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𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘅𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻: 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱

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The Pogues made their way up the beach since Cleo had claimed she knew somewhere they could lay low and figure out how to get Cassie back.

Their attempt at storming Vaux Hall didn't work out too well for them and now those armed guards were definitely searching for them if they weren't before.

"Cleo, do you actually know where you're going?" JJ questioned, wearing Portis's blue shirt that was a bit too big for him. He was getting antsy and impatient, especially after their failed attempt at getting his girl back.

Cleo pointed to the abandoned building that sat above them. "We can hole up here. It ain't the Taj Mahal, but..." She trailed off.

"It'll do," John B finished for her.

"I get the biggest room," Cleo grinned before they continued their hike up to the building.

Once they made it up, JJ peered over the ledge to see men in ATVs driving beneath them. He ducked down and watched as they passed before he signaled, "Go, go, go, go!"

They all rushed inside the building, pressing their backs up against the walls in the building to hide from the men. They watched as another ATV drove by and Cleo whispered, "Go!"

They all followed Cleo up the steps to the building. "You sure this is safe?" John B inquired.

"You got a better idea?" Cleo countered before they made it up top. "We can stay here. It's an old hotel. Terrance and I squatted here before."

"Five stars," JJ commented before he made his way inside, followed by the others, to look below and make sure the men had driven away.

"Watch your step. Massive sinkhole," Cleo warned.

Sarah looked down at the sinkhole, blinking. "Oh. Home sweet home," she said sarcastically.

"Nothing says home like having a massive sinkhole inside with armed guards chasing after you," Kiara added and Sarah hummed, raising her brows.

"We gotta get Cassie out, guys," JJ reminded them. "Does anyone have anything?" He practically begged, holding his arms out.

"Well, we can't storm the fort. We can't call the cops," Pope began.

JJ held a hand up to his face, rubbing his temples. "That's not helping, Pope," he muttered before he took a seat, trying to calm his rapid heart rate. He held a hand up to his heart, trying to take deep breaths like Cassie had told him to do back in the ambulance a while back.

He even imagined it was her own hand instead of his. He imagined her sky blue eyes staring into his ocean blue eyes, telling him to breathe deeply. He imagined every inch of her in front of him, safe and sound.

He calmed down a little.

Just a little.

"We can't even negotiate. We don't know what they want," Pope continued. "It's gotta be about the cross or the gold."

Cleo hummed. "Guys like Singh, it's always about money," she pointed out and JJ rolled his eyes in frustration, panting heavily as he placed his hands on his hips.

Sarah went over to John B, who was staring out into the water. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know. We all just gotta get off this damn island," John B breathed out and Sarah placed a chaste kiss on his shoulder to try to comfort him.

JJ watched them, wishing that were him and Cassie right now. Living on that island for a month was the most bliss he had ever experienced in his entire life and most of it had to do with Cassandra Blake.

But now she was taken from him, just like she was taken from him before they got on the Coastal Venture. This, however, had been ten times worse than that and JJ didn't know how much longer he could stay sane before he went absolutely ballistic.

He knew Cassie was extremely capable of fending for herself, but what if this time was different? What if she wouldn't be able to make it out this time? The thought of that made whatever calmness he felt dissipate once more and turn back into anxiety, causing him to rub his face stressfully.

Kiara walked up to him, seeing how worried he looked. "Hey, Jayj, it's gonna be okay," she assured him although she wasn't sure if she believed it herself. She just hated seeing him this way, so frantic and nervous. She knew it was bad when he got this way seeing as though JJ was the least nervy out of all of them. She just wanted to help him and maybe it would also help herself.

JJ shut his eyes, shaking his head. "We just gotta get her back."

"I know. I know. We're trying," she said before she decided to place her hand the side of his arm, rubbing it soothingly. "I'm glad that you care so much, though. You and Cassie have come a long way since the start of the year." JJ opened his eyes, seeing the way Kiara had been looking at him with her head tilted as she rubbed his arm. "It makes me happy...apart from the circumstances, obviously."

She gave him a soft smile, looking into his eyes meaningfully. JJ swallowed thickly at the action before he cleared his throat, getting up to move away from her. "Yeah. Yeah. I don't leave a Pogue behind," he nodded before he walked off to stare out into the sky, the color of it reminding him of Cassie's eyes.

Kiara gave him a lopsided frown from behind him before she went over to converse with Sarah and Cleo.

Back at Vaux Hall, Cassie didn't get a wink of sleep. She was given purply-blue satin pajamas that were as comfortable as ever on her skin, but that didn't seem to help her get any rest.

She had been up all night, worried about Singh and what he would do. She was also worried about Rafe and having to share a room with him, not knowing what he would do to her if she happened to fall asleep.

Most importantly, she was worried about the Pogues and how she would get back to them. She had no idea what they could have been doing, but she hoped they were okay.

She had tried to imagine being with them, specifically with JJ. She imagined him lying right beside her, just like they had been lying on that ocean rock and staring up at the stars a month ago. She imagined his hands wrapped around her as, holding her as they talked about whatever constellation they had spotted that night.

She didn't think she would ever think this, but she wished she could have been back on that damn island.

With the Pogues and with him.

She may have had a shower and fresh clothes, but nothing could beat how she felt whenever she was around her boy. He made her feel safe, adored — like she was the only girl in the world to him.

Now all she could do was hope he was safe along with the others.

She was currently sitting on the edge of the bed, her mind had been racing as she braided her hair once more. She looked down at Rafe, who had "kindly" opted to sleep on the floor, and saw that he was still sleeping.

She had to get out of there somehow. She wasn't sure what the Pogues were up to, but she assumed they were definitely trying to get her back. Especially with JJ there. Last time he was apparently "tweaking" out, according to him, so she couldn't imagine what he had been feeling now that the stakes were so much higher than just being kidnapped by her wretched mother.

She began to think back to what Singh wanted, the diary. She didn't have it, she had only seen in the past when they were on the hunt for the cross. But she could tell him she could get it for him and use that as a way out. It was risky, but at this point, she was willing to do anything to leave this place and leave Rafe to deal with the consequences.

She sucked in her lip before she got up toward the window, seeing a guard standing right outside in the balcony. She began to knock on it, trying to get the guard's attention. "Hey! Hey," she whispered to try to not wake Rafe up. "I need to talk to Mr. Singh. Hey, go get Mr. Singh."

"What are you doing?" Rafe groggily asked from the floor. She mentally cursed before she continued to try to get the guard's attention. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," Rafe whispered as he scrambled up, making his way over to her. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

"You think I would tell you?" Cassie replied as she faced his way before pushing past him. He had a lot of nerve thinking she was about to tell him everything just because they were locked up together in this murder mansion.

"Think for a second. Cassie, what-what are you doing?"

She ignored him as she went to the door, banging on it. "Hello?"

"Hey, what're you doing?" Rafe questioned as she strode up to her.

"Get away from me!" She demanded as he held up a hand, making Rafe take a step back. She continued to bang on the door, trying to get their attention but no one had come. She sighed in frustration.

Rafe went back over to her and it was her turn to take a step back. "You're lying about this diary thing," he confronted, staring her in the eyes. "You know where it is."

"No, I don't," Cassie shook her head, moving away from him once more.

"You don't? Okay," Rafe shrugged, pretending to believe it.

"You wish."

"Okay, listen, I wouldn't tell me either..."

"Hey!" Cassie tried banging on the window again.

"...but he's never gonna believe that we don't know something, all right? Okay, Singh killed that—"

"Don't touch me!" Cassie cut him off once he tried to place his hand on her shoulder, her nostrils flaring angrily. Every touch she had linked back to that fateful night she spent with him, and she didn't want to relive that. The very thought of that night made her feel ashamed with herself even though all her friends had forgiven her.

But that didn't mean she forgave herself.

"Look around, Cass. I'm the only friend you got," Rafe told her.

She glared at him. "Don't ever call me that," she demanded. The only one allowed to call her that was JJ and Rafe definitely wasn't JJ.

Looking into JJ's eyes brought her comfort and warmth while looking into Rafe's brought her distaste and coldness.

He narrowed his eyes at her before the door unlocked and opened behind them, a guard stepping inside. Cassie instantly went over, causing Rafe to try to interrupt, "Hey."

"I need to talk to Mr. Singh," Cassie said to the guard, ignoring Rafe behind her. "I have something to tell him. It's urgent." She glanced back at Rafe, who's lips had been pursed, before she look back at the guard.

"Yes," the guard said before grabbing her arm, taking her out of the room and locking the door behind them. He pulled her down the steps before they made it the room she was in with Singh before, letting go of her arm. "There."

Singh had been sitting at the head of the dining table, exhaling as he waited for what Cassie had to say. "I lied. I know about the diary," Cassie admitted and Singh shifted in his seat. "I don't have the original. But I can get you a copy."

Singh smiled, nodding slowly. "I'm relieved to hear you say that, you know," he spoke before he ate a green grape. "May I offer you something to eat?"

"I won't lie, I don't really have an appetite after being surrounded by men with guns," Cassie remarked, giving him a sarcastic smile. Okay, I really have to shut up before I test my luck too much.

"Relax. Nothing's gonna happen to you now. You're cooperating, and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, you know," he assured her, but Cassie didn't really believe him. After he killed Portis, someone who worked with him, why should she believe him?

"I just want to get you what you want, and then I want to leave," Cassie expressed. "Look, I know where it is. But I have to go by myself. Just me. Alone."

Singh chuckled. "But how would I know that you'd come back? You know, I need some collateral."

"Rafe's here," she said immediately with a shrug. "Keep him."

She wouldn't feel bad for leaving Rafe after everything he did to her and her friends. She kept saying how much she wanted Rafe to pay for everything he did and this would be the perfect time to make that happen.

"Rafe," Singh laughed before he slowly got up from his seat, sighing. "How did someone so young get into so much trouble?"

"You'd have to ask him," she replied as she watched Singh walk past her, goosebumps rising on her skin but she tried not to let her anxiety show. "Look, I know where the diary is, and if you let me go, I promise you I can get it to you."

Singh turned back around, slowing walking towards her. "You know, I built this fortune myself, you know...from nothing. From absolutely nothing. Do you know how that happened, Ms. Blake? Hmm? I can assure you it was not by being a fool." Cassie felt her stomach drop. "Don't waste my time. The diary holds the key to the ultimate conquest, and that, my young friend, Ms. Blake, is my destiny. So you need to tell me where it is, or I'm gonna—"

Singh was interrupted by the sound of his phone buzzing, making him rub his face before he went over to his phone. He picked up and read the message, releasing a short laugh.

"Amazing. A text from our friend Jimmy Portis. From beyond the grave, apparently. It seems Mr. Portis has captured your friends." He went back over to her and held his phone up, showing the message he received. It was a picture of John B and Sarah with a text that read, I got these two.

Cassie's mouth parted at the message, realizing that the Pogues were trying to get her back but their plan to pretend to be Portis blew up in their faces since they had no idea he had been shot yesterday.

"Ryan!" Singh suddenly yelled, walking away.

"No, no, no," Cassie muttered as she followed after Singh.

She heard Singh instruct Ryan, "Get the big trucks and meet me in the back in three minutes."

He's gonna kill them.

"Copy," Ryan replied.

"Fantastic."

"Mr. Singh," Cassie tried to plead with him.

"Fenton, get Ms. Blake," Singh pointed at her before Fenton walked towards her, grabbing her harshly.

"Mr. Singh, please," she continued as Fenton pushed her toward the steps. "Please don't hurt my friends! Please! Please! Please don't. Please don't hurt them!" She cried out as Fenton kept forcing her up the stairs.

"That depends, Ms. Blake," Singh began.

"Mr. Singh, please!" Cassie tried again.

"We'll continue our chat later. I look forward to it, you know."

"We're just kids!" She exclaimed, but it was no use. Singh walked away and Fenton kept forcing her up the stairs until they made it back to the Orinoco Room.

"Inside," Fenton demanded as he pushed Cassie inside, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"UGH!" Cassie raged, wanting nothing more than to kick the door down but she was currently barefoot so she would probably break a toe.

She opted for pushing over the tall lamp that was in the room, causing it crash to the floor with a bang. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey. What happened?" Rafe questioned, watching as moved away from the fallen lamp and onto the edge of the bed where she placed her head in her hands.

She didn't answer him and he released a short sigh. "You're gonna have to talk to me at some point. Okay?"

"Do I have to remind you of everything you've done? Because it's a long list," Cassie voiced and Rafe released a longer sigh. "You strangled me. Twice! Knocked me out too, remember that? You killed Peterkin. And everything you put Sarah through. Need I add more?"

"Peterkin, tha — I was protecting my father, okay?" He justified.

"Your father was getting arrested, not shot," Cassie argued, bearing her teeth.

"You don't know that. She could have shot him." She rolled her eyes at him. "I did what I had to, so...don't." He held his hand up, sitting down on the chair diagonal to the bed. "I'm as much a victim as she is," he added after a moment and Cassie slowly looked up at him, not believing the audacity.

"No? Think about it. Okay? What did I get from shooting Peterkin, huh? Nothing. Okay? I had nothing against her. I mean, I-I-I-I liked her. You-you think I wanted to make th-that choice, huh? What I did was a gift from me to my father for...for him, and I got screwed because of it, okay? So don't get that look when I say I'm a victim, all right? I am!" Rafe raised his voice toward the end and Cassie looked away from him, trying her best to remain calm when she wanted nothing more than to slap him for his words.

How did he have the balls to say he was a victim after everything he had put her and the Pogues through?

"I will admit, though, what I...what I did to Sarah..." He trailed off and Cassie looked back over, seeing how his eyes had started to water, "what I tried to do, um..." He got up from the chair, "...what I tried to do to Sarah, I admit that was wrong. I know that. All right? So you don't have to remind me," he cried, before he began to slap his head a few times with his hands.

Cassie blinked at him, unsure if they were crocodile tears or not and this was some manipulation tactic.

"She was family. I should've never touched her, you know? I should've never touched her, but, you know, I just lose control in moments like that, and I don't know what happened. I'm just — I'm trying...I'm trying to get better, okay?"

"Is that what happened when you strangled me? You lost control? Is that it?" She asked him, raising her brows.

Rafe sucked in a breath, wiping the tears away. "Yes. I should have never-I should have never done that to you. I mean, I-I like you. You know that."

"Like me or obsessed with me?" She deadpanned, trying her luck with the boy again.

Rafe swallowed thickly. "How am I not supposed to think about you when we...when we slept together?" He pointed out and she looked away, feeling disgusted with herself at the memory once more. "You-you lied to me about being a virgin, but-but I don't care about that, Cassie. I just...I liked you. I still do." She sucked in a breath. "And I thought you wanted to be with me and when you said you didn't I-I tweaked a bit."

She looked back over to him, her lip curling a bit. "A bit?"

"Okay, a lot," Rafe corrected and she hummed, raising her brows. "I was-I was high on-on coke and I wasn't thinking straight. I'm trying to fix it, okay? I am," he assured her and she pursed her lips at him. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for putting my hands on you. I-I shouldn't have done that and-and I regret it. Just like you regret sleeping with me."

Cassie eyes moved away from his, staring down at the ground. He wasn't lying, she did regret sleeping with him. But how was she supposed to know that he wasn't lying about everything else that just came out of mouth? This could have been one whole manipulation tactic to get her to trust him so then he can screw her over and save himself in the end.

She had to be smart about this, for once, so she didn't respond just yet, letting him continue.

"I mean, you and me, Cassie? We're not so different." She tensed up at that, narrowing her eyes. "You get mad. I get mad. Our parents aren't...the greatest. We're more similar than you think."

She blinked at him. "The difference between you me and Rafe is that when I get mad, I don't go around killing people."

Sure, she went around yelling and knocking things over, maybe hitting someone here and there, but she had never gotten close to killing someone.

He huffed. "You're acting as if I'm a serial killer. Okay, I only killed Peterkin."

"Renfield?" She reminded him.

"That wasn't me. It was Limbrey, I swear to God," he revealed and she tilted her head a bit. "I swear, it's only been Peterkin." She hummed, glancing away from him.

Ha, "only." Like that makes it any better.

"Look, it all just doesn't matter. All I'm saying is just that I'm not the bad guy you think I am, okay? But even if I was...even if I just, like, bad Rafe Cameron or something...you got no choice," he continued, moving so that he was right in front of her. "You may-you may not want to trust me, okay, but I'm your best bet." He suddenly crouched below her, holding his arms as if he was praising her. "Look. I got a boat that can get us off island, okay? But first, we gotta get out of here, and it is better if we work together."

Cassie stared down at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Work together? Like, her work with Rafe Cameron? He had to be snorting something.

Oh, wait. He might actually be snorting something, oops.

She milled the proposition over in her mind. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the man in front of her...but it may have been her only chance of getting out of here. It was a risk, but it was a risk she was willing to take if they meant getting back to the Pogues and seeing JJ again.

However, before she could give him an answer, they heard before the sound of a vehicle outside. Cassie looked over and got up to go toward the window. Rafe got up from of his crouch, watching as cassie pulled open the curtain to look out the window.

"They're leaving?" Rafe asked from behind her.

"They're going to find John B...and your sister."

And probably JJ and the others too. Fuck.

Rafe went over to the window once Cassie moved away, watching as the car drove away. "Sucks for them," Rafe spoke and Cassie gave him a look. "That's good for us though. This may be our only shot at getting out of here."

She sucked in a breath and thought, Fine. Guess we're doing this then.

"And what do you have in mind?" She asked.

Rafe tilted his head. "I have an idea."

"Which is?"

"It starts with you yelling at me."

"I like it already."

authors note!
yay i managed to get a double update in
yippee!!! it would nag on me if i didnt so
i wanted to try and here you guys go!!
hopefully you guys likes this chapter. it's
killing me jj and cassie haven't reunited
yet but at the same time im eating up the
angst (as yall know i do atp hehehe)