''Of course, we did,'' JJ groaned, throwing his hands in the air. ''Of course, we stole a fake.''

My heart clenched at the sight of Pope, his shoulders slumping as he stared at the empty box. I crouched beside him, placing a hand on his arm. ''Pope, I'm so sorry,'' I murmured, wishing I could say something to make it better.

JJ stepped forward, resting a hand on Pope's shoulder. ''Hey, man,'' he said softly. ''We're gonna fix this.''

Before anyone could say anything else, the faint wail of sirens reached our ears.

''Y'all hear that?'' Topper hissed, his eyes wide with panic. ''Okay, I can't be here. My grandfather's a judge.''

JJ rolled his eyes. ''Dog, would you relax? They're not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is a part of a robbery, okay?''

Topper shot him a glare. ''Oh, yeah? With the crate sitting right next to my truck, I'm sure we'll be fine.''

''Pope, we gotta go,'' Kiara urged, already heading back to the truck with Sarah and Cleo close behind.

Pope lingered by the crate, his hands still resting on the edge. The sound of sirens grew louder, and Cleo grabbed his arm, tugging him away. ''Come on, P, we gotta bounce!'' she told him, pulling him toward the truck.

Reluctantly, Pope let her drag him away. We all piled back into the truck, and Topper slammed the gas pedal, the engine roaring as we sped away from the scene. My heart pounded in my chest as I glanced out the window, watching the flashing lights fade into the distance.

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