Chapter 28 Covey
Covey
I watch Cici walk towards the bar. She’s so much different than any other woman I’ve met. She carries herself with this grace and confidence that’s so hard to find anymore. I’m obsessed with it.
I love that she’s not looking to me for reassurance or to build her up, not that I wouldn’t if she needed it, but she’s already so sure of herself.
Turning back to my conversation with Smithy, I try to pay attention, but there’s an unease in the pit of my stomach. I glance towards the bar again, trying to find Cici. I don’t see her anywhere.
“I need to find Cici,” I murmur as I stand.
“Is everything ok?” Smithy’s brows pinch with concern.
“I… I don’t know.” I scan the bar again and at first I don’t see her, but then I spot a flash of blonde hair. There’s a guy standing right next to the woman though. A little too close for comfort.
It takes more time than I’d like to make my way over. There are so many people here and it’s not like I'm a tiny man. I’m having such a hard time getting through them.
“Stop it!” I can barely hear the scream over the noise in the bar, but I know that voice and she sounds terrified.
“Move,” I boom, pushing people out of my way.
Everyone glares at me until they realize who I am, then they back away slowly, their wide eyes watching my every step.
I don’t know who this man is, but he’s pressed up against Cici and his hands are gripping her hips tightly. I catch a peek of her face and there are tears streaming down her cheeks.
I grab his shoulders and throw him on the ground as hard as I can. Meeting Cici’s eyes, I silently ask her if she’s ok and she shakes her head as she wraps trembling hands around her middle.
Without a second thought, I straddle the man’s waist and punch him in the face.
It’s then I realize who he is. This is Josh.
The man who was all over her when I brought her lunch.
She’s been complaining about him for months.
I guess he figured if he couldn’t get to her at work, this was the next best thing.
“Everyone out! I already called the police!” A voice booms. I glance around to find Blake standing on the bar with a scowl on his face and thick arms folded across his chest.
Josh tries to wiggle out from under me, but I punch him again. He’s not going anywhere. I won't let him get away with touching my girl.
“Alright, Covey. Don’t kill the guy.” Blake places a gentle hand on my shoulder and glares down at Josh
“He touched Cici,” I growl.
“I know. How about you go comfort the pretty girl and I’ll make sure he doesn’t move.”
I nod my head and as I stand, Blake places a heavy boot in the middle of Josh’s chest. Josh winces as Blake pushes down a little harder.
Instead of worrying about him, I gather Cici into my arms and hug her against my chest. My hand cradles the back of her head and I hold her as tightly as I can.
“I’ve got you, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore,” I murmur.
The way her body is shaking in my embrace breaks my heart. She’s crying so hard she can barely breathe.
“Why don’t you take her back to the office? She doesn’t need to be out here with this scum,” Blake hisses.
I nod my head and quickly sweep Cici into my arms. As soon as I find the office, I drop down into a chair and reposition her on my lap. She quickly curls into me and clutches my shirt as tightly as she can.
Smithy and Liliana silently enter the office a moment later and take a seat in the empty chairs facing the desk.
I'm glad they stayed. I know I'll have to talk to the police and I’d rather be able to do that without Cici around. I know she’ll feel comfortable with Smithy and Liliana sitting with her while I'm gone.
“Do you physically hurt anywhere?” I murmur against her ear. I want to make sure if she has any injuries, I can tell the cops what they are.
Cici nods her head. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to suck in a calming breath and blow it out slowly. Every cell in my body wants to slip out from beneath my girl and go punch Josh until he can’t breathe. To make him pay for ever thinking he was allowed to touch her.
“Where did he hurt you?”
Instead of answering, she takes my hand and slowly guides it to her hips then waist. I know he was holding her tightly, but I wonder just how tight.
“Can Liliana check to see if you have bruises?”
Cici nods her head again. Her tears have slowed down, but she’s still having a hard time breathing normally. I think that’s why she won't talk. She knows she won't be able to.
“I’ll wait right outside and make sure no one comes in.” Smithy rises from his seat and after he leaves the door shuts softly behind him.
“Are you ok if I lift your dress and look at your hip and waist?” Liliana asks softly.
Out of everyone who could be in this room right now, I'm glad it’s Liliana.
She has a gentleness about her that none of the other wives or girlfriends have.
She knows exactly how to put people at ease and make them feel more comfortable.
“Y-Yes,” Cici chokes out. “P-pictures.”
“You want us to take pictures of it?” My brows raise in surprise.
Cici pulls back just enough to meet my eyes and nods her head. She looks so broken. The confidence she always has is missing from her eyes right now and that makes my chest clench in pain.
“The cops will need them,” she says so softly I almost can’t hear her.
Liliana carefully checks for bruises and her eyes widen when she gets a look at Cici’s skin.
She grabs her phone, but I shake my head and hand her mine.
I want the images on my phone. I plan on making sure this idiot pays for every single time he’s made her uncomfortable.
Every time he’s made her wish he could disappear.
“You’re already bruising pretty badly, Cici,” Liliana whispers. She stands to her full height and I help Cici shift on my lap so Liliana can see her other side. “This side is even worse.”
Once Cici is covered up again and curled into my chest, I turn my attention to Liliana.
“Could you ask Smithy to go out to my truck and grab a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt from my bag in the back seat?”
“Of course.”
She disappears, shutting the door behind her. I wrap my arms around Cici a little tighter, hoping I'm not hurting her. I just need to feel like I'm protecting her right now. I need to know she feels safe with me.
“Tell me if I'm hurting you. I just want you to feel safe.”
“I always feel safe with you,” she murmurs.
“Good. When they come back, I want you to change into my clothes. You’re shaking like a leaf and it got chilly in here.”
“Thank you.” She hugs me even closer and I close my eyes. I never thought our night would end like this. We had the perfect date and figured we’d have a drink or two with friends. I wish we had just stayed home. None of this would’ve happened then.
Logically I know sooner or later Josh would’ve tried something again. He wasn’t going to stop until someone made him. Someone other than Cici. I guess it’s better that I was here. Who knows how far he would’ve taken it if I hadn’t been there.
The door opens a little bit and someone tosses my clothes on the chair before shutting the door again. I slowly stand, setting Cici gently on the floor.
“I’ll wait outside while you change.”
“No!” She whimpers. “Please don’t leave.”
“Ok.” I squat down until I'm eye level with her and swipe at the new tears. “Hey, I'm not going anywhere. You tell me what you need and I’m more than happy to comply. I'm yours, Cici. I love you so much and I’ll do whatever you need to feel safe.”
“I don’t want you to leave my side,” she whispers.
“Then I won't.” I press a soft kiss to her forehead, letting my lips linger for a few seconds.
I'm so thankful she isn’t shrinking away from me. She isn’t trying to get away from me. She’s comfortable with me even after what Josh did to her.
After handing Cici the clothes, I turn my back on her and wait patiently as she changes. Once she tells me she’s done, I spin to face her again.
“I don’t want that dress,” she whispers.
“Do you want to throw it out?”
She nods her head as tears begin gathering again.
“Hey, you’re ok. I won't let anything happen to you, ok?”
She nods her head and hurries over to me. She collapses into my chest and wraps her arms tightly around my waist.
I hold her for a few minutes before there’s a knock on the door. Liliana peeks in and her eyes instantly soften.
“Hey, the cops are here. They already have Josh handcuffed, but they wanted to get a statement from you.”
“Thanks, we’ll be right out.” I give Liliana a tight smile. “Do you want to talk to them now or do you want me to see if we can come to the station tomorrow?”
“I’d rather get it over with.”
“Ok. If at any point you’re not comfortable with that, let me know and I’ll shut it down.”
I take her hand in mine and lead us out into the main part of the bar.
Josh is sitting in a chair with his hands cuffed behind his back.
He still looks drunk out of his mind, but both eyes are starting to bruise and his nose is bleeding.
He deserves so much worse. Any man who thinks he can put his hands on a woman deserves worse.
“Miss Powell, we’ll need to take a statement from you. And you, Mr. Covey.” The officer smiles softly at us. I'm sure this isn’t a fun part of their job. There’s no joy in this story.
I swallow hard as I think about what a police officer deals with during their normal shift.
They’re not there for happy moments of your life.
They only show up when things are going bad or worse.
They respond to car accidents, medical emergencies, assaults, murders, overdoses, and so much more.
These men and women show up day in and day out for the worst moments of other people’s lives.
They hold your hand and protect you. They put their lives on the line to make sure you’ll be ok. To make your day slightly easier when everything is going wrong.
They separate us, but I make sure Cici can see me at all times. The female officer chuckles when I position my back to her so I can still see my girl.
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more in love.” She shakes her head.
“You probably won't. She’s my whole world. All I care about is making sure she’s ok after tonight.”
“So, how many times did you punch him?” She asks again.
“I don’t know. Two or three. Not enough.”
“Does she have any injuries?”
“Yeah, he was digging his fingers into her hips and waist. She has bruises.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when the door to Kennedy’s Pub swings open and Owen, Parker, and Luke stomp in with rage barely contained. They look like they’re going to rip someone apart.
As soon as Cici sees Owen, she starts crying all over again. Her gaze strays to me and I can tell she really wants me by her side.
“Are we done? I really want to be with her,” I whisper, never taking my eyes off of her.
“Yeah, I think we can be done for now. You’ll get a call if we have any more questions.”
“Thanks.”
I close the distance between us and when I'm a few steps away, Cici lifts the hem of my sweatshirt so the officer can take a picture of her bruises.
I freeze mid step and my stomach rolls. There are purple and red marks all over her torso.
He had to be squeezing her really hard to make those sorts of marks so quickly.
Cici’s eyes lift to me and she swallows hard. There’s a look of panic in her eyes and I instantly want to ease any worries she has. I take her hand in mine and lift it to my lips. I place one kiss on each knuckle before dropping our joined hands to our sides.
“Cici,” Owen whispers as he stops in front of us. His eyes are filled with tears and he looks so torn and broken.
“I'm ok, Daddy. Covey saved me.” She sniffles and swipes at the tears. “He’s the best boyfriend I could ever ask for.”
“He’s a good man.” He nods his head.
“Can we add harassment charges? This idiot’s been harassing her at the office too,” Parker growls, making Josh’s head snap up. His eyes widen when he sees Parker standing in front of him.
“Do you have proof?” The officer asks.
“Yes. There are cameras everywhere. I’ll get you the recordings if you throw every charge you can at him.”
“I’ll do whatever I can. He was clearly targeting Miss Powell.” The female officer nods her head.
She goes to talk quietly with the other officers who are here with her. I'm positive they’re making sure they have all of the information they need while we’re still here.
“You just ruined your entire life,” Luke hisses to Josh.
“I’ll make sure you never get another job,” Parker growls. “Every job is too good for you. I’ll make it my life’s mission to make sure people won't even let you plunge their toilets or take away their trash.”
Owen pulls Cici into his arms and though she hugs him back, she never lets go of my hand.
Parker’s barking orders at someone on the phone before slipping the device into his pocket and stomping over to us.
Some of the anger fades when he stops in front of Cici. He shakes his head and stares up at the ceiling before dropping his chin to look at her again. I'm shocked when there are tears in his eyes.
“I want to know every bad interaction you’ve had with Josh,” he whispers.
“The day I came for lunch… He cornered her at the office and had her pushed against the wall,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
“Has he done anything like that before that day?” Parker squeezes his eyes shut like this is painful for him to even ask.
“No. Before that it was flirting and pushing me to go out with him.”
“Has he ever touched you at the office other than your lunch date day?” Luke pushes.
“No.”
“Alright, we’ll handle this. We already have a call out to our lawyer. I want you to take a few days off.”
“Uncle P-”
“Nope. Don’t even start with me, Cici. You’re taking off the whole week.”
“So are you, Covey,” Owen adds.
“Daddy-”
“No, Cici. I want Covey to be with you. You two can take a few days and relax. You’ll need to speak to the lawyer and get everything sorted with that anyway. We’re just making sure you have the time to deal with it and you won't have to be stressed.”
“Thank you,” I say as I carefully wrap my arm around Cici’s waist and pull her against my side. She places her hand on my chest and lets out a little sigh.
“Thank you, Daddy. And thank you, Uncle Parker and Uncle Luke. I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”