𝘈𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝
I'm woken up from my drunken slumber to being poked and I peel my eyes open, revealing a blonde girl looking down at me with a dopey grin on her face.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty" She teases and I groan as I pull myself up from where I'm laying on the porch sofa, making her giggle "It's nice to see you too"
"It is great to see you, princess" I assure her as I rub the sleep from my eyes "I'm just suffering from a bit of a hangover"
"Coffee?" She chirps and I pull my hands away from my eyes to see that she's holding a plastic cup out to me that contains iced coffee "It's french vanilla. Kie said you'd like it"
"Oh my God. You are an angel" I breathe out in relief, taking it from her hand and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
She smiles happily and grabs her backpack, unzipping it and pulling out some clothes.
"JJ also mentioned that you were staying here last night so I grabbed some clothes from your place when I got the coffee because it was on the way" She tells me, placing them down on the sofa next to me and I look at the girl in awe.
"You didn't have to do that" I sigh with a warm smile and she shrugs.
"What are sister in laws for?" She grins mischievously and I let out a chuckle, taking a sip from the coffee.
"Did Kie tell you that too?" I wonder aloud, pulling myself to my feet.
"She did" Sarah confirms as I look through the items she brought "Do I also get to be a bridesmaid?"
"After this angelic performance" I reply, gesturing to the coffee and the clothes "I'll be bumping JJ down and giving you maid of honour"
She lets out a melodic laugh and picks up a pair of khaki cargo shorts with a black halter neck top, holding them out to me. I give her an impressed nod and take them from her, changing into the outfit. The shorts are a little shorter than I remember them being and they show a little ass, but they're comfortable enough that I don't change.
I pull on my black boots and cover my sensitive eyes with a pair of John B's black sunglasses before running my fingers through my messy waves
. Grabbing my coffee from the table and shoving my phone in the pocket of my shorts, Sarah links her arm with mine and we make our way out to the back yard.
"Ah, she has arisen!" JJ hollers as we approach the Pogues, minus John B who appears to still be MIA.
I give them a dramatic curtsy, making them all laugh in amusement before I flop down into the chair beside Kiara's to sip on my coffee.
"Okay. Tell us what's happening, princess" I chirp, looking up at the girl.
"Rafe hasn't told you anything?" She questions me in confusion and I scoff, crossing my right leg over my left.
"My lovely fiancé has decided to keep me in the dark about this whole situation" I tell her bitterly.
"So you've decided to backstab him by helping us steal from him" She figures out my plan with an amused smile and I grin at her pettily.
"Exactly" I shrug, leaning back in my seat.
"Pogue shit" Kiara snorts and I lift my sunglasses to wink at her.
"Go on, princess" I encourage the blonde girl, recovering my eyes from the bright sunlight.
"When I went back to Tannyhill Rafe was on the phone with Ward, and he just kept saying 'My thing, this is my thing'" Sarah starts and I nod in understanding "He had to be talking about the cross"
"Absolutely" Pope agrees.
"Sounds about right" I add as I sip my drink.
"And he's coming into Wilmington tonight at eight o'clock. It's being shipped by train
to Raleigh from there, but this is our chance to get it back" Sarah tells us with a determination that makes me smile.
"You get any other information?" Pope asks curiously
"Uh, Sarah got the cargo number" Kiara answers, lifting up a slip of paper with the number on it.
"Okay, well, that's a start" Pope hums.
"Yeah" Kiara nods.
"They're definitely fencing that shit off as we speak" JJ speaks up "So we should probably get a move on"
"Any word from John B?" I wonder aloud, glancing at Sarah.
"No, I mean, he's probably off somewhere with his dad" Sarah answers with a shake of her head "But the problem is they have the Twinkie"
"Our transportation" Pope realises.
"Um..." Sarah tries to think of an alternative.
"I'd offer up the car Rafe is letting me use, but honestly I think it's got a tracker on it" I say as I swirl around the extra ice left in my cup.
"What makes you say that?" Kiara questions and I look up from the cup to see that they're all looking at me in concern.
"He text me last night asking why I was still at the chateau" I explain, placing the cup down on the ground "But I didn't tell him I was here"
"Psycho" Sarah mutters.
"You can say that again" JJ huffs out.
I shake my head with a smile, not objecting to their comments but also not agreeing with them because I know deep down that tracking me is Rafe's way of making sure I'm okay. In his sick brain, the act of watching my every move like a stalker is just him keeping me safe and my sick brain thinks that's really sweet of him.
"I could ask Heyward for the truck" Pope suggests and we all look at him in surprise.
"Uh, what?" JJ scoffs at his boyfriend "Yeah, that's gonna go well"
"I know, but we have no other options" Pope shrugs in response.
"I'll have to convince my parents to let me go" Kiara sighs heavily and I pat her shoulder sympathetically.
"You want company?" I offer and she nods with a small smile.
☼ ☼ ☼
"Honey, I am listening to you. I'm just having a hard time" Anna tells her daughter as the three of them sit on the sofas and I lean against the kitchen counter "So I need you to walk me through it one more time"
"The Cross of Santo Domingo that we found" Kiara restarts her explanation.
"Right" Anna nods.
"We thought it was gone forever. We just find out it's... it's gonna be in Wilmington tonight" Kiara tells her mother.
"Okay. And the cross is Pope's family..." Anna remembers slightly.
"Pope's family heirloom" Kiara confirms.
"Okay" Anna follows along.
"Priceless historical artefact" Kiara adds.
"Priceless, which you're telling me that you found?" Anna questions, not looking very convinced.
"We found it, and then Rafe and Ward stole it from us" Kiara answers in determination.
"Wait, do you know how insane you sound?" Mike retorts with an attitude that I don't like at all, causing me to narrow my eyes at the man.
"Baby" Anna warns Mike but he doesn't listen to his wife.
"Ward is dead" Mike declares sternly.
"He's not dead. We've been over this part a million times!" Kiara argues with her father.
"All right. You understand that this is a little hard to follow, right?" Anna tries to reason "I mean, we had a funeral for the man"
"I get how it sounds, but he's alive" Kiara assures her, glancing up at Mike "I wish he wasn't, but he is. Why would I lie?"
"He's alive" She stresses before glancing back at me "Ads?"
"Yup?" I stand up straight.
"A little help?" She pleads and I nod, looking to her parents.
"Ward's definitely alive. He's staying in a pretty swanky holiday home in Guadeloupe" I tell them, crossing my arms over my chest "Rafe took me there. It's a nice place"
"Yes" Kiara encourages me to keep speaking.
"He's currently living off the loot that he stole from us before the whole stranded on the island thing happened and, yeah, he's flying across to Wilmington tonight" I confirm Kiara's story.
"Give me a break, kid" Mike scoffs at me and rage floods my system.
"Oh, no. You're totally right" I retort sarcastically "Obviously I'm completely in the wrong even though I seen it all with my own eyes and so did your daughter, but that doesn't matter"
"I'm skeptical, okay?" Mike says to me with a pissed off expression "I am skeptical, Adelaide,
as in 'I think it's all bullshit'. I think you've been led astray, Kiara"
"And you, Adelaide" He points at me, walking towards me.
"Mike" I counter, straightening my back and not backing down.
"Let's get this out in the open" He snaps.
"Lay it on me" I compete his glare with a glare of my own.
"Can we take it down a little?" Anna huffs out.
"Let me tell you something" Mike says to me "You need to understand that I do get it"
"Oh, I bet" I scoff, rolling my eyes.
"Do you hear me? I do" Mike argues in irritation "I like you, Adelaide, and I bet you're fricking fun to hang with, ditch school with, go down to the break, because I was once just like you, kid"
"I didn't think that anything mattered. Thought I could make up any bullshit story and these stupid Kooks would believe it" Mike continues.
"Mom" Kiara begs her mother to step in but I don't break eye contact with her father.
"But then I learned about hard work and about what really mattered" Mike tells me as though I'm some stupid child and it pisses me off "All I care about, all that I care about is my daughter. That's it"
"You think that I don't know hard work? I've worked multiple jobs at a time since I was twelve. I dropped out of school to work full time so that I could pay rent and bills because my father was an abusive addict who spent all his money on booze and drugs" I sneer at the man in anger and his face stays impassive "You don't get to tell me that nothing matters to me when i've given up my whole childhood to raise my brother, and from the very moment I met Kiara I've looked after her like she was my own!"
"All that I know is that she was a lot better off before she met you and your friends" Mike states unblinkingly and I look at him in disbelief.
"Dad, I was never better off!" Kiara jumps up to defend me.
"Yes, you were" Mike corrects her.
"Please" Anna chases Kiara over to us.
"I was miserable!" Kiara protests.
"Miserable? No, no" Mike doesn't even listen to her.
"Take it down a notch. Listen" Anna pleads with her husband.
"No, these Pogues have ruined my daughter's life!" Mike shouts and gets right in my face.
The grown man in my face causes my heart to jump in fear, reminding me so much of my own father and the hate that is so clear in Mike Carrera's eyes is so eerily familiar that it turns my stomach.
"Unless you're going to hit me, I suggest that you take a step back out of my personal space" I grit out in agitation.
"He'd never hit you" Anna assures me, tugging her husband away from me.
"Yeah, sure" I scoff, taking a step back and shoving my hands into my pockets "Y'all have a nice day"
"Yeah" Mike snaps at me aggressively.
"I'll be outside, Kie" I tell my friend and quickly exit the room before I do something impulsive, like punch Mike in his stupid face.
"What are you doing?" I hear Kiara hiss at her father as I pause in the foyer.
"What am I doing? Protecting my daughter" Mike answers angrily.
"Can we please-" Anna tries to deescalate the situation but Mike cuts her off.
"Wait a second" He says "Everybody says it, that she's a liar and a thief"
"She's just like her father" Mike declares and my chest twists in pain, my eyes tearing up.
"Don't go there. Please don't bring him into this" Anna argues as a tear rolls down my cheek.
"Don't bring him into this?" Mike retorts in disbelief.
"She's nothing like her dad!" Kiara yells at her father "Nothing like her dad. You don't know her. They're nothing alike!"
I tune out the argument as Mike continues to bash me while Kiara tries her hardest to defend me and the table at the front door catches my eye, a clip of money sitting amongst keys.
The initials on the clip read 'MC' and the anger that simmers in my gut fuel me as I grab the clip, shoving it into my pocket before I exit the house.
I climb into the driver seat of my temporary car and wipe away my traitorous tears, starting up the engine to wait on Kiara.
As I wait I pull out my phone to check my texts and I see that I have a few from Rafe.
my boy ♡
when are you coming home?
Addy, please just call me and let me know that you're okay
can you tell me what i've done wrong? i promise i'll fix it
sweetheart, i'm begging here
Guilt seeps into my gut when I realise that i've been ignoring him all day and the emotional state I'm in because of Mike contributes to my anger for Rafe disappearing long enough for me to cave.
sweetheart x
sorry, i've been really busy today and i lost track of time
i'm fine, babe
my boy ♡
call me?
i wanna hear your voice
A small smile tugs at my lips and I hit the call icon while I wait, lifting the phone to my ear. The phone rings only once before Rafe immediately answers and I hear his concerned voice.
"What are you doing?" He asks me.
"I'm waiting outside Kiara's house while she argues with her parents" I tell him, my voice a little raspy from yelling.
"You've been crying" Rafe points out and I raise a brow at how observant he is "Who do I need to kill?"
"Don't worry about it, tough guy" I assure him with a chuckle.
"Tell me who it was, Adelaide" He demands as I roll my eyes "And don't roll your eyes at me"
"How did you know I did that? Do you have a camera in this car as well as a tracker?" I question in disbelief.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" He lies through his teeth and I spot Kiara walking towards me.
"We'll talk about this later, stalker. I have to go" I warn him and he huffs like a child.
"I'm allowed to stalk you. You're my wife" He tells me matter of factly.
"Not yet" I quip teasingly "Speak to you later"
I hang up the phone before he can argue with me and Kiara slips into the passenger seat, giving me a guilty expression.
"I'm so sorry, Ads. My dad's literally the worst" She apologises and I wave her off.
"It's fine, Kie. I'm aware that most parents don't like me" I assure her and she smiles warmly.
"We love you" She counters and I mirror her smile.
"That's what really matters" I hum.