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A half an hour later the boat began to pull up to the shore next to the motel.
"I thought the chateau looked bad," JJ said at the damage.
"This place is a shitshow," John B said.
"Motel or meth lab?" Kie said earning a laugh and fist bump from me.
"You be the judge," Pope said.
"Doesn't look like a place somebody with a Grady-White would stay."
      "No it looks like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would get killed."
      "Then it's a good thing we don't look like people with a Grady-White," I said, earning a glare from Pope.
      "This is your captain speaking," JJ said. "HMS Pogue coming in for landing."
      JJ hopped off and began to tie the boat up.
      "We good?" John B asked.
      "Yeah, we good," JJ replied.
      "All right, here goes nothin'."
      "Have fun, boys," I said, kicking my feet up on the edge of the boat and pulling my sunglasses over my eyes.
      "Funny," JJ said as he grabbed my hand. "You act like you're not coming."
      "Huh?"
      "You know the rules," he said. "Where I go, you go."
      I groaned as he began to pull me out of the boat.
      "Hey," Pope said grabbing John B and I's attention. "Don't let him do anything stupid."
      "Oh, we will," JJ said.
      "Not making promises," John B said.
      "Yeah, I know," Pope said.
      "Uh, be careful," Kie said as she handed the key to John B. "I mean it."
      "Yeah," John B chuckled.
      JJ and I shared a glance at him and Kie before following after him.
      "Why are all these mattresses out here?" John B said.
      "After a hurricane they have to ditch them cause they're all moldy."
      After we made our way to the second floor JJ and I shared a look, then we each took a place on either side of John B.
      JJ wrapped an arm around him and put his hand on his cheek, while I grabbed his arm and put a hand on his chest.
      "Just be so careful, John," JJ mocked.
      "I don't know what I'd do without you," I said.
      He pushed us off.
      "God, you guys are so weird," he said.
      "What the heck was that about?" JJ asked.
      "I don't know. Maybe she wants us to be careful."
      "Since she heard you're being threatened with exile, she's been, like-"
      JJ smiled as he began to rub John B's shoulders.
      "Oh, be so careful, John B."
      "Get off," John B said.
      "Oh, just give me that John D already," JJ taunted. "When are you gonna swoop on that, man?"
      "Bro, you know the rule, no Pogue-on-Pogue macking."
      JJ took in his words for a split second and tossed me a glance. I met his eyes, which seemed to be full of remorse, then he turned back to John B.
      I furrowed my eyebrows.
      "You're the one that's always hitting on her," John B said.
      "Of course I'm hitting on her," JJ said. "She's a super-hot, rich, hippie chick slumming with us. Why? I can't figure it out either, but who cares, bro? I know that door's locked because I've tried it. Have you?"
      "You need help," John B said.
      "Serious help," I added.
      "Not like a little bit of help, you need a lot of help," John B continued. "Cause it's like every girl who just has a heartbeat, you're like...ooh."
      "What? Is that a big deal? Is that us? 29?"
      "This is it," John B said.
      JJ walked over and did a series of knocks on the door.
      "Housekeeping," he said in a girly voice.
      "Should we try it?" John B said when there was no response.
      "Yeah," JJ and I said at the same time.
      "No power. No security cameras. No one's gonna know," JJ said.
      I stepped aside and let JJ go in first, standing just behind him as he walked into the room. John B turned on a flashlight.
      "Huh, okay," John B said. "Check the bag. See if there's a name on there somewhere."
      "A jacket," JJ said. "No name on the jacket. It's a nice jacket though."
      I began to walk through the room, looking around at it.
      "Definitely over 50, he's got New Balances," John B said, causing me to laugh loudly.
      JJ suddenly put his hand over my mouth and raised his other finger to his lips.
      "Shh," he said.
      I nodded a little and he lowered his hand. I shivered a little at the lack of warmth on my face.
      JJ walked over to the end stand and inspected the map that was there. I laid down on the bed next to it and watched his hand point at a location.
      "Hey, dude, come here. Maybe this is where they were fishing," JJ said.
      John B came over and they began to read the map.
      "No, that's off the continental shelf," John B said. "That's Big Swell. Nobody fishes there."
      I scoffed.
      "Nerds," I said, causing JJ to shoot me a glare.
      JJ walked into the bathroom.
      "Ooh!" he said.
      "Find anything?"
      "A really awesome Dopp kit you won't let me steal," he said.
      "Yeah, cause we're not stealing shit," John B said.
      I watched as John B attempted to get into the safe.
      "Punching shit at random," JJ mocked. "That will definitely work."
      John B grabbed something off the end stand, then went back to the safe. JJ began to talk about the coordinates on the map.
      I sat up as the safe beeped and John B opened it. JJ was still spouting off about swordfish. I slapped his arm to get his attention and he looked down to me, then to where I was gesturing.
      "You're gonna wanna see this," John B said.
      I got off the bed and JJ and I walked over to the safe. John B was holding a stack of hundred dollar bills.
      I watched as JJ reached into the safe beside me and pulled the gun out.
      I shot to my feet and stepped back.
      "JJ!" I snapped. "Put it back. Put it back, now!"
      "Put the gun back, JJ," John B said.
      "This is a SIG Sauer," JJ said. "This is a fucking spendy gatt, man. Just...bam! Bam!"
      I instinctively ducked when he mimed shooting it.
      "We are not stealing anything," John B confirmed again.
      "Just take a pic of me," JJ said. "Right here."
      "You want me to take a picture of you?" John B muttered.
      "Yeah, dude, like-" JJ said as he posed with it.
      I shook my head as his eyes locked with mine, but I couldn't help but let my eyes scrape over his bicep as he flexed it, holding the gun up.
      "Making our own incriminating evidence? Is that what you're talking about?" John B said.
      JJ dropped his pose.
      "Wait, what was that?" John B said as he walked over to the window.
      I heard a small tap.
      "Shit," John B said as he bounded over to the other window.
      "What is it? What is it?" JJ said.
      "Cops," John B said.
      As soon as knuckles drummed on the door we bolted into action, fixing everything.
      "Here," JJ said as he tossed me a stack of money.
      I shot him a look, then pocketed it.
      "What do we do?" John B whispered.
      "The window," JJ and I said simultaneously.
      We rushed over and clamored out the window, making as little noise as possible.
John B immediately pressed his body against one side of the window, while JJ fled to the other side.
I gave him a wild eyed look and he waved me towards him.
He grabbed my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me as tight against him as possible. He held my body anchored against his side, the side farthest from the window.
I wrapped one hand around his shoulder, the other resting on his chest.
My shorter frame left the top of my head just under his chin. I looked up with fear in my eyes, causing him to meet my eyes and nod once.
I watched as John B peeked back in the window, JJ did as well.
"Careful," I whispered.
He nodded, then leaned a little to look inside.
"They're taking some of the money," he whispered to me.
I watched as JJ lifted his leg to readjust his shorts. I gasped quietly as the black handgun slid out of his waistband and slid down the overhang. It clattered loudly against the metal.
JJ walked a little farther from the window and pulled me tighter against his chest.
"Don't. Move," he said slowly.
I watched the window on the corner of my eye as the police man walked closer, then pulled the blinds up.
John B raised a finger to his lips as he met our eyes.
I held my breath for a few moments until finally I heard the door shut and their footsteps retreat.
JJ's grip on my waist relaxed a little and I leaned my head against his shoulder, breathing heavy and nervously laughing.
"Oh my god, JJ," I breathed. "I was so ready to throw you off this roof."
He chuckled as I pulled my head off his bare shoulder. He began to help me climb down, then himself and John B. We jogged over to the HMS Pogue, then quickly pulled out into the water.
"Well, that was fun," JJ said. "Could've warmed us a little sooner, though."
"We would have," Kie said. "Except Pope was on the math team."
"You were on the math team?" JJ and I simultaneously taunted.
"The cops took everything like it was a crime scene," John B said.
"Did you guys find anything?" Pope asked.
"Did we find anything?" JJ said. "No, I don't think so. Oh, yeah, we did."
He said as held up the gun and the stack of money.
"What the hell?" Pope said.
"Dude, what?" Kie said.
"Why would you take that from a crime scene?" Pope said.
"It's better than the cops having it," JJ said.
Pope began to freak out about his scholarship as JJ fruitlessly attempted to calm him down.
An hour later we pulled up to the dock and were hanging around.
We all watched as the police pulled a body onto a stretcher.
"Who's that?" John B asked.
"It's Scooter Grubs," Kie said. "He was out during the storm."
"Check out this pic I got," the girl next to us said.
She began to show the picture around.
I looked up to JJ and we shared a knowing look.
"What kind of boat did he have?" we asked at the same time.
"Somehow the dirtbag copped a brand-new Grady-White," the girl said. "Everyone's out looking for it."
We all shared a knowing look, then turned back to the body.

A few hours later we met up back at the Chateau.
I was sitting on the couch next to JJ's chair as he flicked a lighter around.
Pope came running in.
"Okay, so, um...we didn't see anything," Pope said. "We don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia."
"Actually, Pope's right for once," JJ said. "See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny."
"Guys, we can't keep that money," Kie said.
"Okay, not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara," JJ said.
"That's not what she's saying, she-" I started.
"You don't have any room to talk either, Sky," JJ interrupted.
I closed my mouth as he snapped at me. I never took it well when he yelled at me.
"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubs, otherwise it's bad karma," Kie said.
"Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too," Pope said. "We gotta go dark."
"If that means we can keep the money, then I agree," JJ said.
"I don't agree," John B said.
"What? Why?"
"Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot, because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'."
We all took in this information slowly.
A little while later we made our way down to the dock where Pope was fishing.
"All right, so think about it, Pope. How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?"
"Prostitution," Pope said sarcastically.
I narrowed my eyes in thought as I watched JJ reel his line in.
"Square groupers," I said.
"Exactly. Okay, flying under the radar. No aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean? JJ?"
"They were straight smuggling," JJ said.
"Smuggling," John B confirmed. "And I guarantee, there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck."
"Hell, yeah," JJ said.
I jumped away as he began to pull back and reel in a fish.
"Fish on!" he said.
We slowly made our way back inside.
"For the record," Pope said. "If that is a smuggling ship, with illegal contraband on the inside of it, it probably belongs to someone else."
"Minor details," Kie said.
"They could come looking for it," Pope said. "Takin it would be...catastrophically stupid."
"Right. Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time," JJ said as he began to look through the money.
I punched him playfully in the shoulder.
"It's true," I said. "We've witnessed it firsthand."
"That's because you two are two halves of a whole thief. A chemical mixture for chaos."
JJ rolled his eyes.
"All we need to do right now is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck," JJ continued. "Until then, we just lay low, just act normal."
"Right," Pope said. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Kie and I shared a look.
"Kegger?" she said.

Big Blue Sky | JJ Maybank x Male OCWhere stories live. Discover now