SUNBURN | JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

070

The Twinkie was alive with a buzz of anticipation, the air thick with excitement as the Pogues hurtled towards their next daring adventure. The van's interior was cramped but filled with an infectious energy, everyone's nerves tingling with the thrill of what was to come.

Kiara, who had been staring out the window, turned to Gabriella with a hint of concern. "I wonder how Sarah is doing," she mused, her voice softening in the rare quiet moment.

Gabriella leaned back against her seat, her expression shifting to one of mixed feelings. "Well, she didn't believe John B," she replied with a touch of bitterness. "Once a kook, always a kook." There was a trace of sadness in her tone, an undercurrent of pain for Sarah, who was now entangled in the web of her father's deceit. Gabriella couldn't help but feel for her, knowing how hard it was to accept that the person meant to protect you could be the one to betray you. But despite that sympathy, her loyalty lay firmly with John B and their friends.

In the back, JJ was busy with his gun, checking the bullets and reloading with a practiced hand. The metallic click of the gun echoed in the confined space, a stark reminder of the danger ahead. "We go in there, guns a-blazin', make Ward Cameron beg for mercy, abscond with as much gold as possible, and vámonos, get the hell out of there," JJ declared, his eyes gleaming with a mix of recklessness and determination.

Gabriella, always quick to add to the plan, chimed in, "Wait for the weather and then run to Cuba."

JJ shifted in his seat, his excitement palpable as he turned to her, slightly shaking her arm as if to emphasize his point. "Cuba? No, man, Xcalak. Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money."

Gabriella glanced over at John B, their eyes meeting in a shared moment of connection. A small smile tugged at the corners of John B's lips, his hand reaching over to squeeze hers. "I guess we're going to Yucatan then," he said, his voice steady with the resolve that had carried them through every challenge so far.

The van bounced along the road, the laughter and banter inside a stark contrast to the tense mission ahead. But that was the Pogues—finding humor and hope even in the darkest situations, bound together by their unbreakable bond.

The Twinkie came to a slow, quiet stop on the gravel just opposite the private plane runway, the Pogues all on edge. One by one, they jumped out of the van and sprinted to the fence, hearts pounding as they crouched low, peering through the gaps to get a clear view of the unfolding scene. The plane was being loaded with the gold—everything they'd risked their lives for.

Kiara, her voice hushed but urgent, asked, "What's the plan? Broad strokes."

Pope, always prepared, pulled out his binoculars and adjusted them to get a closer look. "They're loading up the gold," he confirmed, his tone laced with tension.

John B grabbed the binoculars from Pope, his breath catching as he saw a car emerging from the distance, the horn beeping to announce its presence. His grip tightened around the binoculars. "There's Ward," he muttered, anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Gabriella took the binoculars from him when she saw a familiar blonde figure step out of the car. Her heart sank. "It's Sarah," she said, her voice barely a whisper, disbelief coloring her tone.

Kiara leaned in, sensing the shift in Gabriella's demeanor. "What?"

Gabriella's eyes widened as she focused on Sarah, who was clearly distressed, shouting at Ward. "No! No! I don't wanna go!" Sarah's voice carried faintly through the distance. Gabriella's stomach twisted in knots. "Wait...he's hurting her. She doesn't want to go with him."

The realization hit the Pogues like a freight train. Ward, the man they already knew was capable of so much evil, was now forcing his own daughter into submission. Their faces fell, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on them. None of them had ever expected Ward to turn on Sarah like this.