BABYDOLL // JJ Outer Banks

sixteen

hannah and kie were stretched out tanning on the bow of the HMS pogue in their bikinis. pogie was also there, sprawled out of the floor of the boat, enjoying the warmth of the sun when jj whistled.

"damn, you guys see that? that's the malibu 24-MXZ, the world's finest wakesetter. number one in luxury, quality, and performance. 200k, easy."

"i'll buy you one when we're filthy rich," hannah joked, lifting jj's sunglasses off the bridge of her nose to rest on her forehead.

kie looked up. "i hate to break it to you guys, but that's topper and his girlfriend." she was right. topper and sarah glided by the gang like they were nothing but trash in the water, sparing them a fleeting glance filled with disgust. "you don't have to act like you don't see us, bitch!" kie called. hannah joined her friend, flipping off the kooks as they passed.

"what's the deal with you two?" jj asked curiously.

kie stiffened. "doesn't matter."

"i hate kooks," hannah sighed, returning to her tanning.

...

"alright, keep a look out. we're behind enemy lines," jj told the group as they filed out of the bus in front of the hotel jj worked at. hannah's eyes widened when jj went to grab his gun.

john b noticed this too. "come on, man, just put it back."

"what?" jj asked innocently. "you can never be too careful."

"says the boy who knowingly eats mold," hannah quipped.

"hey! i spit it out!"

"hey," pope interrupted, "i predict that bringing a weapon into a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than they solve."

jj went to protest when kie leaned her head in between the two front seats. "jj, i swear to god, i'm going to throw that thing in the ocean. put. it. back."

john b, taking advantage of jj's distracted state, snatched the gun out of jj's hand.

"you can't grab a gun like that," jj lectured as he opened the glove compartment and digging around. "can't forget my badge— professional busboy."

"sexy," hannah rolled her eyes. "i'm practically swooning."

jj stuck his tongue out at the girl as he guided the group inside.

"so, where are we going now?" pope asked.

"we're getting on the internet," jj explained, "because only rich people have electricity right now. this way!" jj led his friends through a small kitchen, occasionally stopping to greet someone. "mama L, good to see you!" jj said, attempting to steal a piece of food from a dish, earning him a smack to the back of the hand. "ow!"

"i like her," hannah smirked.

jj stopped in front of a set of white doors, pausing to look around to make sure no one was watching before ushering his friends into the room. "see? they got the backup generators going. kooks don't miss a beat."

"sweet lord, the internet," pope exclaimed, rushing to one of the many computers in the room. "how i've missed you."

"let me get in there," jj said to the boy, "gotta check out my insta models."

hannah snorted. "of course you would."

jj sent her a cheeky grin. "is that jealousy i detect?"

"ooh, detect? big word. did pope teach you that one or did you have to look it up yourself?"

jj scowled, flipping her off.

"i got the map," john b told pope, flattening the map on the desk. pope and john b continued to talk as pope entered the coordinates into the computer. "boom," john b said, pointing to a dot on the computer screen with his finger, "continental shelf, right there."

"well, if it's off the deep end, it's not gonna be much of a treasure hunt, is it?" pope remarked.

the group waited anxiously as the map on the screen reloaded. "shit," john b spoke, "it's on the high side. only 900 feet."

jj shrugged his shoulders. "that's not too deep."

kie gave him a baffled expression. "is that supposed to be do-able or something?"

jj nodded. "totally do-able," he turned to hannah, "kinda like you, babydoll."

"i'm really starting the think you're obsessed with me," the brunette playfully teased.

"okay, will we be taking your personal submarine?" pope asked sarcastically, causing hannah to snort.

"how do you know this, mr. dive-master?" john b asked.

"the salvage yard," jj stated, as though it were obvious. "they've got a drone that can drop like 1000 feet. it has a 360 camera and everything. they use it for like deep dives and stuff. it's exactly what we need."

"and your dad can get his grimy little hands on it?" john b questioned. hannah rolled her eyes. as if that asshole would do anything nice for jj.

"well, my dad's grimy little hands got his ass fired. turns out the salvage captain frowns on showing up shit-faced. but the drone's there. it's in the impound yard out back."

kie nodded slowly. "how much did you say was on the royal merchant again?"

"400 mil," hannah and john b answer in sync.

"400 million dollars?" kie repeated. hannah nodded.

pope realized what his friends were thinking and immediately ran to the door, barricading it with himself. "no! absolutely not! absolutely not! no!"

"pope, move!" kie demanded, shoving the poor boy out of the way.

"can't we do anything legal for money?" pope groaned in defeat.

"now where would the fun in that be?" hannah laughed, giving pope a friendly kiss on the cheek before skipping out of the room.