chapter 26
"we go in there, guns a-blazin', rescue india and make ward cameron beg for mercy" jj calls out as he loads his gun with bullets. "abscond with as much gold as possible and vamonos, get the hell out of here."
"send that shit down the intracoastal" john b pitches in.
"wait for weather" kiara pitches in.
"exit fo cuba" pope finishes.
jj looks up at him, a scowl on his face.
"cuba? nah man. i'll drop y'all off on yucatan and then india and me are going to italy" he tells pope.
kiara frowns. "italy? why italy? i didn't think you'd be the type to go overseas"
jj shrugs "i didn't think so either, but it's india's dream and where india goes i'll follow"
john b aw's, turning to look at jj as he continues to drive.
"jj's in love, oh my god" he sighs out dramatically.
"shut up. you'd do the same for sarah" jj snarks back.
___
india sits on the back seat of the car, watching out of the window in silence as ward drives to the airport, sarah cameron on the passenger's seat.
"you excited for the bahamas?" ward asks, looking at the rearview mirror at india.
india shrugs. "i like it here a lot. my friends are here, but yeah, maybe it'll be fun" she replies quietly.
ward chuckles.
something about the way ward acted towards india made her hairs on the back of her neck stand. he looked at her as if she knew too much, and that was because she probably did.
"dad, i don't understand why we need to go to the bahamas. india and i are fine here" sarah tells her dad after a moment, turning to him.
india stays silent, watching the interaction from the back seat. she silently wished that sarah could be enough to convince her dad not to put them on a plane to the bahamas.
"i think i-- i really need to talk to john b" she stutters out.
ward shakes his head. "sweetheart, i told you, he's not himself right now, all right?" he looks at the rearview mirror "and india, i got the word that you're dating a pogue as well. they're bad influences and bad people." he sighs.
"now, this isn't forever. it's just until they're able to find him and get him the help he needs" he says, turning to sarah. "trust me, alright"
india closes her eyes in frustration as she sees that sarah's attempts to keep them from going to the bahamas are useless.
no one talks for the rest of the ride.
___
jj grabs the fence in front of him, watching as workers pile boxes into the plane, one after the other.
"what's the plan? broad strokes" kiara calls out, looking at the team.
"i don't think we got that far" john b mumbles as the team leans on the fence to get a better look at what's going on.
"they're loading up the gold" pope notes as he watches the plane with his binoculars.
the group watches as a range rover pulls in beside the plane.
"there's ward" john b notes.
india looks at the plane as the car comes to a stop, her eyebrows scrunching as she overhears the conversation that ward is having.
"we're gonna need more space on the runway if you want to take off. this stuff is too heavy" a worker tells ward.
india frowns as she exits the car, standing beside sarah.
jj watches from the distance, watching as india steps out of the car. john b watches as well, letting out a sigh as he watches the girls through his binoculars.
"what?" kiara asks, turning to john b.
"it's sarah and india" he replies.
"do you think they know about the gold?" pope asks, turning to the team.
jj shakes his head. "sarah, maybe, but india no way. you should have seen her before i left she didn't want to go. there was no way that she could have known"
john b turns to him. "her parents are business partners, and i really like india, but are you sure, jj?" he asks.
jj nods frantically. "yeah, dude. i'm a hundred percent sure. india would never do that to us" he tells them.
there's a moment of silence, and the crew turns from looking to jj to looking at the plane.
"hey, sarah, do you know what's inside of those crates?" india asks, motioning to the crates that the workers are putting inside the plane.
sarah purses her lips, shaking her head. "no idea" she turns to ward "hey dad, what's in the boxes?" she asks, walking closer.
"uh, just some, uh... decorative marble pieces that rose found" ward lies, turning to face the girls.
india turns to one of the workers.
"hey, do you know what's in the boxes?" she asks. the worker turns to look at her, about to respond when ward intervenes.
"hey, no need to ask questions" he leads the girl to the plane, grabbing sarah's arm on one hand and india's shoulder with the other.
"you girls just get in the plane" he instructs.
india pulls back from him, taking a step back as everything starts to click in. the gold, the plane being too heavy, the bahamas. her parents. beside her, sarah also pulls back from her father's hold.
ward sighs desperately. "please, girls, just get on the plane"
sarah shakes her head. "no, we're not getting on the plane" she argues.
india starts walking towards the car when ward pulls her back roughly.
"girls, you are not going back home" he strains out.
he motions to a guard and turns to sarah, dragging her in into the plane as she starts fighting back.
the guard grabs india, and india starts fighting back. she didn't want to go to the bahamas. she didn't want to see her parents. she wanted to stay in outer banks.
"let me go!" she screams out, clawing at the guard. the guard doesn't budge as he carries the girl and pushes her into the plane.
india heaves heavy breaths as ward pushes sarah into the plane after her, grabbing the both of the girls and pulling them back as the airplane door closes.
"no!" india yells out, banging out the door.
the guard straps her in forcefully, standing beside her as the plane engine starts to whir.
india looks around, searching for a way out as the plane starts to move forward.
there was no way that india was leaving this island. not now that she knew what her parents and ward were doing. not now that she knew what it would mean to john b and the rest. she couldn't.
tears start streaming down her cheeks as she watches the plane speed up.
"ward please stop!" she pleads.
ward ignores her, starting to push the plane faster as he switches controllers.
india watches as suddenly, john b's van appears on the side of the plane.
she smiles, glad that there's a chance she might not be going to the bahamas after all.
"get off the runway! get off!" ward shouts angrily at john b.
the blonde girl watches as the van speeds up and then finally, curbs to the left and stops in front of the plane.
india lets out a yell as ward pulls on the breaks, sending everyone flying forward as the plane jerks to a stop. india's belt bursts and she's thrown forward, her head colliding with a metal bar.
india groans in pain, clutching the back of her head as the plane comes to a complete stop.
john b steps out of the van in a rush, running towards the plane.
"sarah!" he yells desperately as he comes closer to the plane door.
ward bursts out, his face contorted with anger. "you trying to kill her?" he yells out, walking over to john b "you're trying to get us killed?!"
india's face contorts in pain as she climbs off the plane behind sarah. she pushes the pain aside, ignoring the pulsing on the side of her head as she sees what is going on in front of her.
sarah runs into john b, sobbing in relief.
"get away from him!" ward yells out, trying to grab her daughter. john b pulls her out of the way so that she's out of wards reach.
it's then that ward turns to india.
he grabs her by the neck, holding her tightly as india tries to struggle against him, but it's no use.
"let go of sarah" ward threatens.
john b shakes his head. "you won't hurt india. you know why? because if you did her parents would destroy whatever deal you have with them and leave you dirt poor" john b leverages.
india huffs out in pain, biting back tears as a siren sounds in the distance.
she heaves in a breath as ward finally lets her go.
"you think this changes anything?" ward pants out as india walks backward from him. he looks at john b, his gaze filled with rage. "it doesn't"
he finally turns around as a police car approaches them, turning away from india.
she needed to get out of there. she needed to look for somewhere to go.
she pants, looking around as her vision starts to go blurry around the edges. she reaches up to her hair, flinching when she feels wet. she pulls back her hand. blood.
she needed to get out of there now.
she looks around, her eyes landing on a distant figure. she couldn't make him out perfectly, but she knew it was jj.
she just needed to make it there without ward knowing. doing that was going to be difficult.
she turns back to the police car, watching as peterkin steps off the driver's seat.
"oh, thank god you're here" ward sighs out, smiling at the sight of the sheriff. "susan, i told you he lost his goddamn mind" he tells her as he walks closer to him.
india watches as peterkin walks closer.
"put your hands on your head" peterkin tells him, her tone on edge.
ward laughs, looking at john b. "i'd do what she said"
india's eyes go wide as peterkin pulls out a gun and points it at ward.
"i think she's talking to you, ward" india points out after a moment.
ward's smile disappears as he turns around to face peterkin.
"you're under arrest for the murder of big john routledge" she tells him, pointing the gun at his face. "put your hands on your head."
"are you kidding me? are you kidding me, sue?!" ward yells out.
"put your hands on your head!" peterkin repeats, shouting at the man.
ward sighs before slowly raising his hands.
"turn around" peterkin instructs, walking closer to ward.
the group watches as peterkin instructs ward to drop to his knees.
"i don't like being used" peterkin mutters as she grabs her handcuffs and starts to put them on. "i waited a long time for this"
in a second, ward twists around, pushing himself off peterkin. peterkin pulls out her gun, aiming.
at the same time, india starts to lose her hearing. she shakes her head slightly, trying to clear it when a gunshot resonates.
india flinches, gasping as she turns to peterkin and ward. the ringing in her ears becomes louder as blood trails slowly down the side of her neck.
and then peterkin falls to the ground, blood staining her uniform.
india whimpers as she watches rafe appear from behind peterkin, a gun in his hand.
"rafe, no" sarah cries out, staring in shock.
rafe turns to the group, his eyes landing on india for a moment.
she watches him, her eyes connecting with his.
she knew he was an abuser. she knew he did drugs and alcohol and was bordering on being a sociopath, but she had never thought him actually capable of killing someone.
it struck something in her like nothing had ever had. all her relationship, thinking that even though he hit her he would never kill her, the times where he'd been on the verge of an overdose or where he had almost driven off the road when he was drunk.
she felt sorry for the boy. she felt sorry because he was crazy and because she knew that deep down, he could have been someone good.
but he wasn't. he had abused of her, raped her, mistreated her, lied, cheated, the list went on.
india was only grateful that she wasn't in a relationship with the murderer that stood in front of her, but with someone who actually cared about who she was.
"what the fuck" she whispers lowly.
"rafe. what did you do?" ward asks, his eyes wide as he stares at the dying police officer on the floor.
rafe turns to india, pointing the gun at her. "what, do you want to end up like her? huh?" he shouts hoarsely, sweat running down his neck.
sarah lets out another scream as india puts her arms up in surrender.
"say another fucking word and i'll blow your brains out" he continues to threaten at the girl.
"rafe, put the gun down!" sarah yells out.
in a moment of doubt rafe fidgets, and john b turns to india. he motions to where jj is.
india nods, her vision starting to blur as she turns around just as john b tackles rafe to the ground.
she runs like her life depends on it, because it actually does.
her breath goes ragged as she runs across the field to make it to jj, who is waiting anxiously.
his brow furrows as he sees her start to slow down, heaving in breaths. his worry intensifies as he starts to see a red patch of blood on the side of her head as she moves forward as fast as her legs can carry her.
"india?" he yells out, starting to run to her.
india stops running. she's far enough that she's out of rafe's aim, but she still needs a few yards to reach and fence and jj.
her vision starts to go black as jj catches up to her. he grabs her by the waist, helping her not lose her balance as her eyes start to close.
"hey, baby, don't close your eyes" he urges as he grabs her and hoists her up in his arms.
india smiles at him as he starts walking back to the fence, not saying anything as she tries to stay conscious. he needed to get help before she got worse.
he curses under his breath as india finally passes out, going limp in his arms.
"don't worry india, i'll keep you safe"
a/n i really don't know what this chapter was but next one will be better i promiseeee.
alsoo thanku sm for 30k views!! ily all