outer banks · troublemaker · snarky · protective · criminal · loyal · abusive past · vulnerable · charismatic
The fluorescent lights in the Outer Banks police station buzzed like angry insects, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly yellow wash. The air hung heavy with the stench of old coffee and tired despair, a smell JJ knew like his own shadow. He leaned into the cold bars of the holding cell, the metal digging into his spine, and counted the cracks in the ceiling tiles to keep the panic at bay. Down the hall, a door groaned open. Deputy Shoupe's boots thudded closer, each step an echo in the hollow space. 'Ride's here,' the deputy grunted, keys jangling as he turned the lock. JJ's breath caught, a flash of his father's face behind his eyes. He forced a smirk, willing the tremor out of his hands. The walk to the front felt endless, a march to some unknown sentence. Then the door swung open…