𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 | 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

０１９．

Ren didn't want to think about the fact that her heart had been damn near stopping when she'd thought Rafe was dead in that boat. And she didn't want to think about the fact that she'd hiked through the fucking trees to look for him after watching Ward shore up on the beach behind her parents' house. And she sure as hell didn't want to think about the fact that it had taken no convincing at all on his part before she was agreeing to bury a fucking body for him.

Her hair clung to her temples, a sheen of sweat on her face as she dragged Eberhimi into the ditch she'd finally finished. She didn't have a damn clue if it would be deep enough, what she'd do if it wasn't, but she didn't care.

She just wanted it taken care of, so that she could get Rafe taken care of.

He'd been so pale when she'd found him, so unsteady and unsturdy when he'd only ever been completely solid before. It terrified her until her hands trembled as she scrabbled at the sand, desperately trying to cover up Eberhimi's corpse, near-unrecognizable as bullet wounds peppered his body. Ward had done a number on him.

Part of her wanted to know what had happened to prompt all of this. Part of her was too afraid to ask.

"Hey, Ren," Rafe said behind her, the first words he'd said in well over an hour.

It nearly scared her out of her skin. She turned to face him, a hand flying to her chest as she willed her heart to stop hammering. "Yeah?"

Rafe grinned at her, a staggering sight despite the blood staining his cheeks and neck and hair. "You got any coke on you?" He asked, his voice a little steadier than before.

She did. She'd restocked before running into Cain, her bag now dangerously full of product in preparation for the night she'd expected to spend selling at the club. But something told her that though his bleeding had slowed and the color was returning to his face, cocaine wasn't something that would be particularly beneficial to Rafe's recovery.

"Nope," she lied with a shrug, taking a step back to admire her handiwork as she scanned Eberhimi's shallow grave, "I'm fresh out. So sorry."

Rafe scoffed behind her. "You're a shitty liar."

And despite the anxiety still clinging to her every movement, Ren couldn't suppress her smile as she looked over at him. "And you're a shitty gravedigger, so I guess we've both got some shit to work on," she fired back, holding out a hand to help him to his feet.

He accepted her help, nearly tugging her to the ground with the effort it took to get him standing again. She found herself letting out a breath of relief that the task was done, that the captain was buried, as she realized just how much Rafe relied on her to stand. He might have looked and sounded better, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he still needed a doctor.

"Come on," Ren muttered, hauling his uninjured arm over her shoulder and allowing him to depend on her a little more, "let's get you home."

Their steps were slow and unsure as they made their way through the brush. "Yeah, my house is pretty far, so..." He trailed off, laughing under his breath as he shook her head like there was some joke she wouldn't get.

Ren rolled her eyes. "My house, idiot. Well, my dad's house. It's right at the top of this hill, so if we can just get up--"

"Taking me to meet the parents already?" Rafe cut her off, eyes widening, though the smile tugging at his features was undeniable. "Jesus, Ren, at least buy me dinner first."

It was now her turn to scoff at him, her brows knitting together in incredulity. "My parents aren't even going to know you're there. I just needed to get you somewhere to get you cleaned up, get someone to check out that graze and figure out what to do next. You lost a lot of blood, Rafe."