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THE DAYS FLEW by in a blur of open sea and so many meals composed of fish that Charlotte was pretty sure she'd never be able to eat seafood ever again.

They'd made considerable distance, having safely passed through the Bermuda Triangle, much to everyone's relief. But Charlotte knew not to revel in their safety until their feet hit solid ground in Morocco — even then she knew their safety wasn't guaranteed.

And that terrified her. Because almost everyone she loved most in this world was on that boat with her. If she lost any of them...well Charlotte Carrera wasn't sure how she could live a life without her sister. Or her friends. Or Rafe. Especially Rafe.

Rafe.

Her heart physically hurt at the thought of him. Locked alone in that damn room.

Charlotte hadn't been able to bring herself to go back in there since that very first day on the boat. She couldn't bare to face his looked of betrayal. And she especially couldn't bare having to physically locked him in there every time she left.

She knew it was immature, selfish, and perhaps pathetic that she was actively avoiding him on a boat of all places. But Charlotte couldn't quite get passed it.

Sarah — being one of, if not the only, people able to tolerate Rafe — had taken to bringing him his meals. Most of the times she delivered messages to Charlotte from Rafe, which often times made Charlotte feel even worse about what a dick she was being.

That particular day was no different.

"He's asking for you again," Sarah sighed, sliding into the booth next to Charlotte after delivering Rafe his dinner. "He wants you to know he's not upset with you."

A pang of guilt stung through Charlotte's heart as she forced a drink of water down her throat, trying to disguise the pain in her features.

JJ snorted from across the table — drunk as always. "He's just trying to mess with you, Charlotte," he muttered, digging into the plate of dinner in front of him.

Kiara cleared her throat, giving JJ a nudge as she rose her brows. "We didn't say grace."

JJ rolled his eyes as he dropped his fork, the utensils clattering against his plate as he stuck his hands out, waiting for Kiara and John B, who sat on the other side of him, to place their hands in his.

Charlotte bit back her response to JJ as she placed her hands in Sarah and Pope's, tilting her head downward slightly as Kiara said thanks for their meal, and their safety. But Charlotte didn't feel very thankful in that moment.

"Like, you know he's just trying to guilt you into letting him out, right?" JJ immediately jumped back into the discussion once Kiara had finished speaking.

Looking down at her dinner of —you guessed it — fish, Charlotte gave a small shrug. "Would that be so crazy?" She questioned, looking around the table. "I mean, what do we really think he's going to do?"

JJ's answer came before anyone else's. "Murder us and dump our bodies in the ocean probably."

Charlotte sent him a mocking smile. "I wouldn't let him do that. I'd at least ensure he gave you a proper burial." She bit back sarcastically.

A glare was sent in her direction from JJ as John B levelled with logic. "It's not necessarily that we think he's going to do anything. But if we let him out we do run the risk of something going wrong. I just think while were locked in this watery prison, we should do everything we can to avoid conflict."

His argument made sense, and that annoyed Charlotte.

"You know you can go talk to him, right?" Kiara challenged her sister. "He's not in, like, solitary confinement or something."

"I know," Charlotte argued, more defensively than she intended. No one understood her anguish, no matter how much they told her they did. "I just think it's unfair that he got us this boat and we turn around and lock him away."

Sarah, who had been rather quiet, gave a small nod. "I think I agree with Char." All eyes swivelled toward her. "I'm not saying I trust him fully, but do we have to lock him up like that?"

Pope opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of JJ's open palm coming into contact with the table cut him off and subsequently startled everyone. The plates and cutlery clattered loudly as JJ locked his eyes on Charlotte. "We're not letting him out. End of damn discussion."

No it wasn't.

"Who died and made you God?" Charlotte fired back, having become increasingly on edge with JJ's behaviour over the last few weeks. She tried so hard to cut him some slack, but she could only handle it for so long.

The others all winced, anticipating the argument that was about to ensue.

"Okay, let's table this discussion for now," John B interrupted, his voice speaking above JJ who had already began to shoot back a response.

Charlotte's eyes darted over to him. "No, we really should talk about it."

John B closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, we shouldn't. Because JJ will say something completely off side, you'll start crying, and then it will be World War III."

"I will not start crying!" Charlotte argued, offence dripping from her words.

Kiara gave her sister a sheepish look. "You do cry a lot. Classic eldest daughter."

When no one came to Charlotte's defense, she narrowed her eyes. "Sue me for having a fucking heart," she muttered. "Can't say the same for the rest of you assholes."

"Case and point," Kiara motioned. "You're taking it as a personal attack."

Charlotte pushed her plate away. "It was a personal attack," she argued, sliding out of the booth. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Charley, come on," Pope pleaded, seemingly distressed by the tension in the group. "Just sit down and eat."

Truthfully, she was starving. But she was prepared to make a point.

"Where are you going?" JJ called after her as she made her way down the hallway. He feigned disinterest but Charlotte could tell by the tilt of his voice that he knew exactly where she was going.

If they weren't going to let Rafe out, then it looked like she was going in.

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RAFE

The plate of dinner Sarah had delivered no less than thirty minutes ago sat untouched on the table next to the bed. The last thing on his mind was eating, just as it had been for the past week, two weeks? He wasn't sure how long it had been anymore. 

With each passing day, each passing minute and second, Rafe grew more and more angry, hurt, and lonely. He wanted to see Charlotte. He needed to. It was more than obvious that she was avoiding him, and Rafe feared that maybe it was because he'd gotten angry with her that first day he'd been locked in here. He knew it wasn't her fault he was here, but he couldn't help but feel like she was leaving him out to dry. 

Someone was yelling in the hall, but it was far enough from his room that he wasn't quite sure who. Moments later, the lock outside of his room was clicking open, the door subsequently following. 

Rafe let out an agitated sigh, turning so his back was to the door. "I'm not eating that crap, Sarah," he muttered, not in the mood to see his sister's face. 

Silence struck for a moment, sending more agitation through Rafe. "Are you deaf?" He spat, sitting up. "I said I'm not—" The words died in Rafe's throat as he turned toward the door, his eyes landing on someone who definitely wasn't his sister. 

Charlotte Carrera stood in the middle of his room, lip quivering as tears pooled in her eyes. "They tied you up?"

It was the first thing she'd said to him in weeks, but Rafe didn't really care what she said, he was just happy to hear her voice. To know she was still okay. Any resentment he'd held for her vanished the minute he laid eyes on her. 

Tugging at the makeshift handcuffs that had been slapped on his wrists that very first day after Charlotte had left the room, Rafe shrugged. "Yeah," he nodded. "Looks like it."

"I'm going to fucking kill them," she bit out, stepping back into the hall without another word. Rafe partly wondered if she was going to tear a strip off of them, but no yelling followed. Charlotte stepped back into the room moments later, knife in hand. 

"I tried to talk to them tonight," she began to explain, grabbing his hands so they were held in front of him. "They won't listen to a single thing I say and I'm really outnumbered here." She continued explaining as she sliced through the rope of his tied up hands. "I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner. I just...well I guess I'm a coward."

Rafe rubbed at his wrists that had been rubbed raw from the rope as he carefully watched Charlotte ramble. He loved when she did that, because it was an opportunity for him to just watch her. She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn't even realize he'd been studying every detail of her face. Not that he needed to, he already had it committed to memory. 

"I can't get you out of here," she finally summarized. "So I get if you hate me, Rafe. I really do. I'd hate me."

"I don't hate you," Rafe answered, voice soft. 

Charlotte's head shot up, her brown eyes locking on his blue ones. "What?" It was clear she'd been expecting a different response. 

Rafe flexed his hand, focusing on that for a moment before answering her. "There hasn't been a single time in my twenty one years of life when I've hated you, Charlotte."

That almost seemed to upset Charlotte more than if he'd said he hated her. Her brows pinched together, lips in a firm line. "You should hate me," she affirmed, standing from the bed and putting distance between them — distance that Rafe really did not want. "My friends are holding you captive and I'm not doing a damn thing about it."

"I've done much worse to you." Rafe hated to admit it out loud, but it was the painful truth. 

Charlotte tensed, staring back at him from across the room. "Yeah...well, it doesn't give me the right to do it back."

Rafe wanted to say something back to her, he wanted to say so much more, but someone else entered the room before he had the chance. 

"Charlotte, let's go." Kiara demanded, entering the room with conviction.

Charlotte didn't turn to look at her sister. "Get out, Kiara."

The youngest Carrera stole a glance at Rafe, her eyes snagging on the red marks on his wrist, or maybe the fact that he was no longer tied up. To her credit, she didn't say anything about it in that moment. "It's your turn for dishes," she said to her sister. 

Rafe wanted Charlotte to argue, he wanted her to stay. But much to his chagrin she let out a sigh, dropping her shoulders as she turned to her sister. "Okay."

She took a final look at Rafe before following Kiara into the hall. "I'll be back later."

He wasn't sure if he believed her. 

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