Anchor // JJ Maybank

12.

Warning: Mentions of sexual abuse that may be triggering for some audiences

"Shit guys, is it them?" Kiara asked frantically. Cassidy went to join John B at the window but before she could get a good look at the men, she was pushed back by Pope and JJ. Their heights blocked her view and she tried desperately to go around them but JJ put his arms up to block the girl from going any closer, not wanting her to be seen or in the range of any bullets. 

"This is suboptimal," Pope muttered, looking defeated. 

"John B, I told you. Why does it always...." JJ started complaining but before he was able to finish John B grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and shook him frantically.

"JJ! Hey, look at me. Where's the gun?" John B asked the frightened boy. 

"The gun? I-I-Ummm" JJ splutters out, looking down at his feet. 

"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kiara questioned JJ in frustration.

"You're the one who told him not to walk around with it so back off," Cassidy said sharply, sending a glare to Kiara before going over to place a hand on JJ's shoulder. "Where is it?" Cassidy asked the boy quietly.

"It was in my backpack.... and then I left my backpack on the porch," JJ said, discouraged. Cassidy let out a sigh and gave his shoulder one last squeeze before walking away from him and towards the door to exit the office. JJ gripped onto her hand, not letting her leave and gave her a pleading look. 

"I'll be fine. I promise," Cassidy told the group, but mainly aimed her reassurance at JJ who looked to be in desperate need of it. 

Cassidy quickly made her way through the familiar house and instead of taking the direct way through the house and to the porch, she exited through the side door and walked silently around the side of the house, slowly inching around the house until the porch was in sight. She could feel the blood coursing through her body and her heartbeat pulsed until the sound of it beating was all she could hear. She finally crouched beside the porch and was able to find JJ's backpack which was strewn on the couch. Unfortunately, she would have to walk up the steps to the porch in order to get the backpack and would be easily visible to the bad men. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two men approaching the porch and she quickly ducked lower to the ground so she couldn't be seen. She held her breath as she felt the vibrations move through the floorboards that her back was pressed up against. From a crack in the floorboards, she could see that the two men had stopped by the door.

"John Routledge! Come out now!" one of the men let out an echoing command that sent Cassidy into a state of paralyzed fear. Past experiences had made her terrified of when men yelled and the anger laced in his command had set her teeth on edge. But she had to do this for her friends, so she pushed her panic away and did her best to come up with a plan. She would wait until the men had entered the house, then silently grab the gun from JJ's backpack and then sneak up on the men. After that, she had no idea what she would do but she figured she would just have to wing it. 

The men continued to yell out for John B and even yell out that they want the compass. She watched as one of the men kicked the door in and the two men made their way into the house. She could hear glass shattering and large crashes coming from inside the house, and she didn't want to even imagine the damage that was being done to her second home. She decided that she would have to move fast so she quickly shot up from her crouching position and sprinted as quietly as she could to the steps. However, the wind was knocked out of her when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and then carried her back the side of the porch, throwing her down roughly onto the ground. It took Cassidy a second to recover before she got a chance to look up at the man who had interrupted her. No matter how long it had been, his stark blue eyes sent chills into her entire body and his grin made her squirm. 

"Dad?" her voice quivered as her body began to shake. 

"Hey sweetpea," he said in a voice laced with honey and venom. "How about you tell me where that compass is and my friends and I will leave your little goonies squad alone. How does that sound?"

Just looking at him send anger coursing through her veins. Memories that she had desperately pushed down flooded back in and caused tears to well in her eyes. Visions of him pinning her down-filled her head, visions of her completely powerless. Ever since then, she had made it a point to never be powerless again, but looking at him made her feel like the weak little girl she was all over again.  her body trembled and she recoiled away from him as he reached out a hand, attempting to run a finger through her hair. Without thinking, she darted away from him and off of the ground and sprinted faster than she ever knew he could onto the porch and to JJ's backpack. She could hear her father right behind her but he stopped in his tracks immediately once she pointed the barrel of the gun straight at his chest. Her finger switched the safety off, without a second thought and the two just stared at each other. 

"Now come on Cass..." He started, sickly sweet, putting his hands out in front of him.

"No. You can't call me that," Cassidy responded sharply, thinking of the boy inside who called her by the same name. Except the boy inside actually cared about her, unlike her father. 

"Fine then, Cassidy. I don't think that's any way to treat your father. Didn't I raise you better?" he said slowly inching towards the small girl. 

"Leave. Now," Cassidy commands him, motioning to go down the steps with the gun. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassidy saw the two other men leave through the back door and pack things up onto their boat. A sense of relief washed over her that they had not found her friend, but at that moment she had another thing to worry about. Her father nods and walks backward until he is on the lawn but Cassidy keeps the gun pointed at him anyways. 

"I'll be back Cass. Don't you worry about that. And tell your friend to get me the damn compass," He called out to her as he joined his thug friends on their boat. Cassidy kept the gun pointed at the boat until she saw the boat with all three men speed off into the water, and even then she stood there with the gun in her hand, paralyzed, for a few minutes. 

Without warning, her legs crumbled beneath her and the gun skidded onto the floor and a few feet away from her. Tears welled in her eyes and they quickly fell down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them away. Her body shook uncontrollably as images that she had tried so hard to push out just rushed back in. It was if seeing him had just destroyed any healing that she had managed to do over her time in the Outer Banks. She brought her knees up to her chin and cradled herself as if she would be able to squeeze all of the pieces of herself that had shattered back into place. She felt feet pound on the floorboards beneath her and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and her head found its place on a familiar chest. She looked up at his blue eyes. Blue eyes so different from her father's. Her father's eyes were as cold as ice while JJ's were like the ocean. the group circled around her silently, as if shielding her from the rest of the world. 

"Cass, what happened," JJ questioned, stroking her hair.

"It was my dad."

AN: Hey guys! I hope you liked this twist and you got to see some more of Cassidy's past. If any of this was triggering for you, please remember to practice self-care and I am always able to talk to anyone if they need someone to speak to. Stay happy and healthy:)