I heard the shot from inside Peterkin's police cruiser. It had startled me from my thoughts, and before I knew what was happening, I was running towards the air strip. The night before it had been decided the evidence needed to go to the police. Of course, there were reservations, mainly from JJ, who quiet recently had not had a good interaction with them, but in the end, Ward wasn't going to go down without their help. John B trusted Peterkin and she seemed to be on his side, wanting to help him out from the beginning.
Just as we were starting to feel like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, life had other ideas. Sarah received a text from Wheezie the next morning. Wheezie was saying that Ward and Rose had been up all night talking and this morning Ward left with a suitcase. When Sarah asked where he was going, Wheezie said she heard something about the Bahamas.
"He knows he's caught." John B stated as we all discussed our options.
"So, we go to the airfield and get his ass, why are we even talking about this right now?" JJ said frustrated.
"And do what Jay? We can't arrest him ourselves." Kie asked.
"No but he's got a point. We can't let him get away." I said from my spot, sitting in the Twinkie we had retrieve earlier from the cemetery.
"I know where the hanger is." Sarah spoke up. She was quiet all morning. She was in the worst position, stuck between the man she loved and the man who raised her. I felt for her. "I can get in, stall my dad."
"No, no way." John B shook his head.
"John B, there isn't any other choice." She argued and the four of sitting in the back of the Twinkie sat back and watched the two start to argue about danger, and double standards. I made a few attempts to interject but each time I was ignored each time.
"I'm not arguing about this. We don't have many options. You need to get that evidence to Peterkin, and I need to stop my dad from leaving the island." She said getting out of the Volkswagen.
"Wait Sarah!" I called opening the sliding door and stepping out wincing as I stood up my hand going to my side. "What if… what if I take the evidence to Peterkin?"
"Roe…"
"No, listen. John B is right there is no way you are confronting your dad alone, not after what we just found out." She crossed her arms and huffed at me, and I just rolled my eyes, "I get it, he is your dad, but you have to accept that he may not be who you think he is."
"Yeah, no that will work. Roe you take the recorder and folder and show Peterkin, get her to meet us at the air strip. Sarah and I will stop Ward." John B nodded.
"Now wait a second John B." Pope said.
"We don't have a second Pope. You guys go to the police station and meet us at the air strip." John B gave us no time to argue. Him and Sarah were in the old van, Sarah handing me the FedEx package and driving off before we could say anything. We were left standing alone on the side of the road. After we collected ourselves, we slowly made our short trek to the police station. Once we got there Shoupe was of course questioning us on everything.
My dad I guess had been asking questions since my visit to the Cameron's. After going back and forth Peterkin walked in and I was able to breakaway and stopping her as she was walking in. I explained the situation, the evidence in my hand and played the tape recorder. With some convincing she reluctantly let me go with her, under the pretense. It wasn't protocol but with the others distracting Shoupe for me I snuck out with the Sheriff, and we drove to the airstrip.
Not surprising, I was instructed to stay in the vehicle. I wasn't convinced about her reasoning for going in with no back up, claiming Ward was a smart man. JJ had texted me that they had left the station and were currently picking Kie's jeep up and were headed towards the airstrip. It wasn't until the gun shot went off that my heart dropped, and I knew a simple arrest wasn't going to be in the picture. I sent a quick text to the others that said a gun had gone off and then I ran.
The stitches at my side pulled with each step I took running through the brush and towards the strip. Once I got to the asphalt I could see a plane on the runway, the Twinkie in front of it, John B kneeling next to someone on the ground, Sarah behind him…. Who was the body…? As I got closer, I realized that Ward was on his knees and Rafe was standing his hand raised run firmly in his grip. I stopped running, frozen, if they were all there then the person under John B's hands was… Peterkin. From my spot a few yards away, I could hear Sarah yelling and pulling John B away as Rafe moved closer. I was moving again. John B and Sarah saw me before Rafe had. I pushed Rafe's arm in the air as he aimed for John B. The shot went off in the air. Knocking Rafe to the ground, the fun sliding away from his grip I looked at John B.
"You gotta run!" I yelled. He hesitated looking back down at Peterkin. Ward was beside her, but her radio was tossed to the side. His hands were on her chest blood seeping through, and she was struggling to breath. Looking back at John B I looked to Sarah who had her hands on his arm pulling him backwards. "You two need to go! Run!" I stated again. The forcefulness in my voice broke through the shock and they both turned running off the runway, Ward yelling after them. Rafe had found the gun again and shot in their direction, thankfully none of the shots met their targets.
I had to call it in, I reached for my phone, but it wasn't in my pocket. 'Shit' I thought, 'I left it in the cruiser.' I didn't wait, I turned, and I ran as fast as I could back to the police cruiser Peterkin had parked off at the entrance to the airstrip. Ward was yelling after me, Rafe was yelling, but I wasn't stopping. One thing I could pride myself on was running, I ran as much as I could, it always helped to clear my mind in the past, and right now it was going to help me save Peterkin.
At the cruiser in a matter of seconds I was out of breath. My side ached and my shirt was sticking to my skin with both sweat and blood. I tore open the driver side door. My phone was across the car lying on the seat, but the radio was closer. Grabbing it I pressed the button static filling the car.
"Officer down, Officer down!" I exclaimed into the radio, not sure who would hear it. "Please he shot her. Help, she needs he…"
"Come here." My plea on the radio was cutoff and I screamed as someone ripped me from the car pulling me back. I kicked and screamed louder until the person spun me, slamming me back first into the cruiser I stopped screaming the moment a gun in front of me. "You shouldn't have done that." Rafe stated. He wasn't pointing the gun at me; it was pointed up his other hand on my shoulder.
"What did you do!" I screamed pushing him off me. Tears were streaming down my face, I stepped closer to him and continued to push him hitting his chest. "You shot her, how could you!"
"You have no idea what I did."
"You shot Peterkin, you…"
"I saved my family! I did that, me!" he yelled interrupted me again. He was in my face then gun in his hand waiving wildly and dangerously around.
"You are psychotic!" I spat and he swung the hand holding the gun the metal clipping me on the side of the face. Gasping I fell to the ground my hand protectively going to my injured cheek. I looked up at him shocked, tears in my eyes as he started to pace in front of me.
"You… You never understood me, even when I tried to let you in. You always looked down on me even when you were slumming with those… those Pogues." My heart was pounding when his back was turned I kicked my leg out and it connected with the back of his knee. He gasped and fell to the ground, and I took the opening, scrambling from the ground, running, looking over my shoulder only once, Rafe was holding his leg as he got up yelling at me.
My lungs burned as I ran until I reached the junk yard. Sirens were wailing all around and I had to duck down twice before I made it to the others.
"Rowyn!" Sarah yelled and the other jumped up from their hiding place. John B looked lost. He was covered in Peterkin's blood and my heart clenched at the thought of her body lying helpless on the runway. Sarah ran hugging me tightly. I cringed but hugged her, her arms being replaced by JJ who was holding me as if I would disappear any second.
"Are you okay?" he asked. He could feel my heart beating wildly and I was still breathing quickly. Nodding I pulled my head from his shoulder only to have his hands frame my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. "What happened?"
"Rafe." I breathed out and the group all stared at me. "I tired to call in what happened. He caught me started yelling about saving his family."
"We have to tell the truth." Sarah said fresh tears running down her cheeks. JJ's hands still remained on my face and when I looked into his eyes there was a darkness, a fear that I saw.
"JJ, we have to go." I said taking his hand in mine pulling them together so I could hold them. We all agreed and made our way to Kie's jeep.
"Roe, your shirt." I looked down when Sarah pointed to my side. Sure, enough there was a patch of blood soaking my shirt. My stitches had ripped either between my running or the scuffle I had with Rafe.
"It's fine." I shook my head. "I didn't even notice to be honest."
"There should be a first aid kid under one of the seats." Kie stated from the driver's seat. There was shuffling and eventually a small white box was found and handed to JJ. With John B in the passenger seat next to Kie, Pope sat in the rear of the jeep, and I sat in the middle between JJ and Sarah. Shifting so I was laying more into Sarah, JJ lifted my shirt. Luckily from what I could see not ALL my stitches ripped. JJ was gentle as he worked, cleaning around the area replacing the bandage that was now soaked with a new one. Once I was patched up, I moved so I was laying again him, his arm over my shoulder, the other running up my arm.
Through all the excitement Kie was now parked outside the police station. "John B, what are we doing at the police station?" She asked and I sat up a bit to look out the window. Through the dark streets, the lamps illuminated the ominous station behind us.
"Somebody's gotta tell them what happened." John B said quietly. From the back of the car Pope started coughing after an excessively long inhale on the juul he was holding.
"Easy there Pope" I said raising an eyebrow to him, this was the first time I had seen him smoke and it was an unusual sight. "Whose idea was it to let him smoke?"
"He lost his scholarship, and we lost all our evidence. He needed to let loose." JJ shrugged. I hadn't thought of the evidence until now. It was in Peterkin's car. The one I had ran from when Rafe had come after me. The Cameron's were sure to have the evidence now. We had nothing. "All right, I'm just gonna be real with you right now… you might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose. It's fundamental. Just like my old man always told me, you should never trust cops, no matter what the circumstance is."
"Your old man is an abusive liar." I mumble from my spot beside him. He rolled his holding me tighter.
"Well, I agree with JJ, fuck the police." Pope stated, extremely high. I heard Kie from the front seat scoff at his comment and Pope just shrugged. "When's the last time the police ever helped us?"
"Peterkin looked out for me alright!" John B stated from the front seat. "Tried to… they need to know." Slowly he got out of the car and walked towards the station alone. We watched him go in anxiously waiting.
"I should have gone with him." Sarah said quietly.
"If he needs us, he will ask." I said quietly reaching for her hand on her lap squeezing it. We sat quietly, JJ running light circles on my arm, Pope continuing his calming meditation in the back, Kie tapping anxiously on the wheel.
"Kie start the car!" John B was yelling as he ran towards the car. We all sat up a bit straighter as Kie threw the car into drive. "The cops! The cops!"
"What?" Kie asked confused as John B jumped into the car.
"Just drive!" he yelled just as a deputy came running from the station. I watched as Kie pressed on the gas the moment the deputy was at the window yelling at us to stop.
"Stop the car!" she yelled at us trying to reach for John B. "Pull over!"
"John B open the door." JJ said.
"What?" he questioned looking back.
"Open the door!" you say again, and he does the deputy falling to the ground rolling in our rear view as we sped off.
"What the hell?" Sarah breathed out looking over her shoulder.
"Their saying I did it." John B. said and we all went quiet, the air leaving our lungs as we realized the gravity of our current situation. John B was a fugitive.
As always. Thanks for reading. One more chapter for this series.
Then on to the second season/series.
Ready or not :)