Ties That Bind Us • JJ Maybank {Book One}

five| summerwinds motel

Aliana

 I wait with Pope and Kiara on the boat while John B and JJ check out the motel room where the key belongs. I guess JJ has taken a liking to Kiara since I left, but it seems John B and Pope also have a slight crush on her. I shouldn't care, but I can't help but be jealous of her. Kiara is gorgeous in every way. She has black, long, wavy hair and caramel skin that shines during the golden hour. She's smart, and she has a big heart. She was with these boys when I was gone. I need to remind myself that things are different between us. I will never have the bond Kiara has with the boys, not like I used to.

"So, what's your biggest pet peeve?" Pope asks us, needing to pass the time with small talk.

Kiara sits with her knees up to her chest on the deck. "Biggest pet peeve?" She repeats, and he nods. "Easy. Giving one percent to the environment."

"What's wrong with that?" he asks. 

Kiara frowns at him like it's obvious. "We only have one Earth, Pope," she states. "We should be giving it one hundred percent, bare minimum."

"Right. That's not fiscally sound."

"Neither is destroying the planet we have to live on," she argues.

I sigh. Here we go. They begin arguing about what is worse for the planet: The government and taxes or the trash that litter the ground. I look around and notice a Sheriff's Deputy cruiser pulling into the parking lot.

Well, shit. That's not good.

"Hey, hey. Cops." I grab their attention and gesture with my head to the two uniformed deputies exiting the truck, a male and a female. They walk into the office to speak with the manager.

Kiara curses and crouches down. "Call them," she tells Pope.

"I can't. Towers are down," he explains and follows us off the boat. "If I lose my merit scholarship, I'm gonna kill someone."

I roll my eyes at his comment and hide behind the fallen motel sign. The officers exit the office and follow the manager to the stairs. "They're going up," Kiara says.

"Come on. Follow me," I tell them, waiting for the officers to disappear up the stairs before running around the motel. We make it to the back of the motel, where there is one window. 

That must be the room they are in. "What do we do?" Kiara asks, starting to panic.

"Grab a rock and throw it at the window," I tell them, picking up a rock and throwing it at the window.

Pope and Kiara grab a few rocks and start chucking them at the window. Pope's rock doesn't even make it to the window. "Didn't you ever play baseball?" Kiara asks and throws another rock at the window.

"I was on the math team," he says, offended, and throws another rock that misses the window.

I throw the rocks I have in my hand. "Guys, focus. We need to get their attention!"

John B and JJ finally appear on the other side of the window. We frantically jump up and down. "Cops. Cops! Cops!" We quietly yell at them and gesture to the parking lot. John B quickly leaves the window, and JJ follows him.

"You think they understood that?" Pope asks, breathing heavily from the workout.

Kiara sighs. "They better," she replies and starts walking back around the building. "Come on. Let's get back to the boat in case things go south."

When we reach the boat and get back inside, Pope mumbles, "I told you guys this was a bad idea." He leans against the edge at the front of the boat, waiting for any sign of John B and JJ.

Kiara sits in the chair in front of the wheel and keeps her hand on the key. "Should we peel?" she asks, hesitating and looking at Pope for an answer.

"You never leave a Pogue behind," Pope states, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

I would've never thought this was how my day would turn out. John B and JJ could be arrested if those deputies catch them. "No, seriously, should we peel?" Kie asks again.

I look at Pope. He's keeping his eyes focused ahead. "Maybe," he mumbles under his breath.

I sit down on the side of the boat and gasp when I see John B and JJ climbing out of a window on the side of the motel. They each step on the ledge underneath and stand on either side of the window pressed against the concrete wall. Holy shit. This is unbelievable!

"What the hell are guys doing?" Pope whisper-shouts to them, waving his arms at them.

Kiara covers her face with her hands. "Oh, my god."

Something falls from JJ's pocket and clatters loudly to the dumpster below. Pope flinches from the loud noise and hurries to sit on the bench, trying to seem normal. I hold my breath when one of the deputies appears behind the window and looks outside, oblivious to the boys standing against the wall on either side of the glass. After a few minutes, the deputies finally exit the room. John B and JJ jump down from the ledge and sprint back over to us.

Once they are back in the boat, we peel out of there and get away from the motel without being noticed. That was so nerve-wracking. I don't ever want to go through something like that again. My heart is still pounding in my chest from that experience.

"Well, that was fun," JJ says once we are further in the water. He sits down across from me and chuckles. "Could have warned us a little sooner."

Kiara scowls and looks at Pope. "We would have, except Pope was on the math team."

"The cops took everything like it was a crime scene," John B explains from his seat before the wheel.

I shake my head. "Well, they are definitely looking for whoever owned that boat we found," I tell them, trying to ignore the feeling in my gut. This is leading us to something dangerous. "Whoever this guy is was clearly doing something illegal."

"Did you find anything?" Pope asks them.

JJ shifts in his spot and smirks. "Did we find anything?" he mocks his question and reaches into his pockets, pulling out a thick stack of cash and a freaking handgun. "Oh yeah, we did," he says, laughing with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"What the hell?" Pope looks bewildered at the weapon and the money he has.

Kiara frowns. "Dude, seriously?"

"Are you stupid?" I ask him and raise my eyebrows.

He rolls his eyes at me and shoves the gun and the money back in his pockets. "Dude, chill. Come on." He approaches Pope, who looks like he's about to pass out.

"Why take that from a crime scene?"

"Better than the cops having it, bro," he says as if that can justify his actions.

Kiara catches the grin on John B's face and scowls at him. "You serious?" His smile falters at her tone.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship." Pope sighs and runs a hand over his face.

JJ places a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey. Sh, sh, sh." He gets his attention and smiles. "At least you have us, right?"

"I'm living the nightmare," Pope remarks, shoving him away.

I bite my tongue to keep myself from blowing up on JJ. He's damning us all because he wanted to be selfish and take a weapon from a crime scene and money that isn't even his! 

"Can we just get the hell out of here," I mumble, irritated.

John B stands up and accelerates through the water, heading back toward the marsh and the Chateau. All I know is that if my mother finds out about the events that have happened so far today, I will be sent home as soon as possible. I need to make up some bullshit story and keep her off my tail. I can't let Kyle find out about this. He would either tell Mom in a heartbeat or keep it to himself because he wants me to stay. I'm so angry that I'm getting pulled into this mess. It's not like they know that I can be sent home over this.

I'm not ready to leave. I finally feel like I belong again, and I don't want to upset them with my problems. This summer is supposed to be fun and adventurous, and I will do everything I can to ensure it stays that way.