"HEY, GUYS." Pope said, standing up, "So, like, my dad's already gonna kill me so what's this mandatory meeting about?"

We dropped the Pogue off at John B's house and hauled into the minivan, driving to Rixon's Cove. We'd made a fire and by the time we'd gotten here, JJ, Kie and I had drank three quarters of the bottle of champagne between us. JJ had changed out of of that uniform on the boat but he already had his clothes on underneath.

We were sat on logs around the fire and I sat on the floor in between JJ's legs, the champagne bottle in my hand. It was a nice way to end Midsummers, I'd much rather be here with my friends then having awkward conversations with wealthy socialites about whether it was easier to pot a golf ball with a nine-iron or a putter.

We all looked to John B but he pointed finger guns to JJ.

"Might as well tell him, man." JJ said from behind me, his hand on my shoulder, "Before we're gaffed."

"Why are we gettin' gaffed?" I asked with a confused frown.

"You ready for this?" John B asked, ignoring me with a shake of his head.

"Hit me JB." I nodded and Kie and Pope chimed in their yeses.

"So.. the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."

"Oh god." Pope groaned, dragging his hands down his face, "Here we ago again with this."

"No, all right, wait." JJ told our friend, "Hear him out, all right?"

"It's been here the whole time." John B told us.

I raised my brow, "What at Rixon's Cove?" I asked.

JJ laughed and I looked up to him in response, "No, darlin', it's on the island."

My eyes widened and I looked at John B, "Woah, are you serious?"

"Oh my god." Kie said in disbelief.

I couldn't quite believe it myself. I thought our hopes of finding the four hundred mil had died and yet here we were on a brand new track again. If we got our hands on the gold JJ could pay his restitution and then we were laughing.

"I'd like to voice my skepticism." Pope spoke up while raising a hesitant hand.

"I'm sure you Pope." John B replied, sighing as he stood up, "But can I please present you with my evidence, sir?"

JJ took the champagne from me and took another swig as Pope nodded, "Proceeded."

"All right. So in my backpack I have a letter from Denmark Tanny." John B told us, pulling said letter out.

"Who the hell is that?" Kie asked and I pointed in her direction to indicate I was asking the same question.

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck." He told us, "Check this out."

"What?" Kie asked as he handed her a piece of paper.

"Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship but my dad, he found the compete manifest." John B told us, "That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."

Kie whistled and she passed the paper to me, I held it up for JJ and I to read it and I looked up to him, "You need me to read it to you?"

He narrowed his eyes at me playfully, "I can read just fine, thank you."

I nodded and looked to the paper, "Just checking." I looked at paper and found a letter written in a foreign language. Here I was teasing JJ about me reading it to him and I couldn't even read the fricken thing myself. I skimmed over the letter and passed it to JJ. He took it out of my hand and passed it over to Pope.

"After that." John B continued, "He bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is.." We slapped our knees in anticipation, grinning, "Tannyhill Plantation."

"Tannyhill?" Kie asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." John B agreed.

"Hang on." I said, "Tannyhill as in where Sarah Cameron lives?"

John B rose a brow at me while nodding his head once, "Just wait, I'm getting to that part. So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves and then he sold a shit-ton of rice which pisses off all the white planters and then.. they decide to lynch him."

"Poor Tanny." I muttered, pouting before taking another sip of champagne.

"So on the day there were coming to get him he writes a letter to his son as a fearwell." John B told us, "And in the last line of that letter he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."

Kie smiled and looked to us before back at John B, "Where?"

"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine near the water." He said, "Except... there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out." He took a second piece of paper and put it next to the one Pope was holding, "The gold is in parcel nine, near the water."

"Holy shit." Pope muttered in disbelief and I chuckled, this was amazing.

"All we need is an original survey map of the property and we've found the gold." John B told us, grinning brightly. 

"Okay so this might have a small chance of being actually true." Pope said as JJ stood up underneath me to hug John B.

"Got to admit it JB, you're a genius." I told him. I couldn't believe he'd even managed to figure this out, in fact I don't even know how he'd figured it out and where he'd got the letters from but I wasn't asking. I was just happy we were back on a solid track of finding this gold.

"I am." He agreed, "I am a genius." JJ picked him up and hugged him tightly, "Woah. Hello! Fire, fire. You're near the fire, you're gonna burn." John B said.

JJ pulled away, "I'm so proud of you right now."

John B clapped his shoulder, "Thank you. That's really sweet of you."

"Okay, so guys." Pope said, drawing us back in, "What's the plan?"

"Good question." John B pointed at Pope, "So, Sarah Cameron's coming tonight, she's gonna bring an original survey map—"

"—Wait, wait. Hold on." Kie interrupted, "Sarah, wh-why Sarah?"

I cringed, "Oh shit, here we go again."

"Um." John B muttered.

"This is going to be good." JJ said, taking his cap off.

"Sarah, um, she—she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill the other day and that's where I got the letter."

"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kie fired. She was clearly annoyed that while we were getting into bust ups at the summer movie series and JJ was getting arrested John B was running around a prestigious college with the Kook princess and Kie's sworn arch enemy.

Our friend scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, um—"

"He was mackin' on her." JJ butted in with a grin.

I shook my head, "Not the time JJ."

John B's face fell, "I wasn't macking—"

"—You were totally macking Sarah Cameron." He insisted.

"Whatever." John B exasperated, "You and Mally are mackin', what difference does it make?"

"It doesn't." JJ shrugged before he smirked, "But you just admitted to mackin' on Sarah."

John B groaned in exasperation and dropped his head back, "No, I—"

Pope put his hand in the air and cut out two friends off as he looked to JJ and I, "—I'd actually like to know how long the two of you have been macking?" He asked us.

I shrugged, "A couple of days?" I asked, looking to JJ and he nodded in agreement.

"But what about the rule?" Pope asked, he was genuinely confused.

I pulled a face at him, "When have JJ and I ever followed the rules, Pope, seriously?"

"Exactly." Kie agreed.

"Look." John B pressed, interrupting us and pulling us back on track, "I wasn't macking Sarah Cameron, okay? I was using her for.. access."

"There was an access all right." JJ muttered, amused.

"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Kie asked.

"I was just trying to get into the archives!"

"Is that a yes?" Kie argued, yelling at our friend. Her eyes were wide as she looked at John B.

They started arguing and I sipped the champagne again while watching them in amusement. This wasn't my argument and I certainly wouldn't be getting involved.

I could see the frustration from both sides, Kie didn't trust Sarah as far she could throw her because there was bad blood between them. The two girls had some sort of beef that the rest of us didn't know about but once upon a time they were best friends — like literally inseparable so whatever happened between them must've been bad.

And John B was just doing everything he could to find this four hundred million dollars worth of gold. I didn't blame him for that, if it came to trusting Sarah Cameron to further my search I'd do it too. Clearly John B knew something about her that we didn't for him to instil so much trust into her. If he thought she was going to help us for genuine reasons then that was good enough for me.

So instead of getting involved I drank what was left in the bottle of champagne before putting it down besides me.

"I—I left out key details."

"You what?" Kie yelled in annoyance, "You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?"

"I-I-I was just using her for information." John B defended.

"Why don't I believe you?" She scoffed.

"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here." John B told her, "Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or-or, uh.. send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies." He said to Pope, "To pay off JJ's restitution, so Mally can pay for herself to go to law school.. and you can look at me like that but I know that it's been your dream since we were kids."

I pressed my lips together and nodded. John B was right actually and I was surprised he remembered that about me. It was in one of our first classes together in second grade we went around in a circle and had to tell the class what we wanted to be when we were older. I wasn't sure why I wanted to follow my mom, I guess I was just always so interested in what she did when I was a kid that it stuck.

"Look, you guys know me." John B said us, "Do I look like the type of person to fall for.. Sarah Cameron?" He asked with a scoff.

JJ looked to him, "Uh.."

Pope furrowed his brows, "Do you want us to answer that, or—?"

John B shook his head while holding his hands out, "Just, just just— just stop."

"Look, you don't know her yet." Kie told us, "I do! You can't trust her!"

I sighed, shaking my head, "Why not?" I for one honestly did not get Kie's grudge with Sarah Cameron. I didn't understand it one little bit.

"Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club." Pope threw in.

"Rafe and Sarah are two different human beings." John B said.

I clicked my fingers in agreement with him, "Yes, exactly! You don't see Sarah threatening me every time she sees me, do you?"

"Rafe threatened you?" John B asked me, a brow arched.

I looked at him and JJ, "Yeah?" I responded but it was more of a question, "Like every we see each other? I punched him in the face.. twice, remember?"

JJ nodded, as did John B, but he looked at me as if to say we were talking about this later. He looked to Kie with his brows drawn in together, "What did she do to you, exactly?"

"She's like a—like a spitting cobra." Kie told us with wide eyes. Her tone of voice was irritated and wound up, "First, she—she blinds you and then—"

"—This is a bad analogy." Pope interrupted.

"Listen to me!" She yelled, "Whatever we get she's gonna try to take."

I shook my head, using the log to push myself up and I stumbled to the side. I didn't feel this drunk when I was sat on the floor, hell I barely even felt dizzy but now I couldn't even see. My head throbbed painfully making me wince and I cradled my forehead with my hand. I'd probably just stood up too quickly, a head rush or something.

"Mal?" Pope asked me apprehensively.

"I'm fine." I told him quickly as my vision split into two.

"Yeah, you don't look it." JJ said to me skeptically. I stumbled to the side again and I felt his arms underneath me. He picked me up effortlessly and I rested my head against his chest, "C'mon tiger, let's get you back to the van."

• • •

John B pulled the van to a stop at the Hawk's Nest and I sat up out of JJ's chest. I didn't know why I felt so dizzy all of a sudden back there, it just came on quickly but I was fine now.

"Hey, you okay?" JJ asked me quietly.

I looked back to him and placed my hand on his cheek with a smile, "I feel fine, promise."

Pope slid the door open, buzzing in excitement at the thought of getting back on track, "Hit it, boys! We're goin', recon mission."

"Yo, uh." John B said and we turned to him as he looked back to us, "So, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself... tonight."

Thunder rumbled over the music playing from the radio and JJ took his hat off, "Really?" He asked, he was somewhat disappointed. Every mission we'd had we'd done together.

"What?" John B asked him.

He shook his head, "Nothin'."

"Look, I just don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery." He told us and I nodded my head. The four of us going with John B to meet Sarah probably wasn't the best idea, we weren't exactly the most functional set of friends. In fact all of us were weirdos really in a way and I could see us easily making her uncomfortable, especially JJ with his smug and quick remarks.

And hey, maybe John B wanted to go by himself because this was his and Sarah's mission. She did help him get into the archives after all and she lived on Tannyhill.. and as much as our friend denied it he and Sarah did have something going on. I'd known John B long enough to be able to tell when he was lying but I wasn't judging, it was sweet he'd found himself someone.

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all." Kie snapped, referring to Sarah as she sat in the seat behind John B. Her arms were crossed and she frowned in a mix of annoyance and anger.

I groaned, "Kie, c'mon it's obvious! We can't do it without her."

"It's not that." John B said, "We're not even involving her, okay? It's—it's just, uh, like a business meeting."

JJ made a gesture, let's just say, gulping and slurping, and I smacked him lightly upside the head as he and Pope laughed. He turned to me, rubbing the area my hand had collided with and muttered lowly, "What?"

I shook my head at him. I wanted to say I couldn't believe he'd just insinuated that — especially in front of Kie while she was fuming about John B meeting with Sarah — but it really was him all over. It was a prime example of why John B didn't want us to come with him, "Not the time." I told him.

"Look, once we get what we need we cut her loose. All right?" John B offered you us, "Plus we need the map."

"Promise me nothing's happening between you two." Kie insisted and I raised my brow. I don't think John B had to promise anything like that to her.

"Nothing is happening, Kie." He groaned in despair.

"I'm being serious." She snapped.

"Okay!"

"No, wait." I interrupted. I was about to put my two sense in and I knew Kie wasn't going to agree with me but it need to be said, "Who cares if something is happening between him and Sarah Cameron, all right?" I asked, "You two had your shot and it sank.. end of."

"This isn't about us." Kie fired at me, "It's about her. She's gonna get inside his head."

I scoffed, "Well if that's what you think of John B then—"

"—Whatever Mally." She snapped. Yep, I knew she wouldn't like that. She turned back to John B, "Just promise me nothing's happening between you guys."

I rolled my eyes, "You don't have to answer that, JB."

He answered it anyways, "I promise."

Thunder rolled in and JJ rose his brows, "That was really believable."

"A hundred percent believable." Pope agreed.

"Anyways, um... I'm gonna take care of business." John B said.

"You're gonna take care of business." JJ nodded. He turned to me with a smirk, "You wanna go take care of business?"

I nodded, "I wouldn't mind taking care of business."

"Well, we'll just sit here." Pope said.

"Yep." John B got out.

"In the hot-ass car.. while it's lightening."

John B closed the door and I looked to Pope, "He wasn't listening to you, man."

"Yeah." He nodded, "I know."

"So." JJ turned to me, "Business?"

I opened my mouth to reply but Pope shook his head, "No, we're all stopping right here."

I frowned, "Why'd you have to be such a cockblock, Pope?"

"You guys can get at it as many times as you want after we're done here." He told us, "We're on a mission."

"No." JJ shook his head, "JB is on a mission."

"Right." I agreed.

"Are we just gonna sit here and act like this isn't a bad idea?" Kie snapped, her arms crossed as she sat in a grudge.

"Uh, none of us have nothing against Sarah Cameron." I told her.

"Look, Kiara, holding on to a grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die." Pope said.

"Exactly." JJ chirped, "It happened, it's the past."

Kie rolled her eyes, "No, you don't get it. You don't know Sarah like I do."

"You keep saying that Kie but the girl looks like she doesn't have a bad bone in her body." I said.

"She's going to take it all."

I shook my head, "I won't let her. If she even tries to take our cuts I will—"

"—All right, Mal." Pope butted in as my voice rose. I was starting to get worked up and he could sense that. Kie just wasn't listening to anything we had to say, "But JJ is right, what happened between you and Sarah is in the past. Surely for the sake of 80 mil you can look past it for a few days."

"Yeah, I mean when John B and Mally got it on I spent, like, three weeks not talking to them because I was annoyed and I didn't want anything to do with them. You were the one who told me to 'get over myself'." JJ blurted, talking to Kie as he span his hat on his finger.

I sat up, looking at JJ who didn't seem phased. He'd just admitted to ignoring me those months ago and when he spoke to me all he said was nasty words. I tried to convince myself he was mad with me to make it seem better but I didn't actually think it was true, "You purposefully ignored me?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes. That's when he tensed, "Even after we had that conversation in John B's bathroom that morning and I told you it was a mistake— that I liked someone else —you still decided you wanted nothing to do with me?"

JJ shook his head, "I was more frustrated with John B because he knew—"

"—I had to watch you walk away with Melanie Kleeton that night, did you see me choosing not to talk to you for having sex with some else?" I asked him, my tone snappy.

JJ shook his head while looking away from me, "You're reading into this."

Thunder cracked outside of the van and I shook my head, "No, JJ, I don't think I am." I said in annoyance. I couldn't actually believe — no wait, I could. I could believe that JJ would be so petty to do something like that. Yeah, maybe he was in his feels and I get John B was supposed to be his best friend but he shouldn't of tried to cut me out like that — I didn't deserve that. And hey, JJ was a private person so maybe John B didn't even know he liked me at the time.

I wanted to act like what JJ said didn't affect me but that would be me lying. It hurt me. I didn't act like that whenever he found himself a girl so why when I hooked up with John B did he do that?

He turned to me and put his hand on my leg, "I was just upset with John B."

I looked down to his hand on my thigh and pushed it off before looking back to him, "No, JJ. If you were upset with John B you'd of spoken to me.. but you didn't you tried to cut me out because I was trying to compensate for my feelings." I told him. I shuffled forwards on the seat in the van and climbed out, "I'm gonna take a walk."

"Mal, come on—"

I walked away from the van and I didn't turn back to JJ as he called to me, "No, just leave me alone for a bit."

I moved quickly, walking through the Hawk's Nest. It had been a while since I'd been here and I'd never been in the dark before so everything was throwing me off. I wasn't actually sure where I was going, I just knew I was walking in some direction.

I was actually really upset, a lot more than what I wanted to be. JJ talked to me the morning after John B and I slept together, almost like he had to and he even tried to get in the shower with me but the next day it was like a switch he'd flipped. He didn't utter a single word to me for nine days, when he looked at me it'd be expressions of disbelief. Those remaining days he was off with me whenever I spoke he'd shoot me down, he'd pull me up on my mistakes. JJ and I went from best friends one day to practically enemies the next — or at least that's what he treat me as.

The wind had picked up significantly since I'd left Midsummers and the storm that was supposed to hit at lunchtime had only just rolled in. It didn't look like nothing big but the thunder was still close to us.

I had my dress gathered in my hands and my hair blew wildly around with the wind and as thunder cracked I looked up to see myself in front of the attraction spot of the area, the Hawk's Nest. The nest was really a spot you could watch the sunset or sunrise from. It was a large wooden lookout, around fifty feet high at a guess.

I thought I'd just see the lookout and that'd be it but I was surprised to see three people stood at the top of the point. When the lightening cracked again a fragment of light scattered across the people on top of the lookout and I saw three people I recognised. John B, Sarah Cameron and Topper.

Where Topper and John B were involved I knew it wouldn't be good — especially with Sarah Cameron standing between them. I contemplated rushing up to the lookout point, hearing the three shouting over the wind but when I saw Topper edge forwards past Sarah my decision had been made for me.

The wooden fencing broke and my friend fell of the edge and I watched in horror as he went hurdling towards the ground, a small but gut wrenching thud echoing as his body hit the floor.

"John B!" I yelled and I ran towards where he'd fallen. I don't think I'd ever shouted so loudly in my life. My heart was slamming in my chest wildly following the fall. I ran through the trees until I saw my friend on the floor, lying on his back still and unmoving.

"John B!" Sarah yelled.

"Shit." I cursed, dropping to the floor by my friend. I checked over his body and I heard him groan quietly. I tapped his face gently, "John B? John B, come on you fucker."

I saw Sarah running towards us, having ran down from the top of the lookout and she got to her knees quickly, crying as she leaned over John B, "Hey, can you open your eyes, please?" She begged and I grabbed my friends hand, holding it tightly as tears clouded my eyes.

"He—he'll be okay." I whispered into the wind, "Won't you JB? You're gonna he just fine."

Sarah looked around, the wind whipping our hair about, "Someone help!" She shouted, "Please, somebody help!"

I looked up to Sarah, "Did Topper do this?" I asked her.

She shook her head, her eyes for John B only, "It happened so quick. He lunged past me for John B and before I knew it he just fell."

"Oh my god." I mumbled to myself, holding John B's hand close to my chest.

"It's okay." Sarah cried as we heard him groan again, "It's okay, I've got you."

"Sarah! What happened?" I turned my head after Pope yelled, watching him and JJ running towards the three of us, they stopped and he turned to me as Kie followed after them, "Mally?"

"I don't know." Sarah cried, "We need help... Topper shoved him."

I bit my lip harshly, looking around as Pope dropped by my side. I searched the woods for Topper, looking around.

"Where the hell is he?" JJ asked angrily.

"I don't care just please, please get help." Sarah cried, "I don't care who just call someone."

"Go! Go!" JJ yelled to Pope and he got up and ran.

"Pope, hurry!" Kie yelled to him but as I saw Pope run I saw a figure walk by in the trees. The figure had blond hair and he wore a white shirt and I knew it was Topper.

I dropped John B's hand and I stood up. Kie and JJ looked at me and before I could even step forwards JJ was blocking me, "Mally, what are you doing?"

I ignored him as I watched Topper stumble away into the trees and I pulled my arm out of his hand as I walked away, following after Topper before I broke out into a run.

My friends were shouting after me but I didn't look back. I was too focused on following Topper, fusing a plan together in my mind as I chased him.

I saw him stumbling away, walking to his jeep and pulling the door handle but before he could open the door I'd pulled him by his shoulder and pinned him to the car. I grabbed his shirt in my hands and I watched his eyes graze over me slowly, he was so out of it.

"What the fuck have you done Topper?" I yelled angrily, "Do you realise you could've killed him?!"

"I didn't do anything." He defended, slurring. He matched my tone but he didn't even try to push me away from him, "He tripped."

"I fucking saw you!" I seethed, "I saw you barge through Sarah and reach for John B — I saw you push him so don't you dare pretend I didn't!"

His defence cracked and so did his stoic expression, "I—I—"

"—You know." I muttered angrily, "You know exactly what I saw. Sarah saw it, John B saw it. It's three against one Topper."

He swallowed and shook his head, he was quaking in his boots now, "I didn't— it was an accident."

He switched. It was a switch similar to JJ's except he went from an emotion to anger. Topper's switch was defence. He was panicking and he didn't really understand fully what he'd done, even now.

I inhaled and I almost choked at the smell of him. He was oozing of alcohol, it was all over his breath, his clothes and his skin. Topper was barely even standing on his own two feet and I knew who'd gotten him into this state. I knew my stepbrother was sensible, he knew his limits but I knew how bad of an influence Rafe Cameron could be.

I shoved Topper away from the door and I opened it as he stumbled to the side, looking in his car and seeing the empty bottles of alcohol littering the floor. I went to turn to him again when I saw a small and empty clear bag stuffed in the crack of the passenger seat. I saw the left over white powder on the dash board.

Not only was Topper drunk but he was also higher than a kite on cocaine.

I saw him in a heap on the floor and I crouched down in front of him, grabbing his face and making him look at me, "You're in deep shit right now, Topper, you know that right?"

He looked me right in the eye and I ignored how scared he looked, "Wha—what are you gonna do?"

"You and I both know what I should do." I seethed, "I should barrel you into his car and take you straight to Peterkin, tell her all about how you and Rafe jumped Pope.. about what happened at the movie series and about how you're driving around drunk and high, about how you've just nearly killed John B!"

I heard sirens blaring around us, they sounded close.

He nodded lazily. He heard me say should, "But what are you gonna do?"

I clenched my jaw. What was I going to do? Topper and I had created this.. mutual understanding, we didn't hate each other anymore and it was progress but he'd fucked with someone close to me and I wasn't okay with that.

"You're gonna get your mom to drop those charges against JJ." I told him lowly, the sirens homing in on us, "Or I'm going to Peterkin and I'm telling her everything.. and I don't care who I take down either. Do you understand me?"

Topper gulped visibly, "I can't—"

"I don't care." I told him, my fingers curling in his white shirt, "I'm serious right now Topper."

"Okay." He managed to get out, his eyes drooping, "Okay, I'll do it."

I let go of his shirt and stood up, running my fingers through my hair and sighing heavily. I was basically blackmailing Topper now and I didn't know if I'd just made a huge mistake.

• • •