Chapter 39 - Rafael
“Clouds.”
White puffs drift across the window against a flawless blue sky. Grass stretches beneath them without a single abandoned building or flickering neon in sight.
Rafael shakes his head. “No—switch to beach view.”
The clouds dissolve. Waves roll in over pale sand. Too perfect to exist anywhere in this country.
His breath catches.
“Scratch that,” he mutters. “Set screen to default, twenty percent opacity.”
In a flash of static, Shreveport bleeds in, abandoned buildings and row houses lining the street. Above the window, the glow of the Dragoon’s Rest logo washes the sidewalk in green.
Maybe Kane didn’t need to fix the window screen after all.
He turns from the glass and taps the control panel along the bed frame.
Drone-powered arms slide out, tugging his green-and-yellow sheets smooth.
While the tech handles the bed, his attention shifts to the shelf above, setting aside his belongings and a few of Kane’s.
Once the surfaces are clear, he grabs his multi-tool from the wall mount.
Cleaning drones would be faster. But he doesn’t mind, wiping down the surface for what must be the second time this week. Stuck inside for the past five days, there’s not much else to do besides practice his cooking.
After what happened with Viper, the caution makes sense. He can still picture Kane storming into the marketplace and tackling the escort, a gun to her head. Whatever happened to the enforcer afterward, no one’s said a word.
Pushing the thought aside, he returns to cleaning, setting each item back in its spot.
His hand freezes on the last of them: a single dog tag with the name Duke O’Conner etched in metal.
It’s an antique relic he’s only seen in V-link films from before the Collapse.
They’re useless with the VitaCorp chips in everyone’s palm since birth.
His finger brushes along the cold edges. Part of him wants to ask Kane if there’s something more he can do. Maybe assist Dr. Hayashi and Jamir or train new crew members in basic medical care.
Yet every time Kane comes home, the words vanish.
But perhaps tonight will be different.
A ping from his wristlink jolts Rafael. He glances down at the message.
[HOPE SHREVEPORT QUIETS DOWN SOON. IDRIS WANTS TO COME WITH ME TO VISIT. TELL KANE HE BETTER PROTECT YOU…OR I’LL KICK HIS ASS MYSELF.]
A smile tugs at his lips.
Maria’s been his only constant since moving out. Lian wouldn’t even speak to him when he packed up his apartment with Wren and Echo. She stood with her arms crossed, watching while they shoved his entire life into Coda’s transport drones.
He swipes the display to reply when a beep echoes from the door.
His heart stutters.
Kane’s warnings crash into his mind. “Stay away from windows. Always check the security panel before opening. Arm yourself if you have to.”
Another beep, followed by a monotone robotic voice.
“Security overridden.”
Rafael starts shaking.
Coda warned him this could happen. There are others out there. Older techies who are unaligned.
He bolts for the weapons cache at the foot of the bed, fumbling with the lock until his fingers close on the glock inside. Prior to meeting Kane, Rafael had never seen a gun up close. Until Viper’s betrayal, he never had a reason to.
The door hisses, panel sliding into the wall. He rises high enough to aim at the entrance while his pulse thuds in his ears.
A figure steps through, and all the air leaves his lungs.
Kane.
Just Kane.
His grip loosens on the gun.
Only Kane stumbles inside. One hand is pressed below his neck while the other clutches his visor.
Rafael drops the gun and surges forward. “Kane! What happened? How bad is it?” Every worst-case scenario plays in his head. “Why didn’t Dr. Hayashi or her assistant treat you?”
He waves Rafael off, shuffling past the kitchen toward the couch. “Tried to take back District Three. Bad intel screwed the plan.” Kane shrugs. “Took a hit from a dying pulse arrow. Nothing serious. Didn’t see the point in wasting their time on me when there were others worse off.”
Despite his claims, Kane’s breathing is ragged. He sinks into the sofa with a grunt, weapons clattering to the floor.
Rafael is already moving, dashing into the kitchen. He yanks the medkit from the cupboard and rushes over to kneel at Kane’s feet.
Their gazes lock. Kane’s brows knit together, mouth opening.
“I’m sorry, Kane,” Rafael says before he can. “I can’t just sit here and watch. Please—let me help.” More questions press against his throat. He swallows them. Not right now.
Kane’s lips curve into a half-smile.
“You’re not taking no for an answer, are you?”
A huff escapes Kane.
“All right. You win.” He leans back, wincing as his shoulder hits the cushion.
The medkit snaps open, and Rafael gets to work.
Along the left side of Kane’s clavicle, there’s a jagged gash, deep but not life-threatening.
A bruise is already blooming along the surrounding skin, and the edges are clean, likely a blade rather than shrapnel.
He pulls the dermal decontaminator from the kit, his thumb sliding the toggle to setting two.
The device switches on, casting a blue glow across Kane’s pale skin. Rafael presses the tip to the wound. Any bleeding halts almost instantly, skin knitting together inch by inch.
He watches the seal form—anything to stop his mind from running—until a cool hand settles over his own, braced against Kane’s thigh. Rafael peers up to meet green eyes, crinkled at the corners.
“When I first met you,” Kane begins, “you would’ve let me bleed out if it meant risking an argument.”
A laugh slips from Rafael. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m a nurse.” He pauses, correcting himself. “Well, I was…” His gaze drops to the light of his tool.
Silence settles between them, tense like after his last weapons training.
Kane shifts on the cushions, drawing Rafael’s head back up.
“Don’t worry. I still prefer you patching me up than Dr. Hayashi,” Kane teases.
Instead of warmth, a knot twists in Rafael’s gut.
Is that all he is to the man?
His knuckles turn white around the decontaminator. He could let this go, laugh at his joke, or smile. Only Rafael didn’t come this far to resort to old habits.
“I didn’t come here to be your personal nurse,” Rafael’s voice is soft yet steady. Under his touch, Kane goes rigid.
“I get you’re trying to protect me. And I love you for that. But lately…” He swallows hard. “I’ve felt purposeless. Like I don’t exist beyond these walls. I want to matter. With you.”
Kane’s eyes narrow. “You think I want to keep you locked away?” Rafael winces at the hard edge of his words. “I tried being lenient before—with the crew, the rules. And look where that got us.”
Rafael says nothing. The tension in Kane’s face is clear.
“Fuck,” Kane mutters. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to be spoken to like that.” The muscle in his neck twitches.
“I just—Athena’s got an answer for every move I throw at her. She always seems to be one step ahead. Natural Order already has Districts Three and Four. Who knows what they’ll take next?”
He’s never seen the man shaken. Yet Rafael doesn’t flinch, stroking Kane’s thumb with his own.
“There has to be a way to stop her,” he continues. “To win without sacrificing what my uncle built. Without allowing this neighborhood to turn into a hellscape again.” He grits his teeth. “But it’s like she never left, and every instinct I have for leading this crew—I inherited from that man.”
One hand slips beneath his shirt to draw out the purple crystal pendant Rafael’s always seen on Kane but too afraid to ask about.
His fingers grip the edges and split the center. With a click, a thumb-sized holographic image appears. A man who resembles Kane, only shorter, beside a woman with long black hair.
“My uncle, Duke. And my aunt, Tina,” Kane rasps out. “I told you about her once—how she gave up racing, her old life, everyone she loved. All for my uncle.” Rafael nods. “I never expected anyone to do that for me. But you did. You stayed, and I understand everything you left me for.”
He lifts his gaze from the image to Rafael. “But you’re not just someone I’m protecting…you’re who I’m fighting for.”
Rafael’s breath trembles. “I chose you, Kane,” he whispers. “And if this is your world, then I’m here. With you…” His voice cracks. “But I can’t lose you to this war. We’ve only found each other, and I—I can’t bear the thought of letting go.”
The pendant clicks shut, the hologram vanishing.
For a moment, neither spoke, with Kane’s attention fixed on where his aunt and uncle’s image once shimmered.
“I’m not letting you go.” Kane cradles his face with a soft smile. “You’re mine. Selfish or not, I need you here. More than anyone else.”
A cool thumb brushes beneath Rafael’s eye, and only then does he realize his vision has blurred.
“Look at me.” Kane tilts his face until their eyes lock. “This war will end. I’ll end it myself if I have to. I don’t care what it takes. Anyone who tries to come between us will answer for it. I’ll fight for us. For the crew. Always.”
He wants to believe Kane. The odds, however, feel impossible to calculate in a world he’s never understood. All he sees is the man he loves unraveling.
Rafael steadies his voice. “You don’t have to fight this alone, Kane. I know it feels that way since Viper left, but you still have a crew that trusts you. And so do I.” He lowers their joined hands.
“I know how strong you are.” His voice drops. “But this isn’t sustainable.”
A shadow crosses Kane’s face while he stares somewhere in the distance.
Finally, tension fades from his stance. “There…might be one person,” he begins, chin lifting. “Someone who’s dealt with Athena, who might be able to help us get an edge on her.” His jaw clenches. “Cipher. My crew’s old techie.”
Rafael nods. “You mentioned them once…Why haven’t you reached out?”
Kane stiffens. “Bad blood. I blamed Cipher for the deal that went bad. They were there—saw how it unfolded. So I kicked them out, and they went off the grid.” He snorts.
“I didn’t even realize they were back in the city until recently, and I wasn’t exactly eager to reach out.
” A pause. “But the stakes are too high. I might not have a choice.”
Kane’s uncle died trusting the wrong people. No wonder he hesitates.
He squeezes Kane’s hands. “Do you think…they might be open to helping?”
“I haven’t spoken to them since.” Kane shrugs. “As far as whether they’d be willing to help, I don’t know. Before everything went down, they were pretty close with my uncle—and I sort of saw them as a mentor.”
The hard edge in his voice eases at their name, and something in Rafael’s chest loosens.
Maybe this could work. Maybe not—but it’s something.
Rafael rises from the floor, releasing Kane, whose brow lifts.
“Maybe…we could go see Cipher together?” he suggests. “I could be there for support—so you’re not walking in alone.”
Kane’s forehead creases. Rafael jumps in before he can. “Please.” His voice is quieter. “Let me do something…I want to feel like I matter in this.”
A heavy breath heaves from Kane. “That’s never how I want you to feel. But what I said about not risking your safety still stands.”
His shoulders start to slump until Kane continues.
“However…having you there might actually give us some protection. If the bad blood goes both ways—if Cipher’s angry or planning something—they won’t act with you there. That’s not their style. Unlike Athena, they don’t involve civilians.”
While Rafael doesn’t like the idea of being used as a shield, the alternative is far more dangerous.
“Okay,” Rafael agrees. “If that’s what convincing them takes.” He leans forward to duck his head under Kane’s chin.
Strong arms wrap around his waist. “But you must stay close to me. Always,” Kane whispers, his tone turning serious. “One misstep out there could get you killed. And if anything happened to you…”
His head snaps up. “It won’t. Not with you there,” Rafael declares. “I trust you, Kane.”
The smile Kane offers is rare these days. “When we come home,” he starts. “We’ll sit down and figure out what you can do to contribute. And once things settle, I’d love to hear what you want to do next.”
For the first time in days, Rafael can picture an after.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
What I want, what I could actually do in the future.
” A flush rises to his cheeks. “It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest. Some things are out of reach now, but there are also so many possibilities I never even considered before.
Something simple? Like cooking for people? Outside of a Terra’s, of course.”
“Tell me what you need. I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.” Kane closes the distance between them.
Rafael kisses him back without hesitation. When they separate, he tucks himself in against the man. “I love you,” he whispers.
A soft hum vibrates near his ear.