I ROSE my brows in shock and stepped towards John B's side to peer over his shoulder, "Wait—seriously?" I asked him. The envelope had 'For Bird' written on it in black marker and I muttered to myself in disbelief.

"Code red, code red." JJ said quickly and I looked up with wide eyes to him. There was smoke around him and I saw the joint in his hand, "Square groupers! Square groupers!"

I felt my body run unexplainably cold and my feet were planted to the spot. It was like my legs were that heavy I just couldn't move them.

"What?" I asked in shock and he turned around to face us and started to run, "JJ are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's the guys who robbed John B's house." He told me and my friends ran past me, leaving me stood in fear. Now would've been a perfect time for an adrenaline rush but my mind was too scared to kick into that fight response. It chose flight instead.

"Mally!" JJ hissed and I was pulled backwards by my wrist and I saw him pulling me away, "You wanna get caught or something?" He asked me.

He pulled me behind the mausoleum and down to crouch in between him and John B while Kie ordered for our lights to be switched off. I pressed my back into the wall and exhaled heavily, my breath shaking as it came out, "Oh my god. Oh my god."

"Do you think it's them?" Kie asked.

I heard two men shouting and I screwed my eyes shut.

"Yo, homies got a gun." JJ told us.

"Fuck this." I muttered, "I'm not doing this for a third time today."

I pushed myself up off the wall of the mausoleum and started running. It seemed the fear was controlling me and as I pumped my arms to help me run faster I felt that familiar sense of adrenaline again pushing through my legs. I reached the big steel gate and I jumped, latching my hands around the metal and climbing up and over.

My friends yelling for us to keep running mixed with the men yelling for us to stop and we reached John B's minivan on the other side of the gate when Pope called out to us, "Guys, you guys I'm stuck man!"

I looked to see him caught on the top of the gate but I also saw the square groupers chasing after us on a golf buggy.

"Pope, come on man!" JJ yelled.

"All right, I got you." Kie said as we ran back to Pope. I ignored the square groupers approaching us and I climbed back up the gate so see how Pope was caught. The leg of his shorts was stuck over one of the decorative spikes on the top of the gate and I tried to pull it up and over.

"Ooo." He muttered in shock, "W-watch your hand Mal."

"Pope, Mal, don't move, okay?" JJ asked and I glanced to see him holding the gun up towards us.

"Put the fucking gun down JJ before you blow my brains out." I snapped.

John B pushed the barrel down and looked at JJ, "What're you gonna do, shoot his shorts off?"

"Yeah, good point." JJ nodded.

I pulled Pope's shorts up as far as I could as Kie pulled on the bottom and he widened his eyes, "You're gonna rip me. Wait, wait, wait your gonna rip me. You're gonna rip me!"

"You're fine." Kie told him, "Come on!"

Pope fell down from the gate, his shorts tearing in half and I watched as his white briefs were exposed for us to see.

"Christ." I muttered, looking at Pope's now torn shorts on the gate still.

I heard JJ laughing behind me, "It's a little tootsie roll." He mused, "Hey, c'mon Mal."

I looped my leg over the gate and started climbing down when a flashlight was shone in my face from afar.

"Shit." I swore, ducking my head and jumping off the gate. I scrambled to John B's minivan and jumped in the back as JJ and John B got in the front. My friends were laughing and I closed the door behind me, sitting on the seat and exhaling heavily. When I opened my eyes I saw John B looking at me through the mirror, his eyes quizzical and I nodded once at him, running my hand through my hair.

• • •

"That bread had mold on it three days ago." I heard Pope mutter in disgust.

I looked up from the envelope placed on the wooden desk to see my friend returning from John B's room with a pair of his shorts on and the gas lamp in his hands. He gave the three of us a look of disgust as he walked into the room and behind him I saw exactly who he was talking to.

"I'll just pull off the bad parts." JJ shrugged casually, continuing to spread the peanut butter on to the bread, "Plus, mould is good for you. It's a natural organism."

"You know when you offered to make me a sandwich I was quite shocked but now I know you're using mouldy bread I'm not all that surprised." I said to my friend, looking at him as he continued to spread the filler out.

JJ gasped under his breath in offence and looked to me, "What? You don't want a JJ special? The mold is the best part."

I held my hand up as if to say no and shook my head, "I'm gonna take a hard pass on that one, thanks."

He pointed the knife in my direction, "You don't know what you're missing, Mal."

"Oh, I think I do." I murmured under my breath.

Kie shook her head, "JJ."

"Yup, yup, yup." He responded quickly, grabbing his sandwich and a can of Coors and walking over to us, "Hot damn, let's do it."

John B tore the plastic of the envelope off and dropped it on to the table, the four of us watching him apprehensively. I crossed my arms over my chest as I perched on the old mahogany and I caught JJ gagging behind John B. I rolled my eyes as he spat the sandwich out into his hands and walked towards the bin.

"The mold is the best part, huh?" I couldn't help but say as he returned from the bin, still holding his sandwich.

JJ sneered at me playfully while narrowing his eyes, "Shut up."

He started picking the large quantities of fungus off the bread and I pulled my lips down, "You're a whole new level of disgusting, JJ."

"Mhmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me." He mused.

Pope shook his head, "Gross."

"Do you have to do this now?" Kie asked JJ and I as she gestured down to the map John B was laying out, "Seriously?"

I nodded as a response as JJ muttered an insincere apology and I looked down to the map as John B smoothed it out.

"Holy shit." John B muttered.

I furrowed my brows and I leaned closer to John B, trying to get a better look of the map. It appeared to be a pretty old of the outskirts of Carolina and I spotted where Big John had marked out the Cut and Redfield Lighthouse by an 'X'. Further down from the X was a spiral of some sort, maybe a wind pattern, "How old is that?"

"God knows." Kie shook her head.

"Oh." Pope muttered, "X marks the spot."

"Longitude, latitude." He said and I noticed the coordinates marked out too, "Wait, there's something else in here." He muttered and then he reached into the envelope again and pulled out a tape recorder.

The five of us frowned at it until JJ spoke up, "What's that?"

"It's a tape recorder." Kie replied, "Dumbass."

And then John B pressed play.

"Dear Bird—"

It was a voice I never honestly thought I'd hear again so when I did I thought I was dreaming. It was a strange feeling that I was faced with hearing Big John on the recorder and I swear my heart skipped a beat. I had to compose myself as there was a pause in the tape, trying to convince myself that I wasn't dreaming and that this was happening.

"Is that—?"

"Yeah." Pope muttered from my side quietly, "It's him."

"Who's Bird?" JJ asked.

Oh, god.

"That's what my dad called me." John B replied.

"I hate to say 'I told you so,' but I told you so." Big John's voice said, "And you doubted your old man."

I didn't really know where to put myself. This man had been a big part of my life, of Pope's life— JJ's life. He was like a second father to us. I had to admit that hearing his voice again was incredibly comforting but it stirred something inside of me, it was like the wound was reopened just after it had finally closed. I felt like I shouldn't of been hearing this, that it was made for John B's ears only too.

Pope slipped his arm over my shoulders absentmindedly and as JJ glanced up to me fleetingly I knew we were all feeling the same way right now. I leaned my head on Pope's shoulder as we continued to listen.

"I suspect at this moment you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight but.. don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."

There was a faint sound of clattering on the tape and the five of us all shared glances of apprehension. Big John found the Royal Merchant?

"You were probably right to call me out, wasn't exactly Father of the Decade." He sighed, "What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn... and hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits."

I heard what sounded like a chamber being pushed into a handgun and my breath hitched in my throat, "If not and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant... if somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you Bird, you and all your friends — Pope, Mally and JJ — even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

And then the tape clicked, indicating that the recording was over. A small tear slipped down my cheek and I used the sleeve of my jumper to wipe it away quickly before anyone could notice, sniffling quietly. Hearing Big John's voice was too surreal and it was a lot to take in right now.

John B placed the recorder down on the table and he got up, walking over to the open door frame and clinging to it before he sobbed.

"Holy shit!" JJ bounced in excitement, "He did it. Big John—he, he found the Merchant—"

Kie shook her head immediately as John B cried, "—Can you.. can you please?" She said to him with wide eyes.

JJ coughed under his breath, "Sorry."

I turned to look at our friend at the doorway and slowly walked over to him, placing my hand on his shoulder lightly. I felt John B tense under my hand until he relaxed and when he did I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind loosely, hugging him and comforting him as he cried.

• • •

Knowing that Big John had found the Royal Merchant was arguably the best and worst thing I'd heard all day.

Big John found the ship, he solved a hundred year old mystery and he left all the clues to John B. I was shocked, of course I was, people had been looking for that ship for years and had never come close and yet here we were, five teenagers basically on the brink of finding it. But now we'd be going on an actual treasure hunt, like one that they went on in The Goonies and that sounded slightly dangerous to me — especially if those square groupers were on to the Merchant as well.

After John B had calmed himself down a little we walked down the dock between our houses and shared a few beers while Kie played the ukulele. The five of us talked about what we'd do with our eighty million each. It seemed like all my friends were going full Kook but that was something I wasn't sure if I wanted or not. I had a life waiting for me as a Kook, all I had to do was move in with my mom but I didn't want it. There was a reason I chose to live with my dad once I was old enough to make my own choices.

We returned up to John B's to catch some sleep but of course I couldn't sleep and I wasn't surprised I couldn't either. Every time I closed my eyes I saw myself being pulled away from John B, I saw the SUV crashing into the side of me.

I helped myself to one of JJ's joints and his lighter from the side and took it outside. I lit the joint up and puffed on it, seeing John B's back to me as he sat down on the steps of the porch playing the recording again.

"And hopefully we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits.."

"Hey." I muttered quietly.

John B turned to me and he paused the tape recording, "Can't sleep?" He asked me.

I took another drag of the joint, my second of the night and I sat down on the porch steps next to my friend. I exhaled the smoke, "I'm an insomniac John B." I told him, "Haven't slept properly in two months... and besides, I even if I could sleep I don't think I'd be able to. I just keep seeing that man standing over you, feeling that gun against my head, fighting that man as he tried to drag me into their car."

John B nodded, "I'm so sorry." He told me, "I didn't want to get you involved. I didn't think it'd come to ... that."

"What? Them attempting to kidnap me as blackmail?" I asked and he shook his head. I smoked again before offering the joint to him. He took it out of my hand, much to my surprise, and smoked, "Yeah, well, neither did I."

He gave the joint back to me and I took it, inhaling and then leaning my head on his shoulder. We sat in some silence before he spoke, "Kie asked me what you meant earlier in the graveyard." He told me, "When you said about not running into them a third time."

I nodded, remembering what I'd said in the midst of my adrenaline kicking in, "Right. What did you tell her?"

"JJ and Pope were listening, I just lied, told her you were just scared y'know?" I nodded silently and John B chuckled under his breath, "Besides, if I'd told JJ the truth he'd of probably skinned me alive for putting you in danger like that."

I blinked once, twice, three times before I looked to John B, "What'd you mean?"

He shrugged, "He cares about you Mal. He has done for a while now wether he wants to admit it or not. All he wants to do is protect you."

I certainly wasn't expecting that one, "Really?"

"Yeah." John B told me, "And don't think I haven't see you two flirting."

I rolled my eyes, "We flirt—"

"—All the time." He spoke over me, smiling as he nodded, "I know, I know.. but he really does care about you Mal."

I finished the joint with a sigh and flicked it on to John B's front yard. So JJ cared about me, huh? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised because I was. JJ and I had a weird bond, it wasn't the same as my friendships with Kie, Pope and John B and I never had an explanation why.

It was like after John B and I slept together he stopped talking to the both of us for quite a few days and I never found out why. If what John B was telling me was true maybe this was why.

I pondered over it and when I eventually closed my eyes at four in the morning I was still thinking about it then.

• • •

I woke up two hours later to John B's fucking rooster crowing and I sat up to see the sun rolling in across the island. I'd fallen asleep outside last night on the old sofa John B had on his porch. I wasn't sure why I didn't think about walking over to my house, I liked the cool air the night brought in.

I rubbed my hands over my face while yawning and I heard John B's front door opening. I looked up to see JJ, he was already in a fresh set of clothes and he gave me a small smile, "What's up?"

"Nothing much." I replied while crossing my legs underneath me as he sat down next to me, "That fucking rooster woke me up."

He chuckled under his breath before looking at me and I met his gaze, "What were you on about last night?" He asked me and I felt my heart increasing slightly, "When you said you didn't want to run into the square groupers a third time? We didn't see them three times yesterday."

"I was having an adrenaline rush." I lied to JJ, "I just mixed up my words."

He nodded with a straight face, "I heard you and John B talking last night." He told me.

"Right." I said to myself, "Of course you did."

He turned to face me on the sofa, "What the hell went on yesterday Mal?" He asked me, "Y'know I found that blood in your hair and the way you looked when I said the square groupers had found us in the graveyard... I've never seen you look so scared. It scared me."

"It scared you?" I asked, frowning.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be the fearless one." He told me and I nodded. If he'd heard John B and I talking had he heard it all of just some of it?

"So what happened?" He coaxed gently.

"All right so I was going to see my mom." I told him, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, "And I was driving through the Cut when John B ran out in front of my bike. He jumped on and told me to drive, one of the square groupers were chasing him."

"When was this?" JJ asked.

I shrugged, "After Cameron fired him I think." I told him, "Anyways I started driving and I pulled down a street but a truck pulled out on me, hit the side of the bike."

JJ nodded, "So you did fall of your bike?"

"Technically, yeah." I told him with a small smile and I watched his lip curve upwards, "So anyways John B and I fell off the bike and he pulled me to my feet before I could even open my eyes and we started running. We went down this one way road and he jumped the gate to climb over but there was a live wire and it electrocuted him." I chewed my lip thinking of what came next and JJ seemed to notice my hesitation because he sat up straighter.

"Mal?" He said gently.

I nodded, pushing my hair behind my ear and looking down at my crossed legs, "So the square groupers caught up to us and one, he-he grabbed me while the other went to John B. He, uh, he pulled a gun out on me and they asked John B for the compass. I told him not to not give it to him and he hit me with the gun—"

"—They were using you to blackmail him?" JJ asked hostile, I saw his shoulders starting to tense and I edged closer to him, putting my hand on his knee.

"Yeah... yeah they were." I told him, daring to meet his gaze and his soft eyes were icy. He was really pissed off and it made me hesitant about telling him the rest of the story, "So, he asked for the compass again but John B didn't reply so they—they.." He grabbed my hand and while it gave me an immense amount of comfort I was slightly shocked. Whenever JJ had took my hand before it was just to pull me along or something, it was never serious.

"..The man who had hold of me, he started pulling me backwards towards the truck and I tried... I tried so hard to fight him but—" My voice cracked and a tear slipped from my eye, "He was way too strong for me and just before he put me into the back of the truck Peterkin showed up and they left."

I sniffled, covering my eyes with my hand and I felt JJ tighten his grip on my hand significantly, "You mean those—those bastards were going to kidnap you?"

I didn't reply and instead he tugged me towards him, wrapping his arms around me, "Mal it's all right." He comforted me.

I shook my head in his neck, "It's not." I replied, "Because they're still out there and they're willing to do anything— JJ I was so scared last night when I thought they were at the graveyard—"

He pulled me closer towards him, his hand threading into my hair while the other was on my back and he calmed me. This was all new, I'd never interacted with JJ on this level before and it made me believe there was truth to John B's words last night.

And if JJ did care about me maybe he saw our relationship in a different light too, like I did. Maybe I wasn't the only one with feelings that stretched further than friends.

"You're okay." He told me quietly, "No ones going to hurt you while I'm here, I promise you that."

I nodded into this shoulder as he continued to hold me. JJ and I had just stepped onto new turf and I had absolutely no idea how to tread on it.

• • •

It turned out to be a beautiful day until we hatched our plan to basically break into JJ's work but it was helping me to forget everything that had happened yesterday. I was yet to ask JJ if he had heard everything John B and I talked about last night but I would get round to it at some point. I guess I was a bit apprehensive, which wasn't like me at all. I wasn't a type of girl who put it off and put it off and put it off, if I had something to say I usually just came out and said it but this had me feeling different.

Perhaps because if it backfired it might ruin JJ and I's relationship as friends and I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want to lose him completely.

John B pulled his minivan up into the parking lot of JJ's place of work, the shabby vehicle sticking out like a sore thumb amongst those belonging to the Kooks, "All right, keep a look out." JJ told us, "We're behind enemy lines."

Pope pulled the side door open and I jumped out first, leaning over the open window on JJ's side, "We're literally where you work." I said, "How is this enemy lines?"

He pulled the handgun out of the glove compartment and I dropped my head on my arms in despair, "This is Kook land, Mal, you can never be too careful."

"Come on man." John B sighed, "Just put it back."

Pope got out the van and leaned in the window next to me, "Hey, I predict that bringing a weapon to a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than they solve."

I nodded in agreement with Pope as John B spoke, "Thank you Pope."

"I swear to God, I'm gonna throw that thing in the ocean JJ." Kie warned as he looked at the weapon, "Put it back."

I reached my hand in and swiftly grabbed the gun out of JJ's hand before taking the ammo out and tossing both pieces to John B. Pope clapped me on the shoulder. "There you go."

"You can't grab a gun like that." JJ told me pointedly as John B hid it away.

"Tell me something I give a shit about." I replied to him, cocking my head as I pushed off the door.

He shook his head to himself and leaned forwards, "Can't forget my badge." He said and got out the van, "Professional busboy."

We followed him through the parking lot, "So where are we going now?" Pope asked.

"We're getting on the internet because only rich people have electricity right now." JJ replied, "This way."

"Right and how are we going to get in?" Kie asked.

"How every other employee gets in." JJ told us with a flashy smirk, "Through the kitchens." He tapped his badge against an electronic keypad and it flashed green, the door unlocking for us.

We entered the kitchens and the smell of food did nothing for my virtually empty stomach. It smelt so good.

We filed through as JJ shouted his greetings to some of the staff members and walked out into reception, "See?" JJ asked, "They got the backup generators going. These Kooks don't miss a beat."

We kept quiet as we followed JJ to wherever we needed to be and we tried to blend in and eventually JJ led us to an empty room with computers.

Pope ran through the door, "Sweet Lord, the internet."

I followed Pope, sitting down on the computer next to him as JJ leaned over my shoulder for the mouse, "Let me get in there, gotta check out my Insta models."

I swatted his hand away with furrowed brows, "You don't have Instagram models."

"JJ, we don't have time for this." Kie said.

JJ arched a brow at me, "Jealous I've got Insta models?" He teased me.

I narrowed my eyes, "In your dreams."

"Oh, they are actually." He grinned at his comeback.

"I will fight you." I deadpanned.

"Hey, hey, hey." John B said quietly, "I got the map."

"Coordinates please?" Pope asked.

"34, 57, 30 north. 75, 55, 42 west." John B read out.

We watched as the map zoomed in all the way to the cut and the point dropped right on to the continental shelf. I leaned over towards Pope, "That's the continental shelf." I said, "Scooter Grubbs had coordinates for the continental shelf."

"Okay, well if it's off the deep end it's not going to be much of a treasure hunt, is it?" Pope asked. 

We watched the map continue to zoom in further and further until it reached as far as it would go, "Shit, it's on the high side. It's only 900 feet."

"John B it's just on the high side." I told him, "Look at it."

"900 feet's not that deep." JJ said.

"Is that doable or something?" Kie asked and I looked at her with wideish eyes and shook my head fractionally.

"Yeah, totally doable." JJ replied.

"Okay, will we be taking your personal submarine?" Pope asked sarcastically.

"How do you know this?" John B directed at JJ, "Mr. Dive Master."

I turned in the spinny chair to face JJ and pointed at John B in agreement, "I'd also like to know how you know."

"The salvage yard." JJ replied, "They got a drone that can drop 1,000. It has a 360 camera and everything. It's for, like, deep dives and stuff. It's exactly what we need."

"And can you dad get his grimy little hands on that?" John B asked.

JJ's dad did work at the salvage yard, whether he still did or not I wasn't sure but I think we were about to find out.

"Well, my dad's grimy little hands got his ass fired." He replied and I sighed, "I guess the salvage captain frowns on showing up shitfaced, turns out."

"So you wanna steal from your dads old boss?" I asked him.

"I steal from my own boss." He told me, "Stealing from my dad's old boss is a piece of piss."

Pope shook his head, "I dunno—"

"—Look, the drones there." JJ told us, "It's on the impound out back."

"How much did you say was on the Royal Merchant again?" Kie asked.

"400 mil." JJ and John B replied and Pope got up out of his seat.

I nodded fairly, pursing my lips in thought. A bit of petty theft in exchange for finding four hundred million dollars? Didn't sound too bad to me. 

"Four hundred million dollars?" Kie asked and she walked to the door, "Pope—"

"—No. Absolutely not." He disagreed, holding his arms out across the doors as he blocked our only exit, "Absolutely not, no!"

"Pope! Move." Kie told him, moving his arm and pushing him out of the way of the door.

I got up as Kie and JJ walked out and followed them with John B, "No, guys. That's too—"

"—Pope we're going with or without you man." I told him, holding the door for John B.

"Can't we ever do anything legal for money?" Pope fired after us, following behind.

I laughed in amusement, "Of course not."

• • •

There was nothing like doing a bit of light borrowing on a Friday afternoon, in fact it was my favourite way to spend my Fridays in the summer.

Our plan was simple, in fact it was more than simple. It was piss easy providing Pope actually came through and none of us got caught.

"All right, so one more time." John B said, "Kie's gonna distract the security guard. Pope and Mal you're with me—"

"Why can't Mal help me distract?" Kie asked.

"Are you kidding?" JJ asked, "Mal here can nick swifter than John B and Pope combined." He said, patting my thigh.

I didn't know whether to be flattered or not, being able to swipe without being caught wasn't something I was proud of but it was a damn hard skill to learn — probably because it was JJ who taught me though.

"Aw thanks, J." I replied, grinning sarcastically.

He winked at me, "Not a problem, darlin'."

John B cleared his throat as he stopped the van and turned back to us, "Anyways, Mal is with me and Pope and JJ'll head to the impound. Everyone got it?"

"Understood." Kie replied.

I saluted John B, "Aye, aye, Captain."

Kie got out the front of the van, ready to kickstart our plan while Pope and JJ slipped into another argument, "Oh come on Pope, relax." JJ said.

"How can I relax when I'm about to commit a felony?" Pope fired.

"You know what your problem is?" JJ asked.

Pope rolled his eyes, "You?"

"No. It's that you need to relax, man." He said, "You're always so tense."

"I'm not too tense." Pope denied.

"Oh I dunno like." I butted in, "Your shoulders look pretty tense to me."

"Can we not get Pope all fired up?" John B turned to us, "Please?"

"You're the bossman." I replied and we jumped out the van and found a hiding spot outside the impound, watching as Kie distracted the security guard.

"So how's it going with Kiara?" JJ asked John B.

I turned to my friend with my brows raised, "You and Kie?"

John B shook his head, "It's not awkward, weird or anything." He replied sarcastically.

My eyes widened, what had I missed here, "What did you do?"

"He kissed her." JJ grinned at me.

My jaw dropped and I looked at John B, "You kissed her? When?!"

"JJ told me to, remember?"

"Look in my defence I honestly did not think you were actually gonna listen to me." JJ replied.

"What?" John B asked.

"I was 100 percent sure she was into you."

I turned to JJ, "I guess your reading are completely off then, huh?"

"I hope not." He replied to me, meeting my eyes and I looked away. 

What was even happening right now?

"So, like, Kie — she, like, definitely gave you the Heisman?" JJ asked.

"Oh, no question." John B replied, "Yup."

"Gotcha."

"Maybe she's just into somebody else." Pope shrugged and they all turned to me.

I shook my head, "I'm not asking her who she's into just so I can tell you guys."

"Hey." Pope said and we turned back to Kie to see the security guard on the other side of the fence, "Go, go, go."

We ran round the outskirts of the fence and slipped in through the closing gate. I followed JJ through the yard and to a large container locked with a padlock. JJ entered the combo quickly before pulling on the padlock but it didn't budge.

"Do you have the right number?" Pope asked.

"All right, so I might have the wrong numbers." JJ admitted.

I put my hand on my forehead, "Fuck sake, JJ."

I heard a dog barking and I turned to see a German Shepard running over to us. I scrambled back and grabbed on to John B's arm, I liked dogs but I didn't like guard dogs.

"That's a cougar." John B muttered, "Never mind." He dragged me behind the container as the dog carried on barking and we stayed there until the barking faded.

"I think it's gone." I told him.

"Yeah, me too." He replied and we went back to the padlock, both Pope and JJ now gone.

I clocked a metal pipe on a wooden crate and I picked it up, walking over towards the lock, "What-what are you doing?" John B asked me.

"I'm getting the door open." I replied and I hit the padlock once, twice and then it was open. I smirked at him triumphantly and pulled the door open.

We ran into the container and grabbed the kit, John B handing me one case while he grabbed the other and we quickly made a bust for it, "Hey, remember the way out?"

John B turned back to me, grinning as he pulled the case along, "Of course."

• • •

A/N; season 2 now pls??