Quinn ran down the sidewalk, brushing past tourists as he scanned the opposite side of the street. He had maybe gone about a mile when he stopped and looked around. He should have seen her by now. He spun in a circle, eyes scanning. That’s when he heard a muffled scream, and his head whirled around. He didn’t see anything, but he knew that he heard her. Quinn moved forward, scanning the little alleys between the buildings. That’s when he saw her…Margot was down a shadowed alley with two large men; one was pinning her against the wall, with one large hand covering her mouth. Margot’s terrified gaze met his and Quinn saw red.
“HEY! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Quinn shouted as he started toward them.
The two men swung their heads in Quinn’s direction, shocked expressions on their faces. The guy holding Margot immediately let her go and backed away. She let out a ragged sob and started for Quinn. His heart pounded furiously as he looked her over. As he got closer, the more he could see that her mouth was a bit swollen, as if they had been kissing her hard and rough. Her coat was gone, and her shirt was ripped open down the front, which she was trying to hold together as she limped toward him. Jesus Christ! He almost didn’t make it in time.
Quinn pulled Margot into his arms when he reached her. When he looked back to where the men were standing, they were already gone, probably ran out the other end of the alley. Quinn was too focused on Margot to notice. He didn’t even realized he was shaking until he cupped her face in his hands and tilted her it up so he could look at her.
“Jesus, Margot...” he breathed. God, he has never been so scared in his life.
Margot’s whole body trembled. Quinn immediately shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She tried to zip it up but her hands were shaking too badly. Quinn gently brushed her hands aside and zipped it up for her.
“Are you hurt?” Quinn asked.
“I twisted my ankle trying to fight them off,” she croaked.
Without a word, Quinn scooped Margot up into his arms and headed back toward the entrance of the alley. She clung to his neck and cried softly against his chest. As he walked with her in his arms, they got a few odd looks from people, but Quinn ignored them. The only thing he cared about at the moment was Margot. She had almost been raped! Could this trip get any worse?
Back at the hotel room, Quinn set Margot down on the bed. She was still shaking, but at least she stopped crying. He helped her take off his coat and her torn shirt. He went over to her bag and found a T-shirt for her to put on. While Margot was pulling the shirt on, Quinn looked at her ankle.
Margot pointed to her right ankle, so Quinn rolled up the bottom of her jeans, gently removing her shoe and sock. She hissed in pain, her ankle and top of her foot already started to swell.
“You might have done more than just twist your ankle, I think you sprained it,” Quinn murmured. “We need to put ice on it. I’ll go get some, be right back.”
Margot just nodded as he grabbed the ice bucket and left the room. Five minutes later, Quinn had the ice in a bag and on Margot’s ankle. She rested back against the headboard and closed her eyes. Quinn watched her for a moment, his mind going back to when his eyes had first met hers in that alley. She had been so scared - absolutely terrified. At least someone was there to save her, unlike for him.
“What were you thinking going out by yourself?” Quinn asked, trying to keep the anger he was feeling about the whole situation out of his voice.
“I wanted to see London. You were so caught up in your own problems that I figured you would not want to come, so I went by myself, I thought it was safe.” Margot sighed without opening her eyes.
Quinn frowned. He knew that she didn’t mean to, but she almost made it sound as if it was his fault. She went out on her own, almost raped, because he acted like an asshole. Great job, dickhead! Quinn hung his head. He was such an ass.
“I’m going to call Peter. We need to go home,” he muttered as he pulled out his phone.
Margot opened her hazel eyes and nodded. “Oui. We do,” she agreed.
~~~~~
Margot sat on the bed and watched TV while Quinn went out into the hall to call Peter. Her ankle was throbbing so badly. She did not think she has ever injured herself like this before, but she panicked, and those men were much stronger than she was. She did whatever she could to get away. Never in a million years did she think that could have happened while walking the tourist-filled streets of London, but she guess it could happen anywhere. The sun started to go down and they grabbed her so fast. She didn’t even have the chance to scream; she tried once they were in the alley, but the big oaf smashed his disgusting lips against hers. Brut! She really needed to brush her teeth and scrub the skin off her lips.