CHAPTER EIGHT
THE RUNAWAY
"if the sun refuse to shine"
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LAUGHTER flowed through the air as Kiara and Farrah lounged in the hot tub, the steam from the water making their skin glisten.

While the two girls were, shockingly enough, actually getting along and bonding, Pope and JJ sat on the porch of the chateau. Pope's eyes switched between the winch they were working on and the two girls, prompting JJ to arch his brow at him.

"What're staring at?" JJ questioned, following Pope's glance.

While the Heyward boy had been staring at the Carrera girl, JJ's eyes fell on the Montgomery girl. Her glistening tan skin glowed underneath the sun, the sunglasses JJ had been wearing yesterday shielding the world from her gorgeous tawny eyes. JJ had to clear his throat to keep from staring at her, giving Pope a light shove to make him look away as well.

     "Shit." Pope began, realisation hitting him. "You have a thing for her!"

     JJ looked over at Pope. "For who?"

     "Farrah."

     "What? I do not." JJ denied, pulling a hand through his hair before putting his cap back on.

     "JJ."

     "Fine. I'll admit, I appreciate how hot she is." JJ stated cheekily. "But I don't have a thing for her."

     "You're not fooling anyone. Might wanna pratice that one a few more times in the mirror." Pope chuckled, the two boys back to staring at the two girls.

     "Oh yeah? What about you and Kie? Huh?" Pope's mouth smacked shut at the mention of the Carrera girl. ¨Yeah, thought so.¨

     Meanwhile the two girls were having a conversation much like the one JJ and Pope were waving. "So. . . JJ."

     Farrah glanced over at Kiara curiously at the mention of the boy. "What about him?" Kiara offered Farrah a knowing look. "Not with this whole bullshit again. How many times do I have to say that he isn't—"

     "Your type? Yeah, no you've said that fifty times already. I just don't believe you." Kiara retorted with a chuckle.

     Farrah sighed, leaning back on her arms as they sat at the edge of the hot tub. Sitting next to the Carrera girl discussing boys felt odd. While Farrah never lacked in the friends department, Millie and Lance never proved good advisors. Millie would always tell Farrah that the best way to get over one guy was to get under another. Lance never really offered any advice on the topic, always assuming Farrah knew what she was doing. Everything that had gone down the past few weeks had her mind whirling. She had gone from sneaking around with the Cameron boy to now setting her sights of JJ Maybank. The more time she spent in his presence the more she realised how dead on Kiara and Sarah had been about their observation. Still, she had no idea what to do with the feelings flourishing within her, nor did she know how to communicate them. As a default, she settled for denying the truth for as long as humanely possible. Kiara was making that hard with her constant questioning.

     "Is your ego really that big that you can't admit that you're having a crush?" The words leaving Kiara's mouth sounded harsh, but the soft nature of which she spoke led Farrah to believe that she meant no harm. She was genuinely wondering.

     Farrah let out yet another deep sigh before responding. "I'm scared." She admitted after a moment.

     Kiara glanced over at Farrah, her eyes harboring a mixture of confusion and surprise. Watching Farrah Montgomery from afar, Kiara had always held a variety of assumptions about the girl. She was mean, prideful and completely ignorant. At least that what she came off as. Farrah had always been this figure that symbolized everything Kiara loathed, but that was from afar. Close up she was human, just like the rest of them. Her hard exterior looked so soft up close, reminding Kiara that it was just that; an exterior. The way Farrah had gone from someone Kiara couldn't possibly stand to someone she actually found amusing to be around made Kiara question if this even was reality. Before summer she would have knocked JJ over the head if he ever considered going for the Montgomery girl. Well, she would still do that, but not for the same reasons anymore.

     "What're you scared of?" Kiara queried. Farrah never struck Kiara as the type to scare easily. She always seemed so confident and secure. And times Kiara even wondered if the girl was even human, or if she was an emotionless robot programmed to make everyone's lives miserable.

     "I don't know." Farrah admitted. "He's. . . He's good."

     "You're scared because he's not an asshole?" Kiara laughed at the confession, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

     Farrah nodded, her face void of any humour. "I've only ever dated jerks. I guess with those type of guys I know what I'm getting, and I'm not really afraid of what they'll think of me, you know? Like, we're just as bad." She was struggling to explain it all, having never spoken these thoughts out loud before,

     "You're scared he won't like you?" Kiara tilted her head as she listened intently to the girl speak.

     "I guess. Shit, I don't know. I just feel like I'm not capable of that kind of love, y'know? Like with Sarah and John B. They just seem so happy and oblivious to it all. It's so. . . pure. I don't think I'm capable of something so innocent, y'know?" She swallowed thickly, the topic at hand making her skin crawl. Being so vulnerable felt unusual, especially with the Carrera girl. But at the same time it felt good— like a crushing weight was slowly being lifted off of her as she let her emotions flow freely.

     Kiara glanced between Farrah and JJ, the latter one messing around as Pope worked on the winch. "You can't know that for sure if you don't at least try." Kiara encouraged.

     Farrah nodded, letting Kiara's word settle as she too looked at the Maybank boy. The conversation they had shared the previous night. Pope and Kiara had wandered off down to the docks as JJ and Farrah sat in the hot tub. JJ had calmed down a while ago, both him and her now tipsy on the bottle of champagne they were sharing.

     "This is by far the most expensive champagne I've ever had." Farrah laughed as JJ filled up her plastic glass. It was stained with her lipgloss, her lips pressed against the edge as she welcomed the beverage.

     "What about all those kook parties you go to?" JJ joked tauntingly. Farrah rolled her eyes at his comment. "You keep rolling your eyes at me your eyes are gonna get stuck like that." He spoke matter of factly.

     "Give me those." Farrah gave him a playful shove, grabbing the sunglasses from his face and putting them on. "They look better on me anyway." She said, posing jokingly as he pretended to gush over her. "So. . . still planning on a mansion on Figure Eight full kook when we get the gold?"

     "Nah man, Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money." JJ envisioned with a light expression. Farrah couldn't help but to laugh with him, his joy being contagious.

     Farrah let her laughter flow freely through the dark night as JJ continued joking around. His behavior now was starkly different from earlier on. She couldn't help but to stare as he messed around, a small smile placed upon her glossed lips as she did. Fortunately, the sunglasses let her stare at him without him detecting it. Farrah found herself wanting to ask him if he was okay. Like, really okay. But the words died on her tongue before she had the chance to. Instead, the remainder of the night got spent messing around.

     "You think John B's gonna show up anytime soon?" Kiara wondered out loud. Farrah shrugged, looking around.

     "Shit. Speak of the devil." Farrah hummed, nodding in the direction of the docks. A soaked John Booker Routledge came to view, a fast pace to his walk.

     JJ grinned widely when he spotted John B. "Hey! Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything." JJ boasted proudly.

     Pope quickly shook his head. "No, he did not." He debunked. "I did that."

     John B ignored them, continuing to walk right past them. Farrah and Kiara shared a look, both girls getting out of the hot tub to follow him. "Hey!" Kiara called after him as he stormed into the chateau. "Uh, what's that all about?"

     "I was gonna ask you the same question." JJ said as the four of them reached the porch. Clattering and crashing could be heard from the inside of the house, prompting them to move fast.

     "You all right, man? What's up?" Pope questioned as they found John B throwing things aimlessly aside, obviously looking for something. Farrah stepped out of the way to avoid a couch pillow hitting her directly in the face, resulting in said pillow flying directly at JJ.

     "What are you looking for?"

     "Bro, what's going on?" JJ asked. John B refused to utter a single word as he flipped the entire house upside down. Farrah's eyes widened out of concern when John B finally located what he had been looking for. JJ's gun. "John B, what do you need the gun for?"

     "John B what the hell?" Farrah was the first to approach John B. He harshly shoved her aside, sending her flying down on the couch. JJ rushed over to her, making sure she was okay before turning to John B.

     "Talk to us!" JJ demanded, panic evident as he spoke.

     They all followed him as he exited the house. "John B, chill! What are you doing? What, are you JJ now?" Kiara questioned loudly as they trailed behind him.

     "Are you okay?¨ Pope asked, watching John B climb onto JJ's dirt bike. "John B, what the hell are you doing?" The engine revved to life loudly.

     "John B, what the hell?"

     "Ward knows about the gold." John B finally responded. "He killed my dad." With that, he kicked the bike off the stand and took off flying down the gravel road.

     Farrah pulled on her hair out of frustration, panic settling in her chest when she realised what this meant. John B was going to kill ward.

     "Shit."

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     "What now? We just go up to the front door and ask, 'Hey, have you seen John B'?"

     Pope, Kiara, JJ and Farrah was located at the docks next to Tannyhill, glancing wearily up at the residence in the hopes of either spotting John B, or at the very least get proof of life from Ward Cameron. After John B had stormed off with the gun, the four teenagers had been rightfully anxious. Which is why they decided they needed to go after him. Farrah sat at the docks while the others were in the boat, all of them discussing what to do next.

     "Look, he lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible." Pope suggested. "Look, we can play dumb."

     "Play dumb?" JJ repeated, obviously not liking Pope's plan. Farrah shared his skepticism, her doubt evident on her face.

     "Look, I've never seen John B like that." Kiara voiced her concern. Worry swam in her eyes as her mind swirled with thoughts of where John B was right now. "We should honestly be going to the cops."

     "The cop? Are being for real?" Farrah laughed dryly.

     "Yeah, and say what, Kie? We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John?" JJ mocked. "Like, they're not gonna believe us!"

     "Hey, I see Ward." Pope suddenly informed the others, staring through the binoculars directed at the Cameron house.

     "Let me see." JJ demanded, snatching the binoculars from Pope.

     "Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home." Pope said, more than ready to get back home. It was terribly late and he had the most important interview of his life waiting for him in a few hours. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't been home since midsummers. Neither had Farrah. . .

     JJ whirled around at Pope's words. "Wait. What?"

     Pope glanced between Kiara and JJ uneasily. "Okay. Obviously, Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay?" He began explaining. "Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours."

     "Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble." Kiara retorted, clearly not seeing Pope's point of view.

     "I'm in trouble!¨ Pope shot back. "Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now."

     "Okay, so that's it? In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kiara argued.

     Farrah frowned at the brewing argument. This was not the time nor place, but Farrah couldn't help but to disagree with Kiara. "Shit, Kie. Pope hasn't shut up about that stupid scholarship. It's clearly important to him. Cut him some slack."

     Kiara reeled around, glaring at Farrah. "John B is important!"

     "What is your problem? If you're so worried about John B, why are you standing here yelling instead of actually doing something about it? Hassling Pope doesn't help. And incase you haven't noticed, we don't have the gold. Which means that this might be Pope's only chance at getting out of this shit hole. I don't know about you, but I think it would be nice if at least one of us got to get the hell out of here." Farrah wasn't quite sure why she was going so far to defend Pope, maybe it was because of how kind natured he was. Either way, she was not about to let Kiara get in the way of his biggest moment.

Though the last thing Farrah wanted to do was to face her inevitably angry dads, she knew she had to. Much like Pope, she hadn't been home in days. And unlike with the rest of them, Farrah had never really left home without telling her dads. They always used to have an honest and open relationship, but over the course of days Farrah had run off without telling them with friends they didn't even know she had.

     "Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?" JJ stepped between the two girls before it could get even more heated.

     Pope sat down in the boat sporting a somber expression. "Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't—"

     "Okay, well, what about John B?¨ Kiara interrupted loudly.

     Pope stood up, glaring at the girl. "Why is it always about John B?"

     "It's not always about John B. You're so stupid. It would be any of you in this situation." Kiara scoffed as she defended her viewpoint.

     "Oh, bullshit!"

     "Guys, bring it down. . ." JJ tried diffusing the situation, but no one bothered listening to him. He cringed as they argued loudly, looking around to make sure no one was following.

     "This is about friendship. Look, this is about Pogues for life." Kiara stated.

     "What about forensic pathology, huh?" Pope questioned back.

     "Forensic pathology?"

     "It's my life. Everything I've worked for." His frustration was clear with each word he spoke.

     "That's your priority?" Kiara shook her head in disbelief. She just couldn't believe how their best friend was in trouble, and Pope wasn't going to help because of some stupid interview.

     "Kiara, respectfully, shut the fuck up." Farrah barked, finally snapping. "I know this might be hard for you to grasp, so I'm going to try to dumb it down for you. Pope doesn't have the same opportunities as you do. We don't have the same opportunities that you do."

     "What's that suppose to mean?"

     "If we fail at school, we're screwed, alright? We don't have a safety net of money to catch us like you do. You talk your piece about the turtles and poverty, but completely neglected to see that we don't have the same chances that you do!" Farrah exclaimed, not caring whether or not anyone heard them.

     "Stay out of this Farrah, this is a pogue thing." Kiara bit back.

     "Stop the moral high ground bullshit." Pope scoffed, coming to Farrah's defense.

     JJ glanced at the three in concern, quickly catching on to what Pope was hinting to. "Pope, come on."

     "Excuse me?"

     "No, no. She has no room to talk." Pope shut JJ's protests down. "Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there. You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us. Farrah is more of a pogue than you! Remember your Kook year? Yeah, you forgot about us. Now you feel guilty." He finished off.

     Before Pope could say anything more, Kiara was up in his face yelling. Farrah stepped between the two, giving Kiara a harsh shove backwards. It didn't take long for her to regain her balance, the two girls flying at each others throats. JJ pressed his body between the two girls, pulling Farrah away. "Hey! Yo, yo, yo, cut it out, all right? If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom." JJ intervened. "Pope, Farrah, I'll drop you two off."

     Farrah shook her head, getting out of the boat. "Screw this. I'm walking."

     It didn't take long for her to notice the pair of footsteps trailing behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Pope. Their steps soon aligned, the two of them walking side by side from Figure Eight and over to the Cut. No words were shared as they walked in silence. They didn't have to say anything. Both simply appreciated the fact that they weren't alone, and that at least someone out there had their back.

     "I should get going." Farrah sighed once they reached Pope's house. Her arms were wrapped around her body as they stood in the dark, an appreciative smile placed on Pope's lips.

     "Thank you for defending me back there." Pope suddenly spoke. "And for apologising at midsummers. You're not as I thought. . ."

     Farrah bit back any urge to make a sarcastic remark, instead welcoming the kindness radiating off of the Heyward boy. "Thank you for giving me a chance. I know I can be. . . difficult."

     "That's putting it mildly." Farrah rolled her eyes, smacking his arm. "Ow— it was a joke!"

     "Yeah well I didn't appreciate it." Farrah chuckled. Silence fell over them once again. Farrah knew she needed to get back home, but it felt as if her legs were cemented to the ground.

     "You in trouble with your dads?" Pope asked.

     "I think it's safe to assume so yes." Farrah sighed. "I really don't want to face them." She admitted, running a hand through her hair.

     "I'd invite you in, but I don't think you want to witness my murder." Pope said, a hint of truth to his words.

     "It's okay. I have to face them sometime anyway." Farrah offered him a reassuring smile. "Ready for your interview?"

     "As ready as I can be, I guess." He replied.

     The dark haired girl nodded. "You're going to be fine. I know you are." She reassured. Farrah had no way of knowing how much he needed to hear that. All of his friends kept joking around or not caring about the scholarship interview. She made him feel seen, and it felt nice. Still, worry clouded his face. "Hey— how about this. I'll meet you there tomorrow. Just in case you need a pep talk."

     A smile took place on his place. "I'd like that." He nodded.

     "Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow." Farrah stepped away from the boy.

     "See you tomorrow!" Pope called after her fading figure. It didn't take long for the dark to swallow her. Pope watched her go until she was completely out of sight. Then, he turned around with a heavy sigh, preparing to face his own parents.

     Farrah hugged herself closely as she walked through the dark night. Her mind was coming up plausible excuses to give her dads when she finally got home. Nothing was coming to mind, causing her to even go as far as to consider telling them the truth. But she decided against it. Any lie would be better than telling her dads she'd been running with what they considered bad crowd chasing lost treasures all the while getting shot at or getting attacked by axe murderers.

By chance the rumble of a motorcycle sounded throughout the night. Whether it was a blessing or a curse Farrah didn't know, but there was no denying the overwhelming amount of relief that washed over her when the bike slowed to a halt next to her. Her eyes met his cerulean ones. No words needed to be exchanged as Farrah weighed her options.

The choice was easy, really. So she climbed on to the back of the bike, her arms draped around his torso, letting him whisk her away for now. Her hair whipped in the window as she rested her head on his back.

Her dads were going to have to wait one more day.

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     Farrah often wondered times wondered if she was cursed to fall into old habits for the rest of her life.

     Taking a step back from her life with Lance and Millie as well as her relationship with Rafe had given her a new perspective. Farrah adored them. Correction, she adored Lance. He had always been her number one supporter, and despite his many flaws she did care for him. But time away from her friends had been beneficial. It had helped her see the reality in a world of delusions and lies. While she cared for Lance, their friendship had turned into something sour. Hanging with the pogues taught her that. They made her want to be someone else; someone better. Lance and Millie always reassured her that the things she did and ways she acted was okay, but she was steadily beginning to realise that it wasn't.

     Rafe was probably the worst habit of them all.

     When his bike had slowed down next to her she had sworn it had to be a blessing. He was coming to her rescue, saving her from her dad's wrath for now. But she quickly realised her mistake when they parked by the Glisson estate. They were gone for the summer, and now that Ward had thrown Rafe out, he needed to makeshift a new home. So he took residence in the vacant house.

The house was silent when Farrah finally woke up. It took a while before she even bothered getting up. Once she finally managed to drag herself out of bed, she silently made her way downstairs. The sound of voices caught her attention, causing her to reroute from the kitchen and towards the patio. Her stomach grumbled in discontent, but her curiosity overpowered it.

     Farrah tiptoed towards the glass door, making sure to stay hidden behind the curtain as she peered out at Rafe and his little sister Wheezie. Eavesdropping was intrusive, but Farrah didn't really care if it was rude. She had a sneaking suspicion that whatever they were speaking about was of interest for her.

     Empty beer bottles laid scattered across the class table in front of him, the smell of marijuana dancing in the air as the bong in front of him leaked a thick, white smoke. The said smoke slipped from his lips, his red rimmed eyes looking to Wheezie.

"This is a sweet crib." Wheezie grinned. "How'd you con the Glissons into letting you crash here?"

"I. . . uh, I didn't tell them is how, alright?" Rafe replied. "They're in Sun Valley all summer, so keep a lid on it, please." Farrah rolled her eyes from where she stood. Of course he was breaking and entering and making his little sister keep it a secret for him.

"I mean, as long as you let me stay here whenever I want." Wheezie shrugged, plopping down on one of the many cushioned chairs.

"Dad trying to kick you out too?" Rafe queried.

"Worse. I am officially the least favourite daughter." The youngest Cameron sighed. Rafe chuckled humourlessly at this. "Sarah and dad are going to the Bahamas, and did they invite me? Nope."

Farrah furrowed her brows at Wheezie's words. The Bahamas? Why would Sarah just up and leave them like that? After everything. . . No, something wasn't adding up.

Rafe seemed to reach the same conclusion as he stared intently at Wheezie. "Wait. They're-they're going to the Bahama house? In summer?"

"Yeah. I mean, according to Rose, it's 'business'." Wheezie stated as she pushed her glasses further up her nose. "I mean, they're all up in some new development, and for some super secret reason, they're going to the Bahamas."

"I-I know about, like, a billion times more about the business than she does!" Rafe ran a frustrated hand through his gelled hair, standing to his feet. "What- what is this?"

Farrah knew she shouldn't have felt this way, but looking at him made her heart ache. Like a twined tightly wrapped around every surface of her heart clenching whenever Rafe was in distress. Maybe if his father actually treated him like a son instead of a fuck up he wouldn't be this way. Rafe could be such a jerk— he constantly screwed up and repeated the same mistakes. But Farrah couldn't drown the feeling out; he just needed love and understanding. Like every other person, he just needed someone. And all Farrah ever wanted to be was that someone to him. She could give him all of the love and understanding in the world, but it wasn't enough. Not to Rafe.

She wasn't enough.

Farrah harshly bit down on the insides of her cheeks to distract her from her inner turmoil of emotions, intently listening to their conversation. "We're the black sheep. Get used to it Rafe." Wheezie leaned over to grab her bag, starting to pull money out. "Baa—" Wheezie mocking began.

"Shut up, okay?"

"Baa—"

"Hey, shut up!" Rafe shot forward, his hand clapping around her wrist. "Wheezie, I told you to shut up, okay?"

"Don't tell me to shut up!" She argued, ripping her hand from him. Farrah prepared herself to intervene. "Here, my life savings." She threw the cash directly into his chest, watching the dollar bills rain down.

"I'll pay you back." Rafe nodded. Farrah inhaled sharply, screwing her eyes shut. As much as she wanted to step out and hug him to make the ache in her heart relent, she couldn't. Ward and Sarah were going to the Bahamas. It bugged her? Why the hell would they—

Then it clicked.

     Her legs carried her as fast as humanely as she flew down the road. Her feet pumped against the road as she ran all the way from Figure Eight and over to the Cut. The hot air made her skin glisten with sweat, but she didn't stop. Her lungs burned when she finally skidded to a halt. By chance, Pope threw the door to the house at the same time as she arrived. His eyes widened in surprise when he spotted her. Farrah's palms were firmly planted on her knees as she heaved to catch her breath.

     "Farrah? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to come by before the interview." Farrah held her hand up for him to wait as she panted.

     "There's no time to explain. I think I know where the gold is." She rushed out.

     Pope nodded. "Get this, my dad's cutting palms to extended the runway because the Cameron plane was too heavy."

     "I just overheard Rafe and Wheezie talking about Ward and Sarah taking the plane down to the Bahamas." Farrah informed.

     "It's the gold." Pope realised. "Wait— why were you with Rafe Cameron?"

     Farrah swatted her hand dismissively in the air. "There's no time to explain. We need to find the others and find them."

     Pope and Farrah ran side by side all the way to the chateau, locating JJ, Kiara and John B down by the docks. The three teenagers looked up at the sound of feet pounding against the wood, both Farrah and Pope sweating and panting.

"Guys!" Farrah yelled out between breaths as they approached. "Guys!"

"Oh, God. We ran all the way here." Pope wheezed as he attempted to catch his breath.

"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ queried.

"Don't ask." Pope dismissed. "JB, look, I'm sorry dude. About everything."

"It's fine." John B replied blankly.

"We don't have a lot of time." Farrah began.

"And we have information that is tactically relevant. So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off." Pope explained while gesturing wildly with his arms. "So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off? What could be so heavy to weigh it down'."

"Gold." Farrah finished. "I overheard Rafe and Wheezie speaking. She said that Ward is taking Sarah with him to the Bahamas."

     She missed the look that crossed JJ's words at the mention of the Cameron boy. He quickly masked it with feigned enthusiasm. His questions would have to wait for after they got the gold.

"That's where they're taking it." A grin spread across John B's face.

"That's right. Exactly. Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go." Pope said eagerly.

Farrah was just as eager to get going. "Guys, we can't give up now."

"What's the plan, big man?" JJ turned to look at John B, all of them wearing matching grins.

"We're gonna steal that sh¡t back."

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     The ride to the airstrip didn't take long, all five of them piled into the back of the Twinkie as John B whizzed down the road.

     "We go in there, guns a-blazin', make Ward Cameron beg for mercy, abscond with as much gold as possible and vámonos, get the hell out of there." JJ and Farrah sat next to one another with Pope and Kiara seated opposite of them. Farrah could tell they wanted to ask her about Rafe, but for the sake of the situation they didn't. She was dreading the conversation that would inevitably take place, but for now she'd have to redirect her attention to the gold.

"Down the Intracoastal." Pope stated, a wide grin on his face.

Kiara nodded. "Wait for weather. Exit to Cuba."

JJ shot her a look. "Cuba? No, man, Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan."

"Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money." Farrah finished for him, recalling the conversation they'd shared that night.

"Let's do this shit!"

Soon enough they pulled up to the fenced airstrip. They scurried over to the fence, John B observing the strip through his binoculars.

"They're loading up the gold." John B informed them as he spied on Sarah and her dad. "There's Ward." He continued. "He's hurting her."

"What? What?" JJ questioned, trying to squint in their direction.

John B put down the binoculars for a moment before glancing back. "They're fighting. It's Sarah."

"Hold on I think there's another pair of binoculars in the car. I'll go get them." Farrah said, jogging over to the Twinkie.

She climbed into the back, shuffling around to find the binoculars. When she finally did, she whispered a bingo under her breath. But she didn't have time to return back to the others before John B climbed into the drivers seat, flying ahead. The sudden jolt sent Farrah flying to the floor of the car, groaning loudly. She could hear loud yells of protest, and when she looked up John B crashed the car through the fence. Farrah clenched her eyes shut, letting out a shriek as John B continued in the direction of the Cameron plane.

"John B what the hell are you doing?!" Farrah exclaimed, clawing her way to the passenger seat as he pressed the pedal to the floor. "Are you trying to kill us?"

John B was too focused on driving to answer. Farrah took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her spiking nerves. Buckling her seatbelt, Farrah held on for dear life as John B raced the moving plane. She had no idea what his plan was, but she was certain it was nothing short of terrifying. Her eyes clenched shut when he sped past the plane, pulling the handbrake aggressively. The tires screeched loudly against the asphalt as the car spun around. It halted directly in the path of the plane.

"John B— John B!" Farrah panicked as Ward neglected to slow down. "Oh my god. John b please move! Please!" Her voice cracked at the end. John B felt his heart wrench at her tone, but he didn't budge. It was too late to turn back now. Farrah clenched her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

It never came.

A few moments of silence passed before she dared open her eyes again. The anxiety ridden breaths were the only sounds filling the car. Her hands were still clenched, holding on for life, her eyes wide with panic. Not until John B climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut did she snap back into reality. With shaky hands she unbuckled her seatbelt, legs wobbly as she climbed out of the car.

"Oh my fucking god." Was the only words she managed to spit out, nausea clawing at her throat. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Add air strip scene and then Yo done

"Sarah! Sarah!" John B called out for the girl. In place of the girl, Ward climbed out of the plane, rage evident as he did so.

"You trying to kill her?" The Cameron man yelled.

"Trying to get us killed?" Farrah fired back. She was beyond pissed off at John B right now, but she would still have his back.

Sarah climbed out the plane soon after Ward. Her eyes searched desperately for the Routledge boy, relief washing over her when she realised he was unharmed. "John B, you're okay." Her hands found his cheeks as she pulled him closer.

Farrah felt uneasy with the look in Ward's eyes when he saw the couple. "Get away from him!" He demanded, reaching for her upper arm to rip her away for John B's arms.

"No! Don't touch me!" Sarah shrieked, stumbling away from him. "And don't tell me what to do."

The sound of police sirens reached their ears, all four of them looking in the direction of the sound. Farrah swallowed thickly. They needed to get the hell out of there. "John B."

"You gotta get outta here." Sarah began. "Both of you. You gotta. . ."

Sarah trailed off at the end as the police car pulled up next to them. Farrah ran her hand through her hair several times, attempting to come up with an escape plan. There was none.

Sheriff Peterkin got out of the police car, eyes wandering between the four. Ward stepped towards her. "Oh, thank God you're here. Susan, I told you he lost his goddamn mind." He started.

"Put your hands on your head." The sheriff demanded as she pulled her gun out.

Ward wore a smug look on his face as he glanced over at John B, not yet realising that Peterkin wasn't talking to John B, she was talking to Ward. "I'd do what she said."

"She's talkin' to you, Ward." Sarah hugged John B tighter. Ward reeled around, utter shock washing over him when it finally dawned on him that he hadn't gotten away with it. None of it. Susan Peterkin knew all about the gold, and how Ward had murdered John B's dad. Justice was finally being served.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Big John Routledge." Peterkin stated, pulling the handcuffs out. "I got ya."

Farrah couldn't fight the smile making its way onto her lips. Ever since Ward insisted on bringing her family to the midsummers and involving her dads in so much, she had been wary of him. And after everything John B had told her he did, she couldn't help the surge of joy that for once someone actually believed them. For once, the pogues won. Sarah didn't share their joy, her hand finding her mouth as she gasped. Farrah shot her a look of pity.

"Are you kidding me?" Ward questioned in disbelief.

"Put your hands on your head."

"Are you kidding me, Sue?" He repeated.

"Put your hands on your head! Turn around. Drop to your knees!" She stepped over to him, holstering her gun as she went to cuff him. "I don't like bein' used. I waited a long time for this."

Just as she was about to claps the cuffs over his wrists, he spun around, attempting to fight her off. Sarah yelled in protests, but John B held her back. Farrah watched in horror as they fought, Peterkin hastily gained the upper hand, pulling her gun right back out. She held the weapon pointed to his head, threateningly staring him down.

"What about the Montgomery's then, huh?" Ward suddenly spoke, desperation clear. Farrah felt a pang surge through her at the mention of her family. "Bryan and Phillip? Yeah, they're all in on this. They made me do it!"

John B turned to look at Farrah, confusion and utter loathing swimming in his eyes. "Farrah is that true? You knew all along?"

"What? No! He's obviously lying. I-I." Farrah placed the back of her hand against her lips as her mind reeled.

Sheriff Peterkin let her eyes leave Ward for just a moment to study the expression on Farrah's face. Doubt shone from her eyes as she stared at the Montgomery girl. Lana Grubbs hadn't mentioned anything about the Montgomery's, but knowing Lana it wasn't a surprise if she'd left that part out considering the Montgomery's were close with her.

Ward took Peterkin's distraction and used it to his advantage. He grabbed a hold of the gun before the sheriff could refocus on him again. Yells of protests sounded from Sarah as he did so, a long pang making them all freeze.

"No!"

word count; 6505
a/n

here we go with chapter eight ! wow. all of these chapters are pre-written and posted on scheduled dates ( every tuesday ) which is really my first time doing so. but, writing all of this in advance has made it a lot easier for me to stay consistent with my updates ! hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please tell me what you think ! see you in chapter nine !

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