Thalassophile // JJ Maybank

Chapter 51

"Dude, where is he?" Kiara demands, spinning around on the dock, looking over at Pope. JJ stood in the boat, getting it ready. I sat in the driver's seat, watching JJ.

I tune out Kiara and Pope's conversation, looking over at JJ again. He grabs a jacket, placing it around my shoulders. He tilts my head up so I'm looking up at him. He places a soft kiss to my lips.

"You okay, Princess?"

"I don't know." I huff out. My voice was still raspy, I struggled to talk.

JJ fingers trail over the bruises on my neck. "These don't look good."

"I'm okay." I whisper. He presses another kiss to my lips before pulling me to my feet.

"Is he coming or what?" Kiara asks again.

"Give him a second, he'll be here." Pope answers.

"He's coming, he'll be fine." JJ agrees.

I look up as loud sirens approach us. A police car pulls up near the dock. Panic instantly fills all of us.

"JJ!" Kiara announces.

"Hey, yeah. Get back on the boat." JJ instructs. "Untie it."

The car door opens, revealing a pile of brown hair. John B climbs out of the driver seat.

"Oh shit." I mumble as a smile makes it's way onto my face.

"No way." JJ says next to me.

"No f-ing way." Pope repeats.

"I'm sorry, uh..."

"Shoupe let me take it for a spin." John B announces casually.

"Okay, that's believable. I'll buy that for now." Kiara walks up to the boy, wrapping her arms around him.

"It wasn't easy, bro, but I got the Phantom for you. She runs like she was made yesterday." JJ tosses the boy the keys. "You ready to go?"

"Where's Sarah?" John B asks.

"She's not with you?" Kie questions.

"No, we got separated in the swamp. She said she was gonna meet me here."

"She's not here, John B." I inform him.

"Okay, we'll I'm not leaving without her."

"John B, look at me." JJ steps up, closer to the boy. "I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right? Hangout for a couple weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville. You—" JJ grabs John B's face when he realizes he wasn't paying that much attention. "Hey! You got that?"

"Yeah, yeah, Brownsville."

"All right, saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this. Yeah?"

John B climbs onto the front of the boat as JJ steps off. I wrap an arm around his waist as he steps next to me.

"Hey, wait." John B pauses, turning to look at the four of us. "I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."

"Hey, John B... we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?" JJ speaks up. The Pogues laugh.

Tears welled up in John B's eyes. He looks down at me, eyes connecting with mine. "Thanks for joining our chaos, little red. And thanks for keeping him happy." John B gestures toward the blond in my grasp.

I glance at JJ. A small smile was on his face as he looks down at me.

"Hey, there's no one else I'd rather be thrown off a cliff with." I say honestly.

"At least we did it together, though." JJ speaks up. He wraps an arm around Pope on the other side of him. I grab Kiara's hand. "Pogue style."

John B nods, tears falling down his face. "Pogue style." He repeats.

"Get out of here. Please!" Kie begs.

"Now. We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico."

"Love you." JJ calls out.

"Hey, wait— wait a second. Tell Sarah I say goodbye, okay?"

The Pogues stay quiet as they all stare up at their friend.

"We will." I tell the boy.

"Don't forget, cross the border at Brownsville, okay?"

"Got it."

We all bend down to push the boat away from the dock. John B backs the boat up before pulling away from the dock. We watch as the boat disappears into the Marsh.

I feel JJ pull away from us, he walks down the dock toward the police car. He turns to look at me just as I begin to make my way over to him. He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. I wrap my arms around his neck.

"You okay?" I question him, concerned.

"You scared me back there." He tells me.

"You know I wouldn't go anywhere without you." I say.

"Franklin, he could have killed you."

"I know, but he didn't."

"Franklin..."

"I'm fine, really." I place a hand on his face. "I promise."

"Okay." JJ sighs. He presses a kiss to my cheek before pulling away. A confused look crosses his face as looks past me.

"What? What's the matter?" I turn around to see Pope and Kiara locked in an embrace, kissing. "What the—"

A loud siren cuts off my sentence.

"Hey, guys. I'm sorry to ruin the party, but uh, we gotta go." JJ speaks up. "Come on!"

The cops pull in next to the cop car that was already there. I immediately put my hands on the air. Kiara and JJ doing the same.

Shoupe climbs out of a cop car, slamming the door shut as he stares us down.

"Pope, hands!" Kiara yells at the boy.

More cops spill out of the cars, guns drawn. "Hands, hands." One of them yell.

"We're too late. He's gone? God damn it!" Shoupe yells loudly. He walks toward us, angrily. "Bratcher, have your guys stand down! Let me talk to these kids. Alright, where the hell is he? Where the hell is he!" Shoupe walks up to JJ, next to me. "JJ? I see you're living up to your name. Franklin, turns out you're just as dumb as the rest of them. Pope, how about you? This isn't a fucking game! You can do the right thing now! Where'd he go?"

I radio beeps as Bratcher brings it up to his mouth. "Suspect has just left station 26 in a small boat. Need marine patrol to respond."