P4L | Outer Banks | JJ Maybank

Tres Rocas

JJ sat around nervously, his leg bouncing.

"Look, Pope, I'm just gonna take the bike," he said, shooting to his feet suddenly.

"No, man!" Pope yelled.

JJ rolled his eyes. "Come on, I mean, what if she's in trouble?"

John B stepped forward. "Cory is perfectly capable, Jay. She's got it."

JJ rolled his eyes, but then he noticed the car rolling up onto the tarmac. The black sedan made his stomach drop and he faltered, his brows twitching nervously.

JJ and John B exchanged glances.

"Shit," JJ mumbled.

"What's that? What's shit?" John B sassed, but upon seeing the man who exited the sedan, he understood.

Barracuda Mike was approaching, a man standing just behind him with a rifle in hand. JJ stepped up to meet him.

"Hey, Maybank," Mike greeted.

"Mike."

Mike sighed. "I think you know why I'm here."

JJ sucked in a breath.

"You owe me," Mike said. "You lost me the load. And a little on top of that for that girl of yours."

JJ grew angry in a millisecond, stepping up to Barracuda Mike.

"What'd you do?" he snapped angrily.

Mike chuckled. "Nothing. But she and that little friend of hers left a welt on my guy, and she owes me."

JJ glanced over at the guy with the rifle, suddenly noticing the growing red mark on his cheek.

"What little friend?" JJ asked.

"The little asian chick," Mike rolled his eyes. "With the yellow Jeep? It doesn't matter. You owe me. Before I go find out where she is."

JJ seethed, his face full of rage.

"Look, Mike," JJ said, his voice full of his usual sass. "I... we are a little busy right now and I don't have time to deal with this 'threatening my girlfriend' nonsense." JJ glanced back at the others, trying to gauge the various anger levels they would all manage to be at after his next sentence. "So here's your options. You beat me up right now, and of course, I understand the urge. I get it. But I've gotta go make sure my girlfriend isn't getting herself sent to wilderness camp. So you might wanna consider the second option."

Mike raised a brow at the boy. "What's the second option?"

JJ clicked his tongue, stepping forward and lowering his voice. "We are on our way to South America to find a big ol' pile of gold, yeah?" Mike seemed unimpressed, but slightly intrigued. "Now if you just find the patience in your heart, there's a pile of that gold sitting with your name on it. That'll repay what we owe, huh?"

Mike thought for a moment, seeming to believe the gold story. "So you just want me to be patient?"

JJ nodded. "Well... and I need a plane."

Cory's phone began buzzing on her lap. She lifted it, finding the screen read: Jay <3. She immediately shushed the two in the front of the car as she swiped the call on.

"Cory!" JJ cried out.

"Hello?" Cory asked.

"Thank god you're okay," JJ sighed.