Everything closed in on her and she suddenly couldn't breathe. With the thick fog curling around her and the strobe lights flashing, she felt as though the room was shrinking in size, and she had no way to escape. As she was shoved against a man wearing a Bart Simpson mask, and he caught her by the arms in a firm grip, adrenaline and terror spiraled through her.
It was all too much, and more than she could handle mentally. She'd been so strong since her attack, so determined to live her life as normally as possible and not let trepidation and fear rule her every thought or every move she made. But now, tonight, it all came to a head and she could no longer hold back all those emotions and feelings she'd bottled up tight inside of her.
Her heart pounded hard and fast in her chest, and she struggled out of Bart Simpson's grasp. Struggled to find a way out of the crush of people pushing and shoving and suffocating her with their bodies and masked faces. She started to sweat and gulped for air, but oxygen seemed in short supply, and she couldn't seem to inhale a sufficient amount into her lungs. Her head spun, her vision blurred, and a dry, frightened sob nearly strangled her.
As she was frantically pushing her way toward the bar, and Joel, she felt an arm snake around her waist and haul her against a hard, solid chest. Then she was being dragged away. She opened her mouth to scream for help, but no sound emerged.
Oh, God, she thought. Not again. Please, not again.
She grew lightheaded and dizzy, her entire body tingling in cold, stark terror as she kicked and clawed and did everything she could to escape this man's steel embrace. It was no use. The more she fought, the more the person behind her tried to subdue her efforts-and he was much bigger, and more powerful, than she was.
"Goddammit, Lora," a familiar male voice growled into her ear. "It's Joel. Stop fighting me so I can get you out of here!"
Her relief was so profound that her entire body went weak, and she let Joel pull her out of the thick mass of party revelers and into Sydney's office, where her best friend was waiting for the two of them to arrive. The whole scene had an odd sense of déjà vu to Lora, reminding her too much of the night she'd gotten attacked, and how Joel had come to her rescue then, as well.
Once they were safely inside the room, Sydney let her worry spill forth. "Jesus, Lora!" she said, her own voice shaking. "Are you okay?"
Lora couldn't answer. Couldn't talk. The pressure in her chest was still so painful, her throat raw and just as tight as she struggled to take big gulps of air and breathe normally.
"She'll be fine," Joel finally answered calmly, though Lora heard the concern in his voice, too.
The next thing Lora knew, Joel was pushing her onto a chair. Once she was seated, he cupped the back of her neck in his large hand and guided her head down between her legs. Then he crouched in front of her so he remained close by.
"Breathe slow and easy through your nose, sweetheart," he instructed in a low and gentle tone of voice. "Close your eyes, try to relax, and concentrate on taking deep, even breaths."
His voice was so soothing in the midst of her scare. Knowing she was well and truly safe, Lora did as he ordered, inhaling slowly, despite the rapid beating of her heart.
"What's wrong with her?" Sydney asked, pacing beside Lora's chair.
"She's hyperventilating." Joel's fingers stroked the back of Lora's neck, comforting her with his warm touch, his presence. "She'll be okay in a few minutes."
True to Joel's word, Lora's pulse gradually returned to a normal pace. When she finally felt as though her anxiety had subsided and she could breathe without feeling as though she was going to pass out, she lifted her head and stared into Joel's dark blue eyes. His jaw was clenched tight, his gaze narrowed as he searched her face for any other signs of trauma.
"Are you okay?" he asked, tipping her chin up with his fingers to get a better look at her.
Still unable to speak, she moistened her dry lips with her tongue and nodded. Minutes ago she'd been sweating and hot. Now, her skin felt cool. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her bare stomach, suddenly wishing her costume was more substantial than the bra top and sheer material it was made out of.
Joel straightened back to his full height, shrugged out of his leather jacket, and draped it over her shoulders, instantly enveloping her in his warmth and male scent. "Did anything happen out there?" he asked her. "Did anyone try and hurt you?"
His voice was neutral in tone, but the tension radiating from his body and the steel glint in his eyes told her that he'd charge right back into the bar in search of anyone who'd dared to harm her.
She shook her head. "No…" Her voice cracked and she swallowed to ease her parched throat so she could explain. "It was just me. I felt suffocated and closed in with all those masked people crowding around me. I kept thinking that any one of them could be those guys who attacked me, and I completely freaked out." Even now, the thought of going back out into the bar, and being surrounded by so many people, made her stomach twist into knots all over again.
"Well, you certainly scared the crap out of me," Sydney cut in, and fisted her hands on her hips, swathed in a striped pirate sash. Then she pointed a finger at Lora. "You are so done here at the bar. You're not working here until this thing with your brother is over, do you hear me? Because if something happened to you again while you were here working, I'd never forgive myself." Her stern voice softened toward the end, her caring and concern tangible.
Lora didn't have the energy to argue, so she managed a half smile and attempted to lighten the moment. "Are you firing me?"
"I will if I have to." Sydney was completely serious, and Lora knew her friend would have no qualms about following through on the threat. "Whatever it takes to make you start thinking about yourself, and your safety, for a change. I have to get back to tending the bar before things get totally out of control, but as of right now, you're on a forced vacation, which has been long overdue, anyway. This place is off-limits for you. Got it?"
Sydney's curt attitude left no room for negotiation over the issue, which was what made her such a good boss and businesswoman, Lora knew. "Yes, ma'am," she murmured.
Clearly surprised by Lora's too-easy assent, Sydney stared at her for a long moment. When Lora said nothing more, her friend spun around and left the office, closing the door behind her.
"She's right, Lora," Joel said once Sydney was gone and they were alone, backing her friend's decision one hundred percent. "I don't like you working here at the bar, either. Now you know why. It makes you too much of a target, whether you like it or not. And it makes my job of protecting you difficult as hell."
She burrowed deeper into the warmth of his jacket. "You did just fine tonight," she said gratefully.
His lips flattened into a grim line. "Yeah, well, getting to you through that thick mob of people wasn't an easy task."
At the time, Lora had felt as though she'd been trying to wade her way through quicksand, so she could only imagine how hard it had been for Joel to reach her so quickly. Which brought up a curious question. "How did you know that I wasn't okay?"
"Because it's my job to know." It was that simple and straightforward for him. "I've done nothing but watch you the past few weeks, and I've pretty much learned and memorized every one of your facial expressions and what they mean. Trust me, it was easy to recognize the fear in your eyes, and when I realized that something was wrong, I couldn't get to you fast enough."