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Luckily for me, he had been drinking enough that the power in his punch was dulled down quite a bit, regardless, my vision swam and between the fear and pain—the battle with my stomach was instantly lost. I lurched forward and spewed every ounce of Long Island Ice Tea I had consumed tonight, along with my dinner, all over that stupid cowboy.
Shock held him still and even though he was covered in my vomit, Zac, coming from behind, grabs a hold of him and started pulling him through the room. I lost sight of them when Nate stepped in front of me and gently tipped my head up. He gives me a quick look, his face stone-cold serious. An expression rarely seen on his carefree face. Seeing this version of Nate jumpstarts the reality of just how serious this situation could have become.
“Come on, Megan, let’s go get you cleaned up before the cops get here. ”
“Cops?” I ask, confused.
“Yeah, babe. You’re going to have to give them a few minutes. No way is that douchebag going to get away with trying to force his hand with you. ”
“What?”
“Megan, are you okay? Jesus Nate, give her your shirt or something. ” Dani rushes around her brother and I feel her messing with my dress. When I look down I almost throw up again. The whole top of my dress is torn and hanging by my hips. “Your back is red. Did he touch your back?”
I shake my head to tell her it was just when the chain snapped but no words come out. I’m too mortified that my dress malfunction had me exposed during my struggle.
“I saw him pull against the top of her dress. When the back ripped I think it snapped against her,” Nate snaps, his tone hard. He’s holding on to his anger by a thread.
“What?” she questions.
They stop talking and I feel fabric being pulled over my head.
“Megan, he was taking you to the exit. ”
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I blanch at Nate’s words and his eyes widen as I bend forward and lose the rest of my stomach across his shoes.
Between Nate, Zac and Dani, they have me cleaned up and sitting on the couch in the owner’s office. Dani hasn’t let go of my hand since she sat down next to me. Zac has been off and on the phone since we got in here, standing over in the far corner I can’t hear his words, but given that he keeps looking at Dani I think it’s safe to bet there will be a very unhappy husband on his way.
I look around the room and try to take my mind off the officer’s voice as he questions Nate. It’s a nice, clean office, but my skin is still crawling thinking about what could have happened if that man had gotten me out the back door.
I feel dirty.
Not to mention my head is pounding.
“Are you sure she doesn’t need EMS to take a look at her?” The officer asks Nate for the tenth time.
I shake my head and hold even tighter to Dani’s hand. Nate looks over and gives me a small smile.
“She says no and I’m not about to give her more stress than she needs by forcing it. We’ll make sure she’s okay. ”
I glance up and smile weakly at Nate. He gives me a small nod before looking back at the officer. They continue to talk for a few minutes and I zone out. It’s been a long time since I felt that helpless rush of fear like I did earlier. The memories that his touch had brought forth are still sticking to my skin. As I think about his hands against my arms, my breathing starts to come rapidly and I feel Dani squeeze my hand.
“It’s okay, Megs. It’s okay. ”
I’m not sure who she is reassuring, me or her but I can’t form words to respond.
“Where the fuck is my wife?”
I look up at Dani when I hear Cohen’s voice thick with rage coming from the hallway. She gives me a small smile and waves at Nate to sit down. I watch as she climbs off the couch and walks over to the office door. When she throws it open Cohen comes rushing through and doesn’t stop as his body plows right into Dani. She wraps her arms around him and holds tight as he picks her right off the floor and keeps walking into the room. His head dips into her neck and I can hear him mumbling to her. I tear my eyes away from the intimacy of their connection and turn my head back to the door.
Or I would have looked at the door had there not been a pair of thick thighs covered in dark pants blocking my view. I follow the path of the perfectly pressed material, over the belt—carefully skimming over the gun held at the owner of those thighs and hips—up the trail of buttons on his uniform shirt, until I get to the lightly tan skin on his neck. When I continue my journey I’m met with the dark brown, angry and deeply concerned eyes of Liam Beckett.
He turns his head—his eyes never leaving mine—and says something to Nate. I hear them talk, but I understand not one word out of their mouths. Shock holding me stupid at the sight of Liam. Until the other officer we had been dealing with sticks his ass into their conversation. I lose Liam’s eyes when his head snaps over to where the officer is standing.
“Excuse me?”
“Real lucky we got him, Lee. This guy has got a hell of a lot of people looking for him. Nasty guy. Usually he uses drugs to get his women, but he grabbed her right off the floor. Pretty sure he would have—”
Liam’s growl shuts him up, “I would stop talking now, McKnight. Remember where you are when you start speaking freely. ” He looks back down at me, his dark eyes going from every inch of my face before he takes me in sitting there wearing Nate’s huge shirt. “Are you hurt?”
I go to speak, but again no words come out.
“Where the fuck is that bitch? She fucking wanted it. Was all over my dick. ” I hear coming from the hallway and look up right in time to see the jerk from earlier push off two cops standing inside the office and lunge forward, toward me.
Liam moves, stepping in front of me. Mr. Cowboy doesn’t make it far, but his words come flying back and that panic from earlier rushes back to the surface.
“Shit, Megan!”
I hear Dani, but my fear is all-consuming and before I can beat it back, my vision starts to blacken and I sway on the couch.
“SHIT, MEGAN!”
I whip my head around and watch as all the color drains from her face. I bark at my partner, Daniels, and don’t even wait to make sure they have the douchebag secured. I dip, push one arm under Megan’s legs and one behind her back, pulling her into my arms and turning to walk toward the door in the back corner of the office. We’ve been called to this club enough that we’re familiar with the layout of the place. Nate jumps and follows my lead, opening the door to the large bathroom.
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“Shut the door,” I tell him and wait to hear the click of the door.
“Okay, it’s shut,” Nate says.
I turn toward him and give him a look that would cause most men to piss themselves. Nate just holds his hands up.
“Well, fucking excuse me. It’s been a long night. You could have said shut the door behind you. And maybe said please,” he adds as an afterthought.
“Get. The fuck. Out. ” I snarl in a deadly serious voice.
Once again, Nate tosses his hands up, the white shirt he had under the one Megan’s wearing, stretching against his broad shoulders.
I don’t turn my gaze from the door until long after Nate had pulled it closed, this time with him on the other side of it. I can feel my breathing coming rapidly and despite the fact that I know I need to calm down before I take care of Megan, I can’t seem to ease the fear that I have had since I got the call from Zac. When her small hand reaches up and presses lightly against my chest, I take a deep breath, and let the calm of her touch seep through my skin. Even through my vest, I can feel her touch like a branding burn to my skin.
Turning I look deep into her eyes, careful to keep my anxiety from being seen. She looks up at me, her brown eyes assessing and roaming over my face. I can tell she’s trying to place my emotions and it’s not something I want to add to her plate. She doesn’t need my shit to add to what she must be feeli
ng after almost being taken by a known rapist.
“You okay, Megs?”
“It’s Megan,” she mumbles.
I close my eyes and drop my head until my forehead is resting against hers. “You’re okay,” I breathe out in a rush, my body relaxing instantly.
Her body jerks in my arms, but I don’t move. When I open my eyes and meet her gaze, her gasp tells me that I’m doing a shit job at hiding my feelings right now.
“Not a call I like getting, darlin'. Scared me to my core. ”
She pushes at my chest with my words and I wait a beat before dropping her slowly to her feet. I don’t move my body away from hers; instead I wrap my arms around her and pull her as close as I can get her with my belt in the way. She struggles, not against my hold, but with where to put her arms. Finally settling with just letting them hang at her sides. I hate that she won’t take some strength from me. Dipping my head, I press my mouth against her neck, smiling when I feel her shudder. I don’t speak, but when I take a deep breath, pushing the air out in a rush, she shivers again in my hold.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Megs. I don’t like it. ”
“It’s Megan. ”
