Page 68 of The Deputy's Secret Double

Price grabbed hold of the back of his jacket and pulled him to stop. They were both going too fast. The move threw off their respective balances and they hit the ground. Price was ready for it though. The man was not.

He yelled out as the ground was unkind to him.

Pain pulsed into Price’s knees and palms, but he was in control right after.

He took the cuffs still attached to the man’s wrist and finished the job.

“Don’t—don’t move,” Price said through clenched teeth.

The man didn’t try. He was making a noise between a whimper and a groan. Price didn’t wait to see if he was hurt or not. He was staring into the distance.

JJ had made it to the gate, but he couldn’t see what she was doing.

Then she switched direction and was coming back at him.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Price’s feet had him running toward her before he even realized what he was doing.

That run became feral as he realized two things.

One, JJ wasn’t just running. She was running and holding herself. He couldn’t see where it was coming from, but blood stained her shirt. And not just a little.

Two, she was yelling something, and it was a desperate yell. Fear seemed to be seeping from her face right into her words.

And, when she was close enough, that fear went from her and exploded within him.

“Call Winnie!” she yelled.

Price collided with JJ, stopping them both. JJ kept yelling despite being tucked into his chest.

“Call Winnie now!”

All the blood in Price’s body seemed to freeze. He didn’t question her. It didn’t feel like there was time. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and fumbled to unlock it. He had Winnie’s caller ID up and the call started within the space of a terrified heartbeat.

JJ angled herself against him, so her face was pressed against his, phone between both of their ears. Her breathing was ragged. Price would later realize his was too. In that moment though, every fiber of his being was agonizing through a ringback tone that seemed to last forever.

However, it only really lasted two rings.

“Hey, Dad.” Winnie’s voice came through loud and clear.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m bored at work but yeah. Why?”

JJ deflated against him. Price had to reinforce his hold around her. She kept her face against his and spoke into the phone before he could respond.

“Winnie, go give your phone to Corrie,” she rasped out. “I—I need to talk to her.”

JJ reached up and took the phone as Winnie said an unsure okay. She pushed off Price and dug into the bag she had been wearing across her chest. It was covered in blood. She unzipped it and took her own cell phone out. She handed it over.

Corrie answered the phone before she could explain.

“Corrie? This is JJ. I need you to close the coffee shop and drive Winnie to the sheriff’s department. Right now. Don’t stop for anyone or anything. Got me?”

Price had never heard JJ sound so cold.

She met his eye.

“I’ll stay on the line with you until you get there.”