the middle ≫ jj maybank

xxiv. the set-up

Slater had never visited a pawn shop. That was probably because the Cut's only pawn shop was a sketchy place where people sold stolen jewelry and guns they weren't legally supposed to have. Slater was also fairly certain that they sold coke and meth out of a back room.

She was fairly certain, because her father had told her as much, and he'd also told her never to go in there.

Kiara had melted down a bar of Denmark Tanny's gold with a blowtorch, and it had cooled into a shiny lump that resembled a kindergartener's Play-Doh creation. JJ just about told her as much.

They bickered almost the entire ride from John B's house to the pawn shop about it, until John B finally told them to chill out.

"Easy for you to say," JJ grumbled. "You're not the one that has to pawn this piece of shit off. How did I get this job anyway?"

"Because you're the best liar," Pope replied.

JJ and Slater still weren't on speaking terms, after the fight at the club with Rafe. Now that Sarah and Kie knew about their little situationship, Slater figured it was only a matter of time before John B and Pope knew as well, though she wasn't even sure if JJ ever wanted to speak to her again. Maybe it was just a matter of time before she was ousted from the group, and JJ finally got what he'd wanted all along.

She also wasn't sure what the boys thought about her ex-fling with Rafe. If Sarah had gotten over it -- Rafe being her brother and all -- surely Pope and John B could, too. JJ remained the wild card, like he always was.

The pogues headed inside, JJ up to the counter, and the rest of them to various places throughout the store. Slater thought it was suspicious for them all to go in with JJ, and she'd said as much, but John B had insisted that JJ might need backup. "Backup" for what, Slater wasn't sure, because the old woman behind the counter seemed completely harmless.

Slater was looking through a case of vintage (and likely stolen) necklaces as the woman put the Frankenstein bar through a series of tests to make sure it was actually gold. JJ told a sob story about a fake mother with Alzheimer's as the woman continued to voice her disbelief. She disappeared into the backroom, and the pogues quickly regrouped near JJ.

"She's suspicious about one bar," Slater hissed. "How are we going to pawn off four hundred million dollars worth of gold?"

"We'll figure it out," JJ snapped, refusing to meet her eyes as she looked at him. Slater scoffed and turned away, busying herself with the antique jewelry again.

The woman returned and they dispersed, leaving JJ alone again. She handed JJ a sticky note, and he immediately snorted.

"Fifty thousand? You think I walked in here not knowing the spot price?" He said. "Ma'am, I know for a fact this is worth 140, at least."

"Well sweetie, you're in a pawn shop," the woman replied with a slight laugh. "This ain't Zurich. Do I look Swiss to you?"

They continued to haggle until the woman offered half-price.

"And I don't ask questions about where you got this," she added.

They didn't have enough cash on hand at the store to pay JJ, so the woman said they would have to go to a warehouse. As the pogues walked back out to the Twinkie, she couldn't help but find the whole thing suspicious.

"What pawn shop has a warehouse?" She questioned as they drove deeper into the Cut. The shacks and buildings she was familiar with disappeared into trees and swamp. They drove for what felt like miles without seeing a single soul, until a car sped quickly up behind them, lights flashing and siren whooping.