While John B made his descent 30 feet under the sea and into the Grady White, the other three Pogues sat silently in the HMS Pogue, anxiously counting the minutes until his return.
About 27 minutes in, Pope heard a siren that abruptly cut out, alerting him and Kie to an incoming boat.
"Shit, JJ," Pope said urgently, looking at JJ who had been lost in her thoughts. She looked up.
"Guys, that's the police," she said, recognizing the make and model as one used by law enforcement.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Pope groaned.
"Yep, that's the police," she repeated, her certainty growing as the boat came closer.
"Just act frickin normal," Kie urged them. The police blared their siren again as they turned off their engine and pulled their boat up beside theirs. It was manned by a male and female officer.
"Good evening, officers," Pope greeted as he caught the end of a rope thrown to him by the female officer.
"Evening," the male officer replied.
"JJ, tie it off," Pope instructed, handing the rope to JJ, who quickly secured it as he asked. She recognized the officers as the same ones from the motel.
She noticed a deputy badge resting on his chest. Not just any cop then.
"How you kids doing? You know the marsh is closed?" the deputy asked them. They all shook their heads innocently.
"No," Pope replied, faking surprise.
"No, wow," JJ echoed, putting on her sincerest face. "I didn't know that. Why is it closed?"
The cops didn't seem to suspect anything, which was a good sign.
"Well, we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down," the deputy explained.
"Oh," JJ and Pope exclaimed simultaneously. Kie remained quiet at the front of the boat.
"Seen anything?" the deputy asked.
"No boats. No," Pope agreed, backing up JJ's sweet reply.
"Where's your friend you always hang with? He here?" the deputy inquired, looking around. JJ realized he must have talked to Sheriff Peterkin.
"He's working," Kie said, also coming to the same realization.
"Hm," the deputy hummed, showing growing suspicion as he glanced around. "I'm gonna check your little boat out."
"Yeah," JJ said, though the deputy was already hopping into their boat.
"Yeah, hop aboard," Pope agreed.
"You wanna check.. uh check her out," JJ urged the deputy on, hoping to expedite the inspection.
"Thank you," the cop nodded, already looking around. JJ glanced down at her phone to check the time. It was getting close to the time John B should be back. She swallowed nervously.
The deputy dug through one of the compartments and pulled out a life jacket.
"Uh... you got another one?" he asked.
"Yeah, of course. It's uh in the hold," JJ answered, trying to keep the impatience from her tone. She pointed at the cargo hold where Kie was sitting.
"Show him," Kie said as she stood up and moved aside. JJ opened the cargo hold and pulled out another life jacket.
"Here we go," JJ said, handing it to the deputy.
"Alright," the cop muttered. JJ wondered what his deal was as she closed the cargo hold. The deputy seemed to be done with his search as he made his way back to his boat.
"Uh, be careful. You don't want to slip," Pope warned him. The deputy slipped on his shades and looked down at the water. JJ froze and held her breath. The Pogues traded glances, tension heavy in the air as they waited for the deputy to make a move.
'John B should be almost out of air if not already,' JJ thought to herself, chewing her lip nervously.
"Alright," the deputy stepped away from the edge.
"Alright," Pope and JJ repeated silently, willing the cop to leave quickly. Right now.
"Beautiful day," the deputy remarked, and JJ wanted to pull her hair out.
"Sure is," she agreed impatiently.
"Very," Pope agreed.
"Let us know if you see anything on your way out," the deputy told them, turning on the engine.
"Will do. Will do," Pope assured him.
"We'll be gone soon, sir," JJ added, her heart racing. No way John B has air left.
"Yes, you will," the deputy asserted.
The police boat drives away, leaving JJ feeling sick as they rush to the side of their boat, scanning anxiously for any sign of John B.
"He's definitely out of air," Pope states, his voice tense.
Just then, John B breaks the surface, tearing off his mask in relief.
"There he is!" JJ exclaims, relief flooding through her.
"Oh God! Jesus Christ, don't scare us like that!" Pope calls down to him, his voice filled with a mix of worry and relief. They're laughing now, the tension dissipating in the wake of the last intense hour.
"How'd it go down there?" JJ asks eagerly as John B swims towards the boat.
John B mutters unintelligibly, still catching his breath after the dive.
"Did you find anything?" JJ asks hopefully as she takes the mask from his outstretched hand.
"Did I find anything?" John B replies sullenly, making eye contact. JJ feels her heart sink in disappointment, but then he grins widely and holds up a black backpack that he had purposefully kept hidden underwater.
Her disappointment turns to joy, and she cheers as she takes the bag from him so he can climb up the ladder into the boat. John B pants, catching his breath after the dive.
"I ran out of air," John B replied, catching his breath.
"You scared the shit out of me," Kie scolded playfully.
"Yeah, the cops were up here, but uh… we took care of them," Pope said proudly as John B finally ascended the ladder into the boat.
"Yeah, you kinda missed the show," JJ chimed in with excitement.
"Hey, guys? Bogey, two o'clock," Kie warned cautiously.
"What?" JJ asked, turning to look where Kie pointed. There it was: another boat, bearing down on them with eerie precision, as if it knew their exact location.
"Do you recognize that boat?" Pope questioned, eyeing it warily.
"I've never seen it," Kie remarked. "What are they doing here? The marsh is closed."
Good point, JJ thought. It certainly wasn't a police boat, so it had no business being there. "Let's not stick around to find out."
"JJ, grab the bowline," John B instructed as he moved towards the steering wheel, a sense of unease settling over him.
"Yeah," JJ replied, quickly moving to follow his instructions.
"Should we wait for them?" Pope asked hesitantly.
"No, we're not waiting. Go get the stern," John B ordered firmly, taking charge of the situation.
"Are you kidding? JJ, hurry up," Kie exclaimed, her voice tense as JJ struggled with the bowline.
"Guys, don't wait for me. Go," JJ urged, working quickly to pull up the bowline.
"Let's go!" Kie urged John B, the urgency in her voice palpable.
"I don't like this," John B muttered aloud as the boat continued to approach, heading straight towards them. He turned on the ignition.
"Are they coming for us?" JJ asked, noticing John B's tense demeanor from her position at the front of the boat.
"Maybe they're fishing," Pope suggested, though his idea fell flat with no one bothering to respond.
The boat was closing in rapidly now. "Go, go, go, go!" JJ urged, her heart racing. John B pressed down on the gas.
"Head into the marsh," Pope directed urgently.
"Let's go!" Kie urged, echoing the sentiment.
"I'm going. Act natural," John B ordered them firmly.
The boat behind them accelerated, revealing two large, intimidating figures on board. There was no doubt now—they were being pursued.
"Hey guys, they're following us," Kie exclaimed anxiously, the gap between them narrowing to just about 40 feet.
"Oh, this can't be good," Pope stressed, fear seeping into his voice.
"You've got to go faster!" JJ urged John B, who was already pressing harder on the gas.
"I'm going!"
"Gun it!" She encouraged him further. John B pushed the boat to its top speed.
The boat chase intensified, with Pope standing to John B's right, Kie at the back, and JJ moving to stand in the middle of the boat to John B's left, gripping the edge of the dash window for balance.
Suddenly, a shot rang out, and a bullet grazed past JJ's head. Her eyes widened in shock, and instinctively, they all ducked down, even as John B kept his foot firmly on the gas.
"Holy shit!" Kie screamed from her huddled position on the floor. John B raised himself up just enough to see where he was driving. He wanted to check on JJ and the others to make sure they were okay, but he knew he had to stay focused on navigating.
"John B, get down!" JJ screamed urgently from her spot on the floor, fear coursing through her veins at the sight of John B's vulnerable position.
Another shot rang out, a bullet whizzing past their boat.
"We're gonna die," Pope exclaimed dramatically, his words not helping the tense situation.
Another shot followed, narrowly missing John B's head. JJ froze momentarily as she watched John B flinch, but he remained determinedly at the wheel.
"Shit. Pope, move," Kie said bravely, getting up and staying low as she made her way towards the fishing nets.
Another shot rang out, the bullet narrowly missing Kie and embedding itself into the marsh, causing her to cry out in fear.
"Get down, Kie!" John B shouted urgently from the wheel.
She quickly grabbed the fishing nets and hurried back to the rear of the boat, her determination unwavering. Another shot followed, intensifying the urgency of their escape.
She threw the fishing net into the water, aiming it towards the path of the other boat, and crossed her fingers. Another shot echoed across the water.
Then, the sound of an engine sputtering reached their ears, and the pursuing boat came to a sudden stop, the fishing net ensnaring its propeller.
One last gunshot rang out, but the HMS Pogue was already out of range, swiftly disappearing from sight.
The Pogues stood up, relieved and safe, exchanging grins as they checked each other over, confirming no one was hurt. They cheered, their voices filled with joy and relief, simply happy to be alive and together.
After the cheers subsided, Pope took over driving the boat, while John B let himself collapse next to JJ, who had made herself cozy for the remainder of the trip.
"You okay?" John B asked softly. JJ smiled and bumped her shoulder against his.
"Yeah," she sighed softly, allowing herself to relax after the day's intense events, and decided to lay her head on his shoulder.
"You?" she asked gently.
"Yeah. I'm good," John B murmured, resting his head on top of hers, finding solace in their closeness after the harrowing experience.
During the rest of the ride back, they simply enjoyed each other's company in a comfortable silence, occasionally listening to Pope alternate between lecturing Kiara for risking her life and praising her for being a badass.
If JJ had any doubts before, she was now completely certain that Pope wanted more than friendship with Kie. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was likely one-sided. 'Poor Pope,' she thought to herself. She had her own theories about who Kie might like, but she wasn't in the mood to dwell on that right now.
As they came to a stop alongside the small pier of the chateau, John B grabbed the backpack that he had retrieved from the wreck earlier. They all piled out onto the deck, their curiosity piqued.
The backpack had been forgotten amidst the chaos of being shot at, but now it was remembered, and they were too impatient to wait any longer. They crowded around John B as he started to unzip it, eager to uncover its contents.
"What do you guys think it is?" Kie asked eagerly.
"Gotta be money, right?" John B replied, his excitement evident.
"Or a couple of keys with street value, low to mid mils," JJ chimed in excitedly, squatting beside John B.
John B paused in unzipping the bag to acknowledge JJ's comment, and they all grinned at the thrilling possibilities.
"Can we please just open the bag?" Pope demanded loudly, interrupting John B and JJ's excited imaginings.
"Wow, Pope," John B turned away from JJ to look at Pope, his eyes bright with humor. "That's a rare outburst of emotion."
"Okay, you guys are literally killing me with anticipation," Pope complained. "Open the bag already."
"Jeez," JJ muttered under her breath.
"We almost died over this," Pope defended, his frustration palpable.
John B dug around in the bag and pulled out a metal canister. There was something inside it. The lid was tight, but John B managed to twist it open and dumped its contents into his hand.
A golden compass.
John B froze. He recognized the golden compass immediately—it was one of his father's most treasured possessions. He opened it and just stared, a flood of emotions and thoughts rushing through his mind.
"Oh wow, yup. That's about right. Good job, everybody. We found a compass," Pope complained sarcastically, his voice tinged with frustration and disbelief.
JJ noticed John B was unusually still and silent, his gaze fixated on the compass in his hand since he had pulled it out. "JB, what is it?" she asked softly, sensing something significant.
"This is my father's," John B revealed quietly, a chuckle escaping his lips despite the weight of the moment.
JJ felt her jaw drop in shock.
She watched as renewed hope entered John B's eyes, but at the same time, she felt dread gnawing at her heart.
Don't get her wrong, she wanted Big John to come home and reunite John B with his father. But they didn't know anything, and she was afraid that John B was only setting himself up for disappointment. She wasn't sure what the appearance of the compass meant, but she had a sinking feeling that it wasn't anything good.
One day, denial wouldn't protect John B anymore, and JJ feared he would fall hard. She could only hope she'd be there to help him through it. For now, she resolved to stay close and ensure he didn't do anything reckless without her by his side.
Kie and Pope headed home after a while, leaving John B to lie in the hammock, watching the stars and sorting through his thoughts. JJ went inside to clean up, feeling the throbbing ache from one of the bruises her dad had left that morning on her left side. She grabbed an ice pack and some Tylenol, then sank into the couch, utterly exhausted.
She gasped as the cold ice pack made contact with her bruised side. She didn't remember falling asleep, but the weariness and pain had finally caught up with her.
After a few hours, John B finally made his way inside. He noticed JJ passed out on the couch in what looked like an uncomfortable position. Concerned, he grabbed a nearby throw blanket and carefully approached her.
He saw the ice pack that had fallen, and a frown creased his brow. In the midst of everything that had happened, he had momentarily forgotten about his earlier observations. A lot had transpired, and seeing JJ like this stirred a mixture of emotions within him.
John B gently moved JJ into a more comfortable position, laying her head on a couch pillow and tucking the blanket around her. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up.
Silently, he made his way to his bedroom and lay down, fully aware that sleep would evade him tonight. He stared up at the ceiling, allowing his thoughts to swirl back to everything that had happened, unable to shake the weight of recent events from his mind.
It was another hour before John B heard JJ stumbling into his room, half asleep. Without a word, she curled up beside him and quickly fell back asleep, her state of consciousness unclear to him.
He watched her sleep, listening to her soft, even breaths. Gently, he moved a strand of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear, his hand lingering there. His thumb brushed lightly against the corner of her cheekbone, marveling at how peaceful she looked despite the tumultuous day they had endured together. He yearned to join her in that tranquility.
JJ sighed softly, seemingly content in her dreams. John B withdrew his hand and turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling once more, preparing himself for a restless night ahead.
