Storm Chaser // JJ Maybank

58

JJ holds up a map for Kie and I to see.

"We're gonna be landing about a couple hours out of Tres Rocas, at a farm," JJ tells us. "It's right here."

"A couple of hours?" Kie asks.

"Yeah, but Barracuda Mike says there's a bus into town we should be able to catch, so..." JJ tells her.

"JJ, what if they're not there?" I ask.

"If they're not there... free vacation." JJ wraps his arm around me. "We're on an adventure, baby. Come on now."

When the plane lands a dozen guys start to unload the plane.

"Damn. Barracuda Mike's got this import-export thing down," JJ remarks. JJ turns and sees a rather brightly colored crowded bus parked nearby. "Yo, Barracuda, is that our executive coach to Tres Rocas right there?"

"It is, smart-ass," Mike tells him. JJ grabs my hand. "Hey. We have a deal, remember? You still owe me for that lost load."

"I remember, all right?" JJ assures.

"Hey, JJ," Mike says.

"What?" JJ asks.

"Word of advice," Mike offers.

"What?" JJ asks.

"This ain't Kildare," Mike warns. "Try and lay low."

JJ nods. "Sure thing, chief."

JJ, Kie, and I are crammed into a bench on the bus. The guy in front of us is giving us directions.

"So right here, you have Tesoro. Up here, Orinoco, right? And they say up here, El Dorado. Wait," the man tells us.

"Wait," JJ says.

"Who says?" Kie asks.

"All the world," the man tells us.

"If all the world says it, why hasn't it been found?" I ask.

"Some people say it doesn't exist," the man reasons. "Some people say it's hidden, and only one very special person can find it. But most people say it's maldito."

"Maldito?" Kie asks.

"Cursed," the man translates. "Over the years, people that go up, they don't come back."

JJ scoffs. "Funny. Funny."

The bus pulls into a small town.

"Welcome to Tres Rocas," JJ says. "This place makes the Cut look like the Taj Mahal."

"All right, so how we gonna find them?" Kie asks.

"I'm working on it," JJ says.

"Oh, good JJ's working on it," I remark.

"Um, look, all right. Tres Rocas is fairly small, all right?" JJ reasons. "Don't worry about it. We'll find them, okay?"

I see Cleo and Pope running towards the bus.

"You gotta be kidding me," I state.

"We haven't been here for two minutes!" JJ shouts. He sticks his head out the bus. "Cómo estás, amigos?"

"What the..." Pope says. "Hey! Run!"

"We gotta go!" Cleo shouts.

"What?" JJ asks.

"We gotta run!" Cleo shouts.

"You gotta be kidding me," JJ remarks.

"Already?" Kie asks. "We just got here."