COMFORT CROWD [3] , jj maybank

2. do we look afraid?

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

  SOMEONE SPEAKS OVER THE plane's speaker. I can't make much of it, only something about the Mainland. I'm tired, so very tired. My head hits the plane wall behind me, eyes closed as the hum of the plane somewhat soothes me. I can't sleep though, as much as I want to. We have to stay on guard. No one to be trusted.

A few minutes go by of awkward silence between us and the pilot until JJ taps my shoulder and I open my eyes. He gives a look, indicating he has something to say. We all huddle together. "Wahoo don't run in September," JJ whispers, "Ever. Alright?"

I look towards Jimmy, "Well, he's not a fisherman then."

JJ shakes his head in agreement, "Nope. Not a fisherman."

"Or a shitty one," Bailey adds. "Maybe the run just starts earlier out here," Pope suggests. I nod my head a quick no. I know nothing about what fish swim where but JJ does and I trust his knowledge on that. My gut feeling tells me it's gonna go wrong out here.

"Are you sure about that? In the Caribbean?" JJ says. "No, I know what this is. He's working for my dad and he's probably been looking for us the entire time," Sarah scoffs. I sit up, hands together in my lap as I lean forward, "Alright, then let's find out. Find some clues—" I stop short when my eyes fall upon Jimmy's bag. I nudge JJ, pointing at the leather bag on the back of the chair. Wordlessly, he and JB form a plan to get stuff from this bag.

"Hey, Jimmy," John B starts up the distraction. "Yeah, what's up?" Jimmy asks. Eyes on the older man, I nudge JJ again to give him the go ahead to start sifting through his bag while John B distracts him, very awkwardly might I add.

JJ grabs random things and a book titled, 'The Loss of El Dorado.' Flipping to the first page, there's a picture there. My eyes widen at it. It's a picture of the Coastal Venture, the boat we escaped from, the boat I shot Weston on. Sarah takes it from JJ, "The Coastal Venture. Oh my God. This is the boat we were on. With Eberhimi and the cross."

"So he was looking for us?" Cleo asks. "Sure as shit seems like it," Bailey curses. "He's working for my dad," Sarah says. Suddenly, the plane shifts and the metal clanks. My hands fly to the handles again. If this is how I die, I'm seriously gonna be pissed. After all that—a plane crash?

"Hey, y'all better hold something. We got some unexpected turbulence up here!" Jimmy shouts over the engine. "Great. This is great," I mutter. "Well, whatever it is, it's happening fast. Look," Kie says, peering over. When I follow her eyes, I see land.

"That looks like Barbados. I've been there with Terrance," Cleo says. We're landing soon in a place that isn't Outer Banks with a man that Ward Cameron hired even though I was sure he was dead after the story John B told me.