Chapter 85
Rage. My entire body was vibrating with it, but I'd heard what Jake said.
I knew he was right. I also knew I'd never be able to stop myself if I had the chance.
That man was going to fucking die for 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.
I needed him 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 help her."
"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 behind us. 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.
"She's fine," Ty said. "Her throat's sore, Anthony's documenting the injuries."
"And what the fuck happened?" Tanner demanded.
"Austin," I growled.
"No..." Tanner said, claiming the chair beside her. "Cody? Are you ok?"
"I stabbed him," she said. "J.D. said I'd need the knife, and I did. I don't know where it is."
"And you don't need to worry about that," Anthony promised. "What you need is to show me where you kept it."
"Boot," I told him.
So he got pictures of that too. At some point, a few of the guys trickled in to check on her. Anthony suggested moving her to the back, into a more private room, but it was Cody who said no. I tried to tell her it was ok, but she weren't listening.
"They came too," she finally whispered to me. "They all came!"
And that was when I understood. These men? Bull rider after bull rider came to check on her, but they'd also come to save her. They'd stepped up to save her when she'd needed it most - and they hadn't done that back home.
There, they'd all been Austins. Here, she was one of us. We stood with her, and she stood with us. And yeah, that shit felt damned good. Same way it did when they didn’t hate me for having a fuckin' boyfriend. For her, this was just like that - but more.
And they all came. Not Austin or Derek, but everyone else. Jorge and Isaac too. Even Cletus pushed in to make sure she was ok, but he couldn't stay long. There was a closing ceremony and the drill team wouldn't be out there very long.
Yeah, but I didn't give a shit about none of that. Fuck the Pbr. Fuck the fans. Fuck all of this, because my girl mattered more to me. And surprisingly, the men packing every empty space of this room? They weren't moving either.
And then Donald Merrill showed up.
The man stormed in, pushing bull riders aside as he waded his way closer. I stood, ready to keep him far from my girl, but Cody tugged my hand, making it clear she didn't want me to leave.
"You stabbed him?" Mr. Merrill demanded.
"Sir," Anthony said. "This is really not the time."
"She attacked one of her fellow bull riders!" Mr. Merrill yelled. "And I don't care why, Cody. When you joined the Pbr, you signed a contract stating you understood the rules. Every time you check in, you do it again, and I expect those rules to be followed, do you understand me?"
"He attacked her!" I shot back, the words coming out a warning.
"And I don't care!" Mr. Merrill informed me. "Fighting is one thing. This? It was attempted murder! You? You are suspended, Cody. Ten events!"
"What?!" I saw her mouth form that word, but no sound came out.
"She's the fucking victim!" Ty told him.
"And now a man is headed to the hospital in critical condition," Mr. Merrill pointed out. "He could die, Ty."
"She could've too!" Tanner yelled.
"Do not," Mr. Merrill warned, "push me, boys.
" And he looked back at Cody, but a cold, cruel smile curled the corners of his mouth.
"You, Miss Jennings, are done. I told you this wouldn't work, and you just proved it.
So maybe take your dog and pony show with you, because it's not going to get easier.
Ten events. That's next season, and you'll have to qualify all over again. "
"Fuck you," she hissed, the words creaky as they came out. Then she rocked forward, yanking at her tattered shirt to show the damage as she stood. "He attacked me! He wanted to kill me. I just made sure he couldn't."
"You sent your damned pet after her," I snarled, locking eyes with him.
Because Cody had let go of me. She'd turned me loose, and this man? Oh, he'd just fucked up so bad. If he was going to kick her out, then I had nothing left to lose. I'd make him pay.
More than that, I'd make him hurt.
And I lunged. Tanner was only a split second behind me, and that boy wasn't trying to hold me back. Naw, he was gonna help me.
But I didn't make it more than a step before Anthony grabbed me. Ty caught Tanner, and a few others moved in to help. Jake joined Ty, trying to keep their hands on my boyfriend, because he was a crazy fucker. Was why I loved him.
Anthony just picked me up. My fucking feet left the ground. He had my arms pinned to my sides. I couldn't fucking get free, so I did the one thing I could. I screamed like a damned madman.
"You did this! You knew he attacked her, and you ignored it. You're trying to chase her out, and I ain't gonna make it easy. You can't hurt her! You! Cannot! Hurt! Her!"
"Shut. Up!" Anthony hissed against my ear.
But I wasn't the only one yelling. Everyone in the room was.
Jackson, and the other Jaxon too. Kaleb, Sonny, Wes, all the damned Brazilians, and more.
Men were thrusting their hands out, pointing like they were proving something.
Others were braced between us and the president, but they didn't look none to happy neither.
And Anthony kept going. "Don't play his game, J.D. If you hurt him, you're out too. That's what he wants, and you're smarter than that!"
I wasn't. Naw, I was just pissed right now, but Anthony was on our side. He was a good one. I needed to trust him, but I sure didn't wanna, so I looked back to Cody. Sitting in that chair, with her hand over her mouth, her eyes too big, and her jaw too clenched? Yeah, fuck what I wanted.
"Babe?" I asked, patting Anthony's arm.
"He can't do that," she said.
But Mr. Merrill didn't give a shit about us. The man raised his voice. "Closing Ceremony starts in five minutes! Anyone who isn't out there is suspended!"
"Fuck you!" Jackson told him.
"No," Cody said, but no one heard her, because they were still going
"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled - and the room fell silent.
"Go," Cody said with her weak and broken voice. "Guys, we won."
"But he can't do that to you," Jackson said.
She shrugged. "I have other things to live for. Go."
"Not fucking right," Kaleb grumbled, but he turned, making his way to the door.
Like it was some kind of tide, the others did the same. All except Jake. He simply stood there, staring at Mr. Merrill until we were the only ones left.
"This?" He stepped closer. "You know that truce we had? Yeah, you just broke it. So when the shit hits the fan, just remember that I am your son, so you'd best start covering your ass now." Then he stormed past the man, making his way to the door too.
"Boy!" Mr. Merrill called after him.
Jake didn't stop. He simply lifted his middle finger over his shoulder and kept going.
But Cody caught Ty's pinky finger. It was all she could reach. "You too," she said.
"Yeah," he breathed. "C'mon, Mr. Merrill. Looks like you're getting your win."
But the moment they were out of the room, Cody turned to Anthony. "Document everything."