"Don't you ever say those fucking words again!"
--☆--☆--☆--
The three teenagers continued driving towards the Phantom. All of them were all too aware that this was John B's only shot at getting out of here. Each of them had worried looks on their face, despite trying to keep their fears hidden from each other.
JJ continued to mess with the chain around his fingers until he glanced over at Kiara, seeing the scared look on her face. She glanced back at him after feeling his eyes on her. "It'll be fine," JJ said, trying to comfort her. "It'll be fine with the Phantom. She'll get out of here quick." The sound of sirens approaching made all their masks fall, the overwhelming fear now obvious on all of their faces. "Whoa, whoa," JJ said as he turned his head so the cops wouldn't recognize him.
"They're still looking. It's a good sign," Kiara reminded them.
"A good sign," Emerson repeated like she was trying to convince herself it was true.
All of them were too busy thinking about the cops and John B that none of them noticed Rafe and Barry waiting patiently on the side of the road. They didn't hear the sounds of their bikes either as the two boys began trailing them.
"How far are we again?" Emerson asked.
Kiara groaned as she looked at Emerson through the rearview mirror. "How many times are you gonna ask?"
"Until you give me a solid answer," Emerson told her with a sweet smile on her face.
"Not long," Was all Kiara said, causing Emerson to roll her eyes as she leaned back in her seat.
The drive wasn't much longer but still the three teenagers didn't speak much. Only a couple words of encouragement every now and again. The words they spoke to each other helped a little but everytime they heard a cop's siren they'd sink back into their feelings of sudden doom.
Everyone on the island was searching for John B, the cops, the kooks, even some of the pogues were out looking for him. None of them even had the tiniest inkling that the real person who killed Sheriff Peterkin was out looking with them.
"We're here," Kiara announced.
"Finally," Emerson groaned as she got out of her seat. Emerson wasn't usually a nervous girl, she usually handled things with grace and confidence the way she was taught to. But then again she had never helped a fugitive escape the island before.
The trio walked over to the entrance where the Phantom was kept. JJ quickly opened the door, revealing the boat that waited for them inside. Both Kiara and Emerson's face quickly turned confused as they looked at the boat that was supposed to save their friends.
"There she be," JJ smiled proudly. "Hey, girl. A 1983 Formula 402 Sr1. The Phantom."
"Hmm..." Emerson nodded, unsure about what to say.
"The first boat to make the run to Bermuda in under 16 hours. Forty years old!" JJ ran his hand along the side of the boat, clearly happy to see it. "Forty. And still that fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen."
"It's kind of a junker," Kiara stated, not seeing the appeal of the boat.
JJ stepped away from the boat as he looked at Kiara. "Really? She's right there, Kie. She can hear you."
"Men and their toys," Emerson whispered to Kiara, making a small smile appear on her face.
"Let's just put it this way," JJ continued. "Neither of you would be smokin' weed right now if she never existed, okay?"
"I just hope it runs," Kiara shrugged.
"Oh, no, she'll run all right. She's faster than any cutter the boys in blue got." JJ told the girls as the sound of the dirt bike engine approached from outside.
"Pope. Finally," Kiara said as she went to greet him.
"This thing will really get them out?" Emerson asked JJ and he nodded.
"Hey, there," the sound of Rafe's voice made Emerson's eyes widened as she turned to find him walking up to Kiara. "What's goin' on? JJ? You takin' good care of my girl for me?" He asked before jumping up into the Phantom.
Emerson rolled her eyes at Rafe. She was about to say something to him but was cut off when Barry walked into the room.
"Whoo," Barry hollered from the other side of the room. JJ pulled Emerson behind him, not wanting Barry to get anywhere near her. "Well, well," Barry said before pulling a gun out on JJ. "See, don't think I forgot about me and you on the side of the road." JJ lifted his hands up in surrender as Barry stepped forward, pushing the gun closer to JJ. "I'm here because I want my motherfuckin' money." He shouted before hitting JJ, knocking him to the ground.
"JJ! JJ!" Emerson yelled as she went to go help him but couldn't when Rafe grabbed her waist pulling her away. "Rafe let go of me!"
"Get your hands off her!" Kiara yelled as she tried to push Rafe away from Emerson.
"That's what I'm here for!" Barry yelled as he hovered over JJ.
Rafe turned towards Kiara, one of his hands holding onto Emerson's wrist making sure that she couldn't get away. "It's not you we want, Kie. Where's John B?"
"I don't know!" She screamed before slapping Rafe.
"I really wish you didn't do that," Rafe told her as he stepped closer to her.
"I know what you did," Kiara announced, looking right at Emerson. The former kook still hadn't been able to say those words aloud, but if there was a time this was it.
"What? What did I do?" Rafe asked.
"You murdered Sheriff Peterkin," Emerson said softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear her.
Her words caught everyone by surprise, even Emerson didn't expect herself to say anything. Rafe turned to look at her and felt herself want to cower away from him. She had never seen that look in his eyes before, like he was crazy or broken, she couldn't figure out which.
"What did you say?" He asked, even though he knew damn well what she said.
"You murdered Peterkin!" She shouted at him. Before she could process what happened next she felt Rafe's hand go onto her neck. She automatically put her hand over his trying to pull him away from her.
"Get off of her!" Kiara yelled but Rafe shoved her away. Kiara hit her head against the side of the Phantom, completely stunning her.
"Don't you ever say those fucking words again," Rafe told her, looking right into her eyes.
"Rafe," Emerson breathed out as she held onto his arm. "Rafe, please. I'm sorry"
"Understand?" He asked, the sound of Barry hitting JJ echoing through the room as Rafe spoke. "Do you understand? You're supposed to be on my side! You're supposed to me my girl." He yelled his grip around her neck tightening. "Where's John B?"
"I don't know!" She yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Where's John B?"
"I don't know!"
"Where's John B? Huh?"
"I don't know! I don't know!" Tears were now pouring from her eyes but she didn't look away from Rafe. He stared right at her and for a split second sanity entered his mind.
The sound of Pope screaming caught everyone's attention and before they knew it Rafe fell to the ground, Emerson falling near him as she tried to catch her breath. "Don't touch her!" He went in to hit Rafe again but the kook ducked out of the way and punched Pope.
"You good?" Kiara asked, kneeling down beside Emerson who had her hand over her neck.
"I'm fine," She lied as she coughed holding onto her neck.
Pope went in again but Pope ducked then hit Rafe, stunning the boy. Pope grabbed ahold of his shirt, continuing to punch Rafe over and over again.
"Rafe!" Barry yelled the sound of the gun cocking made JJ's eyes widen as he reached forward grabbing onto Barry's leg pulling him to the floor.
"Kie!" JJ yelled. "Kick it!"
Kiara quickly kicked the gun under the boat where no one would be able to get ahold of it. JJ grabbed onto Barry, slamming him against the side of the Phantom. Pope continued to hit Rafe, blood now dripping from his mouth.
"Pope," Kiara said, trying to stop him. "Okay, Pope. Pope!"
"Hey, Pope!" JJ yelled.
"Pope, stop!" Emerson yelled as she pushed herself off the floor. She hated that she wanted to protect him. But it was an instinct, she couldn't help it.
"He's had enough dude," JJ told him, but Pope swung his fist one last time, knocking Rafe onto the ground. "Snap out of it, man."
Pope lifted up some tubing that was laying where Rafe landed. He used it to lift Rafe up, choking him with the tubing.
"Stop!" Emerson shouted. "You're going to kill him!"
"Pope, that's too much!" JJ yelled as he ran behind Pope trying to pull him away. "Dude, come on! Stop!"
"Pope! Get off!"
"Let him go!"
"Look at me!' Kiara shouted over everyone else. Pope looked at her, his grip on the tubing loose enough for Rafe to fall to the ground. "It's okay."
"Shit," JJ breathed out, never in his life did he think he'd be stopping Pope from almost killing someone.
Rafe coughed on the ground and took everything inside Emerson to not check on him. She found it odd that no matter what he did she still cared about him. Even after everything he's done there was still a twisted part of her that was tied to Rafe Cameron. She may not be in love with him, the way John B loves Sarah, but there was a part of Emerson that will always love Rafe, no matter how hard she fought it.
And in this moment, the kook in her won. She stepped forward kneeling down a few feet away from Rafe. He looked at the tears staining her cheeks and he hated that he was the one that caused them. Rafe loved her more than anything, he never wanted to hurt her.
Emerson slowly stood up, not able to look at him any longer.
"Em," Rafe coughed out making her look at him. "Don't go. Don't leave me." She had tears in her eyes but she forced herself to shake her head. "Please Em, I need you."
"I'm sorry," She whispered taking a couple steps backwards.
"Please, I'm sorry Emerson. I'll do better," He said as she tried to sit up. But the second he moved the pogues pulled Emerson backwards.
"Okay, we gotta go. We gotta go," Kiara said frantically.
JJ nodded then reached his hand over to Emerson. When she didn't move he looked over at her, finding that her eyes were still glued on Rafe. He could see the sadness in her eyes, and he hated that the sadness was for Rafe Cameron.
"Hey," he whispered softly, catching her attention. "Let's get outta here."
Emerson took his hand but as they walked back over the car she couldn't help but turn around and look at Rafe one last time.
Pope leaned down, looking Rafe in the eyes and said, "Stay off the Cut."
"Pope!" Kiara called out, then he walked over to her and got into the car.
Kiara started the car and they drove away with the Phantom attached to the back of her car. She and Pope sat in the front seats while JJ held tightly onto Emerson in the back. Seeing what Rafe was doing to her made him more angry than he had ever been before, and the worst part was he couldn't save her, Pope had to.
For the first time in his life JJ had someone that wanted to protect. Sure, he had the pogues and he'd do anything for them, but Emerson was different. His feelings for her grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. JJ didn't know what to do, he'd never felt like this before, but he knew one thing; he needs Emerson Rhodes.
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
When they arrived at the dock they put the Phantom into the water, so they'd be ready when John B showed up. They loaded up all their food and supplies that should last him a while. They had a plan, it was going to work, they needed it to work.
"Dude, where is he?" Kiara asked as she stepped onto the dock.
"Give him a second. He'll be here," Pope said.
"He's coming. He'll be fine," JJ added as he took another sheet off the Phantom.
The four teenagers all looked up when they heard the sound of sirens approaching them. They all thought this was the end. They weren't able to save John B. The one job they had to do failed.
"This can't be happening," Emerson said, shaking her head.
"JJ!" Kiara yelled.
"Hey, yeah. Get back on the boat," JJ told her. "Untie it."
"Shit."
The door to the car opened and all four of the pogues froze when they realized it wasn't a cop, it was John B.
"Wait," JJ paused, looking over at his best friend. "No way."
"No effing way," Pope shook his head.
"Dude," Emerson said, equally as confused.
"I'm sorry," Kiara laughed as John B grabbed his backpack and started walking to the boat.
"You've gotta be kidding me," JJ laughed as he moved to where John B was.
"Shoupe let me take it for a spin," John B told them.
"Okay. That's believable," Kiara laughed. Normally she'd scold the boy for being so stupid but right now she was just happy to see her best friend in one piece. "I'll buy that for now." She said then gave him a hug.
"It wasn't easy, bro, but I got the Phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday," JJ announced proudly. He tossed him the keys not noticing the confused expression on John B's face. "You ready to go?"
"Where's Sarah?" He asked.
Emerson tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the boy in front of her. "She's supposed to be with you," Emerson recalled.
"We got separated in the swamp," He informed her. "She said she'd meet me here."
"We haven't seen her," Emerson told him, both of them extremely worried about the Cameron girl.
"Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her," John B announced.
"John B, look at me," JJ told him. "I know you feel bad for leaving but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right? Hang out for a couple weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that?" He asked, when it seemed like John B had stopped paying attention. "Brownsville. You- Hey! You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Brownsville," John B nodded.
Thunder clapped out in the distance as JJ got ready for John B to leave. "All right. Saddle her up, Saltwater cowboy. Let's do this, yeah."
John B got onto the boat but then he turned around to look at his friends. "Hey," he said, catching their attention before they could push the boat out. "I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."
"Hey, John B, yo... we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?" JJ said then they all laughed quietly in agreement.
"Yeah."
"At least we did it together though," JJ wrapped his arms around Emerson and Pope, who were standing on either side of him. Emerson put her arm around Kiara pulling her into the hug as well. "Pogue style."
"Pogue style," John B nodded as he struggled to keep his tears at bay.
"Get out of here, please," Kiara told him.
"We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico," Pope added.
"Love you," JJ called out to his best friend.
John B started walking away again but then turned around this time looking just at Emerson. "Hey," He said, making her look up at him. "Tell Sarah I said goodbye, okay?"
"I promise," She told him, then he nodded in appreciation.
"Don't forget. Cross the border at Brownsville, okay?""
"Got it," He said then the pogues reached forwards pushing the boat into the water and watching John B drive away.
[edited]