_
"when i went back to Tannyhill, Rafe was on the phone with Ward, and he just kept saying, "my thing, this is my thing." he had to be talking about the cross." Sarah explained to the Pogue's the following day at the Chateau.
"absolutely." Pope looked at Sarah.
"and he's coming into Wilmington tonight at eight o'clock. and it's being shipped by train to Raleigh from there, but this is our chance to get it back." Sarah looked at all her friends.
"you get any other information?" Pope asked.
"uh, Sarah got the cargo number." Kiara leaned over picking up the paper.
"okay, well, that's a start."
"yeah."
"i mean they're definitely fencing that shit off as we speak. so we should probably get a move on." JJ says from behind Caroline.
"Sarah, you hear from John B?" Pope asked the girl.
"no, i mean, he's probably off somewhere with his dad. but the problem is they have the Twinkie."she answered.
"our transportation."
"um.."
"i could ask Heyward for the truck." Pope suggested.
"uh, what?" JJ looked at Pope.
"isn't he still mad at us for leaving it in Charleston?" Caroline asked him.
"yeah, that's gonna go well." JJ added in.
"i know, but we have no other option. unless, Ace is able to get the Jeep from her parents." Pope looked at the brunette who was picking the rips on her shorts.
"i tried last night and let's just say my driving privileges are lost for the amount of time i'm grounded for." she frowned at her friend.
"we also gotta convince our parents to let us go to Wilmington tonight so we should go do that." Kiara looked at her friend who stood up.
"good luck." Cleo tells her friends, Caroline smiled at her mouthing a thank you as Kiara, Caroline and JJ headed off to Figure Eight.
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"honey, i am listening to you. i'm just having a hard time. so i need you to walk me through it one more time." Anna Carrera asks her daughter once more with Melissa sitting besides her.
"the Cross of Santo Domingo that we found." Kiara repeated to her mother.
"right."
"we thought it was gone forever. we just find out it's.. it's gonna be in Wilmington tonight." Caroline tells her mother and best friends mother.
"okay. and the cross is Pope's family-"
"Pope's family heirloom." Kiara tells Melissa.
"okay." Anna says nodding her head.
"priceless historical artifact." the two girls say at once.
"priceless, which you're telling you found?"
"we found it, and then Rafe and Ward stole it from us. which is not surprising because they're-" Caroline stopped before she could cuss not wanting to say any bad words in front of her brother.
"wait, do you know how insane you sound?" Mike Carrera asked, Caroline looked at the man as did Zachery and JJ.
"it's true!" Kiara added looking at her family.
"Mike." Zachery stared at Mike.
"Ward is dead." Mike tells the two.
"he's not dead. we've been over this part a million times!" Kie raised her voice.
"you understand that this is a little hard to follow, right? i mean, we had a funeral for the man." Anna says holding her up hand up to her husband.
"Anna, the girls and JJ wouldn't lie about that. it's Ward. he kisses everyone's ass." Melissa says knowing the man very well since she spent a lot of time with him because of the times she had worked with Rose.
"thank you, mom." Caroline says throwing herself back against the couch.
"i get how it sounds, but he's alive. i wish he wasn't, but he is. like Miss Mel said why would we lie? he's alive." Kiara scoffed turning around as did Caroline to JJ who was watching the seven year old in the kitchen.
"JJ?" Kie asked.
"yeah?" the blonde asked handing the piece of fruit to Matty.
"a little help?" Caroline asked as JJ lifted his arm counting his fingers.
"Ward's alive in the Caribbean. he's living off the loot that he stole from us, and, uh, yeah, he's flying across to Wilmington." JJ held up his fingers telling everyone the options.
"give me a break, man." Mike looked at JJ.
"Mike, come on, man." Zachery stepped in shaking his head.
"you're right. what do i know, though? just saw it with my own two eyes. so did Kiara and Ace, but whatever." JJ shrugged getting Matty off the counter.
"i'm skeptical, okay? i am skeptical, JJ, as in "i think it's all bullshit." i think you've been led astray, Kiara. same with you, Caroline. and you, JJ-" Mike tells the girls on the couch pointing at JJ.
"Mike." Anna warned her husband, "don't curse in front of Matty. can we take it down a little?"
"no, no, let's get this out in the open." Mike said walking over to JJ, Caroline silently cursed standing up whispering to her brother to step into the other room which he nodded and did.
"let me tell you something. you need to understand that i do get it." Mike says as JJ cracked his fingers.
"dad." Caroline whispered to her father to step in and help.
"sure, you do. yeah. sure. sure do." JJ muttered starting to get angry.
"do you hear me? i do. i like you, JJ, and i bet you're fricking fun to hang with, ditch school with, go down to the break, because i was once just like you, bro. i didn't think that anything mattered. thought i could make up any bullshit story and these stupid Kooks would believe it."
"mom." Kie turned to her mother.
"but then i learned about hard work and about what really mattered. all i care about, all that i care about is my daughter. that's it. and all that i know is that she was a lot better off before she and Caroline met you and your friends." Mike says.
"i'm sorry? when did you become my father?" Caroline snapped catching everyone by surprise.
"Caroline, i saw the way your parents were during the summer while you guys were off treasure hunting. you were never the girl to do all that before." Mike turned to the girl and his daughter who approached.
"so that gives you the right to talk shit about our friends? the ones we've known our entire lives?" she asked as Zachery approached.
"Ace, come on. not here. it's not worth it. Mike, shut up and don't parent my kid." Zachery pulled his daughter away pointing at his friend.
"dad, i was never better off!" Kiara snapped at her father.
"yes, you were." Mike turned to Kie.
"please." Anna rushed over to her husband and daughter.
"come here, baby." Melissa pulled Caroline towards her.
"it's bullshit mom, you know it." Caroline whispered to her mother who nodded.
"i know. i know. believe me."
"i was miserable." Kie tells Mike.
"miserable? no, no."
"take it down a notch. there's a little boy in the house. listen." Anna tried calming her husband.
"no, these Pogues have ruined my daughter's life. Melissa, i know you will agree with me here." Mike turned to JJ who started at him.
"what's he talking about?" Caroline turned to her mother who silently cursed.
"didn't mean any disrespect, Mr. Carrera. and Mrs. Hills." JJ says, "y'all have a good day."
"yeah."
"lovely home." JJ patted the counter making his way towards the door.
"J, wait." Caroline tried stopping him but he just shook his head and walked out of the house.
"what are you doing?" Kie faced her father.
"what am i doing? protecting my daughter." Mike turned to his family.
"you don't get a say in my daughters life, Mike. i'm gonna need you to calm the hell down because that is not your job." Zachery spat at Mike who just scoffed crossing his arms.
"can we please-" Anna says trying to calm the tension.
"wait a second. everybody says it, that he's a liar and a thief. he's just like his father." Mike yelled, Caroline clenched her jaw holding in her words.
"don't go there." Anna scolded him, "please don't bring him into this."
"don't bring him into this?"
"oh my God!" Caroline yelled leaving the house quiet, "he's nothing like his dad. don't you ever fucking talk about him ever again. you can think whatever the hell you want about me but do not ever mention that man again or ever compare JJ to him because he's nothing like him. JJ is one of the nicest people i've ever met and just because you don't like him or any Pogue doesn't give you the right to speak about him that way. don't act all high and mighty now that you're a Kook and forgot you were a Pogue once."
everyone looked at Caroline never seeing her this angry before. there was no way she was going to let anyone talk about JJ that way.
"can i go?" Caroline looked at parents who nodded.
"text us when you can." Zachery whispered as she nodded saying her goodbyes to her family.
"i will. i love you, guys."
"Miss Anna, i apologize for my language and for yelling." Caroline apologized to her friends mother leaving the house.
"it's okay, it was nice to see you sweetheart." Anna pat the brunette's shoulder as she walked away.
"kinda proud of her." Zachery says as Melissa sighed.
"Zach, not now."
Caroline ran down the steps calling for JJ watching him get on his bike and put his bag on.
"J, wait." she ran over before he could start the bike, "i'm sorry, you had to hear that. i also might have yelled at Mike."
"it's whatever. i already know what they think of me." he says putting the key in the ignition.
"my parents love you, you know that right?" she asked climbing on behind him on the bike.
"yeah." he nodded.
"i think Kie's parents think the same of me." she says as he turned his head to her.
"you ready?" he asked, Caroline smiled nodding slowly, "yeah."
Caroline wrapped her arms around his waist holding on tightly as Kiara came out of the house with the car keys.
"y'all ready?" she asked the two who nodded.