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"It always leads back to the triangle, dude. Like every single time something's weird, it's Bermuda."

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''GUYS, THE THING that Limbrey said, I don't think she meant to let it slip." Pope stated as we all sat inside the twinkie. "She said the key leads to the Cross of Santo Domingo."

"Wait. Can I see that?" JJ asked and Pope passed him the key. 

"Are we supposed to know what that is?" I asked leaning over JJ's shoulder to see the key better.

"She probably thinks we are." Sarah mumbled.

''I'm guessing it's some sort of historical artifact of great importance." Pope stated looking at us.

"Well, according to the interwebs, it was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish king." Kiara said reading from her phone.

"New Spain? Is there an Old Spain?" JJ asks.

"Shit, talk about over gifting. Look at that thing." Kiara whispered amused as she showed us a picture of the large golden cross.

"Looks like there's a person standing next to it."

"So it's a giant ass cross." JJ states the obvious.

"It was widely considered at the time to be the most extravagant tribute ever from the provinces. It was lost off the coast of Bermuda in 1829." Kiara reads.

"Did you just say Bermuda?" JJ's eyes widened as he leaned closer.

''JJ...'' I warn placing a hand on his shoulder. His theories were getting out of hand.

"Oh, no. Not the triangle." John B whisperes from the drivers seat.

"It always leads back to the triangle, dude." JJ defends himself. "Like every single time something's weird, it's Bermuda."

''Your next conspiracy theory for sure is gonna be aliens.'' I muttered, half to myself, half to the group. ''Oh yeah, I bet 5 bucks on it.'' Sarah agreed with a chuckle.

"Okay, well, what does a key found above your meemaw's pharmacy have to do with any of this?" Kiara asked ignoring our small talk. "Where do we come in?"

"I don't know. That's a good question." Pope replies.

The twinkie rolled to a stop outside Shady Acres, the engine rumbling softly before John B turned the key and silenced it. 

JJ was the first to jump out, as always. Sliding the back door open, he gestured for Pope to follow.

Pope climbed out, his expression unreadable. ''Hey, um, actually, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself,'' he said, his tone firm but not unkind as Kie shifted to step out.

''Are you sure?'' Kie asked, her hand frozen mid-air, one foot still inside the van. Pope simply shrugged.

''Yeah, I can handle it. I don't really need you, so...'' His words hung awkwardly in the air.

JJ leaned against the side of the Twinkie, arms crossed as he glanced at Kie. ''Oh, we're just one big happy family today, aren't we?'' he quipped.

Kie rolled her eyes, stepping back inside. JJ slid the door shut with a little more force than necessary before climbing back into the passenger seat.

John B leaned out the window, offering a small nod to Pope. ''Hey, man, pick you up in a bit.''

Pope nodded back, already walking toward the building. I watched him go, my arms folded across my chest. ''Damn,'' I muttered under my breath. Sarah caught my eye, and we exchanged a look, but neither of us said anything to Kie. Bringing it up would only start something, and I wasn't in the mood for another pointless argument.

Truth be told, I trusted Pope. More than I trusted Kie, if I was being honest with myself. He was solid, dependable. If he wanted to handle this alone, I wasn't about to question him.

John B parked the Twinkie a short distance away. ''We're low on drinks anyway,'' Sarah pointed out, nudging me as she grabbed her bag. ''Come on, let's grab some.''

The three of us—me, Sarah, and Kie—headed into a nearby convenience store while the boys stayed behind in the van. The shop smelled faintly of cleaning detergent and overripe bananas. I grabbed a cold bottle of diet pepsi and a can of sprite—for JJ—from the fridge and glanced over at the others.

''Of course I thanked Topper,'' Sarah was saying as she picked up a bottle of water. ''He saved my life, and I'd put him through so much already. And you'd think that that is the crime of the century.''

''Tell me about it,'' Kie replied as she opened a can of iced tea. ''All of this crazy shit's happening, and Pope's giving me the silent treatment for not being in love with him.''

Sarah let out a short laugh, shaking her head. ''And we're the dramatic ones.''

''At least Mavis and JJ are still kicking and thriving,'' Kie teased, a sly grin pulling at her lips. I almost choked on my soda.

''Oh, come on,'' I groaned, waving her off. ''Don't start.''

Sarah smirked, nudging me lightly. ''She's got a point. You two do have that whole partners-in-crime thing going on.''

I shook my head, laughing despite myself. ''Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.'' The three of us chuckled as we headed back out to the Twinkie, drinks in hand.

When we returned, Pope was already waiting outside Shady Acres. His shoulders were tense as he slid the door open and climbed in, shutting it behind him with a definitive thud. He sat down heavily, exhaling. The rest of us stayed quiet, waiting for him to speak.

John B broke the silence first, his voice calm but curious. ''So, how'd it go?''

Pope looked at him, his eyes serious, as he replied. ''Shit just got way more personal.''

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

I LEANED BACK against the post, arms crossed, watching the group in front of me. 

''I still can't believe that you're related to Denmark Tanny,'' John B said.

Pope grinned like he'd just won the lottery, nodding enthusiastically. ''Uh-huh.''

John B spread his arms dramatically, a mischievous glint in his eye. ''Are we in the presence of royalty?''

''A king?'' JJ chimed in, already running with the bit. He stepped closer to Pope, miming placing an invisible crown on his head. ''We shall crown him. All hail the Lord of Tannyhill!'' he announced in a mock British accent, dropping to a deep bow.

''We're not worthy!'' JJ hollered, throwing his arms out and exaggerating a bow so low he nearly fell over.

I couldn't help but laugh as Kie and Sarah joined in, all of them bowing and chanting like lunatics. Pope stood there, arms stiff at his sides, trying to look unaffected, but the twitch of his lips betrayed him.

''All right, all right!'' Pope finally interjected, lifting his hands as if to shoo us away. ''Everybody relax. Can we relax, please?''

Sarah smirked, leaning against the railing as the group quieted down. ''Relocate to Cat's Ass, question mark?'' she asked, a playful grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

''I'm with that,'' JJ replied instantly, standing upright again.

''How soon can we move in?'' Kie asked, raising an eyebrow. '''Cause I don't have a place to stay.''

''Me either,'' JJ added, glancing around. ''Bunk beds?''

''Cheers to that,'' he said, holding up an imaginary glass. I rolled my eyes, but his attitude was infectious.

Pope rubbed the back of his neck. ''I just keep thinking about the letter—the one that Limbrey sent. It had the wheat symbol on it. Like, that must mean it has something to do with the Royal Merchant.''

''Yeah,'' JJ nodded, suddenly serious. ''Something seems fishy.''

''But if we find that cross,'' Pope continued. ''we can split it like we were gonna split the gold.''

JJ grinned, throwing an arm around Pope's shoulders. ''Yeah, I'm with that.''

''How do you split a cross?'' Kie asked, her brow furrowing.

Before anyone could respond, a voice cut through the air like a knife. ''And live happily ever after?''

My stomach twisted as I turned, my gaze locking on Limbrey and the imposing figure of Renfield standing beside her. I instinctively stepped closer to John B. He glanced at me and shifted slightly, placing himself between me and them.

''You assaulted my father,'' Pope snapped, taking a step forward, his fists clenched. Renfield moved faster, grabbing Pope and shoving him back against the post.

''Hey!'' Kie shouted.

''I didn't assault anyone,'' Limbrey said, her voice calm but icy.

''Why would my employee assault your father?'' she continued, her tone feigning innocence. ''That's absurd.''

John B didn't reply, his eyes narrowing as he reached back, pulling me closer.

''Listen,'' Limbrey said, her gaze darting between us. ''We can keep negotiating, but the fact is that I want the key.''

Renfield tightened his grip on Pope, pinning him against the post as he struggled. ''And I won't stop until I have it. I don't have a choice, which means you don't either.''

John B suddenly straightened. ''It's Limbrey, right?'' he asked, his voice carrying across the dock. Everyone turned to look at him as he held up the key, the sunlight catching its metallic sheen. ''Is that right?''

Limbrey's expression shifted. ''Yes.''

John B smirked, holding the key up higher. ''Is this what you're looking for?''

''Yes, it is,'' Limbrey replied.

John B tilted his head. ''Looking at the tide right now, I'd say it's about twenty feet deep out there. So, if I just threw it in the channel, the probability of you finding it again is slim to none. Wanna give it a shot?''

JJ chuckled beside me. ''Yeah, let's see what happens.''

''No! Hey!'' Limbrey shouted, her voice rising in panic as John B cocked his arm back like he was about to throw. While her and Renfield's backs were turned, Pope subtly flashed a second key at us, and my lips curved into a small smile.

''Please don't do that,'' Limbrey pleaded, her tone suddenly desperate.

''Get him to back the fuck up.''

Limbrey quickly nodded. ''Of course. Back up.'' She snapped at Renfield, who rolled his eyes but reluctantly stepped away from Pope.

''Pope. Hey, hey, hey,'' John B urged, stepping closer with a hand raised in reassurance. ''You don't have to do this, okay?''

Pope turned slightly, his brows furrowing. ''No, it's okay,'' he replied firmly.

''Dude, this is your family,'' John B insisted.

''Hey, it's fine. It's okay.'' Pope replied. ''It's about your dad. That's way more important.'' He held out his hand, and after a lingering pause, John B reluctantly handed over the key.

I caught a glimpse of Limbrey's smug smirk as she watched the exchange, her bony fingers clutching at the shawl draped around her shoulders. ''Oh, you're a good friend,'' she remarked, her words dripping with condescension. It made my stomach churn.

''The tape,'' Pope reminded sharply, cutting through her false sweetness like a blade.

Limbrey nodded toward Renfield, who obediently retrieved the tape from his jacket. He stepped forward, holding it up as though it were some sacred artifact. The moment Pope snatched it from his grasp, he exchanged it for the key without hesitation.

''You know,'' Limbrey began, her lips curling into a tight, disingenuous smile, ''I wish you'd come to this decision earlier. We could have avoided all this unpleasantness.'' 

As she turned on her heel, Renfield trailing close behind, John B called after her with a mocking grin. ''Nice to meet you.''

''See you around, Pope,'' Renfield muttered over his shoulder.

''Just go,'' Kie snapped. She crossed her arms, her glare boring into Renfield's back as he disappeared.

Once they were gone, JJ leaned against one of the posts, brushing a hand through his messy blonde hair. ''How long do you think we have until she realizes she has your father's old key?'' he asked John B.

''Ten minutes,'' John B replied confidently, shoving his hands into his pockets.

''Whose idea was the fake key?'' Pope asked.

''Shockingly, not mine,'' Kie quipped.

John B slung an arm around JJ's shoulders, his grin wide and mischievous. ''Hmm, I don't know. Should we tell him?''

Pope raised a brow and crossed his arms. ''Did hell freeze over?'' he deadpanned, stepping closer to the two.

''Even a blind pig can find an acorn at times.'' JJ's attempt at wisdom fell flat, and Pope didn't waste a second jabbing him lightly in the ribs.

''I actually don't even know what that means,'' JJ admitted with a sheepish grin. ''But I saw it on Reddit.''

I couldn't hold back a laugh. ''Hey, you finally had a successful plan that didn't involve kidnapping anyone. Good job!'' I teased, reaching out for a fist bump, which JJ enthusiastically returned.

''We gotta take this to Shoupe,'' John B announced, his tone serious again as he straightened up.

''Yes, sir!'' JJ exclaimed, saluting dramatically. ''Ward Cameron, we're coming for you, big boy.'' Then his expression shifted, a gleam of excitement lighting up his blue eyes. ''All right, shotgun!''

words: 2086