Page 50 of Running Winter

“I didn’t. You just did.”

NO FUCKING WAY

C H A S E

“Chase, wake up. Your dad is on the phone. It’s about Rafe.”

I woke up groggily, squinting at my Mom as she held her phone out to me.

“Dad?”

“Hey bud, don’t panic. Rafe’s ok. He got jumped last night by some pricks,” Dad growled on the other end of the phone as nausea swept over me. “I wanted to tell you as soon as I could. We are watching CCTV now, but Rafe is back home now he is stitched up.”

“Stitched up?” I echoed, looking at Mom, who grimaced.

“Yeah, the hard bastards cut his face.”

I jumped out of bed then, my Mom almost going flying as I grabbed my jeans, shaking my head with anger.

“Chase, sit down,” Mom commanded as I turned to her silently.

“Mom, I love you, but I have to see Rafe now.”

“Well, I get that, but at the minute, no one can see him. Lucas has the house surrounded with goons. Please, just sit down for a minute.”

I let out a growl of frustration, spotting my phone on my bedside table. I picked it up, noticing two missed calls from Rafe. I called him back instantly, and relief swept through me when he answers.

“Hey. I’m alright, calm down.”

Rafe knew before I even said anything that I was ready to kill someone, but he chuckled softly down the phone.

“Who—”

“Listen, I just had the fucking Italian inquisition—trust me—I am ready to sleep for a month.”

“They cut you?” I demanded.

Mom shook her head with worry.

“Jeez, everyone flapping about the cut on my face, huh? I’m more concerned about the ribs. How am I supposed to play like this?”

“Rafe, what happened?” I demanded as Mom got up, happy I wasn’t going to murder anyone right now.

Rafe explained that he left the club on his own late (or early, depending on how you looked at it) and got into what he thought was a black cab. He didn’t remember much about who it was, but all he heard was something about payback and his surname.

Uncle Lucas was gunning for whoever it was, and I wished them the best of luck trying to hide from him.

“The worst of it is, Dad will fucking murder them. You know he will. Mom had to be sedated; she is so fucking dramatic. Raven wanted to go out looking for them herself—”

“Little bullet.” I smiled fondly as I sat back on the bed. “I should’ve been there with you. I’m always with you, man.”

“Well, I was hoping you and Rayna are now a couple or some shit. Make it worthwhile,” Rafe joked, his laughter fading when I didn’t respond. “Chase?”

I couldn’t understand how he was still concerned about my shitty love life when he had been attacked by members of a gang or whatever scum had attacked him. I sighed, tired of hiding my feelings from everyone.

“I told her, Rafe, and she wasn’t interested.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

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