04 - Born to be Wilde.txt (17 page)

"Sydney does. I'll go get her for you," Trisha said, and hustled off to find the boss.

Knowing how unsteady Lora's legs were, Joel draped one of her arms over his shoulder and slid his other arm around her waist, holding her upright as he guided her back down the hallway. By the time they made it to the office, Sydney was already there with the door wide open.

Sydney followed them inside, her brows creased in worry. As soon as Joel eased Lora into one of the chairs in front of the metal desk, Sydney rushed to her side.

Once Sydney was assured that Lora was okay, she let loose. "What in the world were you doing in the back alley?"

It was a question that Joel was eager to hear the answer to, as well. There was a whole lot more to this story, and he needed to hear it all.

Lora began to shiver from being wet. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her bare, damp arms with her hands. "I was taking out the trash."

"What!?" Sydney jammed her hands on her hips, clearly not happy with Lora's reply. "That's the guys' job, not yours! You know that! And for good reason, obviously," she added, waving a hand at Lora's condition.

Lora had the good grace to wince at her boss's chastising. "The trash was piling up, and I've taken it out to the Dumpster many times before. It only takes a couple of seconds to toss the garbage bags out, and I was just trying to help, since we're so busy."

Sydney shook her head, causing her cascade of red curls to bounce wildly around her face. "Well, you do it again and you're fired." The warning was issued in a caring, loving tone.

As Lora's tremor's increased, Joel grabbed the sweater hanging on a coat rack behind the desk and draped it over Lora's shoulders. She glanced up at him gratefully as she pulled the edges of the sweater closer together to keep warm.

Christ, she looked so scared and vulnerable, and he wasn't used to seeing her that way. Another jolt of guilt punched him hard in the gut, but he couldn't dwell on his part in her attack right now. Later there would be plenty of time for recriminations. At the moment, his concern was solely for Lora's safety and mental state.

Finding a spare chair, Joel dragged it over to Lora and sat down in front of her, spreading his legs wide apart so he could get as close to her as possible. Whether she was ready or not, the interrogation was about to begin.

He placed his hands on her jean-clad knees, certain she must be extremely uncomfortable with the cold, wet fabric plastered to her skin. "Lora, what, exactly, happened out there?"

She pushed her wet hair away from her face with a shaky hand and took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "When…" Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard to clear her throat before trying again. "When I went out back, two men followed and made sure the door locked behind them so I couldn't get back in. I didn't get a chance to see what they looked like because they pulled ski masks over their faces."

Joel waited patiently for Lora to continue, while Sydney started pacing anxiously beside Lora's chair.

Lora's fingers fluttered up to her throat and touched the angry red welt one of the thugs had put there. "One of the men grabbed me from behind and put a hand over my mouth and a knife up to my neck, while the other snapped pictures of him doing it."

Sydney came to an abrupt halt and gasped aloud. "Jesus, Lora. They could have killed you!"

"I know," she whispered, the anguish in her gaze vivid and real.

Joel gently took both of her hands in his and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles, trying to warm her chilled fingers. It was then that he felt the fresh scrapes on her palms and realized that the thugs must have shoved her to the ground at some point. "Did they say anything to you at all?"

She nodded jerkily. "The one standing behind me said something about the pictures reminding my brother that they were serious about getting their money back. Dead serious."

She'd just confirmed that her attack hadn't been random, but rather a deliberate setup to send a message and warning to Zach. Joel swore beneath his breath, drawing on every ounce of control he possessed so that he didn't come unglued right then and there. "Anything else?"

This time she closed her eyes and began rocking back and forth, a sure sign that those bastards had instilled a whole lot of fear in her, just as they'd intended. "They said that the next time they'll stick around and let me provide a down payment, and I don't think they were talking about money."

"There won't be a next time," Sydney said angrily, and reached for the phone on the desk. "I'm calling the police."

"No!" Lora slapped her hand over Sydney's so she couldn't lift the receiver. "Please, don't," she begged.

Sydney frowned at her. "For crying out loud, Lora. You were assaulted by two men, and it could have been much worse than them issuing a few threats."

"I'm okay," Lora said, but Joel knew that she was anything but fine. She was shaken, confused, and still terrified out of her wits. "There's not much I can tell the police anyway. They were wearing ski masks, so I can't even give them a description."

"We should at least file a report," Sydney insisted, though she'd taken her hand off of the phone.

"No, Syd," Lora implored. "Please, no."

Desperation tinged Lora's voice and Joel was fairly certain he knew the reason why. She was scared, yes, but also concerned about her brother. Involving the police could jeopardize not only her safety, but Zach's, too, and Lora obviously wasn't going to take that risk. Lora's loyalty to her brother was unwavering, and under the current circumstances, Joel knew Zach didn't deserve one bit of it.

Sydney crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Fine," she said curtly, even as she gave in to Lora's pleas. "But I'm not happy about it." Then she turned to Joel. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her."

Joel nodded. "I'll try." For as much as he agreed with Sydney about filing a report, there truly wasn't much the police could do without a physical description of some sort. Therefore, Joel wasn't inclined to force the issue when Lora was still so panicked.

Lora glanced at Joel, looking so achingly fragile and defenseless that he wanted to pull her into the security of his arms and never let go. "Just get me out of here," she said as her teeth began to chatter. "Please."

Whisking her away from the scene of the crime was the one thing he could do for her, but he wouldn't be driving her back to her apartment. No, from now on, he wasn't letting her out of his sight if it could be helped.

One look at Sydney, and he could easily read her thoughts. She was chewing on her bottom lip, her concern for her best friend etched plainly on her face. "Don't worry, Syd. I'll take care of Lora," he promised. "I'm going to take her to my place for the night so she won't be alone."

A small, grateful smile touched Sydney's lips. "Good idea. Thank you."

He stood up and undipped his cell phone from the waistband of his jeans. "I just need to make a quick phone call before we go."

"Sure." She waved to the corner of the office to give him some privacy, then sat down next to Lora to talk to and fuss over her like a mother hen.

Joel pressed one of his speed dials, and before the first ring ended Ben picked up the line. After giving Ben a quick rundown of what had happened, Joel informed him that he'd be taking Lora to his place, which meant no one needed to play watchdog at her apartment for the night.

Snapping his phone shut, he turned back around. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

Lora stood up, and Sydney gave her a hug, then pulled back and smiled at her friend. "I love you, Lora, and I'm so glad they didn't hurt you."

Lora managed a shaky smile of her own, and her eyes welled with moisture, telling Joel that she was still very emotionally unstable. "I love you, too," she rasped.

A quick knock sounded at the door before Trisha stepped inside. "Here's your jacket, Joel," she said, handing him the black leather coat. "I didn't want to leave it at your table."

"Thanks." Gently pulling the sweater off of Lora's shoulders, he handed the garment to Sydney, then helped Lora slip into his much warmer, dryer jacket.

Tucking her under his arm, he ushered her through the bar and out the front door. It was still raining heavily, and because of the cold, damp weather, he hadn't brought his motorcycle, but instead had driven his black SUV. He sprinted with her to the vehicle through the downpour, got her situated in the passenger seat, then settled himself behind the wheel. He headed out of the parking lot, keeping an eye on his rearview mirror to make sure they weren't being followed by anyone.

The drive to his place started out quietly, with only the spatter of raindrops on the windshield and the scrape of the wipers punctuating the silence. He glanced over at Lora and found her clutching his jacket around her while staring out the window. Even though he'd turned on the heater, she was still shivering, and now that her initial rush of adrenaline had receded, his biggest concern was that she might go into shock.

"Hey, you doing okay over there?" he asked in an attempt to keep her alert and conscious.

She slowly turned her head to glance at him, and even in the dimness of the cab he could see the vacant, faraway look in her gaze. "I keep thinking about what that man said to me about my brother, but I don't understand what they want from me."

Joel's fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he returned his attention to the road. He knew exactly what those thugs wanted from Lora, and in a clearer state of mind, he was sure she'd figure out what they intended, as well. But at the moment he was so fucking torn about what to do or say to her. After what she'd just gone through, she deserved to know the truth—the whole truth, but right now she wasn't in the frame of mind to hear, or even comprehend, her part in Zach's scheme.

But come morning, when she was more cognizant, he decided he was going to tell her everything—how her brother had involved her in his addiction, and even his own role in protecting her.

Ultimately, she needed to understand just how dangerous the situation had become.

Chapter Nine

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JOEL was saved from having to answer Lora's painful question as he pulled up to his house. He hit the garage door remote, and once the panels had lifted open he parked the SUV, he cut the engine, then got out and rounded the vehicle to the passenger side. He opened the door for Lora, but she didn't move—except for the tremors still running just below the surface of her skin. The bluish tint to her lips worried him, and if he didn't get her warmed up, and quick, they'd be making a trip to the emergency room.

He gently helped her out of the car and into the house, her movements sluggish and unsteady. She stumbled a few times and looked around, clearly disoriented and confused.

"Where are we?" she mumbled.

"We're at my place." With a firm hold around her waist, he led her back to his bedroom, then into the adjoining bathroom.

Immediately, he turned on the shower to warm up the water as quickly as possible, then flipped the switch for the overhead heating lamp, doing whatever he could to increase the temperature in the bathroom. He slid the leather jacket off her shoulders and down her arms, his fingers brushing along her chilled skin as he pulled the garment off. Her bare flesh was pebbled with goose bumps, and it was difficult not to notice the stiff points of her nipples pushing against her thin, wet T-shirt.

"You need to get undressed and into the shower," he told her, meeting her gaze. "You're freezing cold."

She gave a jerky nod of her head, and he turned and exited the bathroom to give her privacy to strip naked and step into the shower. Less than a minute later he heard a soft whimper and didn't hesitate to glance back inside. Still fully clothed, her cold, fumbling fingers couldn't unfasten the snap on her jeans. She was shivering all over again, and when she glanced up at him, her glassy eyes were filled with tears.

"I… can't," she said as her teeth began to chatter.

Obviously, giving her privacy wasn't going to be an option. There was no question in Joel's mind what he had to do, and he stepped back inside the bathroom to help. Pushing her hands aside, he tackled her top first, quickly and efficiently skimming the damp, clinging T-shirt up over her head and off, doing his best to work around her sluggish, awkward movements. Leaving her bra on for the moment, and for his own sanity, he turned his attention to her jeans. Once they were unzipped, he pushed them over her hips to her thighs. She swayed on her feet, and he made her sit on the closed toilet seat so he could kneel in front of her and remove her boots and socks, then drag the saturated denim down her endlessly long legs as the bathroom filled with warm, soothing steam from the shower and overhead lamps.

Standing again, he pulled her back up, too, unclasped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. Her silky panties followed right after, and one glance at her completely naked had his dick swelling with typical male lust. Up until that point, he'd managed to remain detached and focused on undressing Lora as fast as possible, and even though his brain recognized the situation as dire, his body obviously had a mind of its own.

Ignoring the tightening ache in his groin, he guided Lora into the shower and positioned her beneath the heavy spray of water. She moaned and crossed her arms over her stomach as the heated water hit her cold skin and sluiced its way down her trembling body.