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“s**t!” Luther nudged Evie aside and knelt next to her mother. He slid JJ’s forgotten shotgun out of the way. “JJ? Can you hear me?”
JJ’s face was the color of tissue paper, and the skin over her cheekbones appeared just as thin. Her jacket hung open, and one side of the flannel shirt beneath it was dark with blood. She was breathing fast, and her eyes fluttered at her name, but she didn’t speak.
“Evie, sweetie, did you see a phone anywhere?” Luther asked.
The child sat rocking on her heels by her mother’s head, crying, hand patting JJ’s hair as if she were a pet.
“Evie?” Luther yelled (he wasn’t sure how loudly), and the girl jumped. “Your mom’s gonna be okay. But I need you to stay calm and focus. Is there a phone in the house?”
She sucked in a big, snotty breath and shook her h
