No Going Back by Casey Kelleher (bill gates books recommendations TXT) 📕

‘And the attacker? Is there any news on him? Did we get a number plate or any vehicle details?’ DS Morgan said, mapping out in his head the resources that they would need in order to track down the perpetrator.

‘We’ve already got him.’ Lucy pointed further up the other end of the street, to where one of the patrol cars was parked next to a second ambulance. ‘He didn’t make it further than the end of the road. Lost control of the car in his bid to make a quick getaway and smashed head-on into a garden wall. His car’s a mess, probably a write-off, but somehow, luckily for him, it looks like he only suffered a few minor scrapes and bruises. Claims he’s got whiplash though, so a paramedic is just giving him a quick once-over before our lot take him in. Though, if anything, the whiplash was probably caused afterwards by the “helpful” resident who caught up with him.’

DS Morgan raised his eyes questioningly as Lucy nodded discreetly over to where a group of residents stood on the edge of the footpath nearby, having an animated and intense-looking conversation with a couple of uniformed officers.

‘That guy there gave chase and he caught up with the assailant once he’d crashed. When our lot turned up, he had him in a headlock!’

‘Yeah, that would do it!’ DS Morgan said as Lucy suppressed her grin in agreement. Her sentiments exactly.

Her boss gave the burly looking man a once-over – all six foot six of him, and he was almost as wide as he was tall. His muscular body was covered in tattoos, and he had a permanent disgruntled look on his face.

‘I think I’d rather take my chances with the wall than get detained by him. Still, we’ve got him, so that’s a result, regardless of how we actually got there.’

‘Oh, it gets better, Sarge. We’ve got it all on camera too. The man’s wife…’ Lucy nodded to the petite lady, with bright yellow bleached hair, standing beside the big burly man and talking animatedly over her husband every time he tried to get a word in. She was clearly used to being centre of attention. ‘She managed to film the entire incident on her mobile phone. From up there.’ Lucy turned and pointed up to the open bedroom window directly across the street from where the incident happened. ‘She got the lot. Zoomed in on the attack, got close-ups of the attacker’s face and the number plate of the vehicle he was driving. She even filmed her husband giving chase to the car before it had reached the end of the road.’

‘A couple of modern-day heroes by all accounts.’

‘Yeah, only it may have backfired on them. And us. They wanted the whole world and his wife to know that they’d caught the guy red-handed, Sarge. When we first turned up, they were doing a Facebook Live. They clocked up a fair few views too. It went viral. We managed to get it taken down, but now the assailant is claiming he’s been assaulted and is a victim of a crime. And that his whiplash has been made worse. No doubt he’ll use the footage to his advantage.’

DS Morgan rolled his eyes at that, imagining the backlash that the police would get.

‘Another quiet night on the job…’ Lucy said with a grin. Policing could be frustrating at times, but she was doing her best to not let it get to her.

‘If only.’

‘SARGE!’ A voice behind them shouted, making Lucy turn quickly, just in time to see a man hurtling towards her at speed.

‘Oh shit!’ Lucy said, recognising the attacker and realising that he was attempting to do a runner from the police officers and the paramedic who had been giving him a once-over.

‘STOP. POLICE,’ Lucy shouted loudly, and instinctively charged towards the man in a bid to stop him.

The impact of his full weight as it slammed against her caused them both to collide and fall in a heap onto the pavement. Lucy felt her back thud against the concrete, temporarily winding her. But the man was scrambling back up onto his feet – she had to move quickly.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him back with every bit of strength she had in her.

Desperate now in his bid to escape, the man threw a punch, his closed fist locking with Lucy’s jaw. An acute pain exploded in her head. Impulsively, she wanted to reach up and touch where the pain radiated in her skull, but for now she had to ignore her own injuries and keep hold of the suspect with all her strength. DS Morgan was at her side now, helping her to cuff the suspect as he continued to lash out.

Now Lucy, her face burning, her back aching, had had enough. Clambering to her knees, she twisted the man’s arm behind his back before pinning him down to the floor, pressing his face down on the cold concrete as he screamed out in pain.

‘You’re breaking my arms,’ he yelled.

‘Oh, I’m sorry. Here, let me adjust my hold for you, sir!’ Lucy said sarcastically, making sure that the pressure she was placing on the man was no more than needed and that he was, in fact, comfortable. Though she had no intention of releasing her grip. It was obvious to her that he was clearly still trying it on and doing his best to cause as much drama and controversy as possible to avoid being detained.

But Lucy and Morgan had him now. Sitting straddled across the assailant’s back, Lucy waited as the original arresting officer finally managed to reach them all.

‘I take it your whiplash has miraculously disappeared then?’ Lucy said as the detainee started to butt his head back and forth in a bid to try and crack Lucy with his skull. ‘You just added assaulting a police officer to your already long list of