CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
persaud?
There's a side of The Cut where I usually never go. It's the side where dangerous people work, you know? It's one thing to be a broke dumb teenager stealing shit trying to live another day, and it's another thing being a smuggler.
John B and I used to work by the coast, helping out local fishermen and that kind of stuff. However, I do know people around here are employed by some dangerous people to work for a minimum wage. It's mostly agricultural work, but if you ask the right questions, they'll lead to where the big money is.
JJ and his ideas have led us to one of these camps. There are a lot of people around, driving tractors, working the fields or taking care of the product harvested.
JJ and John B step out of the Twinkie. JJ comes to slide the door open for me, and waits until I'm out to close it again. He then throws his arm around my shoulders carelessly, as we join John B, walking towards the nearest workers.
"Okay, now, so let me get this straight," My brother says, "So, because you know a guy with the same last name as Neville, you think they've gotta be related. That's your master plan?"
"How many Routledges do you know, JB?" I cock my eyebrows at him.
"That's not the same."
"Why not?" A playful smirk plasters on my face.
"Just- Shut up." My brother pushes my face further away from him, making me laugh.
"See?," JJ says proudly, "How many people do you know with the last name Persaud?"
"No one, actually." I nod my head.
"I met a guy here last summer with my cousin 'cause we're doing the growing business. Last name Persaud."
JJ drops his arm from my shoulders, mainly because of the minor glances John B was giving us. I gotta say though, I'm very proud of him for not trying to kill JJ this time!
"Or wait," JJ says, stopping abruptly. John B and I stop too a step further, looking back at him. "Was it Percett?"
"Oh, J, seriously?" I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"No, no, no, no." John B says, taking his hands out of his pockets. He grabs JJ's shoulder, "Okay, you think-"
"No, no, no-"
"'Cause this is our dad's life we're talking about."
"No, I know. I know Mr Persaud." JJ is quick to defend himself, grabbing both of my brother's shoulders. "Trust me. It's cool."
JJ eyes a black man behind us, and he smiles innocently, waving shyly at him. John B and I follow his lead, just because there's nothing else we can do about it.
"Hey, uh, Mr P, right?"
Surprisingly for both JB and me, the man recognizes JJ and greets him with the biggest smile on his face, bumping his fist laughing happily.
"Hey, so... we're looking for... we're looking for Neville." JJ asks, "Is he still here?"
The man shakes his head, "Nah, nah, nah, he's out there," He points to our left. "Been holding up near Doe Creek. In his house boat. Way, way back."
Flashforward fifteen minutes of bickering and me tying up my hair in a bun with my bandana keeping the hair off my face, we get to the bank of the river.
John B and JJ don't hesitate. They step on the water that barely reaches above their ankles and they walk further into the muddy waters.
"Yeah... I'm not doing that." I purse my lips. "I'll wait here for you, okay guys?"
"Yeah, no. You're coming." John B smiles at me, putting his hands on his waist.
"I'd rather not, seriously."
"Come on, Bee J." JJ snickers, walking towards me. "I'll carry you."
"Dude, she's not five." John B groans, watching me jump on JJ's back.
"Shut up, Johnny."
JJ puts his hands under my thighs, keeping me in place. He looks at my brother and pulls a face I can't see, but whatever it is, it makes my brother smile slightly.
Holding tightly to JJ, he and John B walk further into the water until it reaches over their knees. I can't help but think how disgusting that looks, and that if I was standing there too, I'd be drenched to my waist, given I'm smaller than them.
"Why you ever doubt me?" JJ complains to my brother.
"Well, it's just the idea was a little far-fetched, that's all I'm saying."
"It worked, that's what matters." I stop JJ from arguing more about his plan.
"All right, so we're looking for a houseboat."
Just as he says it, we peer to our right and lucky for us, there's a fucking houseboat just there, a couple of meters away from us.
"I think I found it, boys." I smirk.
"That looks like a houseboat."
"Well, you think he's there?"
"I don't know. I mean-"
"Only one way to find out."
"No, JJ, don't-"
"Neville!" JJ hollers, placing both of his hands at the sides of his mouth. "Hey!"
"Stop! He thinks people are trying to kill him. He's probably packing!"
When my brother throws himself at JJ to stop him from yelling anymore, they struggle a bit, and it makes me slip and lose my grip on JJ. Since he had let go of my legs, gravity decides she had missed me, and she pulls me down with her.
I fall on my butt to the damned water with a loud splash, getting soaked wet to my neck.
Both boys turn around with wide eyes, and look horrified at me, slowly standing up biting down on my lip, trying to contain myself from poking their eyes out of their heads.
"Brizo, babe, I'm so so-" JJ stretches out his hands to touch me.
I smack his hand away and hold my hand up straight, stopping him, "Don't touch me right now, Maybank."
John B snorts, trying to hold his laughter. I flick him off, which only amuses him even more. It takes me about two seconds deciding to throw myself at my brother, knocking him down, and pushing him underwater.
"Jeez, Brizo!" John B spits out water when his head breaks out of the surface.
"That's for laughing at me, dipshit." I splash water his way.
"Stop! Stop! We're wasting time!"
"You're wasting oxygen just by existing." I mutter under my breath. I then point to the houseboat, "That," I emphasize the word, "Is a death trap."
"Yeah, unfortunately, we don't have a choice. He's the only guy alive who knows where dad is."
"So what? We're going to swim there?" I laugh.
But it isn't funny. Because that's exactly what we do.
The boys get there first, but still wait for me. They let me climb up the short stairs first, with John B after me and then JJ.
The three of us tiptoe our way around. There's no one around. I refuse to get inside the house, and as far as I can see, the boys are not willing to go inside either.
John B reaches out his hand to touch a stove that's near the door, and then he pulls his hand away.
"It's still warm. He's still here." He whispers.
We then look around, not seeing anyone around and neither any boat that he could've taken.
"Maybe he split when he heard us coming." JJ suggests.
"Devils!" A loud voice shouts from behind me.
All I have time to process is the rushed and panicked face of my brother before he harshly grabs my arm and pushes me out of the way. I crash into JJ's chest, both of us stumbling back.
A black man I'm guessing is a terrified Persaud, swings his machete at John B, who ducks it just in time with a grunt. Then JJ tries to jump him from his back, but fails miserably when the man's elbow hits his face.
"Sir!" John B grunts, trying to get a hold of him, "Listen! Neville! We just wanna talk!"
I take my chance to grab the man's arm, when he tries to swing again for my brother. I grunt, trying as hard as I can to keep his arm from hitting my brother. John B is also trying to restrain him.
"Guys! Trip line, trip line!" JJ shouts.
I see out of the corner of my eye he has stretched out his leg, and I nod to my brother. Both of us push Persaud as hard as we can. He trips with JJ's leg and falls down, but somehow he manages to grab my wrist and take me down with him.
My head hits the floor first, and before I can realize Persaud is on top of me, with his arm pressing down on my throat and his other hand raising the machete above his head.
I'm honestly getting very tired of this whole life-threatening situation.