TW: drug abuse, mentions of sexual harassment and sensitive themes.

Ethan woke with a gasp, sitting upright before his eyes were fully open.

He wiped the beads of cold sweat from his forehead, casting a deathly look at his screaming phone.

He was sure that this call at this ungodly hour was the reason he was up and not the nightmare, which was still very evident in the frantic beats of his heart.

He picked up the phone begrudgingly, as if the thing would sense his distaste and just stop ringing. He frowned at the name of his club glowing on the screen.

Why would anyone from there call him at 12 am and that too on Christmas eve?

"Mr. Williams, there is a call for you," Vanessa, the receptionist at his club said as soon as he picked the call.

"It's midnight," he deadpanned, rubbing the heels of his palm over his sleep ridden eyes. "I'm not interested."

"Boss," her voice adopted a more panicked edge and Ethan found himself wide awake. "I think you should take this."

She didn't wait for him to respond before she connected the call to his phone.

"Ethan?"

It took him barely a second to recognize that voice.

“Amelia? What the hell?”

“Oh, thank God. Ethan, I… I need help, please. I didn’t know who else to call and you’re the only person that came to mind. Fuck, Ethan, I'm trapped. I don’t know what to do. And I could have called the cops but I don't trust them. And you weren’t the wisest option as well but…”

Ethan’s heart sank all the way to the bottom of his stomach. He could hear the terror in her voice.

“Okay, Amelia, stop,” He said, stopping her nervous rambling as he threw off the blanket. He pulled on his slippers, fumbling around in his bedside drawer.

“Where are you right now?” he asked.

“I... at a club. Nightclub Oasis. Ethan,” she dropped her voice to a whisper and Ethan wanted nothing more than to hold her close. “I think I’ve been drugged.”

He stopped breathing for a second.

A visceral, unreal sort of fear clenched his heart. He have had a gun pointed to his head more times than he could count, he had seen death closely multiple times but he’d never felt this sort of fear before.

He finally found his gun, pulling it out and stuffing it in his back pocket before he rushed outside.

"I'm on my way, Amelia. Keep talking to me."

He pushed open the main door and the guards turned towards him, their faces alert.

"Cameron, bring the car. Quick. Quick. Ian, call Kenneth. Tell him to find a club called nightclub Oasis and send me the location and then get there as soon as possible."

"Amelia, are you there?" he asked as Cameron bought the car in the driveway.

Ethan settled inside. Cameron hit the acceleration, speeding out of the driveway.

"Amelia, fuck, give me an answer."

"Ethan," she whispered, "I think he's here."

"Who is?"

"The guy who spiked my drink, I think. I can't see his face."

"Fuck, okay, listen to me carefully, okay? You need to go hide somewhere. You need to lock yourself in. I'll find you and I'll get you out, I promise. But right now, you need to hide."

"I am hiding. I'm in the ladies restroom but it's empty. There was a storeroom here somewhere. I don't know why I didn't go there. I'm alone here in the restroom and I think he's outside. I can hear footsteps."

"Okay, okay, that was really smart. You're so fucking smart. Now, I want you to relax, okay? I'm on my way. Amelia, turn on the location on your phone and then put it in your pocket. Can you do that?"

"I... yes, I can try."

"Good, you're being so brave. Just hold on okay? I'll be there any minute."

Which wasn't true and Ethan was going to raze the world to the ground if anything happened to her.

He tried his best to not dwell on this vicious protectiveness he was feeling.

"Ethan?" She was crying, her voice muffled and weak. "Ethan?"

"Ken's calling me," Cameron said.

"Ask him what he's got," he said, dismissing him before he turned his attention back to Amelia.

"Yes, love, I'm right here."

"I can't do it, Ethan," she sobbed. "The phone keeps slipping out of my hands. I can't do it. And the lock won't hold. He'll get inside."

"Amelia, please, try harder. Turn on your location, at least."

He needed to be able to track her if that asshole decided to take her somewhere else, which Ethan was a hundred percent sure he would.

She didn't reply.

"Amelia, come on, reply," he yelled into the speaker.

"I'm scared," her reply came, her voice fading, barely above a whisper.

"Amelia, listen to me. I won't let him hurt you, okay? I promise."

Ethan heard a crash, probably her phone slipping from her hand.

"Amelia? Amelia, can you hear me? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

He heard pounding, like someone trying to break down the door.

"Come out now, princess. Don't make this harder than this needs to be," Ethan heard the jeering voice through the phone.

His blood ran cold and he clenched his jaw. His hands twitched towards the gun in his pocket. He needed to do something. He couldn't just sit there, so utterly useless.

He couldn't believe his own helplessness. He had swore never to let anyone make him feel that ever again and here he was, still miles away from his woman.

Ethan muted the call to make sure he didn't alert the abuser that she'd called for help already.

"What did Kenneth find?" He turned to Cameron.

"He has sent me the location. The club is an hour's drive from our place but I think I can make it half an hour."

"Not good enough. We need to be faster."

"I'm going as fast as..."

"Not good enough." Ethan gritted out, glaring at him.

"Okay, boss," he said, breaking the speed limit now.

"What else did he say?"

"He said the club is closer to his place so he'll probably be there in less than fifteen minutes. He's also called for help. Some police officer who lives in that area and he also owes you."

"Give me your phone. I need to talk to him."

Kenneth picked up almost immediately.

"Make sure whoever you're calling won't interfere in my matters because there's going to be bloodshed and I don't want him coming in my way."

"He won't interfere. He owes you from when you saved him from your brother. But Ethan, I think..."

"How long until you get there?" He asked, cutting whatever lectures Kenneth had in mind. The pounding on his phone increased.

"A few minutes."

"Good. Be a little faster. We don't have much time. And go to the ladies restroom once you get there. She has locked herself in one of the stalls."

"Okay, noted."

Ethan hung up. He held onto his phone like a lifeline, the call going endlessly, the pounding now inside his brain, making him bleed.

"How long?"

Cameron glanced at the maps open on his screen. "Not long. Fifteen minutes at most."

He shifted in his position, desperation making him reach for his gun every few seconds.

The disturbance in his phone increased. His grip tightened. There were loud crashes and Ethan held his breath.

He didn't believe in Gods but he prayed that day. He prayed with all of his unfeeling, pathetic heart to protect her just a little longer. Just until he could get there.

"Finally. You really made me work for it, you little cunt." The voice on the phone said.

Ethan's heart stopped. This couldn't be happening.

"No, fuck, no. Come on, Cameron."

"We are almost there, boss."

The disturbance continued and then everything went silent.

He dialed Kenneth's number once again.

"Please tell me someone is there," he said, the desperation in his voice making it unrecognizable even to himself.

"Nate is. I've asked him to block all exits. Relax, Ethan, no one's getting out of that club now."

"Ask him to check all the private parlors too."

"Already done. I'm here as well. Just getting in. I'll keep you updated."

"Thank fuck."

His restricted airways loosened up a little and he took in deep breaths, trying to get himself under control. His worst fear was out of the way. The fucker couldn't take her out of the club anymore.

"We're here," Cameron said and Ethan disconnected the now silent call on his phone and got out of the car before it even fully stopped.

The club was crowded. It was their luck that even in this rush hour, the restroom had to be empty.

The club wasn't too big so he didn't have difficulty guessing where the restrooms could be. He shoved and pushed people out of his way, earning grunts and glares.

He finally found the space to breathe as he pushed the door of the ladies restroom open. He found Kenneth there.

"They're not here," said, holding out her phone for him.

"What about the private parlors?"

"Nate searched. They're not there. Could they have left?"

"No. No, they shouldn't have been able to."

He turned around, running his hand through his hair. What if he had somehow managed to leave?

Ethan held back a frustrated growl as he rushed out the restroom, pacing the length of the narrow corridor.

"Where else can we look?"

"I don't know. Fuck, I don't know."

"I'll bring the manager."

Ethan forced himself to breathe. He was going to find her. He just needed for his brain to start working.

"Storeroom." he muttered to himself. Kenneth came back with the manager in tow.

"There's a storeroom," He turned to them, echoing Amelia's words.

"Yes, there is but I don't understand..."

"Where?" Ethan growled, pulling the gun out and pointing it at the manager. His eyes widened and he threw his hands up in surrender.

"I... Right this way," he stammered, leading the way. Ethan followed.

The manager stopped in front of a door, unlocking it with trembling hands.

Ethan pushed his way in and the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold.

His gaze landed on Amelia, unconscious and almost naked on the floor and then he noticed the man sitting beside her, fumbling with her dress. 

A/N: I've been stuck in a weird loop of procrastination and writer's block so I apologize for the extreme delay. Enjoy this chapter while I try to get my shit together.