Lance's gaze trailed back up, settling on David again. He was still smiling and his hand was back on Whip's shoulder. Lance could see the man's meaty fingers digging into her shirt and he realized that was the reason Whip was so quiet. He didn't know what to do.
"Whip," Lance spoke softly, "Are you going with us? What about your job?" Whip's head lifted a few inches and she glanced up at him quickly before looking down again. Lance could see the beginnings of a black eye and that enraged him, but he felt helpless to do anything. David stepped forward again, speaking for her.
"Oh, she'll be returning with me," he interjected, smoothly, "We've been apart for awhile and I just can't bear to be away from my precious any longer." Lance looked at Whip again.
"Whip, is this what you want?"
Whip hesitated before nodding slowly and frowning, Lance eyed her. Blowing out a long breath, he shrugged.
"Well, I guess there's not much more I can do," he said, following Joey and the still silent manager out the door, "You do realize the tough spot you've left me in don't you?" Whip cringed as the hidden meaning in his words slammed through her. David, held the door open and gave Lance a sneer as he walked by.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something," David said, mockingly, "You celebrities always do." Lance stood stock still as the door was slammed in his face. He heard the lock engage and looked at Joey, his mind racing. What the hell was going on? Joey opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when they heard David's voice raise behind the door. Lance put up a hand and leaned closer, listening. There was silence for a moment and he heard Whip's voice, even though he couldn't make out what she was saying. David's voice raised again and there was an unmistakable slapping noise, followed by a yelp. Lance and Joey looked at each other and nodded. Without hesitating, they reared up and rammed their shoulders into the door, not even noticing when the frame gave way and splintered.
Immediately, Lance took in the scene before him. Whip was backed into the corner, her hands over her face and David was towering over her, his fist in the air, ready to deliver another punch. Lance didn't even think.
"Get the fuck away from her," Lance's voice was ice cold as was the stare he fixed on the man as he slowly strode toward him. David didn't move away. In fact, he chuckled and turned to Lance.
"I don't have to," David sneered, "Remember? I own her." His cockiness pushed Lance over the edge. He cursed and swung his already clenched fist, letting out an animalistic growl when it connected with a sickening crunch. Before he had a chance to recover, Lance drew back and hit him again. Joey, not one to be left out, slid around Lance and behind David, shoving him to the middle of the room. David's arms swung wildly, but Lance and Joey easily moved out of their way. They made quick work of him, punching and kicking until he was a crumpled heap and had stopped moving. Lance kicked him once more in the stomach for good measure, satisfied when he heard a low groan emitted from the jerk's bleeding mouth.
Breathing heavily, Lance tried to calm himself down. The adrenaline was still surging through him, but he settled down enough to finally go to Whip. She was still cowering in the corner, sobbing quietly. Gently, he put his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, careful not to squeeze her too hard. While Joey paced, keeping an eye on David, Lance talked to her soothingly and they stood up together.
"Shhhh....baby, it's ok," Lance whispered, "I'm here baby, he can't hurt you anymore." Whip's sobs receeded into breathy hiccups and she held onto Lance as he walked her to the door. Lance and Whip went out the door first. Joey followed, after grabbing Whip's bags and making doubly sure that David wouldn't be following them anytime soon. He caught up to them at the elevators and they headed down to the lobby in silence. Lance was still angry and confused, but his only concern at the moment was getting Whip as far away from David as possible. When they got to the buses, Lance told Anthony firmly that Whip was riding with them. Anthony started to protest, but seeing her condition, he just shrugged and started barking orders to get everything underway.
Lance helped Whip up the steps and sat her down gently on the small pull-out sofa immediately to the left. He asked Joey to go get the first-aid kit and some ice. Joey nodded, setting the bags down under the table. Lance turned his attention back to Whip and lightly rubbed his hand up and down her arm. When she winced, Lance felt another stab of fury seize him and mentally cursed David again for hurting her. Joey returned with the ice and Lance helped Whip take her shirt off so he could survey the damage. He sucked in a breath when he saw her beautiful skin riddled with angry purple streaks. Tears filled his eyes as he wrapped the ice in a towel that Joey had thoughtfully brought with him and gently placed it against her skin. Asking Joey to take his place for a minute, Lance jumped off the bus and ran to find Anthony. He found him a few seconds later, yelling at one of the techs and pulled him aside, explaining what happened and that he wanted to press charges. Anthony was even more irritated, but agreed, sending everyone else ahead to set up. They wouldn't have much time to relax before the show, but they needed to make sure this asshole was behind bars as soon as possible.
Anthony went in to talk to the manager and call the police. Lance waited around, pacing back and forth until they finally showed up. They asked him routine questions and he answered them as best he could. One of the officers went up to check out the room while the other one stayed with Lance and Anthony. After what seemed like an hour the other officer came back out with the manager. He didn't look happy.
"Are you sure that he was unconcious when you left him?" He directed the question to Lance while the manager fidgeted and continued to look completely perplexed.
"Well, yeah," Lance replied, "Why?" The officer didn't answer him right away, but glanced at his partner before responding.
"He's gone."
"What do you mean, he's gone," Lance was yelling now, "He can't just be gone. I mean, we.......he was out cold....it's just not possible!" The officer assured him that the man was indeed not in the room and they had checked neighboring rooms, but he was nowhere to be found. Somehow, he'd slipped past everyone. Lance was stunned. Anthony had to nudge him when the first officer asked if they could talk to Whip and Lance nodded, silently leading them to the bus. Joey was still sitting beside her, talking to her softly and he looked up when they entered. Lance nodded to him and he moved to a seat opposite the sofa. Both officers crowded onto the bus and Lance sat next to Whip to make room. Whip just sat there, not looking at anyone. The first officer began asking her questions, but she stared mutely ahead. Lance leaned close and whispered something to her, making her shift her eyes in his direction before she slowly lifted her head.
"Can you tell me the man's name that assaulted you?"
"David......David Jensen," Came her whispered reply, "He's my ex-husband." It still cut into Lance to hear that she'd been married to that asshole, but in a way, it was reassuring to hear her say the word ex. The officers asked her a few more questions and took some snapshots of the bruises on her shoulders, back, and face. After assuring them that they'd do everything they possibly could, the two policemen stepped off the bus and quietly talked to Anthony again.
Lance pulled Whip into his arms and held her, stroking her hair until her breathing became regular and he was sure she was asleep. He propped his elbow on the side of the sofa and stared out the window. This was going to be a long day.