Told you I'd be back with another chapter this week.
You ever write something you're so excited about and you're eager to get to the main point and you just type fast... could just be me... but if there are errors it was because i was so excited.
Also, there is a bit of steamy steamy with JJ and Roe... not as much as previous stories with them but just a heads up.
The ride back to the Chateau was tense. Every time I looked at JJ his hands were gripped tightly on the wheel of the Twinkie and his jaw was set tightly as he clenched his teeth. We hadn't said a word to each other since John B was arrested... again. Parking the Twinkie outside the old fish shack I followed JJ inside, watching him run his fingers through his hair in frustration, but that was the only sign of distress. He moved right to the kitchen and placed his hands on the counter, looking out the small window, before bowing his head defeated. He kept his back to me as I leaned against the small table next to the fridge and crossed my arms.
"What happened out there JJ?" I asked quietly.
"You were their Roe, you saw. John B. got arrested." he answered with a snap, and I scowled at him taken back by his tone.
"I meant about what Shoupe said." I replied keeping my voice calm. "Did you have something to do with the U-Haul?" I watched his back as the muscles on his upper arm and shoulders tightened before he let out a breath releasing some of the tension. "I thought Mike was just going to have you unload for him..."
"He had other plans." JJ interrupted quickly. "And we got pinched, so we ditched the U-Haul... and now the police have the load... and Barracuda Mike, he's gonna … and John B.'s arrested..."
"We have no way to South America, John B's is in jail, Barracuda Mike is gonna be on a rampage... no cross, no gold, no Big John..." I thought out loud staring at a blank place on the floor. "We're really batting a thousand."
"God, I wish we never left that island." JJ said under his breath making me laugh to myself in agreement.
"You know, my favorite part about the island... about Poguelandia..." I trailed off and JJ slowly turned around so he could look at me, "Was it didn't matter who we were. Kook, Pogue, whether we were from Figure 8 or the Cut... we were all equal there, all the same. There was no pressure to live up to this norm people created, we weren't held to any standards... we were just us, and that was enough."
When I finally looked up at him, his expression had softened, and he was leaning heavily on the counter behind him. I gave him a half smile as I met his eyes, "You lied you know... to me, back on the island." My voice was quiet and cracked as I tried to hold back. I didn't say it in malice, or accusatory, it was just a statement, a sad statement. "You made a promise, before we got on that plane, that nothing would change, we would still be... us, but we haven't been. The moment we set foot in OBX nothing was the same."
"Roe, I..."
"I'm not asking for an apology Jay." I interrupted, shaking my head, trying to give him a light smile. I needed him to know I wasn't angry or mad. "I shouldn't have... I'm not sure if I made you think you had to meet some expectation, and if I did... I'm sorry... and don't look at me like that, I'm not trying to make you feel crummy about any of this. The promise, it wasn't fair to you, and I get that, and it wasn't fair for me to hold onto that so tightly that I couldn't see what else was going on, or be here for you..."
"What my mom said to you..." I continued my voice getting hard as I thought of my mother stopping me at the party the night before, admitting to pushing JJ away. "I can understand why she wanted to get to know me, invited us over... but the words she spoke. I don't understand, but mostly... I don't understand why you would believe her, after everything we've been through. We haven't had the most normal relationship... and having been through what we've been through... overcome odds that are stacked against us, having my mom get between that... hurt. Having you say it wouldn't work, to walk away..."
"I was... scared." he finally spoke and pinched my eyebrow together hearing the words. "We were on an island, I was somebody there, I was needed there, and it terrified me coming back to nothing realizing that I wasn't. Your mom, just played on a fear I already had, a fear I always have with you Roe. Losing you terrifies me, because you are all I have. I guess I figured if I made a clean break, if I decided when... it would hurt... less."
"Last night, when I was making poor life decisions..." I cleared my throat looking away from him, feeling my cheeks warm as I thought back to the party, and putting myself in the position I did, to have to be rescued. "I was ready to stop fighting. Stop looking for something that no one else cared about or wanted."
"And now?" he asked as I looked up at him once again, the rims of my eyelids glistening with the unshed tears I was forcing to stay put.
"I don't want to just give up. Not on the Pogues... not on us... but..." I paused my voice going quiet as I thought about what I was going to say next. "I want to fight JJ, for us. I could careless whether we end up on Figure Eight, some island somewhere or even some fish shack on the marsh selling fish and chartering boats... I need you that's it. For the rest of our lives people are going to give us reasons why we shouldn't be together, why it's a bad idea or won't work... I need to know if you're willing to fight to prove them wrong, because I am. There is no one I would rather be with in any weather or through any storm than you JJ, but if you're not in, if you're..." my words were cut off as he stalked towards me, his hands reaching for my face and pulling me towards him, his lips crashing into mine.
One of his hands threaded through my hair until it was on the back of my head and my hands reached for his wrists holding them as I kissed him back. Releasing my face and head he moved his hands to my thighs and lifted me up, so I was sitting on the table, my hands cupping his face before he pulled keeping his hands on my legs.
"You're all I need Rowyn." he said his voice low as I looked at him searching his eyes. "We said no running and I ran anyway thinking it would be better, but... I'm not done fighting," he shook his head and kissed me again, harder, and I did the same my hands trailing from his face down his arms until I reached the hem of his shirt. He pulled away long enough to let me pull the shirt over his head and then pressed his lips to mine again, his hands on the button of my jeans, undoing it before lifting me back up into his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist.
He carried me to the couch a few feet away, laying me on my back. The couch was less than ideal, but before long our clothes were on the floor, and we were out of breath. I laid on top of him, my head on his chest. One of his hands lazily trailed up my back and the other gliding up my arm.
"I should have said it earlier Roe..." he finally spoke, and I turned my head, so I could look at him, laying my chin on my hand scowling at him. "I'm..."
"Anyone here!" We heard someone call outside and I jumped, realizing our clothes were scattered around the room.
"Shit." JJ cursed and I quickly scrambled off him and grabbed my jeans, pulling them on as fast as I could, JJ stumbling a few feet beside me with his shorts. Jumping into my jeans I buttoned them and grabbed my blouse, just as footsteps hit the porch.
"Hello?" It was Kie's voice. Looking up JJ was reaching for his shirt, and I moved towards the porch, opening the door as Kie was about to reach for it. "There you are."
"Hey." I said noticing Cleo and Pope behind her. "What's going on?"
"We think we can help Big John." Pope said holding up a letter up. I scowled and looked over my shoulder as JJ approached. We all moved out towards the fire pit sitting around it trying to catch up.
"Okay, hold on your parent are trying to send you where?" I asked looking at Kie.
"Some wilderness school. It's supposed to create structure and set the groundwork or some shit. I mean it's like they just don't care or understand anything. I told them all of it, but they are so focused on the fact that I'm not in school and hanging around the Cut that they're just overlooking everything else." Kie explained.
"Wow," I breathed out leaning back in the chair looking up at JJ sitting in the tree. "And you two, you found the key to El Dorado?"
"Yeah, we were looking through some old things of Pope's family and found a letter Denmark wrote to his daughter." Cleo said with a smile sitting close to Pope and I could see how happy she really was, being here and being with Pope.
"Kie show her the picture." he said and Kie leaned forward and handed me her phone. "Look at the idol in the picture and look at the sun glyph there. The glyphs are Kalinago which hasn't been deciphered but... Someone on the San Jose must have because he found El Dorado. Look every Glyph on the letter is in the artifact, this letter... it's a direct translation for the idol."
"Okay so we use this... to what, barter with Singh?" I asked with a scowl.
"Thats what we're thinking." Cleo nodded. We fell into silence watching the sunset behind the marsh.
"So, what happened last night?" Kie asked quietly looking at me. "I mean you left and said you were going to a party..."
"Yeah... yeah that was interesting." I nodded, avoiding her eyes.
"So, you went?"
"Yep, and I regretted it this morning." I answered. "Hangover from hell." She laughed but reached down and gave me a hug. "Do we know when Sarah said she'd be here?" I asked, looking around the Chateau.
"Sarah said to just wait here." Kie shrugged but not a minute later, Sarah opened the back door and walked down the steps.
"Hey thanks for waiting." she said before looking over her shoulder. John B. followed slowly and sheepishly behind her looking at his feet. "Look who decided to come home."
"Hey." Cleo said to John B. as he walked down the stairs.
"Good to see you man!" Pope exclaimed with a smile.
"You gotta be kidding me." JJ chuckled from his spot above us. We all stood around and Sarah took a deep breath.
"I have something I wanna share with you guys." she said enthusiastically, "So, I can get us down to the Orinoco."
"Wait, what?" I questioned, my eyes going wide, JJ stuttering confused above me.
"Are you serious?" Pope asked.
"Yeah." she nodded.
"Okay, and how's that gonna happen?" Cleo challenged skeptically.
"My dad's gonna let us use the plane." She explained. If I wasn't surprised by the first comment, I was definitely surprised and taken back now.
"Your dad Ward Cameron... is going to help us?"
"Ward?" JJ questioned quietly.
"I have questioned." I stated, with a scowl, almost raising my hand.
"Look, we lay low tonight then wheels up first thing in the morning." Sarah continued.
"Okay, that's a lot to process, your dad actually helping us." Pope said.
"I talked to him," Sarah confirmed trying to reassure us. "he'll do it."
"What's the catch?" I asked.
"Are we trusting Ward now?" Cleo added.
"We trust Sarah." Kie answered easily and I watched the girl look at the blonde with a smile. I found myself smiling and moving towards them.
"Well great. That's all I needed to hear." JJ said behind me, jumping from his spot on the tree.
"Okay but wait..." Sarah said pausing to look at us and then look back at John B. thoughtfully. "I also just have one more thing to say. Um... Since we've gotten back from the island, I've done somethings that I regret... A lot." Kie and I looked at each other and then she cleared her throat, getting John B.'s attention.
"Uh... yeah... I... um... I feel like we've all done a thing or two that we regret." John B said and I felt JJ's hand squeeze my shoulder. I didn't have to look at him to know he agreed with his friend.
"And I don't... Poguelandia..." Sarah said looking at us as she said our island name with a smile. "Guys, it's all I've been able to think about. We were all together on that island, and it was a good thing, and I don't want to ruin a good thing... and I just... I just wanna know, are we still all in? Are we still all together? Because I am."
Taking a deep breath, I reached up and squeezed JJ's hand back before stepping forward with a smile. "Always." I said hugging her. Shortly after Kie and Cleo joined in making us all laugh.
"I mean I still can't believe you got the plane." Pope said coming forward to join our hug. "That's actually insane."
"Let's go get Big John, all right," JJ added his arm wrapping around my shoulder looking up at John B. "What do you say there, shit bird?"
"I think this deserves a woogity." Pope called looking up at John B. "How long you gonna pretend you're not coming over here?"
"You In?" JJ asked and I laid my head on his shoulder looking at John B. as he fidgeted slowly moving forward.
"Come over here funny man." Cleo called just as John B joined in and we formed a circle laughing.
"Oh, we're really doing this aren't we?" John B smiled looking around us.
"We're doing it man!" Pope exclaimed.
JJ POV
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned looking into the living room. Kie, Pope and Cleo were sitting around the small coffee table playing some game and Rowyn was sitting on the couch legs curled under her smiling as Pope complained about Cleo's current game play. John B and Sarah moved to his bedroom to talk in private and I glanced at the closed door with a smirk, a good idea how that conversation would end.
"So, what kinda plane is it?" Cleo asked.
"Well, it is Wards, so I'm guessing something lit." Pope answered.
"That's what I'm talking about." Cleo stated excitedly, making me smile.
"Leg up on our last plane ride." Roe added and Kie was quick to agree with her. Taking another sip of beer, I slowly made my way over to the couch sitting on the other side beside Rowyn. She smiled at me as I sat and from the corner of my eye I, Kie ushered Cleo and Pope out of the room, back to the study talking about El Dorado, and leaving Roe and I alone.
"So, before John B. busted out, we were... I mean." I stuttered thinking back to laying with her on the couch a few hours ago.
"I remember what we were doing." she giggled, and when I looked up at her eyes were smiling too.
"Right, well I didn't get a chance to tell you... the whole thing with your mom..." I sighed looking at the cushion for a moment. "Stealing Mike's money clip and telling you to walk away... I just want to say..." when I looked back up, she wasn't looking at me anymore. Her eyes were focused, in a scowl, across the room, at the small window in the kitchen. There was a slight orange glow coming from the window and as it got brighter, I stood moving towards it.
"What is that?" Rowyn asked behind me, hand on my arm.
"That's a fire." I answered, my eyes going wide in realization. I stepped back quickly and reached for Rowyn's hand pointing to the closed door and the direction the others had gone. "We gotta tell them." I watched as she turned going straight for John B.'s room as I ran for the study.
"Hey fire! Yo!" I exclaimed, running into the room. The three of them stood quickly, all talking at once following me out of the room. Out in the hall Rowyn was running out of John B's room.
"Fire? Wait what?" Sarah asked, running out behind her. Standing in the living room the orange glow was now surrounding all the exit areas of the house, and heat radiated inside. In a panic everyone started going to the doors trying to get out. Sarah reached for the handle of the front door but pulled her hand back fast.
"What do we do?" Kie called over the blaze covering her mouth as smoke filled the area. The house was going up fast. It was an old fish shack that wasn't up to code and had years of age on it. Coughing, I looked around and found John B. holding Sarah trying to get an escape route. At this point we were going to have to run through one of the doors and hope the fire wasn't hot enough to do too much damage.
"We're gonna have to make a run for it." I told him and he nodded. I found Rowyn a few steps away covering her mouth, but before I could grab her to pull her with me there was a crack above us. Looking up one of the support columns on the roof had cracked under the heat. There was a loud snap and yelling as it came crashing down, landing with a thud sending smoke, dust and ash around us.
Coughing as the smoke cleared, trying to see through the thick layer of grey, I quickly did a head count. Kie was beside me, Pope having pulled her back. John B. had his arms around Sarah, but Cleo and Rowyn weren't with us. Looking up the beam was wildly burning, leaving no room to cross the area to see the other side.
"Rowyn!" I called anxiously, fear gripping my chest as I thought of the possibility of her being under the fallen piece of the roof.
"Where's Cleo?" Pope asked and Kie had to hold him back from getting to closed. Straining my ears, I could hear coughing over the crackling of wood before a voice finally called out.
"We're okay!" Rowyn called before coughing. "Get out, we're gonna find a way out over here." I wanted to argue, I wanted to jump the fire to be on that side with her, but that wouldn't have helped anything. Pope gave me a wary look thinking the same thing. Looking around the area I saw the chair from the kitchen on its side and I grabbed it.
"Listen, we're gonna use this to slam the door open and run out." I explained. "Don't stop until were away from the house." I didn't wait for them to respond. Taking the chair in my hands I ran straight for the door slamming it into the door. The door fell onto the porch that was heavily engulfed in fire, and jumped over the steps until I was clear of the house. Turning quickly Pope was next and I grabbed as he stumbled next to me, followed by Kie, Sarah and finally John B. We all stared at the house, and I leaned over putting my hand on my knees out of breath.
"I don't see them," Pope breath out heavily. Standing up straight I searched the area around the shack, but I couldn't see anything beyond the smoke.
"No, no, no..." I said quietly stepping forward, but arms grabbed my arm pulling me back.
"JJ don't," John B said.
"I'm not leaving her in there." I fought against him, and he came around me, so we were eye to eye. Pulling my face to look him in the eye but I kept looking at the fire.
"JJ she'll be fine, they'll be fine."
"Let me go man." I said my teeth clench as I pushed against him.
"I can't do that."
"Wait do you hear that?" Pope asked and I stopped fighting to listen to the air around us. I was ready to run back into the fire when I didn't hear anything but then I heard it. Coughing.
"JJ!" I heard followed by coughing and I ran towards it. Rounding the corner of the house I stopped as I found Rowyn and Cleo. Thier arms over each other, stumbling towards us coughing. The moment she looked up and saw me she let go of Cleo, making sure her friend was stable before walking quickly towards me, stumbling a few steps before I was able to wrap my arms around her.
ROWYN POV
When the beam started to fall, I grabbed Cleo and pulled her back as fast as I could. We fell to the ground just as the beam landed where we had been standing. Covering my eyes as dust and ash blanketed us, I coughed and stood, grabbing Cleo's arm to help her up.
"Are you okay?" I asked, trying not to breathe in too much of the ash.
"Yeah." she nodded. "Thanks for that."
"Rowyn!" I heard my name being called and looked back at the beam, fully engulfed in flames, no passage to the other side of the house.
"Shit." I cursed looking behind me at the rooms down the hall. "We're okay!" I called out. "Get out, we're gonna find a way out over here." Turning to Cleo, she nodded, and we moved down the hall before getting a response back from the others. I hoped and prayed that they would get out, but right now I needed to focus on Cleo and me. We made our way into the study and slammed the door behind us quickly. The fire had spread around the house, but under the window the flames were smaller than other areas. Grabbing the small end table by the door I went to the window and smashed the window. The glass broke, shattering to the floor and the ground outside.
"Hurry." I called, looking at Cleo and nodding to the window. Holding my hand out I helped her up and out the window. The house around us was cracking under the stress of the fire and my heart was beating. Once Cleo cleared the window and the fire below us, I wasted no time placing one hand on the outside of the window frame and my other palm on the windowsill lifting myself up. Through the haze and adrenaline of getting out I felt a pinch and sting in my hand, but I didn't stop. Sliding through the window I jumped, the pain in my palm racing down my arm. Landing on the ground beside Cleo I breathed heavily, the deeper the breath the harder I coughed. Sitting up I watched as the room we had been in a few moments earlier became encased in flames.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at the girl beside me, her eyes wide as she breathed quickly and stared at the fire.
"Yeah, quick thinking..." she nodded to me, and I gave her a small smile and shrugged. "You think the others made it out?" she asked and the relief I had felt about getting away from the flames clenched at my chest again. For a moment I had forgotten about the others, about JJ. What if they were still in there. "Come on." Cleo said, helping me up seeing my panic. The smoke was thick as Cleo and I slowly made our way around the old fish shack, each of us holding the other up as we navigated through the fog.
"JJ!" I called out, hoping and praying I would get a response. I coughed because of my inhalation of smoke as I yelled. And then... JJ rounded the corner and the tension in my chest eased. Looking at Cleo she slowly let my arm and I pullled it from her shoulder, turning and running, or stumbling, towards JJ. He met me in a few steps and quickly wrapped me in his arms, holding me tightly as I buried my head in his shoulder, a déjà vu feeling coming over me as I thought back to when Singh had kidnapped Kiara and me.
"Thank God." I heard him whisper, one of his hands on the back of my head, refusing to loosen his hold. Around us I saw Pope behind JJ quickly passing us running to Cleo while John B. and Sarah stood beside JJ and me.
"Are you guys, okay?" Sarah asked and I pulled away slightly looking over my shoulder at Cleo.
"Singed around the edges, but..." Cleo shrugged getting a smile and chuckle from Pope. The house made a loud snapping sound making us jump and John B. placed his hands on JJ and my shoulder looking up at his home.
"We need to move back." he said sourly, dread filling his eyes. JJ kept his arm over my shoulder as we followed Sarah and John B. towards the memorial tree.
"Hey, rude boy." Cleo called behind us and both JJ and I turned. "You should check out her arm, think she cut it on her way out." I scowled as she spoke and pulled away from JJ enough to pull my left arm up. She was right, there was blood dripping from a shallow cut on my palm and another cut a few inches away on my arm.
"Huh..." I scowled at my arm confused.
"Here." Sarah said beside us handing JJ her sweater from earlier and he took it taking my hand in his slowly wrapping it.
"How the hell'd you do that?" Kie asked on the other side of me.
"I don't know." I shrugged wincing as JJ tightened the wrapping. "I had to break the office window, I must have snagged my hand and arm on the way out."
"This should be good for now." JJ sighed and looked up at me clear distress in his features. Shaking my head, I leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around me again. Still wrapped in his arms we turned towards the house as it groaned loudly before the roof completely collapsed into the house. The remanence of the house glowed against the black sky, reflecting off the water and heating the air around us. I watched the building burn, thinking about the structure. This place, this home... it had weathered storm after storm, creditors, hurricanes... and a simple flame had just brought it to the ground.
So... I hope it didnt feel rushed.
I can't believe i am only two or three chapters away from the end... It's kind of sad...
Be sure to let me know what your thoughts, ideas and be sure to comment, like and follow.