The kid had been beating the hell out of her. He would’ve raped her and then probably killed her in a panic.
And that sent me into an unparalleled rage that I couldn’t make heads or tails out of.
All I knew was that I felt like a junkyard dog, snarling and slavering at anyone who dared to come near Ivy, and that wasn’t normal.
I followed the ambulance to the hospital.
I didn’t give a shit about the kid’s injuries, only Ivy’s.
But my captain would care.
I was already on thin ice.
Hank arrived a half hour later.
“What the hell happened?” he asked. “Your text was vague.”
“Ivy was attacked by a snot-nosed college kid. He was trying to rape her.”
“How’d you happen to find this out?”
“I was going to talk to Ivy after her shift.”
I left out the part where I’d been eager to see her again even if I knew she wasn’t going to be as excited to see me.
Hank nodded. “How is she?”
“She’s still with the doctor.”
“You think he raped her?”
“No. I stopped him before he could get his dick out but it was close. He’d beaten her. She was nearly unconscious when I pulled him off her.”
“And that’s when the perp ran into your fist a few times?” Hank guessed.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Have fun explaining that one. With all the pressure in the media to stop police brutality, this ain’t gonna look so hot. You know how cranky the captain gets when he has to deal with the press.”
“That’s why he gets paid the big bucks,” I said dryly but I knew Hank was right. I was going to catch flak for this one but I didn’t care. The guy got what he deserved. Chances were, this wasn’t the first time the kid had raped a woman. If I were to dig a little deeper, put a little pressure on the kid…maybe I could get him to crack. “You and I both know that guys like him have a pattern. If we dig a little…we might even find other victims. That ought to make captain happy for the time being.”
“Maybe.” Hank paused, eyeing me with speculation. “You still going through with our plan?”
“Of course,” I answered stiffly. “Nothing’s changed.”
“Just checking. We need her.”
“She’s just a little banged up. A few days of rest and she’ll be fine.”
Hank nodded with approval. I didn’t blame him; it was his ass on the line, too.
We were a package deal. Win or lose, we reaped the rewards or the ass-chewing.
I wouldn’t fault Hank for his concern.
“Good to hear it,” he said. “I’ll do what I can to help you nail this kid to the wall. In the meantime, you staying here?”
“Yeah, just to make sure her injuries aren’t bad,” I said, glossing over my concern with a layer of obligation. “You go on home. I got this. Thanks for coming down.”
Hank clapped me on the shoulder with a “Anytime man” and left.
Moments later a doctor approached me with news.
“She’s going to be okay,” he said. “No broken bones but she’s suffered some serious bruising. I’d like to keep her for observation just to be on the safe side.”
“Good,” I agreed. Now for the bad news. “And the kid?”
“He didn’t fare as well. Broken nose, orbital bone, a few missing teeth…he’s sedated right now for the pain.”
“Thanks doc. Keep him cuffed to the bed. Injured or not, he’s an attempted rapist,” I said flatly.
I should’ve felt some regret for beating the shit out of the kid but I didn’t.
The kid got what he deserved. I’m supposed to say I didn’t believe in street justice, which, if I were a beat cop, I’d tow that line.
But I’d seen too much shit go down unpunished by the law to know that sometimes street justice was the only recourse.
And because karma was too slow.
But I would have to deal with the aftermath. The paperwork was going to be a bitch. IA might have something to say about my actions, too.
Fuck them.
The justice system was going soft these days.
Overcrowding in the jails meant that most lower level fuckers got off with a slap on the wrist and cops ended up spinning their wheels in mud for all the good their hard work reaped.
Shit, I was jaded.
I exhaled a short breath, returning to the doc. “When can I see her?”
“You can see her now. She might be a little tired. She’s on pain medication.”
I nodded and followed the doctor to where Ivy was being held.
Fresh rage blotted out my rational thought as I took in the bruising from that shit’s fist.
I throttled down my knee jerk reaction. Now was not the time to go psycho. I was already teetering on the edge of insanity. I didn’t need a push to take that final leap.
Her eyes fluttered open, the one eye swollen half-shut.
“You saved me,” she said, her voice hoarse. The question in her gaze was one I wasn’t ready to answer. There was also a hint of suspicion in those beautiful eyes and she was right to question my motives. “How?”
“I was coming to talk to you. Saw you get attacked. I reacted like any cop would’ve.”
Ivy swallowed with difficulty and nodded, accepting my answer. “What did you want to talk to me about? Is Frankie okay?”
Holy hell woman. Can you think about yourself for once? “Stop worrying about Frankie,” I said sharply. “Did you know that kid who attacked you?”
“He came into the dinner earlier. That’s all I know about him.”
“Why’d he attack you?”
“I shut him down earlier. He didn’t take it very well.”
“His kind never do,” I muttered, getting an ever-clearer picture of the suspect. “And he decided to return after your shift for some payback,” I guessed.
“He said he was going to teach me a lesson,” Ivy said, a tear leaking down her bruised cheek.
I resisted the urge to wipe away that tear. “He’s going to be drinking out of a straw for the next couple of weeks,” I said, hoping in some small way, that gave her a modicum of comfort. “Are you willing to press charges?”
“Hell yes,” she answered without hesitation. I respected her strength, even if she didn’t chose to wield it against her brother. “I don’t want him to hurt anyone else.”
“Chances are there are other victims,” I said. “I’ve got my partner chasing down leads, looking into his background to see if anyone else might be willing to come forward.”
“Good.”
Her approval wasn’t required but I liked it nonetheless.
“So if you didn’t come to talk about Frankie…why did you come to see me?”
I opened my mouth but thought better of it. Now wasn’t the time. “Tomorrow. After you’ve had some rest,” I said gruffly.
She seemed relieved, her eyelids dragging. “I’m really tired.”
“Sleep. I’ll be back,” I said, though I was reluctant to leave. I wanted to post guards at her door to ensure that nothing happened to her in the night but that wasn’t feasible.
We didn’t post sentries for attempted rape victims.
Besides, the guy responsible wasn’t leaving his bed.
She was as safe as she could be.
And yet…I wanted to swing a chair by her bedside and camp out all night.
Jesus. I was losing it.
My brains were truly scrambled this go-round if I thought for one second that anything running through my brain was sound.
A moment passed and Ivy was out. Everything about Ivy was soft and sweet. I wanted to touch her hair, smell her scent, and protect her from whatever was out there.
Except…what she needed the most protection from was me.
Baby girl, you deserve better.
That was the damn honest truth.
And the truth hurt like a bitch but I
couldn’t do a thing about it.
Life went on and everyone had a part to play.
Even sweet girls like Ivy and bastards like me.
Too bad she got cast in my fucked up production.
Ivy