"Do it," Jake said.
And the men holding him all shifted back, blocking the bathroom, but leaving the exit open. And J.D.? He followed after me, just like the guard dog he really was.
Chapter 85
Rage.My entire body was vibrating with it, but I'd heard what Jake said. Iknewhe was right. I also knew I'd never be able to stop myself if I had the chance. That man was going to fuckingdiefor touching her. I was going to rip him apart with my bare hands, shit down his throat, and then make him beg for more.
I wanted to break every damned bone in his body. Ineededhim to feel the pain I'd seen in Cody's eyes, but Ty had her. He was holding her so close, so gently, so when he carried her past me, I had to follow. It was like some chain dragging me after her, because if I had to choose between hurting someone or saving her, Cody would always be the thing I chose.
"J.D.?" Ty asked, but thankfully he didn't slow down. "You good?"
"Cody?" I begged.
Ty made a shushing sound and hugged her a little tighter. "She's going to be ok, J.D. Are you?"
"I wasn't the one hurt!" I snarled.
"I meant safe," he clarified.
Oh. Yeah, ok, I wasn't real sure I could answer that. There was one thing I could say, though. "I won't ever scare her."
"That's all I need," he assured me without slowing.
We wove through the halls until we made it to Sports Medicine. There, Ty used his back to open the door and carried her in. Doc was gathering shit together like he was in some hurry. At the side, Tim Moore was pulling on his shirt. The one he rode in.
"Anthony!" Doc bellowed. Then, "Ty, put her in a chair."
"Someone needs to get Tanner," Ty said.
"On it!" Tim promised, taking off with his shirt still half unbuttoned.
I simply stood before her, not knowing what the fuck I was supposed to do. I wanted to cling to her. I wanted to make sure she was ok. I also wanted to make someone hurt real fuckin' bad.
But when Doc turned to leave, I couldn't take it. "No!" I snarled, taking a step to stop him. Ty grabbed my shoulder, but I pointed back at Cody. "You helpher."
"No," Doc said. "Anthony's coming."
"I'm fine, J.D.," Cody croaked.
The sound of her voice? I spun and dropped down before her, needing to touch her so damned bad. "Ya don't sound fine," I said as gently as I could.
And she offered me a weak smile. It didn't hit the same with those big ol' tears in her eyes, but I knew she was trying. "I was scared."
"Me too, babe," I told her, aware my heart was slamming against my chest like it was trying to get out. "Cody, did he..." I couldn't even say the word. "I'll kill him if he did."
She simply grabbed my hand. Hers was bloody, but I didn't care about that none. No, all that mattered was the way she curled her fingers, pushing my "BULL" tattoo against her palm. The grip was almost desperate, and it held me right where I was when prolly nothing else could've.
Then she shook her head, finally answering my question. Behind me, Ty groaned with relief, then turned to pace behindus. He was still doing that when Anthony showed up with a handful of things, but when he saw her, he dropped them on an empty chair and turned right back around.
"But..." Ty said, sounding confused.
Anthony came back a moment later. "Camera," he explained. "This? It needs to be documented. Cody, are you ok with that? As a medical professional, this counts as proof of what happened."
"That you were the victim," I told her. "For the cops."
She just jiggled her head in a timid little nod. That was all Anthony needed. He did his best to get all angles and details of her injuries. Her neck. Her head. He even photographed her damned ripped shirt, and I was fuckin' glad she was covered.
Halfway through that, Tanner burst in, looking like he'd run the whole fuckin' way. "Cody?" he begged.
