Carefree || JJ Maybank

Chapter One Hundred

They drove for a while. JJ and John B were trying to get JJ's plan, but JJ gave minimal details. He pulled up to an old bar that had given them drinks when they were younger.

"Oh, perfect. Rockfish." John B smiles sarcastically. "The place you go to bash beer bottles on peoples heads. Yup, love that for us."

JJ stops him, "There's a guy here, that's always here, that moves a lot of weight. My dad worked for him. Come on now." He says, getting out of the van.

"Oh, that's great, JJ." Everleigh looks out the window at the group of drunks that were sitting inside. "Let's get involved with drug dealers."

"No, no, wait." John B tries to change JJ's mind as he goes around to let Everleigh out. "Please don't say 'Barracuda Mike."'

"Okay." JJ shrugs his shoulders as Everleigh climbs from the van. "I won't."

John B steps out and look at his sister who looked just as unsure as he did. They both knew that there had to be better ways than to get involved with anyone who worked alongside JJ's dad.

"Come on, there's gotta be a better option than this." John B tells JJ as the three of them make their way into the bar.

It smelt of old beer and cigarettes. It was surprisingly clean and everyone seemed to be at least a little bit organized.

JJ starts to get sarcastic, "Oh, you know what? You're right. I think there is a better option. Except there's not. Alright, dude?" They continue through, Everleigh examining the place from floor to ceiling with a feeling of nostalgia. "Seriously, we don't have a whole lot of time, and your dad needs help right now, and this guy is gonna be the key to getting down to South America asap. Trust me on this one."

"Can we just go, guys?" Everleigh says with a slight sigh of stress.

"Let me do the talking, okay?" JJ nods as he makes his way over to the man. John B and Everleigh shared another look of uncertainty before following a couple steps behind him. "Yo, Mike! Yo! You remember me right? You know, it's on the tip of your tongue, J..."

The man scanned JJ's face and blinked at him with a confused look. "Luke's son!" He exclaims making Everleigh bite the inside of her cheek. Mike stabs the knife into the table he was cutting fish on.

"That works too. Uh, also go by JJ. But uhm, this here is my good friend, John B." JJ smiles, turning John B back around to look at the man. "And this is my beautiful girlfriend, Everleigh, but she just likes to be called Ev..." He rambled on until he gets quiet.

"Routledges." The man spoke loudly, apparently not using what would be considered an inside voice.

"In the flesh." John B forces a smile.

Mike points at Everleigh and John B. "I've heard stories about you two."

"Uh-oh." Everleigh murmurs with her lips drawn into a line.

JJ plays it off horribly, "I mean, he's a stone cold cop k... killer."

A tall man approaches them. He leaned on the wall next to Everleigh and he towered over her, making her look like a child. "No, no he's not." She breathily laughs as her eyes flickered up at the man and then to JJ.

"No, I'm not." John B agrees.

JJ looks at Everleigh before looking up at the man. He took a step back and put Everleigh between him and John B before leaning on the counter again. "Mike, I'm gonna be honest about why we're here, okay? We're a little bit in a... a patch of trouble. And, we're trying to get down to South America if that's..."

Mike sighs with a quick shake of his head, "I'm sorry, Slick. But, I don't sold the travel agency." He smiles.

JJ laughs nervously, "Well, I mean we're not looking for some free handout here, alright? We understand it's a two way road. Alright, symbiotic relationship."

"Oh my god." Everleigh mumbles only loud enough that she could hear, dropping her head into her hands.

"That's what we're trying to get at. We just need to parlee..."

Everleigh looks up, looking out into the water ahead of them "Parley. JJ, it's parley, you've watched Pirates of the Caribbean enough times with me." She looks at Mike with a smile. "Parley is what he's saying."

"Parley in, uhm... in private." JJ looks back at the tall man again. "If that's cool with you."

Mike nods and walks away. JJ tells John B and Everleigh to stay put but they both try to convince him that it was better to find a different way of getting to South America.

JJ walks away, bumping into the tall man that was watching their every move.

"John B this isn't a good idea." Everleigh whispers to him, hoping that he'd help her change JJ's mind.

John B shakes his head. "I know, Ev. Let's just see what JJ gets together and we'll decide from there on out." He mutters before looking up at their security guard. "Yeah, so, uh, what do you... what do you guys catch out here?"

"Money." He deadpans, making Everleigh sigh shakily. She scratches her arm before she finds a hold on her wrist. John B just nods before they hear JJ starting to return.

He immediately notices Everleigh's anxiety caused action, taking her and and pulling John B by the shirt. "Hey, let's go, come on." He pulls them away as John B tries to say bye.

"Hey, JJ." Everleigh follows him, leaving her hand linked with his and holding his arm. "What the hell did you get us into? What do we gotta do?"

"Just a little something." JJ hides, knowing that neither of them were going to like what he planned for the man by the name of Mike.

"A little something?" John B asks. "Every time you say 'a little something,' it's never a little something."

"Hey you're getting a little negative, John B." JJ starts to mention. "Alright, it's literally the easiest job in the world, bro. We just unload it. You know what they do on planes? You know on Delta and United when they take the bags off of the... that's what we're going, okay? Once we do that, we punch our tickets, go on to South America, sipping on piña coladas, alright? John B, Ev..." He let's go of her hand and goes into the front seat of the Twinkie. "It's gonna be a piece of cake." He takes the keys and throws them to John B with a smile as he sits. "You're driving."