Carefree || JJ Maybank

Chapter Ninety-Six

"Nothing." Neville answers in confusion.

But everyone's face quickly went from confused to scared again when they heard, "Neville! Neville Persaud!" A gun cocks and they all peer out a window.

And they all collapse to the floor when a gunshot is heard and a bullet shatters a window. Then another, they cover their head as they fire into the boat.

"Oh my god!" JJ yells as he pulls Everleigh close to him, putting himself closest to the wall that was being fired at.

Neville is first to start climbing to his feet, "Get the anchor!"

JJ grabs the machete and they all scramble to their feet. They see the boat start to get closer and they all hide behind a wall. John B starts to climb down the ladder. "Ev, get back, hide on the side of the boat so they don't see you." He tells her before he climbs down the ladder himself.

After a minute of one of the men searching the boat, she sees John B starting to climb up the boat. She looks at him and he nods his head towards the guy on the other boat. She tilts her head back and takes a deep breath. She watches John B pulls the keys from the boat and tossing them in the water, but so did the guy in front of him.

The man turned to point his gun at John B but he barely stops it. John B was losing the strength battle but he didn't need to worry when Everleigh kicked the man's knee out and tossed him into the water.

"Shit, Ev. You couldn't of thought of something quieter?" John B asks, pulling her in for a short hug.

She nods, "Sorry, it's kind of my thing now."

They wanted to laugh it off but then gunshots sounded off inside the boat. They both snuck over to see Neville being tossed into a corner of the boat. Then, John B spots the handgun and crawls over to it. When his fingertips got a hold of it, he was kicked and rolled over.

Everleigh ran at the man who now was pointing the gun at John B who was trying to regain his footing. She stepped in front of John B, "Just wait a second."

"How cute of you to try and protect him." The man smiles, "But it only takes one bullet to kill both of you, so, not this time my friends. Down."

Everleigh and John B slowly lower themselves to the ground Everleigh making it all the way to her knees while John B took a little longer, both of them seeing JJ who was sneaking up the ladder behind him with the machete in his mouth. As if it was on cue, the boat jolted forward and JJ took the opportunity to pull the man back.

"JJ, machete." John B calls for JJ, who tosses it to him. He reaches over and cuts the line that held the boat in place and it takes off forwards.

John B and JJ rush Neville before JJ looks back at Everleigh who is still on her knees and her head in her hands.

"Are they coming?" Neville asks.

John B looks back, "No, we're good."

Neville spins to look at JJ, "You owe me an anchor."

But he shrugs his shoulders in frustration. "You're welcome." He ran a hand through his blonde hair before going back to Everleigh. He towered over her and he was expecting her to be crying, but instead she just looked like she was trying to put together what had just happened. He reach his hands out of her, offering to help her up. "Come on, princess. I'm the only one you should be on your knees for."

"Very funny, asshole." She forces a smile and takes his hands, letting him pull her to her feet. She stood and looked at him for a second before holding his face in her hands. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, are you?" He asks.

"Never better." She lies, pulling him in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders while he let his arms squeeze her waist. When she pulls away she walks over to John B, placing a hand on his back. "How about you, are you alright?"

He didn't seem to want to answer. "Yeah, are you?" John B asks, turning and pulling her in for his own hug. She just nods as she looks out the front window and let's JJ wrap and arm around her shoulders. "Look, Neville, they're taking out father there. And you're the only person who knows where it is. Neville they are going to kill him unless you help."

"They're going after the gold?" Neville asks.

JJ is the first to answer, "Yeah, I mean what else are they going to be after?"

"Then they'll die anyway." Neville deadpans, keeping his eyes on the water in front of him. "Unless they can pass the test, which they won't if they can't translate the idol. You know the story."

"No."

"El Dorado was found by a Guajiro king, and when it came time for him to slip his mortal coil and meet my greats on the astral plane, he wasn't just going to give the gold to his sons. It was the source of his power. It had to go to the wisest man, and to ensure this actually happened, he set up the rest of the gnomon." Neville tells the story with his face never leaving its resting position nor looking at any of the kids behind him.

"So there's, like, some test now. Okay." JJ full on judges, not amused by the unrealistic story.

"There's always a test." John B says, looking at the floor of the boat.

Neville speaks up again, "Whoever passes the test gains access to the gold. You fail the test, you die." He nods. "If you somehow get to the gold without taking the test, then you die."

"Great. He's lying, right? 'Cause there's no way that can actually happen, right?" JJ asks, having trouble believing anything the man said.

"Tell that to the crew of the San Jose and the Royal Merchant."

Everleigh rolled her eyes. "The gold is an extra, Neville. But, It's not the reason we're going."

"We don't want the gold at all." John B adds, making Everleigh and JJ shoot a look at him. "Just want to save my... our dad."

Neville let JJ steer the boat as he started to explain things to John B. She didn't really listen as she wandered around the boat, waiting for them to be dropped off.