Chapter Thirty-Four

JJ and I woke up in the hammock we had slept on together that same night the next morning. Well, I woke up first, JJ was having a hard time opening his eyes. I couldn't get out of his deafening grip. His arms were wrapped around me tightly and my head lays on his chest.

"JJ." He doesn't respond. "JJ, get up." No response. "JJ I'm naked."

"Liar." He muttered in his sleep.

"I'm getting naked..." I tried. "And you're gonna miss out on my fantastic boobs. Really, I mean, they are just glowing in the sun right now—"

JJ loosens his grip and rolled us over so now we're spooning. His hands feel the material of my t-shirt and the most impressive part is he does this with his eyes closed.

"Liar." He murmurs sleepily and I sighed. I eyed the marsh in front of me.

"Should we wake them up?" I heard Kie as the others were approaching us.

"Can you help me, please?" I pleaded them. "JJ won't let go of me and I'm suffocating."

"You love it," JJ mumbled and I smirked a little.

"One second." I heard John B and there was some shuffling and before I know it, I've been flipped over with JJ. JJ lands on top of me and we both groan, more away now than ever.

"Seriously, guys?" I asked as JJ climbs off me. The others were just laughing at us. JJ helped me off the ground, glaring at them. I turned to them, brushing the dirt off my pants. "Okay, that was not cool."

"That was pretty cool to me." John B smirked.

I huffed and made my way to the porch, the others laughing as JJ followed up behind me. I sat down on the couch and kicked my legs up onto the coffee table, relaxing.

"Bomb drop!" JJ lands on the couch.

"And that's another couch broken." John B sighed at JJ's antics as JJ lays his head on my lap, looking up at the ceiling. I run my hands through his blonde hair.

"You gotta sleep there tonight," Pope mentioned.

I pouted. "I don't wanna sleep on the couch."

"We can sleep on the hammock again?" JJ suggested.

"And risk getting flipped over in the morning?" I shake my head, the others laughing. "Not a chance." I smiled widely as my sister comes through the porch door. "Sarah!"

"Well, hello, Princess Kook." JJ teasingly says.

"What's up?" Kie speaks.

"Shouldn't you be on Figure 8 with your little group of polo players?" John B questioned. Sarah smirks as she looked down on John B who was lying on the chair. "Or did you break up with Topper?"

"We're just friends." Sarah bites back.

"He's just a friend." John B mocks. "You have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron."

"Yeah, and it seems like you've got some of your own, too." Sarah snapped back.

"All right, what are you doing here?" John B quickly asked.

Sarah sighed. "I'm here for Pope." Pope furrows his brows and looks up at Sarah. "I think I found the island room."

✫✫✫

"Guys, listen to this," Pope speaks as we drive to Tannyhill. I sit on JJ's lap, running my hand through his hair and he leans into my touch, his eyes closed. I smiled at him, he looks so peaceful. Pope was sitting next to us, Kie was sitting close to JJ, Sarah and John B were in front. "The diary says the cross holds the holiest relic in all of Christendom, the Garment of the Savior."

"So, wait, he saying there's a holy garment inside the cross?" Kie asked.

"Yeah," Pope replied. "It says the garment is capable of healing the sick from any malady."

"Hmm, yeah." JJ opens his eyes. "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made with it." Everyone looks at JJ. "What? I went to Sunday school."

"Sure," Kie muttered and a smile made its way to my face as I thought about JJ going to Sunday school.

I looked down at JJ, grinning. JJ looked at me, a small smile made his way to his lips. "Well, that explains why Limbrey would want the cross so bad," I told them. "She thinks it can heal her."

"What else does it say?" Kie asked.

"Many feel that we have shined to steal such a sacred thing, and Gold will strike his vengeance to us." Pope reads.

"Thing is, God did have his vengeance," Kie said.

"He sent a hurricane to sink the ship." Pope nods his head. "Only Denmark survived." I felt eyes on me and I looked at JJ, who was starring at me. I gave him another smile. He kisses right beside my lips.

I pouted at him. "You missed," I whispered to him and he smirks a little. His hand is now placed on my thigh, rubbing my thigh up and down. I almost held my breath at the touch. "You're a tease," I muttered to him.

We had made it back to Tannyhill and my stomach twists and turns when we entered my home. We all exited the van and Sarah leads us towards the dining room at the end of the hallway.

"Whoo!" JJ muttered, his hand linking mine as we walked around the familiar place.

"This place still freaks me out." John B admits.

"Yeah, same," JJ replied and Sarah opens up the door. We entered the room and my mouth dropped at the sight.

"Pope, look," Sarah told him. I gazed at the images torn on the wall. I have been in this room over 1,000 times, and I have never seen it look like a mess before.

"Whoa! You've got to be kidding me." Pope says as the rest piles into the room.

"Yeah," Sarah whispered. "I know, right? It's the island room."

"I'm kind of disappointed that it was in my house," I admitted to no one in particular. "The island room should be like, on an actual deserted island and magical creatures come out and greet you."

JJ kisses my forehead. "You have a mind like a kid."

"I still am a kid," I replied back.

"Incredible." John B muttered.

"It's been here the whole time." Sarah nods.

"No freaking way," John B says.

"This definitely means something." JJ comments.

"This is incredible." John B continued. "Yo, this is a map of the whole island."

"Yeah, John B, I think you're right about this one." JJ had dragged over to a section of a wall. "Because this is Rixion's right here. And then there's the lighthouse."

"Guys, look, Parcel 9 and the well." Kie had ran her fingers over the wall.

"Okay, so, if that's Parcel 9, and then if that's Rixion's," John B points. He points to another section of the wall. "Then that's gotta be the surf break at Mase."

"Right, and look," JJ walks over and I stand by the window. "Pope, come here." Along with Pope, I moved towards them. "This is Denmark's handwriting for sure." JJ holds up part of the diary.

"The drawings, they match up." I pointed out, looking between Denmark's drawings and the drawings on the wall.

"Holy shit." John B muttered.

"Denmark, you genius!" Pope exclaimed. "These are all his drawings. He... He painted this entire room."

"Yeah, the question is, why?" Kie asked. "What's he trying to tell us?"

"It's gotta have something to do with the key, right?" JJ asked. "Right?"

"Yeah, but what?"

"How did you uncover this?" I asked my sister.

She looked at me. "I didn't. It was like this when I got home."

"What?" JJ asked.

"Okay, then who did it?" Kie questioned.

"I don't know." Sarah had responded.

"The freaks." We all jumped at the sound of my little sister's voice entering the room.

"Wheeze!" Sarah and I both exclaimed and I run over to her, embracing her. She hugs me back tightly.

"Wait, what freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?" JJ asked her.

"Uh... The sick old lady and her attack dog," Wheezie replied, pulling away from me. I stand next to her. "They... They showed up last night, and they wanted to talk to Rafe."

"Wait. Pale blonde lady?" I asked.

Wheezie looked up at me and nods her head. "She has crutches?" Kie continued.

"Uh-huh." Wheezie nods her head again.

"It's gotta be Limbrey," Pope muttered.

"Okay, wh... What happened?" John B asked her.

"Well, at first, they searched the whole house looking for something," Wheezie replied. "And then Rafe told me to go upstairs. But, I didn't want to miss out, so I listened through the grate. And they were talking about getting across the sand flamingo."

"That's a code." JJ instantly said. "That's a code for something."

"The cross," Pope spoke. "The cross of Santo Domingo?"

"Yeah, that's it." Wheezie agreed. "Oh, and they were talking about angels. A lot of angel talk. I don't know."

"Angels?" John B mutters and I frowned.

"Guys, Denmark's famous last words." I quickly said. "He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They're looking for the angel. We have to find the angel room."

"Start looking, start looking," Pope pleaded and we all nodded, going into different parts of the room, looking for the angel. I walked over to a part of the wall and brushed my fingers along some of the drawings. I wondered what it would be like to be in the exact moment Denmark was to be left alive.

The others were talking over the top of me as they tried to find it, Wheezie was asking what was going on and everyone ignored her questions.

Angel, angel, angel...

My eyes dart over to a drawing of a tree and I brushed my fingers across it. There was a keyhole-shaped in the tree's trunk and I frowned.

"Guys?" No one listened to me and I turned around. "Guys!" I caught everyone's attention. "I think I found it. Come here, there's this humongous tree is still on Goat Island. You know what it's called?"

"Angel Oak," Pope replied.

"Look right there," I point to the keyhole. "There's the keyhole."

"Wait," Pope says. "That means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel. Wow, that must be where we put it. That must be where they are right now! We have to go!"

"I think I'm like Sherlock Holmes." I grinned. "You're welcome, by the way," JJ grabbed my arm gently and kissed my lips.

"All right, Sherlock Holmes, let's go." He pulled me towards the door.

✫✫✫

"Guys, we're coming up on Freedom's Church," Pope informs us as we sit in John B's van while he drives us past the same church that was in the island room. Overgrown grass was surrounded by the once white painted Church. "The Church Denmark built for all the slaves he freed."

John B continues to drive on the dirt road, driving by. My eyes were on the window, watching the water as we drive past it. Either side of us was water.

"There it is, Angel Oak." Kie pointed out as we drive further into the bush. Ahead was a large tree figure, but we had to get through the forest first.

"Oh, shit!" Pope curses and I looked out front where the boys were starring. "Tide's coming in." On the road, a patch of mud and water is on the road. John B pulls up to a stop right before it. "Hey, wait a second. Look." John B notices. "They already came through here. Those have to be Limbrey's tire tracks. Guys, we gotta go."

"Hmm, what do you think, chief?" JJ looked over at John B who was sitting in the front. Pope was in the middle of them and we girls were sitting in the back.

"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey," John B responded.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree to that statement." JJ nods his head.

"Yeah." John B muttered.

"Okay, clearly, they made it. No?" Kie raised an eyebrow.

"In a two-wheel-drive?" JJ retorts. "I don't know about that."

"Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyway?" I questioned as I leant on JJ's seat, my hands draped around his chest. John B looked at me. "Like when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"

"She's got a point." JJ nodded and John B turned back to his wheel. "Speed is your friend here, okay?" JJ tried to coach John B. "So, put her down in second and hammer down, brother."

"Stick to the high ground in the middle," Pope added.

"All right, ready? Here we go." John B speaks and we drive through the mud.

"Come on, bro. Punch it." JJ encouraged John B. "Speed is your friend, speed is your friend. You're not going fast enough."

"I'm in second." John B responded.

"It's gonna slide," Kie added.

"You know what, out of all the dumb shit I've done with you guys, I believe this one is gonna work," I spoke hopefully as we were almost halfway there.

"You're fishtailing already," JJ told John B.

"I know." John B bites back.

"Alright, not to put any more pressure on you, but if you don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever." Pope pointed out and I made a face.

"Put your head back," John B pushes Pope's head back out of the middle. We cheered when we finally made it through. "See? I told you we'd make it."

"That's my girl," JJ states proudly, meaning it towards the van and I rolled my eyes. "All right, right here, right here." John B pulls to a stop. "Angel Oak is right through here." The van door opens and I jumped out, along with the others. "All right, so. Word to the wise, definitely know the gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled, okay?"

"Gators?" My eyes widen and my sister stands next to me.

"Yep," JJ turned to me. "You don't wanna step on Mama gator. That's the last thing you want."

"No way," I backed up next to the van. "Y'all go on and have fun, but I'm staying right here."

"Oh, Hollywood, don't tell me you're afraid of gators?" JJ teases and I glared at him.

"No, but I am afraid of something bigger and more terrifying than us, so." I shrugged.

"Well, I am not leaving you here by yourself," JJ declared.

I pout at him. "Aw, you'll stay with me? So sweet of you—" He turns around and bent over slightly, his arms behind him. "Uh, what the hell are you doing?"

"Get on my back." JJ insisted. I didn't give that opportunity up and I jumped onto his back, he catches me and wrapped his hands under my thighs, getting a grip on me while I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"They have nests?" Kie continued to ask as JJ and I caught up with them.

"Seems like a good place to park," Sarah commented.

"All right, you don't want to be a Pet Womack," JJ informed us. "She had a calf chewed off by a gator, right? You know that, right?" I gripped onto JJ even tighter. Him talking about gators is making me nervous.

"That's actually not true." I relaxed a little when Kie said that. "Pat Womack was injured in a car accident, but I hear you."

"Okay, just live in ignorance," JJ remarks as we went through the bush. "But like, she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact. They like brackish water. Wait. Hold on, I see something."

"What are you doing?" I asked him and I slipped off him as he grabbed a stick, slamming the stick into the pond. "Right. Wake them up, thank you, JJ."

JJ turned to me. "I was just making sure it wasn't a gator. That's all, all right?"

"Are you trying to scare me even more?" I questioned him, narrowing my eyes at him. JJ waves to his back and I jumped on it as he begins to walk through the water. And I'm like I got on his back, the others are soaking wet and I'm not.

My eyes kept on the water as JJ moved forward. My hands were trembling slightly against JJ's skin. JJ kissed my hand softly, trying to calm me down.

"Hey, shush!" Pope told the two bickering people—Sarah and John B—at the back as we heard a commotion going on by the Angel Oak.

"I don't see shit." I jumped off JJ's back, hearing Rafe's voice as we hide behind the trees. There were even diggers digging. "You sure this is the right spot?"

"It's there," Limbrey speaks. "The garment will be in the cross, and the cross will be at the foot of the tree."

"Alright, well, whatever we find, I get my cut," Renfield speaks and my eyes flickered to JJ for a moment. He glances at me and pushes me behind him slightly, protectively.

"The actual garment," Limbrey speaks as she stands by a car. "You understand the significance."

"I do, Carla," Renfield says. "Completely."

"One touch of it, and I'll be healed," Limbrey continued as Renfield had gotten a folded in a chair from inside the car's boot. "And this long nightmare will be over."

"Your lips to God's ears," Renfield smirked at her.

"I know that you don't believe it, but countless stories over millennia prove that..." Limbrey grunts as she bends down to sit in the chair Renfield had set up for her. "Miracles happen." The digger continues to dig into a hole until they hit something. "Hey! Wait! Stop! Please stop! Did you hear it? Hey, get in there, boys. Do it by hand."

Limbrey gets up with the help of Renfield, using her crutches. Workmen jumped into the hole. "Oh, this gotta be the cross." Limbrey continued. Limbrey looks into the hole and gasped. "It's smaller than I thought. It looks like a—"

"Casket." Renfield finishes as he, Limbrey, and Rafe look down into the hole. She and Renfield looked at Rafe.

"He put it in a casket." Limbrey chuckled, looking back down at the hole with the casket in it. "Denmark put it in a casket. Get it up."

"Let's go," Renfield demanded. I watched as the working men bring up the casket and placed it on the ground. I pressed my lips tightly.

"They got the cross?" JJ hisses. "What do we do? What do we do?"

"What can we do?" John B hisses back.

Rafe and Renfield set the casket on the ground. "Be careful," Limbrey told the boys. Renfield and Rafe pried it open with crowbars. "Don't touch anything inside! Don't touch anything inside!"

Renfield and Rafe removed the lid. I watched as Limbrey's expression falls. "It's just a corpse," Renfield announced. I felt myself smirking. This means we still have time to find the cross. "Sorry, Carla."

Limbrey rises from the ground and grabs her crutches. "We must have missed something." Limbrey insists.

"Of course," Rafe rolled his eyes. "Of course, yeah. Of course, it's just a dead body, Jesus!"

Limbrey moves towards her car. "We just got the wrong place." Limbrey continued. "We'll go back to the island room." She turned to the workers. "We're going back! We're going back! It's not over!"

A truck tows the digger ten minutes later and Limbrey's car follows. I clenched my jaw tightly as they just leave the casket out in the open, for anyone to see. The corpses need to be put to rest again, not just left out in the open.

Rafe was following them in a black SUV.

Pope steps through the shrub with a scowl. "Pope, Pope, wait," JJ called quietly, and we all quickly followed Pope. Pope runs towards the Angel Oak and stops at the casket, looking down, his mouth hanging open.

He crouches beside it. "Cecilia Tanny, Denmark's wife," Pope whispered. He looks up at the tree then stands, walking towards the tree. "He wasn't talking about the cross. He buried her at the foot of the angel."

"The true treasure," Kie says.

"His wife." John B whispered and my heart swoons over at how romantic this is.

Pope face tenses as he returned back to the casket, crying. Kie crouches beside him and we followed suit. "Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave." Kie touches Pope's arm, trying to comfort him. He reaches into the casket and picks up something from the dust. A pendant, with the name, Cecilia, on it. He sniffles.

Sarah had picked up a ring and smiled softly at it. "This must have been from Denmark." Sarah softly says as he thumb rubs the once gold ring. "Her wedding ring."

Pope returns the pendant to the casket and taps it with his finger. He looks at John B. "We can't leave her like this."

"We won't." I agreed strongly. JJ nods. Sarah puts the ring back. JJ and John B put the lid back on the casket. Pope lays a handful of white flowers on the lid. The boys had lowered the casket gently into the hole and we began to fill it up, my stomach turning as I take a step back once we had completely finished burying her.

John B had gotten the van so it's now sitting with us.

"I just don't get it," Pope speaks. "I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark probably wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like—"

"Like we missed something?" JJ finished Pope's sentence as he was looking up at the tree. My eyes locked onto the keyhole-shaped trunk. "Guys." JJ and I climbed onto the roof of John B's van, getting closer to the hole. He points to a hole in the tree. "That looks like—"

"The painting in the island room." I nodded my head as JJ turned to me. We looked down at the others.

"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." Kie nods her head.

"Let's do it." John B called.

"Go for it," JJ told me and I scowled him.

"No chance," I told him.

"You do it!" Sarah defended him.

"Sorry, it's just, I went in the storm drain..." I pointed out.

"She did go through the storm drain." Pope nods his head.

"Yeah. No, I'm gonna do it." JJ sikes himself up. "It's just..."

"He's scared," I whispered down to the others with a smirk.

"I'm not scared, Hollywood," JJ fights back, sending me a playful glare.

"You seem scared." I continued to tease. "Would you like me to hold your hand while you're at it, too?"

"Okay, you're pushing it," JJ playfully said and sticks his hand through the hole, up to his elbow. "There's something in here." He lets out a nervously chuckle. "Wait—" He suddenly lets out a huge scream, something seemingly like he is being pulled into the hole.

"JJ!" I quickly said, grabbing to pull him back, my heart beating frantically as the others shouted his name. I stopped when I saw JJ bending down laughing. I shoved him. "Asshole!"

"Oh, man, I got all of you on that one." JJ laughed at all of us.

"Oh, yeah, real original." Pope spat out, annoyed.

"Wait, but seriously, there's something in here," JJ told us and pulled out a cylindrical object.

"Let me see it." Pope requested, holding up a hand and JJ gave it to him.

JJ turned to me and I crossed my arms, annoyed at him, my heart still beating fast from that scare. "Oh, come on, you're not mad are you?" I ignored him, just to be petty. "Hollywood, come on."

"You're not funny, JJ," I bitterly say.

"Hey, baby," JJ uncrossed my arms, and pulled me into him, wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry, forgive me?"

"Whipped!" John B coughs out and JJ turned to glare at him, flipping him off.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." JJ smiled down at me and pecked my lips. JJ jumps off and I sit on the van, dangling my legs off the roof.

"HMS Royal Merchant." Pope reads.

"Give it to the captain." JJ takes the cylindrical object from him. "Here we go. It's a spyglass." JJ extends it.

"There's something on the ends." I pointed out.

"An inscription right there." Pope scanned his eyes over it.

"Look at that shit." John B comments.

"Oh, what does it say?" JJ asked.

"You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freeman's alter." Pope reads the cursive writing. "Freeman's altered! The cross is at the church!"

"What are we doing here, guys?" JJ exclaimed. "Come on! Woogity-woogity," JJ and Pope do their handshake. JJ helps me off the van's roof and we all climbed into the van, John B driving down the dirt road.

We're going to get this cross.

A/N

Long and lots of JJ and Storm cute moments <3