smooth seas//john b

twenty seven

I point to a spot on a map of the island. "The gold is here at my dad's house. He's going to transport the gold from our house to a private air freight company located here. We need to intercept that gold before it ever gets on that plane."

"Right. There're only two roads that'll take you there," Terrance explains. "We want to get him in these cane fields right here, south of the airport. That's where we spring the trap. Now, you and Maisie will be dumped off right here. Then right there, they're gonna come from that direction. Once Cleo and I get daddy on the ground, you and Maisie can take the gold."

"So, all we need now is some kind of distraction, like a detour," I state.

"I can help with that," Cleo says with a wink.

I walk down the street with Cleo.

"How you go from living in Paradise Island to living in the street dodging coppers?" Cleo asks.

"Fell in love," I tell her.

"Big mistake," Cleo remarks. " Only got yourself to blame for that one."

I smile slightly. "Yeah."

"It's better not to care," Cleo insists.

"What about you? How did you hook up with Captain T?" I ask.

"Father left. Granny died. Was kicked out on the street," Cleo explains. "I had to find a way to take care of myself. So I was sleeping on a local dinghy when the mooring broke. I wake up, and I hear someone yelling, 'You know how to tie a bowline?' It was Captain Terrance. I go on deck. I've been with him ever since. It's not the best of times, but I gotta do what I gotta do, right?" She gestures to Stubb's who is playing with the local kids. "Stubby's security. Not the brightest bulb, but you ain't gotta watch your back with him. Terrance, on the other hand... he's a ram goat. Anything that's in his way, ram it over. Always stay two steps ahead of him and never really trust him." I nod slightly. "Wait here." She walks towards the kids. "Who wanna make some money?"

"Me! Me!"

"But wait. I need a favor first. Listen up," Cleo tells them.

The more time I spend around her the more I can see that Cleo is a victim of her circumstances. She's got her guard up because she's been hurt before, not because she's a horrible person.

I find John B, it's almost time for us to get this robbery done. He's by himself hunched over a sink.

"Ready, Sancho?" I ask.

John B turns to face me. I turn behind me and see Terrance, Cleo, and Stubbs heading out.

"Let's do this," Cleo says.

I hold my hand out to John B. "You and me."

John B nods his head as he places his hand in mine.

Terrace drops John B and I off at the spot. I'm worried. I think it'd be more troubling if I wasn't worried. This is probably in the top three dumbest things John B and I have ever done.

"They got a truck and two defenders," Stubbs states.

"But just my dad in the truck with the gold, right?" I ask.

"It's two in the truck," Stubbs tells me.

"Two?" John B asks.

"Rafe," I state.

"Two defenders, front and back," Stubbs says.

"Are they armed?" John B asks.

"To the teeth," Stubbs assures us.

"Pistols?" Terrance asks.

"AKs," Stubbs says.

"Shit is about to be hot," Terrance states.