Heated Lies (Jiara)

Break In

The plan was intact. JJ's palms were sweaty. He didn't know the first thing he'd say to her. John B rented a car, and everyone else went along with it.

Even as they got close, the Maybank's stomach was doing summersaults. It was a huge building. He could see cameras from the backseat. He hoped more than anything that Kiara hadn't changed.

He couldn't handle a desensitized Carrera.

They pulled up to a window, and he and Sarah hid behind the seats. "Got some ID?" The man immediately asked.

"We know the boss man." John B gestures between him and Pope.

He was a plump, dark skinned man, and he didn't look convinced. The Routledge swallowed hard, smiling uneasily. It wasn't doing him any good, and the silence dragged on.

After about a minute, JJ grew restless.

"Oh, for Christ sake!" He kicked open the car door to quietly hop the face on the blocked side of the house looking box.

"JJ! Get back in the goddamn-" Sarah stopped talking once she figured his plan. Instead, she tried to silently shut the door behind him.

Then he'd kicked the next door open. The officer quickly reacted with a hand to the gun on his belt. John B and Pope were yelling at this point, but JJ only looked annoyed.

He pulled his own gun from the back of his pants, pointing it and flicking the safety off. Jaws dropped while JJ gestured to the wall with the weapon.

"Dude!" JB tired again, but his friend wasn't listening. "You brought the damn gun?! How did you get it past airport sec-"

"Which one of these buttons lets us in?" JJ asked the officer.

"Fuck off."

The man was quiet, loyalty keeping his mouth shut. JJ didn't seem to give two fucks, wacking him with the end of the pistol.

"Only gonna ask once more." He stood over the keyboard, waiting for an answer.

The pogues were in disbelief. JJ had never acted this dark before.

"Blue button-" They were interrupted by the man's walkie talkie. The weak signal made their voice sound morbid.

"Authorize identification verification. Please confirm your status."

JJ slammed the blue button, and then locked eyes with Pope. He mouthed to the mathlete about taking his place, but not without a final shove.

"Silence your goons." He looked to his friend again. "Make sure he keeps them at bay."

Pope uneasily got out of the car, looping around to replace JJ's rough hands with his own. Holding the officer down took more effort than expected. He wondered how easily JJ was able to do it.

Then he was thinking back to his psychology books. Anger and adrenaline. Guilt and adrenaline. Revenge fueled adrenaline. Love fueled adrenaline.

He shook his head quickly. JJ would have his ass if he said such a thing.

"Snap out of it man!" The boy was speaking to him to directly, so Pope tried his best to listen. "Hold him there until we come back. We're gonna need you to press whatever button he says lets us out. Then get the fuck out of there. Make sure he doesn't call anyone. We should be out soon."

Pope didn't like being that kind of lookout, but he didn't have much a choice. JJ finally needed him for something, so he did his job.

The Maybank wasted no time getting back in the rental car and sitting with Sarah. He removed the blanket from her head, muttering something about them being exposed by then.

"Punch it, John B."

***

It was late now, and Kiara had already cried for her. Imagining a day without Nora sounded absurd. She should've made other friends, but everyone else actually needed to be there.

They were actually crazy.

***

"Okay, security guard round two at the entrance." JJ was eager. "Sarah, you remember what to say?"

"Backwards and forwards." She sighed, hopping out of the car with him.

"John B, don't turn the car off. You need to be ready to speed whenever."

The Routledge gave a salute. "Roger that."

With that, JJ hid while Sarah hurried toward the second officer.

"Hi, I'm here to visit Johnny Test!" She was overly excited, and the officer pretty much groaned before he said a single word to her.

"How do you people keep getting in?" He pinched the bridge if his nose. "I know you wanna see your friend, but visiting hours are over."

She pretended to be upset. "Oh, when do they begin?"

As she stalled, JJ pressed and slid against the brick walls. With his back turned, he didn't notice the blonde boy slip toward the door.

As expected, he needed that key. He turned to Sarah, who accidentally made eye contact. His quick thinking saved him when the man turned to check what she was looking at.

With the diverted attention, she grabbed the key from his belt and shoved it in her pocket. JJ slowly came out from behind the large flower pot they'd conveniently placed.

"But I just wanna see him so bad!" She walked passed the officer to press against the glass doors. "I miss him so much."

The officer was at a loss. "Ma'am, you'll have to come back later."

He attempted to pull her back, and she immediately overreacted to throw him off.  She shoved him backwards, throwing JJ the key and then put both hands over her mouth.

In the two seconds he was stunned, JJ laughed. "Johnny Test? Really?"

She shrugged, shooing him away when the officer got up. She gasped at the small cuz on the officer's forehead.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! How'd that happen? You okay?"

By then, JJ was gone. It was just as well, because now the officer was insisting she leave the premises.

Inside, it was dark and eerie. He couldn't explain the way his mind faltered at the prison-like facility. He was almost afraid, but he continued on, passing a cafeteria in his path.

Workers were washing trays and cups as he ducked beneath the counter. Then he was sprinting toward the stairs. Two muscular looking women guarded the railing, and he quickly shrunk to the left before they saw him.

He was so close to her, he could feel it. Finding her was the hard part. He didn't realize how big the place was. Now, being stuck inside with a determination like no other, he knew he wouldn't leave without getting who he came for.