Serenading Sunshine - JJ Maybank

Page 66

"You sure he got everything?" John B was quiet as he spoke up, "every bar, the whole enchilada." I nodded along in response to JJ's question and after John B finished speaking I continued for him, "we drove by, hopped the wall, the place was littered with Wards wheelbarrows and shovels and shit... The only thing that came out of that well after Ward took the listing was mud and mosquitos."

JJ cursed under his breath as John B leaned back, "look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit." Looking to my side my brows cinched together, John's arm catching my eye but Kie spoke up before I could say my piece, "John B..."

"What, Kie?" She motioned to his arm, cast free after he pried and cut it off himself earlier, "it's a hairline fracture. Who cares?"

"You should care, our arm's gonna be messed up for life." I watched him lift it up, twisting it side to side in a way to show off, "it's fine. See?" Sighing, I began turning to look at her, right before looking away as I spoke, not actually wanting to speak with her, "he swam through the marsh, he had to take it off cause it was practically disintegrating on the top layer..."

"Guys!" I stood quick, ignoring Kie's scathing look, "guys!" My mouth pulled open in disbelief, "Pope?!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh, God. I ran all the way here." He stopped before us, panting and sweating profusely in his suit, "you all right?" He clearly wasn't, dying as he bent over with his hands on his knees, "how was the interview, Pope?"

I rolled my eyes at Kie's tone of voice, her attitude this morning clearly having stayed the same as last nights, "don't ask." I scoffed at the boy's words, "you're not supposed to be here, your interview doesn't end for another like ten minutes Pope."

"Awesome," JJ shook his head, hands on his hips, "I dipped, JB... Look, I'm sorry, dude, about everything." He waved him off with few words, not upset with the teen what so ever, "it's fine."

"But... but I don't have a lot of time, and... and I have information that is tactically relevant." He took a small dramatic pause, mostly to catch his breath before continuing, "so, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off."

"So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, "Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off? What could be so heavy to weigh it down?"