"So, they keep money out here?" Pope questions, looking outside.
We were on the cut side of the island with the old houses. Greenery had taken over many of the properties, leaving the place looking like a big mess.
"That's what she said." JJ tells Pope before giggling at himself. "That's what she said."
"Stop." Pope barks.
"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive." Sarah announces from the passenger seat.
"'Cause you're rich." JJ retorts.
"I know for a fact you've never heard of it either, J." I speak up.
"Thank you." Sarah emphasizes.
Kie looks past me, looking out the window over my shoulder. "There's nothing but weeds back here."
"Alright, just because it's just weeds, doesn't mean it's just..." JJ is cut off when a siren erupts from behind us.
Kiara and Pope whirl around, eyeing the cop car behind us. "Cops? Out here?"
"God! Are you kidding me?" JJ shouts in frustration.
"What did we do?" Sarah questions.
"Why are we getting pulled over?" Pope asks.
John B whirls around, looking at JJ. "Stash that." He says pointing at the gold.
"Chill, guys." Kiara instructs them.
"I hate cops." JJ mumbles.
"Did you bring the gun?" John B asks the blonde as he stuffs the gold into his bag.
"No. Okay? Everybody told me to leave it back at the place."
"Thank god!" Kie says dramatically.
"J, everything needs to go in your bag." I inform him as we both move to put things in it.
"Please!" Kiara says.
"I am! I am, all right?" JJ stresses.
"How much weed do you have on you, bro?" Kiara asks loudly.
"Wow, Kiara. Can you say that louder, please? I don't think the cop heard you." I snap as we shove more stuff in the bag, earning a death glare from the girl.
"He's walking up, bro." Pope announces.
The chilling noise of a gun cocking makes all of us freeze in place. John B turns to look straight down the barrel of a large gun, held by a man in a mask.
A loud gasp escapes my lips as I grab onto JJ's bicep. He uses his hand of the arm I was holding to nudge me behind him. He keeps his hand on my side.
"Why don't I go ahead and see them hands up in the air, right now?" The man demands. When we don't make a move he snaps. "All y'all's hands up in the air, now! You, out of the car, let's go!" He yells at John B. John B slowly climbs out of the car with his hands in the air. "Out of the car! Let's go! Hurry! Let them out! What are you waitin' on? Let them out!"
My heart pounds in my chest as I watch John B make his way over to our door. He opens the door slowly, revealing all of us to the man with the gun. My grip on JJ's are tightens.
"All of y'all! Go on! Go on! Let's get out of the car! Let's go!"
Sarah climbs out first. "There you go, pretty girl!"
JJ climbs out next. "We're broke—"
"Shut up! Shut the hell up!" The man roars, shoving the tip of the gun in JJ's face.
"All right! Just relax!" JJ yells back. "Chill!"
"I'll blow your damn head off!"
"No, no, no." I grab JJ's hand, pulling him a few steps back, away from the man.
"Lay down in the ditch! Lay down in the ditch!" The guy demands. "On your goddamn hands and knees! Down! Put your face on the ground!"
I let go of JJ's hand, laying down in the dirt between JJ and Pope.
"Don't let me see you look up! All right?" The man pauses in front of me. He squats down, looking at me. "I know who you are." My breath hitches in my throat. Fear burned in my chest as he stuck his face closer to mine. "You're the Taylor's kid. What's your name?"
"Don't answer that." JJ tells me.
"Answer me!" The man yells.
"Franklin Taylor." I lie.
"Why don't you get up, Franklin?" I nod slowly, standing up. "Come on."
"Franklin.." JJ whispers. I glance back at him. A worried look is written across his face as he looks at me.
"I'm okay." I whisper back.
"Why don't you find the gold for me?" The man asks.
I climb into the van. "I don't know where they put it. Can you give me a second?"
"You have one minute."
I nod as I pretend to search around for the gold, stalling for the Pogues to figure anything out. After my minute is up, I pull the backpack out of the seat in the back. I pull the gold out of it and hand it to the man.
"Get back on the ground." He demands.
I lay back down on the ground. JJ grabs my hand as soon as I'm close enough to him. "You okay?" I nod at him, reassuring the boy.
"All right. You all just stay like that. Unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, okay?"
The mans makes his way over to his car. I pick my head up, looking when I hear the car door slam shut. I see a flash of John B's hair in the back of that car.
I push myself up more, giving myself a better view of what was happening. The car door flies open.
"Guys, I got the gun!" John B shouts.
In an instant we're all up on our feet, sprinting toward the chaos. JJ reaches the man first, launching himself at him. He swings his fist, connecting with the guy's torso. The man dodges JJ's second punch, hitting JJ hard in the jaw. Kiara attacks next but the man easily pushes her off him. He comes at me but I immediately swing my fist out, connecting with his face before he could reach me. He stumbles back, John B takes the opportunity to drive the butt of the gun into his back.
"I've got the gold!" Pope announces, climbing out of the back seat.
The man grabs Sarah's leg, she panics, swinging the car door into him. Pope and Kie start kicking at him until he flops against the side of the car.
"You son of a bitch!" Sarah yells.
JJ pulls down the mans mask, revealing his face. "I know this piece of shit! He's a basehead!"
"Probably knows my brother." Sarah announces.
"He sells coke to my dad." JJ says. My head whips around to look at the blond. Knowing this guy was part of the reason JJ's dad was a psycho pissed me off.
"Alright look, I couldn't hurt anyone of y'all—" My hand flies against his face, my fingertips leave a solid red mark on his face. I grip the collar of his shirt, jerking him forward.
"Listen here, you sick son of a bitch! You don't scare me, and you sure as hell aren't going to get away with this. You think you're clever because you got the gold? Clearly not because you just lost it to a group of teenagers, you pathetic fuckwit."
The man stares for a second before he spits on my face. I'm instantly yanked backward onto my ass, as I watch JJ hit the gun over his face repeatedly. John B grabs me under my armpits and pulls me to my feet.
"JJ!" Kiara yells.
"Dude, chill, man!" Pope says pulling the blond back. "Come on." JJ bends down to grab something off the guy. "Come on, let's get out of here."
JJ pulls the man's ID out of a sack. "We got one last stop." JJ announces, shoving JJ away from him.
"JJ, where are you going?" I ask, wiping spit off my face.
"Let's go see where this son of a bitch lives."
"I'm gonna remember this shit!" The man yells after us. "You can't hide from me! I know exactly who you all are! Huh! You're gonna see me again!"