Audacious//JJ Maybank (Outerbanks)

Chapter 83

{Signpost of Orinoco}

"Here it is. The spider hole." Big John pulls his hood down as he slips inside the cabin, making sure to lock the door behind us. "The spider hole. It ain't much, but it ain't a bad place to law low."

I raised my brow as I took a once over the small shack, my hand trailing along the dust-covered counter. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was with my father right now and for the last twenty-four hours, we've been on the same island and had no idea.

"Still hunting, huh, Pop?" John B questions catching my attention. I moved over to the damp desk he stood near and looked at the map spread out on the surface. It was surrounded by old books and had writing scribbled everywhere. "If I'm breaking, I'm hunting, man. What can I say?" Big John chuckles, but it was a rushed stately as he rummaged from room to room to stuff things in his bag.

"I'm putting it all together, John B. Getting close, I can feel it. Onto something big." Big John exclaims. John B picks up a book from the desk titled El Dorado. Portus had a book about that too. "I heard you died in the Shoals, Dad," John B says, turning towards our father and I copy him. "Yeah, well, somebody died out there," Big John shrugs. "Wasn't me."

It seemed like he couldn't care less that he'd left his kids alone for the last year, thinking he was dead. I was brought out of my thoughts at the sound of a gun being loaded and I snapped my head up with wide eyes. "Just gotta go on a little retrieval mission. Then we can split." Big John states. "Are you serious?" I ask in disbelief. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, dad," John B calls out after him. "Retrieval mission? Gun? What are we doing?" John B questions him.

"The game is afoot. Okay, kid? Right now." Big John clasps John B's shoulders. "And this time it's for the mother lode, the big kahuna, all the marbles" I let out a sigh, doling my arms over my chest, as I glanced at my feet. "It is good to see you. It is." Big John pulled John B into a hug, then pulled me in for one, but it didn't feel sincere.

"But if we don't move out, like, now, the game is gonna end early. It ain't just Singh that's after us. I got mixed with Limbrey and a whole lot of things." Immediately my blood tan cold. All it took was the mention of that name to send me spiralling. My body felt like it was rotting and suddenly I couldn't breathe. "Wait, whoa, Limbrey?" John B questions. "Like, Carla Limbrey?"

"Yeah," Big John sighs. "How do you think we got a boat?" He shrugs fixing his glasses. "No, come on, man." John B groans turning away. "Look, she helped me out," Big John sighs. "Logistics, etcetera. But now that I found you, I owe her something. Better to pay later than now."

"I can explain it all," Big John sighs. "Focus, we gotta go." He pats John B on the shoulder. Big John slams the doorframe in an attempt to usher us out of the house and onto the boat docked nearby. We follow out after him down to the shore, walking into the water towards the boat. John B and our dad got on the boat first, then they helped me up.

Big John fired up the engine, and the boat rumbled to life, sending a thrill of excitement coursing through me despite the underlying tension in the air. The familiar scent of saltwater filled my lungs, and as we pulled away from the dock, I felt a mix of nostalgia and unease. This was home, yet everything had changed.

The boat glided smoothly over the water, the waves lapping gently against the hull. The wind whipped through my hair, and I could see the shoreline fading behind us as we set off into the open sea. I glanced over at John B, his expression a mix of determination and apprehension, and then back to our dad, who was focused on steering the boat.

"How've you been?" Big John asked, breaking the silence as he adjusted the throttle. His voice was gruff, but there was a warmth to it that reminded me of the countless times he'd asked us the same question during our childhood.