Scarlet

"How good of you to do all of that just for me. Bitch."

Karen cringed at the voice and tried to huddle further into the wall. Wolfe's mind hiccupped at the size of the shadow looming out of the darkness, before it resolved itself into a familiar face. Recognizing the countenance that leered at them, she rose to her feet still holding Karen's hand.

"You! How did you get in here?"

He laughed. "I have friends. Friends who don't like how you keep them from gaining their full potential."

"What do you want? Why did you return?"

"I will not be denied my pleasures. So I came back. I saw her come up alone. I followed her. I thought I would amuse myself with her. Having you here is a nice bonus. You'll be a better amusement. For now. I can always give her some special attention later. After you and I come to an understanding about who is in charge."

Releasing Karen's hand, Wolfe set herself in a defensive stance. She would not allow him to do what he wanted without a fight. She would not allow him to dominate or abuse anyone in her trust. She would never submit to him herself. Never!

Karen huddled into herself, but was unable to tear her eyes away from the hellish situation unfolding in front of her. As she watched he drew his hands out from behind his body. In his hands was a long slender length . . . Violet's baton! Violet had an ornamental plaque in her office for it on the wall. Now the baton was in his hands.

Seeing the baton Wolfe adjusted her position into a different defensive stance. The room was too small for maneuvering. The desk and chairs took up too much space. Wolfe's only chance, which was going to be very difficult, was to take him down fast. He outweighed her, was stronger, and was armed.

He laughed again. In Karen's mind, the laughs and taunts of the boys in her first assault echoed again. She remembered them. HE was like them. Was one of them. Like her earlier tormentors, come back to terrorize her again. To use her. To hurt her. And laugh.

He swung a practice swing with the baton before stepping in. Wolfe blocked and levered a front kick. Grunting he fell back. Narrowing his eyes, he took two quick forward steps, feinted and swung the baton again.

CRACK! The baton struck Wolfe's wrist. From her swift intake of breath, grunt of pain and the way she immediately cradled her arm, Karen knew that Wolfe's wrist was broken.

A swift blow with the baton to the back of Wolfe's knee brought her down. As she tried to defend herself with only one good arm from her semi-kneeling position, he grabbed that arm, twisted it and hammered Wolfe's shoulder joint with the wooden butt of the baton.

A pop and another scream from Wolfe as her shoulder slid out of its socket. Ruthlessly he kneed Wolfe in the face. Karen watched as Wolfe sprawled on the floor screaming from the pain in her dislocated shoulder and broken wrist. Both arms unuseable meant she'd be unable to protect herself or prevent him from doing whatever he wanted.

Quickly he dropped on top of her with his legs over hers preventing Wolfe from kicking. She screamed again as she tried to use her arms to defend herself. Her injuries limiting what she could do in that regard, one out flung arm would not respond at all, the other was broken. Each movement as Wolfe tried to defend herself was agony.

With a wrench he tore open Wolfe's blouse. Buttons scattered from the force of his hands as the lightweight fabric ripped open. He harshly twisted and squeezed Wolfe's breasts through the lacy fabric of her bra. Reaching down, he shoved his hands under her skirt as Wolfe bucked to try to prevent him even as she screamed with the pain. After a few moments he withdrew his hands, unbuckled his belt and opened his pants.

"Time to learn your place, bitch." He was breathing heavily. Seemingly forgetting about everything except what he intended to do to Wolfe. Forgot about whatever his intentions were in coming back. About Karen. About everything. The only thing he was paying attention to were Wolfe's feeble attempts to fight back. Karen could see by his erection that Wolfe's resistance and helplessness excited him even as it disgusted her. The difference between the rough BDSM sex in the Club and this was definitively clear. There was no comparison.

Uselessly Wolfe struggled. She tried to use her broken arm as a weapon. Each time she tried she gave another scream or grunt of pain. Karen watched Wolfe's hand flop with each attempt. Each cry from the pain of her attempts to defend herself ringing through the room. Still, Wolfe fought on. Knowing that she might lose, but never willing to submit, she fought to protect herself. She fought to protect what was hers. To protect Karen.

The door was locked so no one could get in to help them. Security wasn't responding anyway. With Wolfe injured there was no one left. No one to protect Karen. To protect Violet. Or April. Or Annie. Or even that nice looking guy in the dark brown suit whose name she'd never learned. There was no one. Just Them. They would win. They would hurt everyone. Everyone she loved and cared about.

No! The thought was a cold bolt through her heart. A freezing jolt of something. Not fear, but something. Something that prodded her to get up. To act. To stop the pain. To stop the horror. To make it safe there again.

Looking around she tried to find something to fight with. There was nothing. He had the only weapon in the form of the baton. There was only the computer keyboard and mouse which would do nothing to even slow him down. There weren't even any cords in the room! Other than that there were only the clothes she had on.

Her clothes! The shoelace! Silently she ripped the lace out of her hair. Hurry! Hurry! No time to be slow. No time for mistakes. Hurry!

Noiseless in her bare feet, she quickly made a slip noose in the shoelace. She stuck her cupped fingers into the loop. Very light tension on the lace kept the loop against her upturned cupped fingers. Padding on silent feet up behind him she readied herself. He would have to reposition his body. When he did she would make her move and use the skills she'd been taught about pain and bindings.

He shoved his pants down further as Wolfe unsuccessfully tried to prevent him from moving between her legs. When ready, he used his weight to hold Wolfe down and slid between her thighs. His scrotum hanging and swinging as he readied for his first thrust. Intent and fixated on Wolfe, he was still forgetting about Karen's presence in the room. Even though her movements should have caught his eye.

With one silent step forward, Karen darted her hands between his spread legs, grabbed and pulled. She yanked on the lace with her other hand. The noose slipped off her fingers to bind around his testicles as she pulled it tight. Pulling up as hard as she could, Karen straightened and braced herself with a foot on the seat of his lowered pants to hold him in place as she pulled.

"Ahhhhhhh!" His cry was deafening as he tried to lift his body off of Wolfe in response to the pain from his strangled testicles. Karen's weight on his pants kept him in place, unable to rise. She was now the one in control. She was the one in charge. She was! Not Them. Not any more.

Grabbing the baton from the floor under his hand, he tried to swing it behind his back to hit her with it. Karen used her free hand to grab his wrist. Levering it up, she kicked him in the crotch. A crushing pop told her that she hit her mark.

Another animal scream. He dropped the baton, falling forward trying to cup his ruined testicles with his free hand. Wolfe's scream joined his as the falling weight wrenched her injured shoulder.

"Thank you." Karen snatched the baton out of the air.

In her mind Karen marveled at how she said it very calmly. It was like a different person was speaking with her voice and mouth. Karen swung the baton and smashed it into the side of his head. The force of the blow knocking him sideways off of Wolfe, yanking the boot lace from her other hand. Another blow sent him rolling across the floor. A stomping kick and another blow as he came to a stop against the desk. Another. Another. With each blow and kick she delivered a storm of angry words, raging against the hurt They had inflicted on her and her friends. Each blow or kick battering its way through his defensively flailing arms. Connecting time after time with his body as he attempted to avoid her wrath, Karen vented her anger on her memories as well as her current opponent.

"You will not. You will never. They are mine. I will never let you hurt them. Never ever hurt any of them. Not you. Not anyone. They. Are. Mine. This is MY House. MY Place! You will not come here and hurt them. EVER!"

Time and time again, she delivered a powerful kick or blow as he curled and writhed on the floor until he was still. Unmoving, except for barely discernable breathing. Karen paused to catch her breath.

A crash and the locked door flew open. Suddenly there were bodies everywhere. A confusion of shouted voices and orders. Her breath rasping as she dragged air into her screaming lungs, Karen raised her baton and faced the new threat. She would defend herself and Wolfe. No matter who threatened. No matter the consequence.

The lights came on fully. Karen snarled at the invaders as she turned to face them. Her hair was tangled and flying wildly. The half of her face which had been turned away and unseen by Wolfe, was black from bruising from where she had been slammed into the wall before Wolfe unknowingly interrupted. Blood trickled from where her earring had been torn out of her ear lobe. Her lipstick was smeared in a long red slash across her bruised cheek. Her eye was swollen and bloodshot. She bared her teeth and lifted the baton.

She was beautiful. Disheveled and bloody in her fury, yet unbowed, beautiful was the only possible way to describe her. Not beautiful in the classic sense. Rather, she was a picture of absolute retribution. Defiance showing in every silver haired line and shadow of her alabaster form, she held the baton ready for combat while standing over her defeated assailant. Beautiful. Powerful. Strong.

"MINE!" She shouted at them as the voices quieted and the shuffling of bodies drew still. A pause. Unbidden and with slow deliberation, the black clad men who had come to rescue her and Wolfe, silently went to one knee before her.

"Domna," they spoke in quiet unison.

Twenty

The next few hours were a whirlwind of confusion, questions, evasions, half answers and outright lies. When the security team had knelt before her, Karen had been stunned. A moan from Wolfe brought her around. When no one moved to do anything, she began issuing orders. Her questions flew.

"Has 911 been called? Is an ambulance on the way? The police? We need copies of everything that was recorded to show to the police; from both today and the other time. Limit the recordings to just the time frames of the events please, nothing more. No! Don't try to move her. Her arm is broken and her other shoulder is dislocated I think."

Kneeling next to Wolfe Karen smoothed Wolfe's hair back and away from her face. "We need to wait until trained medical help arrives but you will be ok. I promise."

A smile from Wolfe and a silently mouthed 'good girl' brought an answering smile from Karen. "Try to relax. It won't be long."

"No! Let me through!" The shout that could only belong to Violet struggling to get to Karen. To know Karen was all right. Karen stood and waved the security men out of the way.

"Let her."

A tiny naked red headed missile slammed into her chest. Hands patted, trembling fingers touched. Huge scared green eyes looked and checked that Karen was unhurt. Gentle exploring fingers hovered momentarily over Karen's bruised face before tiny arms wrapped around her body in a fierce hug. Dropping a light kiss on Violets crown, Karen looked at the door. At the half dressed man who stood there.

"Dominick?"

"Yes ma'am?"

Ignoring the discourtesy, Karen looked at him fully. "Would you please do me a personal favor? Take a car and driver to fetch Mitch, Mitchell, from the house and bring him to me here? You've seen me. You know I'm ok. You can assure him that I am unharmed. Or, at least I'm not seriously injured. Please? I'd rather he hear about this from a good friend than the police or anyone else."

Dominick's eyes flickered between Karen and Violet. Karen used a finger to tip Violet's face up from where she had plastered it tight to Karen's chest.

"Violet? Love, I need you to get dressed and go with Dominick to get Mitchell for me."

Violet's little trembling "No, stay, please" warmed her heart. Yet Violet should not stay if Dominick left. Karen stiffened and her voice grew cold and bored.

"Miss Violet, are you refusing to do what you are told?"

Violet shook her head, but refused to release Karen.

"Go with your Owner or be taken away to be punished. That is your only choice. Either way you will not stay here."

With a squeeze to Karen's ribs, Violet let go and stood silently in front of Karen looking into her eyes while making tiny abortive grasping motions with her fingers.

"I'll be fine. It is safe here. I will make sure it is safe here. For everyone. I need you to do this for me. You and Dominick. Please?"

Violet searched Karen's face once again then nodded before turning and leaving with Dominick. They were only a few feet down the hall before Violet began to run. With a startled squawk, Dominick bolted after her.

"Someone please make sure that there are clothes for her to put on in the car. Otherwise she will probably run around naked until she gets back here." Karen shook her head at the absurdity of that mental image.

The police arrived before the medical team. Uniformed officers poured into the tiny office, nearly trampling over Wolfe before Karen shouted at them to get out before they hurt someone. A few looked around in confusion. As if they couldn't quite realize why they were there. Most of the officers ignored her shouted command. When one officer did step on Wolfe she screamed at the pain. Karen grabbed him and threw him into the knot of his comrades.

"You stupid ass. Get out of here before you hurt someone else!" Her anger at his oafishness was palpable.

As one, the remaining officers turned to face her. Several hands found their way to stun guns, night sticks, and handcuffs. One misguided idiot drew his revolver and held it with both hands aimed in her direction. Karen lifted her baton while she straddled Wolfe's prostrate body.

"I wouldn't if I were you." The soft voice came from outside the room. Heads turned and Chasandra appeared in the doorway. Her elbows were resting on the door jam to either side. Arms folded inward at shoulder height, fingers laced together under her chin, she smiled at them in feral humor like a black Cheshire cat. A sea of grim faces and heavy bodies jammed the hallway behind her. The collective low muttering growl from them was like the pressure wave from an explosion. It had a physical ominous presence.

"Hurt either of them and you will not like what happens next."

"Is that a threat?" An officer growled back at her as he turned and aimed his tazer.

"She doesn't make threats." The whisper from Wolfe made them all freeze. "But, I do. If this goes sideways you will very quickly find out how badly you've screwed up. And, how much worse it will get for you. I promise you; you will not like it. Hurt her and some of you, if not all of you will need emergency medical treatment before the night is done. By my word and seal!"

Chasandra's bark of laughter at the sight of an injured and nearly unconscious woman on the floor threatening armed police was overridden by a commotion at the rear of the crowded hallway. Several of the grim faced men in the back of the jammed crowd turned and checked their flank.

"Out of the way! Let me through." The voice came from the center of the disturbance as men moved aside to let whoever it was pass. A man in a tan raw silk sports coat and brown slacks appeared behind Chasandra ducking under her arms into the room.

"Put that away and stand down. Who do you think you're going to shoot in here anyway?" The man worked his way across the crowded room to stand in front of Karen. Karen raised her baton to a guard position. Mine!

"Sir?"

"I said stand down! Use your head and eyes. She's one of the injured. She isn't going to attack. She's trying to keep you idiots from hurting the other injured woman on the floor! Now, clear out. Clear the hall so that the paramedics can get through."

"But, sir!"

The man turned and looked at the uniformed officer. "OUT! Go back to chasing parked cars for God's sake. Do something, anything, but GET OUT! You two, stay." The man pointed at a couple of older men with golden hash marks sewn on their sleeves.

Slowly, and with some not so subtle grumbling, the banished officers filed out of the room. The security teams in the hallway, moving to the sides, forced the police to walk a gauntlet of unfriendly stares as they left.

The man squatted next to Wolfe. "Hello Maria."

"Steven," Wolfe whispered. "How very nice to see you again. Please excuse me if I don't get up."

"No, that's perfectly fine. Are you ok enough that you can tell me what happened?"

"Rape. Attempted rape. Stalking. Sexual assault. Battery. I walked in on it and he attacked me as well."

A groan from the man on the floor as he began to awaken.

"Cuff him. Just in case." The man Wolfe had called Steven ordered over his shoulder.

"So, you weren't the intended victim? Who was? Her?"

Wolfe nodded a short jerky nod grimacing as her shoulder protested even that small movement. "Yes."

"Ok. Rest. I think I saw the paramedics arriving when I came in. We can talk later."

Wolfe closed her eyes and the man stood up.

"Detective Steven Howell." The man whom Wolfe had named Steven reached into his coat. He produced a business card and held it out to Karen. When she did not take it he gave a sigh and placed it on the desk.

"Can I ask your name at least?"

Karen looked down at Wolfe on the floor. Without opening her eyes Wolfe responded to Karen's silence and unspoken question.

"He's a friend. From a long time ago. A different life. A different place. Not here. Not now."

Understanding the unspoken Karen looked at Howell.

"Karen. Karen Harper. I work here. This is my office."

"As what? What do you do?"

"I'm a liaison between management and membership. Problems from membership are brought to me. I either resolve them or send them upstairs if the issue isn't within my purview."

"Oh. So you're the Complaint Department?"

A grunt from Wolfe made them both look down to see her smile and whisper a half heard "I have a complaint. Owww . . ."

Karen dropped to her knees again, ignoring Wolfe's endorphin powered attempt at humor. "Shhhh. Relax. I've got this. Relax. Help is coming."

Howell remained standing, waiting until Wolfe was quiet again.

"Ok. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Better, I can show you." Karen stood back up and turned to the computer on the desk and began tapping keys. Almost immediately the screen showed the recording of her entering the office earlier. Before she could even turn on the lights, she was sent flying by a shove from behind as he came in.

As the recording continued to play, Karen watched impassively. Flinching only when Wolfe's screams sounded from the speakers built in to the computer monitor. When it was over, she cleared the screen and hit a few more keys. Another window opened to show the earlier attack on that first day.