Pope smirked, shaking his head at JJ. ''Of course JJ is agreeing.''

Ignoring the jab, JJ leaned toward John B. ''Look, her parents already hate me, all right? Just give us an hour,'' he reasoned. ''It'll be like a black ops mission—in and out. Surgical removal type shit. All right?''

I glanced at John B expectantly. ''So, will you give us the keys?'' I pressed.

John B let out a long sigh, holding the keys up reluctantly. ''Okay. Well, yeah,'' he relented. JJ snagged the keys before he could change his mind.

''Don't worry, I'll babysit,'' I assured, giving John B a small, reassuring smile.

''Be careful,'' he called after me as I followed JJ toward the Twinkie.

''I'll be so careful,'' I promised with a mock salute.

Before I could get into the passenger side, I heard the unmistakable sound of JJ throwing himself through the driver's side window.

''JJ! Why can't you use the fucking door?'' I yelled, rushing after him as he slid into the seat with a satisfied smirk.

''It's called style, Mave,'' he retorted, starting the van with a dramatic flourish.

I climbed into the passenger seat, fastening my seatbelt as John B called out behind us. ''Feather—the throttle, okay? You've got 59 minutes!''

JJ gave him a mock salute through the windshield before slamming his foot on the pedal, sending the Twinkie lurching forward. The engine roared, and the dock quickly disappeared in the rearview mirror as we sped off to retrieve Kie.

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