Chapter 199

Demetri’s POV

“Talk to me, Cole. What’s going on?”

“How is he in so much pain, boss? You never struck him,” Patrick asks as Julie remains silent, gently caressing the young man’s head.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing. I just need to rest.”

He fights against Julie’s touch, moving his legs erratically, but there’s something about his movements that attracts my attention in a bad way. Even though he’s pushing against the mat as if he’s climbing a ladder, he’s failing to gain any traction. It’s as if all the strength in his legs has disappeared, leaving him completely vulnerable.

I stand quickly, resulting in a shrill yelp of both pain and fear to emanate from Cole as I walk over to where I left the pads. I grab both of the f