Chapter Thirty

"John Booker Routledge," the judge had spoken in a courtroom we all sit in. Sarah and I sit together with our family. Pope, Kie, and JJ are in another row. John B was at the front in an ugly orange jumpsuit that did not suit him. "Pursuant to the North Carolina statute section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."

Everyone strikes up a conversation and anger bubbled up inside me. JJ stands up. "You're honour, he's 17."

"Quiet," the judge had snapped.

"He's 17, are you kidding me?" JJ continued as everyone stands up and I stayed sitting there in disbelief. Sarah was shaking beside me. "Hey, John B, we'll figure it out."

Sarah stands up, getting out of the seat and tried to run towards John B. "John B, John B!" A guard pulls back Sarah. "No!" I quickly ran up to my sister.

"Stop! Don't touch her." I had snapped, pulling Sarah into my arms.

"Let's go, Sarah," Kie had rushed over to us along with JJ and Pope. "Let's get out of here."

I stared up at JJ with tearful eyes. "He's 17, they can't do that. Especially when he didn't kill anyone!"

"Storm, let's go!" Pope had told me, pulling JJ and I out of there. A stream of crowd piles out of the courthouse.

"Is this a joke?" Kie asked as we stepped down the stairs with other people. "Like, are we in hell...?"

"I should have never come home," Sarah told us.

"They're gonna kill him, guys," JJ said. "I know it."

"I'm so sorry for what you and your family had to go through," Hugh had told my father. "Thank God the system works."

Anger bubbles up inside me. "Can you please shut up?" Kie had beat me to it. Dad, Rose, and Hugh turned to us. "Of course you think the system worked because it was to protect you and people like you."

"He'll have his day in court," Hugh told us. "A jury with deicide."

"He shouldn't even be in court!" Kie's voice cracked. "You should because you're a murderer!" She points at Dad. "You have a lot of nerve showing up to court."

"I know you're upset and I understand you're upset, okay?" Dad had tried to talk to Kie calmly with Rose attached to his arm as he tried to approach us.

"Upset?" Kie exclaimed.

"I know he's got you fooled." Dad points to all of us. "He's got all of you fooled."

"No, I'm not just upset!" Kie had gone to lunge towards my Dad, my Shoupe and Thomas had pulled Kie back.

"Show some respect!" Dad had snapped at Kie and my eyes widen and I looked at him in disbelief.

"Muzzle your Goddamn dog!" JJ points at Shoupe.

"Get off her!" Pope had snapped.

"Why don't you take the Kook's down for a chance?" JJ continued to fire.

"You wanna get arrested?" Shoupe asked us. "Get out! You need to go."

"This is bullshit." Kie had muttered.

"Come on." Sarah had told Kie calmly. "It's not worth it."

"It's not a coincidence that both of your daughters are with us!" Kie had yelled as Dad and Rose were leaving.

And then, we left.

✫✫✫

"I'm gonna testify under oath." Sarah had told us as we stand in the Chateau's porch, under shelter as the rain pours. I sit on JJ's lap, starring out in the rain. "I was there. I just need to get ahold of my sister."

"Sister?" JJ asked.

"Kie, do you have your phone?" Sarah turned to Kie. "Wheezie is the only other person that knows that Rafe wasn't home that day."

"Wheezie?" JJ raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what else to do," Sarah admits. "I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out."

Kie had given Sarah her phone and Sarah steps inside the house. "Huh, Wheezie?" JJ scoffed. "Yeah, that will work."

"Shut up," I told JJ, hitting his arm before following Sarah inside and into the lounge. We sat down next to each other, the window was opened by the porch so we can still hear them speaking.

"Well, she's right about one thing," JJ continued. "We gotta do something. Our boy is PO-dub right now, okay? He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"

"What are we gonna do? We start by kidnapping Shoupe?" Kie had exclaimed towards JJ.

"Maybe." JJ fired back. "Like, that's not the worst idea actually."

"Oh, it's not?" Kie raised an eyebrow.

"No!" JJ exclaimed.

"That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard." Pope had jumped in.

"It's pretty bad." Sarah and I both responded in sync. We gave each other a smirk.

"You know? Please, just stay out of this," JJ had turned to us. "Okay, Pope, look. We've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"

"Okay, okay," Pope had stood up. "So, what's your plan? You're gonna storm in jail, guns a-blazing?"

"Look, Pope," JJ had also stood up, the two of them facing each other. "All I'm trying to get you to understand is they got our boy. Now, are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"

"JJ, we're not storming into a jail." Pope shakes his head. "It's not happening."

"No, fine, man." JJ rolled his eyes. "Sit in your comfy chair and do nothing. I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it by myself."

"Okay," Kie calmly said and JJ leaves.

I went to stand up and chase him, but Sarah grabbed my hand. "Maybe you should leave him—"

"Let me talk to him," I told her and she nods her head and lets me go. I go through the porch and outside, running after JJ. "JJ!" JJ doesn't stop and kept walking towards his dirt bike. "Seriously, JJ, I'm trying to talk to you!"

Thunder booms over us loudly.

JJ finally turns around. "Hollywood, if you're trying to stop me, don't bother."

"No, I'm not," I had admitted as I got close to him. "I'm just—I'm just telling you to be safe and don't do anything stupid, please?"

"I can't promise you that, you know that, Stormy," JJ tells me and I nodded my head, understanding.

"Okay, then at least keep me updated on your stupid plans?" I requested and he nods. "And let me know if you're safe or not. Or, if you need any help—"

He had cut me off by kissing me gently under the pouring rain. I've never kissed under the rain, I always thought it was romantic, like the ones you see in the Disney movies. I felt my heart pumping at the slow and tender kiss.

He pulls away. "I'll keep you updated. I love you." He pecked my lips again.

"I love you, too," I told him gently, gazing into blue ocean eyes before pulling away from him and walking back to the porch. JJ jumps onto his dirt bike and leaves.

"So, I'm gonna dig in hard into anything I can find out about this key," Pope told Kie as I walked into the porch, soaking wet. "Because that tape Limbrey has, that's exculpatory evidence. That can exonerate John B."

"Yeah, we gotta try," Kie nods her head. I moved out of the way, feeling like I'm in the middle of something. I walked back inside towards Sarah.

"Have you reached her?" I asked, sitting down on the couch.

"I'm trying," Sarah had given me Kie's phone. "I'm spamming her and everything, but Wheeze is not replying." She then puts her hands on her face and begins to cry softly. "This is all my fault."

"It's not, sissy," I pulled her in for a side hug, feeling my heart fall. "It's not your fault. If you're gonna blame it on someone, blame it on Dad."

Sarah sniffs, nodding her head and wiping her tears away. "You're right." She whispered. "You're right." Suddenly, Kie's phone rings and we gasped. Sarah instantly answered it. "Wheeze?"

"It's JJ," JJ responded. "Can I please talk to Storm?"

She sighed. "It's for you." She hands me the phone and walks away.

"Hey, baby," JJ coos.

"What'd you do, J?" I sighed, running a hand through my wet hair. "If—"

"Alright, I talked to John B," JJ cuts me off. "And I need your help. Please. I'll explain the plan when I meet you."

I looked over at a stressed Sarah. She glanced over at me worriedly. "J, Sarah's pretty upset, I don't know..."

"Baby, please?" JJ whined. "I really need your help. It could all go wrong if you're not there."

"Let me just talk to Sarah, if I agree, where would you like to meet?" I questioned.

"My place, in twenty minutes." JJ requested. "I love you, baby,"

"I love you, too," I replied back before hanging upon him.

"You should go," Sarah told me as I approached her. "JJ sounds like he needs you. But if he's taking you away from me just for a booty call, I'm gonna kill him."

She hugs me and I chuckled. "It didn't sound like a booty call to me, S."

"Okay, be safe, have fun, I'll let you know when Wheezie gets in contact," Sarah promises me. I pulled away from her. "But hey, don't have too much fun!"

I flipped her off, knowing exactly what she meant and she laughs at me, watching me leave.

✫✫✫

"JJ, this is a really bad plan." It had grown around 10.20 PM the plan JJ has is frightening. John B is supposed to have an attack of acute appendicitis somehow, and that's when JJ and I come in with the ambulance to take him to the 'hospital' aka the Chateau.

Trust me, I've raised questions about it and JJ's answered them all in a flash.

"It's not a bad plan, Stormy," JJ promised me. "In fact, it's a really good freakin' plan." We were both sitting in the ambulance, JJ driving it and I'm in the passenger seat.

"Tell me, how did you get this in the first place?" I asked as we sit in the stolen ambulance outside the police station.

"My cousin let me borrow it," JJ said.

"I don't believe that for a second."

"All right, I might've taken his keys." I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Baby, just trust me, all right?" JJ asked and I sighed, nodding my head. "Thank you." JJ checks the time. It was 10.20 PM. "Now, we're just waiting on John B's call. Come on, buddy,"

"Hm," I murmur, starring ahead in the empty parking lot. Some sirens go off behind us quickly and I cursed under my breath. JJ gives me a look telling me that he's got this as a cop car drives up next to us.

The cop parks beside us. JJ avoids the cops gaze for a little while. "I hate when it's slow like this, you know?" The cop asked us.

"Tell me about it, man," JJ answered, still avoiding the man's gaze.

"Hey, what happened to Ricky?" The cop had asked. "He bangs out?"

JJ finally looks at the cop. JJ exhales. "Something like that."

"One three Eddie. We got an unknown at KC Detention." A female speaks on the radio.

JJ picks up the radio. "Uh, yeah, ten-four. I'll be right there. Thank you so much. Over." JJ puts down the radio. "Duty calls. I'll see you later, Officer. Uh, you have a good night, though, okay?"

"Hold up." The officer told us as JJ turns on the ambulance. "I got nothing to do. I'll pace you." The siren blares, turning on his emergency lights and I couldn't help but smirk and look out the other window quickly and he starts driving.

JJ looked at me, smiling. "Too easy," JJ murmured to me and began to follow the cop. We had eventually driven up to a gate. A guard shines a flashlight into the ambulance.

"It's straight ahead to transfer bay," the guard told us.

"Copy that," JJ answered. "Thank you, sir." The large gate opens and JJ drives through. He backs the ambulance into a garage at the transfer bay. A jail nurse stands nearby. JJ looks at her and slaps his door. "All right, load him up."

"You gonna get your patient here?" The nurse asked us.

"Yeah. Right. Yeah, I'm gonna get the patient." JJ had quickly said,

"Well, come on then." The nurse ushers and I climbed out of the ambulance, JJ following. JJ muttering to himself about his patient and I rolled my eyes as the nurse turned around. The nurse turned to us. "Where's Ricky?"

"Ricky? Uh, food poisoning." My husband quickly lied. "You know, uh, Ming Dynasty off of Highway 25? Them egg rolls, dude. Now, they'll get ya. They'll get you good. Uh, so where's the patient at?"

"Patient fell out." The nurse continued, leading the way. "No LOC, but he's orthostatic. Stage 4 lymphoma. He's been in and out of chemo for the last three months." JJ and I glanced at each other secretly. This is not John B.

A man wheels out another man, not John B. A droopy eye older man in a wheelchair. JJ clenched his jaw and looked at the time. "Uh, is that the only patient tonight there, ma'am?" I quickly asked.

The nurse chuckled. "Why? You wanna take one more tonight?"

"I mean, we would if we had to," I looked over at the nurse. "That's what I'm trying to say. Uh..." I muttered under my breath. "Shit."

"I was just thinking that we were called in because our patient had appendicitis." JJ had continued. "No? Okay."

"This is our only patient." The nurse looked at us suspiciously.

"Right," JJ muttered.

"Where did you guys say you worked?" The nurse narrows her eyes at us.

JJ puts his hat on backwards and faces the nurse. "Dare County, ma'am." JJ plastered on a smile.

"I worked over there. Never seen either one of you before." The nurse was definitely going to catch us if we don't lie good enough. Then we'll be in jail.

JJ approached the nurse. "Well, that's cause, you know, we both just moved up in the ranks so fast. Look, we would love to stay here and chat, but we gotta get moving, all right? We gotta get our patient to the hospital."

JJ walked over to the back doors of the ambulance. "JJ," the inmate murmurs. "Is that you?"

The patient eyes JJ. I almost groaned. Of course, this inmate knows JJ. I saw the nurse exchange looks with the guard. "He's delusional as shit," JJ speaks. JJ struggles to unlock the back of the ambulance. "We just got different rigs up in New Bern. Uh, that's not gonna work." He flips through different keys. "I think it's... There we go." The door opens.

"All right." I clapped my hands. "Let's get him up there."

"Let's go." The guard says as the nurse and the guard helps the inmate up into the back of the ambulance.

"So, where is your guy's third partner?" The nurse questioned and JJ and I looked at each other. Not so subtly...

JJ looked at the nurse. "I told you. Egg rolls."

"Who's gonna look after your patient if you're driving?" The nurse continued.

"I will, ma'am," I told her quickly.

"No, you two will be in the back." The nurse eyed me. "There's always two people in the back and one person in the front driving."

"Well, they told me the officer could drive." JJ quickly stepped in.

"No, he's an inmate. I gotta be in the back." The officer had said.

"Well, there you go." I had said. "I'll drive, JJ and this kind sir will be in the back."

"But you're the nurse, you're crucial. Just like the DR is." The nurse gestured towards JJ and I. Fuck, she thinks I'm the nurse and JJ's the DR. To be fair, I had picked up a nurse's outfit from home from a Halloween costume.

"Wait, hold on, officer." JJ had said. "So, you're saying you're gonna be responsible for us not taking care of our patient. Is that what you're telling me? Because look at him. He's weak, feeable, and pale and shit. And we gotta do our medical stuff on him, or else we're gonna lose him, okay? You don't want that on your hands, do ya?"

JJ climbs into the back and he helped me up into the back, too. The officer turned to the nurse. "This didn't happen."

"All right, let's go." JJ had said and closes the doors, the officer coming around and I turned to JJ.

"Holy shit, I've never loved you so much," I whispered to him. "That was incredible. You're an amazing liar." JJ smiled down at me, he was about to kiss me but I swerved past him as the nurse was watching us through the window. "Not now. We have eyes."

"Right, right," JJ muttered. I watched as the nurse goes to the phone that had been ringing for a long time. She picked it up. The officer had jumped in and began driving, JJ and I giving each other looks.

I took a seat beside the inmate, my palm beginning to grow sweaty. JJ and I stayed quiet, not really sure what we're supposed to be doing. I was freaking out on the inside. This is extremly illegal, and if we get caught, our asses are in jail.

"Be advised, a 10-63 in progress." A woman had spoken on the radio. "I repeat, a 10-63 in progress. Do you copy?"

"Copy," the officer replied.

"Continue with the patient onto the hospital." The woman continued to speak. "We have a backup on the way. Do you copy?"

"I read. Ten-four." The officer had replied, his eyes on the road.

JJ cleared his throat. "Officer, is everything good up there?" The guard closes his window to the back. "Officer." JJ gave me a look. "Shit."

"Was does a 10-63 mean?" I quietly asked and JJ shrugs.

"I think it's our time to dip." JJ had quickly told me and walked over to the back of the doors, which was locked. I looked out the window and saw that cops sirens were on, they were following us.

JJ quickly texts Kie and SOS Emergency.

"Come on, Kie, I need a miracle," JJ muttered.

"JJ," I mumbled, looking at him worriedly.

"We're getting out of this." JJ had quietly told me, grabbing my hand as we now sit down on the seat together. "I'm gonna get us out."

My hands begin to shake as more cops began chasing us. "Shit!" I cursed, anxiety crashing down on me.

JJ was pacing in the ambulance. "Hey, ever had sex in an ambulance while being chased by cops? That could be something to tick off on our crazy places to have sex list."

"JJ!" I gasped. "I'm not having sex with you right now."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm freaking out right now!" JJ panicked. "This could be the last time I ever see you—"

"Why would even think that?" I had cut him off. "JJ, we've been through thick and thin together. If you think this is gonna stop us now, then you're delusional as shit." JJ collapses on the floor, sliding down against the back of the doors and dropping his head and his face begins to crumbles. I hated seeing JJ cry. I had quickly dropped down beside him. "This is not the end, JJ."

"I hate crying in front of you," JJ whispered, his voicing cracking. "And I'm so sorry I got us into this mess." I had connected our lips together, bringing him in for a passionate kiss. Tears were mixed in, making the kiss salty. I pulled away and wiped his tears away. "I love you, Storm. And I'm sorry I haven't been the best husband lately. I'm also sorry I didn't get you a ring. Or a house. And have kids and three puppies."

"Three puppies?" I beamed but when I saw his face fall, I cupped his face with my hands. "Hey, baby. I don't care about the ring, or the house, or the kids, or even the puppies. All I care about is you. I love that you're already thinking about our future together. As long as I end up with you, I'm perfectly happy,"

JJ brings me in for a hug and I nuzzled into his neck, taking in his scent. Suddenly, we slammed backwards and my head hits the wall and I groaned in pain.

"What the fuck—"

The ambulance had slammed down on its breaks and that's when we had our chance. "Go, JJ!" I had quickly told him. "Go, go!" I had opened the side door, quickly getting JJ out. JJ and I turned our heads as we sprinted away to see Kie's SUV.

JJ and I both laughed together, running into the woods. We don't stop running, I had tripped over a few branches. "Agh!" I fell onto the ground, my hands stopping me from face planting into the ground.

"Stormy!" JJ had quickly pulled me up and we turned a few corners in the woods, running with all our might. We had made it towards another street, Kie's SUV was waiting for us.

"Come on!" Pope called as JJ and I piled into the SUV, the two of us breathing heavily as Kie speeds off. I was way out of shape. My heart was pounding in my ears very loudly and I felt dizziness consume me.

"Oh, my God." I had panicked, placing two hands on my head.

"I'm seriously not gonna ask," Kie told us.

"Look, we busted the wrong guy out of jail," JJ informed them. "Sue us."

"What?" Kie exclaimed.

"At least we were trying." JJ bites back.

"Why are you always doing such stupid shit?" Kie snapped. "And dragging poor Stormy along, I mean, look at her! You traumatised her!"

"Well, I'm gonna end up in jail anyway, so..." JJ trailed off and I glared at him heavily. "So, why does it matter?"

"You did not just say that." I spat at him. "What about our house? Kids? Three puppies? That all meant nothing to you?"

JJ's face softened. "Stormy, I—"

"Nope." I looked out the window to the passing houses. "Don't even want to talk to you right now. I'm sick of it."

The car fell silent until Pope spoke up. "You guys okay?"

JJ stares off. "Yeah." And I don't even reply, anger boiling up inside me. "Just a doozy of a day."

I pulled my knees up to my chest, burying my head in between and closed my eyes. I eventually dozed off, knocked out to the world.

I don't ever want to wake up.

A/N

I uh switched it up a bit to make the story fit. JJ crying in front of Storm... :(

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