CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

SWIM GOOD — FRANK OCEAN
I'm about to drive in the ocean
I'ma try and swim from something bigger than me

JJ HAD A newfound hatred for crabs and he knew Stella would tease him endlessly once she found out. She always thought crabs were cute and for the most part, he agreed. That was until one of them bit him. Now, he thought they were annoying little creatures with no sense of personal space that went on obvious power trips because of their pinchers. So on top of worrying about Stella, he also had to worry about his finger turning purple. "Damn little sea spider," he muttered, shaking his injured finger before Pope shushed him.

The group was forced to break into Jimmy Portis' house by climbing through the window. It didn't seem like the man was home, so they felt comfortable splitting up to cover more ground. JJ could feel a sinking feeling pull at the bottom of his stomach with every empty room, like a black hole was sucking his insides out to oblivion. Neither Stella nor Kie was in the house.

He rubbed at his chest and furrowed his brows. With every passing second, he grew more restless. "If they're not here, where are they?"

Sarah and Cleo watched as he started to pace, sharing a look across the main hallway. Further down, Pope stopped in front of a painting of a burning ship. "John B," he called. The shaggy-haired brunet walked over. "Recognize that?"

JJ's brows raised at the possibility of a new lead. "What? Find something?" When he joined their side, his hope diminished. "It's a burning boat. What does that have to do with getting the girls back?"

"This is San Jose," Pope explained. "It's from Denmark's diary. This is the ship that Captain Limbrey stole the cross from. And the Merchant gold."

"Great, whatever." JJ raised his hand and gave a dismissive wave. They had more pressing matters than the Merchant gold. At least they knew where the gold was. "It's not about the girls. It doesn't help us."

John B was about to respond when he was cut off by the sound of a car door. Sarah rushed to the closest window to investigate and ducked out of view when she saw Portis walking up the front yard. She turned with wide eyes and the others held their breaths. "It's Portis, he's back." There was a quick pause before she continued. "Do we run?"

JJ shook his head, already formulating a plan of attack. "Hell no."

It didn't take long for the Pogues to get themselves set up. The layout of the house helped them a lot since a lot of the rooms had doors opening out into the main hall, and mad-dogging someone was an activity they were quite experienced with. All they had to do was remain quiet until Portis walked into their line of sight.

The older man entered his house talking on the phone about the electrical system in his plane. His voice was riddled with exasperation and he seemed more inconvenienced than anything else. It only angered the Pogues because how dare he feel no remorse in turning their friends over to Ward?

He walked further down the hall with a sigh and tossed his phone on the nearby couch. He was calm and unsuspecting, completely oblivious to the presence of the five teens in his house. So naturally, he was caught off guard when he heard war cries and was tackled to the ground from multiple directions.

Fist flew and grunts of pain followed. Somehow, Portis managed to escape from them and ran for the door. Unfortunately for him, JJ was waiting and tripped him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"I got him," JJ panted, looking over at his friends. When his gaze fell on the man below him, his tone changed completely. "Get up!"

Cleo stepped forward and helped him pull Portis off the ground. Together, the pair slammed him down on the table sitting in the sunroom. The knife she always kept with her was pressed to his neck.

Jimmy Portis tried to put his hands up in defence, wincing when cold metal dug further into his skin. "You guys really shouldn't be here right now."

John B stood before him with a glare. Stella was his sister long before Emma wanted to adopt him and Kie was his best friend. He'd do more than keep a man at knifepoint if that meant finding out where they were. "Where are they, Jimmy?"

When he didn't answer, JJ pushed shoved him against the table. "Answer the man!"

Portis grunted as the edge of the table dug into his back, then shook his head. "You really don't wanna know."

"Talk," Sarah demanded. She stepped forward, pushing John B's hand away when he tried to keep her back. Her stare was fiery and he backed off, knowing how livid she was about the whole situation. "Who took them? Was it Ward?"

"Ward?" Portis laughed. "Who's Ward? You guys really don't understand who you're messing with."

Sarah didn't appreciate his lack of cooperation. "We'll call the cops."

Portis shook his head. "Sure, call the cops," he challenged, groaning when Cleo readjusted her grip on the knife. "See how far that gets you. This guy owns the cops. He's got eyes all over the island looking for you. All of you. He's a big man, the Kingfish."

JJ's brows furrowed at the name. "Kingfish," he muttered. Instantly, an image of Stella and Kie's captor formed in his mind. He had seen enough kingpin movies to know what kind of man had a personal militia.

"Hey!" Pope called, snapping JJ out of his thoughts. He was rooting through Portis' bag and pulled out a wad of cash. "What's this?"

When JJ saw what he was holding, his vision turned red and all he could feel was hot rage racing up his spine. "What's that, Jimmy? Is that the payoff, Jimmy? Is it?" His hands gripped at Portis' collar and he leaned forward with a steely glare on his face. His voice was low and threatening, making fear shine in Portis' eyes. "You're gonna want to start talking real soon because one of those girls is like my sister and the other," he pushed the man harder onto the table, not caring for the way his face twisted in pain, "is my wife, and I'm getting really impatient."

"Hey," Pope said, drawing the attention back to himself. His eyes were locked on the older man. "What's Vaux Hall?"

Portis' eyes widened ever so slightly and JJ knew that's where the girls were kept. "That's it. That's where they are."

The older man shook his head. He might have lied to them, but he had a heart. The teens would be walking into a death trap if they went to Vaux Hall. "You really don't want to go there!"

JJ tilted his head. "Do we look afraid?"

Portis' heavy breaths were all that could be heard before he replied, "You should be."

AFTER TAKING THE longest showers they had ever taken in their lives, Stella and Kie got dressed in their pretty dresses and waited for dinner. They were lying on opposite sides of the bed with their heads beside each other, staring at the canopy attached to the bed frame.

"Do you think he knows Rihanna?" Stella randomly questioned, hoping to take Kie's mind off their predicament.

It seemed to work because Kie let out a laugh. "What?"

"We're in Barbados, right? Rihanna's a national hero."

"So what, you want to call up Rihanna and see if she'll come save us?"

"Not that kind of hero, Kie. But could you imagine Rihanna storming in, guns blazing—"

The door unlocked and swung open, causing the pair to sit up. The housekeeper from when they first arrived stood in the threshold. "He's ready," she stated. Then, two soldiers walked into the room to escort them downstairs.

The walk felt longer than what it actually was and Stella took in every detail. It was a beautiful house. She would have enjoyed it if she were here under different circumstances.

The guards opened a door and pushed the girls through it, locking them inside the room once they were inside. It was like the rest of the house. Grand historic ceilings with colourful walls and wood accents. There was a man standing across the room with his back facing them. Kie stepped forward, preparing to make their presence known, but Stella pulled her back before she could say anything. He might've cut his hair, but she could recognize that smug persona anywhere.

"Rafe?"

The man spun on his heel to reveal that he was exactly person she thought he was.

His smile fell and shock washed over him. He had no idea what happened to the Pogues after they jumped off the cargo ship. For all he knew, they could've been dead. Not that he would care about any of them other than Stella, and maybe Sarah.

"Star."

Kie took one look at his his face and stormed forward. There was no way he was there by coincidence. "No, I knew you and Ward were behind this shit."

Rafe was pulled out of his stunned state and furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about? Are you two trying to weasel in on my deal? Is that what's going on?"

With the roll of her eyes, Stella leaned against the table. "Tell us what you're doing here, Rafe."

"You tell me what you're doing here!"

A deep chuckle sounded from across the room. The three former Kildare residents turned their heads and their eyes settled on an older man in a nicely pressed suit.

He carried himself with importance, like Mafia dons in old films from the eighties. Perhaps, Hollywood got the stereotypes right because the energy in the room shifted from one of frustration into one of intimidation within seconds.

"I wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks," he said.

Rafe narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Carlos Singh," he replied, moving slowly throughout the room. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron. And Ms. Carrera, Ms. Marx, I do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here."

Stella gave him an odd look. Rough was an understatement. "You sent your personal militia to capture us," she deadpanned.

The older man would've been offended by her tone if he weren't so flattered. It was nice to know that his men were doing their jobs. "Please, come. Sit down. I don't bite." He urged them into the sitting area of the room and they felt no choice but to follow. "We have a lot to talk about."

Kie walked carefully through the room. "Why are we here?"

"Well, we share certain interests, you know. Objectives."

"Is this not about the cross?" Rafe questioned. He stepped back so Stella could pass by, moving out of her way as she moved closer to Kie.

"It is." Singh nodded. "Tangentially, it is about the cross, but it's also about something much bigger than the cross. By orders of magnitude... the completion of a grand quest."

Stella listened as he went on and on about about how a Spanish solider received gold beads from a peaceful indigenous tribe which started a centuries old search for a lost city. At the root of his story was another marginalized group that had been taken advantage of—a common theme throughout her treasure hunting experience.

"Thousands of lives laid on the pyre of gold fever. And it falls to me to complete the task. To bring full circle a quest that has gone on for hundreds of years." Singh turned to them, his drawling monologue coming to an end. "Perhaps the greatest quest in the history of the western hemisphere, you know. And you three... you three are going to play a part in that."

Stella raised a brow, straightening her back in an attempt to seem confident. She refused to sit, choosing to stand by Kie's chair instead. "And what part would that be?"

"The role of smart people who do the right thing." There was a threat behind his words and it was clear as day. "What about you, Ms. Carrera? Are you interested in history?"

Kie met his stare, her face never showing her true emotions. "I'm more of a future person."

Rafe groaned as he sat down on the other chair beside Stella. "I didn't listen to a word you said, okay? How much longer are you gonna keep philosophizing?"

Singh merely chuckled. "You are direct, aren't you, Mr. Cameron?"

Kie gave the older Kook a side glance before returning her attention to Singh. "What do you need from us?"

"I've come to believe that you and your friends are in possession of something that can help me get what I want."

Stella tilted her head. Her and her friends currently had nothing to offer other than the clothes on their back, something they didn't have in common with Rafe, so his request sent her into a spiral of confusion. "Which is?"

"An old manuscript," Singh revealed. "A diary, actually."

He studied their expressions to find any indication of recognition.

Rafe didn't know anything about Denmark Tanny's diary, but the girls did. And if they weren't being watched, they would have shared a look of panic because they knew exactly where a copy of that diary was.

Stella furrowed her brows, feigning cluelessness as she asked, "A... diary?"

Once the question left her mouth, Rafe shook his head almost as if he was waiting for her to confirm that she knew nothing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Me neither," Kie added.

Their answers weren't the ones Singh hoped for and he started to grow impatient. "But how else could you have learned that the cross was on the Royal Merchant?"

With a slow intake of air, Kie gave an apologetic look. Giving up the diary would mean betraying Pope and she wasn't about to do that. "Look, I want to help you, but I can't."

Singh shook his head in disappointment. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that, you know. Because unfortunately, I don't believe you. You and your friends here couldn't have found the cross without it."

"He's not my friend," she corrected.

Stella nodded. "He actually shot me once."

Rafe turned his head to the side. He knew he hurt Stella. He hurt a lot of people. He didn't need the reminder.

Singh chuckled, sitting down across from them and leaning forward to rest his arms against his knees. "We can't all be friends, you know."

"Look, this is ridiculous." Rafe stood and headed for the door. The entire trip was a waste of time. Singh wasn't buying the cross, and while he was relieved to see that Stella was fine, the reminders of his wrongdoings annoyed him. "I'm out. I don't know anything about a diary, okay? So..." His words faded as one of Singh's men stepped in his way.

"Do I look like a fool to you, Mr. Cameron?" Singh looked up at him from his spot on the couch. He was relaxed, like he knew he possessed all the power in the situation. And considering the man with the gun worked for him, he did. "You have the cross. These two and their friends had the cross at one point. So one of you thee has the diary. And if you really don't know, then I suggest you convince your friend to tell me. Once I have the diary, you'll be free to leave."

Singh urged Kie to stand, then beckoned the two girls to follow him. Despite being shorter than Rafe, he still managed to give him an intimidating stare as he walked past.

"Enjoy the grounds during your stay," he said, escorting them out of the room and down the hall. The trio had no choice but to follow along until they returned to the bedroom Stella and Kie were locked in. "I must warn you, though. I'm not a man of infinite patience. You have one day. Go to the window for a little demonstration. I think you'll enjoy it."

When Rafe, Stella, and Kie were fully in the room, the door shut behind them. There was the faint sound of the locking mechanism, then complete silence.

The situation set in for the older of the three, and he reached forward to rattle the doorknob. Stella watched as he shouted for attention and demanded to be set free, sharing a look with Kie.

"It's locked," Stella stated. "They're not coming back."

He shot her a nasty look over his shoulder. "Really, Stella? I didn't notice."

"Clearly."

"This is your fault. You two and the Pogues—"

"How the hell is this our fault? Do you really think we wanted to be kidnapped? With you as our company of all people?"

"We both know you could have worse company."

"Really? I don't think so."

"Get off me, man! I didn't do nothing!"

The familiar voice forced their bickering to stop and the girls looked at each other in confusion. Ignoring Rafe's frantic questions, they rushed to the window to investigate. On the porch below, Jimmy Portis was being dragged by guards to an area out of view.

Rafe came up behind them and pushed the curtains back to get a look. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"We know him," Kie answered. "It's Jimmy Portis. He was trying to help us."

"Whatever it is he tried to do obviously didn't end well if he's down there," Stella said, a bad feeling pulling at her intuition.

As the words left her mouth, Singh came into view. He looked up at them to make sure they were watching, and any semblance of nicety he previously held was now gone from his demeanour. His hand reached behind his back and when it returned, he was holding a gun.

A hard lump formed in the back of Stella's throat and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She wasn't a fool. This was an elaborate way of threatening them and she could predict where it was headed. Her heart started to race as Singh gave them a final glance before turning on his heel.

Stella wasn't a stranger to death. She had witnessed murder first hand before, but that night had been rainy and it happened at a distance. Not one floor below her, merely a few feet away from her sight.

The sound of gunfire caused all of them to flinch and the sound of a body hitting the floor made them realize just how much danger they were in.

"This diary," Rafe started. He was breathless, shocked from what he saw despite doing the same thing to someone in the past. His stare was locked on his fellow prisoners. "Hey, no bullshit. Don't bullshit me. Okay? Do you have it?" The girls shared a look and when they didn't answer, he tried again."Kie? Stella? Do you have it?"

Kie responded before Stella and in a shaky voice, replied, "No."

THE NIGHT CAME quickly. After the remaining Pogues failed to infiltrate Vaux Hall, they retreated to an abandoned hotel Cleo once stayed at with her old boss. It was a rundown building with all the windows shattered, leaving the insides completely exposed to the elements. There were parts of the outside that collapsed over time and it looked like the remains were one strong gust of wind away from falling apart.

The light from the moon reflected off the ocean and into the room they were in. Sarah and John B sat across the room, listening to JJ as he tried to formulate a new plan to get Stella and Kie back. The sand that coated the floor crunched underneath his boots as he paced.

Cleo drew pictures in the ground with her knife and watched as the blond got frustrated with something Sarah said. His hands started flying around as his speech grew more animated and she could hear him argue his point. It was odd for her to see him so worked up. For as long as Cleo knew him, JJ had always been the carefree friend. It was rare for him to be so highly strung. But then again, she had never seen him without Stella before.

Every time JJ spoke, he looked at Stella for assistance. Before putting a plan into action, he searched for her confirmation that he was doing the right thing. His eyes never left her, and Stella remained oblivious to it. Now that Stella was gone, all of the energy reserved for her had nowhere to go other than worrying about her.

Cleo had never seen that before.

Leaning over so Pope could hear her better, she said, "He's more of a mess without her."

Her observation caused Pope to look over at the blond. He didn't need clarification on who she was talking about. JJ and Stella were intertwined so deeply and nothing could undo the bond they had. "They're, like, soulmates," he stated. "It checks out."

Cleo raised a brow. Pope was a man of science, so the fact that he believed in a concept as abstract as soulmates came as a surprise. "You believe in that?"

He shrugged, knowing that his opinion on the matter changed over time. He constantly bounced between yes and no, working towards scientific explanations only to throw them back into the hands of the universe. His thoughts were fluid until he found himself faced with undeniable proof that soulmates did exist, because if they didn't, JJ and Stella wouldn't be JJ and Stella.

Pope had been friends with them long enough to see the changes of their relationship. He was close to both of them. He bonded with Stella over analyzing asinine topics and bouncing ideas off her like they were playing intellectual tennis. And on all levels but biologically, JJ was his brother. He knew both of them well.

Despite being a loving mother, Emma worked so much that it was hard to be present all the time. Stella was on her own in some ways. Her sense of independence was high, and she was the type of person that could handle any situation the world threw her way. But she needed help handling herself. She expected too much from herself and got lost in her labyrinthian mind far too easily. She needed to be loved by someone who wanted nothing from her. Someone who didn't have any expectation other than being herself. JJ was that person and Stella was his.

JJ spoke about her the same way Stella spoke about him, with appreciation and full of passion. He hung on to every word she said like her voice was his favourite song. He left casual hands on her, always needing to be within arm's reach like she was a dream of his that would disappear with distance. He looked at her like she was the sun, breathing life into him.

They were all the proof he needed to believe that soulmates existed.

"Yeah," Pope replied definitely. "I gotta believe that after everything, there's someone out there for everyone. Someone who won't make me feel like crap. It's simple statistics. Besides, if soulmates weren't real, JJ wouldn't have Stella senses."

"Stella what?"

Pope sighed. He couldn't believe he was about to explain this. "It's like," he struggled to find the words. "You know Spider-Man's spidey senses? It's like that."

Cleo gave him a look of skepticism. "Those aren't real."

At first, he thought that JJ's Stella senses were just a silly little thing that had to do with luck. But then he noticed that every time he announced that his Stella senses were tingling, something would happen or Stella would do something shortly after. First at Olivia Redfield's crypt, then when she and Kie almost drowned in the sewers. Sometimes, he would announce her presence before she appeared within sight or do something for her before she asked. Pope wanted to believe it was a series of coincidences, but the evidence added up.

"Trust me, they are."

Cleo sat with the information for a moment, trying to pick out parts of her memory that supported JJ's intuition. She never noticed it before, but she didn't need much convincing. It seemed like a JJ and Stella thing.

Across the room, JJ turned on his heel. His eyes were wide and the expression on his face showed clear exasperation. "Pope, Cleo, back me up here!"

The pair looked to John B and Sarah who subtlety shook their heads.

Stepping closer to them, he narrowly missed the giant hole in the ground. "All we need to do is to beat up one guard dude—"

"A guard dude with a machine gun strapped to his chest?" John B interjected. "One of those guard dudes?"

JJ turned his head so quickly that the others were shocked that his neck didn't snap. "Sh! Shut up. Shut up, John B." He returned his attention to Cleo and Pope. "Hear me out, okay? We beat him up, steal his uniform, and one of us sneaks in wearing it to break the girls out."

Pope shook his head. "They would recognize us."

"I don't think so. John B has a pretty generic face."

John B looked up. "Hey!"

JJ's patience ran out and he snapped. The whole day since Stella and Kie were taken was spent in stress, and he couldn't sit by and wait until morning anymore. "We have to do something, John B!" His words rang in the air and he moved until he stood in front of Pope. "Look, man. My Stella senses? They're going crazy right now. If they haven't hurt her, they're still doing something she doesn't like. Like— Like forcing her to watch Frozen or something—"

"Frozen?" Sarah questioned, tilting her head.

"I don't know! She hates Frozen!" JJ shouted. His outburst caused her to put her hands up in defence. "Point is we can't just sit here."

Pope and Cleo shared a look, the former mouthing 'Stella senses' and the latter shaking her head.

JJ spoke again, but this time his tone was softer—sadder. "C'mon, guys."

Pope, ever the voice of reason, sighed. "We all want them back, but we need to be smart." His answer wasn't the one JJ was hoping for. "From the looks of it, this guy owns the island. We can't just sneak in."

The others agreed and forced a vote that JJ lost. They would get some rest and make a plan in the morning.

JJ volunteered to take first watch, already planning to stay awake. He couldn't sleep knowing his girl and best friend were in danger, and he wouldn't rest until they were back where they belong.

RAE SPEAKS!
jj's slowly losing it and want him and stella back together rn, also if you don't like stella x rafe interactions, i'm sorry but you've got a big storm coming!

literally rafe when he realizes stella's stuck in the same room as him:

also pope used to tell jj never to mention his 'stella senses' because he thought they were silly but now he's telling cleo about them and that's called growth!