All That Glitters

Groupers

They pulled up to Ms. Lana's just as they heard a scream from inside the house. They glance at each other and then bolt for the side of the building. JJ pushed John B in back of him and held a hand out to his chest to stop him from trying to run inside.

"I don't like this." JJ whispered.

"The compass wasn't in the boat! Where is it?" There was another loud crash as Lana screamed. JJs heart was racing. John B pushed against his hand which maybe him shoot him a warning glare right at his eyes.

" I don't know!"

"She needs our help, JJ." Something hit the wall from inside causing paint from the exterior to rain down on them.

" Let's get outta here man. She doesn't know anything that we didn't already know." 

"We should go too. This has got smuggler—" John B pushed his hand away and carefully stepped over to the corner of the house were he could see the same boat that had chased them yesterday. "...smuggler written all over it." JJ anxiously stammered.

John B flipped back around suddenly as he caught a glimpse of someone leaving the house. His shoulder hit JJ's face. He stumbled back holding his nose and covering his mouth. John B mouthed a sorry at him.

JJ watched them leave as John B sprinted inside. "Hey, those are the guys that shot at us." He said before following him inside.

John B slid down next to Lana who was sobbing in the doorway to her bathroom. Her entire living room was thrown apart and broken. A lamp with no shade was lighting up the doorway where she sat, shaking.

"Ms. Lana? Are you alright?"

"Jesus, John B, we should go."

"No, let's call the sheriff's department."

Lana shakily looked up at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head furiously. "No no no, no cops. Please."

JJ shook his head too. "Mmm... that's not good. We should definitely split, dude. Let's go."

She turned to them both in a hysterical sob. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Good enough for me. Let's go, John B." JJ tugged on his shirt. But John B knelt down to the floor and reached into his pocket.

"Wait wait," he said, "What do you know about these guys, Ms. Lana?"

"They were looking for something." She replied in a small voice.

"Something like this?" He held out the compass for her to see. Her eyes hardened and she stared at it in disbelief. "Do you know anything about it?" She shook her head with more fear filling her eyes. "It belonged to my father and Scooter had it. Why?"

"Scooter didn't have it, okay? Don't tell anyone you have that! They can't know!"

JJ was now tugging John abs shirt pleading for him to get up and get the hell out of there already.

She frantically told them over and over to leave as John B kept asking questions. "Why did Scooter have the key?" He called out as JJ was practically dragging him across the floor.

He was just met with more hysterics as he was pulled away.

—

"So we were right outside like this," JJ pushed his back against the wall of the chateau's porch glancing at Pope and Kie as he re-enacted their trip to Lana's. "And all we here is just, " Bam! Bam! Bam! " Knocking paint off the wall, G. From the inside. Right? And I'm just looking at him, like—" JJ points to John B who was standing behind Kie during this whole endeavor. "Wait, look. Like look at this shit. It got all in my hair." He starts raking his fingers through his hair, all over Pope.