"Shut up. What?" John B questioned, stretching his already sore back.
"No way," Kie sighed, not believing the boy for a second.
"No, no, guys. I'm serious. There's a boat down there," Pope pointed at a spot in the water, the group standing up to see what he was looking at.
"What the fuck..." Devyn mumbled, in shock at the new discovery.
"Shit, he's right. Let's go," Kie said as everyone began to undress, leaving them just in their swimwear.
"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope questioned nervously as Devyn jumped in, finding the cool water comforting to her sweaty skin.
"Only one way to find out," Devyn chuckled, paddling next to JJ.
"Hey, pretty lady," JJ smiled, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Shut up," Devyn laughed, splashing him as John B, Kie, and Pope all got in the water. "Diver down," she mumbled as the group began to swim underwater toward the mysterious boat.
The saltwater in her eyes was a familiar but bearable sting, almost comforting in a way. She used her arms to propel her down, kicking her feet to aid her as well.
The boat was white and completely covered in seaweed on the top, an ominous glow surrounding it. It was hard to tell exactly what they were looking at while underwater, but they could all make out the fact that it was indeed a boat.
An expensive one at that.
"You guys saw that, right?" JJ asked incredulously as they broke to the surface.
The group mumbled out a string of 'yeah's as they shared looks of disbelief with one another.
"That's a Grady-White," JJ exclaimed as the boys all laughed in shock. "A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy," he said as they swam back to the boat, hoisting themselves onto the HMS Pogue.
"That's a primo rig," JJ spoke again, shaking his head to get the water out of his hair, reminding Devyn of a wet dog, yet the thought still brought a small smile to her lips.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge," John B said, staring at the sunken boat. "Maybe it hit the jetty or something."
"You surfed the surge?" Kie asked in disbelief, concerned for his safety above all else.
"That's my boy. Pogue style," JJ chuckled, high-fiving his friend.
"It was insane," Devyn shook her head, still unable to understand what they just found.
"Wait, you did too?" JJ asked the dark-haired girl, eyes wide in worry.
"Yeah, the waves were brutal," she muttered in response, grabbing a spare towel from Kie's bag to dry her body off.
"Wait, wait. Do we know whose boat that is?" Pope questioned, trying to figure out how the Grady-White went down and who it could possibly belong to.
"No, but we're about to find out," John B grinned as he opened a latch to find the boat's anchor.
"Dude, it's too deep," JJ shook his head, standing on the helm to get a better look at the sunken boat.
"Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ."
"Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front."
Devyn rolled her eyes as the two bickered back and forth, leaning against Pope as her back began to ache from hitting the sandbar.
"John B," Kie said seriously, the boy only chuckling in response.
"What?"
"Diver down, fool," Pope said as Devyn saluted him.
John B sighed, before taking a step backwards, "Diver down."
"Yeah, he is!" JJ said as he shoved John off the boat, the anchor quickly weighing him down.
"JJ!" Kiara yelled at the blonde, pushing him in anger.
"What! He's fine!" JJ exclaimed, his arm flailing in reference to John B.
"I am way too sober for this right now," Devyn sighed, rubbing her temples as she felt a head ache forming. She knelt down on the front of the boat, trying to find her friend underwater.
"Should we go get him?" Pope asked after a few moments, the teens beginning to get concerned at how long he was down.
John B came to surface, coughing aggressively from lack of air and water inhalation.
"Oh, my God. That took forever!" Kie yelled, mostly due to the nerves the entire situation caused her.
"Any dead bodies?" Pope asked, a little too much excitement in his voice.
"Looting potential?" JJ asked curiously.
"No. No, I found this motel key," John B said, handing it to Devyn as he swam to the side of the Pogue to hoist himself back in.
"A key?"
"Yes, a key Pope!"
"Great! We salvaged a motel key," JJ quipped, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Hey, better than nothing," Devyn shrugged, impressed with her friend's find.
"Guys, we should report the wreck to the Coast Guard," Kie told them, "maybe we'll get a finder's fee."
"Yeah, and not work all summer," JJ said hopefully as John B began to drive the boat out of the marsh. "Thanks Agatha, ya batch."
———
After an unsuccessful and rather frustrating conversation with Coast Guard, the five pogues stood outside of the office.
"Well, that went well."
"So, what's the plan?" Pope asked curiously, smacking Devyn's hand as she tried to take his hat, causing her to frown to herself.
"I think I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns the boat," John B grinned, jingling the motel key in his hand.
"No, no. We don't know whose room that is. It could be anyone," Pope said seriously, already hating the plan John B was concocting.
"I'm in," JJ said without hesitation, taking the key from John and tossing it to Kiara.
"Come on, I'll be lookout," Kie said as she caught it with ease.
"What's the harm?" Devyn shrugged, trying to make Pope feel better.
"Finder's fee, just sayin'," John B said as the group headed back to their boat, "And, hey, at least you'll only be an accomplice."
"Man," Pope grumbled, trailing behind John and Devyn begrudgingly.
"Come on, bubba."
——-
The group drove slow through the marsh on their way to the motel, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
JJ whistled before saying, "I thought the Chateau looked bad."
"This place is a shit show," John B grimaced as the grimy motel came into view.
"Motel or meth lab?" Kie questioned aloud, earning a few responses.
"You be the judge," Pope sighed as Devyn responded.
"Looks like a bit of both," the girl noted, tying her unruly hair into a low bun.
"Doesn't look like the typa' place somebody with a Grady-White stays," John B pointed out, steering the HMS Pogue into another small section of the marsh.
"No, it looks like the typa' place someone with a Grady-White would get killed," Pope quipped back.
"My thoughts exactly," Devyn mumbled, moving to stand in between John B and JJ.
"Alright, here we go," JJ said, ropes at the ready to secure them in place. "This is your captain speaking. HMS Pogue comin' in for landing. Whoo!" He whooped, hopping onto the grass as he tied them in their spot.
"Here goes nothin'," John B shrugged as he stepped onto the grass, looking at Devyn expectantly.
"I don't want to go in there," Devyn shuddered. The place was giving off vibes that she did not like one bit. "This looks like the type of place where sex trafficking happens."
"See!" Kiara exclaimed in agreement as Pope nodded his head.
"Come on, Dev," JJ pleaded with her, making a pouty face and puppy-dog eyes.
"Ugh! Fine!" She grumbled, clambering off the boat and onto the grass. "If I get murdered in there, I'm coming back to haunt all of you."
"I expect nothing less, my dear," JJ retorted, a childish grin splayed messily across his tan cheeks.
"Don't let them do anything stupid," Pope told her seriously, as JJ and John B both responded.
"Oh, we will."
"I'm not making promises."
"I'll try half of my best," Devyn sighed, as John turned toward Kiara.
"Be careful," she warned John B, who nodded at the shorter girl. "I mean it."
"Let's go."
"Why are all of these mattresses out?" John B questioned as the trio made their treck to the staircase.
"After a hurricane, they have to ditch 'em' cause they're moldy," JJ informed him.
"Hmm," Devyn mumbled. "Look at you, being all smart."
"Shut up," JJ groaned exaggeratedly as they finished climbing the stair case. He grabbed John B's shoulders, twisting him to face him. "Just be so careful, John," JJ said in a girlish voice, causing Devyn to giggle, already knowing where this was going.
"God, you're so weird," John B complained, shoving him off and moving next to Devyn instead.
"What was that about?"
"I don't know. Maybe she wants us to be careful," John B exclaimed, turning away from him once more.
"Since she heard you're being threatened with exile, she's just been like, 'Oh! Be so careful, John B!'" JJ moaned, beginning to squeeze him once again.
"Get off," John groaned, pushing him away as JJ found his new target. He rubbed Devyn's shoulders, startling her as he began to shake her.
"'Oh, give me that John D already'" He moaned as Devyn squirmed underneath him.
"You're disgusting!" She laughed as she ducked out of his grasp, jogging ahead of them to ensure that never happened again. Ever.
"I know, you love it. You love me," JJ said proudly, causing her to roll her eyes. "When are you gonna swoop on that man?"
"Bro, you know the rule. No Pogue-on-Pogue macking," John B reminded him with a glare, tossing the key to Devyn as she kept her distance from JJ. "Besides, you're the one who's always hitting on her."
JJ's blue orbs trailed over to Devyn as she leaned against the door to the motel, a bored look on her face as she waited for them to catch up.
"Of course I'm hitting on her," JJ scoffed, paying close attention to Devyn's reaction. "She's a super-hot, rich, hippie chick slumming with us. Why? I can't figure it out either, but who cares, bro? I know that door's locked because I tried it, have you?"
"You need help," John declared, waving his arm to make a point. "Not a little help, you need a lot of help. It's like every girl who has a heartbeat, you're like... 'Uhh!'"
"What?" JJ scoffed, shaking his head. He knew that was how he used to cope with his debilitating crush on Devyn; using other girls to forget about her. But it never worked so he eventually stopped, beginning to focus on the only girl that really mattered to him. "It's not a big deal."
Devyn rolled her eyes at his words as they caught up with her, stopping outside of the door that had the corresponding number to the key.
"That us?" John B asked her.
"Twenty-nine," she nodded, holding up the key.
JJ knocked on the door as Devyn moved aside. "Housekeeping," he sang in a high-pitched voice, causing the girl to chuckle.
"Come on," Devyn laughed, shaking her head as she unlocked the door, walking in first.
"No power, no security cameras, no one's gonna know," JJ reminded them, walking in after her.
The room was small and rather unexciting to look at. Two twin beds, a bag, desk, and bathroom. They were underwhelmed, to say the least, expecting to find something completely wild and outlandish.
"Huh, okay," John B sighed, as the they began to look around.
Devyn checked under the beds, finding nothing besides dust bunnies and food wrappers.
"A jacket," JJ announced as he rifled through one of the bags.
"Denim slides," John B's voice held a sheer layer of disgust.
"No name on the jacket," JJ said as he held it up to himself to compare the size. "It's a nice jacket though."
"Put it down, JJ," Devyn warned him as she went into the bathroom.
"Definitely over 50," John B quickly deduced, "He's got New Balances."
The only thing Devyn found in the bathroom was the toilet seat lid up, something she was unfortunately used to. She checked behind the shower curtain, almost expecting someone to jump out and stab her, her heart pounding in relief at the empty tiles she was met with.
JJ began to rifle through the stack of papers on the bedside table and the two boys looked at the map that was laid out.
Devyn sighed, disappointed with not finding anything in the bathroom, not that she really expected to anyway.
"Standard. Tissues for when you get lonely..." JJ spoke in an accent, making Devyn stifle a laugh.
"I'm sure you know all about that, J."
JJ thumped a hand over his chest as if he had just been shot as he entered the bathroom with her. "That one hurt. Bad. Like real bad," he said as John B snorted at her remark.
"Ooh," JJ cooed as he looked on the shelf above the toilet.
"Did you find anything?" John B asked as he opened the drawers to the small table.
"A really awesome Dopp kit you won't let me steal," he replied, snagging a deodorant into his pocket.
Devyn shook her head, reaching into his pocket and putting it back where he found it. "No stealing from shady Grady owner."
"Yes ma'am," he saluted her, continuing to inspect the bathroom as she walked out, flopping onto one of the beds as John B began to toy with the safe he discovered.
"One, one, one," he mumbled to himself, causing Devyn to roll her eyes.
After John's sixth attempt; one, one, one, six, she finally groaned, standing up and looking at the bedside table. A small white sticky note caught her eye as she turned back toward John.
"Try six-one-six-six-six," she suggested, doing her best to tune out JJ saying something about his cousin and swordfish that she couldn't bring herself to care about.
"Holy shit," John B mumbled as he opened the safe.
Devyn's eyes widened in shock at the stacks of cash and sleek black gun as she slid off the bed and crouched next to John B.
"JJ, come here," she told him, hazel eyes never leaving the thick green wads.
"Yes, my queen," JJ bounded over, mouth going slack in shock.
"You're gonna wanna see this," John said, holding one of the dozens of stacks of bills.
"Holy mother of God," JJ muttered, his wide eyes absorbing the sight in front of him as he instinctually grabbed the gun. "This is a SIG Sauer!"
"Put the gun back!" Devyn whisper-yelled, John B following suit.
"This is a fucking spendy gatt, man. Just...Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!" JJ squealed in excitement, shining his flashlight on the weapon as he pretended to fire at imaginary targets around the room.
"JJ, stop!" Devyn urged him, rubbing her temples once again. These boys would surely be the death of her.
"Hey, think about it!" John B exclaimed, trying to get him to stop fangirling over the gun. "We are not stealing anything."
"Just take a pic of me. Right here. Devyn get up, come on. We'll look like Harley Quinn and the Joker."
"You want me to take a picture of you?" John B asked in disbelief. "Make our own incriminating evidence. Is that what you're talking about?"
"Shh, shut up," Devyn mumbled, hearing a faint sound as she peaked through the blinds. Pope and Kie were frantically waving at them, mouthing something she couldn't quite decipher.
"Cops," John B muttered, opening the window frantically after peeking through the front shades. "Cops!"
Devyn climbed out of the window as fast as possible, the boys following her as JJ pressed up against her from behind in an attempt to flatten them to the wall. John B hopped onto the small metal roof, shutting the window quickly and pressing to the other side of the bricks just as the cops entered the room.
"Oh, my God," Devyn whispered, JJ shushing her in response. "Don't shush me! We're going to die!" JJ slapped a hand over her mouth, causing her to to latch her teeth into his pointer finger.
"Did you just bite me?" JJ scoffed.
"Shut up, both of you! We're not gonna die!" John B whisper-yelled at her across the roof.
Devyn pressed against JJ, trying to ease her nerves as she began to shake. She closed her eyes as John B peeked into the window, her nerves beginning to overwhelm her.
"It's fine, we're fine," JJ muttered as the two boys watched the encounter, shocked as Shoupe handed the female cop a wad of cash, talking about dipping his beak, sounding dirtier than intended to Devyn.
"I'm gonna throw up," Devyn muttered, squirming as she felt something poke her back. "JJ! That better not be what I think it is!"
"Nope, yeah, no, sorry, it's the gun," he said frantically, trying to adjust his position, consequently causing the gun to clatter onto the roof noisily.
The three held their breath as Shoupe opened the blinds, looking out for what seemed like eternity, JJ smashing her against the brick.
"All right. Let's go," Shoupe finally said, the words allowing Devyn to breathe again.
"I could fucking kill you two right now."
———