The Storm [book 1]

3

"Low-hanging fruit, bro." JJ said, "don't pretend you didn't notice. I see it in your eyes."

"He's right. You are like "I kinda like that" and you start blushing." I added.

"I blush? Really?" My brother asked.

"Yeah," we both answered.

"I'm surprised you don't try with Kie. You're the one always flirting with her." John B said.

JJ shrugged and glanced back at me with a smile. "Nah. I've got my eyes set on another beautiful person."

I smiled and looked back at him.

"Hey, hey, hey. Rule number one!" John B told us once he caught our intense staring contest.

"Yeah, we get it, B." I said and took the compass out of my back pocket, looking at it for a bit before handing to JJ to look at.

"I gotta admit, your guys' father's compass in Scooter's boat, that's freaky." He said.

"Which is why we're going to talk to Ms. Lana about it." John B said.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd love to talk to us. It's not like her husband just drowned or anything." I said, earning a frown from my brother.

We drove into the small grassy opening leading to her house and stopped the car, turning the ignition off and getting out of the van.

"You wanna know what this house looks like?" JJ asked, looking back at us as we walked closer to the pink-red colored house. "Whoever lives here smokes too much weed."

"Then why aren't you living here?" I joked, quickening my pace to walk beside him.

"Ha ha, very funny." JJ said, pushing my head lightly and smiling.

"Guys, shut up. I hear something." John B said, grabbing our arms and pulling us up against the house's wall as we heard the sounds of glass breaking and crashing inside the house.

"Still think we should stay?" JJ asked John B.

"Shh," I shushed them.

"The compass wasn't in the boat! Where is it, Lana?!" A man shouted, smashing something and having paint fall into our hair.

"Is that paint?" JJ asked, brushing the paint out of his hair.

"Yes, it's paint." John B answered.

The shouting continued for a while longer, and I glanced at JJ to see his face pale.

I felt around for his hand and laced our fingers together, squeezing reassuringly and making him smile softly at me and nod slightly.

"Let's go!" The same man shouted, the door slamming open and two guys walked out and got into a white boat parked by the river's end.

"Dude. Those were the guys that shot at us." JJ said.

We waited in the dark side of the house until the men in the boat left, before walking into Ms Lana's house; the inside was trashed. Doors were ripped off it's hinges and glass was smashed, and chairs broken.

"Ms. Lana?" I asked, looking around and seeing her leaning back against a wall, sobbing softly.

"Ms. Lana. Hey, hey. You okay?" I asked, kneeling down next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked at me.

"Riley, she's—" JJ started to say.

"JJ, shut up." I told him, turning back to Ms, Lana. "Do you need a doctor? B, call the sheriffs department."