─☼☼☼─

𝙍𝘼𝙁𝙀

𝙎𝙃𝙊𝘾𝙆 𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙄𝙏𝙎 way through the group as they all laid eyes on Charlotte. They couldn't believe they'd found her. It seemed like one in a million, yet here she was.

Rafe held onto her as tight as possible, never wanting to let go. Charlotte's arms snaked around his waist, her grasp was just as tight on him.

She sobbed into his chest, and all Rafe could do for a moment was comfort her. He pressed kisses to the top of her head, whispering assurances over and over again.

Despite the fact that he could have held onto her like that for forever, Rafe was relieved when Charlotte pulled back slightly to look at him. He wanted to get a good look at her, to make sure she was actually okay,

Her lip was swollen and split, meaning someone had likely hit hurt. Rafe knew the minute he laid eyes on the son of a bitch who'd done that to her, he'd make them wish they never touched his Lottie.

He reached out, running a thumb over her lip gently. Charlotte didn't flinch, just looked up at him with her wide, brown eyes.

"How did you─" It was only now that she seemed to realize that there were more people here aside from her and Rafe. Her lips trembled at the sight of her friends, so grateful to see them all. And then she looked back to Rafe, and her expression said it all. She couldn't believe he'd agreed to work with the Pogues...but she knew he'd done it for her, and that made her love him more than she could ever explain.

Rafe still held her as close as he could while still being able to look at her face. Her eyes held a story, the trauma she had suffered in the past day or so.

"Don't worry about it right now," he shushed gently. "Just know that you're safe."

Although Rafe wished that it had just been them standing there, he was soon reminded that it wasn't.

"Who's blood is that?" The Maybank kid demanded, physically removing Charlotte from Rafe so he could get a good look at her.

Charlotte dragged her eyes up to meet his, giving him a small shake of her head. "It's not mine." She said gently, tears settling in her eyes once again. "It's Mateo's."

JJ had no idea who she was talking about, but Rafe and Kiara did. A small gasp flew from Kiara's lips. "Charley, what happened?"

Clearing her throat, Charlotte shook away the tears. "Ryan," she answered. "One of Singh's men...he has a gun. Mateo tried to save me and—" She cut herself off, unable to finish her thought.

Rafe cut in between her and JJ, once again taking Charlotte into his arms. "It's okay, baby." He assured, wrapping his arms around her in a way that he hoped made her feel like she was protected from the world around her.

"So what I'm hearing is that we need to get moving?" Cleo questioned, an impatience on her features.

Pope nodded in agreement, "Yeah, if he's out here with a gun then we need to get the hell out of here."

Looking down at Charlotte, Rafe let out a sigh, "Can we not just let Lottie rest for a minute?"

Charlotte shook her head, taking a small step back from him. "I'm okay." She assured. "Pope and Cleo are right. We should move."

Silently, JJ held out his canteen of water, allowing Charlotte to take a much need drink from it. Rafe hated himself for not being the one to do that. He didn't even think of it.

As if she had just noticed, Charlotte looked at the five people standing in front of her. "Where are John B and Sarah?"

What Rafe wanted to say was, "Who the fuck cares?" but he kept his mouth shut instead.

"Went after Big John," Kiara answered, "Now that we have you back...our next goal was to go after them."

Rafe tensed. He had never wanted to go after John B and Sarah. His one and only goal had ever been to get Charlotte back into his arms. Now that he had her he was about ready to get on a flight and leave the rest of these maniacs behind.

But even without looking at Charlotte's face, he knew that she would want to go after them. And that meant that's what he was doing too.

"We stay on alert," JJ instructed, patting the machete that sat in his waistband, "we use these only if necessary."

All of the Pogues had a blade. Rafe wasn't sure when they'd acquired them and why the hell he didn't have one.

"Okay," Kiara nodded, giving her sister a once over, assuring she was okay. Charlotte sent a small smile in the direction of her younger sister, letting her know that she was. As much as Rafe hated to admit it, he was glad Charlotte had Kiara, despite all of the younger one's faults.

The group resumed their seemingly aimless venture through the jungle. But this time, they knew a threat was out there without a doubt. Rafe kept Charlotte close to him, prepared to carry her through that damn jungle if she showed any sign of being too tired. She leaned into him, as if he was the only thing keeping her going. That made Rafe's heart swell, that he could provide her with so much comfort.

"This is the way to Eldorado," JJ pointed, squinting at the map they had acquired from one of the locals. "Best bet is that they're somewhere that way."

Rafe still thought the whole El Dorado thing was a crock of shit. But if following the Pogues was his and Charlotte's best way out of this fucking place, he would shut his mouth and put his pride aside — as hard as that was.

"Is Singh out here too?" Charlotte questioned, voice hoarse and weak.

Kiara nodded, "Think so. If Sarah and John B managed to free Big John, there's no doubt that Singh went after them."

Charlotte opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it, brows furrowing as she turned her head slightly. "I hear people," she muttered, a for a moment Rafe feared she had sustained yet another head trauma. But soon enough, he heard it too.

The Pogues paused, all of them doing their best to listen.

"That way," Pope declared, pointing in the direction of the voices. 

As the Pogues stupidly took off toward the voices, Rafe held Charlotte back for a moment. "Maybe we should just find our way out of here," he suggested, casting a glance over his shoulder. "Why would we go toward the voices and risked getting ourselves killed?"

Charlotte gave him a sad smile, both of them already knowing what she was going to say. "That could be John B and Sarah," she said softly, "I can't just abandon my friends." Taking a hold of his hands, Charlotte spoke again, "If you want to go then─"

"No." Rafe interjected. "I'm not leaving you ever again."

That was the answer Charlotte had been waiting to hear. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his, "Okay," she breathed, "Then let's go."

If Charlotte had said the word, Rafe would have been hauling ass to get out of that jungle. But instead he was following after some of the people he detested most in this world. It was crazy what he was willing to do for love. 

─☼☼☼─

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙏𝙏𝙀

By the time Rafe and Charlotte caught up to the others, they were crouched beneath a slight ridge, each of them with uneasy looks on their faces. Charlotte followed their line of sight and she was forced to hold in the audible gasp that wanted to tumble from her lips at the sight of Ward Cameron pointed a gun at Big John and John B. Sarah stood in between the three of them, as if blocking John B from danger. 

"What is your dad doing here?" Charlotte demanded, voice low as she looked to Rafe for an explanation. 

He simply shook his head, his eyes dark as he watched on. 

"All right, what are we gonna do?" Pope questioned the other Pogues. 

JJ gave a slight tilt of his head, "Is this ride or die?"

It was Cleo who spoke first, unsheathing her blade. "P4L"

Pope followed. "P4L"

Then Kiara. "P4L"

And then JJ. "P4L, baby."

They all stood with their blades on the ready. None of them looked back at her, but it was as if they were all waiting. 

Silently, Charlotte turned her head slightly, meeting the hardened gaze of her boyfriend. She'd never been so obviously caught in the middle of the two of them like this. 

Giving Rafe a sad smile, Charlotte nodded. "P4L" She said softly, and she could have sworn she saw her sister and JJ's shoulders relax at her words. 

What she expected was for Rafe to be angry. What she didn't expect was for him to give her a small nod, as if he understood. "Stay close to me," he whispered, pulling her next to him as they watched the Pogues rush on Ward. "Do not leave my side."

Charlotte didn't need to be told twice. Leaving Rafe's side was literally the last thing she wanted to do in that moment...or in any moment in the future. If she could just move Rafe, her sister, and friends to a little island where they all got along and never had to leave, she would have in a heartbeat. 

The Pogues yells ripped through the jungle as they jumped out at Ward, startling everyone as they appeared. Ward spun on them, gun raised as he surveyed who was standing in front of him. When his eyes met Charlotte and Rafe's, he gave his head a small shake. Rafe couldn't hold his gaze for long, dropping his eyes to Charlotte instead. She gave his hand a squeeze, a tight smile on her lips. She knew how hard this was for him. 

"Stop!" Ward snapped at them, trying to decide who to settle his gun on. "Stay there!"

The Pogues held their machetes out in front of them, and Charlotte hoped they knew they were no match for the bullets in Ward's gun. But he couldn't kill all of them. Charlotte really hoped he wouldn't kill anyone. 

"You're outnumbered, Ward." JJ declared, as if reading Charlotte's mind. "Come on, put it down."

Ward's eyes were wild as he took short, heaved breaths. 

Shocking every single person there, Rafe spoke up, his hand still clutched in Charlotte's. "Dad, just drop it."

Betrayal flashed beneath Ward's eyes as he kept the gun gripped tightly in his shaking hands. "Come on, son," he breathed, "Don't do this."

Charlotte shook her head, taking a small step in front of Rafe. "This is on you," she snapped, "Put the damn gun down and leave Rafe out of this for once in your damn life."

Part of Charlotte was afraid Ward was going to shoot her right then and there. But he didn't, instead he swung the gun and refocused it on the rest of the Pogues.

Pope's face was written in pure anger, "What are you going to do, shoot us all?"

Big John, who to Charlotte's sad realization had already been wounded, spoke up. "If you're going to shoot somebody, Ward. Shoot me."

Ward didn't need any prompting to swing his gun back toward the Routledge men. His clear shot of Big John was blocked by John B who was taking large, determined steps toward Ward. "Or me." he bit out, face unwavering. 

Charlotte's heart jumped in her chest at the sight of John B so close to the gun. She had almost no doubt that Ward would be willing to kill the boy and then his father. 

And he might have, if not for the teenage girl who had always been caught in the middle of all of this. 

Sarah's eyes were filled with tears as she stepped in between her father and the boy she had given it all up for. "Stop," she demanded. Despite her best efforts, Charlotte could see her fear seeping through. "Enough." She took another full step forward so the barrel of Ward's gun was pressed directly to her chest. "

Ward shook his head, and despite the fact that Charlotte couldn't see his face, she knew he was crying. "Don't!" He yelled at his daughter, voice cracking. 

Sarah pursed her lips, not backing down. "You're not going to kill us all. I know you won't." A tear trickled down her cheeks. "I know you. You forget that I know you."

When Charlotte looked up at Rafe, his eyes were locked on his father and sister, jaw set as he watched on with a dark expression. Part of Charlotte feared that he wanted his father to pull the trigger. But she told herself otherwise. Rafe had changed. He'd done better...right?

A sob fell from Ward's lips as Sarah reached up and placed her hand over the gun, slowly lowering it. "You can't," she said softly, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. 

Ward hunched in on himself, his cries echoing in the jungle as he released the gun, allowing Sarah to take it from his hands. "I couldn't." he cried, reaching out to place a shaky hand on Sarah's cheek. "I couldn't do it."

"Yeah?" The voice didn't come from any of the Pogues, or even from Rafe or Big John. It came from directly behind them, and instantly Charlotte's blood ran cold. She knew that voice. Just as she registered it, she felt something press into the back of her skull.

All of them turned, panic surging through the group at the sight of Ryan, his gun pressed against Charlotte's head, "Well, I can."

John B was quick, and within seconds he had taken the gun from Sarah's hands and pointed it at Ryan. 

A humourless laugh fell from Ryan's lips as he cocked then gun, pressing it harder against Charlotte's skull. She winced as fear gripped her lungs. She could have taken that gun when she went back for Mateo. Or she could have thrown it somewhere. But she hadn't...and now he had it pointed at her head. 

Rafe tensed as he watched on, pure hatred flaring across his features. "Let her go, you son of a bitch." He took a small step forward, as if to put himself between Ryan and Charlotte. 

But Ryan didn't like that. 

The shot rang off, causing all of them to flinch in fear as it hit the tree next to Charlotte. Kiara let off a terrified at the sound of the noise, terrified she'd just heard her sister die. 

Charlotte let out quick, panicked breaths as she met the worried gaze of her sister, giving her a small nod. She was okay...for now.

JJ gripped onto his blade, his expression just as angry as Rafe's, "Come on man, just let her go."

Ryan ignored him, "Next person who moves is going to be the reason for her death." he bit out, eyes swivelling back to John B. "Now toss it."

Big John winced slightly as he tried to sit up, "Your boss is dead, man. There's no reason to do this."

"I can think of a few reasons," Ryan argued, stepping forward to wrap his arm around Charlotte's neck. He held her close, moving the gun so it was pressed against her temple. "Where's your friend?" He taunted in her ear. "Him and that bullet getting along well?"

Charlotte bit down on the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to grit out a response. 

Ryan refocused on John B, his grip tightening on Charlotte. "I said drop it!" he snapped, "Or she's dead."

It seemed that a million possibilities were rushing through John B's mind. But everyone knew each of them ended up with Charlotte dead, all but one. His eyes met Charlotte's, and ever so slowly he lowered the gun to the ground and stepped away, hands raised. 

Then, and only then, Ryan released his hold on Charlotte, shoving her forward as he reached down for John B's gun. 

Charlotte had barely been released from his grasp by the time Rafe had his arms around her, holding him close to his chest as he walked them away from Ryan's direct line of fire. "I've got you," he assured softly, and Charlotte could already tell he was beating himself up for even letting her be in the line of danger. She knew that if he had the choice, he'd be walking her out of that jungle right then and there. 

"My mate back there is dead," Ryan announced, swivelling his gun toward Sarah, "Because of you."

Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick as he kept the gun trained on Sarah. Truthfully, she'd rather have the gun pointed at her than have to watch one of her friends die. 

"You go first," Ryan declared, eyes locked on Sarah for a moment before they shifted over to where Charlotte was, still tucked in Rafe's embrace. "And then you."

Ward Cameron looked like his world had fallen down around him at even the idea of his daughter being harmed. And, shockingly, the idea of Charlotte following in her fate was not one that pleased him. 

With a look that said a thousand words, Ward looked to his eldest child, his son who had done everything to make his father happy. Ward Cameron had destroyed Rafe Cameron, and with that look it was as if he acknowledge everything that had happened. 

A noise sounded in Rafe's throat, reminicsing a sob that couldn't quite escape as Ward gave him a small nod before looking to Sarah. Once again, a silent exchange occurring between them. 

And then, he did it. 

A scream tore from Ward's mouth as he lunged at Ryan, the noise soon being drowned out by the sound of several gunshots. 

Charlotte flinched, leaning into Rafe as she watched Ward tackled Ryan, the two of them stumbling backward.

Even if Ward had been able to survive the gunshot wounds, the fall...the fall took all of that chance away. 

Everyone froze for a moment, utter shock at what they had just witnessed cascading across the features of each of the kids. Even the Pogues, who held so much distaste towards Ward Cameron, looked mortified at what had just happened. 

Rafe let out a choked gasp, pulling himself from Charlotte's grasp as he stepped toward the cliff. Sarah joined him, the two siblings standing side by side for a moment as they looked down at the body of their father. 

Slowly, each of the other kids stepped toward the cliff edge, stopping next to the Cameron siblings as they, too, looked down at the damage that had been done. Ward's body was sprawled on the ground, showing no sign of life. None at all. 

Once, Ward Cameron had been like a second father to Charlotte, and while so much had changed, seeing him meet a fate as such, a true death, cracked her heart. 

Rafe reached out to her, needing to feel her comfort. Charlotte wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to bury his head in the crook of her neck. The mixture of Sarah's sobs and Rafe's quiet tears broke Charlotte's heart in two, and she wished more than anything she could take the hurt from them. 

Ward Cameron had thrived on evil, had ruined the lives of so many. But in the end, he'd died protecting his family. He'd finally done what was right. 

Charlotte just hoped this didn't destroy Rafe. She prayed that this was not his downfall. 

─☼☼☼─