Page 16 of Follow Me to Your Heart
Jody was the star quarterback for the school, and he’d been at me all night. I gave in and danced with him one time. While it was fun in the moment, I immediately regretted it after. He wouldn’t leave me alone, as if he didn’t have all the girls in attendance wanting his attention. I wasn’t sure why he’d chosen me for the night, but I was over it. I’d been hiding in the cut with Taylor, praying I was a distant memory in his mind, and someone else had occupied the space I once filled.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Taylor announced.
Hand in hand, Taylor and I maneuvered through the crowded house. The frat houses on campus were large, but it was filled. People were body to body, sweat pouring from everyone with how hot and humid it was. My shorts clung to my thighs, rising with each step I took. I couldn’t wait to get home and shower.
Taylor and I searched all around, but Sienna was nowhere in sight. My gut twisted. I prayed she wasn’t crazy enough to go home with someone or be upstairs giving herself to someone shedidn’t know, but not being able to find her had my mind going a mile a minute. I pulled my phone out to call her when I felt a large hand on the lower part of my back.
“Are you looking for me?” Jody whispered in my ear, sending a chill down my spine. The mixture of his overbearing cologne and alcohol almost made me gag. It was obvious we both had too much to drink.
I stepped closer to Taylor and turned around with a fake smile. “No, I’m looking for my friend. Have you seen her?”
Jody massaged his chiseled jaw and nodded. “Yeah. She left with my boy about ten minutes ago. I’ve been trying to find you to see if you wanted to leave too.”
My ears couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. I got my phone and went on my app to see that Sienna had surely left the party. I was too faded to think about doing that first. She was in one of the dorms not too far away, so I tugged Taylor toward the door. Jody gripped my arm and pulled me into him. I tried to jerk it away, but his hold was too strong.
“Let me go!”
“Yeah, let her go before I go upside your head, Jody. I don’t care who you think you are. You need to learn some respect.” Taylor defended me, attempting to jerk me back.
My heart thumped in my chest when Jody firmly grabbed my ass. He tried slipping his fingers between my shorts, but I kept wiggling. In the blink of an eye, he had completely released me from the hold Taylor had on me and pinned me against the wall. My flight or fight kicked in, and I slapped him. Of course, he ate it. Slowly, he trailed his tongue over his bottom-heavy lip and smirked.
“Ah!” I screamed as his hand went around my neck.
Jody was a big boy. He stood at six feet five and had to weigh every bit of 230 pounds. I was no match for him. Neither wasTaylor, but we were both trying our hardest to get him off me while others stood by and watched.
“Either you give this pussy up willingly, or I take it from you. The way you were dancing on me earlier couldn’t have been just for fun, shawty. You felt this dick on you and kept dancing. That tells me you want it just as badly as I do.”
I wanted to curl up and slither away when Jody licked my neck. Once again, his hands found their way between my shorts. The harder I tried to wiggle away, the rougher he got.
Someone let out a shrill scream, and it was like a domino effect.
His scent kissed my nose before I saw him. My soul immediately relaxed, feeling safe knowing my protector was nearby. Within seconds, Cage appeared with his gun to Jody’s temple, freezing the entire party.
All the color drained from Jody’s face. Fear flashed over his copper irises as his bottom lip trembled. Cage moved in closer. The stone expression on his handsome face scared me. He was in a different element, one only I could talk him out of.
“Cage. Don’t do it,” I whispered.
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t. Why does this nigga have his hands on you?”
“I-I’m sorry, man. I-it wasn’t even like that,” Jody lied, making the situation worse. Cage cocked his gun, sending more people out the door.
I focused on Jody and instructed, “Let me go, slowly. Take some steps back from me.”
Cage chimed in. “You have two seconds to do what she said, or I’m ending your life.”
Jody did as I said, tears streaming down his cheeks, with his arms up. Cage still had his gun trained on Jody as he examined me, taking me in inch by inch. His nostrils flared. He leaned into get a closer look at my neck. I was sure I was red and would bruise later, but it was only because of my fair skin.
Gently, I placed both hands on Cage’s face and peered into his eyes. “I’m okay, Cage. I’m fine. Let’s leave.”
“You’re not fine, Korren. Your eyes resemble the color of a brewing storm, and your neck is red. Your hands are trembling on my face, and the stench of alcohol is coming from your pores. How do you expect me to believe you’re okay when I know you’re not? How do you expect me not to pull the trigger, knowing this nigga was about to take advantage of you? You know how I feel about sending people to their maker, but you also know all that shit goes out the window when it comes to you.”
“And you should know that I know you won’t be okay if you do. From the way your pupils are enlarged and your minimal contact with me all week, you’re not in the right headspace. This will only take you deeper down whatever hole you’re trying to dig yourself out of, Cage. Let’s leave.”
It was obvious Cage was fighting an internal battle. It felt like hours passed before he finally lowered his gun. I breathed a sigh of relief, only for Cage to turn around and shoot Jody in the foot.
“Next time, it’ll be your head. Come on, KoKo.”
Cage held my hand and escorted me out the house, with Taylor in tow. My emotions were all over the place. I was grateful Cage showed up and saved me, but I was also still pissed I hadn’t really talked to him. It wasn’t the time to bring it up. We all needed to process what happened, and I needed to find Sienna.
