Destroyed
Vex
At least this DJ showed up on time. No one else has today. If one more person comes into my office with a problem, I’m going to stab them.
“Vex.” Payne steps into my office.
“You must have a death wish,” I mutter under my breath.
“Who’s going to die tonight?” Payne has the nerve to laugh.
Someone. Maybe you. Though probably not Payne, since he’s my best friend. I’ll just break his nose again if he keeps irritating me. “What do you want?”
“One of the bartenders had a problem.”
“Then fix it.” Why is he making this my problem?
“I can’t. Seems there’s someone at the bar looking for you.”
“Well, I’m not in the mood. Get rid of them.”
“Will do.” He moves to the door. “Drey thought this woman was strange.”
“Woman?” It can’t be. She wouldn’t dare come back here after I threw her out.
“There’s always a woman trying to hook up with you. Drey knows better than to bother you.”
She does. “What woman?”
Payne turns around, raising a pierced eyebrow at me.
“Answer me.” Before I stab you for real.
“Drey said she’s an odd one. Doesn’t even know how she got in. Are we expecting an audit or something? The woman was wearing a cardigan.”
It’s her. She’s here. I dash over to the window, trying to find her in the crowd. “She looks like a sexy librarian?”
“That wasn’t how Drey described her. More like a nerdy accountant. That tips really well.”
Accountants don’t tip. Where is she? There are too many people here tonight. “Did you stash her at my table?”
“No. You wanted me to kick her out a second ago.” Payne moves over to stand next to me. “What’s going on? Wait, is this about the woman from last week? Is she why you’ve been a nightmare to deal with?”
“I have not.”
“You whapped the new bus boy upside the head so hard I had to send him to the doctors.”
“That kid is an idiot.” Where is she? She can’t be that hard to find. She sticks out like a sore thumb in this place.
“He is, but aren’t all kids dumb?”
“We weren’t. Where was she at the bar?”
“True enough. Don’t know. You know how Drey works. She’s all over the place.”
“Not helping.”
“I can get the guys to find her. ”
Do I want that? Yes. No. I should just let her go. She shouldn’t be here. A woman like her doesn’t belong in my world.
Where is she?
“I’ll have someone find her.”
“No. I’ll go do it myself.” And when I’m done with her, she’ll never come back again.
The panic button goes off, alerting us to a problem in the west women’s restroom. Women’s… I dash towards the door.
“Security will take care of it?”
“It’s her. I know it’s her.” If there’s a problem in my club, it’s her.
Payne follows behind me.
I practically tear my door off the hinges and fly down the stairs. The people that don’t move out of my way get moved.
She’s in trouble. And whoever caused that panic button to be pressed is going to regret it.
The cluster of people surrounding my security step out of my way without a word.
“What happened?”
Brax doesn’t blink as he keeps people at bay. “Woman passed out in the head. Drugs.”
She doesn’t do—That can also mean—I slam the bathroom door open.
The sight in front of me knocks all the air out of my lungs. It’s her lying on the bathroom floor. It doesn’t matter that I can’t see her face. No one else wears practical flats and a cardigan.
Rage has my fist flying into the nearest wall.
Glass explodes everywhere as blood pours off my knuckles. “Is she dead?”
It’s going to break me when Barb says—
“Nope. Respiration and BP seem fine, all things considered.”
Alive. She’s alive.
“I’m about to call the—”
“My girlfriend—” A man rushes in. “—is she okay? ”
NO! She can’t be his.
“She said she had to go to the bathroom. She wasn’t feeling good. Drank too much.” He sinks down to his knees on the floor next to her. “You know how it is.”
Drank too much?!?
But she doesn’t—LIAR!
This was a setup.
Payne walks into the door. He takes one look at me and asks, “What do you need?”
“Clear the hallway. Completely.”
His eyes widen even as he nods. “On it.”
After all these years, thankfully, Payne knows what I mean without me having to explain. Now I need to deal with the trash... until I can dispose of it properly. “Barb is going to help prepare your girlfriend for transportation to the hospital. Is there anything she needs to know, like allergies and medical conditions?” I step over the glass and slowly make my way to the dead man’s side.
First, get him away from her.
Second, immobilize him as painfully as possible.
Third, get her somewhere safe.
Fourth, shake her until she listens to you.
Fifth, and my favorite, visit with my soon-to-be-dead friend over here. There are so many ways I am going to make him pay for what he just attempted to do.
All you need to do is stay in control… stay sane until you make it to step five.
Calm.
Cool.
In control.
“No. No. None of that is necessary. She does this all the time. I’ve been trying to get her help for her drinking problem.”
“Certainly, the hospital would be the best place to get her the help she needs.” But that wouldn’t fit with your twisted plan, would it?
“The last time she woke up in the hospital, she spiraled for a month. ”
Spiraled, huh? I’ll show you someone spiraling.
My hand is inches from him. Close enough that I could use reach out… No, it would be too fast. This slime doesn’t deserve fast. “Must be hard to have a relationship with her.” Especially since I doubt you even know her name.
“It isn’t, but if you knew her before all of this, you wouldn’t be able to walk away either. I’ll just take her home now.”
Not while I’m still breathing. “I need you to come with me first. Just to fill out a form. Liability and all that.”
“Can I come back in the morning to do it?”
No. You’re going to be in a hole in the ground, begging for your mommy before the sun comes up. “I can’t let you leave until the paperwork is finished.”
“Fine, then.” He stands up.
Before he can take a breath, I have him pinned to the wall.
“WHAT… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
Payne walks back in and takes the scene in without the blink of an eye. “Everything is clear for removal. What do you want done with him?”
“Hole. But wait for me.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. This one is mine.”
“Got it. What are we doing with the girl?”
“As long as Barb clears her, I’m taking her home with me.”
Payne raises an eyebrow, but is smart enough not to question me.
“You can’t do this. I have rights.”
I get up in the dead man’s face. “Like you were giving her rights by drugging her and kidnapping her.”
“That’s my girlfriend. You’re all crazy.”
The sound of his voice makes my control slip away. “Payne.”
“Got him.” Payne walks over and relieves me of my burden before I do something hasty.
Squatting down, I brush a finger over silky smooth hair. “Barb?”
“She’s fine. I’m pretty sure he gave her a roofie. ”
The date rape drug. Anger flows through me.
You need to follow the plan. Get her somewhere safe. “I’m taking her home with me.”