James

“Do you have eyes on her yet?” he yelled into the phone as they stepped of the elevator.

“Sir…yes, I think we do. There appears to be a situation by balcony four. Guards are on their way.”

“Balcony four!” he called to John and they rushed through the mass of mingling party guests.

James’ heart pounded in his chest. If anything had happened to her. If that idiot had laid one finger on her. There would be no mercy.

As they got closer, it seemed the crowd was gravitating in the same direction they were headed, towards one of the balconies.

“You son of a bitch.” They heard Katherine yell as they pushed their way through the crowd, and finally got a clear view of the scene.

Paul was flat on his back, trying to fend off a raging mad Katherine on top of him. She was straddling him and poking at him with a stiletto.

John was about to intervene. “Wait,” James said with a hand on his shoulder, halting him. “Let’s wait just a minute, she’s got this.

“Please stop. I’m sorry. Please stop,” Paul cried out as he flailed his hands in the air, blocking her jabs at him.

Katherine stopped only to shout at him, “You’re sorry? You’re sorry? You drugged me, you were going to get me expelled, and you’re sorry?” She was holding up her shoe ready to strike again.

 

“Please don’t, please don’t.” Paul held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t think it would go that far. You were just supposed to pass out.”

“Were you going to rape me?”

“No, no, no. God no, I wasn’t going to do that. I swear, I wasn’t. My mom usually just passes out for a day or so when she takes the stuff, but I guess I must have taken the wrong mix of pills or something. But come on, how the hell was I supposed to know you would react like that?”

“So, it’s my fault?” Katherine yelled.

“Well, kind of. You weren’t giving me a chance, I had to do something.”

“You deranged psycho.” She threatened with the shoe again.

“Wait, wait, wait…you’re not getting it. I was going to save your ass. You were just supposed to oversleep, miss the presentation, and then you wouldn’t get the internship. I had another one set up for you. All you had to do was take it, but then you had to ruin it with your pride and shit.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You did all this so I’d owe you? You think that was going to make me fall for you?”

“Okay, now you’re just trying to twist everything around, like you weren’t the one who went crazy,” Paul said.

Katherine was visibly shaking with rage. She’d clearly had enough, and she wasn’t going to hold back much longer.

“All right,” James said to John, “let’s break this up before she gets arrested for assault.”

Paul, apparently too arrogant to know when to stop, went on, “I came here to talk to you about this, assuming you’d be able to discuss it like a sensible adult, but obviously, I was expecting too much of you.”

That was it for Katherine. “You entitled piece of shit.” She charged at him with her shoe again and managed to get in a few jabs before James and John intervened.

They pulled her off him just as the police arrived.

“Crazy bitch,” Paul yelled as he got up on his feet.

They were holding Katherine back so she couldn’t reach him, but that didn’t stop her. Instead she kicked out at him, and the stiletto she was still wearing went flying through the air, hitting Paul right in the nuts.

He buckled forward, howling as the police officers grabbed him and dragged him away.

The crowd around them broke out in cheers and applause, and that’s when Katherine finally noticed her audience. She bit her lip and looked up at James. “I’m sorry for causing a scene.”

James pulled her into his arms. “God, I love you,” he said, holding her tight.

Maybe a little too tight. “Love you too…also, air,” she squeaked.

“Oh, sorry.” He loosened his hold. “Are you all right?” he asked, cupped her cheek and kissed her lips.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she said looking up at him. “That idiot drugged me,” she added as if it was still sinking in.

“Yes, I suspected something was…" he trailed off, deciding to give her the story later, because at that moment, he realize John was standing beside them with a look on his face that said, for him reality had sunk in.

“I’m going to wring his fucking neck,” John said in a deadly tone.

 “Dad?” Katherine released James and looked at her father with concern.

“Oh God, sweetheart.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t listen to you, that I doubted you.”

“Come on dad, let’s not pretend I’ve never given you reason to.”

“It’s no excuse. You could have been seriously hurt.”

Katherine looked up at him. “That is in no way your fault. Please, don’t go there,” she said in a serious tone.

John’s expression softened as he looked at his daughter. “I don’t deserve you, but I promise I’ll do better from now on.”

A sweet smile appeared on her face. “Let’s both do better,” she said and pulled him in for another hug.

John wrapped his arms around her and looked over her head at James. “Thank you,” he said.

James gave him a nod in response.

“That being said,” John continued, “if you hurt her, I will kill you.”

James smiled. “I’d expect nothing less.”