Sarah
"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." I told the others and Pope nodded.
"Absolutely."
"Have you guys got in touch with Liv? Why isn't she here? JJ?" Pope asked and JJ looked at Kie and something was up between them. "Um- Liv is uh back at home with her siblings and her dad..." Kie said and Pope frowned "Did you talk to her?" He asked JJ and he shrugged.
"Okay, shrugging isn't an answer!" "No, i didn't talk to her, okay!" JJ yelled and i frowned "Um the cross is coming into Wilmington tonight at eight o'clock. It's being shipped by train to Raleigh from there, but this is our chance to get it back." I said changing the subject and Pope sighed.
"You get any other information?" "Uh, Sarah got the cargo number." Kie said showing the piece of paper from Tannyhill and Pope nodded. "Okay, well, that's a start." "They're definitely fencing that shit off as we speak. So we should probably get a move on." JJ said and looked at me.
"Sarah, you hear from John B?" "No, I mean, he's probably off somewhere with his dad. But the problem is they have the Twinkie." I told him and Pope sighed
"Our transportation... I could ask Heyward for the truck." Pope said and we all looked at him and JJ smirked "Uh, what? ...Yeah, that's gonna go well." He chuckled making Pope roll his eyes. "I know, but we have no other options." Pope said and he went to go talk to his dad about the truck.
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Olivia
Sarah texted me saying Ward and Rafe were talking and they we're going to bring in the cross tonight. Which means Rafe is in town and I didn't know if I wanted to see him or stay clear of him.
I went to grab my families lunch and I saw the TV in the restaurant had me and my friends on the news and everyone looked at me welcoming me back. I smiled at them and I noticed some of my friends too "Hey Olivia." "Liv." I heard and I turned to see Rafe and I cleared my throat then looked around for a second. "Rafe. Hi. I- uh... I need to go, my siblings are probably starving." I muttered my voice trembling as I didn't know what to say to him. "Wait... I uh I wanted to talk." Rafe said and I shrugged "What is there to talk about?" I told him and before he said anything I turned on my heels and left.
I got back home and got a text from Sarah to meet her at the ferry so I gave my siblings their lunch and I sighed "Dad, I'm going to meet Sarah." I told him and he nodded "Be careful." "Ooh can I come?!?" Frankie asked and I sighed "I can't see why not. Dad, can Frankie come?" I asked and he nodded. "Sure... Just finish your lunch, okay?" Dad said and Frankie smiled. "Can we go too?" Julian and Robbie asked and I looked back at dad. He laughed and I sighed "I think that's a yes." I smirked and waited for them to finish their lunch.
I took my car to the ferry and I found everyone else boarding "Okay, why did you want to meet me here?" I asked and they all looked at my siblings "Why did you bring them here?" Sarah asked and I sighed "They wanted to come, and I couldn't really say no." I told her and Frankie grabbed JJ's hand "JJ, I missed you so much!" JJ smirked and picked her up "I missed you too, Shortstack." JJ muttered and looked up at me which I looked away, I feel like if I look at him all my emotions would just flood right out and i don't want that.
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We all sat on the ferry and while my siblings were inside getting a snack "Honestly, the hardest part is gonna be security, all right? So most of the guys are gonna be at the rail yard." "We'll need to find some place and guard it, maybe a little further down the line, like a whistle-stop." Pope said and I fiddled with my bracelet that Rafe gave me.
"You guys are getting ahead of yourselves per usual. We don't have a way to transport the cross. What you think? On JJ's motorcycle?" Cleo questioned and I smirked "That's not my fault... All right, all me." JJ mumbled and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, other options."
I turned to look at Sarah and she frowned then suddenly ducked down "Oh my goodness." She said making me look where she was looking and I saw Topper. "Oh my God." "Oh my God, what?" Cleo questioned and Pope frowned "Is that Topper?"
"Why... is he everywhere?" Kiara asked and i frowned "Perfect... Hey, Jayj." Pope muttered and JJ leaned down closer "What?" "I bet you Topper has a way to transport the cross." Pope said making me and Sarah look at each other.
"Actually, Pope's right. He does have a rig."
"No." "Yes."
"No. Absolutely not, JJ" I muttered and he rolled his eyes "I wasn't asking you." JJ told me and looked to Sarah "Yes, come on. Sarah, you already got him whipped anyway, all right? So why don't you just take one for the team?" JJ said and I rolled my eyes, if he's going to be this way why do I even bother with him.
"What would John B say?" "I think John B will completely understand. Think about the circumstances. It's about treasure." Pope said and I glared at Pope "We can handle John B... Just talk to him." Kiara told her and I looked over to where Topper was and I sighed "Sarah, you don't have a choice cuz my siblings are talking to him now." I muttered and saw Frankie point to me and Sarah.
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"I just can't believe you guys are here. I saw the news. I... I texted you. I didn't even know if you were alive, Sarah." Topper said and I sighed "How are you? You both okay? I mean I saw your dad's alive." Topper said and I nodded "Yeah, I'm okay..." I muttered and Sarah cleared her throat "You know, Top, um, things are a little tough right now." Sarah said and nudged my side and I nodded.
"Yeah, very tough."
"Yeah? Tough how?" Topper asked and I looked over to the others to see JJ and Frankie talking. "We've been after this... family heirloom of Pope's, which is why we were gone. And we ended up losing it, and unbelievably there might be a chance that, um, we could get it back tonight." "In Wilmington." I added and Topper looked between the two of us.
"Okay."
"It's crazy."
"Okay. How... how can I help?" Topper said and Sarah shook her head "No, we can't ask you to do that." She told him but Topper stopped her. "No, seriously." "Topper, I feel like if we ask you, just, like, the person that you are..." Sarah said and Topper frowned. "What do you mean, "the person I am"?" He questioned and I sighed "No, she didn't mean it like that... I guess she means you're such a giver, Topper." I said and Sarah nodded then went on.
"You're just such a helper, and I feel like if I ask you..." Topper stopped her and scoffed "Sarah, that's just... that's just who I am. That's just the way I was raised. And anyway, remember when I said I would do literally anything for you? Remember that? Liv, you too." Topper said and I remembered the night that Sarah and John B 'died'.
"Yeah."
"I meant it. Unlike some people who will just say whatever to get you to go along with whatever they want." Topper said and I looked over at JJ and the others and then back to Topper.
"I'm not that person, okay? When I say something, I mean it."
"I need your truck." Sarah blurted and Topper frowned "My dad's truck?" He asked and I nodded "Yeah!" "Four wheels." Me and Sarah muttered and he shook his head. "Oh my God. He would literally kill me. He's super anal about it. " Topper said and I nodded.
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JJ
"Why is Livy mad at you?" Frankie asked turning to me and the others all looked at me too. "I uh- I... I hurt her feelings and I think she might not forgive me." I told her and she looked over at Liv then back at me. "I think she will... JJ, I think she loves you with all her heart." Frankie said and I smiled a bit and looked at Kiara then back to Sarah and Liv.
"Oh my God. He would literally kill me. He's super anal about it. " Topper said and Liv nodded "So are we. We're super anal." Liv said and we all looked at each other and frowned.
"We, like... we... we... we'll take such good care of it." Sarah told him and he looked between the two girls. "You put me in a tough spot. I know I said I'd do anything but..." Topper looked unsure.
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Olivia
Topper didn't look too convinced and so Sarah grabbed his hand "I'm so sorry about everything. I totally understand. You have no reason to help us." Sarah said and I nodded then put a hand on Topper's shoulder. "Actually, you have all the reasons not to help us." I told him looking in his eyes and he sighed. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this." Topper said making us smile and we both pulled him into a hug, I looked back at the others and they were all cheering silently and I couldn't help but feel guilty. We're basically using Topper, he's one of my best friends and I'm using him.
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We got to the train station and we climbed on top of a train to get a better view "Well, there's like 1,000 trains here." "Well, we know it's car 750X on the track to Raleigh." Pope said and I sighed.
"Yeah, so now we just gotta find it."
"Well, news flash. We're not getting out of here unnoticed with a giant cross." Kiara said and Pope shrugged "We won't have to. We can nab it somewhere further in the country. Just gotta figure out how to stop the train."
"Right." Kie muttered.
"Leave that to me." JJ told us and i frowned "How you gonna do that?" Cleo questioned and he smirked "I got an uncle up in New Bern, right? When he got tipsy, he'd just throw an old chain across the tracks, just for shits and giggles." JJ said and I rolled my eyes.
"And that old little chain would stop all the train traffic in coastal Carolina." He added and Kiara frowned "A chain?" "He's actually right... There's a low-voltage current that runs across all rail tracks. Throw a chain on it, you close that circuit. It would read as another train. Crossing lights come down. Science is actually pretty sound." Pope said and I nodded.
"Science. I knew my science." JJ said and I scoffed "Well, we don't have a chain." Pope muttered and I had an idea. "No, but I bet Topper's dad has jumper cables in the truck. Wouldn't that work?" I asked and he smiled. "Yeah." He told me and I climbed down off the train to see Topper.
"What's going on? Are we doing this, or what?" Topper said and I rolled my eyes "We got a plan... Frankie, Robbie, and Julian you guys stay in the truck and don't come out, please." I told them and Frankie sighed "But I'm bored." She told me and I sighed "Here... play with my phone." I handed her my phone. "Isn't this illegal?" Robbie asked and I looked between them and I shrugged "Yes... but technically this item is Pope's family so it's fine." I told him and Julian frowned "Aren't we going to get in trouble? What if dad finds out?" He asked and I sighed.
"I told dad that we all were spending time with Sarah and the pogues because you guys wanted to and he went along with it." I told them and they all looked at each other. "But that's lying... you lied to daddy." Frankie said and I sighed "Sometimes you have to lie... to protect the ones you love." I told her and she looked unsure but soon enough she nodded and I sighed.
I closed the door then Sarah came over to us "Hey, Sarah." "Do you have jumper cables?" She asked and Topper scoffed "Here I am involved in illegal activities." I frowned then rolled my eyes. "Not that illegal." I muttered and handed Sarah the jumper cables to give to JJ.
"I'm not even close to being okay with this." Topper said and looked at the jumper cables then frowned "Jumper cables. What are we doing?" "Topper, if you don't wanna go, it's fine. We'll take the truck." Sarah told him and his eyes widened. "The truck?" He questioned and I nodded "Yeah..." "Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison... Liv, you have your siblings!" Topper said and JJ sighed "Uh, if it gets to that, yeah, I'll do it for Pope." JJ said grabbing the jumper cables and he looked at me "You coming?" He asked and I sighed "No, I need to be here with my siblings... Kie, you go." I told her and she frowned "You sure?" "Yeah, just go..." I told her and she nodded.