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hawk's nest part two

So... Bianca may or may not have miscalculated.

According to her surveillance of the surrounding hotel, three men were sweeping the bottom level. They were yet to enter the building but were still in close proximity to Singh. Another team headed up to the middle floors, most likely nowhere near Sarah and John B considering how high up they were. And there was one guard— a tall, pale man carrying a pistol heading straight for JJ.

What Bianca didn't anticipate, however, was another one of Singh's men following this guard. Pope and Cleo may have been able to take on one guy but two? They needed backup.

"Shit," Bianca swallowed thickly, wiping her sweaty palms to her jean shorts. Even if they did manage to get one guard out of the way, there were so many more to outrun. They were ambushed, the other Pogues just didn't know it yet.

An accented voice drifted up through the stairwell, alerting the girl of the plan being set in motion, "Portis! Are you in here!?"

"Yo! I got 'em up here! There's two of them!" JJ called back from somewhere below her.

"Where you at, mate!? Portis?"

"Yeah, yeah! Take a left at the hallway, now! The stairway's right on your right!"

"Portis!?"

"Up here! One more flight of stairs now! You're almost there!"

Bianca's heart pounded when she heard JJ's voice. It meant he passed Pope and Cleo's hiding spot who were heading down to the lower level. She needed to warn them before they walked out there blindly.

Bianca cursed silently under her breath and crept away from her look-out position on the topmost level. She stuck to the walls of the stairwell, careful to ensure she wasn't in the way of JJ who was luring the man to John B and Sarah.

The moment Bianca heard footsteps crunching against the gravel below her, she slipped around the corner of the same story. She pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath as the guard bypassed her hiding place and continued up the flight of stairs.

"You're coming right?!" JJ's voice cracked slightly when he heard his footsteps pause.

The guard narrowed his eyes, glancing over his shoulder as if sensing someone was watching him. But Portis, or rather, JJ, drew his attention away again, "Yeah!"

"Okay!"

Bianca hid her trembling hands behind her back, awaiting him to pass before letting out a quiet exhale. Once making sure he was gone, she made her way down again to Cleo and Pope.

"Portis!?"

"Oh, yeah! No, I'm still here- you just gotta come right in here!" He reached the door Sarah and John B were behind.

"Alright, Portis!"

"Come on in!"

"I'm coming in!"

"No, no, no-" Bianca pleaded to no one in particular, forcing her feet to move faster to where Pope and Cleo were. It wouldn't be long till—

A deafening crack resounded in the room in front of her, causing her eyes to widen. Bianca sprinted toward the crash, immediately rearing her head back at the dust and debris flying in the air.

The guard groaned on his back, lying on the dirtied sheet she and JJ set up over the sinkhole. Around him lay broken and rotten pieces of the wooden floorboards from above. Bianca squinted through the dirt, lifting her arm to shield her eyes and glancing up at the sinkhole. She could barely make out John B and Sarah desperately trying to untie themselves so they could join the fight.

The guard scrambled to his feet while coughing to get air into his lungs. Cleo lunged for his gun, hitting his arm with a metal pole, and causing him to pull the trigger. A gunshot pierced the air, the bullet reverberating off the walls.

Bianca's breath caught in her throat and felt all the air leave her lungs, feet froze in place. She could see Pope swing a pole under the guard's feet, forcing him on his back again but her mind blanked. All she could hear was the ricochet of the bullet, like white noise in her ears except it was distant now, more faraway, and no matter how hard the girl forced herself to just move, she couldn't.

It wasn't until JJ rounded the corner after sprinting down the stairway and skidding to a halt beside her did she snap out of it. His eyes swept over her body, his one priority after hearing the gunshot, "B, are you-"

Bianca shook her head frantically, "No, no, no- JJ," She cursed herself. She was supposed to warn them, "There's someone else—"

"Stop! Freeze!"

Cleo's arms halted in the air before she could bring the metal pole down onto Singh's henchman who had fallen from the ceiling. Pope shifted on his feet, glare flickering between Cleo and the new guard who appeared from the other doorway.

"Put it down," The guard, holding a gun poised in their direction, ordered sternly.

Pope lowered the pole to the ground, backing up so he stood in front of Cleo. Both of them raised their arms as did Bianca and JJ from behind them. The room fell silent except for their heavy pants echoing in the room.

JJ swiftly pushed Bianca behind his back and the girl could do nothing to oppose it, still frozen in place. She couldn't seem to shake the ringing in her ears. Her eyes were wide but there was something else playing behind them and the blond boy could tell.

However, his action only seemed to anger the guard, "Don't move! Hold it!"

"Okay," JJ exhaled shakily, watching as the man who'd fallen from the upper level rose to his feet.

Pope glanced over his shoulder, eyes flickering toward the guard's discarded gun and JJ followed his gaze. The blond shifted on his feet, clenching and unclenching his fist in anticipation.

"Don't even think about it," The guard warned but JJ wasn't listening, his eyes still trained on the gun. If he was fast enough, which he was, he could grab it and they could make a run for it. Either way, they were desperate. This was the only way out.

Bianca seemed to catch onto what he was planning, "JJ—" Her harsh whisper got caught in her throat when the boy took a step forward to lunge for it.

Then she saw something. A twitch, a flicker of movement. The guard lifted the pistol higher, shifting it to point from Pope to JJ in front of her. Instinct, not presence of mind, pushed her into a dive.

Bianca's hands shoved JJ, and the bullet sliced through the air. She could feel the wind it cut through as it passed. It collided against the concrete, hitting the wall instead of him, instead of her.

Bianca landed atop the boy, blinking once, then twice to shift the blurriness out of her eyes. JJ stared back at her, his chest rising and falling after she saved his life. He didn't thank her and she didn't acknowledge him.

The guard repositioned his gun, aimed at Bianca this time, his finger hovering over the trigger. The couple both stared down the barrel, knowing what was coming next. And yet, Bianca made no move to stop it. No move to push herself out of the way.

Before he could shoot, a grunt resonated in front of them where John B jumped from the upper level and tackled the guard holding the gun. They toppled to the ground with another booming crash, sending dirt and wood flying everywhere.

Bianca wanted to feel something. Fear, anger, grief. But she didn't. All she felt was the need to keep moving. So, she quickly pushed herself to her feet followed by JJ who did lunge for the gun this time.

"Hey, now!" JJ commanded, aiming the gun at the two guards who scrambled backward. "Hey, now! Easy! Yeah, yeah, yeah- I would take it nice and slow now. I think it's time for y'all to freeze."

John B stumbled backward, joining his friends who huddled together with JJ in the front, holding the two at gunpoint. It was around this time Sarah rounded the corner, having opted for running down the stairwell rather than falling through the floor like her partner.

"Tie 'em up," JJ instructed, handing Pope and Cleo a rope from his back pocket.

The two did as instructed, winding the guards' hands behind their backs, gagging them, and forcing them to sit facing away from each other. Once satisfied they weren't getting away any time soon, Pope and Cleo stepped back to assess their handiwork.

"Alright, y'all, let me see those mugs. This is going to your boss," JJ crouched on his haunches, taking a picture with Portis's phone. "Smile," The camera made a quiet clicking noise before he pulled it away, staring directly into their eyes. "For the record, they thought this plan wasn't going to work."

JJ stood up and rejoined John B while Cleo made the lasting touches to their bonds. This time, Pope held the gun, pointing it toward them in case they got any ideas about escaping. Bianca stood silently behind Sarah, unable to watch the scene unfold.

JJ hadn't spoken a word to her since she pushed him out of the way of the bullet's trajectory. However, she couldn't tell if it was because of their situation or whether he was beyond infuriated she went back on their promise. She could assume it was the latter.

"Alright, just send that to your boss," JJ muttered as he paced. A small ping echoed through the room, signaling to the others the message sent to Singh, "Time for stage three; hostage swap. We're gonna give your boss a little ring-a-ling, so hang tight."

The others remained silent as the phone rang through the room on speakerphone. It wasn't long before the person on the other end of the line picked up.

"Mr. Portis... Do you have Miss Carrera's friends?" A heavily accented voice asked.

JJ swallowed thickly, holding the phone close to his parted lips but no words escaped. Sweat beaded his forehead, choking on what to say. He didn't think this part through.

"J?" John B whispered, eyebrows furrowed. When it was clear JJ wasn't going to respond, he snatched the phone away, "Yeah. Yeah, we... we found 'em."

Cleo gestured for the boy to continue while Bianca merely rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but be grateful John B was on their side because he would make an extremely lousy villain.

"Listen, my name is... John Booker Routledge," He announced shakily, glancing between the others for confirmation but Cleo shook her head in disappointment. "We have your men tied up, and they're in for a really...really..." Cleo made another punching motion with her hand. "Really harsh time if you don't give us Kiara back right now. Like right now and I mean- I mean that."

Bianca scowled, reaching for the phone to put it on mute before scolding him, "Yes, John B, tell the bad guy your full name, that'll work."

"What do you want me to say!?" John B whispered harshly.

"He didn't ask for your entire life story—"

"Shh! He's talking!" Cleo told them before unmuting the call so they could hear Singh let out a deep, hearty laugh.

"Kill them."

John B's eyes widened, glancing at Bianca who also froze. This wasn't part of the plan, "What?"

"Kill them," Singh reiterated through the speaker while his two guards struggled in their roped confines. "Go ahead and kill them, John Booker Routledge. It doesn't matter to me, you know. Just know that if you do, the hotel is surrounded, you know. All of you inside will... die."

Sarah joined JJ who was already at the window, staring down at the hoard of men below. Each carried their own pair of weapons and was quickly approaching the building.

Bianca didn't join them or bother looking, having already seen it for herself. They needed some kind of miracle to get out of here alive.

"We gotta go," Sarah announced, her tone laced with panic. "We gotta go right now!"

"Yeah," JJ agreed, turning to sprint on his heel while the others followed.

The guards grunted in protest, squirming against their ties but the group was already hastening their steps down the stairwell. They followed John B, jumping over abandoned litter as he led them out onto a vine-covered veranda.

"Go, go!" Pope kept glancing over his shoulder to ensure there wasn't anyone on their trail yet.

John B suddenly halted, "Balcony," He muttered, forcing the others to stop with him. "Balcony. Bad- bad- bad, so bad."

"Go, go, go," Pope gestured for them to head in the opposite direction. "Let's go!"

The group took off again, the sounds of radios crackling and booming voices echoing up to their level. A new wave of panic surged through them, causing them to run even faster through the dusty corridors of the old hotel.

"Go back to the main entrance!" JJ skid to a stop in the corner, allowing the girls to go first.

"What do you mean!?" Sarah called over her shoulder.

Pope paused beside JJ and thrust the gun into his chest. His eyebrows furrowed at the pulley system in the wall that must've been used for a dumbwaiter of sorts back when this hotel still had guests.

JJ fumbled with the gun before tucking it in his waistband, "What are you thinking, Pope?" He panted while the others whirled back around.

"Guys-" Pope pushed the metal grill open with JJ's help, revealing the ropes leading down to a long drop. They peered down at it, assessing the damage if this was to be their only escape route.

"Gotta be a better option, right?" John B craned his neck to get a look.

"Uh..." Pope trailed off. "That's a drop."

"Oh- this is like the Hawk's nest part two," John B ran his hands through his sweaty strands and walked off. "I'm not doing this. Nope-"

"Guys, who knows how old those ropes are," Bianca warned, not liking the look on both boys' faces. "They could snap."

"Okay, I think we need to think about this from a risk-reward perspective," Pope pursed his lips.

"How 'bout you go first and then you just cushion my fall?" JJ offered not-so-sarcastically, earning him a glare. "That's- that's-"

"How 'bout no," Pope deadpanned.

"Yeah, whatever," Cleo suddenly pushed the two arguing boys out of the way and leaped forward. "Forget this shit!"

With a grunt, she gripped the ropes and began scaling down, not waiting for the others. The group glanced at each other with widened eyes.

"Okay," Pope gulped, sharing a look with JJ who lifted his finger as if he were about to stop her.

Bianca felt a hand grip hers and her eyes flickered up to meet Sarah's, "Now or never?"

Bianca's heart pounded in her ears, squeezing her best friend's hand before mumbling, "Oh, fuck it."

"No, B- wait- hold on-" JJ cried.

"Sar- no, no, no! Sarah!" John B chastised.

Without another word, the two girls took off in a run and pushed off the floor. They grappled for the ropes which swung precariously while the boys shouted protests the entire time.

"Come on, guys!" Cleo encouraged from below.

Bianca felt the rope burn into the skin of her palms as she followed Cleo's lead. She forced herself not to look down because she knew if she did it would only make her sweaty hands a hundred times worse. The boys were still arguing over what to do above them, which made her even more frustrated because she could hear the guards clearing out each floor.

"Okay, you go first, alright?" JJ exhaled shakily. "How 'bout that?"

"What? No," Pope backtracked. "You go."

"Shit," JJ took another glance at the girls almost nearing the bottom before pushing his sleeves up.

"Okay, hold on," John B ran another hand through his hair, pacing back and forth.

"Same time," Pope and JJ agreed simultaneously before each taking off and grabbing onto the ropes.

The action made the cables tremble, alerting the girls they were making their way down. Bianca's feet touched the ground first, followed by Sarah as they joined an impatient Cleo.

"Hurry up, guys!" Bianca called up. Her eyes flickered between them and the exit just ahead.

"Where's John B?!" Sarah cried to the boys above.

"John B, hurry up, man!" JJ shouted for him to follow.

"John B!?" Bianca tried to see past JJ and Pope who were hastening their pace down the cords.

"John B!" Sarah yelled again.

The girls could barely see but when two sudden gunshots rang through the air, they flinched backward. Cleo dragged them away from the pulley just as all three boys came plummeting down, screaming at the top of their lungs, and landed in a flurry of limbs.

The guard's voices echoed through the upper levels, "Hey! They're up here!"

The three groaned on top of each other, while the girls scooted backward on the floor. They coughed, the ropes having fallen on top of them. But there was no time to waste as the girls quickly helped them get to their feet.

"You okay?" Cleo outstretched her hand toward Pope. "We gotta go!"

"Come on, let's go," Pope agreed, getting to his feet.

"John B!" Sarah urged him to stand up. "Come on, come on."

"JJ-" Bianca tried to take his hand but the moment he realized it was hers, he pulled away.

Bianca felt her heart stutter, watching as JJ heaved himself up without her help. His hair fell over his eyes but he still held her gaze, revealing the hurt embedded within them. Bianca knew then that he wasn't just angry with her. There was more to it.

"Go, go, go, go!" Pope ushered, ducking as another round of gunshots fired toward them from above.

"Oh my god-" Sarah gasped. "Run!"

The others followed Cleo but Bianca hung back for JJ who started to shoot up the pulley system and then a few more times at the ceiling for good measure. Finally, he pocked the gun away, nearing his girlfriend.

"JJ..." Bianca started but then she realized she didn't know what came after it.

"Time to go," JJ's hand found the small of her back, encouraging her to run ahead of him as they regrouped with the Pogues outside.

"Shit!" Cleo cursed, leading them toward the back exit but pausing abruptly when she noticed a guard with a gun in front of them. She whirled around, "Stop, stop, stop-"

"Woah!" JJ skidded, almost tripping in the process, and held up the pistol from afar.

They hid behind the overgrown shrubbery, eyeing the guard with suspicion. They wracked their minds as to how to get out of this until John B told them to wait, "One second, hold on."

He took off back the way they came from, picked up a glass bottle from the balcony floor, and threw it in the opposite direction of the Pogues. The nearby guard frowned and went to investigate the strange noise, giving the group the perfect opening to escape.

They snuck down the stairs, and onto the open road with JJ holding the gun, "Let's go, come on," He whispered.

From there, the group took off in a sprint, following Cleo once again. They ran through the streets of Barbados, taking back alleys and paths with plenty of trees to act as their camouflage. Dark-coloured jeeps patrolled the nearby area with guards sticking out the window holding rifles but they managed to avoid being spotted.

"Psst, psst, psst!" Cleo gestured for the others once the coast was clear and led the way into the stables.

The locals nearby eyed the group wearily but none questioned the American teenagers running amuck. They were all too busy with grooming and feeding the sizeable horses trotting around. The stench of haystacks, horse hair, and droppings was potent in the air but the Pogues didn't have time to dwell on it, too preoccupied with running for their lives.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" John B ushered, not having realized Cleo found a place for them to hide.

"Shit. Bloody rasshole," She rolled her eyes and shouted for them. "Hey, boy, come!"

"That way, that way!" JJ pointed to where she was.

The group turned back around, following the girl deeper into the stables where they kept horse-riding equipment and hay. Heavy pants echoed through the wooden shelter, followed by their sneakers thudding against the wet pavement.

"She know where she's going?" John B asked.

"No clue," JJ sighed but kept going anyway.

The Pogues finally reached a secluded corner of the stables, fenced with wires and hay stacks covering the ground. They let out tired exhales, each leaning against the walls or sitting on blocks of hay. They'd been running for nothing short of half an hour, all drenched in sweat and most likely sunburnt from the Barbados heat.

"They coming?" Cleo asked John B who peered out into the stables.

"I don't see anything," He shook his head.

The group fell into silence, still trying to catch their breaths. Bianca sat on a stack of hay beside Sarah. Her skin was sticky and her top clung to her chest uncomfortably. With everything going on, she completely forgot JJ was mad at her until he spoke up.

"What was that, Bianca?" He turned toward her.

"What?" She was ashamed of how weak her voice sounded.

"You froze!" JJ's tone raised abruptly, causing her to feel even smaller. Her chest caved in on itself, "Someone was about to shoot you and you just sat there!" He was shouting now. "I thought I could rely on you to at least look out for yourself—"

"Hey!" Sarah stood up in her defense, eyebrows drawn together. "Give her a break, alright?"

"No," JJ's claw clenched, still staring at his girlfriend. "She doesn't need a break," His voice softened. "What happened?"

Bianca's cheeks flushed at the Pogues' eyes on her. JJ still believed she was strong. Strong enough that she didn't need his sympathy. She used to think he was right but now, she wasn't so sure.

"I panicked," Bianca cleared her throat. "It won't happen again," When he did nothing but arch an eyebrow, she repeated a little louder this time. "It won't."

"Okay," JJ looked unconvinced but she'd already berated him once on arguing in front of their friends so he decided to save the conversation for later. Instead, he turned to the others, "So, what's the plan now? What's our plan B?" He began pacing restlessly. "We just kicked the hornet's nest, man. So, we gotta think of something quick."

"JJ, calm down," Pope warned, surveying his movements. Nothing good ever came out of him getting worked up like this.

"Calm down, Pope?" He arched an eyebrow, stopping in front of him. "We do something to their guys, they're gonna do something to Kie."

"That was your idea!" Sarah threw her arms up, sick of the boy's attitude.

"Yeah, I know that was my idea, okay!?" JJ's eyes narrowed in her direction.

"Shh!" Cleo shushed him, her lips quirked in a frown.

"My bad!" JJ continued despite this. "That one's on me!"

The others fell silent again. They had no plan. Nowhere to go. None of them knew how to comfort the boy except Bianca but she had gone quiet too, and after JJ's outburst, they didn't blame her.

"Why did we leave that island?" JJ whispered, continuing his pacing before stopping in front of Pope again. "Ooh- ooh- wait, wait, wait, I got something. What if I offered myself up as a hostage?" He held his arms out as if they were in handcuffs.

Bianca's head fell into her hands, trying to stifle the eye roll. Pope turned away too, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news and tell him his plan was stupid, yet again.

It seemed the boy was getting on everyone's last nerve, except Cleo who twirled her knife, watching the boy with amusement. She couldn't understand how someone as type A as Bianca Prescott was dating the ball of ADHD that was JJ Maybank.

"No, hear me out, hear me out, hear me out-" He protested. "What if I got inside the walls-"

"No-" Pope immediately dismissed.

"Did like, you know, the Trojan horse type thing-"

"No, no," Pope shook his head.

"That's how wars are won!"

"No! That's not even how a Trojan horse even works!"

"Okay, fine," JJ huffed. "What do you got? This is usually where you got the moves, bro, alright? Remember Spock? We could really use him right now."

Bianca wasn't sure at what point the arguing stopped and the group decided to sleep off their frustration but either way, she was grateful for it. The gnawing headache growing behind her eyes was a testament to her lack of sleep and water combined. Only, the one person who could possibly make her feel even a tiny bit better was mad at her.

But she couldn't make JJ understand. She couldn't make anyone understand what was happening inside her head. She couldn't even explain it to herself. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Growing up and seeing her parents' flaws was like losing her religion. Bianca didn't believe in God anymore. She didn't believe in her father either.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. But the world laughed, held her hope by the throat, and said; this is how it is.

author's note. hi again !!! what did u guys think of this chapter ? i cannot wrap my mind around how anyone still reads this lol <3 i feel like i created this story for myself but the fact that ppl love it as much as me doesn't make any sense in my head haha (imposter syndrome fr), so eternally grateful for u guys