salt water | outer banks

4| not exactly a mojito

VENUS FELT SICK TO her stomach. Not because of the body she just saw, but at the idea of being caught for what they'd accidentally discovered.

"We need to have total and complete amnesia." Pope paced around the porch of the chateau anxiously.

"Pope's right...for once," JJ agreed, turning to the aforementioned boy. "See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny."

"We can't keep that money," Kie decided, shaking her head.

"Kie—" Venus began to reason with her, wanting to bring up the fact that the deputies even took some, but JJ beat her to it.

"Not everyone can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara," JJ argued.

"We have to pass it on to Lana Grubbs! Otherwise it's bad karma," she shot back.

"Yeah, well I'd rather get bad karma than jail time," Venus chimed in. "She could start snooping around and report it to the police if we gave that to her. No chance."

Pope nodded along reluctantly. "We gotta go dark."

Kie finally agreed with a sigh. "Okay."

"If that means we get to keep the money, then okay, I agree." JJ crossed his arms over his chest and the group all turned to look at John B, waiting for his notice of agreement as well.

"I don't agree," John spoke up, making Venus groan in irritation. "Scooter Grubbs bought individual cigarettes at the Porthole. I once saw him at the Save-A-Lot begging for change for gas!" He pushed his hair back and shrugged. "He was a dirtbag marina rat who never had more than forty dollars to his name. And now he suddenly has a brand new Grady White?"

The boy let his friends sink in the words for a moment, watching their reactions.

"Around here, there's only one way marina rats get Grady Whites," he paused for a moment and smiled knowingly. "Square groupers, bro! Radar detection and aerial surveys aren't conducted during storms. Everyone knows that. It's a free pass as long as you survive."

"Which he failed to do," Venus muttered, understanding what he was getting at.

"He was smuggling," JJ concluded with a snap of his fingers.

John B began to nod as an idea formed. "I'm thinking there's some serious contraband in that wreck."

Venus grinned at the idea as she caught on. "Hell yeah."

Pope put his hands on his head exasperatedly. "Shoot me now."

"C'mon, Pope. If he's right about this, it could be our ticket to help John B fly his uncle back for his protective services meeting and fix whatever karma Kie was talking about with Lana!" the Beck girl exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders excitedly.

"Who's in?" John B asked, sticking his hand in the middle of them all.

"I'm fucking in," JJ grinned, slapping his hand onto John's.

"Get up, stand up." Kie slapped her hand down next.

"Of course I'm in," Venus laughed, repeating Kie's actions. She looked to Pope and raised her brows at the boy.