Exhale, Outer Banks [ 1 ]

016. STUTTER MOUTH

TW: domestic violence

Cordelia managed to catch up with JJ and after consistently begging, he let her stay under the condition she'd stop pestering him.

They get to their house and don't find Luke inside so they go to the back porch. JJ has to fight to open the back door, but soon opens it enough for them to fit through.

"We've been staying at John B's." JJ informs.

"I didn't ask you where you two were stayin'. I don't care." Luke says. "I knew you'd get hungry."

"That's not why I came back, dad." JJ says.

"Mm-hmm." Luke hums.

"I got the money." JJ says.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." Luke says. JJ tosses the bag onto the table and Luke opens it.

"It's all there. 25K." JJ says with a small smile and Luke slightly chuckles.

"I don't know how you got this. I-I don't even wanna know." Luke says. "You did it." He says and JJ grins. Cordelia lets her guard down a little, but not too much. "I'll grant you that. You did it. There's beer in the cooler."

JJ gets a beer out of the cooler for himself.

"I think that sale's still on at Guffy's of Makos. They're practically given' 'em away." Luke says, walking across the porch and picking a magazine up. Cordelia looks at JJ, silently telling him 'I told you so'.

"Dad, that's for the restitution." JJ says, but Luke ignores him and is talking to himself. "Dad." JJ puts his beer down. He holds a hand out to Cordelia, signaling for her to not follow him as he moves closer to Luke. "Can you please just do the right thing for once, okay?"

"You know how much you cost me, you little shit?" Luke asks. "This nut?" He shakes the stash of money. "It ain't going to the cops." Luke puts the money in a canister.

"Okay, but if it went to the cops, you wouldn't have them on your back or anything. You know drugs aren't legal and if the cops--"

"Cordi--" JJ tries to intervene.

"Shut the fuck up!" Luke snaps at her making her flinch. "No. I'm gonna take it south. I'm gonna triple--"

"Dad!"

"You got something to say?! After everything you done?" Luke asks his son. "You wanna get into it?" He pushes JJ back a little making Cordelia worry. JJ looks down, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't think so."

Luke walks back to the table where he was working on something and Cordelia walks up next to JJ.

"Let's just go. Please." Cordelia whispers.

"Man, people keep wastin' my time." Luke grumbles. "I gotta fix this motor."

"JJ." Cordelia shakes his arm a little. JJ looks over at their dad before he darts for the canister and grabs it. He grabs Cordelia's wrist and dashes for the door, but Luke gets there first. Luke backhands Cordelia making her fall to the floor and he throws JJ into the wall.

Luke hits JJ a couple times before knocking him down next to Cordelia. JJ lands on his hands and knees and puts his fingers to his mouth, pulling them away to reveal blood.

"Boy, you stay down there." Luke says. JJ gets up and punches Luke. Luke punches JJ and knocks him back to the ground and gets on top of him, wrapping his hands around his neck.

JJ's face goes red as his dad continues to cut his oxygen off and he tries to get him off, but to no avail. Luke suddenly cries out in pain and falls off of JJ. The blonde looks up confused to find Cordelia holding a metal pipe that she used to hit Luke in the back with.