A Shepherd Afield Pt. 04

"Good evening, Rainor. May I introduce my boyfriend Ben Shepherd? Ben, this is Rainor Hahn." Margaux said smoothly, recovering from her earlier stiffness.

The man affected an awestruck expression. "The Ben Shepherd? The one who kills evil white slavers barehanded, poses naked for statues, rescues young women from dens of sin, and abuses his ex-wife, though that last one was reported in one of those awful scandal magazines so I suppose we should ignore it," he said with a sharp smile as he watched Ben's expression.

He'd delivered his opening salvo boldly, his accent and speaking patterns as crisp as the tailored shirt he was wearing. The dig had been a decisive move but Ben had been prepared for something like this.

"I don't think we're going to be friends, Rain Man," Ben said calmly watching the man's eyes. They showed his confusion then tightened in reaction when he caught the insult. He quickly locked that down and just smiled slightly at Ben. He nodded and turned back to Margaux.

"My wife, Gretchen," he said gesturing back with his perfectly manicured right hand and collected the woman behind him to move her forward.

She was at least 6' plus the three inch heels, very slim but perfectly proportioned in an elegant, form fitting black cocktail dress. She had large, dark brown eyes framed with thick lashes on a heart shaped face. Her straight black hair was in a bob cut reaching and curling in at her shoulders and her blunt straight bangs stopped just above her eyes. She wore only the merest hint of makeup as her lips were naturally pink and full. When she smiled at them her face lit up momentarily but a nervous glance at Rainor hid that brilliance away once more.

Ben saw it then. For all her stature her body language practically screamed it. She was a Sub, potentially in a very strict, possibly abusive relationship. He twitched but clamped down on his reaction brutally. Her eyes widened when she looked at him then she slipped behind her husband once more.

"It should be a pleasant evening on the water, yes? Enjoy!" Rainor nodded to them and turned away, moving back to the bar as his wife followed. She glanced back once at Ben and he caught her eyes with his. Definitely a Sub.

Margaux took a deep breath and looked up at Ben. She caught the stiffness in his body. "Are you ok?"

Ben gave himself a little shake and nodded to her. "Yes. He's a very... unpleasant man. It must be... difficult to be married to him."

Her eyes glanced once more to the tall woman with Rainor. "Perhaps it's her preference. I have known women to give themselves over entirely to controlling pricks like Rainor. Her submissiveness may be an extreme example."

"You saw that too? I have to admit it's the first time I've recognized the signs of someone being a Sub." Ben said in surprise.

Margaux smiled. "Ah yes, the young woman with the tattoos at the dance club. Whatever happened to her?"

"She's doing well. Tina and I signed her up in an Audio Engineering course at the local college and her grades are excellent," Ben said with a proud smile.

"She... she's still with you?" Margaux said, seeming a little rattled.

"Yes, did I fail to mention that?" Ben asked, concerned by the expressions flitting across Margaux's face.

"Yes. It did come as a surprise. Are you... her Dom?" she asked carefully.

He nodded and held her eyes. She nodded and smiled weakly at him. "If you don't mind I need a little air. No, let me... please," she said to stop him from following her as she headed for the side door to the open deck.

Ben let her go but watched her with a worried look on his face. He suddenly felt lost. He wasn't sure what he should do and he was in an unfamiliar place with a bunch of strangers. He looked to the door once more. If she was dealing with her jealousy issue maybe it would be better to give her a little space so he took the stairs up to the upper deck and joined some of the staff watching the sun set over the city.

He was having difficulty enjoying the view and looked at the group around him. Several smiled at him and he smiled back but one man walked over with a pretty woman at his side.

"Hi, I understand you're Margaux's boyfriend. I'm Kayden Price and this is my wife Molly," he said offering his hand.

Ben shook it and recalled this was the man Margaux thought so highly of. "Ben Shepherd," he said as he moved to shake Molly's hand as well. They were both probably in their early thirties and looked like a happy couple. Kayden had sandy brown hair and wire rimmed glasses and Molly's hair was a darker brown and pulled back into a ponytail. She had a sweet wholesomeness about her and a naturally smiling face which was beaming widely now.

"I'm a big fan, Mr. Shepherd!" Molly gushed.

"Oh?" he asked cautiously. He was famous for a few things, not all of them he was proud of, so this was a tricky subject for him.

"The way you rescued those girls from the slavers was inspiring!" she continued, oblivious to his unease.

"Ah, yes. Well, just in the wrong place at the right time," he said humbly and looked back to the stairs wondering if he should go find Margaux.

"How did you meet Ms. De la Cruz?" Molly gushed.

"Molly!" her husband gasped.

"It's fine. It's not a state secret. We bumped into each other at a dance club in Paris," he said with a smile.

"Love at first sight?" Molly continued to her husband's dismay.

"Hardly! He ruined my night!"

Ben turned and saw Margaux standing behind him. He looked to her and her smiled was a little shaky. He moved closer but she leaned away from him and patted his arm as she turned her face to Kayden and gave his cheek a kiss as well as his wife's.

"So good to see you again Molly!" she said.

"It's always a pleasure to see you!" the young woman smiled.

"Crap, I was hoping he'd missed the boat." Kayden sighed as he spotted Rainor coming up the stairs.

Ben didn't have to turn around to know who he was talking about. "Rain Man," Ben sighed.

"Rain... PFFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kayden exploded into a loud, uncontrolled laughter as Ben's nickname for Rainor struck his funny bone. Molly caught the insult too and couldn't stop giggling. People around them stopped to look over at the laughing man and smiled. Ben watched the man's laughter with a grin.

Rainor approached the group with his wife at his heel. Kayden was red faced, his eyes were watering, and he was gasping for breath. Margaux handed him a napkin to dry his eyes which he gratefully accepted. Molly's giggles were beginning to sound a little nervous as the tall man stopped to smile at them. Ben caught her eye and shook his head faintly with a smile and Molly relaxed.

"Delightful to hear you enjoying yourself so much Kayden. Was it a good joke?" he asked his co-worker.

"Mmmhmm!" was all Kayden could manage as he clamped his mouth shut to stop the laughter but his eyes glanced towards Ben and Rainor caught the motion.

"Ah. So, a joke at my expense maybe?" His smile became a little stiff as he looked to Ben. The men locked eyes but the relaxed smile on Ben's face never wavered. Rainor stepped a little closer. "Has no one ever taught you how to play nice?" he said quietly for Ben's ears only.

The words were soft but Rainor's voice held a definite note of threat. The man did not like being the butt of jokes.

"I did say we wouldn't be friends," Ben said equally quiet. There was something not quite right behind Rainor's eyes but Ben wasn't about to give him an inch. Instead, he leaned in.

"What's going on up here?" Di asked as she approached with the other Asset Managers. They'd heard the laughter from all the way down on the lower deck and came to investigate.

"I swear they're about to whip them out and take measurements!" Nan responded happily and her group giggled excitedly at the idea.

Ben cracked a grin but his eyes never left Rainor's who was beginning to look a little unnerved by the approaching ladies.

ZZZIP!

Rainor looked down in surprise when he heard Ben's zipper drop. The ladies shrieked in delight causing Rainor to leap back. Ben slowly closed his zipper much to the disappointment of the gathered crowd.

Rainor's face was red with suppressed rage and humiliation. He roughly dragged his wife away back down the stairs to the main level.

Ben saw her wince at her husband's tight grip on her arm and regretted pushing the man so hard as he was likely going to take it out on her. The woman's eyes were on him as she descended the stairs.

"You enjoyed that," Margaux accused him with a curious look.

He turned to look at her with a slight smile. "Maybe." Then he winced and the smile was gone. "I shouldn't have pushed him so hard but the man doesn't know when to say enough." He cast a concerned look in the direction they went. "I'm worried about his wife. He's not quite right in the head. Keep an eye out for him tonight. He may try to retaliate." Ben looked at her seriously and she nodded though an odd... possibly angry expression flashed across her face before she looked away.

Before he could ask her what was wrong Kayden leaned in close and Molly did too. "Mr. Shepherd, that was absolutely wonderful! I've wanted to see him taken down a notch since I first met him. He gives my Molly creepy looks and he's so rude!" Molly nodded vigorously.

"Yes, that was fun but remember we have to work with him come Monday morning so picking on Rainor is done for the night." Margaux said and looked around to catch the eyes of the group around her. She received nods. "Come on. They'll be serving dinner soon. Let's find a table."

They made their way downstairs and saw the tables had been prepared so they found seats and the waiters circulated amongst them serving the prepared food. Ben enjoyed his meal as did Margaux who stood up halfway through the meal to address the group and thank everyone for the successful launch.

Ben kept scanning the group for signs of Rainor and his wife but they remained missing throughout the meal. His agitation increased as the image of her staring at him as she slipped out of sight on the stairs returned to him again and again.

When dessert was served Ben excused himself to use the washroom. On the way back he took the long way to see if he could spot the missing couple. They weren't out on the back deck, the front deck, or the lounge above the dining area. Finally he made his way up to the top deck. It was empty as everyone was downstairs enjoying the dessert.

Then he picked up an odd sound. He held still and listened hard trying to separate the sounds of the ship from the odd noise. He moved around slowly until he recognized it as feeble crying but he couldn't find where it was coming from. Finally he tracked the sound to a low storage locker next to the top railing. He leaned over it and spotted Gretchen wedged between the locker and the railing lying on her right side. He could see she was bleeding and bruised. Her left arm looked swollen. How she'd gotten between the locker and the railing he had no idea but she wasn't able to move. She cried pitifully.

"Gretchen? It's Ben Shepherd. Can you hear me?"

Her crying got a little louder.

"Shhh, it's going to be alright. Hang on!"

He rushed downstairs and found the first crewman and told him to let the captain know they needed an ambulance and the police immediately. He caught Kayden's attention and gestured for him to come quickly. Margaux, Molly, and some of the Asset Managers followed.

When Kayden got to his side he pulled him towards the stairs up. "Gretchen is hurt and stuck between a locker and the railing. If she isn't hurt too badly I think we should try to get her out."

Ben led them to the locker and Gretchen was still there.

"Oh my god! How did this happen!" Kayden gasped.

"I've no idea. This is where I found her. I wouldn't have found her at all if she hadn't been crying. I've seen no sign of Rainor." Ben said and Gretchen's crying became sobs again.

Ben leaned over the locker, resting his palms on its surface but pulled his hands away quickly. There was something slippery on the metal surface of the locker.

Kayden looked at Ben's hands. "What's that?"

Ben sniffed his hands. "Smells like baby oil."

"Someone was up here earlier getting a tan?" Molly asked.

Ben pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped his hands clean. He and Kayden moved to either end of the locker, Ben up by her head and Kayden at her feet. They carefully slid an arm under Gretchen's wedged body.

"Support her head!" Molly called out and Ben nodded.

Nodding to each other to indicate they were ready, the two men gently and slowly lifted Gretchen straight up. The position and angle were awkward and she wasn't a light woman. Kayden was breathing hard from the effort.

Once she was able, Gretchen turned her head to look up at Ben. He sucked in a breath at the bruises he saw on her throat. Her lip was split and her cheek was bruised as well. Her tear filled eyes held onto his as he quietly told her everything would be alright and she should hold still. Some crew members arrived with blankets and were going to place them on the locker top but Margaux stopped them and pointed to the deck instead. They looked like they were going to protest but she stared them down. Ben and Kayden eased the injured woman down onto the blanket then gently onto her back. She hissed when her left arm bumped against the deck.

"Looks like it's broken," Kayden said and Ben nodded grimly.

"It's a spiral fracture," Ben said. He'd seen a few of these growing up in the foster care houses he ended up in. The limb looked swollen and red and the bruise from a hand's overly tight grip could be clearly seen on it.

Ben saw the damage he assumed Rainor had done and trembled with suppressed rage. He looked up at the gathered faces. "Has anyone seen Rainor?" he growled. Everyone shook their heads. He looked down into the desperate eyes of the woman on the blanket. "I'm so sorry for your injuries. Did- did your husband do this?" She nodded and Ben's guilt stabbed him in the chest. "Do you know where he is?" She nodded again. With her right hand she pointed to the railing. Ben was confused and he traded looks with Margaux. She stood and walked to the rail and looked around. When she looked down she sucked in a sharp breath and looked back in shock.

"What? Did you find him?" Ben asked.

"No. Let's wait for the police," she said but her look was troubled.

Gretchen was crying again and she clung to Ben's hand with a desperate strength. She pulled it to her cheek and closed her eyes. Ben looked at Margaux, his guilt written on his face. She turned her face away.

They didn't have long to wait as the captain had turned the ship around and took them back to the pier where an ambulance and several police cars were waiting. No one was allowed to leave the boat until the police took their statements. They confirmed that Rainor wasn't on the boat. The officers looked over the rail where Margaux had been earlier and got one of their boats to pull up alongside the vessel to take pictures of small red streaks on the side of the hull. They also took pictures of the locker and took samples of the oil residue on top of it.

They questioned Ben and had to do it while he held Gretchen's hand. She was still clinging tightly to him and Ben couldn't get her to let go. Her eyes would widen with fear and she'd begin to wail when he tried. Ben was shaking, his guilt was eating at his gut and he looked desperately to Margaux for help but she was having difficulty looking at him. The paramedics needed to move Gretchen, she had some tender ribs which might have been broken, but she insisted he had to go with them. As she was beginning to panic, the paramedic asked him to accompany them in the ambulance. The police would be following so they agreed.

Ben looked at Margaux. "I have to make sure my people get home. You go on ahead and once you're done just come back to the condo. I'll leave instructions with security to let you in and give them a spare key," she said. Her tone sent a chill through Ben. He could tell she was upset but when he tried to ask about it she just walked away.

"We have to go sir," the paramedic said. Ben nodded and with a final worried look at Margaux's back as she spoke with her people he followed the paramedics and Gretchen down the stairs and off the boat. They crossed to the pier and went into the back of the ambulance. Ben wasn't able to hold her hand and had to sit back out of the way of the paramedic working on her but his presence seemed to calm her.

They made their way quickly to the hospital but Ben had time to think about what an ass he'd been to push the obviously unstable man. He knew he hadn't expected any of this to happen but he kicked himself for not following Rainor when he stormed off hurting his wife's arm in his cruel grip.

At the hospital he followed them in but he was initially stopped at the entrance to the exam rooms and told to wait in the waiting room. Gretchen began to panic once more. Ben wondered what Rainor had done to the woman to make her behave like this. He knew she was a sub but he'd never experienced such extreme behaviour before. They finally moved him into her exam room and she immediately reached for him with wide teary eyes. His guilt stabbed him again as she seemed so lost.

He held her right hand and she immediately began to calm. She kept her eyes on his and he smiled at her. The nurse with them smiled at him gratefully for calming the patient as she pushed through the curtain leaving the cubicle. Then they were alone.

"You're going to be fine now. The doctors will take good care of you and get you all patched up. You have to let them take their x-rays and do their examination."

She held his eyes and nodded, accepting his orders. Ben blinked at her and recalled the words Margaux said about how some Subs give themselves completely to their Dom and wondered if this included their decision making. His warning bells were going off.

"I told him you were stronger," she said softly, her accent making her words sound distinct to Ben's ears.

Ben froze and looked into her eyes. "You what?"

"You are stronger. I can see it in your eyes. I've known for some time Rainor's mind was weak. He seemed so strong but over the ten years we've been together it became evident. He was missing... important pieces."

"Why did you tell him that?"

"I needed to free myself of him. When I saw his pitiful attempt to dominate you I knew I could no longer be his. I knew he would react badly. I- I thought you might protect me from him but he took me upstairs where no one could see us when he..." She turned her head sharply, blinking away the tears as she relived the brutal beating she'd endured.

"Oh my god, Gretchen! You don't even know me. We hadn't even spoken! How could you have known I would stop him?" Ben exclaimed.

Her eyes returned to his and Ben handed a tissue for her to dab her eyes dry. She smiled. "You're Ben Shepherd. I saw you on the news. It's what you do."

He rocked back from the worship in her eyes.

"What happened to Rainor?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

"He beat me. Strangled me. Physically he could overpower me but I could see the weakness in his eyes now. He knew it. He threw me against the railing and I became stuck. I could hear him pacing then he jumped on top of the locker. I heard him cry out, the railing was struck and vibrated hard. Then I saw him falling past me. I- I knew it was over then." The relief on her face was intense and tears rolled away from the corners of her dark eyes.

"Rainor fell into the water? He could swim though, right? He looked like a swimmer!" Ben said, grasping at the chance the man could still be alive.