*Treasure and Secrets* Outer Banks Book 2

The Gold

* DISCLAIMER* I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE OUTER BANKS CHARACTERS OR PLOT. I ONLY CLAIM THE RIGHTS TO JOANNA AND HER FAMILY AND HER INVOLVEMENT IN THE PLOT AND STORY.

Jo is walking through her mom's trailer heading towards her room.

She opens the door and her eyes instantly go to one of her pictures of her and John B.

She feels tears start to pool in her eyes.

She quickly grabs the picture and a black dress that she needs and quickly leaves the room.

She stops when she sees her mom standing in the living room.

"What are you doing here?" Jackie asks.

Jo wipes the tears from her eye.

"I needed a dress for the funeral." Jo pushes past her mom.

"I'm sorry about your friend."

Jo stops by the door.

She looks back at her mom with a scoff.

"No, you aren't mom. You haven't given a shit about me in a long time."

She turns and pushes the door open.

She stops and turns back around to face her.

"You're supposed to be my mother and take care of me. I needed you that night and you were nowhere to be found. I can't keep expecting something from you that you won't give. Goodbye, Jackie."

Jo finally walks out the door and hears it slam behind her.

She then walks over to the Chateau where Pope is chopping into one of the trees with an axe.

Kie is holding a box filled with a bunch of stuff in memory of John B.

JJ has a flask and takes a long swig from it.

Jo places her dress down and grabs the flask from him.

"You need to slow down. You're gonna make yourself sick" Jo says in a monotone voice as she also takes a swig from it.

"I think I deserve the right to drink. Two of us are dead." JJ takes the flask back.

Jo grabs the blow torch and starts to heat a tire iron.

Once it is hot enough, she hands it to JJ who carves memory words for John B.

"To John B."

JJ raises his flask and takes a drink.

He wraps his arm around Jo and pulls her closer to him.

"And Sarah."

Kie and Jo share a sad look as they lock their eyes on one another.

Jo wraps her free around Kie.

Jo grabs the picture from her room and unties the hemp bracelet off of her wrist.

She places both of those items in the box.

They each took turns covering dirt over the box that they are burying under the tree.

*****************

Jo is standing beside her dad at Peterkin's funeral.

She stands still as she listens to the minister speak.

"Though she has now departed, let us honor her bravery and sacrifice in the line of duty. Through her memory, let us pursue what is just and right as we commit her body to the ground, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."