Sunshine in the Rain

80. Houseboat

We swim and get onto the boat. I climb up after JB but before JJ.

"JJ, keep it down." JB says. JJ looks hurt from JB saying that. I grab JJ's hand and squeeze it. It give him a quick smile and he smiles a little back.

JB touches the stove. "It's warm." He says.

"Did you really just touch a stove top?" I ask. "What if the temperature was hotter?" I ask.

"Ash, I'm fine." JB says. I roll my eyes and then we start looking around the boat.

"Maybe he split when he heard us coming." JJ says.

Then a man jumps down to the floor. "Devils!!" He yells. He has a machete and he swings it around. He just misses me. Then JB and JJ trip him and he falls to the ground. JB starts fighting him on the ground.

"Stop!" JB yells. "We know professor Sowell." JB says.

"Who gave you that name?" He asks.

"Hey! You were in Orinoco last year with five other people! Right?" JB asks.

"How do you know that?" He asks. Then JJ grabs the machete and pins Neville to the kitchen sink.

"Look, we don't want to hurt you." I say. "J, put the machete down." I say.

JB tells Nevillle how we were with the professor yesterday and how he died. Then JB shows Neville the drawing of some place in South America. I look outside in the creek and enjoy the view. Then I see a boat coming towards us. I run inside.

"Guys!!" I yell. They all shut up and look at me. "There's a boat coming." I say.

"Neville!" A man yells. "Neville Persaud!" Then a gun shoots and a window breaks. I fall to the floor as the glass cuts me. More gun shots fire and more glass falls. I'm shaking and I tense up on the ground.

"Get the anchor!" Neville yells. "Go!" He yells. JJ and JB crawl on the ground and get out. I'm still here, shaking and bleeding. Neville helps me up. "Come on, kid." He says. "We gotta hide."

Neville and I hide in a closet. I'm shaking and bleeding but all I can think about is not making a sound.

A guy comes and walks by the closet. Neville jumps out at him and blocks his bullets with a frying pan. Neville knocks the gun out of the guys hand and I just stay in the closet until Neville is shoved away.

A few seconds later, I see the man pointing a gun at JB. I take a deep breath and I run and tackle the guy. He is holding a gun but I don't care. Then the boat starts moving and JJ drags the guy into the water and climbs up the ladder.

JJ immediately hugs me and I hug him back. "Are you okay, Princess?" JJ says. "I see some cuts and blood."

"It's just from the glass, I'll be fine." I say.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were with JB and when we got into the water, I didn't see you." JJ says.

"Hey, it's okay." I say. "I'm fine and you and JB are fine. That's good news to me." I say.

"Let's get some of that blood off of you." JJ says. He takes off my shirt so I'm left in my bra and he takes off his shirt. He takes my shirt and wipes away some of the blood with clean water from a bottle of water on the boat. Then he puts his shirt over me. Now he's shirtless.

We all walk into where Neville is driving. We sail down the creek. JB is asking Neville about South America and I'm sitting down with my eyes closed, trying to get at least an hour of sleep. So far, it's not happening.

JJ sits next to me. "Hey cupcake." JJ says. "Tryna sleep?" He asks.

"Trying, but failing." I say. JJ wraps his arm around me. I lay my head on his chest as he rubs circle on my back. I trace his abs and eventually, I fall asleep in his arms.

JJ POV:

I get back on the boat and I see Ash with blood all over her. I immediately feel guilty for assuming that she's with John B.

I hug her and then wipe most of the blood off of her. Then I go talk with Neville and John B.

"The gold equals death." Neville says. "No matter what, you die."

"I just want to get my dad back. I don't care about the gold." John B says.

"Well-" John B cuts me off.

"JJ, no." He says. But it's true, I want the gold. I need a house and I need to buy Ashlyn a ring for when we get married.

Then I go over to Ash and see her with her eyes closed. I can't stand to see her like this. I help her fall asleep.