Red Room Reunion

The cargo ship groans beneath you, the metal floor slick with humidity. Your breath comes fast, your heart hammering in your chest as you sprint down the dimly lit corridor. Shouts echo behind you—John B’s voice, the chaos of a fight breaking out. You weren’t supposed to be here. But when everything went sideways, when your brother told you to run, you did.

Now, you crash through a heavy door, stumbling into a room bathed in red light. The heat is suffocating, the air thick with the scent of salt and sweat. And then—

You run straight into him.

Rafe Cameron.

Your chest collides with his, his hands gripping your arms on instinct to steady you. His touch burns, not from heat, but from something deeper—something you haven’t felt in a long time. His blue eyes lock onto yours, wide with shock, with something unreadable.

For a moment, neither of you move.

Then his jaw tightens. His hands drop.

“Are you kidding me?” His voice is sharp, edged with disbelief and irritation. “Of course it’s you.”

You swallow hard, backing up, but there’s nowhere to go. He towers over you, shadows shifting across his face in the red glow. You remember when those eyes looked at you differently—softer, filled with something close to love. But that was before. Before he became this. Before he hated you for the side you were born into. Before everything fell apart after the breakup.

“I—I didn’t mean to—”

A bang from outside makes you flinch. Your pulse jumps.

Rafe notices.

His lips press into a tight line. You expect him to mock you, to throw some cruel remark about how you’re just another scared little Pogue. But he doesn’t. Instead, something in his expression flickers—frustration, maybe. Or something closer to regret.