High Tide // JJ Maybank

Chapter 23

JJ and I followed Plumb out of the room. As we walk by another room, I notice JJ get distracted as a loud voice rings out. He looks out the window, staring out into the prison courtyard.

"J, baby, you okay?"

"It's my dad." JJ starts to bang on the door, trying to get his attention. "Dad! Dad!"

Plumb grabs JJ's shoulders, yanking him away from the door. "Let's go!"

JJ shakes his head frustrated. "I see what you did there, Plumb. I just have one question before I leave. How much are you splitting with Shoupe?"

Plumb tenses angrily before pushing JJ down the entrance stairs. JJ stumbles down the stairs but catches himself.

"You'll be back here one day." Plumb tells him. "It's in your blood."

"Really?" I whirl around and look at her. "Apparently cops not doing their jobs is a common thing in OBX."

"It's time for you to go." Plumb tells me.

"You should probably go to, considering the only saving you're doing around here is your own ass."

"Go home, Routledge."

"Gladly, you bitch.

"Watch yourself. Keep acting like that you're gonna be in here too, just like your murderer brother and delinquent boyfriend."

"Bye, Plumb!" I yell, ignoring her comment.

I climb onto the back of JJ's dirt bike once again. I wrap my arms around his waist. JJ taps my hands before starting up the bike.

"Ready?" JJ asks me.

"Yeah, let's do this."

JJ revs the bike before pulling down the street. My grip around him tightens as he rounds a corner.

"I got you baby." JJ tells me, glancing back at me.

I lay my head on his back as I usually do, relaxing into him. I watch as houses and greenery go by as we whiz by them. The slight vibration the bike causes was now a comforting feeling. Knowing it was just JJ and I and the bike, on our own little mission was something I needed.

A short bit later, JJ pulls up in front of his cousin Ricky's house. He parks the bike behind the ambulance. I follow behind him, walking toward the house in front of us.

JJ let's out a whistle. "Yo!"

Ricky looks up from what he was working on. "Hey, JJ! What's going on, man?"

"I need a favor." JJ says, getting straight to the point.

"Really? No, 'hey, Ricky? How've your been?' Also, who the hell is this little lady?"

"This is Kat. Look, man. I'm sorry, but I don't have time for chat."

"Tell me more about Kat, and then we'll get to it."

JJ looks over at me, a small smile on his face. "This is Kat, my girlfriend. We've been together awhile now. John B's sister."

"Oh, that's right. Twins, yeah?"

I nod at him, indicating he was right.

"Right, I remember now. All right, fine, what is it?" Ricky gives in.

"I need to borrow the ambulance."

"Hell no."

"Ricky, man, come on. Please."

"For what?" Ricky demands.

JJ explains the whole situation with John B. He then tells him about his genius plan to get him out of jail. The appendicitis, the ambulance, all of it.

"No way, JJ."

"Just leave it at your next stop, I'll take it from there."

"How would I get home?"

"The dirt bike, walking, catch a ride? I don't know, however you want."

"No."

"Listen, man, all you gotta do is leave the ambulance running. It's a small favor to ask, Ricky. Just a small one."

"It's not as much about the favor as the general stupidity of the plan."

"Come on. Just leave the ambulance running, Ricky. You gotta do this one for me, bro."

"You're gonna wind up in jail, cuz." Ricky states.

"I mean, that's gonna happen anyway, G, eventually. Might as well be for a good cause."

"Yeah, well, I'm not having any part of it. You've come up with a lot of dumb ideas, but, uh, this might be the dumbest." Ricky explains, walking away.

JJ follows him inside a tent. The tent was filled with marijuana plants.

"I wouldn't be asking you to do this if it wasn't important, and let me remind you, you owe me, man." JJ insists. "Who ran that load up to Cape Fear when your hemp came in hot?" Ricky glances up at JJ. "Me, alright?"

"I'm sorry about your bud. I really am—"

JJ takes off his hat, stressed. "Ricky!"

"But I'm not helping you commit suicide. Sorry. Now leave me alone. I gotta focus. I'm working an overnight later, so if you're cool."

"No, yeah. I'm cool."

"Yeah? Okay man, see you later. Appreciate you." JJ hugs his cousin quickly.

"Don't do anything stupid." Ricky tells the blond.

"Say hi to Stephanie for me."

"Yeah, I will. Nice to officially meet you, Kat."

"Yeah, thanks for the help!" I call out to him. "Not." I whisper out, so only JJ could hear me. He lets out a light laugh, following after me as I begin to walk away.

I look at JJ, giving him a knowing look before swiping the keys to the ambulance from the table the man was previously working at. I hand them backwards to JJ as we walk away from the house.

JJ unlocks the ambulance, before opening the passenger door for me. "M'lady.."

"Why, thank you, sir." I tell him before climbing in.

JJ walks around the car before opening up the drivers door and hopping in himself. "I'm sorry, Ricky. I'll make it up to you." He mumbles as he starts the vehicle.