-17-

"Are you gonna help or just stand there and watch?" Rafe complains while moving boxes into the car.

"Imma stand here." She nods and Rafe rolls his eyes. "Besides that gold is far too heavy for me"

"Gold?" Ward walks in. "Who said anything about gold?"

"I'm not stupid, I know you got the gold. Besides, someone can't keep their mouth shut." She nudges Rafe on the way to the car. "And it's not me."

"She's not a threat." Rafe tells his father. How cute. Stella waits in the car, while they continue to load up the gold, it wasn't until they got on the road that she had to break the silence. It was getting too awkward.

"Wow this is serious." She chuckles, as they drive surrounded by security. "Next time, a bigger car would been  nice though." She complains, wedged between the two Camerons. They both just roll their eyes and it went back to silence.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until a bunch of kids ran in front of the security car.

"What is this? What is this?" Ward immediately panics.

"Oh God. It's just some kids." Rafe moans.

"No! No Guys, get away from the car!" Ward starts honking his horn.

"Get out of here! Go!Go!" Rafe goes to push the kids when Stella grabs his arm.

"There are just some kids, Rafe. No need to get violent" He looks over at her, shrugging her hand off as one of the security guards realises what was going on.

"It's a trap! It's a trap!"

"Yeah no shit!" Stella mumbles, sinking into the seat.

"Mike let's go! Move the car!" Ward yells.

"He can't. The kids have burst their tires." She points out as Rafe notices something behind them.

"Dad." He warns. "Go. go. go. go"

Ward speeds off without security this time. "Find where we are." He yells at Rafe.

"All right, this road goes down the same place. We're good. All right, stay through here."

"See anybody in the mirror?"

"No, we're good."

"Are we going the right way?"

"Yeah, just turn here and then stay on that road."

Ward makes a sharp turn left and Stella grabs onto Rafe's leg to hold herself up. "Jeez."

Stella looks up to see Rafe staring at her. "What?" She glares, he looks at her hand on his leg. "Sorry your highness" she mutters, letting go.

"Are you kidding me?" Ward grumbles, spotting some people in hi-vis "What do we do? There's nowhere to turn?"

"Dunno"

"Get the gun. Get the gun, Rafe. Just hide it. and Stella, keep quiet"

She nods her head, starting to regret wanting to come with them.

"What's going on?" Ward yells out.

"Don't shoot for the sake of it, okay?" Stella whispers, looking straight ahead. She hears him exhale, "Rafe?"

"Yea-yeah maybe." As the girl appears at their window.

"I don't think so. Sinkhole. Massive" She explains.

"I'm begging you guys. if-"

The other guy holds a gun to Ward "Let me see your hands"

"Don't do anything stupid" The girl holds a knife to Rafe's throat and Stella raises her hands up.

"Get out. Easy. This is what we'll do. You're gonna walk to the sign."

Sighing, Stella gets out of the car, "Shoulda stayed with the Pogues."

The girl does a double take on her, before focusing back on Rafe. "Come on" She gestures.

"You'll put those signs on the side for me. You go to that sign" The man points at Ward, "And you two to that sign." pointing at Stella and Rafe.

"You can move it." Stella tells Rafe, who just glares. Thankfully neither of the people in hi-vis had a gun or knife pointing at her, but the girl kept staring.

"Now put the barrel to the side of the road." They explain, Stella nods at Rafe to indicate he can also do that while she takes in her surroundings.

"Take two steps back. Easy! Get on your knees!"

"Come on" The girl shoves Rafe. "You too girl."

"Hands up. Kiss the ground."

"This is so embarrassing." Stella mumbles.

"Who are you? Who are you?" Ward yells.

"I'm the Royal Commission for the redistribution of wealth. Kiss the ground."

"You guys are idiots. Our escorts are right behind us." Rafe starts.

"Oh shut up Rafe." Stella tuts.

"Yeah rich boy, listen to ya girl."

"She's not my girl." Rafe has time to tell her as two people run out towards the car.

Stella starts laughing as she realises it's John B and Sara. The girl pulls out another knife, and Stella gives her a side eye. "I would keep my attention on him if i was you." She nods at Rafe.

"Sarah?" Ward sits up.

"Get down!

"Sarah! You're alive! Baby! You're alive!"

"Hey don't talk to her. Stay down!" The girl runs over to Ward.

"I love you baby!" He tries to go over. John B holds up a gun at Ward and  Stella notices Rafe starting to panic.

"Rafe no." Stella tries to grab his arm.

"Hey! No! " Rafe goes to shoot. "Rafe!" She yells, the girl knocks him down but he fires the gun away.

"I got his gun." The girl yells but Stella looks over to see Sarah bent over slightly. Shit.

"Go, go, hurry"

"You're a coward!" Rafe yells as they drive past.

"Let's get outta here." The girl yells to the guy spotting one of the escorts in the distance.

"Don't stop, go, go." Ward yells once the escorts pull up. "Don't shoot them though."

Stella watches the cars drive off leaving them on a road in the middle of nowhere. Once they were out of sight she turned to shove Rafe.

"Hey! Hey Stella!" Ward yells out.

"I told you not to shoot." She shoves him again.

"You said not to shoot for the sake of it." He pushes her away. "They were going to shoot him" he motions at his Dad.

"Stella, it's fine he didn't hurt anyone." Ward tries to calm her down.

She keeps her eyes on Rafe, "You don't know that"

"What?" Ward exclaims.

"You don't think, do you. Honestly one kill and now you can't stop." Stella shoves him one more and he grabs her neck. "Go on baby, prove me right." She taunts.

"You're so fucking annoying." He seethes.

"And you're so fucking full of yourself. Now get off me, psycho."

He let's go, and she starts walking in the direction they came from.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rafe yells out.

"Anywhere else , I don't care."

"Just wait for them to return Stella." Ward tells her.

"No!"

"So fucking stubborn."

"I heard that!"

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Anywhere else up, ended up in a police station back with Ward and Rafe. They sat on the chairs by the desk, while Stella leant on the window staring out.

"It was her." Ward whispers. "She's alive."

"Yup and so is John B."

"You knew."

"Of course I knew, I've known for a while."

He turns his attention back to Rafe, "Stella is right though, what were you doing pointing a gun at her. Lucky you didn't hit her-"

"I did."

"What?"

"Yeah, I hit her."

"See I told you!" Stella huffs.

"Shut up. I was trying to shoot John B, okay?" He explains.

"Doesn't make it any better" She mumbles.

"It was an accident. She stepped in the way."

"Is she okay?"

"I didn't mean to shoot her. But also I don't care that I did" He said with a sinister tone. Ward stares at him.

"What did you say?"

Rafe shrugs.

"Rafe, that is your sister, okay?"

"My sister? The one who stole from us? The one who had her boyfriend pointing a gun at us, right?"

"You need to shut your mouth." Ward threatens. Stella had stopped paying attention by then .

"Sorry for the wait. We got a photo from a tourist." An officer walks in interrupting our conversation. "Can you verify?"

Ward starts to tear up, "That's my Sarah. She was kidnapped and she was brainwashed by this... he's a very disturbed individual. He's very, very dangerous, and you can see she's hurt."

Stella rolls her eyes, this family is so fucked up. She glances down at Rafe, whose face shows no emotion. So fucked up.

"Can you please find them for me?"

"We got the plate on the truck. We got photos. We'll get 'em and your stolen property."

After Ward's dramatic cry for his daughter, they went back to the house for a couple of hours. Rafe was sat on the edge of the pool, staring down into the water and Stella goes to sit next to him.

"Did you mean it?" She asks.

"Mean what?"

"What you said in the police station. About not caring that you shot Sarah."

Rafe shrugs, avoiding her gaze. "I don't really... I just..."

Stella moves to face him, waiting for him to answer, "You do care, don't you?"

"I was just trying to protect my dad."

"Your dad doesn't give a shit though." She whispers.  "All he wanted to know is if Sarah was okay."

"Don't say that."

"It's true though."

"Don't!" He snaps his head towards her. "Don't... don't say that." His hand was in a tight fist, and his eyes were almost teary. Stella knew she'd hit a nerve, but for once she didn't push it.

"Okay then." She gets up, pulling out her phone to update Kiara. Rafe watches her walk off but they don't see each other again until they're at the port where Ward is thanking the police for getting the gold back.

"I'm very, very grateful. I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much. Thank you." Ward tells the police. "Thanks" Stella mutters before they both head back over to Rafe. Both her and Ward stay stood up.

"That's unbelievable. It's there. It's all there. As far as I can tell, the gold's all there!" Ward exclaims. Well hopefully Sarah and John B got away.

Ward starts laughing, "Oh god. They say we can go in just a second. I'm gonna fly it out in the morning. Until then, it's in the capable hands of the Bahamian Police Department." He looks over at Rafe. Oh here we go again.

"Rafe, I know you're upset. I know you're feeling bad but you don't have to, okay? I know you didn't mean to hurt her. All right? They said that they've checked the hospitals. They checked the morgue. There's been nothing. She'll come back to us."

Rafe stares at Ward, "What if I'm not okay?"

"What? Sorry?"

"I'm not okay," He admits.

"You are. You're okay, buddy. He's okay isn't he Stella?" She doesn't answer, looking at Rafe almost concerned. "We will go back, get a good night's sleep. You're gonna feel completely different in the morning. I know you will."

"Dad." He puts his head in his hands. "I thought I was okay, but I'm not."

"Get control. Get control of yourself." Ward whispers, once he realises Rafe wasn't going to drop it. Stella looks at Ward in disbelief.

"I just keep... I keep having these, um... these thoughts in my head." he stands up still rubbing his eyes. "Ettie's right, one kill and... and I'm afraid of what's going to happen. I don't know how much more of this shit I can take, okay?"

"We'll talk about it."

"I'm just afraid."

Stella notices the police looking over at Rafe outbreak, "Umm you've got a crowd." She points out.

"I need help, okay? Not her." Rafe continues.

"He's all right." Wards tells the police.

"You're not listening! I'm having a hard time right now." He stands up.

Ward pulls him into a hug, "You need to man up. Look at me. Man up. Right now." He threatens. "Thank you" Ward pats his chest and goes over to the police to explain.

"Rafe" Stella says softly, he continues staring at his father. "Rafe?" She grabs his hand, getting his attention.

"What?" He asks, still staring off .

Stella tugs on his hand, turning him to face her. "Don't listen to your dad ...okay? " He goes to pull away but she grabs his other hand, forcing him to look at her. "Rafe, I'm serious."

"No, you don't understand-"

"And your dad does?" He locks eyes with her. "Look we might not like each but have I ever lied to you?"

"Ettie, he- he can" He stutters looking down. "Oh man up, Man up Rafe" he mutters to himself as Stella finds herself rubbing her thumb along his hand.

"No." His head snaps up. "No, you don't need to man up Rafe. That's bullshit."

"I'm not okay." He mumbles again.

"Got that right." Stella smiles slightly. "But hey, it's okay. I mean with all that gold you can pay for therapy." She jokes but he doesn't find it fun. Why was she feeling sorry for him? He killed Peterkin, he shot his sister, he almost killed her! "It's okay you know you can get help....and it doesn't have to be scary."

"Why do you care?"

"I..." She stares at him not knowing how to answer.  "Who said I cared?" She half smiles at him.