𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.

─☼☼☼─

"𝙃𝙀𝙔," 𝙆𝙄𝙀 𝙎𝘼𝙄𝘿 as she took a drag of the joint her and JJ were sharing, "What did mom mean when she mentioned Kensington earlier?"

They were halfway through their ferry trip when the topic came up, and honestly, Charlotte wished it could have been longer. 

Brushing away her hair that had been tousled by the wind, she shrugged. "Nothing."

Kie eyed her sister suspiciously. "Then why has it been so 'hard' on you as mom put it?"

She was relentless. 

"Fine." Charlotte sighed, sitting up slightly in the bed of the truck. She had planned to keep that part of her life hidden from her sister and friends. It wasn't really necessary in the large scheme of things. But Kie always seemed to find a way to the truth. 

 "Kensington tried to sleep with Rafe." Her words were blunt, matter-of-fact. Her emotions over the whole situation had fizzled out long ago at this point. 

But Kiara's were brand new. "That fucking bitch!" She gasped, taking another drag. "I'm going to kill her the next time I see her."

Charlotte couldn't help but grin at her sister's vengeance. "Don't bother." She argued. "She's not worth it."

Kiara shook her head in disbelief. "And Rafe? God, there's one more reason to hate his guts."

Smile faltering slightly, Charlotte pulled at the bracelet on her wrist for a moment. "He was the one who turned her down." She admitted, voice quiet. "He actually did the right thing."

JJ snorted. "That's a first." Holding up the blunt as if to toast Charlotte, he grinned. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Charley."

Kiara whacked him in the chest. "Shut up."

Chest tightening and throat thickening with nerves, Charlotte looked back up at them. The words were forming in her mouth, but she had a hard time pushing them out.

She had wanted to save this conversation until they knew they would be able to clear John B's name, but part of her knew she needed to get it out now.

There was no doubt that they were about to be absolutely pissed at what she was going to propose to them. 

"Speaking of Rafe," She began, pulling at the bracelet again. "I need to talk to you guys about something."

Pope, who had mostly been ignoring them, too focused on the letter, finally looked up. JJ and Kie ceased the giggling fit they had fallen into seconds prior. 

"What's up, Char?" Pope wondered, a hint of worry in his expression. "You good?" He must of noticed the way her voice wobbled. 

"Yeah." She breathed, letting out a deep sigh. "But there's something you guys need to hear."

Reaching into the pocket of her shorts, Charlotte pulled out her phone. All three pairs of eyes watched her intently as she pulled up the latest voicemail she had received, putting her phone on speaker before hitting play. 

Rafe's voice came across the iPhone speakers, repeating the message Charlotte had listened to numerous times before Kiara had interrupted her earlier today.