𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 ➺ 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊

𝟐𝟑.𝟐「𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄」

𝐎𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"This is it right here. Come on" Dad opens a back gate and we head through it "Here. Follow me"

The three of us race through the backyard of the quaint little shack and to the back door, our father pulling out a key to unlock it.

"Here it is. The spider hole" Dad welcome us inside "It ain't much, but it ain't a bad place to lay low"

"Okay, spider hole, good name" John B hums.

"I suppose he's had time to think about it" I shrug jokingly, making my brother grin a little.

"Still hunting, huh, Pop?" John B questions and I notice the map he's looking at.

"I'm breathing, I'm hunting, man, what can I say?" Dad states truly "This time I'm putting         it all together, John B. Getting close, I can feel it.            Onto something big"

"I, uh... I heard you died at the Shoals, Dad?" John B mentions.

"Yeah, well, somebody died out there. It wasn't me" Dad shrugs off the comment like it wasn't spoken "Look. Just gotta go on a little retrieval mission. Then we can split"

I first spot the gun in my father's hand and I step back, my brother stepping in front of me with a confused look.

"Okay. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dad, Dad, wait" John B stops our father "Retrieval mission? A gun? What- No, no, no, no! What are we doing?"

"The game is afoot. Okay, kids? Right now" Dad tells us wildly and it feels as though i'm a child again, listening to crazy Big John tell his stories "And this time it's for the mother lode, the big kahuna, all the marbles. All right?"

"Right" John B nods as our father hugs both of us tightly.

"Okay. Come here. It is good to see you both. It is. But if we don't move out, like, now, the game is gonna end early. All right?" Dad explains to the both of us and we listen intently, we always did "It ain't just Singh that's after us. I got mixed up with Limbrey and a whole lot of things"

"Wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Dad" John B stops him as we follow him out the house "Did you just say Limbrey? Like Carla Limbrey?"

"Yeah. How do you think we got a boat?" Dad grins at us.

"Come on, man" John B huffs out "No, no, no"

"Not Carla Limbrey of all people" I groan in annoyance.

"She- she helped me out a little bit" Dad shrugs it off as if it's nothing "It's logistics, etcetera, but now that I found you, I'm gonna owe her something. Better to pay later than now. I can explain it all"

"Focus. We gotta go" Dad says, gently slapping John B's cheek and I grin at my brother mischievously "We gotta go!"

"Shit all over the place" John B grumbles as we chase after our father.

"That a boy! This way!" Dad encourages John B before eyeing me as I skip past him towards the boat "That's my girl! Go, Bug!"

My heart swells three times its size at the praise from my father and hop onto the small dingy that'll take us to the boat, waiting to finally head home.