Cutting Ties
Series
Part Three Here
You keep telling yoursef you're in control. So why does it feel like he's pulling every string?
Your phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Again.
And again.
You didn't reach for it this time, not after the last time. When Rafe picked it up before you could and scrolled through your texts with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He hadn't yelled. Not exactly. But the quiet words had cut deeper.
"You think JJ cares about you? You think he wouldn't fuck you the second I was gone?"
He'd kissed you after that. Hard. Like claiming territory. You hadn't brought it up again.
Now, the buzzing stopped, and Rafe walked out of the bathroom, towel slung low on his hips, hair damp from the shower. He glanced at the phone like it offended him.
"Still blowing you up?" His tone was light, conversational, but his jaw ticked as he reached for the towel around his neck.
You swallowed. "It's... probably just Sarah. She's worried."
He chuckled without humour. "Worried? Or trying to pull you away from me?"
You opened your mouth, then closed it, because arguing only ever felt like walking a razor's edge.
Rafe stepped closer, his eyes locking on yours. "You don't need them, baby. Not when you've got me." His hand slid to your hip, warm and heavy. "You feel that, right?"
You nodded, because the alternative was another conversation that ended with you crying into his pillow while he stroaked your hair and whispered, See what you make me do?
_________________________________________________
Later That Day at The Wreck
You hadn't planned to come. God knows Rafe wouldn't have let you, if he'd known. But Sarah had called ten times, and the guilt was eating you alive. So you slipped out while he was on a call with Barry, phone tucked in your back pocket like contraband.
The Pogues were already there, gathered at your usual booth. JJ spotted you first, grinning wide, until his eyes flicked past you and the smile faded.
"Fuck." he muttered under his breath.
You didn't have to turn to know why. The air behind you thickened, and a familiar voice drawled low.
"Thought you said you were tired?"
You froze. Slowly turned. And there he was, Rafe. All sharp edges and sun-kissed skin, smile stretched thin like a blade.
"Rafe-"
"Nah, it's fine." He stepped past you, clapping a hand on JJ's shoulder a little too hard. "Just catching up with old friends, huh?"
JJ's jaw clenched, but he didn't move. Rafe slid into the booth beside you, arm draping casually across the backrest as his fingers brushed your hair, the gesture intimate in a way that felt more like a warning.
"You should've told me," he murmured, just loud enough for you to hear.
You swallowed hard. "I-It was last minute-"
"Sure." His smile didn't budge. He reached for your untouched drink, took a sip like it was his. "Last minute."
The Pogues exchanged looks. Pope shifted uncomfortably. Sarah opened her mouth, but Rafe cut her off with a laugh that sounded like gunfire.
"Don't worry guys. I'm not mad. I just like to know where my girl's at." His hand slid down to your thigh under the table, squeezing hard enough to make your breath hitch.
Nobody saw. Nobody ever did.
JJ finally spoke, voice flat. "Maybe give her some space, man."
Rafe turned his head slow, like a predator locking onto prey. That smile sharpened. "Space?" He laughed again, low and dangerous. "We don't need space. Do we, baby?"
You felt every eye on you. Your chest burned like fire, but your voice came out steady, practiced.
"...No. We're good."
The conversation limped on after that, awkward and brittle. You didn't taste your drink. Didn't meet JJ's eyes again.
When you finally stood to leave, Rafe's hand was on your back, steering you out like a possession. The cool night air hit your face, and you sucked in a breath like you'd been underwater too long.
He didn't speak until you reached his truck. Then his voice slid out, soft and deadly.
"You lied to me."
Your pulse spiked. "Rafe, I-"
"Don't." His fingers dug into your chin, forcing your eyes to his. His smile was gone now, stripped bare. "You think I don't see what they're doing? Trying to take you from me?"
"They're my friends-"
"They're a fucking joke." His grip tightened, and you flinched. His voice dropped to a whisper, each word laced with venom and devotion all at once. "You don't need them. You need me. Only me."
He let go suddenly, stepping back like nothing happened, that easy grin snapping back into place as he opened the truck door for you. "Come on, baby. Let's go home."
You slid in without a word, heart hammering against your ribs like a caged thing. Through the window, you saw JJ step outside, watching. His eyes met yours for half a second before Rafe slammed the door shut.
You didn't wave.
You didn't dare.
The ride was silent at first. Too silent. The kind of quiet that pressed against your eardrums until your thoughts felt loud enough to scream.
Streetlights sliced through the darkness in flashes, painting Rafe's face in sharp angles, the hard set of his jaw, the muscle ticking near his temple. One hand gripped the steering wheel, knuckles pale against the leather. The other rested on the console, tapping once, twice, like the ticking of a clock running out of time.
You stared out the window, counting the lights, counting your breaths. Anything to ignore the way the air in the truck felt heavier with every mile.
Finally, his voice cut through the quiet, smooth and low in a way that made your stomach knot. "You really think I'm stupid, huh?"
Your pulse spiked. You turned your head slowly. "Rafe-"
"No, go ahead." He glanced at you, a flicker of teeth in the dark. "Explain to me how sneaking behind my back isn't the same thing as lying."
You swallowed hard. "I didn't sneak. I-I just needed to see them-"
"You needed to?" The laugh that slid out of him was sharp, humourless. "Needed them more than me?"
"That's not what I said-"
He slammed his palm against the steering wheel, the crack of it making you jump. The truck swerved slightly before he corrected, knuckles bone-white again as he gripped the wheel. His breath came hard now, sharp through his nose, but his voice. His voice was calm. Too calm.
"You think they'd fucking pick you over each other? Over their little Pogue family?" His eyes cut to yours, wild and burning, before snapping back to the road. "You think they'd protect you if it came down to it?"
You didn't answer. Couldn't. Because a part of you, deep down, where all the fear lived, wondered if he was right.
He leaned back suddenly, like he'd made a decision, and the smile that stretched across his face made your blood run cold. "You know what I think?"
You barely got the words out. "...What?"
"I think they're the reason you keep second-guessing us. They're the reason you're still fucking confused about who you belong to." He slowed the truck, pulling onto a deserted stretch of road. The engine rumbled low, the only sound in the thick night air.
Your heart slammed against your ribs as he shifted into park and turned toward you fully. His hands shot out, grapping your chin, not hard enough to bruise, but firm enough to lock you in place. His eyes drilled into yours, ocean blue and storming.
"So let me make it real simple for you, baby." His thumb stroked your jaw slowly, mock-gentle, the way a predator might pet what it plans to kill. "You're mine. Always were. Always will be. And the second you start forgetting that..." His grip tightened just enough to make your breath hitch. "...I'll remind you."
Tears stung your eyes before you could stop them. Not sobbing, just that hot, helpless burn that made your chest ache.
"Rafe..."
His smile softened, like he'd just noticed. He released your chin, wiped the stray tear with his thumb, and his voice dropped to that velvet tone again. The one that used to sound like love. "Hey... don't cry. You know I'd never hurt you, right?"
You nodded automatically, because you didn't trust your voice not to break.
Rafe kissed your forehead, soft, almost tender, and then sat back, starting the engine like the last five minutes hadn't happened. Like he hadn't just carved the warning into your bones.
The truck rolled forward, and you stared out the window again, tears blurring the lights until they looked like fire.
For the first time, you wondered if this road didn't lead back home at all.










