"Captain T is askin' for ya."
Jaylene pried her attention away from her mother, glancing up at Cleo who was standing by the wooden French doors that were located at the top of the stone staircase. Considering how curious she was to find out what her mother was hiding, she held her finger up in response as if to tell Cleo to wait a minute. "What? What'd you find out." She turned her focus back towards her mother, encouraging her to continue.
"He wants to speak to you now," Cleo emphasized, looking down at the Rosewood girl in amusement who looked about ready to lunge at her for speaking in such a demanding tone.
"I said in a minute, Cleo!" Jaylene snapped, noticeably bothered at the fact that the girl had interrupted Marleen just when she was gonna be honest for what felt like the first time.
"You should go." Marleen encouraged her, causing Jaylene to give her a confused look in return.
"I thought you didn't want me involved in a heist." The Rosewood girl clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in disbelief, feeling like an absolute idiot for believing that a parental figure would finally be honest with her for once.
"I don't . . . I just don'tβ" Marleen stumbled on her words, shaking her head in frustration at the horrible job she was doing at handling this conversation.
Jaylene interrupted her, humming quietly. "Hmm, let me guess, you don't wanna tell me the truth because that's not something you're used to doing, got it." She tapped her finger against her chin as if she was some sort of genius for the accusation she'd come up with.
"That's not it. I just don't want you to hate me more than you already do." Marleen rushed to her own defense, an exasperated sigh falling from her lips.
"I don't hate you." Jaylene shook her head in dispute, knowing that she technically had acted hostile towards her mother since they reunited on the ship, but she felt that she had every right. "I hate that you're destroying the false image I'd painted of you in my head. I have one dishonest parent back home, so I was hoping that you'd be different, but now I get why you and dad got married in the first place. It had nothing to do with opposites attracting, but all to do with similarities that made the two of you so alike."
"That's not fair." Marleen felt offended at the comparison that was being made between her and her husband. "You don't know me and that's my fault, but don't compare me to your father because I am nothing like him."
"Well, from what I've seen so far, you are so much worse than him, Maribel." The name left a bitter aftertaste in Jaylene's mouth, probably due to the mocking context she was using it in, but she was tired of the victim mentality that Marleen had been clinging onto since their first interaction. In no way was she worse than her wretched stepmotherβscratch that, ex-stepmotherβbut she sure as hell wasn't a saint.
Marleen breathed out, feeling absolutely incapable of handling her teenage daughter. The fact that they had a member in the crowd watching them didn't help the situation either. "I wanna talk to you, JayJay, but not like this. Not when you're not even willing to listen to my side of the story."
At the mention of the nickname, Jaylene winced, the sound of it leaving Marleen's lips unlocking a memory inside of her mind that she'd buried along with the hope of ever having a mother figure after hers was supposedly written off as deceased. "I don't have time to listen to your side of the story right now because I am busy trying to help clear John's name, so if you have any interest in trying to make up for lost time, you can find me back home because that is where I plan on being once this is all over." She looked at her pleadingly, almost as if she was hoping that Marleen would actually consider returning to Kildare County.
"You know I can't do that." The blonde spoke softly, guilty because she couldn't comply with her daughter's wish. She could already imagine the whispers she would hear once everyone learned that she was alive and hadn't been placed inside of the casket twelve years ago.
"Jaylene!" Cleo's voice tore through the air, her brow raised to express how impatient she was beginning to feel.
Though feeling as if a knife had been plunged directly into her heart, Jaylene didn't dare show how hurt she was. Instead, she briefly glanced up at Cleo and then back at Marleen, shrugging her shoulders in response. "Then I guess we're done talking."
And luckily for Jaylene, Marleen didn't protest this time and allowed her to walk away and upstairs where Cleo's patience was growing thin. She then proceeded to spend the next few minutes going over the strategic plan with Terrance to avoid any bumps along the way, and afterward, she found herself walking the streets of Nassau alongside Cleo while John B went with Terrance.
She was able to learn more about Cleo's past and how she'd become a part of Terrance's crew and the Bahamian girl was even kind enough to warn her about not trusting Terrance. Just listening to this life that Cleo and Stubbs were accustomed to made her feel selfish for her major mommy and daddy issues that she was allowing to get in the way of all of this. Though the gold technically wasn't hers to give away, she wanted the two to be able to get their share of if no matter what.
If it came down to it, she'd take a bullet to ensure that they were granted the opportunity of financial stability.
________________
WHEN THE SUN ROSE that following day, Jaylene was up bright and early, her body exhausted from the lack of sleep she'd received the previous night. It wasn't the endless possibilities of what could happen during this armed robbery that kept her up, but instead the conversation she had with her best friend in the midst of the havoc that Ward Cameron and his son had caused on that airstrip. Honestly, she felt a bit guilty for not having called Andrea the second she had access to a cellphone, but the brutal truth was that it felt a bit relaxing to know that the entirety of the island assumed she was dead. It meant that all her past mistakes had been erased and she had been granted the opportunity to start fresh.
However, that was nothing more than a tarnished fantasy now that a few people had been alerted that she and John B had in fact survived the storm.
So, Jaylene figured that Terrance had actually made a point the day before yesterday when he argued that they all had a good chance of getting shot at or caught, so if that was a possibility, she decided that Andrea had the right to know that as of right now, she was still alive.
Using the phone that Terrance had lent them for the time being, Jaylene leaned her body against the patio doors with her fingers tracing shapes around the glass panels as she waited for someone to pick up on the other end. Though she didn't necessarily blame Andrea for not picking up any of the missed calls from a foreign country, it was still a tad bit annoying which was why Jaylene didn't stop dialing the number until a tired voice finally picked up with a loud groan.
Jaylene couldn't help but grin, her worries momentarily vanishing. "Agent Smith, do you copy?"
Half awake, Andrea Smith held her phone against her ear with one hand while the other rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What?" She asked, evidently confused with everything as of right now considering she was barely conscious at the moment.
"Agent Smith, I think I've initiated the first step to our five year plan." Jaylene nearly laughed, already picturing the confusion that Andrea must've been going through with all the nonsense that she was uttering this early in the morning.
"What? Five year plβoh, my god!" Andrea nearly fell from her bed, her eyes widening in disbelief as soon as she realized who was on the other end of the line. "Agent Rosewood?" She went along with Jaylene's idea of a code name, a huge smile on her lips now that she knew her best friend was alive.
"That's what they call me." Jaylene nodded to herself, sinking her teeth down into her lip.
"I thought you were dead." Andrea began to remember that night when her distressed mother walked into her room, clearly tipsy off of the wine she'd gulped down to help put herself at ease for the news she had to deliver to her daughter about her childhood best friend that had been presumed dead. It was an eventful night for everyone to say the least.
"Haven't you heard? Death does not want me." Jaylene half-joked, sucking air in through her teeth with a quiet laugh escaping from her lips.
"Okay, you are a terrible comedian, but I'm gonna let it slide because I am so fucking happy right now." Andrea made her way under her covers, the bright sunlight that shone into her room being too much for her to handle. "And confused. What the hell are you doing in the Bahamas?"
"Long story that I really don't have time to tell right now." Jaylene sighed, running a hand through her hair. She felt herself recoil in disgust at the dry texture of it. "I'm sorry for not calling you sooner, I just didn'tβ"
"No, don't apologize. I'm just relieved to know that you're alive." Andrea cut her off, the side of her face smushed against her firm pillow which caused her words to sound slightly muffled. "I mean, you must really like this guy if you were willing to risk your life out on that boat during a storm like that."
Jaylene chuckled to herself, proceeding to delicately bite the inside of her cheek. "Yeah, he's alright." She scrunched her nose up, glancing over at the Routledge boy who was comfortably lying on the nearby couch with his chest moving up and down, a peaceful slumber engulfing him.
Andrea let out a laugh, throwing the comforter off of her body so that she could extend her arm out towards her nightstand. "Your dad doesn't know you're alive, does he?" She sought some sort of clarification considering the funeral agenda that was now in her hand.
"No." Jaylene could already feel the guilt begin to crawl up her spine, her body uncomfortably shifting against the doorframe which prompted her to push herself off of it. "Why?"
"Because he's planning your funeral and asked me to help him with some of the arrangements." Andrea suspired, feeling sympathy for the distressed man who she spoke to yesterday when he presented her and her family with the list of what he hoped they would help with to put together his daughter's funeral. "You should probably call him and let him know that you're alive, Jaylene."
"Yeah, I know." Jaylene agreed, her ear peeking up at the sudden shuffling she heard by the couch, watching as John B slowly began to open his eyes. "Hey, I gotta go, but I'll see you soon, alright?" Her voice turned to a whisper.
"How soon?"
"Soon . . ." Jaylene trailed off, not knowing how to answer that question.
"Alright. Be safe out there, Agent Rosewood." Andrea laughed quietly to ensure that she didn't wake anyone else up.
"Will do, Agent Smith." Jaylene clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, a laugh of her own falling from her lips before she hung up the phone and walked over to the couch where John B was yawning as he sat up.
She allowed him to fully relocate his mind to reality, a few more yawns erupting from his lips until he was fully conscious. He looked around, taking in the surroundings of Terrance's home until he turned his body where his eyes landed on Jaylene who was already looking back at him with a smile.
"Morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?" She hummed, walking around to the other side to get a clear look at his tired face before he placed it into his hands.
"Definitely not." He shook his head, proceeding to stand to his full height as Jaylene leaned down to hand him a toothbrush and toothpaste before he got any closer to her with his morning breath.
When he gave her a confused looked, Jaylene shrugged. "Courtesy of Terrance."
Seeing that they had no time to waste, John B and Jaylene proceeded over to a nearby area where Terrance stored some clean water. She stayed put by the greenery, giving John B his space so that he could thoroughly brush his teeth and so that she could fully process what was about to happen. Just the thought of knowing that Ward was in the Bahamas was enough to make her skin crawl, the anxiety beginning to creep up on her along with that awful feeling that she hadn't been able to shake off since yesterday.
It seemed like life had a vendetta towards her, so she wouldn't be shocked if this went completely sideways and someone winded up getting hurt.
And it seemed like the same thoughts were running through John's head as he splashed his face with water, hands holding onto both sides of the water storage with his face staring down at the clear liquid. He was considering backing down from this, fearing that he was putting Jaylene's safety in jeopardy by going through with the heist. Even though he knew that the gold was rightfully his, he didn't like how dangerous this whole plan sounded.
His pensive mood didn't go unnoticed by Jaylene who stepped closer to him once she saw that he was finished tidying himself up. "Ready?" She asked, hugging his body from behind with her chest pressed against his back as she stood on her tiptoes, chin resting on top of his left shoulder with her forearm on the right one.
Taking in the warmth her body provided his, John B untangled her clasped fingers, freeing her right hand so that he could take it into his, their fingers laced together as brought the interlaced hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles before nodding his head.
Right on cue, three familiar faces appeared a few feet away, multiple street signs in their hands with Cleo being the one to speak as she held up a stop sign. "Let's do this." She nodded in their direction.
In response, the two teenagers separated from one another, giving John B the chance to grab his backpack from the floor before they followed the crew into the back of a truck, commencing the heist.
On the car ride to their destined location that Terrance had shown John B the previous day, Cleo handed Jaylene a phone, a bandana, a cap, and what appeared to be a blue men's button down. Meanwhile, Terrance handed John B a gun before the two were left on the side of the road where they walked into the cane fields that provided them with a decent hiding spot.
With everyone set in place, the waiting game began, an eerie silence consuming the couple for what felt like hours, the angst being far too powerful for them to even manage to speak.
Suddenly, a noise came from the phone in Jaylene's hand followed by Stubbs' voice.
"They got a truck and two defenders."
Jaylene furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "It's just Ward with the gold though, right?" She inquired, hoping that the images of Ward that they'd browsed for on the internet had become embedded inside of his head to allow him to recognize the man.
Positioning himself inside of the car he was sitting in, Stubbs went to get a better look. "It's two in the truck." He repeated.
Standing beside Jaylene as he listened to what Stubbs was saying, John B gave her a worrisome look. "Two?"
And then the realization struck, Jaylene blinking rapidly in hopes that she was dreaming and that none of this information she was hearing was true, but unfortunately, it was. "Rafe." She swallowed the thick lump that had formed in her throat, her brain refusing to let go of the image of him holding a gun in his hand after he shot sheriff Peterkin.
"Two defenders, front and back."
"Are they armed?" John B questioned.
Evidently anxious, Stubbs kept his gaze on the moving trucks that began to exit the premises with the gold in one of the trunks. "To the teeth."
Jaylene felt her heart drop, hoping that his response was only towards the guards that were accompanying Rafe and Ward and not that Rafe Cameron was in possession of a deadly weapon.
"Pistols?" Terrance asked.
"AKs." Stubbs responded.
Despite the news of what they were dealing with, Jaylene and John B didn't back down, remaining in position as they waited for everything to fall into place. Whether it was the humid weather or the nerves, Jaylene could feel the buildup of sweat on her body, her face twisting in disgust at the stickiness.
And in the blink of an eye, that stickiness that clung onto her body no longer felt hot but cold along with the blood that pumped through her veins. She managed to pull the bandana up to her mouth so that only her eyes were visible, her hands trembling slightly at the sight of Rafe and Ward who had been stopped by Terrance and Cleo who were cosplaying as road workers.
Though she tried to make out what was being said, the distance separating them made it impossible to hear anything, so she just watched from afar. Once Terrance pointed the gun at Ward and Cleo held her knife dangerously close to Rafe's neck, Jaylene prepared herself for what was to come, her eyes watching as the two men were carefully escorted out of the vehicle with their hands held up in the air. It didn't even matter that she couldn't hear what was going on because their body language told her everything she needed to know.
Admittedly, the sight of the two on their knees was the slightest bit satisfying to Jaylene. Even though they deserved far worse than that, this would have to suffice for now, so she took it all in until John B nudged her side.
"It's time to go." He let out a nervous breath, preparing himself for what he hoped would be a sweet victory.
Less than a second later, Terrance looked in their direction, giving them a nod as he motioned for them to play their role in this heist. "Go! Go! Hurry!" He urged the two.
This caused them both to abandon the spot they'd been standing at for what felt like hours, the weeds brushing past Jaylene's legs with a wince erupting from her lips at the injured one that slowed her down just the slightest bit. However, she pushed the painful pressure aside as she ran alongside John B, her only mission at that moment being to get to the truck that held all the gold that was once on Crain's property.
In her eyes, it was all going according to plan, unaware that Ward had lifted himself off of the ground at the familiar sight of the two teenagers who were running in the opposite direction. He could've sworn his heart dropped to his stomach, shock consuming him when he realized that Henderson Rosewood's daughter was alive.
"Jaylene?! Jaylene is that you?!" Disbelief washed over his face, the color drained from it entirely. "Oh, Jaylene, thank god you're alive! Your dad's been worried sick!"
"Get down!" Terrance sternly demanded, keeping the gun pointed in his direction.
Jaylene stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that her cover, alongside John B's, had been blown. She knew she should've
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