Audacious//JJ Maybank (Outerbanks)

Chapter 14

{Deny, deny, deny}

After running for what felt like forever, I finally made it to JJ's house. I was out of breath, scanning the street for any sign of cop cars, but thankfully, there were none in sight. When I looked around the yard, I noticed JJ's bike was still there, and a smile tugged at my lips. At least he was home. I hurried up the porch steps, pulled open the screen door, and knocked on the main door.

"JJ? JJ? You in there?" I called out between breaths.

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me, but the street was still empty. Just as I turned back, the door swung open, and there stood JJ, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn.

"Jackie?" he mumbled groggily. "What are you doing here?"

I let out a sigh. "Running from the cops and DCS."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Can I come in? They're looking for Johnny and me," I explained, and he stepped aside to let me in.

"The house is a mess," he muttered, picking up empty beer bottles from the coffee table.

"It's fine," I said, tossing the bottles in the trash as he returned to sit on the couch. He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped an arm around my waist, and I rested my head against his chest.

"Want to tell me what happened?" he asked softly.

I sighed and began telling him how Cheryl and the deputy had shown up to take us, and how John B. and I had managed to escape. "John B. told me to come here, and he'd meet me later."

"I'm so exhausted," I added, tracing circles on his hand with my finger. "I haven't really slept much lately."

JJ smiled gently. "Come on, let's go to my room and get some rest."

We got up, and he led me to his bedroom. We laid down together, just cuddling in the quiet, until he eventually dozed off. I grabbed one of his books and read for a while. After an hour, JJ woke up, stretched, and checked the time.

"Babe?" he murmured.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, still half-drowsy.

"Want to learn how to shoot?" he asked.

I blinked, surprised. "You want to teach me to shoot?"

He nodded. "After what happened at the country club with Pope and you, I realized I won't always be around to protect you. Just in case, I want to teach you how to handle yourself."

I sighed. "Okay."

A smile spread across his face. "That's my girl." He leaned in for a quick kiss before standing and pulling me outside.

In the yard, he set up a teddy bear on a broken tree stump and handed me a pair of giant earmuffs. I hesitated for a moment before grabbing the gun from him. It was the first time I'd ever held one, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. JJ explained the basics, and I couldn't help but smile.

"What?" he asked, noticing my grin.

"Nothing," I said teasingly. "It's just that you're so cute when you're showing me all this. You look like a kid on Christmas morning."

"I'm not," he laughed, shaking his head. "I'm just happy that my girlfriend will be able to protect herself."

"Sure," I mocked with a roll of my eyes. "Now, let's get back to the task at hand."

JJ stood behind me, guiding my hands to aim at the target. I squeezed the trigger, flinching at the loud noise. When I looked up, I saw I'd hit the teddy bear.

"You did it!" he cheered.

I smiled. "Not bad for my first time, huh?"

"See? It's not that bad," he said with a grin.

I took off the earmuffs and placed them on a chair. Just as JJ leaned down to kiss me, we heard a familiar voice.

"JJ? Jackie?" Pope was panting as he ran toward us.

"Pope? Are you okay?" I asked, furrowing my brow. He stopped in front of us, out of breath.

"They know!" he gasped.

JJ and I exchanged a glance. "What?" JJ asked.

"They know," Pope repeated, starting to panic.

I realized what he meant. "Rafe and Topper found out about the boat, didn't they?"

"Yeah," Pope said, pacing back and forth. "Topper knows I sank his boat."

"How do you know?" I asked, trying to calm him down.

"They posted up outside Heyward's, mad-dogging me," Pope said.

JJ rubbed his forehead. "Pope, calm down. They don't know anything."

"But they have cameras," Pope insisted, his eyes wild. "They could've seen me!"

"There was no power, how could they see you?" JJ shrugged.

Pope groaned in frustration. "Figure eight. They got generators."

I walked over to Pope and placed my hands on his face, stopping him from spiraling. "It's okay, Pope. You'll get your scholarship, and you'll get out of there. I promise."

Pope shook his head. "It's not a good look on my transcript."

"Enough with the regret, man!" JJ yelled, standing up. "They caved your face in and nearly killed Jackie. We hit them back. That's how it works. Now, if any Kooks come up to you, you walk right up to them, look them in the eye, and—"

"Deny the living shit out of it," Pope finished, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Exactly," JJ grinned. "But just to be safe, we don't go anywhere without protection."

Pope and I both nodded, and my phone buzzed.

"It's Kie," I said, reading the text. "She wants us to meet her at the park for the movie."

The boys nodded. JJ quickly tucked the gun into his backpack, and we all headed to the chateau to grab the van and pick up Kie.

To be Continued...