MERCEDES, jj maybank

40.

ESCAPE PLAN

Rafe pulls into his driveway and the three get out. Rose was standing drinking a coffee with the hose in her other hand, watering the plants.

"Hey! Your Dad is not gonna like that you're back home!" She shouts, "Oh! Hi Trinity baby, good to see you,"

"Hi." She mumbles holding her hand out to Sarah so they can head inside together,

"He told me I could come here," Rafe tells her, nervously.

"Well, he didn't tell me!" And then she sees Sarah, "Why aren't you on the plane?"

Sarah licks her bottom lip and gives Rafe a dirty look, "Ask Rafe." With that she walks off, taking Trinity with her and heading off to a bathroom to clean up.

"I can't believe he did that," Trinity whispers, washing her hands. "I have to get back to JJ - and the others."

"Ward is gonna track you down and make sure you keep quiet, you know that."

And that's when she realised he was gonna put the blame on John B. "We," She corrects Sarah, "You're coming with me."

Sarah sighs and cries again, "This is not gonna be good at all."

Trinity nods and then the two walk out of the ground floor bathroom. When they went up the stairs Rafe was stood there waiting, "Trinity, I need to talk to you."

"Not now Rafe." She says, avoiding all eye contact.

"Come on, please." His voice cracked.

"Rafe! Please! Just leave me alone!" Trinity snaps going up again with Sarah and heads straight for her bed.

After sitting and crying and talking about what was gonna happen for a few hours Trinity had to leave. "Sarah I need to go. I need to go back to the Cut, you can come." She offers.

Sarah shakes her head, "If we're both gone it would make it worse here, you go, take my bike."

Trinity nods, "Okay,"

"Here," Sarah gets up from the bed, "I'll walk you out."

§

"So Trinity's at the Cameron's, with Rafe?" JJ asks. Inside he's upset but on the outside, his friends see that he's furious.

John B shakes his head. "I doubt it...well unless it was to keep him tamed because she has this power over him,"

Everyone sighs and lays back in their seats. They were laying low in Kiara's car just a few minutes away from the Chateau under a piece of shelter to keep them hidden.

"Well we aren't going to be seeing her anytime soon," Kiara turns around to the backseats and tells the boys.

Pope reaches over to the wheel and honks the horn.

"Pope!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Man?!"

"She's right there, turn your blinker on," He points ahead to a girl riding a bike. But she was stopped in the middle of the road wondering where the honks came from.

Kiara turns on her blinker and Trinity smiles with relief, cycling to the green SUV.

JJ steps out and holds his arms open letting her run towards him and hug him tightly. "I'm sorry I left you," She says into his chest.

JJ shakes his head, "You're not hurt are you?" He cups her face and inspects her.

"No," She breathes.

Without thinking, JJ collides their lips and kisses her. John B smiles, happy for his best friend.

JJ pulls away, "I'm sorry." He chuckles.

Trinity grins and shakes her head, pecking his lips and then letting him get into the car. Trinity gets in and sits on his lap, shutting the door and leaning on it, making herself comfortable. "Guys this is so fucked." Trinity says.

John B clears his throat, "I...uh, went to the cops to say it was Rafe but they had already got me down as the suspect,"

Trinity puts her head in her hands, frustrated. "Me and Sarah were there, we can tell Shoupe the truth,"

"I don't think Sarah will snitch on her brother," Pope chimes in, "Making it your word against Ward's."

"Whatever let's sleep or something," JJ says, ending the conversation and pulling Trinity down to lay with him. It was a tight fit but they managed since they just laid close together.

JJ put a strand of hair behind her ear, clearing her face and gently used his thumb to stroke her cheek. Trinity leans forward and places a kiss on JJ's jaw before shutting her eye and going to sleep.

§

"Good news for residents of Outer Banks, Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line which will restore power to ninety percent of the area should be functional within twenty-four hours."

Trinity woke up, still in the arms of JJ and listened to the radio that Kie had left on. Sirens were shooting past making JJ quickly sit up and make sure that they hadn't been caught.

JJ fixes his hat and looks down to Trinity, "Morning," He whispers.

Trinity grins at his, "Hi,"

The two close the gap between them and share a kiss but stop after a few seconds once John B clears his throat and announces his presence. The couple turn their heads and looks at him, "Morning, you two."

"Morning,"

"Hey,"

This creating a ripple of good mornings from everyone in the car since they had all woken up at around the same time.

"And still, no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, a juvenile from--"

Kie reaches forward and switches the radio off and then rests back staring into the road.

"Let's game this out. Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but, who are the cops going to believe, Ward Cameron or us?" JJ questions, playing with the end of Trinity's hair. "So the accuser is a bigshot developer, kind of lord of the Island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person and the accused...is John B...who is pretty much a homeless sixteen year old boy." He sighs, defeated.

John B nods sarcastically, "Thanks."

"Okay, man. Yucatan, all right? I'm saying it's the only option." JJ sits up, and moves Trinity as he does, placing her on his lap. "What other option do you have?"

"Enough with the Mexico bullshit." John B tells him, "Sarah and Trinity will bail me out, right" He shrugs looking at Trinity who eagerly nods.

"They did witness the whole thing," Kie adds. Trinity takes a blunt and a lighter from JJ, placing it between her lips and lighting it, taking a drag.

"We already talked about this," Pope reminds them, "Sarah probably wont tell on her brother,"

JJ snaps his fingers and points to Pope, "Exactly, not happening bro, we just have to get you off this Island," He pinches the blunt from Trin and takes a drag himself,

"The ferry," Pope says logically, "It's the only way,"

Trinity agress, "Yeah but you'd have to go quick, they'll probably end up putting the entire Island in lockdown,"

"Exit stage left while you still can." JJ places his hand on Trinity's thigh.

Kiara sighs, sick of hearing all this and still having not properly processed it all she shuts them all up, "Guys, just get down," They all obey and listen for the sirens to go out of earshot.