Gold Digger// JJ Maybank- OBX

fifty one

JJ SCOFFED, having just heard from John B and Scarlett that their mission was mostly unsuccessful. "Okay, so other than the one gun Red managed to stash, you didn't get anything? Did you even get any ammo for it?"

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "I, uh... didn't have time to check." She answered honestly, nervously scratching the back of her neck.

"We tr... we tried, okay?" John B told the blond boy. "We got attacked. I mean, Lottie had an axe almost thrown at her head."

JJ shook his head, frustrated and angry with himself that he hadn't been there to protect his girlfriend. "This is why I should've gone with you." He stressed.

"Let me get this straight." Cleo spoke up, interrupting the boys as they started to talk over each other. "You six, with no weapons besides the possibly useless gun blondie stole," She gestured across to Scarlett who was sat at JJ's feet. "-Decided you were gonna hijack this tramp steamer on your own? Do you have any idea who these people are? Eberhimi, if he catch you, he's gonna kill you. Dead." Scarlett's face paled at the thought of being caught. Making it safely off the boat with Sarah and the cross and somehow getting back to her younger sister Maisie were the only thoughts keeping her positive about the whole situation. "Cut off your fingers." Cleo added, gesturing with her pocket knife.

"Okay." Kiara muttered, trying to think of another plan. "What about waiting until we get to port? At least then, if something goes wrong, we have a place to run."

Pope shook his head. "No. No, we can't do that."

"Why?" Luke asked. "That's gotta be our best shot, right?"

"Because I've run the scenario over 1,000 times in my head, and our best chances are on this ship." Pope explained, looking round at each of the Pogues. "There's 15 crew members and seven of us."

"Exactly." Kiara told him.

"That's roughly about three-to-one odds." Pope added. "So it's the best it'll get. We wait till we get there, they'll trap us." He pointed out.

Kiara shook her head. "We have no chance."

"No, Kie, there's something else." John B spoke up. "Ward's alive." Everyone's eyes widened at the news. "He's alive, and he's on this boat."

Scarlett nodded, running her hand through her hair. "It's true. We saw him, just before you and Cleo found us." She looked over to Pope, noticing how shocked he looked.

"You gotta be kidding me." JJ muttered through gritted teeth, angrily pulling on the safety rope holding the crates together.

Luke leaned forward on the crate he was sitting on. "You're joking right? This can't be real." He looked back and forth between his sister and John B. "Didn't you guys like, see him blow up or something? How the hell is he alive?"

Scarlett nodded her head. "The boat blowing up was real, for sure." She spoke. "I mean, there's no way he could've faked the whole thing. Right?" She turned her head to John B, the boy's eyebrows furrowed as he thought hard about the situation.

"It was all a setup, blowing up the boat, the confession to Shoupe." John B realised, speaking suddenly. "Think about it."

"The man's a maniac." Scarlett added in a whisper.

"All that just to... what?" Luke questioned. "Clear Rafe's name?"

John B nodded. "Mmm. And then he does what? Goes to the Druthers. And what's on the Druthers?"

"Scuba." Kiara answered.

John B pointed his finger in her direction. "Bingo."

"So, Ward's alive, huh?" JJ mused, the anger clear in his voice. "And he has the gold and the cross and Sarah." He jumped down from the crate he had been sitting on, leaning against them next to where Scarlett sat on the floor. She reached her arm up and grabbed his hand, beginning to gently rub her fingers over the back of his hand.