Chapter 72

Vivian's POV There she was. Finally. For a fleeting moment, I thought it was Dorian behind me. He must have seen the note. He came to find us. Leonora was probably off with the guards, and Dorian was here with me. To dance, to drink, to forget everything for just one night. Then the man spun me around. My hopes withered and died as I looked into a familiar, sweaty face. It took a second for my brain to register the unkempt beard and bloodshot eyes. Then it clicked. "Brennan?" Brennan, just as drunk and handsy as the night I met him, pulled me toward him. His breath reeked of alcohol. "I saw you dancing. I recognized you. I followed you." I pushed against his chest, trying to create some space. "Hi. It’s, uh… nice to see you again." It wasn’t nice to see him again at all. I hadn’t wanted to see him in the first place. But I had plenty of experience talking drunk, angry men down from dangerous situations. If I started yelling, this would escalate quickly. If Brennan was bold enough to put his hands on me in a crowded restaurant with Dorian sitting two feet away, what might he try now, with no one around? "Where’s your boyfriend?" he sneered. Lie. I heard Dorian’s voice in my head as though he was standing right behind me. "Downstairs. Getting me a drink," I said, starting to pull away. "I should probably go find him—" Brennan’s hand clamped around my wrist. "Weird. Your ‘boyfriend’ looked a lot like a brunette in a crop top." Panic surged in my chest as he laughed. "I told you I was watching you. Saw you the second you walked in." "Okay. My boyfriend isn’t here. I don’t even have a boyfriend." I switched tactics. "I’m here alone, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m not interested in meeting anyone tonight." "We’ve already met," he purred. "And you made a terrible first impression." He shook his head. "No, no, princess. That was you. You left with another man in the middle of our date." "Because you were an hour late. And you showed up drunk. Just like you are now." "I’m drinking. Not drunk," he slurred, his hand sliding down to cup my ass. "I’m sober enough to know you look fucking delicious in that dress." I smacked his chest hard. Brennan wasn’t as big as Dorian, but he wasn’t small either. He was still twice my size. He stumbled back a step, but not enough for me to run for the door. Even if I had the space, I could barely walk in these heels, let alone run. His lazy smile twisted into a sneer as he stalked toward me. "You owe me, you little bitch." I blinked, and Brennan blurred into James. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the club anymore; I was in the bedroom James and I had shared. Brennan pressed me against the glass. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. You make me act like this, Vivian. You get me all worked up. I forced James’s voice out of my mind. He wasn’t here. "I don’t owe you anything," I managed, even as my throat tightened and tears burned in my eyes. "I’ll make it nice for you," Brennan murmured as he slid me toward the corner of the room. I could see the dance floor far below on my left, but no one would notice us up here. If I was going to get out of this, I had to do it myself. Brennan’s hands scraped up under my dress, and I shoved against his chest again. He staggered back a step, but was on me again in seconds. His hands were everywhere, and the smell of alcohol on his breath was making me sick. I brought my knee up hard and connected with his groin. He hissed, but didn’t fall back. He collapsed forward, pinning me against the glass, groaning in my ear. "Your friend didn’t put up any fight at all. She was happy to go along." I froze, my heart stopping for a moment. "My friend?" "The perky brunette in the sparkly dress. I had my eye on you, so she went with my buddy." While I was dancing—during the few moments I let myself relax—some bastard had lured Leonora away. Fuck, fuck, fuck! She could be anywhere. With anyone. The thought of her in some dark corner of the club with a stranger made me sick. I slammed my palms against Brennan’s chest one more time. "Get off me." He swatted my arms away and fumbled with the hem of my dress, dragging his hand up my thigh. I squeezed my legs together until I thought they might snap. "Don’t fucking touch me! I’ll scream." Brennan pulled back just long enough to smirk. "Go ahead. No one will hear you." He was right. No one could hear me. No one could see us. Leonora was alone, and I had to get to her. My dress was hiked up to my waist as I started throwing punches. I flailed at Brennan’s chest, shoulders, and face. He yelled and stumbled back just as one of my fists caught him in the nose. Pain shot through my hand, but I barely noticed it. The adrenaline blocked everything else. Until Brennan drew back and punched me in the face. His fist connected with my cheekbone, my head slamming against the glass behind me. Stars exploded in my vision as an instant, blinding headache took over.

Pain. It was all pain. So much that I couldn’t think of anything else.

Not even when cold air hit my hips.

Not even when unfamiliar fingers tugged at my panties.

Not even when nightmares from my past collided with the harsh reality of what was about to happen to me right now.