VENUS OPENED THE CHATEAU door and made her way inside, quickly gathering her backpack from the living room couch John B must've left it on.
It was well past nine o'clock when she'd finally gotten back to the Cut after spending the day with Rafe. The two had talked more about the Barry interaction and Venus' past, which only led to them awkwardly trying to talk about their feelings with one another (neither of them were the best at verbally expressing themselves). They'd spent the majority of the day at Tanneyhill and visited the mainland to get dinner at a place the boy had wanted to show her. The night turned out to be more fun than Venus would admit, and that left the girl trying her best to hide a small hickey that the Cameron boy marked on her neck after they'd left the mainland.
"John!" she yelled, walking into the kitchen then back down into the hallway. "John B!"
Before she could reach his bedroom door, it opened and the brunet emerged.
"Venus?" He gaped at the girl before a somewhat angry expression took over his features. "Where the fuck have you been? It's been a whole day and no one could find your ass! We thought you got arrested."
"I didn't get arrested. I meant to make it back sooner, I'm sorry. I just got caught up with some stuff." She opened her bag and grabbed her bike keys from one of the pockets. "What happened?"
"I'd just like to point out that we spend all morning looking for you. JJ even tried to call your mom's work to ask if she'd seen you and Pope had to stop him," he rambled, poking the girl on her sternum. "You couldn't have called or left a note or something?"
A blank look coated her face as she held up her backpack that stored her phone, which was most likely dead by now. "Do I need to remind you that half of the towers went down and my phone was left here? What did you want, smoke signals?" she sighed and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. "I thought the plan was to lay low, so I did. I stayed at a friend's house. They found me when I was leaving the beach," she excused.
"Well, you missed a lot."
She threw her hands up at her sides. "Okay, that's what I'm here for. Fill me in."
John walked past her to the kitchen and took a water bottle from the fridge. She followed quietly and leaned against the counter, waiting for a run-down of what occurred during her absence.
His stared at the Beck girl for a moment, his eyes focusing on her features. His brows furrowed and he stomped closer to her without a word, setting the bottle down on the counter before grabbing her face with his hands and tilting her head to the side.
"No way," he laughed, "who gave you a hickey?"
She pushed the boy away as he began to make fun of her and adjusted her hair to cover the mark better.
"Stop," she demanded, rolling her eyes at him. "It was from the kegger, some tourist. It's not a big deal," she lied.
"Hey, I'm allowed to tease you if that is what you were doing when everything was going down at the beach." He took a gulp of water. "What happened to you not wanting to hook up with Tourons?"
"None of your business, that's what," she shot back. "Fill me in on what happened, I'm tired."
"I'm sure you are," he muttered smartly, earning a smack on his arm from the girl. "Sorry, sorry." He raised his hands in a truce and sighed. "Sheriff Peterkin stopped by in the morning. She was talking about what happened at the Boneyard—and I covered, don't worry. She was asking about the boat and telling me to stay out of the marsh."
"And I'm assuming you did the opposite?"
"Sure did. I stopped by Tanneyhill and grabbed some scuba gear from Druthers, you know the big boat they—"
"Yeah, I know which boat it is, I think everyone does. Continue, please," she ushered, assuring him she knew what he was talking about.
"Anyways, we took it and went to the marsh with it. Pope did some calculations and I dove for the Grady White," he explained.
"Did you find anything?"
John walked past the girl again and into the living room. He grabbed a small, circular object and passed it to her, crossing his arms as a smirk took over his face.
A weathered gold compass with small engravings laid in her palms. It had a certain sense of familiarity to it, but she couldn't place when and where she'd seen it before.
"Have I seen this before?" Venus asked, her face scrunching in confusion as she tried to think.
"Yeah. It's my dad's." He moved to stand beside her as she examined it.
The feeling of recognition washed over Venus and she brushed her thumb over the compass. Big John used to talk to her about finding treasure and even showed her a few of the maps he scribbled on after she voiced how interesting it all was. She'd seen the compass on more than one occasion when the older man roped her into listening to his theories and hunches.
"Why was it on Scooter's boat?" she asked, only earning a shrug from the Routledge.
"I don't know. But this—this is just more proof that he's still out there, Venus." He grabbed her arm excitedly. "How else would Scooter have gotten it?"
She nodded in agreement. It did make sense that Scooter would've had to get the compass from Big John, but that didn't necessarily mean that he was still alive. She bit her tongue, not wanting to voice the possibility aloud and make John B upset.
"It's possible," she replied, a soft smile coming to her lips.
The boy pulled her into a hug that she quickly returned. In that moment, all Venus wanted to do was keep her friend's hope alive; she hated seeing when he wasn't happy. So, she shut her mouth and nodded along as he began explaining what he planned to do next.
•
"Maicy!"
A pillow was thrown in Venus' face, earning a tired grunt from the girl. Her brother stood next to her bed, waving his phone at her.
"Cell towers are back up," he informed.
She gave him a tired thumbs up and rolled over to face the wall, closing her eyes once more.
The fabric once against brushed against her head harshly, causing an annoyed sound to leave her lips as she shot up in bed.
"John B said to have you meet them at the chateau," he claimed, "something about visiting Lana Grubbs?" He poked her foot with his hand boringly, waiting for the action to annoy her enough to get up. "Maicy, get your ass up."
"Fine," she drew out tiredly, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. "Are you going too, or what?"
"No," Jax sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I got a shift at the shop in about an hour. I probably won't be done until about six like usual." He turned to the mirror she had at her desk, beginning to look himself over for a moment. "I left some bacon and toast on the counter if you want it, just clean up when you're done."
"Sure." She swung her legs out of the bed and groggily stood up, waving the boy a goodbye before ushering him out of her room. "Have fun at work," she teased, earning a middle finger from her brother.
Venus changed into a blue bikini and tossed a grey t-shirt she'd stolen from JJ over it, pairing the item with some black jean shorts and her usual shoes.
A notification from her phone that laid on the nightstand drew her attention. She'd plugged it in to charge after getting home last night in hopes that the towers would be working by now.
A text from Rafe Cameron popped up at the top of her screen.
Come to Topper's house tonight. I have a favor to ask.
Venus clicked open the message and scoffed softly. "Of course you do," she muttered. She recalled that Rafe mentioned the Thornton boy was going to be throwing a party tonight; at the time, she told him she wasn't sure if she would attend.
Her phone dinged once more right as she was about to type a reply.
And I want to see you.
She bit her lip as she read it over, a small smile coming to her face despite her efforts to push it away. She couldn't help the feeling of excitement that crept into her chest. She shook her head. Of course he would need something and want to see her; the boy was teetering on the line of confusing and sweet, but Venus didn't mind it.
Fine, she typed, I'll be there. You better have a drink ready for me.
She hit send and tossed the phone into her backpack without another thought, quickly pulling it on and grabbing her bike helmet from her dresser.
Venus did what Jax asked and rushed through eating a piece of toast and bacon before stuffing the leftover dishes in the sink and cleaning up.
The girl gathered her keys and hopped on her bike, not wasting any time speeding over to John B's house. It didn't take as long as it usually did; she hadn't been stopped by traffic lights or other vehicles taking up the road. After a few minutes, she slid to a stop in the backyard and turned off the bike, kicking out the stand and making her way inside.
Setting her helmet on the couch, she announced her presence.
"Honey, I'm home!" she said loudly, a sigh leaving her lips as she looked around.
"Oh, darling! We missed you so much!" JJ's voice replied, the blond walking out of the kitchen to greet her. He pulled the girl into a small hug and flicked her in the forehead.
"Ow, J! What was that for?" She rubbed the spot with a frown.
"That was for going M-I-A and scaring me half to death, idiot." He fell back onto the couch and propped his arms up behind his head, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I'm proud of you for not getting arrested, though."
"Thank you?" she replied, the response coming out as more of a question.
John B walked out of the hallway, snapping his fingers at the two.
"Y'all ready for an interrogation?"
"Yeah. Can't say the same for Mrs. Grubbs, though." Venus winced and fell down onto the couch next to JJ. "I, for one, would definitely want to be interrogated by three teenagers after finding out my husband died," she agreed sarcastically, giving John a tight smile.
"Exactly what I was thinking," JJ mused, giving the girl a wink.
John B rolled his eyes at the two. "Guys, I don't feel the greatest about it already, but we need answers."
"And she needs time to grieve," Venus shot back, a dramatic demeanor lacing her tone. "We don't always get what we want, Johnny," she teased.
JJ laughed under his breath, earning a glare from their friend. He cleared his throat and shot the blonde a smile, silently telling her that her joke was funny.
John B rolled his eyes at the two. When JJ and Venus were around one another, suddenly everything was at risk of becoming a joke.
"Idiots," he muttered, "let's go."
The two gave each other a grin and did a small handshake before JJ ruffled Venus' hair and followed John out of the chateau.
•
There were loud noises of breaking glass and objects being thrown in Lana's house once they'd arrived. Screaming and crying echoed into the yard, making the trio only more apprehensive to continue with their objective.
"Tell me where it is, or I'll fuck you up!" a deep voice demanded.
The friends hid out of sight as they listened to the men yelling, slowing creeping their way to the side of the house and stopping underneath one of the windows.
Objects being thrown and shattered seemed to only get louder as the moments passed.
"You're hurting me!" Mrs. Grubbs shouted, her tone filled with fear and sobs.
Venus could hear people marching around Lana's house and throwing things in an effort to find what they were searching for, only causing the woman to cry more.
The Beck girl slowly rose on her tiptoes, peering over the edge of the window and inside. She could see at least two men clad in black, throwing items around and breaking whatever they thought could hold what they searched for.
She suddenly felt a hand grip her upper arm and yank her back down and out of sight. She followed it to John B, who gave her a scolding look and pressed a finger over his mouth.
"We should help," Venus decided, reaching in her pocket for her knife. On the ride over, she decided it would be best to keep a weapon of some sort on her at all times considering how weird thing were getting in the Outer Banks. She had a blue pocket knife her father had given her before one of his previous deployments; until now, she normally just kept it in the small pocket of her backpack.
"No way," JJ refused, placing his arm in front of the girl to prevent her from moving. "It's too dangerous. You're literally going to take a knife to a gun fight."
"For once, he's right," John agreed quietly, carefully peeking around their hiding spot. "We gotta wait it out."
Venus wasn't happy with their consensus and rolled her eyes in protest. It wasn't that she wanted to play hero; she just didn't understand how the boys were planning to ask Lana questions if she ended up dead. The girl didn't want an outcome like that weighing on her conscience, especially if she could've done something to help or stop it from happening.
"J, come on," she asked softly, giving the boy a hopeful look. She knew that out of the two, he'd be more likely to side with her on something like this.
The boy's blue eyes flickered between her and the brunet hiding next to them, the latter shaking his head quickly.
Venus flipped the knife in her palm, letting her fingers twist over the weapon as she waited for an answer.
A loud thumping noise sounded out through the walls of the house, making her jump softly. Paint chips fell from the worn siding and onto their heads, making JJ a bit more nervous than before.
"Is that paint?" he asked quietly, brushing his hair with his hands.
"Yes, it's paint!" John copied his actions as Venus shook her own head of hair out.
"The compass wasn't in the boat!" Another crashing noise of an object being thrown screeched into the trio's ears. "Where is it, Lana?"
Venus could hear the woman's desperate cries and the sobs that escaped her mouth as she tried her best to speak.
"I don't know!" Lana said, the words coming out in an unsteady manner.
JJ gulped and finally shook his head. "We should just go. He's got smuggler—"
"Shut up!" John B interrupted, hushing him in a whisper.
"He's got smuggler written all over him," JJ finished lowly after a moment.
Footsteps vibrated through the flooring of the house as the men finally began to leave the premises.
"Shut up. Shut up!" John continued, trying to make his friend be quiet.
The three watched as the men scrambled from inside the house, waltzed through the yard and onto the dock, and clambered into their boat as if nothing had happened. Venus watched as JJ's eyes narrowed at them, as if a sort of recognition was filtering through his mind.
The boat the men drove sputtered to life and they left the property without a second glance, making a sigh of relief leave the girl's mouth.
"Dude, those were the guys that shot at us," JJ concluded, making the girl's eyes widen.
"They shot at you? When did this happen?"
"When you decided to disappear!" he defended, poking her in the forehead.
A cry from inside the house made the two suddenly redirect their focus.
"Shit," she cursed.
"Ms. Lana?" John B called out, standing and leading them around the porch and into the house. "Ms. Lana?"
The woman was laying in the floor of her bathroom, tears pouring down her face. The inside of her home was a wreck; glass shards laid across the floor, broken pictures, broken furniture—it was a mess.
"Ms. Lana!" John rushed over to the woman and knelt beside her. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Dude, she's tweaking," JJ concluded, shaking his head softly.
"JJ!" Venus scolded, slapping his arm lightly. She squatted down beside John B and the older woman, her brows creasing as she looked at the scene before her.
"Do you need a doctor?" the girl asked, eyes scanning over any injuries the older woman might've sustained. Her jaw tightened as she turned to John. "She definitely needs a doctor," she concluded lowly.
"No shit, Beck." The Routledge boy rolled his eyes. "We should call the sheriff's department."
"No! No cops," Lana spoke up, her tone filled with anxiety. "Please."
"Mhm," JJ hummed, "that's not good. Guys, we should just go."
"You shouldn't be here." Lana's eyes darted between the three teenagers, finally landing on John.
"That's enough for me. Come on." JJ grabbed Venus' hand and tried to pull the girl away from the scene, silently hoping that she'd just listen to him and not put up a fight about it.
His hope was unfortunately crushed.
"J," she said softly, pulling her hand back. "We can't just leave her."
The blond's jaw clenched and he let out a small sigh in protest, running a hand through his hair. His blue eyes found Venus' and his lips formed into a thin line.
"Fine, fine," he finally spoke, his tone still laced with unwillingness. "I'd rather make this quick, though,"
"I know. I do, too," she assured, low enough for just him to hear.
The girl turned to John B as he spoke to Lana, nudging his arm with her own and silently trying to rush him.
"I know, Venus—hold on," he argued softly. He turned back to Lana and produced the compass from his pocket, holding up to the woman's line of vision. "Does it have anything to do with this?"
She didn't respond, her eyes only widened.
"Do you know anything about this?" he asked, his tone becoming more firm. "This is my father's and Scooter had it. Why?"
The woman shifted uncomfortably in the floor, eyeing the boy and compass carefully. "Scooter didn't have it, okay? Don't tell anyone that you have it."
"That ship sailed about four people ago," Venus quipped.
"Why?" John asked again.
"They can't know!" she demanded, her voice raising.
"What do you know about the compass?" he tried once more.
"Go!" she yelled, "get out!"
The three flinched at her words as the grew more dire.
It was then that JJ's hand once again found Venus', and this time she didn't shoo him away. The Maybank boy grabbed her hand and John's shoulder, all of them in a silent agreement that Ms. Lana's yelling at them was enough of a final sign to leave.
The trio scattered back to the van as quickly as possible and piled in.
Venus clambered in the back and stuck her head between the front seats once John B started driving.
"I'm sorry, John, but if a little compass has Lana Grubbs freaking out that much..." she trailed off, trying to put it into words. "Maybe we should be more careful where we poke our noses."
"Agreed. No way I'm getting my ass shot up because of an old compass," JJ let out, his eyes falling onto his friend's in an apologetic manner. "No offense, man."