Jo opens her eyes and the first thing she sees is the window open and the curtains blowing in the morning wind.
She feels an arm pull her closer.
She turns over and sees JJ looking back at her with a smile on his face.
"Good morning beautiful." JJ speaks softly to her.
She smiles with contentment.
"Good morning handsome."
He leans down and kisses her softly on the lips.
She moans in pleasure as she wraps her arm around his neck pulling him down closer on top of her.
JJ pulls his lips away.
"I could wake up like this every morning Jo. I mean it. I think this is the best thing that we did." he tells her happily.
"I totally agree Jay. This feels right." she tells him with a smile.
She pulls him down for another kiss.
Before they can go any further they hear a car pull up.
JJ rolls off of her and gets up.
He looks out the window.
"That's Pope and Kie we should get dressed." he states.
Jo nods and wraps the sheet around her before she stands up in front of him.
"So what are we telling them?" he asks her as she tries to walk past him to the bathroom to change.
She shrugs her shoulders.
"Let's just keep this to ourselves for a little while." she responds.
JJ just nods his head not liking that she wants to keep things secret.
Jo notices the look but before she can say anything, the screen door opens and she quickly grabs clothes and runs to the bathroom.
Pope is the first one inside and he sees JJ.
"Dude get dressed! What did you sleep naked last night?" he exclaims.
"Where's Jo?" Kie asks shielding her eyes as JJ puts his clothes on.
"She's in the bathroom." JJ informs her as he is getting dressed.
Kie walks past him and heads to the bathroom, and just opens the door.
She walks in on Jo trying to cover up the hickeys that JJ left on her.
"I knew it you hoe." Kie teases.
Jo gives her friend an awkward smile.
"It just kinda happened." she tells her friend as she sits down on the edge of the tub to face her.
"You don't sound too excited that it did happen." Kie observes as she leans against the counter.
"No that's not it. I'm glad that it did happen. But he told me that he loves me." Jo confesses.
Kie raises her eyes in surprise.
"Isn't that a good thing?" she asks.
"Yes and I think I love him too but-" she trails off.
"But what?" Kie asks.
Jo opens her mouth to tell her she might not be completely over Rafe, but she changes her mind.
"I don't know. I might just be overthinking this." she tells her with a shrug.
"You guys belong together. Stop overthinking it." she tells her.
Jo gives her a small smile.
"I know. You're right." she says.
"Of course I'm right. Now let's go out there and build this thing." Kie says as she leaves the bathroom.
Jo finishes getting dressed and then leaves the bathroom.
When she comes out Kie is helping Pope and JJ is sitting on the edge of the hot tub with his feet in the water.
Jo walks over to the hot tub and sits down next to JJ.
"Hey." she says.
JJ gives her a small smile.
"Are we okay?" he asks softly.
Jo gives him another smile back.
She grabs his face and pulls him into a kiss.
"Yea Jay. We're okay." she says before she steals the beer out of his hand and drinks it.
JJ links their hands together as they sit there and watch Kie and Pope.
"How's it feeling?" Pope asks Kie who is sitting in the makeshift basket.
"It feels good." she tells him.
"Alright I'm taking you down." He tells her as he starts lowering the basket with Kie in it.
"Where the hell is John B? He should have been back by now." Jo states to her friends.
"I know he's pullin' a Houdini on us." JJ comments as he splashes water at Jo jokingly.
"Yea where the hell is he? I got my scholarship interview tomorrow. We gotta get this done." Pope complains.
"Don't worry Pope. We will make it to your interview. We didn't put in those hard hours for nothing." Jo teases.
She happens to look behind her and sees John B storming over to them.
"Speak of the devil hey!" JJ yells out to John B.
"Dude I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything!" JJ states proudly.
"No he did not! I did." Pope tells him.
John B just angrily brushes past everybody.
"JB what's wrong?" Jo asks as she quickly climbs out of the hot tub.
He ignores her and storms into the house.
"John B!"
"Uh what is that all about?"
They all follow him into the house.
They see him searching through cabinets and drawers.
"What's going on dude?" Pope asks him.
John B just ignores him.
"What are you looking for?" Kie asks.
"John B talk to us!" Jo demands.
John B throws stuff around on the pullout and grabs the gun hidden in JJ's backpack.
Jo's eyes widen in surprise.
"John B what do you need the gun for?" JJ demands to know as he storms over to his best friend.
It's like John B doesn't recognize him and shoves him onto the pullout.
"John B what the hell?" Jo exclaims.
"John B chill!" Pope tries to follow him.
"What are you JJ now?" John B pushes Pope into the table.
"Pope are you okay?" Kie asks helping him up.
The four friends look at each other in shock.
"Fuck this! I'm about to fuck him up!"
Jo storms out of the house to follow behind John B.
"John B stop right the hell now!" Jo yells as she storms out of the house her friends following close behind her.
"John B what the hell?" Kie shouts from behind Jo.
They watch as John B gets on JJ's bike.
He finally turns to his friends and he looks upset.
"Ward knows about the gold. He killed my dad!" He tells his friends before he takes off down the road.
"Shit guys what do we do?" Jo asks.
"We need to go look for him." Pope says.
Jo nods.
"I should talk to my dad. He and Ward are like really good friends. Maybe he knows what happened with Big John." Jo says as she starts heading towards her mom's house.
"Are you sure he'll even tell you?" Kie asks sounding skeptical.
"He's never lied to me before." Jo shrugs as she glances at JJ one last time before rushing to her mom's to get the car.
***********
Once she makes it to her dad's she notices that his truck is parked in the driveway and that he is home.
She quickly unlocks the door and makes her way inside.
"Dad? Are you home?" she shouts out.
"I'm right here. What's going on?" He appears in the doorway of his office.
She quickly makes her way to him.
"I need to talk to you about something and I need you to be honest with me dad." she says as she walks into his office.
"What's going on? Why do you look upset?" he asks her.
"Was Ward working with Big John to find the Royal Merchant?" she asks him.
He gives her a look of surprise.
"How do you know about the Royal Merchant?" he asks her.
"Dad please answer the question." she says.
He sighs.
"I have no idea what it was they were working on. I couldn't afford to be involved in any of their projects if I was planning on running for mayor." He says to her.
She gives him a look of shock.
"Why didn't I know you were planning to run for mayor? Is that why I have to live with you?" she questions him.
"I was planning on telling you soon once it became official. But yes, in the next month, I am going to be running for mayor. And I can't have you out there on the cut running around. I need you here on figure 8." he says to her.
She gives him a look of disbelief.
"What happened to you? Since when did you care about your image? You have known all of my friends since we were little! We used to have weekly barbeques with Big John and John B all the time, and now you're acting like they just don't even matter." Jo tells him with a scoff.
"There are more important things in life and I want you to figure that out." her dad tells her.
"You have no idea what is important to me. You haven't cared to know in a long time!"
She pauses when a look of realization crosses her face.
"Is that the only real reason why you wanted me to live with you? So I wouldn't ruin your new kook image?" she asks him angrily.
"Of course not Joanna! Lower your voice to me right now young lady." he lectures.
"No, I won't! You haven't shown any interest in me for about two years. Then you decide to run for mayor and all of a sudden I gotta be on my best behavior? That doesn't work that way, dad! I need to ask you a question and I need you to be completely honest with me." she finally says to him.
"What is your question?" he asks her.
She takes a shaky breath.
"John B got attacked by Ward-" Buzz cuts her off.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asks her.
"John B says that Ward killed his dad. You have always been friends with both of them and you were involved in treasure hunting with Big John-"
Buzz cuts her off again.
"Ward did not kill Big John. Big John went out on the boat one day during a storm and he died at sea. Ward called me today and told me what happened with John B. Now I know he's your friend, but he's dangerous." he tells her.
"John B didn't attack Ward, dad. I know him and he didn't have a reason to do it." she defends her friend.
"I know you think so. I was just like him when I was his age. I know what boys like him think. I don't want you around him anymore." he tells her.
"I can't believe you're saying this to me right now! You have always liked John B. He wouldn't just attack Ward for no reason dad I promise."
She tries to get him to see reason.
"I checked his wound Jo. It wasn't self-inflicted. There was no one else around. You're a smart girl and you have a good head on your shoulders. Has anything out of the ordinary happened that would cause John B to lash out?" he asks his daughter.
She hesitates.
She wants to tell him about the gold, but something holds her back.
She shakes her head.
"No nothing." she says.
He gives her a look before he nods his head.
"Go to bed. We'll talk more about this tomorrow." he tells her.
She quickly gets up and leaves the room.
He picks up his phone and makes a phone call.
"Why did you try to kill the kid?" he asks into the phone.
He listens to the person on the other end.
"No I don't wanna hear your excuses! My daughter is involved now! This has to end. I covered for you once. I'm not gonna do it again."
He slams the phone down in anger.
****************************
Jo is pacing back and forth in her room going over the conversation with her dad.
What he was saying just wasn't adding up to her.
She hears a tapping on her window and turns to see Kie sitting outside her window.
She rushes over and opens her window.
"Any luck in finding John B?" she asks.
Kie shakes her head.
"No, we're heading over to see if he made it to the Camerons'. We came to get you."
Jo quickly grabs her bag and shoves more clothes in the bag.
"Alright let's go."
She climbs out the window behind Kie.
They jump down in the yard and rush back down to the dock.
When they get down there Pope and JJ are already waiting for them in the HMS Pogue.
JJ helps them in, but keeps his hand on Jo as she sits down next to him.
"What's wrong?" He asks her when he notices something is wrong.
"My dad doesn't believe that Ward tried to kill John B or that he killed Big John." she tells her friends.
"What?"
"Are you serious?"
"Why wouldn't he believe you?"
She shakes her head as JJ wraps his arm around her.
"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. Just the way he talked to me like he was brushing me off. But I think it has something to do with him running for mayor." she informs them.
"Wait, your dad is running for mayor?" Pope asks with surprise.
"I guess. It's a big surprise to me too. I don't even know what to think."
They sit as Pope drives the boat toward the Camerons'.
They pull up quietly beside Ward's My Druthers and try to see if they can spot anything.
"So what do we do now guys? Do we just go up to the front door and ask 'Hey have you seen John B?" JJ asks.
"Look he lives at Tannyhill now, so it's plausible." Kie says.
Jo scoffs.
"Yea let's just go up there and play dumb! I'm sure my dad has already called Ward and told him I was asking questions." Jo states.
"It's pretty late you guys." Pope tells them.
"Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops." Kie argues.
"The cops? And say what Kie? We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John? They're not gonna believe us!" JJ argues back with Kie.
Pope grabs a pair of binoculars.
"Guys, I see Ward." Pope tells them.
"Let me see."
Kie takes them and looks through them as she watches Ward leave his house.
"He doesn't look dead. We can leave now." Pope says quickly heading for the wheel.
"Wait."
"What?" Kie asks sharply.
"Obviously Mr. Cameron is fine and even if John B was here, he isn't anymore."
Jo glances at Pope as Kie gives him a dumbfounded look.
JJ goes to sit next to Jo.
"Plus I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours." Pope states.
"Yea, well our friend is in trouble." Kie argues back.
"I'm in trouble!" Pope exclaims to her.
"I haven't been home in three days! My dad is probably gonna put all my shit out on the street by now."
Pope tells them as he starts the boat.
"In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kie accuses.
JJ puts his hands up over his head as a sign he's uncomfortable.
Jo tries to step in the middle.
"Can we not do this right now? They could hear us." Jo tries to intervene.
"Yea please now is not the time." JJ states.
"Hey! I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't-"
Kie cuts him off angrily.
"Ok well what about John B?" Kie angrily asks.
Pope instantly has a look of anger.
"Why is it always about John B?" Pope argues back raising his voice.
"It's not always about John B. You're so stupid. It would have been any one of you boys!" Kie argues.
Jo notices that JJ is getting upset.
"Oh that's bullshit!" Pope argues.
"Guys come on calm down!" Jo tries again.
"Look, this is about Pogues for life!" Kie looks between her friends.
"What about forensic pathology huh?" Pope argues back.
"Forensic pathology?"
"It's my life. It's everything that I've worked for!"
Kie storms over to Pope and gets nose-to-nose with him.
"That's your priority?"
"Stop the moral high ground bullshit!" Pope hisses in her face.
"Guys enough!" Jo pushes in between them.
"No." Pope points an accusing finger at Kie.
"She has no room to talk."
Pope pushes Jo to the side to argue with Kie.
"Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there."
Jo's eyes widen.
"You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us!"
JJ comes to stand beside Jo and grabs her hand.
"Remember your kook year?"
Pope continues and Jo notices that it's starting to upset Kie.
"Dude." JJ tries to interject.
"You went and forgot about all of us! Now you feel guilty!"
Kie pushes him away from her.
"Give me a break!"
She starts pushing him and he pushes back.
JJ and Jo rush toward them and pull them away from each other.
"Cut it out you guys! If I'm the one mediating then we've really hit rock bottom. Pope bow now." JJ points to the bow.
Pope huffs and walks away from Kie.
"We'll drop you off." JJ says as he starts the boat.
******************
The next day, Jo quickly leaves her dad's house and grabs the car keys for the jeep.
"Where are you going?" Topper asks as he watches her from the couch.
"Why do you care?" she retorts.
He stands up quickly.
"I am trying here Joanna! It's time to face the fact that our parents are married and we are family. Your dad is planning on running for mayor. Are you so self-absorbed with your friends that you can't realize that he's gonna need all of us with this?" Topper lectures her.
She stays silent not knowing what to say back to him.
He sighs as he steps closer to her.
"Look, I wanna call a truce with you. I know that we haven't gotten along as we should and our parents are noticing. Can we be civil with each other for our family?" Topper asks her.
"Yea I suppose I can be in the same room as you and not start a fight. But don't push your luck for being friends." she tells him.
Topper quickly nods his head.
"I will take that. It's a good start." he says to her.
She starts to back away awkwardly.
"Ok, well good talk. I guess I will see you later." She tells him nicely.
"I'll see you later Jo." Topper calls out after her.
She rolls her eyes as she walks out the door.
She gets in the car and drives to John B's.
When she gets there Kie and JJ are already there with John B down at the dock.
She walks down to greet them.
"What's going on guys?" she asks them.
"Ward found the gold." John B tells her.
"What the fuck! Are you serious?" she asks.
"Yup. He got every bar." He confirms.
John B is laying on the floor as he struggles to pull his cast off his arm.
"Dude are you sure you should be taking that off." Jo says as she leans down to grab his arm to look at it.
He doesn't fight her and lets her look at his arm.
"Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit." John B mumbles.
Jo moves her hand over his arm to try to feel for any broken bone out of place.
John B pulls his arm away.
"It's just a hairline fracture, Jo. It's fine. See."
He wiggles his fingers.
She gives him a look.
"If your arm isn't all the way healed it's gonna be screwed up for the rest of your life." she tells him.
"Well if it's not I'll deal." he responds.
"Guys!"
They all turn as Pope comes running down to them.
"I ran all the way here." Pope says out of breath.
"Are you alright?"
"How did your interview go?" Jo asks him.
"Don't ask." he responds to her question.
"JB, I don't have a lot of time. I have some information that is tactically relevant." he tells them.
They sit around and wait for him to continue.
"So, before I had my interview my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy. It needed a longer landing strip to take off." Pope says excitedly.
JJ leans forward and grabs Jo's hand.
"So I'm sitting in my interview thinking to myself why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off? What could be so heavy to weigh it down?" Pope breathes out.
Jo gets a look of realization on her face.
"Oh shit!"
"Gold."
Pope does a weird arm thing as he states that's the right answer.
"This is our chance, but it leaves tonight and we have to go." Pope states.
"He's right. We can't give up now." Kie says in agreement.
"I agree. We do this together."
Jo and Kie do their handshake.
"What's the plan, big man?" JJ asks.
John B stands up with a determined look.
"We're gonna steal this shit back." he tells them.
"Let's go do this shit!"
They all head for the van.
*******************************
They're in the van heading towards the private airstrip.
JJ is loading bullets into his gun.
"We go in there guns blazing and make Ward Cameron beg for mercy. Abscond with as much gold as possible and vamonos, get the hell out of there" JJ starts.
"Send that shit right down the Intercoastal." John B adds.
"Wait for the right weather." Jo adds on her own.
"Then we exit to Cuba." Pope adds to the plan.
"Cuba? Nah man, Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangos, and no word for money." JJ cocks the gun.
Jo smiles at JJ.
"Is that where you wanna go one day? Just take a boat down to the Yucatan?" she asks him.
JJ looks back at her with a smile.
"Hell yeah. Crystal clear water. It would be perfect for us to go." he tells her.
"Us?" she asks shyly.
"Hell yea! You and me baby. We could just travel around the world." he tells her.
"That sounds amazing."
They lock eyes and she feels herself blushing.
"Alright, enough of the lovey-dovey shit. There will be plenty of time for that when we get the gold." John B states as he parks the van.
They get out and head for the barbed wire fence that has a no-trespassing sign.
"So what's the plan? Broad strokes." Kie asks.
"I don't think we got that far."
John B grabs a pair of binoculars and looks through them.
"They're loading up the gold." he tells them.
"Ward just pulled up."
He then all of a sudden pulls the binoculars down quickly.
"What?" Jo asks.
"Sarah." John B states.
Kie grabs the binoculars to look.
"Sarah is there?" Jo asks.
"Oh my God, he's hurting her! They're fighting." Kie tells them.
John B rushes to the van and starts it.
"John B!"
"Don't be a hero!"
They watch as John B drives the van through the fence.
They watch as he drives the van onto the runway following the plane.
They hear police sirens. "I can't go to jail." Pope says.
"I'm on probation." JJ states.
"We have to get out of here. We're not good to John B if we're all in jail."
Jo grabs JJ's hand and they run back towards the road.
As they were running Jo got a strange feeling in her stomach.
She knew something bad was about to happen.