haven murphy had nothing to lose. everything was different after sarah cameron's birthday party, the night her father died. haven just didn't feel right in her own skin. then, on a whim, she befriended pope heyward and got sucked into a wild goose h...
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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (episode ten: the phantom | trigger warning: mentions of violence)
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ADMITTEDLY, THE PHANTOM DIDN'T look like much. Haven had pictured a bigger boat, one like Topper's or even Ward's. Something sturdy, strong enough to get John B and Sarah far away from Outer Banks before the police could catch up to them. But in this thing, which was no bigger than Heyward's work boat with chipped paint and fading wood, Haven had her doubts. She felt bad about it, especially with JJ staring at it in such awe, but couldn't deny that the open ocean was nothing like the marsh.
"There she be," JJ heaved a giddy sigh as he pushed open the garage door. Haven and Kie slowly followed after him, wearing matching weary frowns. At least this was something they could agree on. "A 1983 Formula 402 SR1. The Phantom."
"It's... old," Haven deadpanned, to which JJ responded with an indignant gasp.
"This boat was the first to make the run to Bermuda in under sixteen hours, Haven. She might be forty-years-old, but she's still the fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen."
"It's kind of a junker," Kie muttered, unable to hide her smirk as JJ's eyes narrowed.
"First Haven, now you," he grumbled to himself. "She's right there, Kie. She can hear you."
"She's a boat."
"Let's just put it this way," he said. "You would not be smokin' weed right now if she never existed, okay?"
Haven rolled her eyes at that, wandering around to the other side of the boat to get a better look at it. If the storm Mrs Carrera warned them about managed to hold out long enough for John B and Sarah to escape, they might, might, strike some luck with this thing. If JJ's word on it was to be believed...
"Trust me, she'll run alright," he insisted, almost like he could hear what Haven was thinking. "She's faster than any of the cutters the boys in blue got."
"If you say so."
Outside, the engine of a dirt bike drew closer. Pope. Haven, being closest to the back door, made her way over with a smile that was quick to fade when Rafe Cameron stepped through the door instead. He raised a taunting finger to his lips in a hush motion, the dark grey barrel of a gun pointing right at her stomach. The implication was clear. Don't make a sound. Follow me. Haven wordlessly held her hands in the air, eyes narrowing as she noticed not one but two dirt bikes strewn across the cement outside. But before she could get a better look around for who was with Rafe, he pushed the gun into her back and lead her around to Kie and JJ.
"You're not Pope," Kie breathed out as she slowly backed away from them.
Haven could barely hear what Rafe replied with over the erratic beating of her heart, but every movement of the weapon digging into her spine brought on a jarring dose of reality. "Hey, there. What's goin' on? How you guys doing?"
