THE REDHEAD ☾ jj maybank

18 | the fake key

JJ just laughs in response, knowing that she'll most likely forget about it anyway. He extends his arms out so that his hands are now resting underneath the girls armpits where he then pulls her from John B's hold. Delilah wraps her arms around JJ's neck to prevent herself from tumbling to the wood beneath them all. Eventually, Del's feet make contact with the floor again and causes her to turn back around to the others after letting go of him. JJ's hands slip down to her waist as he wraps his arms around her, allowing the girls back to rest against his front.

"You better watch your backs." Delilah threatens.

"Okay, Red. Got it." John B replies with a laugh.

"Guys." Pope begins, grabbing their attention. "I just keep thinking about the letter that Limbrey sent. It had the wheat symbol on it, so it must mean it has something to do with the Royal Merchant."

"Yeah. Something seems fishy." JJ agrees.

"But if we find that cross, we can split it like we were gonna split the gold." Pope tells them.

"And live happily ever after?" A female questions.

Each one of the teenagers turn their head towards the direction that the voice came from, not expecting to have anyone else join their conversation. A blonde haired woman with crutches is standing there as a man, who is the same one that chased them down, holds an umbrella over the top of her head. A silence falls upon the group as bodies tense at the sight of the two next guests joining them — JJ even lets go of Delilah and steps in front of her slightly.

"You assaulted my father!" Pope reclaims, anger laced in his voice.

"Oh, I didn't assault anybody." Limbrey denies.

"He can identify the psycho from a mile away." Kie informs, bluntly.

"Why would my employee assault your father? That's absurd." Limbrey tells him.

"Because you want the key." Delilah replies.

"You're right with that one." Limbrey states. "Listen, Pope, we can keep negotiating, but I want the key."

Renfield, who was just standing beside the woman, makes his way over to Pope and grabs a fistful of his shirt, actions harsh. Then, the boys body is suddenly slammed against one of the support beams nearby, causing a pained groan to slip past Pope's lips. JJ doesn't hesitate to rush forwards and try to pry the man away from his friend, becoming defensive.

"I won't stop until I have it." Limbrey continues. "I don't have a choice, which means you don't either."

"It's Limbrey, right?" John B questions.

The blonde turns towards the teenager that has just spoken, eyes falling onto the golden key that he had held in his hands. The sight of it is enough to grab all of Limbrey's attention straightaway, making her turn around on her crutches to face John B. Renfield also lets go of Pope as he realises that there's no point in harassing the boy for something he doesn't have. But Delilah's eyebrows just furrow together in confusion, glancing back over at Pope to see the exact same key secretly sitting in the palm of his hand.

"Is this what you're looking for?" John B asks.

"Yes, it is." Limbrey replies.