JJ and a Routledge

Tricks

We pull back up to the home, just as Pope is walking out the door. "There he is," JJ announces. Pope looks annoyed, maybe stressed? I wasn't really sure. We all stare at him while he opens the door and gets in before shutting it. Once he sits down he lets out a huge sigh. 

"So... how'd it go?" John B asks. 

Pope stares off for a second before answering, "Shit just got way more personal." 

On the ride back to Heywards, Pope explained everything. The main thing, he's fucking related to Denmark Tanny. Once we got back, I think it really hit us, this could change everything, like literally everything. 

I was sitting in between Kiara and Sarah on coolers and the boys were either leaning against pillars or standing up straight. Most of us had beers, besides me of course. "I still can't believe you're related to Denmark Tanny!" John B cries out. He pauses glancing around at all of us, "Are we in the presence of a royal?" 

"A king?" JJ burst out and pretends to place a crown on Pope's head. "We shall crown him." Oh my Lord, his British accent is terrible. "All hail the lord of Tannyhill! Bow down. We are not worthy!" JJ and John B bow and us girls quickly join in. Pope hated this completely but it was actually kind of funny. 

"Alright, everybody relax. Can we relax please?" Pope begs for us to stop and we all go quiet until an idea sparks in Sarah. 

"Relocate to Cat's Ass, question mark?" I love her for that. Everyone quickly agrees. 

"I am with that." JJ laughs, pointing at Sarah. 

Kiara nods, "How soon can we move in?" I burst out laughing. 

"If you join the clean-up crew, I see a possibility," I tell them, sipping what's leftover of my Coke from the gas station. 

"Fine with me, I don't have a place to stay." JJ shrugs, downing his flask. I see a flash of pain in his eyes. He's good at hiding it, but not good enough that I couldn't tell. 

Kiara points at JJ, "Me either. Bunk beds?" JJ quickly agrees and I look at Sarah, suddenly feeling very awkward. She reads my eyes and gives me a small smile.   Kie and JJ seemed to always have a flirty relationship, that started long before I got here. It always seemed to pop out when JJ and I were not exactly on good terms. 

"Bunk beds. Cheers to that." JJ laughs, taking yet another sip of whatever is in his flask. That's when I remember what happened with Pope and Kie, Pope probably doesn't like the evolving situations I do either. I look over at him, and he was deep in thought. 

"Penny to your thoughts, Pope?" I call him out over the other voices, and they all turn to look at him. He quickly glanced up at me with scrunched eyebrows. 

He nods and scratches his head, "I just keep thinking about the letter, the one that Limbrey sent. It had the wheat symbol on it. That must mean it has something to do with the Royal Merchant." We all think about his words for a second, I mean it would make sense. 

"Yeah," JJ speaks up, "Something seems fishy." 

"But, if we find that cross, we can split it like we were gonna split the gold," Pope adds on. That does sound like a good idea. 

"Yeah, I'm with that." JJ laughs. It's almost like we're back in the g-game, it feels like how it did before everything got way too out of hand. But, everything was kind of out of hand the day I got here, but before that day on the airstrip, we were still kids, in a way. 

"And live happily ever after?" The airy voice brings my face to Limbrey her fucking self, with her bodyguard. You have got to be kidding, how much of our conversation did she hear?