Maelynn was still sitting in her bathtub when Rafe bodychecked the bathroom door open. 'What the fuck, Rafe?'
'Get up.' When she remained unresponsive, he grabbed her arm and forced her out of the tub. 'I said, get up!'
'Get off of me!' she yelled back. 'God, Rafe! Don't you ever listen?'
He shoved her so hard her back hit the wall. 'Don't fucking talk to me like that, Maelynn!'
'Fuck off! What are you even doing here? Didn't dad fucking kick you out or something?'
'We're gonna go save dad,' Rafe muttered. His way of speaking had changed since he started with the drugs. 'We're gonna save him. And Sarah. Yeah.'
She waved a hand in front of his face. 'How fucking high are you right now? Save dad? From what?'
'The police.'
'Rafe! Their entire fucking job is to save people!'
He shook his head. He no longer looked normal doing anything; he looked like an utter psycho. 'No. No, we have to save him. And I'll show him that I'm the better child. Better than Sarah, better than you, better than Wheezie. I'll show him, Maelynn. You'll see.'
'You're nuts.'
'No, I'm proactive. I'm a proactive type of person, Maelynn.'
'This,' she gestured at him as a whole, 'Is nuts. I see nothing proactive about you, Rafe.'
'Shut up!'
She bared her teeth at him. She'd later cringe at this action, but it felt right in the moment. 'Kiss my ass.'
He grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled down on it. She cried out and reached for his hand, but he let go and smacked the side of her head instead. 'Come on.'
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They pulled up to the air strip not far after - Rafe had sped the whole way. She could see her father, Sarah, John B and Sheriff Peterkin all on it. They were locking in an intense and macabre tableau of what could become her fathers' serious injury or death.
Until Rafe pulled out his gun and shot the Sheriff in the back.
'No!' Maelynn screamed. 'Rafe!'
Peterkin fell to the ground, leaving her family in clear view. Everyone looked shocked. Rafe was shaking and looked like he was about to cry, one hand holding Maelynn in place.
'I saved you, dad. I saved you.'
Maelynn started to sob, falling to the ground. Rafe slowly released her arm. John B had to stop Sarah from falling on the ground after her twin. Her entire body weight was propped up on him. Ward just stared between his son and the dying sheriff.
He slowly stood and went over to Peterkin. John B did the same, leaving Sarah to run to her sister, who was still sobbing on the ground. They wrapped their arms around each other and watched their father take Peterkin's radio. She murmured something to John B.
'Take M and S home, Rafe,' Ward said. They both started shaking their heads, standing up and backing away from their brother. Maelynn couldn't take being in a car with Rafe again after the last ten minutes. She ran after John B and leaped over the fence with ease.
'John B!' she yelled after him. He stopped and turned, his arms held out to her. Though she was surprised, she ran up and hugged him tightly. 'Oh my God, are you okay?'
'I'm mostly fine,' he backed up and checked her over. His eyes hesitated over the hand mark Rafe had left from grabbing her. 'Are you?'
'Eh, you know. My drug addict brother forced me out of my safe sanctuary that was my bathroom and abused me the entire way here, and then shot a cop for no fucking reason.'
'We need to get back to the others. And then get Sarah.'
'Agreed. Completely agreed. I very much need JJ right now.'
He smiled a little. 'Then let's go get him.'
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'What the hell is going on?' Kiara demanded as they pulled up to the Chateau. 'First you disappear, and then Maelynn's trapped in her house, and then you come back and disappear again-'
'Rafe shot Peterkin,' Maelynn interrupted. 'She's dying. Dad has the gold. He's got Sarah.'
JJ and Pope came out. One look at her arm and JJ was beside Maelynn in a moment, the offending bruised skin in his grasp. 'What the fuck happened?'
'Come inside.'
He followed her in, all the way to his room, where she shut the door and fell onto his bed in a little ball. He sat beside her again and stroked her hair. 'What happened, princess?'
'Rafe.'
'What did he do to you?'
'He broke my bathroom door in because I locked it, and then he started cussing me out and grabbed my hair like a child,' she shook her head, 'And smacked the side of my head. I think he was worried I was going to run at the airstrip, so he wouldn't let go of me. It hurt. I didn't know he could hold on that tight.'
JJ shook his head and laid beside her, tucking her right to his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly. 'I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry.'
She started to cry again. He stayed and held her as sobs racked her body for the second time that day.
'I love you,' he whispered into her hair.
'I love you more,' she whispered back, her voice thick with tears.
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sarah beara
m ik ur with jb & jj
pls tell them i need help
send someone
literally any of them
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While everyone spread out to help diffuse the disaster that had happened at the airstrip, Maelynn and JJ packed a bag for John B. JJ was in charge of clothes, while Maelynn threw every can of non-perishables into a plastic bag with some water bottles. At the rate it was going, who knew if - or when - he might need to make a quick dash. Ward Cameron was a rich white guy, who had no past offences and was only friends with the slickest businessmen and lawyers. He could get himself out of anything.
John B hardly had the same luck.
He was presently locked in Kelce's bathroom. Apparently he thought breaking in was the way to go. Was he correct? Absolutely not? Was it getting him anywhere? Nope. Did Maelynn get the point? Definitely not.
She and JJ did their job. He told them to leave everything else be and take a much needed break. They had fucked three times, and now that it was dark, they lay naked in his bed, holding each other.
'I think I'm gonna love you forever, Mae,' JJ said as he fiddled with her fingers. She smiled and kissed his neck.
'And I you, J.'
He leaned down and kissed her again.
'You know, whatever happens, that I love you. Like no matter what.'
He smiled down at her. 'I'm feeling that right now.'
'Good,' she kissed his cheek. 'I have to sleep. I'm drained.'
'Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up.'
'Promise?'
'Promise.'
She smiled and nestled in comfortably. Within minutes she was passed out on his chest. JJ smiled down at the girl asleep on him. He knew, without a doubt, that she was his soulmate. She was the only one he could ever want for the rest of his life.
When he had legality and money, she'd be Mrs. Maybank.
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1251 words.
written august 19/21.