"I still can't believe that you're related to Denmark Tanny." John B spoke as he walked out of the small store, throwing Layla a pack of sunflower seeds, "Are we in the presence of a royal?"

"A king?" JJ gasped, "We shall crown him. All hail the lord of Tannyhill!"

"He he, fair sir." Layla mocked, bowing alongside the others.

"Okay, okay. Everybody relax. Can we relax, please?" Pope spoke up with looks of disbelief around the group.

"Relocate to Cat's Ass, question mark?" Sarah spoke up with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Exclamation point, she means." Layla hummed in agreement.

"I'm with that." JJ nodded alongside the pairs words.

"How soon can we move in?" Kie smiled.

"Cause I don't have a place to stay." JJ added along her words.

"We could always just stay with Henry's rich asf girlfriend." Layla suggested with a shrug, "She has a literal sauna room."

"Does having rich girlfriends run in the family?" JJ looked over at Layla in questioning.

"You know, I think it does." the Winters girl hummed in agreement.

"Bunk beds?" Kie suggested.

"Bunk beds. Cheers to that." JJ announced, holding up his can.

"I just keep thinking about the letter, the one that Limbrey sent." Pope spoke up as he rubbed the side of his head, "It had the wheat symbol on it. That must mean it had something to do with the Royal Merchant."

"Yeah. Something seems fishy." JJ nodded with him.

"But if we find that cross, we can split it like we were gonna split the gold." Pope added in quickly, looking around at the group.

"Yeah, i'm with that." JJ gave a minor cheer.

"And live happily ever after?" a new voice cut in, Layla turning her head and finding Limbrey and Reinfield walking up the small deck toward them.

"You assaulted my father." Pope glared as he took a step toward her, Reinfield blocking him

"Oh, I didn't assault anybody." Limbrey shook her head, Layla reaching forward to pull Pope away from the man.

"He can identify the psycho from a mile away." Kie rose her eyebrows.

"Especially when he's got such a... distinct look." Layla eyed Reinfield with all the judgment she had inside her.

"Why would my employee a-a-assault your father?" Limbrey asked in a fake tone of shock, "That's absurd. Listen, we can keep on negotiating, but the fact is that I want the key."

Pope lunged forward as Reinfield shoved against him.

"Hey!" Kie called.

"And I won't stop until I have it. I don't have a choice, which means you don't either." Limbrey spoke with a serious look toward Pope. Layla, once again, shoved the mans hand off of Popes chest.

"It's Limbrey, right?" John B spoke up, making them all look back and see the gold key twisting between his fingers, "Is that right?"

"Yes." she gasped when laying eyes upon the key.

"Is this what you're looking for?" John B asked curiously, nodding to the gold key.

"Yes, it is." she spoke in desperation.

"Looking at the tide right now, i'd say it's about 20 feet deep out there." John B spoke as he squinted his eyes toward the water, glancing her way again, "So, if I just threw it in the channel, the probability of you finding it again is slim to none. You wanna give it a shot? Ready?"

John B went to throw the key as Limbrey panicked, "No! Hey! Please don't do that."

John B backed away with a nod toward Reinfrield, "Get him to back the hell up."

"Of course." Limbrey said immediately as she looked over toward Reinfield, "Back up."

Reinfield rolled his eyes as he took a step back, Layla giving him a smile, "Sorry you didn't get your way, sweetie."

"As I have told you from the beginning, I am willing to be reasonable." Limbrey looked over at Pope with gentle, manipulative, eyes.

Pope glanced at John B, "Okay."

"Okay?" she gapped i'm surprised.

"I'll give you the key, but I want the tape." the taller boy spoke seriously toward the older woman.

"Oh course. Of course." Limbrey nodded quickly.

"Pope. Hey, hey, hey." John B went along as he walked toward, "You don't have to do this."

"He's right." Layla nodded, standing up straight with a huff, "I can take her."

Sarah reached forward to tap her shoulder.

"No, it's okay." Pope reassured them.

"Dude, this is your family." John B tried again.

"Hey, it's fine. It's okay." Pope grabbed his shoulder with a small nod of his head, "It's about your dad. It's way more important."

John B handed the key over to Limbrey as she sighed in relief, "Oh, you're a good friend."

"The tape?" Pope questioned with a minor raise of his eyebrows.

"Yes, give him the tape." Limbrey nodded to Reinfield with a small huff. Reinfield dug into his jacked pocket and laid it in Popes hand, rather hard with a arrogant look.

"You know, I wish that you'd come to this decision earlier." the blonde woman sighed as she wobbled on her crutches, "We could have avoided all this unpleasantness."

"Nice to meet you!" John B called as the pair walked off.

"See you around, Pope." Reinfield looked back at the Haywire boy with a nod before following after Limbrey.

"Just go." Kie huffed.

They waited until the pair were far out of ears link before JJ spoke up, "How long do you think we have until she realizes she has your fathers old key?"

"The minutes." John B hummed.

Pope turned around with a gapping look, "Who's idea was the fake key? Yours?"

"Nope." Layla popped the P on her word, "When have I ever came up with a idea that quick?"

"She had a point." Sarah hummed, putting her arm around Layla.

"Shockingly, not mine." Kie shook her head.

"Hmm, I don't know. Should we tell him?" John B asked as JJ squinted his face together, having an arm thrown around him.

"I'm impressed, maybe you are good for something." Kie joked toward the pair.

"Did hell freeze over?" Pope gapped.

"Even a blind pig can find an acorn at times." JJ giggled as Pope and John B put a arm around him.

"JJ, you are the best blind pig I have ever knows." Layla grabbed his face to lay a kiss on both sides of his face, "Having a very proud mom moment, right now."

"Very proud or ecstatically proud?" JJ asked her.

"Beyond ecstatically proud." Layla wrapped him in her arms and kissed his forehead.

"We gotta take the tape to Shoupe." John B cut in with a nod.

"Yes, sir. Ward Cameron, we're coming for you, big boy." JJ cheered. Layla's smile fell as she looked over at Sarah, seeing the faint look of sadness in her eye.

"Girlfriend?" Layla called in a terrible, deep, hulk like accent.

"Girlfriend." Sarah did it back, taking her hand as Layla pulled her in.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Layla wrapped her arms around her as they rocked slightly, their friends heading back toward the twinkie.

"No." Sarah frowned with a shrug, "But, you know."

"Still your family." Layla nodded in agreement, "I get it."

"How's you deal with going up against your dad?" Sarah asked, leaning against her some as their foreheads pressed together.

"I held my girlfriend." Layla teased as Sarah gave a small chuckle, "No, I just remembered that I had to put myself first. That no matter what, I know my dad was in the wrong. That's what you've gotta do, and think about how relived you will feel knowing you won't live in fear."

Sarah smiled at her, "Are you always this good of a girlfriend?"

"I happened to be everyone's dream woman, you have some competition, Sarah Cameron." Layla nodded as Sarah laughed, the pair heading toward the Twinkie before Layla's phone buzzed. Pulling it from her pocket, she stared down at the message.

Mel: I have a lead, I need you to get to the house right now.

"Mel!" Layla called as she walked into the large home about fifteen minutes later, looking around when she hadn't seen or heard anyone, "Mel! Henry!"

A half eaten sandwich was on the counter, a few documents nearby. Layla glanced up the staircase, "You guys up there?"

A small thud caught Layla's attention, walking up the stairs as her hand grazed the railing, "Hey, i'm here, where are you guys?"

Layla paused, silence filling her ears before she heard a thud at the end of the hall. The sauna room had steam coming from it, the door creaked open slightly. Layla gave a odd look, "Melanie?"

She inches closer in confused, the steam hitting her as she pushed the door open. The sauna room seemed empty to her surprise, looking around for any sight of Mel or Henry being in there. Layla went to back up before she felt a pair of hands shove her shoulder blades, her body tumbling into the sauna. As she turned back, the door was slammed shut and locked from the outside.

"Wait!" Layla hit the inside of the door, the steam clouding the window as she tried to whip it away, "Hey! Let me out of here! Wait!"

Layla only caught sight of a figure walking away, hurrying down the stairs. Layla beat on the door again, sweating immediately after the unknown person turned up the heat. She pulled her top off, looking for any sight of a thermometer to turn the heat down, or better yet, off. Layla dug into her pocket, her vision blurring from the heat. She found the contact, stumbling and falling down on the bench.

"Hello?" Henry asked from the other line, "Layla?"

"Henry." Layla huffed, feeling like she couldn't breath, "Help."

"Layla?" Henry asked in a panic, a rustle coming through the speaker. Layla leaned back, taking deep breaths as the heat trapped her into the room, "Where are you?"

Layla tried to answer, her vision going blurry as she collapsed.

•

kylie speaks

someone clearly didn't
want layla to be at wards
"death" and i wonder who
that might be and why