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The two men went flying by her in the other direction, each struggling for an advantage. Bruno was all brawn, but Damien was quick, strong and driven by an almost insane bloodlust. Fists thudded against bodies. Harsh breaths became snarls. Viv looked frantically around, wanting to find something to help Damien, and spied only her bag, which held nothing but clothes. There had to be other people nearby. She ran to the hallway for help, beyond happy to see Lex and Amelia hurrying toward them, apparently having followed Damien.
“Help him!” she screamed.
Lex barked something to Amelia and came toward her at a run. He rounded the corner, realized what was happening and dived in to assist Damien. Amelia, meanwhile, darted toward the lobby, calling for security.
Helpless to do anything, Viv stood there biting her nails, watching as two strong men she cared about worked in unison to contain an enraged animal. Fortunately, between them, Damien and Lex got Bruno under control. By the time the two security guards joined them in the alcove, the hockey player was sitting on the floor, his head between his knees, moaning.
Viv began to breathe again as they took control, radioing for the security office to call the police. Once she was sure that Bruno wasn’t going to get up again, she ran into Damien’s arms, sobbing in a delayed reaction made half of fear and half of relief.
He grabbed her, pulled her close, running his hands up and down her sides as if to make sure she wasn’t broken. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she insisted, almost choking on the words. Her breaths were coming on hoarse gasps and she was caught between tears and screams.
“He hurt you.”
“No, no, it’s nothing.”
He grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away so he could examine her face, which was probably reddened from the slap. Worse, she actually tasted a bit of blood in her mouth. Then he noticed her torn dress, and an almost inarticulate rage washed over Damien’s face all over again.
She grabbed him tight and collapsed against his chest. “Just hold me,” she insisted, more to keep him from returning to pummel Bruno again than anything else. She was calming down, realizing that yes, she’d had a close call, but no, she wasn’t actually hurt.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“Don’t. Please, let the police handle it.”
“I’m sorry. Jesus, I’m so sorry, Viv. I should never have left you alone.”
“How could you expect some lunatic would attack me?”
“I should have expected it. He was furious when I had him traded, and more than one person informed me he’d been making threats against me. I should have realized you’d be a target, too, and that he hadn’t given up.”
Viv had been slowly recovering from the trauma as she let herself soak up Damien’s warmth and comfort, but his words confused her. “Wait...what do you mean?”
He kept touching her, caressing her hip, stroking her hair, kissing her cheek. “I mean, I should have had a bodyguard protecting you the minute I found out what happened. Or I should have had him escorted to a plane to take him to his new city, or convinced you to press assault charges. But I promise you, Viv, he won’t get near you again.”
Viv scrunched her eyes closed, trying to get past the anxiety, trying to calm down and make sense of everything that had just happened. Bruno’s words about Damien had sounded crazy, a mixed-up amalgamation of resentments in the muddled mind of an alcoholic. But now, with what Damien was saying, she was beginning to visualize another possibility.
“Damien, Bruno seemed to believe you had something to do with him being traded.”
“Well, of course I did.”
“How?”
He stared down at her, puzzled. “The new GM and I made a lot of calls until somebody took him off our hands.”
“You did that.”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because he hurt you.”
“No, I mean, why would you be involved. Damien, was Bruno telling the truth when he said you own the team?”
It was his turn to appear confused. “Well, yes, of course.”
Such an easy thing to say. Yes, of course. But the words hit her like boulders thrown from a cliff. Her head was reeling, and it had nothing to do with the slap.
Yes, of course he owned the Vanguard.
Yes, of course he had arranged for Bruno’s trade.
Yes, of course he would have been the one who’d gotten Viv her job back.
Yes, of course he was the one who got rid of Stoker.
Yes, of course he would want to make sure she didn’t sue the organization or cause them any more bad publicity.
Yes, of course he had swept her off her feet until she would have done anything—absolutely anything—for him.
