Sea Breeze ⚓ JJ Maybanks

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Kie, JJ, John B, and Gina sat on the dock the next morning. John B had finally come back from blowing off some steam, but he was still angry. Gina wanted to ask him where he had gone the previous night and what he had done, but she thought that might only make things worse. Her mind started to wander, as she watched the waves lap against the dock. She wondered how Pope's scholarship interview was going.

"Are you sure he got everything?" Kie asked about the gold, pulling Gina from her thoughts.

"Every bar," John B sighed. "The whole enchilada." He winced as he pulled the brace off his hand. "Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit."

"John B-" Kie started to say as John B threw his cast to the side.

"What, Kie?" John B asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?"

"You should care," Kie replied. "Your arm's gonna be messed up for life."

John B rolled his eyes as he held up his arm and wiggled his fingers. "It's fine. See?"

JJ and Gina exchanged a look. Both of them wanted a full explanation from John B of what happened yesterday, but both of them were too scared to ask. All John B had told them was that Ward had taken the gold, and that Ward was the one who killed Big John, but nothing more than that.

"Guys!"

Gina whipped her head around to see Pope running towards them.

"Guys! Oh God! I ran all the way here."

"From the interview?" Gina questioned. Pope could barely run the mile in gym class, let alone run from in town to here. "Are you alright?"

"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asked him.

"Don't ask," Pope panted, hands on his knees. "JB, look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything."

"It's fine," John B grumbled.

"B-but I don't have a lot of time, and I have information that is tactically relevant," Pope said, whipping the sweat off his brow. "So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstripto cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off."

"He has his own plane?" Gina whispered to JJ, her eyebrows raised.

JJ shook his head in frustration. "I hate Kooks."

Pope continued speaking. "So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off? What could be so heavy to weigh it down'?"

JJ sat straight up, "Gold."

"That's right," John B said. Gina could practically see the gears starting to turn in his head again.

"Exactly!" Pope said excitedly. "Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go."

"Guys, we can't give up now," Kie encouraged.