June March pushed herself up from the cot, the horn from the ship pulling her out of her sleep. She stretched, her shirt coming up as she remembered where she was. She felt a twinge of hurt in her stomach but she ignored it, remembering what John B had said about getting back home. He said he would get June back to JJ, no matter what. A sunset promise, one that had been stuck in her head constantly for days.
Her fingers pulled at the fabric of Zach Roberts hoodie, the last thing she had been wearing before she disappeared at sea, and the last thing she wanted to be wearing considering how ridiculously hot it was. She pushed the sleeves up, using the hair tie on her wrist to pull the hair away from her face.
Her feet padded across the metal floor, her hand gripping the door handle and pushing it open. Now would be the perfect time for something to eat. She opened the door to a brilliant view, her eyes widening as she realized they were in the Bahamas. A tiny smile fought onto June Marchs lips as she thought of the possibility of standing on solid ground, the possibility of getting the gold, and the possibility of going home.
She stepped out of the room, making her way towards the bridge. Just as she turned a corner she felt a hand wrap around her waist, pulling her back around the corner and sliding a hand over her mouth. She jumped, yelling against the large hand that was pushed down on her mouth. The hand on her waist switched position and she was pushed by her stomach against the wall, her eyes catching those of Tyler Sutherland. He had one hand over her mouth, the other one resting on the front of her stomach as he looked at her, shushing her. He lifted the hand from her stomach, putting up a cautionary finger and holding it to his lips, showing her that she had to be quiet.
"They found out about what you did. They're gonna turn you and your friends in when we get to shore. I have about 10 minutes before authorities will board this ship and I'm not gonna let you get caught." Tyler explained, June's eyes widening as he looked over her. She nodded, reaching up and pulling his hand down from her lips, her eyes now narrowing as she looked around.
"How are we gonna get out of here?" She asked, unsure whether or not John B and Sarah knew.
"Well that's the thing. We're gonna...jump." Tyler said, watching as June snapped her head back to him. She seemed to weigh her options a few times, before finally reluctantly nodding her head, realizing there were only so many choices.
"But John B and Sarah-"
"Are smart. They'll get off and we'll figure out how to meet up with them. Trust me. I won't let you lose your friends." Tyler cut her off, meaning his words as he picked up on the sound of rapid footsteps. He shushed her again, grabbing her waist and pushing her back against the wall, his body pressing into hers as he flattened them so they couldn't be seen. June's breath was heavy as she looked up at Tyler, his eyes stuck to the metal behind her head, trying not to look down and realize how ridiculously close they were. June's hands were now gripping his arms, his biceps flexing as his jaw clenched. They stayed like this for a few moments, June feeling her stomach twist as her skin touched his. Her thoughts were soon crowded with images of a smiling and happy JJ, pulling her out of her trance with Tyler and sending her back to reality.
Finally he pulled back, his right hand dropping quickly to grip hers. He fiddled with her fingers for a few moments before making his way to the edge of the ship, June's eyes widening as she realized how real it was that she was about to jump off a boat.
"You ready?" Tyler asked, June's eyes flitting to the bridge where she could see the outline of John Bs head. She looked back to Tyler, the sweat glinting off of her forehead as she gave him a short answer.
"Nope." She said, pulling him closer to her by his hand. She stared down at the blue water, pushing over the railing and jumping, Tyler following closely behind. For a moment there was just air, the sensation making her stomach drop as she finally hit water. The darkness of the water pulled at her, her body sinking as it tried to reclaim the soul it had previously taken, the one that had cheated death. A new fear awakened in June and she fought frantically to get to the top, two strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her up from the water.
She let out a gasp for air, her mouth flying open as Tyler told her she was okay, he had her. They swam to shore, Tyler pulling her from the water onto the sand under the dock. She laid in the sand for a few minutes, Tyler dripping and wet, his arms draped over his knees as he thought of what to do next. He looked over to June, noticing how her breaths were still heaving, and then remembering that fact that he had promised her that she would get back to her friends.
It was only a little bit longer before they both started to hear the distinct shouts from overhead, knowing that it was probably not a coincidence. John B and Sarah were on the run. June finally sat up, laying her head against her knee and then turning it so that she could look at Tyler.
"What now Einstein?" June quipped, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she tried to calm the nerves that were building up. Tyler raised his eyebrows, a tiny smile coming to his face as he looked at June with an incredulous look.
"Einstein? Well Einstein just saved your ass March." Tyler said back, not really appreciating her sarcasm.
"Did he? Because I'm sitting under a dock, probably got about 5 minutes before someone sees us. I don't feel like my ass is saved buddy." His face contorted as she spoke, his eyebrows dropping as he looked down at his hands. He sighed, pushing himself up from the sand and dusting his legs off. His hands rested on his hips, Tyler scanning the small area as he continued to hear shouts and yells from overhead. An idea came to his head, not a good one, but an idea, and he extended his hand to June, a bit of relief filling him as he felt her hand slide into his.
"We're gonna run. They're on the hunt for John B and Sarah and that means they're gonna be pretty focused on them to chase us. Or at least I hope." Tyler said, looked to the brunette beside him, his eyes flitting across her face as he spoke.
"Okay." June agreed, shrugging her shoulders as Tyler started to pull her away. After a few minutes he found a ladder, one that lead to the dock above. He grabbed June by the waist, helping her up the ladder, his eyes scanning around them anxiously, hoping no one saw them. June slapped his hands away, pulling herself onto the dock and waiting for Tyler to follow. She grabbed his hand, ready to run, but not alone.
"Alright, they're that way, everyone's running that way. So we're gonna go this way." Tyler pointed with his fingers, the sun lighting up his face as June opened her mouth to speak.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? You know what they say I did." June asked, looking down at their conjoined hands and running a thumb over his knuckles. Tyler chuckled a little bit, a smile lighting up his lips as he looked down at their hands as well.
"Well June, I've been waiting for a reason to abandon ship."
