Chapter Fourteen

Kie, Sarah, and I sit in John B's van examining a plan that Pope had drawn for us the next morning. We were all very excited and giggly. I might actually be able to explore the world. I could do that. Without my parent's help.

"He said it looked something like this." Kie had said, motioning towards the 'map' that she held.

"So..."

"That's 50 feet down, and they're using 100-feet-rope." I had said.

"So I guess this little wagon will go... Straight to the Gold Room." Kie had smiled.

"Who drew this?" Sarah questioned, laughing.

"Who do you think?" Kie asked and we looked over, see Pope and John B by the bench. We were all at John B's place.

"Stormy! This better work." JJ had approached us and dropped three gold bricks in front of us. "We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it."

I hold up a blow torch. "It's gonna work."

I held the blow torch over the pot pan that is outside and is melting the gold bricks. The gold bricks melt. I looked over at John B and Sarah, they're sitting by the tree. JJ had his goggles on and put some goggles on for me. I smiled and kissed him as a 'thank you'.

JJ and Pope clap hands while Kie sits nearby me.

Later that afternoon, the six of us arrived at a pawn shop in John B's van. JJ holds a lumpy piece of gold as we exit.

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein." JJ had teased me.

"Like you could've done it better," I told him.

"I could have done better," JJ speaks matter-of-factly as we wait outside the pawnshop. "I took a welding class—"

"When—"

"Woah, woah, hey, hey," John B cuts us off, shushing us. "Chill out, okay?"

"Easy for you to say," JJ nods at John B. "You're not the one that has to pawn this piece of shit off." That's right. We're using fake gold, baby. "How did I get this job, anyway?"

"Hey, I'm the one doing it too," I told him.

"Cause you guys are the best liars," Pope told us.

I smiled at him. "Awe, thanks a bunch." I sarcastically pinched his cheek and he slaps it away from me.

We entered the pawnshop, JJ and I holding hands. "Afternoon, ma'am." JJ greets. There was a women at the shop cash register and turned to us.

"Afternoon." The lady greets us.

"I see you buy gold." JJ had said as we approached the counter.

"That's what the sign says, don't it?" the lady nods her head.

"Well, I'm sure you buy a lot of it," JJ began. "Because me and my... wife, are about to blow your mind." My heart flutters at the word wife, he could've said girlfriend, but no. Wife it is. JJ placed the green bag on the counter.

"I ain't got much mind left to blow, so have at it." The lady told us and I nodded.

He had placed the gold onto the counter. "How about them gold apples?"

The lady chuckled. "That ain't real."

"That ain't real?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, baby, she doesn't think its real."

"It can't be." The lady continued.

"Feel how heavy it is." JJ had told her. The lady lifts up the gold. "Mm-mm-mm. Let's get some light on that."

She looks through a magnifying glass. "Spray-painted tungsten."

I noticed our friends had come in, looking around as if they're customers, don't know us. "Spray-painted tungsten? Really?" I acted offended. She's not far off. "Okay. Why don't you see how uh, soft it is?"

"You mind?" The lady questioned.

"No, go for it," JJ told her. The lady makes a mark in the gold with a tool. Nothing happened. "Wow. Would you look at that?"

"Hold your horses." The lady said. "We ain't got to the acid test yet."

"Ooh! The acid test." JJ looked at me worriedly. I simply smiled at him, pecking his cheek. "My favourite, Hollywood,"

"Who's Hollywood?" The lady questioned. We don't say anything. She drips acid onto the marked gold. "Well, it ain't plated, and it ain't painted,"

"Ma'am, we're telling you, this is as real as the day is long." JJ had told her.

"It looks like somebody had melted it down." The lady informed and I tried to hide my annoyed look. How could she have guessed that? Okay, well, maybe I didn't do a very good job. JJ shot me a look as if to tell me 'told you so'. I nudged him.

"My Mum." I instantly said as soon as the lady looked up. "She had all this jewellery laying around the house, and she thought it was best to—to melt it down. To 'consolidate' it."

The lady weighed the gold. "Seven pounds? That's a lot of earrings."

"I mean, what can I say, my mother was Paige Cameron, after all." The Lady nods, understanding.

"So, you're one of Cameron's kids, then?" The lady questioned and I nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Kook's get richer every day," she muttered. "Give me a minute." The lady had left to go to the back.

"Take your time, Ma'am," JJ had told her.

She had returned five seconds later. "So, I uh..." She cleared her throat. "I talked to my boss."

"And?" JJ questioned.

"And, uh, this is what I can do." The lady began. She sets a paper down in front of us.

"50,000?" JJ raised an eyebrow. "You think we walked in here not knowin' that spot price? Ma'am, we know for a fact this is worth 140, at least."

"Well, sweetie, you in a pawnshop," the lady remarked. "This ain't Zurich. Do I look swiss to you?"

"90, or we walk." I had interrupted.

"70. Half price." The lady had narrowed her eyes. "And um, I don't ask questions about where you and your wife got this."

JJ slyly looks at John B, who gives him the signal to take it. JJ nods. "I'm gonna need that in large denominations, please."

Sarah, Kie, and Pope smile.

The lady purses her lips. "Well, here's the snag. I don't have that many denominations, not here anyway. I can write you a cashier's check."

"Cash... No, ma'am. I want the cold hard." JJ had told her. "That's what that sign says. Cash for gold. And that's what I expect. I'm gonna get it in cold hard."

"Well, I have to send you two to the warehouse." The lady had told us. I raised an eyebrow. "I have the money there. Is that all right?"

"Where's this warehouse?"

✫✫✫

John B drives in the direction where the old lady said the warehouse would be. JJ holds the chunk of gold.

"So, they keep the money out here?" Pope questioned.

"That's what she said." JJ had said and I nodded, confirming. JJ chuckled. "That's what she said."

"This doesn't make any sense to me," I had said, and JJ runs a hand through my hair. "Also, wife, really?"

"What?" JJ smiled cheekily. He connected our lips briefly. I don't think JJ has even called me his girlfriend, yet.

"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive." Sarah says from the passenger seat.

"Neither." I shrugged.

"Cause your rich." JJ told us.

"You've never heard of it either." Kie had shot JJ a look.

"Hey, I'm not rich anymore." I reminded JJ.

"Thank you," Sarah told Kie.

"There's nothing but weed back here." Kie pointed out.

"All right, just 'cause it's weeds, doesn't mean it's, like..." JJ trailed off and suddenly there was a siren that sounded like the police.

"Shit." I mumbled. "Cops? Out here?"

"God!" JJ exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"

"What did we do?" My twin asked, looking behind us.

"Why are we getting pulled over?" Pope groaned as John B pulls over.

"Stash that." John B told JJ who quickly puts it in the bag.

"Chill, guys," Kie told us.

"I hate cops," JJ grumbled.

"Did you bring the gun?" I questioned JJ.

"No. Okay?" JJ told us. "Everybody told me to leave it back at the place."

"Thank God." Kie sighed. "Please, everything else in your bag."

"I am! I am, alright?" JJ had snapped, shuffling everything into the green bag.

"How much weed do you have, bro?" Kie quiz's as Pope tried to help JJ shove everything into the bag. JJ puts the bag under the couch.

I flinched when I heard a gun cock and I looked over to see a masked man pointing a shotgun straight at John B's head.

"Why don't I just go ahead and see the hands in the air?" The masked man questioned. "All of y'all's hands up in the air, now!" I flinched again and raised my hands slowly, JJ following, and the rest of them do, too. "You out of the car, let's go!"

John B slowly gets out of the driver's seat. "Out of the car! Let's go! Hurry!" The masked man told John B. "Let them out!" John B moved towards the passenger side. "What are you waiting on?! What are you waitin' on? Let them out!"

I let out a whimper as the masked man continues to shout various things at us, telling us to get out and hurry up. John B opens up the van door. Sarah, Pope, Kie, JJ and I all stumble out with our hands up.

"There you go, pretty girl," the masked man eyes me. "Here we go! Get out of the car, now! There you go!"

"We're broke—" JJ tried to say but was cut off.

"Shut the hell up!" The masked man yelled at JJ, pointing the gun at him.

"JJ, JJ, shut up." I told him quickly.

"Shut up!" The masked man yelled at me, pointing the gun directly at me and. I closed my eyes raising my hands, mumbling out a few sorry's. "I'll blow your damn head off! Lay down in the ditch! Lay down in the ditch! On your Goddamn hands and knees!" I laid down on my hands and knees. I felt the gun touch my head and I let out a whimper. "Put your face on the ground!" I instantly obeyed. "Stay here, just like that! Don't let me see you look up!"

JJ side glanced at me, his eyes filled with worried as he looked at me. I felt the gun being lifted from my head and the masked man climbed into the van. He's searching the van and I closed my eyes tightly, letting out a cursed word.

Fuck, we've been set up. This is all one huge scheme at the pawnshop.

"It's a setup, guys." Kie had said.

"That old bat shanked us." JJ said. JJ macks his hand on the ground. "Fuck! Goddamn it!"

"John B," it was Pope and I looked up. "Don't be a hero, man." John B shushes Pope. John B runs towards the masked man's car as he was the closest. John B gets into the back of the masked man's car.

The masked man gets out of the van with the shotgun raised. "All right, y'all just stay like that," the masked man had said. "Unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, okay?!"

The masked man gets into the car and I let out a small sob. Oh, my God. I put my hands in my head, my mouth going dry.

There was a ruckus in the car and the masked man and John B get outside of the car. "Guys, get the gun!" John B yelled and JJ was sprinting towards the masked man as the masked man attacks John B.

JJ punches the masked man, the masked man knocks JJ to the ground. I had hoped onto the masked man's back and he swings away, letting out a yell. "Get off me, stupid bitch!" He had flung me to the ground and I knocked my head on stone.

I groaned and held my head. Sarah came rushing for my aid. "Oh, my God, Stormy you're bleeding."

I removed my hand that was pressed to my wound, checking the bright red fresh blood. "Hey, I am." I smiled tiredly at Sarah.

She pressed her hand against my wound. "You're gonna be fine, Storm, it's not that much blood anyways."

I nodded. John B had hit the masked man with the shotgun. "I got the gold!" Pope called out and Sarah helped me rise to my feet.

She rushed over to the car door and slammed the door into the masked man. "That's for knocking over my sister!" She spat angrily before quickly back to help me. "You son of a bitch!"

Kie kicks him in the rips and Pope knocks him into the car. John B pulls down the masked man's mask and I recognized him. His name is Barry, and he sells drugs to Rafe.

"I know this piece of shit!" JJ spat. "He's a basehead!"

"Probably know our brother." Sarah had said.

"He does." I breathe out.

"He sells coke to my Dad." JJ continued.

"Aye, listen," Barry had quickly said. "I couldn't hurt any single one of y'all—" JJ knocks him down with the shotgun.

"JJ!" Kie had yelled and Pope pulled him back.

"Dude, chill, man," Pope told him. JJ had taken Barry's wallet and inspects his ID. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"We got one last stop."

A/N

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