Low Tide \\ JJ Maybank

Ch 29

We head out to the warehouse. Soft Reggae music plays as we drive across a bridge. I sit relaxed against the wall of the van, nodding along to the music.

"So they keep money out here?" Pope voices, looking out the window.

I turn around to look. The area we were driving through was pretty run down. We were on the Pogue side of Figure Eight which didn't make much sense to me because of the lack of money that was typically over here.

"That's what she said," JJ tells Pope. He giggles at himself. "That's what she said."

I lightly smack his leg. "J, shush." I giggle too.

"Stop." Pope shuts us both down, we instantly shut up.

"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive." Sarah says.

"Cause you're rich." JJ retorts.

"You've never heard of it either." Kie tells him.

"Thank you!" Sarah says dramatically.

"There's nothing but weeds out here." Kiara points out, looking out the window.

I turn to look again. She was right. On both side of the street we're tall trees, shrubs and weeds. How was there money back here? I had no clue, but this started to feel wrong.

"All right, just because it's just weeds, doesn't mean it's like..."

"Little suspicious, Babe." I pipe up.

The conversation is cut short when a siren rings out from behind us. My heart drops in my chest, anxiety setting in. We had 7 pounds of gold in the car.

"Cops?" Kie questions. "Out here?"

"God! Are you kidding me?" JJ says annoyed.

"What did we do?" Sarah asks turning around.

"Stash that!" Pope yells at JJ, referencing the gold.

John B whips around, looking at JJ. "Did you bring the gun?" He demands.

"No, okay? Everyone told me to leave it back at the place."

"Thank god!" Kiara preached. "Please, everything else in your bag."

JJ hurries, putting everything in his bag, slightly panicked. Pope rushes him, as does Kiara.

"Guys, just relax. We don't need to panic yet." I say to them.

The sound of a gun cocking catches my attention. Shit. I take the last part back. I look to the front seat, seeing a gun being pointed at my brother. A mask covered the guys face, hiding his identity. I feel my boyfriend shift in front of me, blocking me from the guy.

"Why don't I go ahead and see them hands in the air?" He threatens. We all look around at each other, nervously. "All of y'all's hands in the air, now! You, out of the car! Let's go!"

My brother starts to get out of the car slowly. My nerves are through the roof, hands shaking and heart racing.

"Out of the car! Let's go, hurry!" The guy yells at my brother who was now outside of the car. "Let them out."

John B walks over to our door with his hands in his air. The man continues to yell at my brother with the gun pointed at him. He opens the door, we crawl out of the car. The guy continues to yell at us, rushing us out of the car.

"We're broke!" JJ yells at the guy.

"Shut the hell up!"

"All right! Just relax!"

"Shut the hell up! Shut up!" The guy rushes JJ, waving the gun at him.

"Okay, okay!" I say pulling JJ behind me. "Relax!"

"Lay down in the ditch! On your goddamn hands and knees! Down!"

We listen, terrified of what could happen to us. I lower myself to the ground, putting my head near the dirt beneath me. He tells us to stay on the ground, looking through the car. My hands shake violently with anxiety.

"It's a setup guys." Kie tells us.

"That old bat shanked us." JJ says angrily. He pounds his hand on the ground. "Fuck! God damn it."

I reach out to him with my hand, grabbing his, in an attempt to calm him down. He looks over to me, anger in his eyes. They soften when they connect with mine. My hand still shook in his.

"John B." Pope whispers catching my attention. "Don't be the hero man."

My brother runs towards the cop car, climbing inside.

I squeeze JJ's hand, getting him to focus back on me. I wanted to keep his anger level lower to prevent any irrational actions.

"All right, y'all just stay like that. Unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, alright?" The guy runs back to his car with the gold, and my brother in the backseat.

We all watch nervously. Suddenly there's a bunch of movement in the car. I pick my head up quickly, trying to get a better view of what is happening. Right after, JJ is on his feet, running toward the cop car.

"Guys, grab the gun!" John B yells as both the car doors on the left open.

The rest of us follow behind quickly. The guy punches JJ across the face, knocking him to the ground. I kick him across the stomach, knocking him a step back. Kie then runs at him but he stops her, throwing her away from him. John B hits him in the back with the butt of the gun, sending him sprawling. Sarah opens the car door more, slamming it into the man's head.

Pope climbs into the car and comes back out with gold. "I got the gold!"

Pope and Kiara begin kicking the guy, keeping him on the ground. Pope kicks him again, he slumps up against the car. JJ pulls down his mask, revealing the mans face.

"I know this piece of shit!" JJ yells. "He's a basehead."

"He probably knows my brother." Sarah points out.

"He sells coke to my dad." JJ informs us.

"Alright listen, I couldn't hurt anyone of y'all-" JJ cuts the guy off, slamming the gun across his face.

"JJ!"

"Dude, chill, man!" Pope orders.

JJ bends down, pulling the wallet from the guys pocket. He pulls cards out, looking for an ID. When he finds it he throws the wallet back on the ground, looking at the card. "We got one last stop." JJ announces.

"Hey!" John B yells.

"Let's find where this son of a bitch lives."

"JJ!" I try to get his attention. I follow after him. "Babe, come on!"

Everyone else follows soon after.

"Come on!" JJ yells impatiently. I climb into the passenger seat next to him.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask as everyone else climbs in. He ignores my question putting the car in drive. I shake my head annoyed.