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Sean winced as he raised a hand to his head for the umpteenth time in the past hour.
God damn it... Despite the fact that he'd been unconscious for maybe fifteen minutes before that security guard had found him at the arena, he was driving. He remembered what had happened instantly, fortunate to have not suffered a concussion.
That bastard... That miserable fucking bastard had surprised them. Oh, God... Stephanie... His mouth was ash dry as he thought about her, fear coursing through him as he wondered what on earth Levesque might have done to her. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined it. It was his worst nightmare along with the brunette having to marry the asshole.
The security guard who'd found him had insisted he be taken to a hospital emergency room, just in case. Sean had stubbornly declined, knowing full well he had to get the hell out of there and search. Where had that worthless bastard taken Stephanie?
He'd been driving for about a half-hour, having no idea where Levesque could have gone. He was just about at his wit's end, although he would never give up on the search for her. Thoughts of Vince McMahon flitted through his head as he wondered if the man might have a clue as to his daughter's whereabouts. But he rejected that idea, as he had to hold onto the belief that there was no way the boss would be all right with the brunette being taken away at gunpoint. He realized that was what had happened, that Levesque had clubbed him in the head with the butt of a gun.
He didn't know what he was going to do... When he'd been coherent enough to do so, he'd called 911 and reported Stephanie as being missing. Those assholes had simply told him that, because the brunette was an adult, they couldn't consider her missing until she'd been gone for twenty-four hours. He'd tried to explain that she'd been taken by force by her fiance, which had been a huge mistake. The police had then been unwilling to help, the person on the line chuckling - causing Sean to want to reach through the cell phone and strangle the life out of him.
O'Haire let out a snarl as he recalled the man's words.
'Come on now, son... She's simply gone off back to her fiance. That's all there is to it. We can't help you.'
*
With extreme pain wracking her body, Stephanie somehow managed to push herself up off of the bed. Tears were still flooding her eyes as she recoiled away from Paul, the bastard having fallen asleep shortly after brutalizing her.
He'd forced himself on her... He'd raped her - something he'd never once done before. She was filled with even more horror at the not-so-distant memory than perhaps she'd been during the despicable act.
Now, she was in horrible pain. Paul had forced himself into her before she was anywhere near ready for him, and she was positive she'd suffered a tear due to his disgusting violation. She had tried to fight him, but it had been futile, as there was no way she could have matched his incredible physical strength. She'd scratched at his chest and back during the act, but to no avail as well.
She cast her tearful eyes to the door, horror shivering its way up her spine. At some point in the night, Levesque had shoved a heavy piece of furniture in front of it. Despite the fact that he was now sleeping so soundly, Stephanie was trapped...
The battered brunette glanced quickly around the room, her eyes widening as she glanced back toward the bed. The asshole was still sound asleep, and was beginning to snore. That sound terrified her - yet, at the same time, she was thankful he was out for now and couldn't hurt her. She glanced back toward her jacket, which lay discarded on the floor by the door.
Gingerly, Stephanie crept her way to it, remembering that her cell phone was in one of the pockets. She had to do something... Sean - she had to call him. Somehow, someway, he would help her, rescue her, get her out of this horrible and nightmarish predicament.
She bit her lip to stifle the whimper that threatened to break free as she reached her jacket, her left hand snaking into one pocket. The phone was not there. No! But then, moving swiftly, she discovered it was in the other one. Snatching up the cell, she managed to limp quickly to the bathroom - where she closed and then locked the door, her weakened form crumpling in a heap to the cool, tiled floor.
Her cell phone was turned off. She wondered if O'Haire had tried to reach her. Hastily, she pressed the little switch to put it back on, praying the battery was fully charged.
Quickly, she came to realize she'd missed several calls and that she had three messages. In a hurry, she discovered the calls she'd missed had come from Sean's own cell phone. Likewise, the messages were from him. He sounded positively frantic in each one of them.
Her hands shaking, Stephanie dialed his number. She held her breath, terror consuming her as she thought about what might happen if Paul were to awaken and find out she was in here, and calling him. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she tried desperately to rid her mind of those horrid thoughts. And then she heard that deep, beloved voice.
"Stephanie, oh, my God! Where *are* you?"
"I'm... at a hotel with... with... *him*," she said in a choked whisper.
"Where? Where is it?!" he demanded, panic seeming prevalent in his tone. "I've been driving around, looking for you!"
"I don't..." Tears nearly overwhelmed the brunette as she cast around her mind for the name of the hotel. Was it a Holiday Inn, a Marriott? That information seemed to be just eluding her. Damn it! "Sean, I'm... oh, God!" She cringed at the volume increase of her voice, her heart nearly stopping at the thought that Paul could have awoken and heard her. Suddenly, she recalled the name of the hotel and even the street it was located on, and she excitedly whispered that information to him.
"Thank God... I'll find you, Steph - I promise you that," Sean said brokenly. "You just sit tight."
She was sobbing silently at this point, praying that what he said would come true - and that Levesque
would not wake up for some time. For all *she* cared, he could *never* awaken again.