Logan struggled against the hold until he heard Garrett say, “Liz needs you!” Only the sound of her name kept him from punching his best friend.
Dropping Greg back to the ground, he turned to see Elizabeth pressed against the wall, her eyes huge, her fists pressed against her mouth as if to keep from screaming. He’d forever swear his heart only started beating again when he had her in his arms, his face buried in her hair.
“Shhh, shhh,” he crooned, stroking her back as she pressed her face against his neck. “I’ve got you.” His voice broke as the gladiator became a man whose worse fears had been realized.
He was holding her so tightly she was having difficulty taking a breath. It was her hand reaching to gently stroke his cheek that allowed him to relax his hold.
“Oh, God,” he moaned, “I-I?—”
“I knew you’d come,” Liz whispered, her lips moving against his own. “I knew you’d find me.” Neither paid any attention to what was happening as people crowded into the space.
“No, no, it’s a mistake,” Greg yelled, as he was dragged to his feet by Jackson. Attempting to pull away, he held up a hand. “It’s just a misunderstanding. Shit, I just wanted to talk to her. I swear I wasn’t going to hurt her.” When he realized his words were having no effect on the angry crowd, his demeanor changed. “Fuck you all. Everyone knows this is a sex club. It’s not like the bitch hasn’t been?—”
His words were cut off when Garrett slugged him in the stomach. Greg bent over, gasping for breath like a fish out of water, as Jackson forcibly turned him to the wall, pinning him in place as Clayton wrenched Greg’s arms behind his back in order to slap a pair of authentic handcuffs around his wrists. Once Greg had been secured, Clayton recited the Miranda loudly as Greg finally found his voice.
“I’m the one who was assaulted. By the time I’m through suing you all, I’ll own this fucking club! You can’t attack me for being a Dom taking what he wants. Not when everybody knows what goes on here! Who can blame a man when these… these women dress like the sluts they are, begging to be?—”
His words were again cut off as Nancy slapped him as hard as she could. “Shut up! You’re lucky a police officer has you in custody, you piece of shit!”
“I have witnesses!” Greg continued, as Clayton and Jackson began to drag him from the room. “You all saw them attack me! I demand a lawyer!”
“The only thing we saw was you assaulting Elizabeth,” Jason said, his arms going around the trembling woman, who obviously wished she could slap Greg again.
“You’ll find your case hard to make, Mr. Spenser,” an angry woman said. She was dressed as a little girl from a fairy tale. “I’m a lawyer and know you not only have restraining orders against you, you also entered a private club illegally and attacked my friend. I suggest you follow Nancy’s advice and keep your mouth shut.”
As the crowd parted to allow the cuffed prisoner to pass, Logan met Greg’s gaze, the venom in his eyes making Greg stumble.
In a voice that was as soft as a whisper, yet contained the strength of unadulterated truth, Logan said, “I’m warning you for the last time, come near Elizabeth again, touch her in any way, and I swear you won’t draw another breath.”
All bravado left Greg, and he moved closer to Jackson instinctively. His voice quavered as he turned to Clayton. “Did you hear that, Officer? He just threatened my life!”
“Shut the fuck up,” Jackson growled, the two men dragging Elizabeth’s attacker through the ruined door.
The club filled with the sounds of cheers and clapping as Greg was led outside and handed over to two additional police officers.
“I’ll follow in my car,” Clayton promised, having every intention of making sure that Greg was handled properly.
“Don’t you want to change first, Sir?” a rookie officer suggested, as he took in the comical uniform Clayton was wearing.
“It’s fucking Halloween. I don’t give a shit who sees me in costume,” Clayton said, his eyes never leaving Greg until the man had been placed into the back seat of the police cruiser. “I’ll follow.” He turned to nod at Jackson. “Thanks for the help.”
“It was my pleasure,” Jackson said, returning the nod before placing one hand on top of the police car and bending down to look inside. Greg drew back as the large cowboy glared at him. “Just so you know, I never forget a face. I suggest you make it your life’s goal never to have me see yours again.” At Greg’s whimper, Jackson withdrew and slammed the door shut. “He’s all yours.”
The rookie nodded and slid behind the wheel, his eyes skimming the crowd of costumed party goers. It must have been some party, he thought as he drove away from the club, and he wondered how he could finagle an invitation for the next one.
Inside, Elizabeth was cradled on Logan’s lap as their friends all surrounded the couple. She spoke clearly, Logan’s arms around her giving her the strength to tell the story of how Greg had ambushed her.
“He followed me into the ladies’ room and grabbed me when I came out of the stall. He kept his hand over my mouth so I couldn’t scream. I tried to fight him off but he was so strong. All I could do was try to leave clues.”
“They were what helped us find you,” Craig said, opening his fist to reveal the fake jewel Barbara had found. “That was very clever, Liz.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I knew you’d look for me when I didn’t come back. He-he had just jammed a chair under the doorknob when I saw the red light pulsing and understood that Logan had shut down the club. I’ve never been so grateful that you take security so seriously.” She again stroked Logan’s cheek. “I screamed the moment he removed his hand to open the panel… it-it was all I could think of.”
“You used your voice,” Logan whispered, his lips brushing against her skin. “Thank God, you found your voice.”
“Only because you helped me find it,” Liz replied, her lips fusing to his. “Nothing really happened, except that now I’ll lose the deposit on this costume.”
Though the humor was forced, everyone knew she was telling them that she was trying not to allow the horrible incident to traumatize her. Sitting up on Logan’s lap, she turned to the group. “Thank you, all of you. I never was truly afraid because I knew I had all of you looking for me.”
