When Layla woke up, her head was pounding terribly. Her vision blurred in the slightest, but it was clear immediately she was on a ship. Layla always got sea-sick, always. The only time she didn't was when John B was driving, and she knew for a fact this wasn't his doing. No, Layla knew someone hung out Sarah's window, someone knew she was coming.
But who could that possibly be? Weezie was about the only member of Sarah's family that liked Layla.
"Hi, sweetheart." his voice shocked Layla more then it did scare her. Ward Cameron. Ward mother-fucking Cameron was alive. Yet again, just as he did not too long ago, he knocked her out and kidnapped her.
"Fuck you." Layla mumbled, way too dizzy to sit up. She'd lost count at how many times she'd been attacked now, "I hate you."
"I'm not too big of a fan of you either." Ward looked down at her, clearing his throat, "But I need you, you know that? You messed up the whole plan too. Non of this would have happened if you just cooperated."
Layla gave a odd look at his words, because non of it was making since.
"You should have died in that sauna room, then Sarah would have came home." his words chilled her, even from where her face was beat on, from the ground at that, "But your father messed that up."
"Guess so." Layla mumbled, slowly brining herself to sit up and touch her pained face.
"Oh, don't touch it." Ward gave her an ice pack, "Make that swelling go down."
Layla slowly took it from his hands, the cold pressing into her palms. Then she threw it at him, hard, watching it hit him square in the face, "You should have died on that boat."
"You can think what you want." Ward rose his to his feet, angered by her throwing it at him, "All that matters is you're here, and Sarah isn't gonna leave without you."
Then he left, the door latching behind him.
Layla didn't know how much time paused, not only did they take her phone, but also the digital watch John B got her a while back. There was a small tap, one she didn't notice even in the slightest. Not even when it came for the second time, and then a third, "Layla?"
The Winters girls eyes widened, looking up at the ceiling, "Jesus?"
"Layla." the whisper came again, only from the door, "It's Sarah."
Layla hurried toward the door, ignoring the amount of pain she'd been in, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"Hang on." Sarah spoke, a jangle to the door before it pulled open. Sarah didn't have time to say anything before Layla threw her arms around her, the pair stumbling slightly at the sudden force. Sarah shhed her slightly, holding her tightly, "Let me see."
Sarah cupped Laylas face, looking at her black eye and the cut across her nose. Layla forced a smile, "Doesn't even hurt."
Sarah hugged her again, "We've got to go."
"What's your plan?" Layla asked, the pair latching hands as they walked through the basement of the ship.
"I'm gonna go to the radio, you get to the end of the ship, try to wave someone down." Sarah spoke quickly as they neared the exit door.
"You want us to split up?" Layla asked in disbelief.
"If one of us gets in trouble, the other has to save us." Sarah nodded, turning to her as they stood infront of the exit door, "You ready?"
"This is insane." Layla spoke.
"About as insane as us." Sarah agreed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her lips, "I'll meet you in the front, try to stay low."
Layla nodded, Sarah cracking the door open. The girl squeezed out the door, ducking down as she jogged down the railing of the boat. There'd been a cluster of expensive cars parked at the end, Layla made her way through them as she leaned over the edge. The girl looked out for any sight of a boat, but it only seemed like no one was in sight for miles, "Shit, shit, shit."
The sound of chatter made the girl duck, falling to the ground and rolling under one of the cars. If her calculations were correct, it was a 2019 Audi. Three men, that seemingly worked the ship, sat on the stairs nearest her, eating obnoxiously loud. Layla huffed, resting her head on her arm.
This would take a while.
An alarm sounded about ten minutes later had the men standing again, rushing off inside once again. Layla rolled out from underneath the car, hurrying toward the direction she first came from. Sarah hadn't come for her, she only thought the worst by now. Before Layla made it to the door, she collided with a figure.
John B.
"Oh my god." he spoke in relief, wrapping her in a hug immediately.
"How are you here?" Layla gapped, holding him tightly a moment longer, "Are you okay? Did they take you?"
"You and Sarah were kidnapped, we weren't just gonna leave the two of you." John B gapped, watching as Layla smiled, "Your face."
"Runway material?" Layla joked before she fell serious again, "Sarah, she was suppose to meet me in the front."
"John B, I found-" Florance came around the corner, sighing as she saw Layla, "I found Sarah."
The pair hurried after her, coming across the ledge as the trio looked down at Ward yelling at Sarah, "You're here, and you're staying here. You're my daughter!"
"Don't touch me!" Sarah fought against him, walking off. Ward huffed, following after. Laylas jaw clinched, hands tightening on the railing. John B suddenly jumped, turning around immediately.
"Shh, it's me." Pope spoke as the three stared at him.
"God, you need a damn bell." Florance pressed a hand to her heart.
"You scared me." John B huffed.
Layla threw herself at Pope to hug him quickly, Layla then became face to face with a girl behind him, "Cheese on bread."
"Cleo?" John B gapped.
"You guys know each other?" Layla looked between them pair.
"How many of you are there?" Florance spoke, her curly red hair flying in the wind.
"So it is you." Cleo confirmed as she stared at John B.
"What the hell? What are you doing here?" John B asked immediately, seemingly shocked.
"What are you doing here? I work here. This is my boat." Cleo answered immediately, "It got too hot in Nassau because of you and Sarah. I had to run."
"Sarah?" Layla gapped her way.
Cleo eyed Layla up and down, "Ah, so this is the lesbian lover i've heard so much about."
Layla jaw fell.
"It's not safe out here. We gotta go." Pope spoke up, pushing Layla forward as Florance and John B trailed close behind. Pope lead the way to the storage units, opposite side of the boat then the cars.
"What is this?" Layla said in disbelief as John B pulled the small grate off.
"Your turtle and the girl who shoved me." Florance commmeted, Layla climbing in as her face lit up.
"JJ, Kie." she grinned widely.
"Of course you had to go off and get kidnapped." JJ stood up to hug her tightly, "Right after I say i'd loose my shit without you."
"Bad timing, I think." Layla said, letting their hug go before looking toward Kie, "I'm gonna miss you when you go to boarding school."
"Same." Kie breathed out as she hugged her tightly, "What happened to your face?"
"Not completely sure." Layla said back with a shake of her head.
"Let's put the grate back on." Kie nodded when John B and Florance climbed back in.
"No, wait. Hold it." Pope stopped it.
"What? No. Put it back." Kie argued, gapping at Cleo as she climbed up.
"Jesus christ! I kill you, John B." Cleo looked at the boy after her eyes darted around the room at the many pogues.
"Who is this?" Kie gapped.
"Just relax. Just relax, okay? I told you I had a surprise." John B gave Kie a small smile.
"Who is she? What's going on?" Kie began to panic.
"See, I told you, dramatic." Florance made the comment.
"Shut the hell up." Layla argued with her.
"Kie, relax. Remember I told you about the girl we met in the Bahamas that saved us?" John B asked her quickly with a nod.
"Uh, Cleo, yeah?" Kie gave a shrug.
"Cleo." John B looked toward the girl, "She's gonna help us, all right?"
"Next time, ask me." Cleo shot at him.
"You seriously didn't get nothing, not one single gun?" JJ asked in disbelief as he looked at the lack of weapons.
"I grabbed Layla." John B argued.
"Well, she rolled out from under a car." Florance pointed out.
"We- we tried, okay? I got attacked." John B went on toward JJ.
"This is why I should've gone with." JJ huffed.
"Let me get this straight. You six, with no weapons, decided you were gonna hijack this tramp steamer on your own?" Cleo spoke up as she looked around at each of them.
"Well, I was kidnapped so actually it's six." Layla pointed out with a nod, "One of us has a brain, incase you were wondering."
"About time." Cleo made the comment her way, looking at the other five, "Do you have any idea who these people are? Eberhimi, if he catch you, he's gonna kill you. Dead. Cut off your fingers."
"Okay. What about waiting until we get to port?" Kie suggested.
"I'm not gonna leave Sarah with those psychos that long." Layla cut in with a shake of her head.
"No, we can't do that." Pope shook his head, agreeing with Layla, "I've ran the scenario over 1,000 times in my head, and our best chanced are this ship. There's 15 crew members and seven of us. We wait till we get there, they'll trap us."
"We have no choice." Kie sighed.
"No, Kie, there's something else." John B spoke up.
"Do tell." Florance argued.
"Wards alive." John B looked around, "He's alive and he's on this boat.
"Also was in on my dad trying to kill me." Layla added in, "Then kidnapped me and locked me in a room."
"It was all a setup, blowing up the boat, the confession to Shoupe. Think about it. That was to clear Rafes name. And he does what? Goes to the Druthers. And what's on the Druthers?" John B looked around.
"Scuba." Kie said in disbelief.
"Bingo." John B nodded.
"So Wards alive, huh?" JJ asked in disbelief, "And he has the gold and the cross and Sarah."
"Not for long." Layla spoke with confidence, "I'm getting her back."
"We're not watching this movie again." JJ agreed with her before looking over at Pope, "Right, Pope? You said we need the win. And with her, we're going to the bridge, and we're gonna take it right now. You with me?"
"Yeah!" Layla hollered, getting aggressively shhed by all of them, "Sorry, sorry."
"Let's do it." John B spoke up in confirmation.
"I'm with you, and I wanna be the one to take that bridge." Pope nodded as he stared at JJ.
"That's what i'm talking about." JJ grinned.
Cleo laughed, "He's gonna take the bridge? He couldn't even take me."
"First of all, I was going easy on you." Pope argued.
"I went easy on you." Pope glared with a point.
"Relax, all of you." JJ shhed the pair quickly, "If you're really with us, is we use that knife, we can go up into the bridge, hold it up against the captains neck, then we go on the intercom and make him tell the rest of the crew to meet up in the forward hull. Once they're in the same place, bam, we lock them in there, and we take back what's ours."
"I like it. It could work." Pope agreed.
"I agree but I need to go to Sarah." Layla looked around, "Wards gonna drag her everywhere, someone needs to distance him enough to help her escape."
"Right, you will." JJ nodded before he looked toward Cleo, "Are you with us then?"
"No." she said back, "This is stupid."
There was a yell from outside, "All right, let's open these things up!"
"They're checking the containers." Kie panicked. Cleo climbed up and pulled the grate, "What are you doing?"
She shhed them, climbing out. Layla held her breath, thinking the worst before she heard Cleo save their asses, saying how this storage was clear.
•
kylie speaks
as an aries, i confirm
that we throw ice packs.