Paradise Falls ||JJ Maybank||

[5] Incriminating Evidence

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I stepped outside of my home, surveying the aftermath of the storm that had wreaked havoc on my property. The wind had scattered debris everywhere, and I set about the task of gathering it all up. As I moved around the yard, I sorted the items into three piles: branches, trash, and broken furniture.

My heart sank as I approached the remains of my mother's favorite bench. The once-beautiful piece had been demolished, its pieces scattered after colliding with one of the few trees in the yard. I knew I'd never hear the end of it from my mom; she'd undoubtedly chastise me for not bringing the bench inside before the storm hit. But at that moment, I was too preoccupied and, admittedly, too high to even consider such precautions.

"Ron, get your cute ass over here!" JJ's voice rang out from the end of the dock. Even though I couldn't see him, I recognized his playful tone immediately. JJ Maybank was the only guy who flirted with me that I didn't reciprocate with. Well, not openly, anyway. Deep down, I harbored a desire to flirt back, but the potential fallout within our tight-knit group kept me from acting on it.

"It's barely been twenty minutes!" I shouted back as I clambered over the fallen tree blocking my path to the dock.

"You were right about the coast guard," Kie muttered under her breath.

A mischievous grin spread across my face. "What was that?" I teased, cupping my hand to my ear in mock confusion. "Did I hear that correctly? Can you repeat, please?"

Kie let out a resigned sigh. "You, Veronica Newton, were right," she admitted, trying to stifle a laugh at her own expense.

I turned to JJ, a questioning look in my eyes. "So, what does this have to do with me?"

JJ shot me a knowing glance.

"We're going to that motel... aren't we?" I sighed, realizing that all four of my friends were in agreement. "Great. Awesome. I'm in."

JJ grinned, extending his hand for me to join him in the boat.

Casting a final glance back at my house, I shrugged. The back door was closed, but it didn't matter much. There was nothing of value to me inside, and it wasn't like it was locked.

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Arriving at the run-down motel, I couldn't shake the feeling that we had stepped into a horror movie set.

"Damn, I thought the Chateau looked bad," JJ laughed, gesturing to the dilapidated motel.

"This place is a shit show."

"Motel or meth lab?" Kiara chimed in.

I surveyed the motel, searching for any sign that we should turn around and head home. There were plenty of reasons to reconsider, but nothing ever deterred us Pogues. Whether it was stealing a bag of chips from the corner store or, apparently, breaking and entering.

"This doesn't look like somewhere someone with a Grady-White would stay," John B remarked as we approached the building.

"No, it looks like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would get killed," Pope quipped, the nervousness palpable in his voice.

Without hesitation, JJ and I jumped off the HMS Pogue, securing it to ensure it wouldn't drift away while we explored the motel.

"Pope, Kie, you're not coming?" I asked, turning to our two friends.

"I've got too much to lose if we get caught," Pope explained, raising his hands in surrender.

"We'll be lookout," Kiara smirked, patting Pope's back.