𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ➝ 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

𝟑𝟖. 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘

𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 steps of John B's Chateau, a bottle of water in my hands, Pope called me towards him. As I neared, I could easily see Kie's body swinging back and forth as she sat inside a large, cobalt blue barrel. "How's it feeling?" Pope called as her hands travelled down a long rope. 

"Feels good," She replied as she flashed me a bright smile. 

From what I have recalled over the hour of building, we were creating a pully system. The night before, before the whole hot tub dilemma, Pope had explained the plan for getting the gold. 

The only thing we needed to do was to build the pully system, where we would use a barrel to bring the items to the surface. I was all aboard with the plan, but I did not want to run into Mrs. Crain again, especially if she still has that shotgun. 

While Pope and Kie worked with the contraption, JJ sat on the outside of the hot tub, resting his feet into the overly-warm water. A cold beer in his hand, I strode towards him, wanting to check in on how he was feeling. "What's up, girl?" He quipped as I leaned against the tub. 

"Checking in on you," I replied as he offered me a sip of his drink, but I kindly refused. 

"Me?" He asked sarcastically, "I'm fine, I'm all gangster in here," He added as he turned his red hat backwards. 

"Gangster?" I chuckled and he nodded before taking a quick swig. 

"Gangster," He confirmed with a smile and I nodded gently. He seemed to be back to his usual self, but still, I was worried about him. 

"Remember, if you need to stay the night at my place, the key is in the mailbox," I told him and his smile faltered. As he bit his cheek, he gave me a sharp nod before taking another sip. 

"John B pullin' a Houdini," JJ exclaimed after a second of reassuring silence. 

Turning to look at Pope, who was helping Kie out of the barrel, I added, "Yeah, where is he?"

"I've got my scholarship interview tomorrow," Pope noted as they walked towards the truck, "We gotta get this done!"

Just as if he was summoned, John B tramped across the lawn, a stressed look painting his face. "Speak of the devil, hey!" JJ called as he acknowledged his best friend. "Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything," He remarked, but he was clearly lying. 

"Liar!" I called at him, pushing him slightly. "He did absolutely nothing except sit in the hot tube and make dumb remarks," I added as I shot a fake-disappointed glare towards the blond. 

"My remarks aren't dumb!" JJ exclaimed as John B continued to stride on, head down and a frustrated look covering his face. He continued to stride into the Chateau, completely disregarding all of our remarks. 

I furrowed my eyebrows and followed after him, determined to get a proper answer from John B. "What's that all about?" Pope asked as Kie and JJ joined him by the back steps. 

"I was going to ask you the same question," JJ replied as his voice was overtaken by the sounds of drawers and objects inside clattering loudly. 

"What is going on?" I asked John B as I watched him dig around for something, not sure what. Searching through a glass cupboard filled with plates and bowls, Kie, JJ and Pope joined me in the kitchen, trying to get a straight answer from the brunette boy. 

"What are you looking for?" Kie continued as John B brushed past me, still avoiding any acknowledgement towards us. 

He stopped at the couch as I shot Kie a worried glance. 

Ripping apart the covers of the pullout couch that I had just made earlier before, he lifted JJ's gun into the air. "Hold up," I exclaimed as I watched him stare dazedly at it, almost admiring the matt black texture. 

"John B, what'd you need the gun for?" JJ asked as he pushed past me, determined to get the lethal weapon away from him. 

Whipping around, John B grabbed JJ's shoulders and shoved him down onto the pullout, eager to get out of the Chateau. "John B, chill!" Kie shouted as JJ fell backwards onto the soft surface. 

I strode towards him and grabbed his forearm before he could move. "You're not thinking straight, it's not worth it," Tugging his arm away, he shoved me, just like JJ, to the side. I stumbled into the side table that was off to the side, scraping the bottom of my hand on a broken beer bottle.

JJ rushed towards me as Pope blocked John B's path, still unaware of his use for the gun. "Are you okay?" JJ asked as he held my hand, a small dime of blood pooling in my palm. 

"I'm fine," I replied as I wiped the blood on my bare thigh, making it look as if I was part of a murder scene. Holding me back, JJ used one of his bandanas that he kept in his pocket and wrapped it tightly around my palm, trying to stop the blood flow before it was too much. 

Just like before, Pope was pushed to the side harshly, and John B had successfully exited the Chateau. Kie made sure Pope wasn't injured before running after him. Pope had risen to his feet and the three of us followed her outside seconds after she left. 

The sound of a revving engine made my heart race: Rafe?

But no. 

It was John B starting up a dirt bike that was sectioned outside of the building and left unattended. With both hands gripping the steering handles, the bike grew louder with each twist of the gas. 

"Ward knows about the gold!" John B yelled and I could see that his body was shaking. Not of panic, but of fury. "He killed my dad," 

My uninjured hand retracted to my mouth as I watched him twist his head around, flashing us a sorrowed glance. And with that, John B sped off down the road, leaves and dirt spraying under the thin tire. 

Kie leading the pack began sprinting after him, followed by Pope, JJ and I, only to stop shortly after. "Where's he going, d'you think, y/n?" JJ asked as he pushed his red cap onto his head.  

"I have no clue..." I said, "But I don't think he's coming back empty-handed,"

"What does that mean?" Kie asked as the bike got quieter and quieter in the distance. 

"I might not be a genius, but I think he's getting revenge?" JJ answered as Kie and Pope both stopped a few feet away, red-cheeked and sweaty. 

"Revenge?" Pope muttered as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. 

"A life for a life," I replied. 

Not to sound dramatic, but if John B kills Ward, we're all dead. Long story short; this isn't going to end well. 

I am honestly so sorry for the lack of updates. I have not been in a very good place recently, and I've been holding off everything until the last second. I've also, don't judge me, been trying to shift, so if anybody has done it or is trying it, let me know :) 

I'll try to update more, and thank you for all the love for the book. We've hit 30k and I don't know if that's big to some of you, but that makes me insanely happy. SO THANK YOU :)

Stay safe, stay healthy, and wear a mask. 

- Syd <3