Harley, JJ, Pope and Kie were scattered around outside. Kiara had been acting as an assistant to Pope who was testing the winch system for the well. Harley was sitting on the swing opposite JJ who had his feet dipped in the cold hot-tub.
Last night, all four had stayed at the Chateau so they'd be there when John B came back from his fishing trip.
Harley and JJ had told Kie and Pope about their relationship in the morning over breakfast. They were not surprised in the slightest, making comments like, 'About time'. They were happy for the pair. Pope was ecstatic honestly.
"John B pullin' a Houdini," JJ spoke.
Pope's gaze travelled to Harley. "Yeah, where is he?"
Harley shrugged, only knowing as much as they did. He would have been off early in the morning, so she supposed he'd be back by now. "Maybe swapping spit with Sarah."
"I've got my scholarship interview tomorrow morning. We gotta get this done."
Movement by Kiara captured Harley's attention. "Speak of the devil. There's our chief commander."
"Hey. Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything."
Harley rolled her eyes at JJ's lie and snickered as Pope verbalised his dissent. She hopped off the swing and skipped after John B who was making a beeline for the Chateau. He clearly had something on his mind. It kind of reminded her of when she had come marching by after Rafe had drowned her.
"Hey, JB! Are you okay?" John B didn't answer Harley, he stormed through the door without so much as a glance. Harley peered back over her shoulder quizzically, but everyone else looked just as lost.
They all scurried inside to see their mute friend rummaging through cupboards, draws and the couch seats.
Pope walked up behind John B. "You all right, man? What- what's up?"
Nothing.
"What are you looking for?" Kiara asked.
John B rushed over to the right side of the drawn out sofa bed and dug behind the pillows. It took a second before he brandished JJ's gun.
"Woah!" Harley's eyes grew in shock and worry. "What do you need that for?"
She felt JJ stepped up behind her then in front of her.
"John B! What do you need the gun for, man? Talk to us."
John B responded physically and threw JJ aside onto the makeshift bed. Harley backed up in surprise and stumbled when her brother brushed by.
Everyone started yelling for John B to chill out and talk to them, but he was like a man possessed. He moved swiftly knowing exactly where he was going and it was scaring everyone.
"What are you JJ, now?" Pope stood in John B's way but got shoved aside.
Harley raced after John B, taking the steps outside two at a time.
"John B, wait a second. What are you doing? What's going on?" Harley caught his arm before he could get on JJ's dirt bike. "Talk to me."
"What, like you always talk to me?" he sneered and shook his arm free.
John B looked angry. No, he looked livid. He was pissed and all of his rage burned in his eyes and directed itself towards her.
She didn't understand what he meant with his comment, but tried to push past it.
"Something is wrong. What happened?"
By now the others had caught up.
"Ward knows about the gold." Gears started spinning in Harley's mind with so many question. All of that came to a grinding halt at John B's next words. "He killed my dad."
Harley felt like she had been sucker punched. Tears pooled in an instant, her heart beginning to ache. No way she had lost another parent. "Wh- what? Ward k-killed. Ward killed our dad?"
"No." John B got in Harley's face. "He killed my dad."
"John B," there was warning laced in JJ's tone.
Harley whimpered with glassy eyes. The aching in her heart intensified to a stabbing sensation. She really wanted JJ beside her.
"He was my dad, too."
"No he wasn't. You're not actually family. You're a castaway we let stay too long. If it wasn't for you and your shit then I would have realised something was wrong with my dad sooner and gone looking for him. He would be alive, right now."
Guilt stirred in Harley's stomach making her feel nauseous.
"John B, stop!" Kie cried. "We know it's a shock and it hurts, but you're saying stuff you don't mean."
John B wasn't listening, he just kept going. "If you were my family you wouldn't have hidden shit from me the way you did. You wouldn't have been getting with your brother's best friend!"
The whole area went silent. Crickets stopped clicking in the grass and birds had gotten quiet in one fell swoop.
"Yeah. I know." John B's voice dropped, "You and JJ are shit at secrets."
JJ stepped forward. "Look, dude..."
"Save it, JJ."
"I wanted to tell you. I was going to. But, then JJ and I fell out at Midsummer's and we stopped." Harley took wobbly steps toward John B. She needed him to know that she didn't mean to hurt him and that they were family. They had gone through too much not to be. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, okay? B-but, but you're my brother. You are. I-I only have you. And you've got me."
John B pushed Harley's outstretched hands away and got onto JJ's bike. "I don't want you. I want my dad."
Dust kicked up into the air as John B left his friends behind.
Nothing anybody said truly registered for Harley after that. Learning that Big John had been murdered by Ward shook her to her core, because Ward had been there the second Big John had gone missing. He had given John B a job and supported Harley despite her breakup with Rafe. Now it was clear that Ward Cameron was a very bad person, and Rafe had turned out the same. Ward was an evil man and it worried her what he would do now. If you were capable of murder, you were capable of anything.
JJ circled his arms around Harley and pressed his lips to the back of her head. She felt comforted, but she didn't feel better.
"He didn't mean that."
"I think he did."
JJ turned her around. His lips found her forehead before his eyes found hers. "He didn't. John B's in shock. We all are. He's angry. But, when he cools off, he's going to come find you and he's going to apologise. You're not gonna give in easily, but you two will be okay. He's literally loved having you as a little sister."
Harley remembered how ecstatic John B had been when her adoption certification came in the post. That day had been the best day of her life. "I've loved being his sister."
Even if John B came back and told her he didn't mean anything he said, it didn't change the fact Big John was dead. It had been an open wound that never healed because of denial. JB refused to believe his dad was dead, so Harley refused to believe it too. Now she knew they were deluded to think he'd come marching through the Chateau door like nothing ever happened.
Harley bit down on her wobbling lip to stop her cries, but it didn't stop the tears that fell. She buried her face in JJ's chest and clung onto him tightly as she cried quietly.
Today was going yo be a shit day, just like yesterday.
⚓️
Despite looking and feeling horrible, Harley had joined the Pogues to look for John B. Even though he had hurt her deeply, she didn't want him to go to jail for shooting Ward or for the older man to hurt John B. He was still family in her eyes, although she felt silly for thinking that way.
There were no signs of John B anywhere across the island. He had truly pulled a Houdini and he'd done it dangerously well. The group couldn't stop him from doing something stupid if they had no clue where he was.
The Pogues filtered out of Harley's car and stared at the empty Chateau.
"We should all go home. Ward isn't dead, we've seen him. John B doesn't want to be found. There's nothing else we can do." Pope explained.
Kiara scrunched up her face and shot Pope a look. "What? What are you even saying?"
"I have the biggest, most important interview of my life in less than six hours."
"Yeah, well our friend is in trouble."
Harley and JJ glanced at each other. Harley was so tired and all cried out. A sad, raw shade of pink swept around her eyes, where she'd rubbed at them continously.
"I'm in trouble. Guys I haven't been home in three days. My dad has probably put all my shit in the street by now."
Pope was right. Heyward was definitely going to be pissed. "I'm sorry, Pope." Harley spoke up for the first time in hours. "You should go home. You can tell your dad it was my fault. Make up some lie and I'll reference it when I see him." She hoped the fact Heyward liked her the most would be of some help in this situation.
Pope breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"What? No." Kiara intervened. "In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?"
"Okay. Guys can we not do this right now?" JJ held onto Harley's hand.
"I have a scholarship interview in the morning. Harley seems to be the only one that gets that. This is important to me."
"What about John B?" Kie raised her voice.
"Why is it always about John B?"
The weird quiet that followed made Harley's headache. She used to think Kiara and John B were a thing until she had been told otherwise. Then, she assumed they would become a thing, until she realised Pope has a crush on Kiara. Maybe Kie did have some form of romantic feelings for John B. But she had turned down his kiss. It was all confusing.
"It's not always about John B." Kiara didn't sound believable. "You're so stupid! It would be any of you guys in this situation."
"Oh, bullshit."
"This is about friendship! This is about Pogues for life."
"What about forensic pathology? It's my life. Everything I've worked for."
"That's your priority?"
"Guys!" JJ began to complain. "Bring it down."
Things were getting out of hand. Pope and Kie were yelling louder than the nighttime chorus of creatures. Kie sounded like she wanted to cry and Pope was obviously distressed.
The argument was stupid, honestly. Of course, Pope needed to worry about his interview, he had worked extra hard this year, even with tutoring Harley. She knew how much this meant to him. Whenever he'd talk about it with her, his eyes would light up like gold and he'd smile so brightly. Pope deserved this good thing. John B could be dealt with tomorrow when the moon wasn't hanging at it's highest.
"Will you stop with the moral high ground bullshit."
"Pope, come on." JJ sighed. Harley squeezed his hand not liking where this was going.
"No. No. She has no room to talk. Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there. You weren't there for John B or Harley. You weren't there for any of us. All of that shit with Rafe and Harley, you weren't there for the aftermath. You cam back after the most difficult parts."
Harley winced. Pope wasn't wrong, but he didn't have to use it against Kiara right now. They were supposed to be a team. A family.
"Remember your Kook year? Yeah. You forgot about us. Now you feel guilty."
"Give me a break." Kie pushed Pope. He pushed back.
They started scuffling and that's when JJ stepped in between them. "If I'm mediating we've hit Rick bottom."
"We should call it a night," Harley mumbled. "I'll drop you all home. And you can tell us about how amazing your interview went tomorrow afternoon, Pope. We're all rooting for you."
Nobody argued, not even Kiara.
The drive back was quiet, yet so incredibly loud in Harley's mind. The Pogues were lucky they had gotten home safely, because Harley didn't recall making stops or most of the drive. She didn't know how her and JJ made it back to the Chateau in one piece.
Harley was glad JJ agreed to stay at the Chateau for the foreseeable. It meant he'd be away from his frightening, abusive father, and it meant she could turn to him for comfort right now.
She took the hand he offered when they got out of the car and she hadn't let go since.
They both slipped into one of the few t-shirts JJ kept stashed in Harley's room and got situated under the covers. She lay tucked into JJ's side, enveloped in his arms whilst she breathed in his scent. He smelt like one of John B's body sprays and cars. He always smelt like cars and it put her at ease, that or weed.
"Everything's going to be alright. We'll work it all out tomorrow." JJ peppered feather light kisses on Harley's forehead and pulled her in closer. "Get some sleep for now."
She couldn't sleep. She didn't believe anything would be okay. Her mind wouldn't stop spewing the worst and it left her awake.
A half hour or a few hours could have passed when the front door to the Chateau opened. JJ stirred, clutching onto Harley's waist ans mumbling her name before rolling onto his other side.
Harley sat up and listened to the light footsteps.
"Kiara. Pope." John B called out. "JJ... Harls."
Footsteps grew. The creak of John B's bedroom door sounded.
Against her own judgement, Harley left her room and stopped outside JB's. She didn't want to speak with John B anytime soon, but she also didn't want him to be alone right now. He had been unnecessarily cruel to her, but she didn't have to do the same to him.
So, Harley went and sat beside John B and let him cry on her shoulder. He had a photograph of Big John smiling at the camera clutched tightly in his hand. She missed his smile so much. She missed the small pep talks he would give her when he saw her struggling with her new environment. She missed sitting at the table with him, listening to him explain boat terminology and the Royal Merchant. Most of all, she missed seeing his kind eyes and his warm hugs.
Big John had been the best father she could have asked to have after her accident.
⚓️
The Pogues sat out on the dock bathed in the cool sunlight of the morning. John B lay across the edge by the water, Harley sat the furthest away. Sarah wasn't with them. Of course the Kook princess wouldn't believe her own father murdered hers and John B's. Ward was a loving, caring dad who would give her the world if she asked. Why on Earth would she believe her five minute boyfriend and band of Pogues? She wouldn't.
They were all wallowing in self pity, a pathetic sight really, made comical by the card and gift bag rested beside Harley. Not only was Big John gone forever, Ward had also swiped the gold right from under the Pogues last night.
"It's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit," John B grumbled while he slid off his cast. He threw it aside with their dashed hopes.
"John B."
"What, Kie? It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?"
"You should care. Your arm's gonna be messed up for life."
Harley thought about commenting but decided not to. She hadn't actually spoken to John B since he yelled at her, and he was being short with JJ.
"Guys!" Harley startled at Pope's shouting. He came racing down the boardwalk, jacket in hand. He was drenched in sweat, so Harley wondered if he had run all the way here. She would have picked him up if he asked. "Guys!"
Harley jumped up, pushing aside her lethargic state. She wanted to be high energy for Pope as he told them about his interview.
"How did it go?" She called. "Should I be popping one of the bottles left from JJ's hot tub party?"
"Oh! Oh, God. I ran all the way here." Pope groaned out as he doubled over to catch his breath.
"Were you that eager to tell us the good news?" Harley was bouncing on the balls of her feet ready to give her gift to Pope.
"Yeah. How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asked. Harley shot him a look to tell him to pick up his energy. "Will I be lighting a bonfire tonight?"
Harley smiled and nodded. Maybe a little party for Pope would do the group soke good.
"Don't ask." Pope stood up disregarding the questioning states from all. "JB. Look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything. But I don't have a lot of time. And - and I have information that is tactically relevant."
"Tactically, to what?" Harley stood puzzled. Did the interview go bad?
"Before my interview, my dad was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for the Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off?" The others began to sit to attention. "What could be so heavy to weigh it down?"
"Gold," JJ answered.
"Oh. I thought we were still asking rhetoricals." Harley mumbled.
"Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go."
A Cheshire grin spread across John B's face. "We're gonna steal that shit back."
No one knew how, but no one cared. This was the slither of golden hope they needed. They all rushed to get in the Twinkie before John B pulled away like a maniac and sped to the airstrip.
Harley sat pressed to JJ's side, one hand clasped onto JJ's and the other hanging onto Pope's gift. Her eyes had been glued to the back of John B's head, lost in her murky thoughts. There was a lot going on around them, but she pondered on whether he would speak to her when he got the chance. If he really wanted to, then he would have said something when they were sat on the dock, right? Or last night when she had silently sat with him as he released a tiny boat, ablaze with a photograph of Big John, out into the water.
Vikings did that. They mourned their dead by laying them to rest on wooden boats and engulfing them in the warm hands of flames. The Pogues weren't vikings, but if John B wanted to grieve his dad in that way with Harley by his side and no spoken words, then she had been happy to do that.
"Have you two spoken at all?"
"No."
"Not even when you disappeared last night?"
Harley shook her head. "I know you said he needed time to cool off, but I do think he meant what he said." Her eyes fell from JB as her throat clogged up making it hard to talk.
"He'll come to his senses."
She didn't think so, but she appreciated JJ trying to cheer her up so she smiled for him.
"Anyway," she cleared her throat. "Do you think I should still give Pope his present? Or should I give it to him another time with a different reason?"
"I don't think he really cares about a present, right now. Plus, it doesn't exactly sound like his interview went well." JJ answered. His thumb smoothed over the soft skin on the back of her hand repeatedly. "We're about to get our 400 mil back. You don't have to care about the gift either."
"But, I do." There wasn't much to be happy about at the moment, and this small thing for Pope had been a highlight for her. She had taken her time to pick out something he would like. It wasn't expensive, she couldn't afford it, but she had hoped he would like it. She had wanted to see his eyes light up when he opened it and for his grin to match hers. It was a gift to say show she was proud of him no matter what, and to thank him for all his help over the year. "I could say it's for all his help tutoring me. I wasn't failing everything by the end of the school year."
Harley hoped JJ understood that this gift was really important to her. She wanted to see her friend happy and it was taking her mind off the loss of her dad.
JJ squeezed Harley's hand and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I think that's a good idea, Harls. Pope would love that."
Harley breathed out a sigh and nodded. A soft smile settled on her lips. She wanted JJ to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her properly, however she knew that could rile John B up again so she settled with subtly sinking back into his side.
Pope was up front with John B. And Kie was in the back with the couple.
"So, what's the plan?" Kie questioned.
Without a second thought, JJ pulled the gun he had loaded, when they got into the Twinkie, from his side. "We go in there, guns a-blazin'. Make Ward Cameron beg for mercy. abscond with as much gold as possible and vamonos, get the hell out of there."
Everyone nodded. It was a slap-dash plan, but it was all they had.
"Send that ship right down the Intracoastal. Wait for the weather." John B added.
"Exit to Cuba," Pope finished.
JJ grimaced. "Cuba?" Harley wanted to laugh. There was no way JJ was going to Cuba, when Yucatan was right there. "No, man. Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money."
That all sounded good to Harley. Lobster over crab any day. Yet, something wasn't sitting right with her. Ward seemed to be able to get away with everything. He killed Big John. He attacked John B and manipulated his daughter into leaving him. Ward got the gold. And now he was about to escape whoever Mr Wayne was. She couldn't figure a way they'd get the gold back, even with their gun. And that thought was almost solidified when they pulled up to the wire fence around the air strip to see lots of men loading crates onto a plane.
Harley's fingers wrapped through the chain link as they all surveyed the area. "What now?"
Pope had binoculars and could see the crates dwindling. He passed them to John B, the same second the horn of a car sounded.
"Who was that?" Harley asked as she squinted into the distance. "Don't we have another pair of binoculars?" She stepped back toward the Twinkie to find a pair. She remembered using a pair once while Kie had a hold of another. They had been surveying the waters for anymore trapped turtles.
"It's Ward."
"Kie wasn't there a green pair?" Harley called out as she rummaged through the back. She felt like the group were going to have to split up to have any chance of getting to the gold. They may need another pair of binoculars or a weapon. JJ had his gun, she was sure there was a wrench or something in the break-down kit she had forced John B to put in the van.
She hopped in and went for the yellow, metal box. The Twinkie could be temperamental, so this box was handy to have.
"Maybe I should just get a gun, too. And match JJ," Harley muttered. Her hand hovered over the Stanley knife. The idea of accidentally stabbing someone who came at her deterred her from choosing the item. Instead, she grabbed for a wrench ready to twist around when the driver door opened and slammed shut.
John B had flung himself into the Twinkie and was starting up the engine.
Harley questioned his actions, not expecting a response. "What are you doing?"
John B looked frantic and flushed. His jaw was clenched and his eyes begging for something, she didn't know what. Had she missed something?
Shouting erupted from the others. Harley peered at them speeding over. The Twinkie jerked before it peeled away. The back door slid forward then shot back. Harley stumbled forward into the back seats, then tumbled sideways and hit her head on the side.
"John B!" She yelled.
The Twinkie had flattened one section of the chain-link fence and had swerved onto the smooth surface of the runway.
"Holy hell! John B, what are you doing?"
"Saving Sarah."
When the hell did Sarah get here? A spiderweb of cracks fissured over the windshield. Harley could just make out the white and blue plane speeding up ahead of them. The loud vibrations from the propellers began to drown out her erratic heart beat. John B had lost his mind.
"What do you think you're gonna do? That's a giant freaking plane, dude. We're in a beat up Volkswagen."
"This." The Twinkie accelerated and Harley had to grab onto the chair to keep upright. Harley's frown deepened to a scowl of panic. Sure the Twinkie could pick up a decent speed, but would it accelerate fast enough for the suicidal move she could already see John B calculating.
Ward had killed their dad and now he was about to kill the Routledge kids by crushing them with a gold filled plane.
The Twinkie edged ahead and put some distance between the Cameron plane. John B's hand hovered by the handbrake.
"John B," Harley's voice held warning.
He yanked on the brake and swung his body with the wheel to drift the van to a halt. A halt right in the path of the plane.
"John B!" Harley's eyes grew. Her heart hammered with fear. She lunged and shook her brother, but he wasn't budging an neither was their van. "John B! Move the van. Move the freaking van."
They were going to die. John B seemed ready enough to die for his girlfriend, Harley not so much. Not like she had a choice, she couldn't leave him here.
The plane didn't look to be stopping.
"We need to get out!" She tried pulling on John B's arm. He stayed still bracing for impact. This kid was insane and so was Harley as she scrunched herself bracing for pain.
A loud screeching sound followed. Then nothing. No impact. No loud crash. No pain.
Harley opened one eye. The tip of the aircraft barley hovered above the front of the Twinkie. Ward Cameron had stopped the plane. He hadn't killed them.
"You're fucking crazy, John B. What the hell," she cussed. "We could have died."
The shaggy haired brunette glanced back at her briefly, before he shot out screaming Sarah's name.
"Gee thanks for the concern." Harley grumbled and slid out of the back. Her eyes found Ward immediately and she gulped. This was the first time she had seen him since finding out he was a murderer. A murderer who killed her second shot at a father.
She gulped, although her eyes burned with pure hatred. Ward was a sick psycho who needed locking up.
Sarah came dashing towards John B.
"Hey. Hey." Ward tried to grab his daughter back. Surprisingly, Harley instinctively help pull the blonde away from her dad. "Get back here."
Ward tried again, but the trio of teens took a step back.
"Don't touch me. And don't tell me what to do."
"Back off," Harley hissed.
"Woah. Harley. Not you, too." He flung a hand in her brother's direction. "You believe his lies, too? It's me - I've been there to help you guys."
Sirens wailed in the background. "You're a liar and a killer." Harley spat. "You need to be locked up."
Ward's chilling blue eyes narrowed, albeit the amused scoff he let out. His eyes traced over her in a new way, as if he was truly recognising her or finally seeing something in her. It made her squirm. "You think this changes anything?" He peered back at the police cruiser drawing close.
"You gotta get outta here. You both have to go." Sarah shook John B to awaken his focus and looked at Harley with pleading eyes. Harley didn't get why.
"Oh, thank God you're here." Ward sighed in relief as he spoke to Sheriff Peterkin. "Susan, I told you he lost his goddamn mind."
"Put your hands on your head."
Ward smirked back at the John B. "I'd do what she said, kid."
The Sheriff drew her gun and pointed it to Ward's back. A stern expression hardened her features.
"She's talking to you, Ward." John B jutted his chin. Wards smile dropped as he spun around.
"You're under arrest for the murder of Big John Routledge."
Harley inhaled through her nose.
Ward didn't like what he was hearing. He shouted his dissent, but at the end of the day he had a gun pointed at him. He was actually going to go to prison for what he did. Harley couldn't believe it.
Ward's hands raised and locked behind his head. He slowly turned to face the teens per Peterkin's demand. Angry, astounded eyes stared dead passed then as he lowered to his knees. Sheriff Peterkin edged forward and cuffed his hand.
In a last ditch attempt, Ward resisted. The Sheriff pushed him forward and pulled her gun again. She aimed for his body.
A gun shot pierced the air.
Harley recoiled. Her hands went towards her head as she looked around fearfully. Ward wasn't bleeding. He hadn't cried out or made a noise. He hadn't been shot. Harley herself hadn't been harmed nor had John B or Sarah; the gun hadn't been trained on them.
Worry bloomed in Harley's chest and sprouted up to block her airway. She choked out a whimper as she spotted the blossoming crimson colour over the front of Sheriff Peterkin's uniform. The woman's bottom lip trembled and her locked out arms faltered. Harley could see the pain flare in her eyes which made her shriek.
Susan Peterkin fell to her knees and crumpled onto her back.
Rafe appeared by the tail of the plane, a silver gun in hand. He looked almost bewildered by the scene, as if he didn't know what was happening. He knew. He had shot the Sheriff.
"Rafe?" Harley murmured in shock. "What did you do?"
Ward parroted her words, staring at his son.
Harley stepped toward Peterkin wanting to help, but not knowing what to do. Her head was spinning.
"I saved you dad."
Harley hiccuped a cry and crouched by the officer who had helped her since she had washed up on the island. Was she going to die? She couldn't. She needed to stay alive. She was the only cop who cared.
The blood felt warm against Harley's hand. she wanted to cringe away and gag, but she knew she needed to apply pressure. That's what they did in the movies.
John B raced forward. He replaced Harley's hands with his bandanna as he muttered countless apologies to Susan.
"Call." Her breaths were ragged. "Call for help."
Her radio was attached to the pocket of her shirt. Harley grabbed a hold of it ready to sputter out some sequence of words to get some help. If they called it in now, she would be alright.
"Hey!" Rafe barked. His gun landed on Harley and John B, his eyes flittering between the two. He looked less unsure with the gun aimed on Harley than he did when it was aimed at his sister.
"We have to call for help. She needs help." Tears were blurring Harley's vision.
"GIve me the radio, Harley." Ward reached out. "Give it to me. Rafe is going to put the gun down and you're going to hand that over."
Ward had to coax it out of her trembling, bloody hands. His eyes were soft as he stared at the teen, almost father-like.
"You have to call," Harley begged. She couldn't stand the sound of Susan's laboured breathing. It sounded like she was dying, like there wasn't enough air going to her lungs. She wasn't sure a YouTube video would help like it did for her.
Ward wasn't listening. His focus was on his maniacal son still waving a gun around. "Rafe, I've got it. Calm down. Put the gun down. Harley gave it to me."
Peterkin groaned and tried to shift. "Run." She kept gasping out.
"We're not leaving you," John B shook his head.
"Run."
Harley looked up to John B and shook her head. They couldn't leave her, she knew Ward wouldn't call for help. There was no way. If he called for backup and Peterkin lived, then Rafe would be in trouble. Ward didn't hate his son, he had always done everything for him. He protected his family.
John B got up slowly. His eyes imploring that Harley followed. Sarah was at his side in a second begging for the siblings to get out of there. John B held out his hand. To her he was holding out an olive branch. He wouldn't care about her safety if he didn't still care, if there wasn't a chance he still felt like her older brother. Unless he only saw it as the right thing to do.
"Harley." Sarah cried quietly.
Harley snapped back to the moment. She withdrew her hands from Peterkin, guilt marring her face and regret pooling in her eyes. Ward was still trying to diffuse Rafe.
"I'm really, really sorry. Thank you for everything you've done for me." Harley whispered. She got up and reached for John B.
"Rafe no!" Ward yelled.
Sarah screamed and pushed Harley and John B away trying to block her brother. John B pulled Harley around the front of the plane and began to run. Harley gritted her teeth as she sprinted a couple steps back from John B. Firing gunshots were enough to stamp out any qualms she had about running.
She willed herself to pick up the pace until she couldn't breathe in with ease. Her converses pounded over the hard dirt and tracked her across the yellow grass. She kept her eyes on John B. They were headed for the trees.
One more shot. It took one more shot for Harley's legs to stutter. A pained cry choked her. Pain shot up her left leg and reverberated through the rest of her body. Her legs gave out. Her hands and knees hit the floor hard.
Blood poured from her left thigh. One of Rafe's wayward bullets had hit her. Harley's mind clouded with agony, her trembling hands hovered around the wound. She couldn't hold back her cries anymore. Tears had long blurred her vision as she sobbed.
"Harley!" John B's voice yelled. "Harley!"
A shadow draped over Harley. A figure blocked the sun before crouching in front of her. Panicky blue eyes bored into hers. A clammy hand cupped her cheek, whilst another danced around the blood oozing from her leg. Harley paled at the sight of her leg.
"Hey. Hey. Hey," Rafe cooed. The pad of his thumb wiped at the tears over Harley's cheek. "Why did you run away?"
Harley hiccuped a sob. "You shot me." Harley bit down terribly hard on her lip.
"I know. I know. I didn't mean to. You shouldn't have ran." Rafe's hand smeared blood as he tried to get a better look, despite Harley's whining protests. "You're okay. I barely hit you."
It didn't feel like that. Harley's thigh felt numb and the surrounding area felt like needles were pushed into her flesh at the slightest touch. Her chest felt too tight and now she felt light headed.
"You shot Sheriff Peterkin."
"For my dad. I had to save my dad. Now you see that I protect my family. The people I care about." Rafe's hand slid to the back of Harley's neck, sending shivers down her spine. His grip tightened to fight her squirming, and kissed her tears away. "I can protect you. Now... we have to go."
"Wh-what?" Harley could hardly protest before Rafe had scooped her up and dangled her over his shoulder. "Rafe! Please. Please, let me go. Please. I don't want to go with you."
"I need to check you over properly."
"I need a hospital," Harley spat. She slammed her fists into his back but he wouldn't budge. She had to switch to clenching her fists over and over to stay as alert as possible.
"Rafe! Shit, Rafe." Ward cursed as his eyes landed on Harley's leg and the blood staining Rafe's salmon polo shirt. "Get them both out of here. Take them both. Check over Harley. You tell me if I need to send someone, okay? Hey! Focus on me! Tell Rose if Harley needs to be seen to, alright?"
"Okay. Yes."
Sarah's terrified shrieks, and Ward's yelling were all Harley could hear, even when Rafe slammed the the truck doors shut. And still, even though Sarah had clamped her mouth shut. Harley was stuck in the horrific events of the day and she couldn't escape, not with Rafe so close.