"𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓶𝓮, 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝔃𝔂"
Josie Brooke Routledge is John B's fierce twin sister, navigating life in the Outer Banks after their father's mysterious disappearance. Always ready for adventure, she shares her brothe...
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The five of them scramble out of the boat. JJ steps forward, offering his hand to Josie with a grin.
"Need a hand, princess?" he says, his voice light and teasing.
Josie doesn't even acknowledge him. She hops out of the boat and walks right past him, not a word spoken.
JJ stands there for a moment, his hand still outstretched, looking slightly disappointed. But he quickly shakes it off, forcing a grin as he jogs to catch up with her.
They walk through the crowd, dodging people as they go. John B tries to get the attention of an officer standing nearby. "Excuse me!" John B calls out, raising his voice. But the officer is far too absorbed in a conversation about a dog with diabetes to notice them.
"Hey, man, we—found a boat!" John B says, trying again, but still no one listens.
JJ raises his finger, ready to add something, but before he can speak, Josie steps forward with authority. "Hey! You're gonna wanna hear this!" she calls out to the officer, her tone sharp.
The officer raises his hand, clearly annoyed. "Hey! Calm down!" he snaps at her.
JJ's frustration flares, but instead of speaking to the officer, he steps in front of Josie, blocking her from view. He doesn't say anything, but the look in his eyes is enough—he's protective, angry, and unwilling to let her be talked to that way.
Josie doesn't respond, her attention already shifting to John B, who's walking away. Without saying a word, she grabs JJ's arm and pulls him along with her.
"Let's go, Maybank," she mutters, her tone sharp. "Not worth the trouble."
They walk away from the officer and John B, who's already ahead of them.
"Well, that went well," Pope says, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he watches the interaction.
"So, what's the plan now?" JJ asks, eager to move on.
John B pulls a motel key card out of his pocket, grinning. "I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns the boat," he says confidently.
Pope raises an eyebrow. "We don't even know whose room that is. It could belong to anyone."
JJ doesn't hesitate. "I'm in," he says, taking the card from John B and tossing it to Kiara. "Come on, I'll be the lookout," Kiara says with a shrug, already ready to play her part.
Josie, ever the instigator, throws her arm around Pope's shoulders. "Pope, live a little. What's life without a little adventure?" she teases.
Pope sighs, shaking his head but grinning a little. "A lot longer," he mutters.
JJ watches them closely, his irritation growing as he notices how close Josie is to Pope. His jaw tightens, but he says nothing, pushing down the feeling.
