043
text-book definition kidnapping

"Any last words of wisdom for me, Reg?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Don't die."

With that one final heartfelt farewell to Reginald, Bianca got out of the Rolls Royce on the tarmac. She could just make out her friends' figures in the distance, beside Ward Cameron's private jet.

JJ was gesturing wildly at the Twinkie while John B was attempting to walk away and Sarah threw her arms up in exasperation. They appeared to be arguing. Well, JJ did. The others just looked done with his shit.

"Dude, where is everybody!?" JJ's voice echoed through the tarmac.

"I don't know, man," John B shrugged.

"We should get 'em-" He dropped the backpack on his shoulders to the ground. "We should just get in the Twinkie, and we should just get them. That's what we should do!"

Bianca sighed. JJ was already worked up. Sitting on a cramped plane for hours wasn't ideal. Before the group could see her, she quickly pulled the hair tie off her wrist, tucked it into her denim shorts, and undid one of her shoelaces before continuing ahead.

"Five minutes!" John B tried to interrupt. "Just give 'em five minutes, alright?"

"Five minutes-"

"Guys, that's Bianca!" Sarah pointed out, causing the boys to whip around.

"Oh, thank God," John B threw his head back with a groan.

"JJ, why is your bag on the floor?" Bianca crossed her arms over her chest as she neared.

JJ pursed his lips, eyes flickering to his backpack and then to his girlfriend. He hesitated, "'Cause I was mad."

She reached down to pick up the bag before hitching it over her shoulders, "So, you threw it on the floor?"

JJ pouted, not meeting her eyes, "No."

Bianca turned to the others, "Why is everyone screaming? I can hear you guys from all the way down the airstrip."

"JJ's getting all riled up 'cause he thought you guys wouldn't make it before the plane takes off," Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Okay, why does it feel like I'm the only one who cares that Big John's on death row right now?" JJ whirled around to face John B. "I mean, he's your dad, dude!"

While they were arguing, Bianca stepped closer to her boyfriend, winding a hand around his bicep. Almost immediately, she felt all his bunched-up muscles slacken as he pulled her closer.

"I know that but Pope said he'd be here and I trust him!" John B protested.

"Look, it's not the first time his Pops had him on lockdown, alright?!" JJ's tone dropped an octave. He reached down to take the bag off Bianca's shoulders and throw it over his, "We should just-"

A tug at his shirt forced him to pause. Bianca glanced up through her lashes and whispered, "Do you have a hair tie?"

"Huh?" JJ's eyebrows drew together for a moment before it clicked. "Oh- yeah."

Bianca watched with amusement as he pulled the black band off his wrist and handed it to her, "Thank you."

JJ was about to return to yelling but then hesitated, eyes trained on her sneakers, "Your shoelace is undone," He mumbled before kneeling to re-tie them.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Bianca hummed, feigning surprise.

"It's fine," JJ shook his head, fixing the loops. "Let me get it..."

While he did so, Bianca reached down to rest her hand on the back of his head. Her fingers massaged lightly, an act of gratitude she knew would also soothe JJ's flared temper.

'Thank you,' John B mouthed across from them, his shoulders sagging.

Bianca pursed her lips to hide her smile. Gone was the frustration and anxiety in her boyfriend's tone. All he needed was a little bit of distraction, and she knew he would jump to her aid the moment she needed it.

"And there's Pope and Cleo, right there, " Sarah sighed in relief.

The familiar rumble of JJ's dirt bike caused Bianca to turn as Pope came speeding down the tarmac with Cleo in the backseat. The engine slowed to a dull whir when the two neared.

"Were you guys waiting for us?" Cleo unhooked her arms from around Pope's waist to peer over his shoulder.

"Yes, we were," JJ slowly got to his feet with a heavy exhale. "You're late. Now, did you actually convince your Pops this time or..."

Pope kicked down the bike stand before hopping off, "Cleo convinced them."

"Hell yeah," JJ dapped her up. "That's what I'm talking about. I thank you for being a part of my crew."

"Anytime," She winked at the blond.

"Hey, where's, uh..." Bianca's frown deepened, pulling away from Pope who hugged her in greeting. "Where's Kie?"

"We- I don't know," Sarah propped her hands on her hips. "It's gotta be her parents, dude. They've been up her ass."

"They must've said she couldn't come," Pope agreed. "We're gonna have to do this without her."

The Pogues fell silent, contemplating this. They were on the clock, and Kiara would be safe here. Big John, on the other hand, not so much.

"She'd want to be here," Bianca's tried to defend.

"We don't really have a choice, B," Pope pursed his lips.

Bianca glanced to the others for help but nobody seemed to meet her gaze. There was no way Kiara would miss this. Wherever she was, it was clearly against her will.

All Kiara's ever done was look out for them. It was always 'We're Pogues' this and 'Pogues for life' that, and at first, Bianca used to find it insufferable because she was so obviously a Kook. But now? Now, she could see just how much Kiara was willing to sacrifice for her boys.

Bianca elbowed JJ, causing him to choke on his breath. He glanced down with a frown but quickly caught onto what her tense glare was trying to convey.

Leaving Kiara behind wasn't an option. She would do anything for them, and now, it was time to return the favor.

"No," JJ hummed, whirling around to face John B. "Give me the keys."

"No, dude," He protested, trying to calm the blond down. "No, no, no, no, no."

"Give me the keys, right now," JJ deadpanned, a frustrated lilt to his tone.

"Okay, it doesn't seem like a good idea right now, JJ," John B held him by the shoulders, preventing him from storming off. "B, hey- come on, tell him."

"Tell him what?" Bianca crossed her arms over her chest.

"That this is a bad idea," He scoffed.

"Actually," Bianca shook her head. "I agree with this bad idea. Pogues don't leave other Pogues behind."

"You can't just whip that out whenever you want!" John B's jaw clenched. "What about when you left me behind in Barbados?!"

"Hey, you said you weren't mad about that-" Sarah's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm not, babe- I swear-" John B quickly backtracked.

"You're right. That's not a Pogue thing, we just left you there 'cause we hate you," Bianca scowled.

"B, I swear to God-"

"Look, man," JJ regained his attention, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Her parents already hate me, alright? Just give us an hour."

John B stared at the ground with a rough exhale, trying to think this through. If he let them do this, they would be three soldiers down, and knowing Singh, they needed all the troops they could muster to face this war.

"It'll be like a black ops mission," JJ clicked his fingers together. "In and out, alright? Surgical removal type shit."

"Plus, he kind of owes her," Bianca mused.

JJ's lips parted, "I do?"

"Yeah, you do," She narrowed her eyes. "Remember... For that thing."

JJ blinked once, then twice. But the moment it clicked, his eyes widened, "Oh," The money clip. He turned back to John B, placing his hands on either shoulder, "So... yeah, I also kinda owe her. Give me the keys."

"Oh," Realisation dawned on him.

"Stop making that face and give me the keys," JJ rolled his eyes.

"The keys, John B," Bianca outstretched her hand.

"Okay. Well, yeah, you owe her, right?" John B pulled out the keys from his pocket and dropped it in the girl's hand. Then, he grabbed JJ's face, "You owe her. I get it. I just appreciate the honesty, okay? Hurry back, alright?"

"You guys are so weird," Bianca brushed past them toward the Twinkie.

"Hurry," Sarah warned. "Hurry."

"Just give us an hour," JJ reassured and began running toward the driver's side where Bianca was already waiting in the passenger seat.

Bianca realized what he was doing before he did it, "No- JJ, don't-" She winced.

"Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, no!" John B kept repeating but it was too late.

JJ leaped through the open, broken window and rolled into the driver's seat. In the maneuver, his limbs flailed, accidentally hitting Bianca on the way in.

"Dude!" She scoffed, shoving him away as he took his position behind the wheel.

"Bruh," Pope threw his arms up. "That door opens, bro!"

JJ ignored them, eyes flickering over to his girlfriend, "Put your seatbelt on."

Bianca rolled her eyes, "Since when have you ever cared about wearing a seatbelt?"

"Since..." JJ reached over to click her seatbelt in for her. "You're going to be screaming my name in a minute–"

"What are you-" Bianca's eyes widened but before she could get another word out, the boy flat-footed the gas, causing them to lurch forward. She gripped the seatbelt fastened around her, "JJ!"

"Told you," He mused, sending the Pogues a final wave out the window.

"Feather- feather-" John B called out after the Twinkie. "Feather the throttle, you know!? You got fifty-nine minutes, JJ!"

Rays of light glinted off the concrete road, extending through the marsh between the Cut and Figure Eight. For some reason, the sun felt hotter and the miles stretched longer. Each minute that ticked by was one step further from South America and they weren't even halfway to Kiara's house yet.

"They wouldn't actually send her to that stupid wilderness therapy thing?" Bianca glanced up at her boyfriend. "Not like, against her will...right?"

"That's the thing, B," JJ's grip tightened over the steering wheel. "My cousin, you remember, Ricky?"

"How could I forget?" Bianca mused, reminiscing on his cousin— the paramedic-weed dealer.

"Yeah, well, he went to one of those wilderness camps too and it's not like he wanted to either," JJ explained, his eyes concentrated on the road ahead. "But when two burly lookin' dudes showed up on his doorstep and threw him in the back of a van, he didn't really have a choice. I can't remember the place he went to- like, Hawkeye or something-"

"That's a fictional character, JJ," Bianca deadpanned. "And that is verbatim, text-book definition kidnapping."

"Yeah, 'cause it basically is," JJ shook his head and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "God, they really are some Kooks. Imagine gooning your own daughter."

"Okay, we don't know that yet," Bianca tried to sound hopeful but even she couldn't keep the waver out of her tone. "Let's just hope they've got her locked in her room or something-"

The girl was cut off when her phone began ringing from her back pocket, silencing them both. Bianca whipped it out, desperate to see Kiara's name pop up on the screen but her stomach dropped when the caller ID stared back at her.

After a moment of silence, JJ's gaze briefly flickered over to her, "Who is it?"

"Um..." Bianca hesitated, tilting the screen to him. "It's Rafe."

JJ's hands tightened over the steering wheel and loosened again. He turned to face the road ahead, the muscle in his jaw clenching before finally whispering, "Answer it."

Bianca almost reared her head back, "What? No-"

"B, just-" His harsh tone softened. "Just answer it... I mean, only if you want to."

Bianca's eyebrows drew together. Surely, this had to be some kind of trap, right? There was no way her boyfriend just willingly told her to pick up a phone call from her ex-boyfriend.

A pit formed in Bianca's gut but she chose not to overthink it. Rafe was there for her when she needed him to be. He helped JJ remind her what she had to lose. It was only fair she returned the favor. One phone call couldn't hurt.

"Might be something to do with Ward," Bianca's finger pressed the button to put the call on speaker. "Rafe?"

"B," Her ex-boyfriend's exhale was one of relief. "Hey- I, uh, I- I didn't think you'd pick up."

"Rafe," Bianca interrupted gently. "You can't call me like this."

"No, I know, I know. You're with JJ and everything, I get that," Rafe rambled through the phone. "I just really need to talk to you. Just for a second. I promise it won't take long."

After everything Rafe did to her, Bianca shouldn't hear him out. But after everything he did for her, she could listen. Just for a second.

Bianca swallowed thickly, glancing over at JJ who sent her a shrug as if to say it was her decision. With a sigh, she turned back to her phone, "Yeah...Okay. What's wrong?"

"Um, I wanted to ask...do you ever, uh..." He struggled to find the right words. "Do you ever feel like every move is like, the wrong one or something? I don't know if that makes sense."

"All the time," Bianca's answer was immediate as she stared out the window at the canopy of trees on either side of the road.

"Really?" A flicker of hope sparked in his voice.

"Yeah..." She paused, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Of course. I mean, you're the one who told me the world isn't black and white."

"Right. I did say that..." Rafe trailed off. "You- you've seen me. Right? You know me. I mean, I've done some pretty fucked up shit-"

JJ snorted— fucked up was an understatement. Before he could make the joke, however, Bianca slapped his arm to shut him up.

"And not just to you but to- to like, everyone, right?" The boy continued.

"Rafe..." Bianca drew her lower lip between her teeth, unsure where he was going with this.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed JJ's hands tighten around the steering wheel once again. She was walking a very fine line between both these boys.

"Please, just, let me finish," Rafe inhaled sharply, his words spilling out faster now. "I know you don't believe me but I've always tried to be a better person. Be someone my dad would be proud of. Even if it means someone else gets hurt in the collateral. So just, listen, I need you to tell me..." He hesitated. "Do you think it's too late?"

Bianca's heart raced so fast she could hear it in her ears. It was risky business, playing Rafe's conscience. One wrong word and it could send him spiraling, "Too late for what?"

"Too late..." Rafe whispered. "For me."

Bianca hesitated, "...No, Rafe," Maybe, for once, she could get through to him. "It's not. It's never too late to do the right thing," She only wished she could have told her father the same.

Silence rang from the other end of the phone. The only indication Rafe was still on the line was his quiet breaths through the speaker. A lump formed in Bianca's throat. She wasn't sure what happened for him to turn to her, but it must've been eating him up inside.

"Hey, Rafe," Bianca hummed reluctantly. "I have to go. I'm in the middle of something but just... do the right thing. I know you know what it is."

"Yeah..." Rafe's voice sounded far away now. "Thanks, B. Talk soon, okay?"

Bianca hit the end call button without saying goodbye and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Her chest rose and fell as she placed her phone down. She didn't dare meet her boyfriend's gaze.

Bianca pursed her lips, "Are you angry?"

The way her voice wavered made JJ's heart squeeze, "No."

The weight on her chest lifted only slightly, "Are you sure? Because you're doing that thing with your jaw-"

"I'm not angry, princess," JJ shook his head, glancing over at her stiff posture. "I mean, I am but just not at you. Rafe's a fucking psycho and I still don't trust him but I think..." He reached over to entwine their hands together. "We both have your best interest at heart. I'll always hate him but... I trust you."

Bianca's heart raced beneath her ribs, staring at the boy in awe. Her chest warmed and fluttered all at the same time, but it wasn't until JJ pointed it out she realized she'd been smiling like a lovesick idiot.

"What?" JJ's eyes flickered between hers and the road.

"Hm?" Bianca shook her head. "Nothing."

"No, it's something," His eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"It's just-" Her heart swelled. "If you weren't driving right now, I'd kiss the shit out of you."

In less than a second, JJ swerved onto the side of the road and stopped the van abruptly. He changed the gears to park and turned to the girl, "Not driving any more."

Bianca threw her head back in a laugh and wound her arms around the boy's neck, drawing him in, "You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, tell me about it after you... what was it again?" JJ pretended to think, skimming his thumb across her jaw and resting on her chin. "You were gonna kiss the sh-"

Before he could get another word out, her eyes drifted up to his and it was over. JJ's lips caught hers in a hard kiss, driving them apart with the force of it. There was nothing gentle about it as he took her face between his hands.

Every thought in Bianca's head exploded to a pure, pounding white, and she felt the dark curl of desire begin to twist inside her, bending all her rules, snapping that last trembling bit of restraint. She tried one last time to pull away, "JJ-"

"No," JJ groaned, bringing her lips back to his.

Bianca slid her hands under his shirt to press him closer. The low moan at the back of his throat, a small, pleading noise, set every inch of her skin on fire. And if every kiss was like this, she would happily trade breathing for JJ every single time.

author's note. hihi besties, what did you think of this chapter? i have a rave tonight i'm so excited but i had to get this chapter out first!! i'm so super keen for obx4 cannot wait fr. do you guys have any cool life updates rn? see you & talk to you soon <3