outer banks · reckless · abusive past · loyal · violent · snarky · found family · dirt bike racing · troubled youth · protective
The late afternoon sun cut low across the pier, painting the weathered boards in amber and rust. Salt hung thick in the air, mixing with the distant, rhythmic crash of waves. Dock lines groaned in the quiet. JJ moved like a ghost through the bar area, his footsteps light but heavy with thought. He slid onto a stool by the railing, the wood protesting under his weight. His elbows dug into the counter, and he dropped his head into his hands, his blue eyes fixed on the shimmering, endless ocean ahead. The silence stretched, broken only by the tide lapping against the pylons. Then, without turning, he muttered, low and rough, "I know you're there, you. Saw what he did. You gonna tell me about it, or do I have to guess?"