riptide- outer banks

sixty-six | road to ruin

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Sitting in the shop at the chateau, Logan glanced over at Kori. They were sitting apart from each other, Sarah separating the two of them. No one knew about them yet and it was going to stay like that for the time being. Having to explain that they'd kissed after years of being at each other's throats and that they now liked each other would be near impossible to do. It would honestly just be exhausting trying not to get killed by JJ. He didn't want to know what her older brother would do if he found out about them.

When he'd come back the previous night, JJ hadn't come home yet. One look at him and Kori knew something had happened. So he told her. He told her about the guy trying to mug him and about how Rafe showed up to defend him. He couldn't lie to her; he said he wouldn't anymore, so he didn't. She just listened, not saying any quick remarks or little comments. She just listened, being there for him as he told her what Rafe had done for him.

She was the only person he told. He didn't tell Kie or Sarah or anyone else— he told nobody. He trusted every single person in that group, but Kori was the one person he trusted most. It was weird that things had changed that drastically in just five weeks, but he felt like he could tell her anything. She'd just nodded her head, understanding that Logan hadn't forgiven Rafe. That he wouldn't forgive Rafe.

But she also understood that he was still his brother. In the same way that Luke was still her father, Rafe was still his family. Whether he liked it or not, Ward was also still his father. Those were things neither of them could just change.

Then JJ had come back. Later in the night, he'd gone home and found Kori, not batting an eye at the fact that Logan was there. They were all friends now and he needed a place to stay, so he didn't think anything of it. And what he told them, it was pertinent— Rafe was back on the island, cross coming to Wilmington in the next twenty-four hours.

And that only meant one thing: they were stealing that shit back.

Logan turned to Sarah, elbows resting on his knees. "And this was after I left?"

"Yeah. When I got back to Tannyhill, Rafe was on the phone with dad. And he just kept saying, 'My thing. This is my thing.'" She explained, head shaking. "He had to be talking about the cross."

"Absolutely." Pope agreed.

"And he's coming into Wilmington tonight at eight o'clock. It's being shipped by train to Raleigh from there, but this is our chance to get it back."

Kori let out a breath. "I'm in. We need the win."

"You get any other information?" Pope asked.

"Uh, Sarah got the cargo number." Kie announced, leaning forward to grab the slip of paper on the table.

"Okay, well that's a start."

"They're definitely fencing that shit off as we speak." JJ piped up from the wall he was leaning against. "So we should probably get a move on."

"Sarah, you hear from John B?" Pope questioned, eyes shifting to her.

"No, I mean, he's probably off somewhere with his dad. But the problem is, they have the twinkie."

"Our transportation."

Kori shook her head, mind racing. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Big John was alive. That one of the only father figures she'd ever had—besides Heyward—was actually alive.

"I could ask Heyward for the truck." Pope offered, causing each of their heads to lift to him. "It's our only option."

"He's not gonna give you the truck, Pope." Kori pointed out.