CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
SHOOT ME DEAD
(episode eight: the runaway)

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HAVEN, ARDEN AND JJ had decided to stay at the Chateau for the night. Pope and Kie had both been dropped off at their own homes, but the others had nowhere else to go. Even Arden, though she refused to let Haven and JJ in on why. Haven eventually put it down to her mother and didn't push anymore. It would've been hypocritical considering she hadn't told them about her own mother and Liam, no matter how much she wanted to. It just didn't feel right mentioning Liam to Arden. She knew the girl had taken a liking to him after that day at the Country Club. She just wouldn't understand why it hurt Haven so much to see him taking over his dad's place in Melinda's life.

In the end, it was their choice to go to John B's that lead them right to him. He wasn't angry anymore, just abnormally silent and void of emotion as he retreated down to the jetty with the gun still at his side. The rest of the pogues took turns checking in on him until the sun had risen and Kie arrived. Only then did he speak to them, and boy did he have a lot to say.

Not only did he murder Big John, but Ward Cameron had managed to find where the gold was and taken every last bar. Haven's heart swelled with disappointment as she leant her head on Arden's shoulder. All that hard work was wasted after just one night.

"And you're sure he got everything?" Kie asked into the silence that followed John B's explanation.

John B let out a sigh from where he laid across the jetty slats. "Every bar. The whole enchilada."

"Well, goodbye freedom," Arden muttered as she caught JJ's eyes and frowned. "And hello living in the Outer Banks for the rest of my life."

The thought was dire. That night they found that first bar of gold, Haven had allowed herself to dream of a life where she knew no limitations when it came to money, a life spent learning the sunny streets of Brazil, the family his father came from. Now, that dream was squashed beneath the toe of Ward Cameron's boot, ruthless and unforgiving. And not just for her. Arden had been banking on getting away from her mother with her cut. She and JJ were going to start a life together, they were going to create a stable home for Logan, more than what JJ had ever had. That picture seemed so far out of reach now, a hopeful idea lost to the wind.

"Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit," John B scoffed to himself.

"John B," Kie snapped, snagging Haven's attention away from the laces of her shoes.

She looked up to meet John B's challenging scowl as he forced the cast off his wrist and chucked it to the opposite end of the jetty. "What, Kie? It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?" he sneered as he flexed his wrist.

"You should care. Your arm's going to be messed up for life."

"It's fine. See?" The motion caused Arden to wince and look down at her own cast. Normally, she would be the first to copy him as a sign of support, but she wasn't about to risk the healing of a broken bone just to prove a point. Besides, even if she tried, Haven was right there to stop her.

"As fun as this is," she said as silence threatened to consume them. It was overwhelming sitting there with only her thoughts for company, like she'd lost her purpose and was now floundering in the deep end. They'd dedicated their entire Summer to the gold, and just like that, it had been taken away from them. No warning, no nothing. "What are we going to do now?"

John B just shrugged cluelessly. "There's nothing we can do."

But there was one pogue who wasn't willing to give up everything just yet. Pope should've been in the middle of his scholarship interview, and yet there he was, running down the jetty towards his friends in his best formal attire. Haven stood up as he shouted for them, frowning in concern as he slowed to a stop, planting his hands on his knees and gasping for air.

"I ran all the way here," he stammered through each breath.

"You okay?" she asked and held out her hands to help him stand properly.

"Eh, could be better, not gonna lie."

"How was the interview, Pope?" The sound of JJ's voice sent a jolt of surprise through Haven. He'd stayed silent through John B's explanation, no fight left in him anymore. Normally, he'd refuse to let them give up so easily, but he didn't know what to say anymore.

"Don't ask."

Despite what Pope said, Haven wanted to ask. She was still holding his hands, so she turned one of his wrists over and glanced down at the watch-face glinting in the sun. He shouldn't have been done with the interview yet. Did he leave early? Or had it gone horribly wrong? She didn't get the chance to push, though, for he pulled away and marched over to a glowering John B.

"JB, look, I'm sorry, dude," he said. "About everything."

"It's fine..." It definitely did not sound fine.

"But — But I don't have a lot of time, and — and I have information that is tactically relevant."

"Go on," Arden prompted. Where John B wasn't paying much attention to the rambling boy, he'd managed to catch the interest of the girls.

"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, and it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself 'hm, why would Ward Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off?' What could be so heavy to weigh it down?"

It hit them all at once.

"Gold."

"Exactly," Pope exclaimed. "Guys, this is our chance. But it leaves tonight, and we have to go."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Guys, we can't give up now," Kie insisted, and hopped down from the ledge she'd been sitting on. She latched onto Haven's arm, practically shaking it out of its socket with excitement. All disagreements from the night before were long forgotten with their goal in sight again. Haven could feel the phantom warmth of the Brazilian sun already.

But for once, Arden wasn't so sure, weighed down by doubt and the idea of her mother. "Do we really want to do this? You guys know I hate to be the pessimistic one, that's Pope's job, but I can't see Ward Cameron just giving us back the gold."

"Then we don't give him a choice, Ardie," JJ cooed, leaning down to draw her to feet before slinging an arm around her shoulders. "So what's the plan, JB?"

Life had returned to John B's eyes again like a rubber band snapping back into position. The numbness following him around had faded. Now, he stood with a familiar confident smile, ready to take back what was rightfully his, rightfully the pogues'.

"We're going to steal that shit back."

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"SO WE GO IN there, guns-a-blazin' to make Ward Cameron beg for mercy, abscond with as much gold as possible and vamanos, get the hell out of there!"

"Send that shit right down the Intracoastal," John B added on eagerly to JJ's idea.

"Wait for the weather."

"And exit to Cuba," Pope finished with a smile.

The six teens were packed into the Twinkie heading right for the airstrip. Time had turned on them and was ticking by fast, but Haven felt confident with their plan, something she didn't get to say often when it was JJ making the first suggestions. But what could Ward do, really, when he was outnumbered six to one? Just one of those bars each would be enough to chase their dreams for a while. Six bars would barely make a dent in his stash.

"Cuba?" JJ scoffed at Haven's feet. "Nah, man. We head to Xcalak, the Jewel of the Yucatan, with lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money."

"Sounds like a dream," Arden said with a giddy sigh. "Hello again, freedom, my old friend."

John B laughed, ruffling her hair fondly before shuffling back to face the front. "Let's do this shit."

It took them several more minutes before they reached the airstrip. John B parked the Twinkie behind a metal wire-barbed fence, the group immediately kicking into motion. Haven could just make out Ward Cameron's plane just yards away, looming proudly on the airstrip with their gold on board. She turned to John B instinctively. "So what's the plan?"

"Broad strokes?" Kie added with the same confused look.

John B winced at the question. "I don't think we got that far."

Haven let out a sigh. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to JJ."

"Hey," the boy in question huffed, but he was cut off by Pope holding up a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the plane.

"They're loading up the gold!"

"Let me see," John B insisted, snatching the binoculars away as three horn beeps sounded in the distance. His eyes narrowed suddenly. "There's Ward." But just as quickly as the anger came, hurt followed.

"What is it?" Haven asked as he let out a shaky breath. "John B, what?"

"It's Sarah," he muttered.

"She's with him?"

Haven's heart dropped. She met Kie's eyes with a fearful frown. Suddenly, they were back on Heyward's boat again, the night sky dotted with stars as their witnesses. Haven was shivering beneath her thin blanket, eyes staring blankly above them. From her right, Kie had whispered that forsaken promise, and Sarah had vowed to keep it. Haven had doubted her just the day before when John B came home to find JJ's gun, but maybe she was wrong to question it then. No, this was Sarah's real moment of betrayal, when she took the gold right from under their noses and handed it over to her murderer of a father.

"Wait a minute," John B gasped. "He's hurting her!"

"What?" Arden cried and grabbed the binoculars to look for herself. "He's right. They're fighting."

That was enough to prompt John B into action. He ran back to the Twinkie as the others tried to figure out what Ward was doing to Sarah. It was only when the engine roared to life behind them that their attention was disrupted.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Pope cried out.

"John B, no," Haven gasped, following Pope to the van with the others right behind her. "You can't—"

But John B had already made up his mind. With his foot on the accelerator, he crashed right through the metal gate, the shrieking of metal prompting Haven to shove her hands over her ears in terror. Her surroundings flickered, the sunlight fading to darkness. Arden's hand in hers grew cold as her dad's face replaced her friend's. Arden, as if she could tell what was going through Haven's head, shouted for her until she was able to see the crushed fence beneath the Twinkie's tires as it swerved at full speed towards Ward's plane and Sarah.

"What are you doing, man?" JJ yelled as he, Pope and Kie attempted to follow him. "Come back!"

It was no use. The remaining pogues had no choice but to watch the distant figures collide. The plane turned and began to soar down the runway. John B had managed to reach them and was pushing the Twinkie to its limits in order to keep up. He eventually pulled ahead, braking and veering right into the plane's path. For a heart-stopping instant, it seemed like Ward wasn't going to stop. The pogues were about to witness John B's death as well as the blow of another lost chance at the gold. But something had happened between Ward and Sarah on that plane, and it brought it to a stop with its nose just inches away from the driver's side window where John B sat.

"Should we go over there?" Haven questioned as they watched Ward and Sarah's tiny figures argue with John B on the airstrip. They couldn't hear what was said but it didn't take a genius to figure out its heated nature.

"Maybe," Kie murmured.

But just as soon as she said that, a siren wailed in the distance. Their face's fell. Someone else had noticed the commotion occurring on the runway, and they were heading right for them. If they were caught, it wouldn't just be John B in shit. It would be all of them.

"Guys, I can't get arrested," Pope said.

"My mum would kill me," Haven sighed.

"And I'm on probation," JJ added.

For once, Kie seemed to agree with them. Haven had almost expected her to want them to chase after John B, to put friendship above everything like she'd preached so passionately, but the reality of a nearing siren and a criminal record weighed on her conscience too much to be ignored.

"Look, we're no good if we're all in jail," she sighed. "We should go."

Haven hesitated for just a second before allowing Pope to grab her hand and guide her away. They followed Kie and JJ towards the bushes but were forced to pause when JJ glanced over his shoulder and froze.

"Arden, won't you dare," he gasped, which prompted them all to spin around. The blonde girl was lingering by the chasm John B had left in the fence, one hand on her stomach and the other bracing her into a run as she stared with determination down at the airstrip. "Arden, no—"

But as Arden Kim tended to do, she'd already made up her mind. She smiled at JJ one last time before sprinting right into the action, surprisingly fast for someone weighed down by a life in her stomach.

"No," JJ cried and tried to run after her. "Arden, please!"

However, she was too far out of reach, almost halfway across the field that separated themselves and the chaos occurring by Ward's plane. Haven and Pope frantically reached out and latched onto JJ before he could get himself into trouble, too. Arden, as hard as it was to watch her put herself in harm's way, didn't have a police record attached to her name. If she was to be arrested, she'd be bailed out immediately by her mother, and nothing else would be done. If JJ was found with her, a court hearing for restitution would be nothing compared to his new punishment.

"JJ, we have to go," Haven insisted as he fought against them fruitlessly. "Dude, she'll be alright. She's with John B and Sarah, they won't let anything bad happen to her."

"Arden," he murmured breathlessly, one last time before giving in.

And then, like it pained him to do so, he slowly turned and followed his friends away from the scene, the sirens arriving just as they left. Haven let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as they reached the main road and slowed to a slight jog. They were okay, and as they always did, Arden and the others would return safe to them and they would find another way to get back at Ward for duping them.

Well, that was the original plan. Then, of course, it all went to fucking shit.