JJ and Julianne had made up, both realizing they wanted a real relationship with each other. She felt so silly for jumping to conclusions and not seeing what was right in front of her face. All that mattered was they knew they wanted to be together, and they wanted to do it right. She was reassured about Evie, and couldn't help the bubbles of happiness forming in her stomach.
They spent a while looking over the gold, wiping the mud and muck off the shiny bars. It was so surreal to have finally found it and be holding the treasure of the Royal Merchant in their hands. "We actually fucking found it," he said and sported a sideways smirk.
"This is crazy," she agreed.
"It sure is," a deep voice interrupted their thoughts. Turning around toward the rocky entrance, Ward stood with a gun to John B's head.
"What the fuck," she mumbled and felt JJ shove her behind him slightly. She reached up to grab his bicep and squeezed. She wasn't letting go.
"Hey kids. Sorry to crash the party. Thanks for finding the gold though."
"You've got to be kidding me," JJ groaned and rolled his eyes. With careful movements, he took a step forward.
"Ah, ah, ah. That's close enough." Ward stared at them through slitted eyes.
Suddenly remembering Prescott and Hugh were in the boat near the entrance her heart sank. Ward had no problem "eliminating" people who got in the way. "What did you do to Hugh?!"
"Hugh? Oh, he's right outside. Just waiting for me to drop this one back off here. Go, go up there," he gestured the Pogue's to a flat spot of rock about twenty feet from the chests.
"What? What do you mean he's-" she began to question and argue but JJ gently tugged at her arm the same time John B stumbled toward them.
"Hugh is fucking working with Ward. We were played. Again." The hurt in John B's voice almost broke her.
"You three will have enough time to talk all the shit you want about us when we're gone. Now, lay down and shut up." They slowly obeyed, and when JJ slowed down Ward pressed the gun to his head. "Now!" Three other men in black polo shirts entered the cave. Two started hauling the gold out while the third came up to the Pogues. He tied their hands behind their backs first then their feet together. "Make it tight," Ward instructed.
"It's not bad enough you are taking the gold, you have to kill us too?" JJ seethed. Julianne had tears running down her face and saw John B's broken expression next to her. They all remained on their stomachs as the guy tied rope around their hands and feet.
"Oh no. We aren't that heartless. Believe it or not, Hugh and I really dod have respect for your dad, John B. We couldn't have gotten this far without him and his research. And for that, I won't shoot you. But you'll instead die here where his research lead us. The gold. It's a bit poetic, don't you think?"
"Fuck you," John B spat.
"Ah. See that's not necessary. Really, I'm doing you a favor. Rafe wanted to keep Julianne as a consolation prize but I didn't let him. It's not the gentleman thing to do." She tensed and felt both boys next to her flinch and start struggling.
"You're a real disgusting piece of shit, Ward." He never responded, but waited for the rest of the chests to get hauled out. Without another word, he followed the men out and gave the Pogues a mocking salute before leaving.
"You guys," she started to say. "We are going to die here."
"We're not going to die," JJ tried to downplay her panic. Getting riled up wasn't going to help. The water level had increased since they arrived, a storm obviously churning the waters outside the cave.
They struggled with their bonds, trying hard to get free but with no success. JJ was on his back, arching and trying to rub the rope against the rock with no luck. She couldn't help the tears streaming down her face, mainly in pain from her bullet pressing against a sharp rock. "Jules, what's wrong?" JJ asked.
She huffed and sniffled. "You mean besides being tied up and left to die? My fucking bandage is pressed right into a rock and I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding."
"Shit," John B said and tried to help roll her over. For a minute they looked like funny inchworms trying to reposition, but eventually she was flipped onto her back. However, her head landed right on JJ's groin and he jolted forward in pain.
"Christ, Jules!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Better?" John B asked her.
"Not for me," JJ complained.
She adjusted as much as she could before trying to move her head again. "Oh my god in going to get a hard on if you keep doing that," he added.
"Seriously? I am right here," John B said.
"Wait, wait a minute. My pocket. I have a pocket knife." JJ remembered. They froze at his words, a sliver of hope returning. She started to wiggle more on top of him, trying to push her hands to where his front pocket was. "Baby, the rubbing and shuffling isn't helping. Jesus."
"Oh my god I can't even listen to you two."
"I'm almost there," she rushed out, sliding herself up a few more inches to reach JJ's pocket.
"Me too," he whispered and earned a chuckle from her.
"Okay I can feel your pocket. Stay still."
"Do you seriously think I would move right now, Jules?"
"Almost..." Her hand dug deep into the fabric until finally being able to grab the pocket knife. "I got it!"
"Thank god," JJ mumbled. With his help she sat up but winced at the pain of her lower abdomen.
"Can you cut your hands loose?"
"I-I can't get it to open."
"Here, give it here," JJ rolled onto his belly and their hands met. He took the pocket knife from her and opened it in seconds. It took him a few minutes, but he got his hands free. Immediately, he freed her hands and then John B's. Next they cut the ropes around their feet.
She hugged both of them, leaning her cheek against JJ's. "I'm sorry we're stuck here," she whispered. They all pulled away but he put both hands on either side of her face.
"If we survived this far, you can bet you ass we'll find a way out of this."
"Hey, guys, the waters getting higher," John B said and pointed toward the rising sea. As they looked out the opening, they could see Hugh's boat leaving. They were stuck in the cave with the storm worsening outside. Thunder boomed and flashes of lightning could be seen through the cave opening. "Listen, let's just make it through the night. That's our goal. Tomorrow we can figure out how to signal for help. Nobody will be able to get here in a storm. So there's no use in wasting energy or resources tonight."
"What are we supposed to do JB, make a fire with no firewood, no lighter, and sleep in no shelter, until the sunshine comes out in three days? We all took the same history class, this island gets hit for days at a time with storms. I think we should signal."
"JJ, look man, there's a chance thing a could blow over and we could have a better chance at survival if we wait until morning. I know there's nothing in here, but everything out here is wet and we can at least stay dry in here as long as the water holds off."
She decided to add her two cents. "I think we should stay. I rather be dry and cold than wet and cold."
"Fine," JJ relented. And so, they huddled together on their rock platform.
"This is un-fucking-believable," John B finally snapped. He ran his hands over his face and screamed. "I mean after all this shit, we end up stranded in a cave while two assholes run off with our gold. Honestly..."
"At least we're not dead," Julianne tried to encourage. It was a hard balance, they all leaned in each other as the other processed everything that had happened. She was thankful for the support of her boys, but knew they needed the support just as much even if they didn't ask for it. "Pope and Kie will know something's wrong when we don't check in tomorrow."
"I really wish we didn't leave all our shit, including our phones, on that prick's yacht." JJ fiddled with his ring.
"The whiskey was good, though."
"Yeah, yeah it was."
"It was good whiskey." both guys agreed. They sat in silence a little while longer until her eyelids started to feel heavy. JJ peered down at her head on his shoulder, sleepy. "Your bandage started to bleed through," he said. John B sat forward to inspect it too.
"What do we do?"
"Actually I think it's fine. I mean, not fine, but it's okay. I'll be okay. I think it just got irritated with rocks poking it." Her voice was exhausted.
"If you say so," JJ answered and kissed her head as she fell asleep. She stayed sandwiched between them, somehow always ending up the pickle in the middle, and let sleep take over for a few short hours.
Julianne froze. She was so cold from the wind, damp rocks, and the air temps dropped from the storm. She was cuddled between the boys desperately trying to stay warm. The storm had let up slightly, but the wind still screamed at the cave opening. They had only slept a few hours on and off until the early hours of the following morning.
"John B? Julianne? JJ!" All three of their heads snapped to attention at the familiar voice.
"Pope? Pope!" JJ rasped out and lurched forward.
Her heart pounding, she screamed, "Pope we're in here!" Their friend walked into the cave, carefully stepping over the wet rocks.
"Thank god," Pope exhaled and smiled at the sight of his friends.
"How are you here? How did you even get here?"
"I drove all night. Radiator shit out on my car so I hitched a ride to the town you said you left The Phantom. You owe me dock dues by the way."
"Oh my god. Tell me you have food," John B said.
"Dude," JJ shook his head. "Seriously though, did you bring food?"
"There's still leftover snacks in the boat." Pope rolled his eyes. The guys helped her over the wet rocks, being mindful of her wincing and grasping at her side. "The water is still pretty rough, but it's manageable. Something seemed off the longer I looked in to Hugh Warner."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, he just has an odd situation is all." They climbed into The Phantom and Julianne was never more happy to see cheesy eighties printed upholstery in her life.
"Well he's an asshole for screwing us over."
John B nodded and looked to the horizon. "I still can't believe we lost the gold."
Pope held up a hand. "That's just it though. I have a theory."
"Of course you do," she said with a smile.
"Hugh Warner doesn't need money. The guy has more money than he knows what to do with. But, the gold is more than just money."
"Yeah, it's gold," JJ mocked and lit a comforting arm around Julianne.
"It's another map. Some of the bars, not all, have codes on them. Codes that lead to another piece of treasure that was on board the Royal Merchant."
"My dad spent years, decades, of his life researching that wreck. I think I would have known if there was another treasure on board."
"It's not the monetary type of treasure." Pope navigated the boat through the harsh waters surrounding the island. The further away they got the easier and smoother the waves were.
Pope continued, "The codes on the gold bars lead to another artifact. From what I can tell, and there's more to research, it's a cross. The cross was thought to have carried a holy shroud."
"What the fuck is a shroud?" she blurted out.
"According to the research it's a piece of cloth said to heal any ailment."
"As in like a cold? Cancer? What are we talking here?" JJ asked.
"All the above."
"Why would Hugh want a magic piece of fabric?" she asked.
"I did some googling and scanned the tabloids. It's suspected Hugh Warner is sick, with talk of cancer. Of course, I'm not exactly sure what the real story is there because it's just tabloid bull shit, but it kinda adds up."
JJ reached in to his pocket and pulled out a shiny gold bar. He flipped it over as everyone gasped. "So this code is part of the map?" he asked and showed them the engraving of numbers on the back.
"Holy shit."
Their return to OBX wasn't a complete failure, but they kept that joy to themselves. As they docked at the end of the Chateau property, Julianne ran down the dock to meet Evie and Kie. She immediately wrapped her sister in a big hug, ignoring the ache in her side. "Oh, I missed you so much Evie, you have no idea!" Another set of arms wrapped themselves around the sisters, and she quickly recognized JJ.
"Kie and I had fun, but I'm glad your back," Evie mumbled into her shoulder. "Where's my souvenir?"
JJ laughed and looked at Jules. "I'll show ya later." As they pulled back, he looked down at her in his arms. "Does this mean I can kiss you anytime I want?"
"Absolutely," Julianne answered and raised up to give him a kiss. They spent the night celebrating their return, and built a customary Pogue bonfire to sit around with some beers. After Evie fell asleep on the hammock between JJ and Julianne, he carried her inside to bed. When he didn't come back out, she went inside searching for him. As she entered the small living room and saw Evie sleeping in her nest on the pull out couch, she grew concerned. "JJ?"
"In here," he whispered from his bedroom. The second she walked through the door he pulled her in and shut the door. "It's not an eighties printed boat bed, but it's still pretty comfy," he said and kissed her. Lifting her thighs around his waist he carried her to the bed and May her down.
She chuckled against his lips and moved a hand around his neck. "Even though they took our gold, I think we stills made out pretty well."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. Your stubborn ass, and my stubborn ass, realized we're meant to be." He laughed at her comment and nodded in agreement.
"I mean, I always knew. I'm pretty easy going. You're the stubborn one." She threw her head back and mocked him with a chuckle. Leaning in for another kiss, her lips met his. They still had another adventure on the horizon, but had the night to themselves. And for that, they were grateful.