𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 - JJ Maybank

Chapter 43: Doozy

"Listen, man, all you gotta do is leave the ambulance running," JJ bargained. "It's a small favour to ask, Ricky, just a small one."

Ricky looked back down to his screwdriver, "It's not as much about the favour as the general stupidity of the plan."

"Come on. Just leave the ambulance running, Ricky. You gotta do this one for me, bro."

Ricky shook his head, "You're gonna wind up in jail, cuz."

"I mean, that's gonna happen anyway, G, eventually. Might as well be for a good cause."

"Yeah, well, I'm not having any part of it. You've come up with a lot of dumb ideas, but, uh, this might be the dumbest."

JJ followed Ricky into his house, "I wouldn't be asking you to do this if it wasn't important, and let me remind you, you owe me, man. Who ran that load up to Cape Fear when your hemp came in hot?"

"I returned that favour when I saved your girl's life. We're even."

JJ shook his head, "Nah, that was out of the goodness of your own heart. You love Gracie."

"How's Grace not stopped you?"

JJ rolled his eyes, "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Ricky sighed, "I'm sorry about your bud, I really am but I'm not helping you commit suicide. Sorry. Now leave me alone. I gotta focus. I'm working an overnight later, so if you're cool..."

"No, yeah. I'm cool."

"Yeah? Okay, man. See you later."

They bro hugged then JJ went back through the screen door. "Say hi to Stephanie for me."

"Yeah, I will."

JJ pocketed the ambulance keys on the way out then hopped in and drove off.

══════════

"Wheezie?" Sarah called.

Grace was by her side as they made their way onto the docks. "Wheeze?"

Grace pointed further down the docks where she saw movement. Sarah smiled. "Is that you? Wheeze?"

They rounded a corner to come face to face with Rafe Cameron. "Nah, not Wheezie."

Sarah grabbed Grace's hand as they both backed up, "Where the hell is Wheezie?"

"Don't worry about it."

Rafe approached them like they were cornered animals, "Woah, it's all good. I...I just. I just... I needed to talk to you both, like, a little bit. Is that okay?"

He took another step forward.

"Back up," Grace ordered sternly.

"'Cause...'cause what you do affects me okay?" he tapped his fingers against his temples, "You don't...you don't think of that, do you?"

He looked insane. Pupils dilated, movements erratic.

"You shot me, Rafe," Sarah asserted.

"She almost died. Fuck, she did die for a bit," Grace added.

Rafe threw his arms out to his sides, "That's it, right?" he tapped his fingers against his chest, "It's...it's always my fault, right? Like, uh...you know, I... I wanna keep what's mine, that I got by my work, and I'm the bad guy for trying to... to hold on to it?"

"It's not yours," Sarah butted in. Grace shook her head at her sister, silently warning her not to provoke Rafe.

"Like I'm wrong to protect what's mine, huh?" his voice raised. He took a deep breath then spoke softer, "Listen to me, okay? The cops are going to talk to you, and...And I need to make sure the story's straight because-"