Bondage Celebration (16 page)

“It’s not AJ’s system,” André admitted a bit sheepishly.

“What?” Nick spun his attention directly to André. He seriously hoped he’d misunderstood. “What do you mean it isn’t his system?” He didn’t even try to disguise his surprise and anger. The video system was integral to the club’s security.

“Do you know what he charges? I found a guy who did it for almost half the price.” André sounded defensive.

“You realize, if the system has been compromised, every member who ever stepped through those doors will have grounds to sue, don’t you?” Nick watched all the color drain from André’s face. In disgust, Nick turned away from him.

His eyes immediately went back to the video screen picturing Laura…except she wasn’t there. Nick’s stomach turned, his heart thudded in his chest. He tried not to panic. He told himself she’d just moved on to another presentation. Scrutinizing the video feed, he saw the workshop was still in process. Everything appeared in order, except Laura wasn’t watching it.

“Where’s Laura?” Nick pointed to the screen, “She was right there.”

To avoid distraction this evening, André had only turned on screens showing public areas. James pushed away from the wall and began turning on all the screens. The camera in one of the closed off privacy rooms showed Laura slumped over a man’s shoulder.

Nick ran out the door milliseconds before James and André. The three men bolted through the great hall at a dead run. James tried to stop Nick with a hand to his shoulder. Nick refused to be delayed. He shrugged it off and kept running.

“He could be armed, Nick. Let me go first.” James pleaded.

Nick didn’t bother to respond. His brain couldn’t function beyond the vision of Laura, unconscious or worse, slung over Simson’s shoulder. And he was convinced it was Simson. He hadn’t seen his face—it had been covered by a Mardi Gras mask and the video camera was focused on the St. Andrew’s cross. But in his gut, he knew. Simson, a serial rapist, had his hands on his beloved Laura.

As they neared the hall leading to the privacy rooms, the three men charged through a group of subs leaving the workshop Laura had been watching. Nick saw the thick velvet rope André’s staff had used to cordon off the hallway lying along one wall. In a panic, Nick tried the door closest to where Laura had been standing.

Finding it unlocked, Nick shoved it open. His eyes immediately went to the left side of the room. Nick spotted Laura with manacles pinning her wrists to the St. Andrew’s cross. Her head was slumped forward, her body limp and unmoving.

Simson, startled by the intrusion, reached down near his ankle. Nick crossed the distance in one leap, grabbed him by his shirt and threw him against the opposite wall. As much as he wanted to kill the bastard, his only concern was for Laura. As he went to her, Nick was only peripherally aware of the scuffle behind him. He trusted James and André to take down the scumbag.

She hung so still, not uttering a sound, he couldn’t breathe. “Laura, are you all right? Talk to me,” he demanded.

Her corset lay in tatters on the floor. His hand pressed against her bared chest. Oh God, he couldn’t feel her heartbeat. “Laura, baby, you’ve got to talk to me. Are you okay?” He couldn’t call her Angel when he was so afraid she may be taken from him. Her beautiful face, so pale and deathlike, scared the hell out of him.

The awkward position she hung from wouldn’t allow him a good look at her. He used his weight to press her body back against the cross. Gently, he wiped her hair from her face. “You’re going to be fine, baby.” He prayed he was telling the truth. “Don’t leave me, Laura. I need you.”

Laura’s beautiful blue eyes stared at him in abject horror. Her mouth was open, but not a sound came out.

“Get me the damned keys for these manacles!” Nick shouted over the struggle going on behind him.

At the deafening sound of gunfire, Nick pressed his body as tightly as possible over Laura’s to shield her the only way he could. He knew, until she was released from the cross, she was in terrible danger.

Nick heard James mutter an expletive then the sickening sound of a bone snapping and something heavy clattering onto the floor. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, Nick saw James straddling Simson’s prostrate body. André stepped over Simson and kicked the handgun out of reach under a cabinet. A few seconds later, André stood beside Nick with the key to the manacles.

While Nick supported Laura, André worked quickly to free her. “You’re going be fine, baby. I’ve got you now.” When her weight collapsed into his arms, he held her tightly. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she was breathing. Nick cradled her head to his shoulder as he moved to a cot inside the room. In some part of his brain he recognized they were in the club’s spy theme room. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

Taking care to keep from jostling her, Nick sat on the cot and cradled her in his arms. His fingers sought a pulse. He sagged with relief when he felt her heartbeat. It was faint, like her breathing, but he definitely felt it.

André found a syringe lying in the corner near the cross. He bent over and picked it up, “I think he gave her something.”

“Call nine-one-one, André. We need to get her to the hospital.” Nick wiped her hair away from her face. The glazed look in her eyes scared him. He had no idea if Simson had injected her with poison or an overdose of drugs. He felt helpless and desperate.
Damn it.
Nick turned to face Simson, “What the fuck did you give her?”

Simson’s arm lay in an unnatural position, his wrist obviously broken. His jaw was swollen, his lip bleeding, but still he managed to smirk at Nick.

James grabbed the asshole’s sleeve and brought his arm into the air. “You have to the count of three to tell us what you gave her or I’ll break it again.” Simson went pale. He moaned in agony as James gave his arm a shake.

“Stop, stop, ketamine. I gave her ketamine.”

James let his arm drop from a foot or so above the ground. Simson’s body jerked and he screamed. As soon as he could breathe through the pain, he started a litany of curses and threats.

“What the hell is ketamine?” Nick was relieved to hear sirens. He’d never been so happy to hear that sound in his life.

“I don’t know, man,” André rested a hand on Nick’s shoulder in support. “I’m going to go meet the paramedics. I’ll be right back.”

“It’s an anesthesia, a fast acting hallucinogen. If he didn’t give her too much, she’ll be fine in a few hours. She probably won’t remember what happened, which might be for the better,” James tried to reassure Nick.

Laura might not remember, but Nick would never forget. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. His head hung down in a mix of guilt and grief. He’d let this happen. She was his to cherish and protect and he’d failed her again.

Nick grabbed a blanket from a basket near the cot and wrapped it around Laura. He turned to look at the bastard who’d done this to her, “You’d better hope the police lock you up and throw away the key, because if you ever come near my wife again there won’t be enough pieces of you to bury,” Nick assured Simson.

Two police officers appeared at the doorway. Nick could see André’s head bobbing behind the two men. One officer ordered James to step away from Simson.

“We need an ambulance!” Nick shouted. Though he knew the drill, he was still pissed off they weren’t letting the paramedics into the room. The police wouldn’t allow any rescue teams into an area they hadn’t secured.

James kept his eyes trained on Simson as he placed his hands behind his head and slowly back stepped away.

The officer nearest the doorway pulled James into the hallway as the officer in charge went to Simson.

Nick pointed at Simson, “He kidnapped my wife, injected her with something and took a shot at us. His weapon is under the cabinet. Now let the fucking paramedics in here. She’s barely breathing.”

After the officer gave a signal, two EMTs came in carrying their gear.

“Can you lay her on the cot, Sir, so we can help her?” the dark haired man asked politely.

Nick looked them both up and down. It was almost impossible to let go of Laura. He was so afraid of losing her. He wanted to hold her tight and never let go. Reluctantly and with great caution, he stood up, turned back to the cot and laid her down. Nick stepped to the head of the cot, out of their way, but still within reach of her. He watched as they took her vital signs.

“Do you know what he gave her?” the dark haired EMT shining a flashlight into Laura’s eyes asked.

“André found the syringe, Simson said it was ketamine, but I don’t trust him. He’s a fucking rapist.” Nick couldn’t contain his anger. He wanted to pound the little prick with his bare hands. Nick turned to watch the police cuff Simson, delighted to hear him howling in pain as they took him from the room.

“We’ll need to take the syringe to the hospital with us. We’re going to take her to Good Sam, you can follow in your car and meet us there,” the lighter haired EMT advised Nick, as the ambulance personnel brought in a stretcher.

“Fuck that. I’m going with you. She doesn’t leave my sight again.” Nick wasn’t backing down. He’d be in the ambulance with her one way or another.

Before she was moved to the stretcher, they inserted an IV into her arm and attached EKG leads to various places on her chest.

“Sir, she’s stable. You’ll only be in the way. If you need a ride, you can sit in the front.”

Nick didn’t bother to argue. He didn’t want anything to delay her getting to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Once she was on the stretcher and they were headed toward the back of the building, he held her hand. He needed the contact. He needed to know she was still with him. As they were positioning the stretcher to slide it into the ambulance, he forced himself to let go of her hand. Laura turned her head to look at him. It was the first movement she’d made since he’d found her. “I’m here, Laura. I’m not going to leave you. I’m right here.”

The light haired EMT opened the passenger door, “Sir, you can ride up here with me.”

Nick ignored him and entered the back of the ambulance, sitting on the bench near the door. When the light haired EMT appeared at the doorway, the other paramedic waved him off. “It’s okay.” Nick watched as the two men stared at each other for a few seconds, then reluctantly, the EMT closed the door. Within seconds they were moving.

Chapter Seven

Laura woke with a screaming headache and feeling nauseated. Nick was sitting in a chair right beside her with his forehead resting on the bed, holding her hand in a death grip. She looked around, trying to get her bearings.

“Nick,” was all she got out before he stood up. His right hand caressed her cheek.

“Oh, thank God. Laura, how are you doing?”

Laura had no idea what had happened or how she’d ended up in a hospital bed, but after getting a good look at Nick she was scared. Her very handsome husband looked terrible. His tanned face was pale and drawn with dark circles under his worried eyes. “Were we in an accident? Are you okay? You don’t look so hot. Sit down.”

Nick smiled and crumbled back into the chair. “Oh, Laura, dear God, you scared me to death. You didn’t answer me, how are you feeling? The doctors said you’d be fine once the drug wore off, but it’s been hours. I was so worried.”

“I’m fine. My head hurts and my tongue feels too big for my mouth. Is there one of those pitcher things in here? I’m thirsty.”

Nick moved his hand from her cheek and clicked the nurse button on the bed remote. “I’m not sure what you’re allowed to have. A nurse will be here soon. They’ve been very attentive.”

Laura just bet they had. Women always seemed to be very attentive where Nick was concerned. He was a good looking, wealthy man. Women were eager to please him. Right on cue, a very pleasant, grandmotherly nurse opened the door. Laura felt a little sheepish after her jealous thoughts.

“Mrs Branson, Dr Cavendish will be pleased to know you’re awake. How are you feeling?” She took the blood pressure cuff from the station on the wall and began taking her vital signs.

“Thirsty. And my head hurts.”

“Did you hit your head?” Nick asked as he started to feel her head, presumably for bumps.

Laura shrugged her shoulders, she had no idea what had happened.

“It’s because of the ketamine, Mr Branson. She’s been thoroughly examined, her head is fine. Except for the bruised cheek and wrists, she doesn’t have a mark on her. As long as she continues to improve, the doctor’s going to let her go home in a few hours.”

Laura looked down at her wrists. There were two red, angry welts at the base of her hands. “Nick, what happened? Why am I here?”

“I’ll get you some ice chips and let the doctor know you’re awake.” The nurse politely left them alone.

Nick looked lost, “I’m so sorry, Laura. I should never have left you alone. I never dreamed Simson would try something so public. AJ’s men were all around. I have no idea how he got to you.” Nick’s voice was filled with anguish.

“Simson? Were we in an accident?” She was trying to understand what happened.

Nick shook his head and stood up. Looking her in the eye, he began to explain. “We were at the club. You were watching a workshop when James asked me to help out with a situation in the security office. I should never have left you, Angel. It was all my fault.”

“Nick, whatever happened couldn’t possibly be your fault. You would never hurt me. Please tell me what happened.”

“Simson was at the club. He managed to inject you with ketamine and take you into one of the privacy rooms. By the time we found you, he had you restrained.” Nick ran a finger lightly along the mark at her wrist. “The animal struck your beautiful face.”

Now that Nick had pointed it out, Laura felt her cheek below her eye throbbing.

“Where is he now?” She was afraid to ask, but she had to know.

“The police have him in custody. James broke his wrist and his jaw. Remind me to give James a bonus.”

Laura watched him lock his jaw and the vein in Nick’s temple was protruding. “Did anyone else get hurt?”

Nick shook his head. “No. Just you, my beautiful Angel. I’m so sorry, Laura.”