Page 89 of The Deputy's Secret Double

Hits were doled out in an impressive flurry against the bigger man, making Price look like a man possessed. They targeted his chest, side, and finished with a one-two wallop against the man’s head. JJ could only watch in awe as Mr. Burly went from as formidable as a wall to as placid as a doormat.

JJ watched as Price’s bloodied knuckles brushed against the man’s collar while checking to see if he was faking it or really unconscious.

The man was liquid.

He was out.

Price’s gaze swiveled to hers in the next instant but there wasn’t time to say a thing.

Lawson had gotten out of Riker’s reach, and it was clear he had a new target in mind.

JJ went from bracing against a potential attack from the burly man to barely being able to lift her forearms up against the new frightening attacker.

Unlike the man before, Lawson was going to make it to her.

JJ saw his fist incoming and knew there was enough torque behind it to do an unsettling amount of damage. He was already upon her as she gritted her teeth.

But so was Price.

Large, quick hands wrapped around her biceps and pulled her backwards just as Lawson’s hit landed against her forearm. Pain lit across her, but she knew the quick movement back had saved her from absorbing the entire force. JJ, never a woman to let go of control, melted into Price’s plan with absolutely no fight.

She let herself be slung back even further while Price replaced her position between him and Lawson with nothing but righteous anger. JJ stumbled several steps away from the new match up.

There she watched the man she had fallen in love with deliver a bone-crunching punch to the man she had spent years hating. Lawson let out a scream that gurgled as blood gushed from his nose.

That’s when she saw the gun in his other hand.

This is what JJ would think back on later as the downfall of Lawson Cole. A perfect example of his unchecked ego.

Riker hadn’t been able to take his gun away.

She definitely hadn’t had the chance either.

So, why hadn’t he used it against her when the opening had been there? Why, instead, had he come at her with his fists?

Was it out of anger?

Did he want to feel her hurt personally?

Or had he simply forgotten in the rush of the fighting that he had had a trump card that would have ended her?

JJ would never know and, in the moment she clocked the gun, she wouldn’t have the time to wonder.

Instead, only fear had taken over.

Not for her, but for Price standing between them.

JJ wanted to yell, to do something to stop the quick aiming of Lawson’s gun, but there was no time.

Thankfully, Riker had been forgotten.

And he was right on time.

Instead of using his gun to end the man who had given them such grief, JJ’s godfather used his weapon as a bat. He swung the handgun down with the strength of a man who had been waiting over a decade to get justice.

There was nothing any of them could do but watch it happen.

And watch JJ did.