saltwater | outer banks

14| protect the homeland

DISAPPOINTMENT AND ANGER WERE the first feelings that took over Venus' body as she stared longer at the monitor.

Pope had guided the drone lower and closer to the Royal Merchant wreckage, scoping every opening and crevice for signs of treasure, only to find nothing but crushed hopes. They were on their third try surveying the area, but there was still no gold.

Venus bit the inside of her cheek so hard she could taste the faint flavor of iron, but it was the only thing helping her keep it together in that moment.

For John. Think about John. Don't lose your cool right now.

Kie and Pope were still glued to the monitor screen, but John B had finally walked away from it. He clenched his jaw and pushed his hair back harshly, muttering soft curses to himself as he looked out across the water.

Third time's the charm, she mused, this time we'll see something.

Why was she lying to herself? Venus was smart—she was logical, more so than even Pope right now. Anyone with a sliver of common sense and one eye could see that there was no damn gold to be found. Kie and Pope were either putting their all into this for John B's sake, or they finally let themselves succumb to the idea that there could actually be treasure.

Venus could admit that, by now, it was both—at least for her.

"Look," Pope began, "we can do another pass. Recharge the battery. We can—we can go back down." He pointed to the water.

"Guys, we've done it three times," JJ finally spoke up from the cabin of the boat. "There's nothing there."

"Shut up!" Kiara yelled at him, prompting Pope to do the same.

"What? It's true!" the blond boy shouted back.

"The gold could be buried!" Kie argued. "We don't know!"

"If it was there, it would've been found on the metal detector, okay?!" John cut in, turning to face the group. "Somebody beat us to it."

Venus let out a sigh, loosening her jaw and trying to calm down. She ripped her sunglasses off her head and stomped into the boat cabin, not saying a word as she sat on the bench opposite of JJ.

"Or it was never there," he muttered, just loud enough for him and Venus to hear. The boy looked at her, swallowing thickly. It felt like he could see right through her, like he was searching for what she thought of it all. But Venus was too upset to hold his gaze, and instead looked forward, watching the water as he steered them back home.

•

A cold can of Blue Ribbon pressed to Venus' lips as she sat in a lawn chair at the Maybank residence, watching as JJ tried his hardest to shoot a teddy bear with the gun he'd stolen from the motel. He'd offered for her to shoot with him, but so far all she'd done was observe and drink his beer.

After getting back to land, she had texted Rafe. If there was anyone who knew about being angry, it was him, and all she wanted right now was for someone to understand.

Although the Pogues were all upset, it didn't seem like the same kind of upset that Venus was feeling. She kept thinking of what four hundred million in gold could do for all of them, and how some other idiot had gotten their hands on it first. It must've been some kind of sick joke.