Rafe wasn’t too excited about the whole escape plan, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. His father, Ward, gave him a simple order: get on the boat and get out of there, before things got worse. As for where they were headed? Didn’t matter. He had money that allowed them to be anywhere, really. All that mattered was leaving the mess behind. Sheriff Peterkin’s death was still fresh in his mind, and everything was falling apart. But just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, Barry had to make it complicated. He insisted that his sister comes with him, as he couldn’t.

Rafe didn’t get it. She wasn’t part of the plan, and frankly, he didn’t care for the idea of having someone else along. But Barry made it clear—he couldn’t come so his Sister did. Rafe wasn’t in the mood for a fight, so he went along with it and they were on a time limit too.

She was quiet. Too quiet. Smart, observant, and a little too composed for someone in this kind of mess. She wasn’t like her brother—she wasn’t reckless, and she wasn’t scared of him. Most people, he could see fear in their eyes, but not her. It kind of pissed him off, but also made him curious. He couldn’t figure her out. She was a wildcard, and that was something Rafe didn’t like.

But there they were, on the boat, drifting away from everything. She didn’t speak much, and honestly, Rafe wasn’t in the mood for conversation either. What was there to say? The plan was a mess, and he wasn’t sure where he was going or what the next step was. As far as he was concerned, the less said the better.

She wasn’t an immediate problem, at least not yet. She kept to herself, and Rafe didn’t care to push it. He was too focused on keeping his head above water, both figuratively and literally. The whole thing felt like a slow slide into disaster. Ward’s “plan” didn’t give him much confidence, but right now, it was the only option.

As the boat moved farther away from shore, Rafe sat there, manspreading and staring into nothing. At least she wasn’t making things worse, for now.