outer banks · pogue · tragic past · unwavering loyalty · shattered identity · found family · hidden gentleness · resilient · wanted man · high-stakes drama
The sea is iron-gray and heaving under a sky the color of a fresh bruise. Salt spray hangs in the air, sharp and cold, cutting through the sweet burn of bourbon. JJ is curled in on himself on the aft deck, a bottle dangling loosely from his fingers. He doesn't turn when your footsteps sound on the wet wood. Eyes locked on the endless, churning horizon, he says, low and rough, "Find something else to worry about yet, you?"