"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.