After struggling with the lock, Rahzel finally got his office door opened and took Brodi's arm again to help Elise get him inside.

"OK, couch just inside the door. Drop him—there we go." Rahzel closed the door and relocked it to prevent any surprise guests. Then he went and leaned against the front of his desk. "Now, you want to tell me what's eatin' you, Bro?"

Brodi sat back on the couch and leaned into the tallest part of the arm so that he could hold his head in his hand.

"You mean besides the room spinning and that wave of nausea?"

Rahzel laughed, quieting himself when Brodi cringed.

"Yeah, next time you may not want to pound them so fast. Butch called Elise the minute you ordered your first one, and you'd thrown back at least three or four by the time we got there fifteen minutes later. I'm going to have to talk to him about giving them to you so fast."

"Which brings us back to, what's up?" Elise dampened a paper towel from a water bottle and folded it over Brodi's neck. He jumped slightly at first, then sighed with relief.

Elise sat down beside him and took his hand.

"Honey? I doubt this will get any easier as you sober up."

Brodi folded his arms on his knees and rolled his head forward.

"I know, I know. Elise, Lauryll has shown up."

Rahzel jumped in surprise when Elise let out a stream of curses.

"You're sure it was her? She approached you? Did you call security?"

"Yes, I'm sure. She talked to me. I think she tracked me through the circuit."

"She talked to you? Brodi, did you call security?"

"I didn't see anyone else. Just her."

"Brodi, sweetie—DID YOU CALL SECURITY?"

"NO! I don't want to have to explain this to 30 different people. But I do think Rahzel needs to know."

Rahzel sat down in one of his easy chairs. "Know what? Who's Lauryll?"

Elise didn't take her eyes off of Brodi as she spoke, and the anxiety in her voice and in her eyes wasn't lost on Rahzel. "Someone Brodi had a run-in with in college." She began massaging Brodi's hand as she looked at him intently. "Go ahead, sweetheart. It's your story to tell, and I'm right here beside you. Or would you rather me tell him?"

Rahzel leaned forward in his chair. "Guys, come on. Brodi, if this chick is bothering you, then we ban her, from the lodge and from the events. You're usually pretty tolerant of fans—if you say she has to go, she has to go. You can fill out a TRO and she'll have to stay…"

"I've already thought of that, Rahz. And unfortunately, it's not that simple."

"Why not?"

Brodi looked at Elise, then at Rahzel, and back to Elise.

"Brodi? Come on, bud. Why isn't it that simple?"

Brodi took a deep breath, and, with a squeeze from Elise's hand, started rolling out the explanation before he could change his mind.

"She sexually assaulted me, OK? She and her boyfriend spiked my drink. They drugged me and overpowered me, and I spent the next three days alternating between being a punching bag and a toy. I didn't press charges. I didn't tell anyone anything. I escaped after they forgot to drug me once before they left. A friend took me to the hospital and I told them I'd been mugged. I didn't mention anything else. It was the end of the semester so no one noticed I'd been gone for three days—no missing persons report filed. There's no record of anything. Nothing, except some very, very bad memories that I have worked hard to…"

"Brodi! Brodi, Brodi—take a breath, my man. It's OK. I believe you. And there's no way in HELL I'm letting something like that happen to you again. You feel me?"

Brodi looked over at Rahzel sorrowfully. "I'm not worried about me." Brodi sighed as Elise rested an arm across his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. "We have to worry about the safety of the others. If she's here, it can't be for a good reason."

"No, I have to worry about the safety of the others." Rahzel stood and paced his office a couple of times before returning to the chair opposite the couch. "You're still on medical leave. Want to go visit the folks?"

"No." Brodi said sharply. Then, more softly, "Mom has no idea that any of this ever happened, and I'm not about to tell her now. I don't think she's recovered from my coma yet. Besides, I can't run. If she found me once, she'll find me again. And she might follow me to my parents. I won't put them in danger."

Rahzel sighed. "OK, I can respect that. But we're gonna set you up in another room—at least for tonight, until I can get with security and we look over the cams and find this girl."

"Another room?"

"He can stay with me."

"Elise…"

"No, Brodi, she's got a point. She's on a different wing. She already knows about the situation, so you won't need to explain it again—need I go on?"

Brodi held up a hand in resignation. "OK, OK. Point made. I'll do it."

Rahzel smiled. "Good man. Now, a couple of ground rules. You don't go anywhere without your M-Comm. Got it?"

"Rahzel…"

"No negotiations. Especially if you're alone, that M-Comm is a part of your body. Got it?"

Brodi sighed like a teenager being given dating rules.

"And speaking of being alone—Riggs, I want you surgically attached to him until he sobers up."

Elise nodded, but Brodi rolled his eyes.

"Look, I've been sitting long enough…"

"Yes, you've been sitting, and that's the operative word here. It's been about," Rahzel stole a glance at his watch, "half an hour since you finished that last drink. Most of it isn't even in your system yet. I know the first drinks are starting to wear off, but you start to move again and your brain will get a refresher course." Rahzel leaned forward. "You want to sleep it off in here?"

Brodi held up his hand again and shook his head.

"OK," Rahzel said as he stood up. "Just remember. M-Comm at all times. Sleep in Elise's room. Nowhere alone until the alcohol wears off. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Rahzel rested a hand on Brodi's shoulder as he stopped in front of the door. "Look, I know that as far as you're concerned the less said about this, the better. I do want you to know, however, that I appreciate how difficult it was for you to tell me this. And I'm not going to give you a pep talk, because I know you don't want that. But you're a good man, Brodi. Just…do me a favor and don't forget that, OK?"

Rahzel cleared his throat. "And now that we've got all that emotive crap out of the way—you feel up to walking again? Do I need to help Elise?"

"No, I'm good."

Brodi stood tentatively, allowing Elise to steady him by holding his arm. He stopped momentarily in front of Rahzel as his hand rested on the doorknob. "Thanks, man. For everything."

Rahzel nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. Then he stood back and held the door open for the two of them, watching as they made their way down to the lobby and up the stairs. Then he closed the door and sat down in the comforting dark to think about his next steps and figure out exactly how much to tell security when he called them.