To the Rescue
“Brian?”
“Yeah. Who’s this?” Brian said into his phone. The female voice sounded vaguely familiar.
“It’s Daphne.”
“Daphne?” There was a pause while Brian tried to process who he was talking to. “Justin’s Daphne?”
“I guess you could call me that,” Daphne said.
“What do you want?” Brian asked abruptly. He really was in no mood to be reminded that Justin Taylor had chosen a fucking fiddler over him.
“It’s Justin.”
“What’s wrong?”
Daphne heard the change in tone of Brian’s voice. His original annoyance about Daphne’s call had given way to concern that he could not hide once he knew something might be wrong with Justin. “I’m at a party with Justin,” Daphne explained. “He’s so drunk and there’s just no reasoning with him. There’s a couple of guys who are fondling him, and he doesn’t even seem to realize it.”
Brian groaned inwardly. Justin Taylor was no longer his concern, even if he had recently broken up with that fiddler. Brian rubbed his eyes. “Find out who’s party it is and get them to toss his ass out,” Brian commanded. That was the best advice he could come up with at the moment. He was about to hang up. Justin Taylor was not his problem.
“Brian. Brian! Wait, please,” Daphne begged.
“What?” Brian demanded.
“I’m scared,” Daphne said hesitantly. “The … men here are all in leather, and they’re … old.”
“Fuck!” Brian reacted. What had Taylor got himself into this time?
“I’m serious, Brian. They could really hurt him, and he’s so out of it.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?” Brian asked with exasperation.
“Um, could you come and get us?”
“When did I become a fucking babysitter?”
“Please, Brian,” Daphne begged.
Brian rubbed his temple. This conversation was giving him a headache. Why were other people calling him to solve their problems. He was no fucking Dear Abby. “Okay,” Brian finally replied with a weary sigh. “Where the fuck are you?”
Daphne breathed a loud sigh of relief. “Corner of sixth and Main. Third floor.”
“Shit!”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Brian said quickly.
“You know where we are, don’t you? Oh, Brian, please hurry. I really am scared.”
“Don’t leave Justin alone,” Brian commanded. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Hurry. Please!”
Brian cut the connection and immediately placed another call. Then he grabbed his jacket and headed for the hangout Daphne had directed him to.
*****
“What do you want, Kinney?” the guy who answered the loud knock on the door asked. “This is a private party.”
Brian pushed past the burly man dressed in leather from head to toe. The guy grabbed Brian’s arm and halted the forward motion. Brian shook him off before beckoning toward the still open door.
The guy manning the door looked up as Ben and four other men just as muscular and large entered the apartment. “What the fuck!” the door guard said.
“There’s a couple of … guests who are ready to leave this soiree,” Brian said. “We’re here to escort them home.”
The man at the door shook his head, but he knew he was no match for all the man power that Brian had brought with him. He stood aside.
“Daphne! Justin!” Brian called loudly.
“Brian,” Daphne said as she rushed into the room. “Thank God you’re here. They’ve got Justin in the room back there. I couldn’t stop them.”
“How long?” Brian asked.
“Just a couple of minutes,” Daphne said breathlessly.
“Then maybe we’re not too late.”
“I kept them away as long as I could.”
“I know,” Brian said as he and his new posse headed for the room that Daphne had indicated. He pounded on the door.
“Fuck off!” was the response he got.
Brian motioned to one of the men that had arrived with him, and the man kicked in the door.
Justin lay on a bed half naked while two men were stripping off the rest of his clothes. They stopped what they were doing when the door came crashing toward them.
“Get the fuck off him,” Brian commanded.
The men saw the group of men coming toward them and backed away from the bed covering their very noticeable cocks which were clearly at the ready.
Brian grabbed Justin’s wrist and pulled him up into a sitting position. It was clear that the lad was totally out of it. He didn’t protest or say anything. He merely groaned. Brian threw him over his shoulder, and flanked by Daphne and his cohorts, they all marched out of the apartment.
Once down on the street, Brian placed Justin in his Jeep and Daphne climbed in the back. Brian thanked the men who had helped him, with a special thank you for Ben for rounding up some of his gym buddies on such short notice. The men all headed in different directions and Brian climbed into the driver’s seat of the Jeep. He looked at Justin whose head lolled against the seat back. Brian pulled the seatbelt around the young man and started the car.
“Thanks, Brian,” Daphne said softly. “You got there just in time.”
“Why the fuck did you let him go in there?” Brian asked as he headed for Daphne’s apartment.
“Like I could stop him,” Daphne countered.
“What did he think he was doing?”
“He’s been so miserable since he broke up with Ethan.”
Brian made a face at the name that he detested. “His misery is not my problem.”
“I…I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Do me a favour and don’t let him get into another situation like that.”
“I’ll do my best,” Daphne promised.
Brian pulled up in front of Daphne’s building. “I guess I’ll have to carry the young fool upstairs,” Brian said heaving a sigh of annoyance.
“Well I can’t carry him.”
“Of course not,” Brian said snidely as he roughly hauled Justin out of the vehicle. He carried Justin up to Daphne’s and dropped him on her couch.
“Try to keep him out of trouble,” Brian advised as he returned to the door.
“Brian, thanks again.”
“Don’t expect me to come to the rescue all the time.”
Daphne shook her head. “He still loves you, you know.”
“Did he tell you that in his drunken stupor?” Brian asked sarcastically.
“I just know he does.”
“I don’t believe in love,” Brian stated trying to keep his voice level. He didn’t want to hear this.
“But he does,” Daphne informed him.
Brian shook his head in denial.
“You know he does and you should do something about it.”
Brian shook his head again. “It’s too late.”
“It’s never too late.”
“Don’t …Don’t tell him that I came to his rescue.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just better that he doesn’t know.”
“You two are so … frustrating.”
“That’s my middle name,” Brian said as he walked out of the apartment. He had done all he could do, and it was time to beat a hasty retreat.
Daphne silently closed the door behind him.
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