John B and JJ sat comfortably in the Twinkie, chatting about nothing in particular as they made their way to Lana Grubbs' house.
"Is something going on with you and Kiara?" JJ asked suddenly, breaking the casual flow of conversation. It seemed random, but JJ had spent the last couple of hours at Kiara's place, whom kept subtly probing about John B and how he was handling the appearance of his dad's compass.
John B glanced at her, caught off guard by the question. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.
JJ felt a wave of discomfort wash over her at the thought of John B and Kiara together. She wanted him to be happy, and Kiara was kind and caring—qualities JJ admired. Yet, the idea of them being closer, sharing snuggles and kisses, stirred up a deep, unsettling feeling in her stomach. She tried to push aside these emotions.
"No, why do you ask that?" John B denied adamantly, caught off guard by JJ's question.
"Why not? She clearly likes you. She's all like 'Oh John B'," JJ said with a hint of jealousy, raising her pitch to imitate Kie's voice.
"Is that what she does?" John B laughed, clearly bemused by JJ's sudden inquiry and impression.
"She sketched about you diving, then she practically sat in your lap—" JJ listed off points, her tone reflecting a mix of concern and something else.
"She did not sit in my lap, JJ. It's not like she kissed me or anything," John B sighed exasperatedly, trying to understand JJ's sudden focus on Kiara. He sensed a tinge of jealousy in her voice, which stirred up various emotions within him.
"Low hanging fruit, bro. Don't pretend that you don't notice," JJ stressed, her tone betraying a mix of frustration and teasing. "I see it in your eyes. You're like 'I kinda like that' and you start blushing and shit," she ranted, clearly showing signs of jealousy.
"Me? Blushing?" John B asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow as he tried not to laugh at her accusations.
"Yeah," JJ replied.
"Really?" John B teased, enjoying the banter despite the underlying tension.
"Yeah," she said again, her tone firm and resolute. John B couldn't help but think she was being stubborn. He shook his head fondly.
When he didn't respond, she reached over and grabbed the compass from the dashboard.
"Hey, don't—" John B started to protest, reaching out to grab it back. The compass was his only lead to finding his father, and he couldn't risk it being broken.
She dodged his attempts to reclaim the compass, holding it delicately in her hands, aware of its significance to him. "I was just looking at it," she reassured him, examining the item thoughtfully. After a moment, she spoke again, her tone contemplative. "I gotta admit, your father's compass in Scooter Grubb's boat. That's freaky."
"Yeah, that's why we're going to talk to Mrs. Lana, figure this whole thing out," John B replied, nodding with determination.
"I'm sure she would love to talk to us. It's not like her husband just drowned or anything," JJ said carefully, her voice tinged with concern, not wanting to raise John B's hopes too high.
John B remained silent in response to her remark, and the rest of the trip was made in silence. JJ gently laid the compass back on the dashboard with a sigh, sensing the weight of uncertainty hanging over their quest to uncover the truth about John B's father.
They arrived at the Grubbs' place, a rundown house that seemed in need of serious repairs.
Exiting the Twinkie, John B and JJ made their way towards the house. "You know what this house looks like?" JJ quipped, trying to lighten the mood. "Whoever lives here smokes too much weed."
As they approached, the sound of smashing glass echoed from inside the house. JJ's unease grew palpable.
"Maybe we should come back," she muttered to John B, her voice tinged with worry. Memories of Luke throwing beer bottles and yelling at her flashed through her mind, causing her heart to race. "It's a little too soon."
John B, focused on the noise from within, gestured for her to stay quiet. "No, no quiet," he whispered, intent on discerning what was happening inside.
"Tell me where it is or I'll fuck you up!" They can hear a man's voice yell threateningly. "I'll sink you in the fucking-!" CRASH!
A woman's scream can be heard. JJ is terrified as she is terrorized with flashes of being slammed against the wall, Luke's fists coming down on her. Luke choking her. Luke grabbing her by her hair when she tries to get away.
"I-" she chokes out, but John B is facing away from her and can't see the fear painted on her face.
"Quiet," he whispered urgently, turning to find her standing there, anxiety plain for him to see. Damn it, he scolded himself silently, he'd forgotten JJ was sensitive to these things. Damn Luke Maybank. Regret prickled at him for his thoughtlessness. They need to get out of the open before they were spotted. Gently, he took her hand and tugged her along. "Come on," he murmured softly.
"Where the fuck is it you bitch?!" The man yells again with a resounding thwack.
"I don't know," the woman cried.
John B hurriedly pulled JJ to the side of the house.
"Is it here, in this house?!" the man raged. "Is it somewhere else?!"
"Please, I…" Lana sobbed, her voice trembling.
John B stopped beneath a window.
"You still think we should stay?" JJ asked shakily.
John B hesitated, about to say no and sneak them back to the Twinkie, when he heard, "The compass wasn't in the boat! Where is it, Lana?!" He froze.
His father's compass. They were looking for his father's compass.
"I don't know!" Lana cried out.
"Don't listen," JJ mumbled to herself, lowering her head between her knees. John B felt torn between getting JJ out of there and finding out what they wanted with his dad's compass.
The wall shook behind them, dried paint chipping off and flaking into their hair and shoulders.
"Is that paint?" JJ asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes, it's paint," he whispered back, noticing how pale JJ's face had become. But he needed answers.
"Let's get the hell out of here, man," the voice inside said. So there were two of them.
John B tried to peek inside, but couldn't see anything. He maneuvered to the edge of the house to get a look at the front door.
"We should just go. He's got smuggler written all over him," JJ said, her voice trembling with urgency. She was a little too loud, and John B feared they might be heard.
"Shhh," he shushed her gently. She quietly got up and crept over to him, not wanting to be alone. Taking a deep breath, she seemed to calm a bit.
They both peered around the corner and watched as two large men stormed out and drove away on a boat.
"Those were the guys that shot at us!" JJ recognized them immediately.
The boat came around the bend, and John B swiftly ducked back around the house, pulling JJ with him to avoid being seen.
In a split second, he realized the compromised position they were in. He had her pinned against the house, his arms on either side of her, holding her in place. He could feel her breath on his skin; they were close. She looked up at him, and he felt trapped in a sea of blue.
JJ felt her heart race, but this time not out of fear. She looked up into soft brown eyes, her breath hitching in her throat at how close he was.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they locked eyes, the emotions they had suppressed now swirling between them.
His eyes flickered down to her lips, and his face lowered towards hers. JJ's eyes fluttered shut.
But then they heard Lana Grubbs sobbing again, and John B pulled back just before their lips could meet. He squeezed her hand and gave her a look that said 'talk later', then guided her towards the front door.
As they entered the house, they could see shattered glass everywhere, chairs flipped upside down—it was a mess.
"Shit," JJ mumbled under her breath.
"Mrs. Lana?" John B called out.
They walked through a couple of doorways toward the direction of the sniffles and found Mrs. Lana on the floor by the bathroom doorway, clutching her midsection as she cried.
"Mrs. Lana!" John B rushed over, crouching down beside her. "Hey, are you okay?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her, and she looked at him with fear in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay," he soothed gently.
JJ could see her pupils were dilated. "Dude, she's tweaked."
"Do you need a doctor?" John B asked, his voice calm and caring. Mrs. Lana sobbed harder. "Let's call the sheriff's department."
"No cops, please," Mrs. Lana finally said, her voice pleading.
"Mm. That's not good. Come on, JB, let's just go," JJ pleaded, eager to leave the house behind.
"You shouldn't be here," Mrs. Lana wailed.
"That's enough for me," JJ said, turning to leave.
John B stopped her. "Wait, wait. What do you know about those guys?"
"They were looking for something," Mrs. Lana whimpered.
"Does it have anything to do with this?" John B pulled out the compass he had grabbed from the dashboard when they exited the Twinkie, holding it up for Mrs. Lana to see. "Do you know anything about this?"
She studied it while he continued, desperate for answers. "This is my father's, and Scooter had it. Why?"
"Scooter didn't have it, okay?" Mrs. Lana replied mysteriously. "Don't tell anyone you have it."
"Come on," JJ insisted, feeling increasingly unnerved. Mrs. Lana seemed creepy, and she was afraid those men would come back.
"Why?" John B asked, growing more insistent.
"They can't know!" Mrs. Lana's voice rose, her eyes wild. "You've gotta get out of here!"
"What do you know about the compass?" John B persisted, unwilling to let it go. JJ tugged at his arm.
"Go! Get out!" Mrs. Lana screamed at them.
"We gotta go. Let's go," JJ urged, pulling harder at John B. He let her drag him out of there, knowing there was no more to be gained from Mrs. Lana. Quietly, he got into the passenger side of the Twinkie, replaying the conversation over and over in his mind, searching for any clue.
JJ drove them away from the scene, leaving John B to his thoughts for now. She knew he needed time to process everything.
