P4L, carpe diem (JJ Maybank)

044

After school, I went to the Wreck for my shift.

After it was over, the Pogues pulled me outside to the decks. "For the record, I never doubted them," my boyfriend added as I let out a light scoff. He meant Sarah and John B. "Oh, did you now?"

"I did, Dylan," he said and I rolled my eyes.

Anna called for her daughter, sitting under an umbrella. "Kiara, I need those setups done by five!"

"There are other people that work here," Kie answered, as we walked out to the boats. "But ain't none of them my children!"

I laughed, teasingly pointing at Kie.

"Great job today, Dylan!"

I turned around, opening my arms wider. "It's what I do, Mrs. Anna! It's what I do!" I turned back around as we all sat on the wooden bench.

"I feel that," Pope said, meaning Anna's children quote. "On a deep, emotional level, I understand that."

I sat on the top of the bench, writing down my hours. "So, we going to the Bahamas, or what?" JJ asked, throwing his book bag onto the bench.

"Dude, there's no way we're getting to the Bahamas," Pope added, as I put my notebook away.

"True," I added. "John B will get nabbed one way or another, sooner or later. So if we're gonna clear his name, we need to have done it like...a week ago."

JJ sat down onto the bench, to my left. His arms rested on my legs. "I'll tell you how we do it."

"So, you have it all planned out?" Pope asked, completely skeptical.

"As a matter of fact, I do. We kidnap Rafe."

My eyebrows scrunched, and I almost let out a laugh because I thought he was joking. "Hm?" I asked, shutting my eyes and raising my eyebrows.

"We kidnap Rafe, tie him up and stick the gun in his mouth and wait till he starts squawking."

I nodded my head, sarcastically. "You see, babe, torture's a freaking war crime."

Kie nodded, shaking her head.

"Yeah, how exactly do you plan on clearing John B's name from a prison cell? Because that's a felony," Pope explained, bowing his head.

"Alright, well, what do you got, Pope? I was just trying to keep it simple. You know, one stop and we're done," he asked, crossing his legs.

"Guys, all we need is a material witness," Pope said. "We saw Ward's plane fly right over our heads with the gold inside of it. He didn't fly it. If somebody else flew, they were there on the tarmac."

I bounced my leg up and down, piecing what Pope was saying together. "Meaning they saw Sheriff Pete get murdered."

Pope pointed at me, smiling. "We just have to find whoever that was and get them to confess on record."

"How do we do that?" Kie asked, confused.

"A little light espionage," Pope exclaimed.

"A little ghost recon," JJ added, putting his hat back onto his head and puckering his lips playfully at me. I shoved him away, as he laughed.

"Woogity, woogity," Pope said, before we all gave in to a woogity-woogity with our fingers.

~|~

We all sat in Kie's car, as she drove, Pope rode shotgun as me and J were in the back.

We drove along, my legs kicked up on JJ's lap.