But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

I hit the lock button on the key fob as I ran, quickly shoving it into my pocket and reaching for my gun. I didn’t know why J-Rock ran, but it would’ve also been foolish to automatically assume he was unarmed simply because he was a felon. The problem with gun laws was that criminals treated them like every other law—they steamrolled right over them without even looking back.

I was about to reach the tree line when Susan burst out from behind the building to my left. Takecia was right on her heels. Baylor and Melvin had disappeared behind J-Rock in the trees.

Susan hollered that she was going to fan out wide to the left. I nodded and changed course, hitting the woods to the right of where Baylor and Melvin had gone in. If we fanned out, we would catch J-Rock if he tried to double back on our officers.

Thankfully, the leaves had fallen and it made the going easier, but the branches still slapped wickedly at my arms as I raced by. A few branches even smacked my face, and one caught me right in the eye. I didn’t care and I didn’t slow down. I blinked it away and kept running, desperately trying to overtake the shadow to my left. I was running at full speed and the trees were blurring by, so it was hard for me to see who it was that I was trying to outpace. Someone yelled, but I couldn’t tell who it was, thanks to the crunching noise that my boots made on the dead leaves and pine cones.

I shot a glance toward the figure on my left and saw that it was veering in a line that would put him in my path. As it drew closer, I realized it was Melvin, and he was focused on something moving to his right and well ahead of me. I glanced in that direction and saw a dark fleeting shadow zipping between the trees. The figure was heading due west now, so I changed course and tried to gain on him.

I was sure the person running in front of me was J-Rock. He was a fast runner, but I could feel myself gaining on him. I dodged a tree trunk here, ducked under a limb there, and jumped over an occasional wind thrown tree. Soon, the shadows of the wooded area were growing lighter. Were we reaching the end of the patch of woodlands? If so, I should be able to make better headway.

I was running on a blanket of pine needles now and wasn’t making as much noise. This enabled me to hear the footsteps pounding like hooves behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed Melvin, Baylor, Susan, and Takecia all in hot pursuit. It was only luck and the changing direction of the chase that had put me in the lead position, and I wasn’t about to complain. My only worry was that one of them would overtake me and pass me up before I could catch J-Rock.

This motivation spurred me on and my legs pumped even faster. In a flash, I broke out into the bright opening of a playground for the kids who lived in the apartment complex. I could see J-Rock clearly now. He was about twenty yards ahead of me, which meant I had gained some ground. He looked to be slowing down. Even if he wasn’t, he was running out of real estate because the bayou loomed ahead. Victory would surely be mine.

“Jerome!” I hollered. “You’re under arrest. Stop where you are!”

Boots pounded the ground behind me and I glanced back to see Melvin overtaking me. It inspired me to run harder.

“J-Rock!” I hollered again. “Don’t do it!”

J-Rock had slowed considerably and I could see him craning his neck to see over the embankment. In this area, the bank was about thirty feet above the surface of the water, and it looked like he was thinking about jumping.

Susan suddenly appeared to my right, with Takecia farther to her right. Melvin had spread out to the left and Baylor was several yards beyond him. We approached J-Rock like a giant cast net. There was no way he could escape now, unless he went over the edge.

“Don’t do it, J-Rock!” I called as he drew to within ten yards of the edge. “It’s not worth it!”

He shot a quick glance over his left shoulder. His dark face was shiny from sweat and his jaw was set. He shook his head as he looked right at me with large brown eyes and said, “I ain’t going back to prison!”

Twisting back around, he increased his speed and covered the last few yards in a wide-open sprint. When he reached the end of the runway, he launched himself high into the air and dove headfirst over the edge of the embankment. For a split second, he seemed suspended in the air—like a seagull preparing to dive for shrimp—and then he disappeared from sight.

  CHAPTER 18

Amy was fit to be tied. Ever since Baylor had walked out the door to assist with the apprehension of Jerome Carter, she had been shuffling across the living room floor. Sweat poured down her face as the pain shot upward and through her leg, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it.

“Come on,” she said to herself. “One more lap!”

When she reached her crutches, she ignored them and turned around, teetering for a moment and almost falling, but she maintained her balance. Brimming with confidence now, she lifted one leg and then the other, moving forward more rapidly. She reached the opposite side of the room in record time, stopped, and turned slowly. She was getting her balance now, knowing how to adjust for the pain without falling.

“Here goes nothing!” she said, making her way carefully toward the door. She paused momentarily when