Chapter 70
“Well?” Johnson asked. “What’s it going to be, Sean?
Clock’s ticking on this offer, and I need to know if you’re going to play ball, because if you’re not…
Well, you know the drill. I’m going to have to kill you, and then I’ll have to notify your girl, fill out some paperwork, and then I’ll pin all of this on you anyway.
So, it might be better if you play along.
” He offered a friendly, car salesman smile. “Whaddya say?”
The answer was clear to Sean, and he didn’t hesitate as he nodded, knowing he could do nothing if he was dead. But if he was alive…
“Great!” Johnson said, and then he wiped his brow with the back of his hand that held the gun.
“I gotta tell you, Sean, that’s the right choice.
And look, if you decide to get fresh or play smart, and you think you’re clever, then you should remember that pinning the blame on me just means I won’t have anything left to lose.
So, killing your girlfriend will be just another murder charge for my deputies and me.
” He bent over, leaning closer. “But just so you know, when you’re on the inside, and you’re alone and cold and thinking about the life that you had beyond the four walls, just know that I’ll be checking on her personally.
” He smiled that wicked smile again, but Johnson was close enough now for Sean to headbutt him.
Sean sprang upward like a piston, smashing into Johnson’s nose hard enough to break it. The sheriff stumbled backward, dropping Sean’s pistol to the floor as he clutched his nose, stunned from the sudden blow.
The pair of deputies were quick to corral Sean and shoved him down hard on his stomach, then repeatedly kicked him in the ribs.
Johnson joined him, planting a nice kick along the left side of Sean’s face that triggered a burst of stars. Sean went numb after that and couldn’t even stand up as the deputies dragged him out of the hotel and through the snow to their police cruisers.
“You just had to try something, didn’t you?” one of the deputies said.
“You’re going to regret that one,” the other replied, then he chuckled. “Fucking hero.”
Even though Sean was still in plenty of pain, he was slowly recovering, probably faster than the deputies imagined he would, and by the time they reached the cruiser, he could feel his feet again. He could move, but he pretended to remain limp, forcing the deputies to carry him.
“Fucker weighs a ton,” one deputy said.
“He’s a big boy, that’s for sure,” the other deputy replied.
Sean had collared more perps than the two deputies combined, and one thing he always did whenever he put someone in the back of his Bronco, which acted as both his personal and professional vehicle, was to ensure the suspect was restrained with cuffs.
These deputies had failed to do that.
Sean eyed their belts and saw the pepper spray canister on one deputy’s belt wasn’t buttoned down. He could easily grab it.
And so, when they forced Sean up, having to put one person in front of him, he quickly turned to the side, pretending to fall, and reached for the spray. The motion was clumsy, but it was enough.
Sean sprayed down the canister before either deputy realized what he had done, and the moment it filled the air, the deputies coughed and waved their hands, releasing Sean as they dealt with the spray’s effects.
Sean’s eyes were on fire, but he harnessed the pain to bodycheck the pair of deputies into the cruiser. All three of them hit the ground, and while the deputies scrambled to grab Sean, he was already reaching for their other weapons.
Sean ignored the pistols. The gunshot would draw attention, and he wanted to avoid Johnson and the other deputies rushing out.
Instead, he grabbed the taser from the nearest one’s belt, then stunned the deputy to the ground.
While the first deputy spasmed in the snow, Sean turned his attention to the other, grabbing the baton from the fallen deputy and cracking him across the face.
One blow and the man was down. With Sean’s eyes still burning and his vision blurry, he managed to handcuff them both and remove their pistols from their holsters. He tucked one behind his back in his waistband and then used the other as his primary weapon.
Sean pressed his face into the cold snow, which offered instant but brief relief. The effects of pepper spray would linger for a while. The snow helped numb the pain a bit, but Sean didn’t have time to waste.
Sean slowed as he approached the hotel’s front doors, listening to Sheriff Johnson berate Roger. Roger was sobbing, agreeing to do whatever the sheriff said to secure his freedom. Sean peeked around the corner and saw that Johnson had his back turned.
It was now or never.
Sean moved quickly toward Johnson, gun up and aimed at the sheriff, but before he could get close, Roger saw Sean and screamed.
Johnson spun around, still holding Sean’s gun, and he tried to shoot, but Sean was the faster draw. The bullet hit Johnson square in the chest, knocking him backward and onto his ass.
Sean rushed forward, knocking the pistol from the sheriff’s hand and then pinned the man down.
Sean quickly restrained Johnson with his own cuffs and removed the sheriff’s radio and weapons. He tied up Johnson’s ankles and wrists behind his back, keeping him immobile. The bullet had struck Johnson’s Kevlar.
“You fucker!” Johnson said. “Jennie’s dead. Do you know that? She’s fucking dead!”
Sean darted out to the sheriff’s vehicle, which was still running, and got behind the wheel. He wasn’t sure how far ahead the other deputies were, but he hoped to reach them before they realized what was going on.