⤜---⤛ 𝔽𝕀𝕊𝕊𝕌ℝ𝔼 ⤜---⤛ ▬▬ 𝕠𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 ∗ 𝕛𝕛 ▬▬

⤛ 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕟 ⤜

Talia felt a pair of eyes on her as she sat in the passenger seat of the Twinkie, scanning the roads and alleys of Kildare for any sign of JJ. Finally, she let out a sigh and turned her head to John B, who was glancing at her again.

"Spend less time glaring at me and more time actually looking for JJ, please," she said, rolling her eyes and giving him a wry smile.

Suddenly, John B pulled over to the side of the road, and the brakes squeaked as the van came slowly to a stop. He was staring straight ahead, lost in thought, and Talia watched absentmindedly as a rusted old Chevy rattled past them. Then, he turned to her.

"You need to tell me what's going on," he said, his expression grim and serious.

Talia groaned and rested her head in her hand against the van window. "Do we really have to do this now?"

"Yes, Tal," John B breathed, slightly frustrated. "You know something about this that I don't, and that could be dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "I already told you-"

"Cut the shit, Talia. Come on," he interrupted, hands outstretched in annoyance. "If we're gonna do this, I need full honesty here. Pogues don't hide things from other Pogues."

Talia took a deep breath, contemplating the consequences of revealing the truth about that night. On one hand, she possessed possibly valuable information about JJ's last whereabouts that could prove useful. On the other, disclosing it meant revealing to her brother what had transpired between her and JJ, or more accurately, what hadn't. She had a nagging feeling that John B wouldn't take kindly to learning that JJ had left her stranded, drunk and alone.

Seeming to sense her distress, John B's expression softened, and to Talia's surprise, he started to apologise. "Sorry, look... I know I'm not exactly winning any 'brother of the year' awards or anything," he began awkwardly.

As much as Talia wanted to stay annoyed with her brother, she also understood how tough it had been on the both of them, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the reminder. She knew that putting unnecessary weight on his shoulders would only make things worse. Besides, it really wasn't his fault.

Talia sighed. "No, no you—" she began, but John B spoke over her.

"And... I'm sorry that I put you in a difficult position last night, but," he continued, avoiding her gaze.

This time she interjected, trying again to reassure him. "John B, it's seriously fine."

"No, wait. Let me finish." He turned his body in her direction, taking in a deep breath before he said, "Look, Tal, there's just been so much shit going on with dad, with the gold, and now with JJ. I just... I want to make sure that you're safe."

Talia smiled softly. It had been a little while since she had seen this side of her brother, and she was starting to forget that it even existed. Aside from the day their dad had been officially declared deceased, which they had of course refused to sign any papers to confirm, she and John B had rarely shared a meaningful moment together since his disappearance.

It was nice to finally feel normal with her brother again, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. And although a little awkward, he was right about one thing: they needed to be honest with each other. Hiding things from him would only push him further away.

Talia took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to start. No more secrets.

"So, after Noa left, no one answered their phone. I was really worried about you guys and I thought that..." she paused, sighing before taking a deep breath and continuing.