From the very beginning, it was always Kooks and Pogues.
Some people with everything, and some with nothing.
That's how it's always been. And that's how they wanna keep it.
Some people make the best of it. And some people fight against it.
The merchant gold was apart of that. For my father, my brother and me.
The treasure was our way out.
How the Pogues win. How we evened the scales.
But at some point, you kinda have to wonder....
Was the treasure an escape?
Or was it a trap?
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"Truth or dare?"
We have been stranded on this island for I'm pretty sure a month now, and let's just say, I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. Along with JJ.
Somehow it seems the island has made all of us come closer together, if that's even possible. JJ and I have spent countless nights, laying under the stars and thinking back to our conversation where this is exactly what he wanted. And honestly, it's perfect.
We've been eating coconuts and catching fish for a living, the others seem to be enjoying it but also wanna go home, JJ and I on the other hand, could stay here forever if we could.
And plus, we've spent many nights not sleeping.
Lets just say beach sex can get a little messy at times.
But we made it work.
Although, I think the thrill of being caught is also what makes it more fun.
"If you could do it all again, what would you do different?" Sarah asks my brother, throwing him the hat.
We were currently playing truth or dare and i can just see one of someone's dares is gonna be something dangerous, and that person is either gonna be John B, JJ or me.
"Get the gold out before Ward did." My brother answers.
"Amen on that one." I raise my coconut.
"Alright, Kie, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"If you could go home to your parents, on figure eight this instant. Would you do it?"
"No chance." Kie answers without hesitation.
"JJ, truth or dare."
"I mean do you even need to ask."
"Big jump, nobody's done it yet." She winks at him, while signally to the cliff behind him.
Honestly, this cliff is pretty big and JJ had been eyeing it off since we got here so there's no doubt in my mind he wont do it.
"Alright. But first. Lilah, truth or dare?" He turns to me smirking lightly.
Oh Dear. I know exactly where this is heading. But i never choose truth so here i go.
"Dare." I squeak out.
"Jump with me."
"I fucking knew you were gonna ask me that. Fine." I surrender while everyone cheers for us.
"Just don't die please, my only advice." JB tells me, before we walk up.
"Thank you JB, real good advice."
"You ready?" JJ asks me as we get to the top of the cliff.
"Shit, that's a decent jump." I manage to get out as I take a look over the edge.
It's a pretty high jump.
"She's big. But we can do it. I'll even hold your hand on the way down if your scared." He playfully smiles at me.
"Oh fuck off Maybank." I lightly shove him as he laughs at me. "I ain't scared but I guess I can hold your hand while going down."
"Good, cause I was grabbing it anyways." He tells me as he grabs ahold of my hand, interlocking our fingers. "Right we down?"
I take a quick look towards our group to see them all shouting at us and cheering us on which gives me the boost of confidence that I need.
"Yeah, let's do it." I smile, turning back to him as we start to run and jump.
It took me about 4 seconds in the air before we hit the water and the adrenaline rush I felt was insane.
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Fortunately I was having the best sleep of my life, wrapped up in JJ's arms until I was rudely awoken by Cleo and a loud whirring sound.
"Oh what the fuck?" I groan as JJ and I slowly open our eyes to see everyone already up and staring at the sky. "What are they doing?"
"I think its a plane." JJ whispers to me, giving me a look.
"Shit." I mumble as I watch JJ look sadly at the others who are waving their hands and screaming their lungs out hoping to be seen.
"He see's us, guys he see's us." Kiara states, watching the plane start to turn back around and head towards us.
"I'm sorry baby." I grab ahold of JJ's forearm as he turns to look at me.
"It was gonna happen at some point right?" He tells me bluntly, looking at the sand.
I'm not nearly as upset as JJ but, I honestly wouldn't have minded being here longer. This my crew and not having any family to go back too, it's paradise here. JJ and I couldn't want anything more. But we got to live our dream for a month so I guess we have to be grateful for the experience.
"He's gonna go to the pond. Lets go." JB tells us as we make our way there.
"Well, what we got here?" This man says as he hops off the plane, Instantly my eyes are drawn to Sarah, who doesn't look equally as excited as she was before. But instead staring intensely at him making me think somethings up with this guy and she recognizes him in some way.
"Hey, you ok?" I quietly question her.
"I don't know." She whispers.
"Think he works for your dad?"
"I sure hope not, but I don't have a very goo feeling about him."
"Well if you don't, then neither do i."
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"So what were you doing all the way out here?" JJ questions Jimmy once we're seated in the plane.
"I got a little guide outfit in Saint Vincent. I was spotting fish."
"What were you spotting?"
"You know the usual. Wahoo."
The more that this guy talks, the more I think of Sarah's words playing in my head. Maybe we shouldn't trust him.
And it's clear by the look on everyone else's faces and the way everyone's looking at each other, tells me their thinking the exact same thing.
And Sarah looks like she's going to throw up.
"Wahoo don't run in September. Ever, Alright. So whoever this man is, he's not a fisherman." JJ brings everyone in, as well placing a hand on my thigh.
"He's working for my dad." Sarah chimes in. "And he's probably been looking for us the entire time."
John B and JJ seem to come up with their own plane to find out who this guy really is. JB starts talking to Jimmy while JJ goes through his bag, while the rest of us sit in silence with our hearts racing, if JJ gets caught, we're screwed.
After a few moments, JJ pulls out a book and then it opens to a picture.
"This is the coastal venture, the ship we were on." Sarah shows us the picture.
"Oh shit."
"So he was looking for us."
"He's working for my dad."
"Guys whatever it is, it's happening fast, look. That looks like we're in Barbados."
"Ok here's the plan. There's six of us and one of him. You know my vote, we storm the cockpit." JJ pitches in.
"Who's gonna fly the plane dumbass?" JB questions him.
"I've seen Pope fly simulators."
"This is not the same thing."
So turn out we didn't go with any fighting, shocker i know. We went with the easier option and were going to wait till the plane landed and sneak off when we could. But something stops that entire plan when JJ goes to put his stuff back and Jimmy turns around. Wrong timing man. You had one job.
"Hey man, what the hell are you doing?" He shoves JJ back, sending everyone flying.
"Fly the plane!" everyone yells as he tries to continue tackling JJ for the book.
I don't think him turning to attempt to drive the plane worked. Cause we were now heading straight down for the water.
It wasn't a cruisy land either, it was quite painful to say the least.
And then, to make matters worse, the plane started to fill up and we were slowly sinking.
"Oh they don't look very friendly." JB states as he kicks the door down and see's a bunch of men on bikes coming onto the beach across from us.
"They look very unfriendly." Pope throws in as we all start to jump into the ocean one by one.
"Hang on!" Kiara yells before turning back.
"Kie no!" I yell before JJ yells.
"Get to the pier!"
The pier is then where we hid from everyone and lost Kie.
"Where is she?" I question.
"She went the other way." Sarah notices, watching as she drags out Jimmy from drowning.
"Fuck that girl can be too nice sometimes." I mumble an then shut up as I watch Kiara run behind some boats as a bunch of people on bikes continue searching for her.
We impatiently wait a couple of minutes before finding out that Kiara had been captured and thrown into a truck.
"Shit, we gotta go." JB tells us as everyone starts to swim.
"Come on, we'll get her back D." JJ reassures me. And by christ he better be right or I'm gonna have some serious issues with them.
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"Why would they wanna kidnap Kiara? It doesn't make any sense." Pope asks outloud.
"It's called bait." JJ tells him.
So crazy plan, we ended up at the doorstep of 101 cattle wash. The place Jimmy lives.
JB volunteers to open the window through the back and just as usual, we can't make it somewhere we're not supposed to be, quietly.
"JJ shush." I turn around to tell him but burst out with laughing when i see a crab attached to his finger, his waving his arms everywhere and spinning in a circle all at once. It was a fabulous sight to see.
The others weren't exactly laughing but i sure as hell was.
"Ok guys, we've searched everywhere, i don't think there's anyone here." I tell them as we all meet back up in his living room, after we searched his house high and low.
The boys then start taking about this burning boat picture hanging up and it's the ship that apparently captain Limbrey stole the cross from an the merchant gold.
However still no sign of Kiara.
And we're about to be in deep shit as Portis, AKA Jimmy, just arrived back.
"Do we run?" Sarah asks. Everyone stays silent not really sure what to do.
I swear we're always running.
Well no running and easier then expected, the guy that took Kiara is 'the Kingfish' and he is looking for all of us. No clue who he is. But thankfully for Pope he found the address to where Kiara was being held in Portis's bag.
Much love Pope.
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"Pope are you sure you got the right address?" JJ asks Pope as we walk down this insanely long road of grass and trees.
"I know you aren't talking to me about the right address."
"that's exactly what I'm asking."
"Ok lets just ask someone." Cleo butts in, and starts talking to a man that pulls up beside us. " You know where we can find Vaux Hall?"
"Everything you see is Vaux Hall."
"So who lives up there." Pope points to this massive house over a concrete wall.
"Carlos Singh. But take it from me, he's no one you want to get to know."
"Ok thank you."
"Is anyone else getting the vibe that, that's the exact place we should be looking?" I ask once the man has left.
"Even though we shouldn't? Yeah exactly the place." JB agrees with me.
"Well would you look at that, something my brother finally agree with me on." I smile at him.
"Oh shut up." He shoves me and we all start making our way over the giant concrete wall.
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"Ok there's an opening back here, once the guards are turned we sneak in." Cleo tells us. Honesty I'm not even questioning anything anymore I'm just folllowing along.
While the boys were to busy arguing, the seven of us immediately freeze when we hear a beeping noise.
"What was that?" Sarah asks as we all start to turn and look for where the beeping was still coming from.
"I don't know but i didn't like the sound of it." I answer.
"Hold on, i know that sound." JJ starts as he looks all over for it. "What is this?" He asks bringing back this walkie talkie looking thing.
"That's a game cam."
Instantly we start freaking out and don't know what to do, one is trying to pull it apart, one is trying to smash it and then one is trying to take out the batteries.
"Ok you got it? Do you think you got them out before it transmitted?" I ask Pope quietly, but my question was shortly answered by dogs barking.
"Dogs, dogs, we gotta go." John B rushes as we start making a run for it.
"Oh shit faster!"
Well didn't that sound very sexual.
"Quick Sarah grab my hand." I yell, JJ had helped me up it and John B was fine getting up by himself but us girls are a tad shorter then the boys so we need a bit of a boost.
"Oh sit doggy." i hear my brother trying to talk to one as we finally made it over the wall, trying to catch our breath.
"What are we gonna do about Kiara?" Sarah asks.
"We aren't leaving her in there." JJ breaths out.
"We'll need a better plan but we need to find a place to hide first." I tell her.