BRIZO | 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

THIRTY-THREE (II)

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN - WE DON'T LET JJ BLOW THINGS UP

I explain to my brother everything that happened - the talk with Wheezie, Rose preparing a trip, finding the key, Rafe finding Sarah and her telling me to run. I mention the dead body, too, however, he's too focused on Blondie being back with her psychotic brother.

His brows snap together, and a muscle in his jaw tightens, when I stop speaking, taking in all the information, looking between me and the boys.

In the distance, the door opens again, and Rafe walks out of the house, going straight to the truck, climbing inside.

"That's Rafe." Pope whispers.

Sarah is not with him.

I share a worried look with JJ. He bites the inside of his cheek, looking between JB and Rafe, and he's quick to move and grab John B's shirt when he throws himself forward, ready to fight Rafe.

"Get down! No, wait! Not yet!"

"JB, stop!" I scold him, too, helping JJ pull him back by his shirt.

"Then what do we do? What's the plan?"

"Well, he might have the gun, so, uh, what's in our favor?" JJ thinks out loud. "The element of surprise, that's what's in our favor right now."

"But he knows we're here." I frown. "Rafe's not stupid, he knows Blondie didn't come alone."

Rafe starts the truck, and I have to squint my eyes when the front lights blind me for a second, making my head throb in pain again. I take my fingers to my temple, feeling the dry blood there, and I shakily move them to the side, feeling the wetness and stickiness of the blood still in the wound.

"Okay, so what do we do then?" John B asks anxiously, watching me carefully.

"What if we threw something in front?" JJ suggests.

"Throw what?" I scrunch my nose up. "Throwing something is not gonna stop that truck."

Said vehicle drives past us, and it takes me a second to notice that Pope is not by my side anymore, instead he's running after the truck. I widen my eyes and I pat anxiously JJ's arm, making him turn his head with a frown, and his eyes widen.

"Pope!" He calls for him, but Pope's already on his own mission to get the cross back.

We watch him hold onto the truck, and climb until he's clinging to the metal bar attached to the wooden doors, and the truck drives off into the darkness of the night, leaving us with no clue where it's going to take the cross, or Pope.

"What was that shit?" My brother asks, with his jaw dropped and staring incredulously at the horizon.

"Should we go after him or...?" I wonder, confusion overtaking my features.