of us are just along for the ride at this point."
"Pope! Look at the road!" John B screams when we head straight towards another car.
He swerves, causing the back end of the truck to hit a tree, sending us flying. All I can hear is screams and the crunch of the metal when we collide into the trees on the other side of the road.
"Is everyone okay?" John B speaks up after a few minutes of everyone coughing and groaning.
"I think so." Sarah weakly responds.
"Never better." I curse under my breath when I realize we're now delayed in getting to the church.
Could anything else go wrong today? I'm the one that forced Willow to leave the safety of the house, only to put her into danger and leave her alone at some abandoned church where Rafe could show up if he figures out where the cross really is.
"That sucked." Kie pats my leg, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, you?" After she nods I painfully get out of the truck, breathing in fresh air, "That is the last time you drive, Pope."
"My dad's truck! No!" Kie stumbles around the side of the truck, eyeing the damage.
"Kie, one word. Totaled." I flash my phone's screen light so we can see how bad it is.
"My parents are gonna kill me for real this time." Kie blubbers, "They're really gonna hate me now."
I shrug, "Yeah, well, weren't they already gonna do that anyway?"
"We're gonna have to walk the rest of the way." Pope speaks over me.
John B pulls him out of the road when we see a truck coming our way, everything slows down when we realize who's driving and who's sitting in the passenger seat.
No.
Willow puts her hand to the window while tears roll down her cheeks, her beautiful but terrified face looking back at my distraught expression, my stomach twists when Rafe smiles behind her.
"Willow!" I scream, "No, baby, no."
"Fuck." John B yells, as a collection of shocked comments come from our friends.
"We have to go." I take off after Pope and John B towards the church, the girls following behind us.
This is all my fault. She's going to hate me, I promised I'd keep her safe and I didn't. I fucking forgot her and Emmy. I left them behind like they weren't important to me. But they are.
They're my world.
~~~~~
Willow's POV
I look down at Emmy, her little sleepy face always makes me smile, but that smile fades when I hear the one voice that makes my skin crawl, Rafe chuckles when I look up at him, his body leans against the side of the open van door, "They just left you."
"I noticed." I clip my nursing bra and pull my shirt to cover me, moving slowly so Emmy doesn't wake up, "What do you want, Rafe?"
"The cross," He sits down on the edge of the floor, watching Renfield walk inside the church, "And both of you." He gestures to Emmy and I, causing my stomach to drop.
How does he pop up every single time JJ leaves me to go do something.
"We're not leaving with you." I shakily tell him, "I want to be with JJ, not you."
"Put her in her car seat and grab y'all's stuff." He sternly tells me, I notice the gun in his hand now, "You don't have a choice, you're mine now."
"Rafey."
"NOW."
I quickly put my sweet baby in her seat, buckling her in before sliding her and I out of the van, Rafe grabs my backpack and Emmy's diaper bag before walking me to the box truck Renfield pulled up outside of the church.
Renfield winches the cross into the truck while Rafe secures me and Emmy into our seats in the cab.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want you." Rafe leans close, his hand gently grabs my jaw after I flinch away, then his lips are on mine.
The world goes quiet, but not in a good way, more like I am so terrified that my ears feel like unfocusing is an appropriate reaction. When he pulls away he smiles and caresses my face, pecking my lips one more time before he drops down to the ground and shuts my door. My head presses into the seat behind me while I rest my hand on Emmys belly.
Rafe climbs into the drivers side with Emmy between us while Renfield opted to sit in the back with the cross. We travel down the road for a bit, but we slow when Rafe notices a wreck ahead of us, I recognize the vehicle immediately.
I place my hand on the window while tears run down my cheeks, my gaze locking with horrified ocean blue eyes. JJ yells something but I can't understand him, then him and the rest of our friends and my brother take off running towards the church where the Twinkie is.
Rafe chuckles, "They won't find you." He glances at me, "The place I'm taking you to, they won't be able to get to you."
"I don't want to leave." I cry, "Please take me back. Or drop me off somewhere."
"No."
Eventually we roll up to a warehouse, Rafe backs the truck into an open bay, before getting out he turns to me with a serious expression, "Brookie, it's dangerous here, stay in the truck, okay? No matter what."
I nod, fear settling in my stomach. He pats my cheek before slipping out of the door at the same time Renfield jumps out of the back. I watch through the trucks side mirror, keeping my hand on Emmy while she sleeps.
"I hate to say this, but you need to listen to him right now."
I know, I figured as much.
Rafe was talking to Limbrey and Renfield, after a few minutes of them arguing Renfield shoves Limbrey to the ground and kicks her crutches away. Oh shit. Rafe stood frozen watching the scene unfold. I felt the truck move slightly when Renfield jumped into the back to look at the cross.
My eyes widen when Limbrey pulls a gun from her waistband and pulls the trigger. A thud sounds inside the bed of the box truck, making Emmy move in her sleep, I rub circles on her belly like JJ always does so she stays asleep. Rafe looks between the truck and Limbrey before walking to the back and closing it. It looked like Limbrey was begging him for help but he just walks to his door and slides in.
"Are.. are you okay?" I timidly ask after we drive in silence for a while.
Rafe looks over at me with a pained expression, "I'm sorry baby."
"For what?"
He shifts his gaze to the road while we drive through Figure Eight, "I shouldn't have hurt you. I just get these thoughts in.. in my head and.. and I can't always control them, and you play hard to get so it makes me angry."
"I'm not playing hard to get, Rafe." I quietly tell him while my fingers play with the strings on my shorts, "I'm with JJ."
"Not anymore."
I don't ask what he means, I keep my mouth shut now that his eyes look darker, the dangerous side of him poking through while he grips the steering wheel.
We pull into Tannyhill shortly after our conversation, I quickly get the car seat freed from the seat belt and grab our bags, but Rafe stops me and takes Emmys carrier from my hands after I get out, "No, I want to hold her."
"I'm not taking her from you, Brookie, I'm not that mean." He hooks his arm on the carrier handle and puts his free hand on my lower back, guiding me inside the house, "I promise I will keep you both safe, but you have to listen to me and not do anything stupid okay?"
"Okay."
Begrudgingly I follow him to the kitchen, he sets Emmy down on the counter, gently patting her belly before walking over to the fridge while I sit on one of the bar stools in front of Emmy and check on her.
"Here, fresh lemonade. Rose made it." Rafe slides a glass towards me, running a hand through his hair, watching me suck down the drink. Damn, when's the last time I drank something. "Don't hate me, alright? I promise it'll be okay, Emmy will be okay. Rose will watch her until you wake up."
My eyes go wide, I look between him and my empty glass as my body gets heavy, "No... Rafe.. my.. my heart.. condition.."
"Shit, uh, it'll be okay." He rounds the island and holds onto me when I slump into his chest, "You'll wake up in a few hours, baby, Emmy will be with us." He kisses my lips as everything goes dark.
My baby... I need to wake up.. I need to keep her safe.
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