𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫 | 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

79. JJ's a pervert.

S E V E N T Y - N I N E
JJ's a pervert.

"Okay, guys, I think this is El Tesoro. The trailhead to the mountain is supposed to start here," Pope says as we begin boating toward a small collection of hut-like structures.

There are canoes parked up in front of them, and makeshift washing lines hung between the huts. I think one of the people who live here would have a stroke going to Tannyhill, sometimes even I almost have one.

"Oh shit. That's one of Singh's guys. What are we gonna do?" I ask, looking to JJ for answers.

"We gotta get past them somehow," JJ asserts. Like it's easy.

We search the boat for things we can use: fireworks, paper, a red pen, and a fishing rod. The plan is made, we fishing line a note over and throw some fireworks. It's simple. Perhaps a little too simple. But it is what it is, hey?

JJ slides the paper over to me. "My handwriting's shit."

I take the pen and put it down on the wooden floor of the old, rusted shack we've claimed as a base.

'In five seconds, you will hear a gunshot. That's your warning. The next shot will be at your head.'

"Punctuation and everything, aren't you smart?" He smirks and takes the paper back off me, hooking it onto the fishing pole.

"One of us has to be," I tell him as I stand up.

Moving up through the window, JJ casts the line, I watch it sail through the air and land in the boat Singh's man lies on. He sits up and pulls the paper from the hook, he reads it, then Pope lights the end of the firework and chucks it as far as he can.

I poke my head out of the cutaway in the rusty metal, looking at where the dark-skinned man freaks out. He's shouting at the other henchmen. I'd also be mad if I got woken up to a threat.

"Is he buying it?" JJ asks me, and I look down to where he stands outside the back of the hut. I nod at my boyfriend while Pope lights another firework and chucks it over there again.

Cleo smiles at me, "Good plan, hey?"

"Not quite as dumb as he looks. Don't tell him I said that, he's already too cocky," I whisper to the girl I've become fast friends with. The man turns around with a machine gun. "Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Down," I stress, ducking down from the window hole, covering my head with my hands.

"Get down!" Cleo shouts to the boys.

Gunfire sprays over to us, the loud noise peppering the metal concerningly close to us. I swear, if I get shot, I'm going to be pissed.

"Pope, return fire! Return fire!" JJ shouts at his friend.

Pope lights another one and chucks it over; it sails through the sky and by the sound of it, hits its target. I slowly raise my head to look back through the window. They've gotten into their boat and started doing a runner.

"One more," JJ says, lighting another, throwing one for himself.

"Bye-bye," Pope smiles at JJ. They'd make a good-looking couple. JJ would be punching, just for the record. His nose never healed right after I squeezed it straight.

"Think we're getting better at this," JJ smiles back at Pope.

"Oh, yeah." Pope agrees.

"Not hard, the bar was on the floor." I pat JJ's shoulder, a smile on my face that goes past sarcasm. I'm just happy.

Cleo follows behind me as JJ and Pope celebrate their collective win. "Hey, hey, Ain't no time for celebrating. We didn't do nothing yet," Cleo brings them back down to Earth with a straight face. Fucking hell, that woman is cool. I could never.