The two weeks went by very slowly, although Susan was pretty sure that wasn't the case. She just felt that way because she'd spent the days in a perpetual state of worry and agitation. So far, she didn't have any updates as Samuel was doing everything in his power to keep her out of the loop. He didn't want her involved so he refused to tell her anything, and refused to let her visit him again.

Susan was almost tempted to get into her car and drive to his house like she'd done the last time, but Samuel had warned her against doing that too, and frankly, she didn't really have the guts to do it as she wasn't over her encounter with the two men she simply knew as Leo and Asher.

After one week, curiosity got the best of her, and she began asking questions and doing some research. On the internet, she didn't really get the information she wanted, although she found out his full name. Leonard Spencer.

All she could find was his name and occupation as "business owner." Susan rolled her eyes at that piece of information. Business owner indeed, she scoffed. There were articles from blogs about him, but all of them were basically rumors with no tangible proof to back them up. This Leo Spencer obviously had connections, just as Samuel had told her and he left no trail.

She resorted to asking questions about him, and finally, she got something...A llittle detail about the mighty Leo Spencer. Hannah, a colleague at the office, was a very chatty lady, and was more than ready to spill everything she knew about gang boss, Leo Spencer. She mentioned that she'd seen him once at a party, and then she went on for a full minute talking about how attractive he was. A fact that Susan had already registered but refused to think about.

But Hannah also mentioned that Leo Spencer owned a nightclub and usually spent some of his nights there. That little detail stuck with Susan, but she kept it to herself. She didn't tell Samuel what she'd found out because she'd promised to stay away from the whole thing, but was he really expecting her to keep such a ridiculous promise and not do anything to help him?

So she waited, and at the end of the two weeks she called her brother. Panic set in when she couldn't reach him although his phone continued to ring. Very early the next morning, Susan was in her car, driving to Samuel's house without giving a shit about the speed limit. The entire way she hoped and prayed that he was alright, and then she blamed herself for listening to him and doing nothing. Oh God, if anything had happened, she....

She came to a stop and hurried out of her car. When she noticed his car was missing from the driveway, she raced to the front door. Without knocking, she tried the door. When it didn't bulge, she searched the top of the lamp where he usually kept his spare key, and found nothing. Unable to hold back anymore, she slammed her hands on the door repeatedly.

"Sam! Sam, are you in there?" she yelled, banging on the door the entire time that she didn't hear the door being unlocked and opened from within. The door opened, and she almost fell through it.

Susan fought to steady herself. When she looked up, her brother was standing in front of her, dressed in his robe. Susan flung her arms around him in relief. He moaned in pain and she let him go and backed away. Only then did she see the black eye, cuts and bruises on his face. She held back her scream because she didn't want to startle him, but she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her eyes.

First she helped him to the couch and made him sit, then she hurried to the kitchen to get some warm water and a cloth. When she returned and gently pressed the warm cloth to his wounds, he flinched.

"We need to get you to the hospital," she said softly.

Samuel shook his head, "It's just bruises. I'll be better in a day or two,"

Stubborn Sam, Susan thought. She knew he was going to say that. "He did this to you, didn't he?" she asked.

Samuel nodded, "Yeah, they took my car away too. Asher said Leo will have it returned when I pay up,"

"That's it," Susan said and wiped her cheek with her free hand, "I don't care what you say anymore, Sam. I'm going to the cops. No one should be able to get away with doing something like this,"

"Leo does," Samuel told her, "Believe me, Susan. It will only make things worse. Besides, I had it coming, but I'm working on something. Once I'm able to pay up, I'll get my car back,"

Susan stood angrily and slammed the towel into the bowl, "Oh really? And you trust the man who did this to you to return what he took from you,"

"Leo keeps his word,"

Susan scoffed, "Oh sure he does. He threatened to hurt you if you didn't return his money in two weeks and sure enough, he did. Of course he keeps his word. I see why you have such faith in him," she added sarcastically. "And what exactly are you 'working on' this time around? Are you going to borrow money from yet another mob boss or are you going to make another bad investment?"

There was silence between them for a long moment, and Susan felt horrible, "I'm sorry," she told him, "But I'm just worried for you, Sam. See what he did to you. What is he going to do next time when he comes and you still don't have his money?"

"I can handle myself," Samuel said, and although Susan believed him, she also believed that he needed her help, whether he wanted it or not. He was going to accept it, she'd have to go through with her plans without him.

Slowly, she began to tend to his wounds again, but at that moment, she made up her mind. She couldn't go to the police, and she had no means of helping her brother raise that money he owed, but she had an idea, an idea that would probably change her life forever, but she was involved now and there was no going back.

"Wanna go clubbing with me tonight?" Susan asked her friend, Caroline that evening after she returned back home.

She'd been reluctant to leave Samuel alone, but he'd insisted that he was alright. Susan didn't believe him, but she left because she had plans of her own, and that plan involved going to The Summit. The Summit was the name of the club owned by Leo Spencer, and she planned to have a chat with him about her brother's situation. It was a horrible plan from hell, and she had no idea how she was going to pull it off, but after seeing her brother badly beaten up, she was willing to risk it, even if it meant coming face to face with the scariest man she'd ever met in her life.

Caroline, who had no idea what Susan planned to do, was very eager to say yes. Caroline liked to dress up and go out, so for her, this was a great opportunity to do it. She showed up at Susan's apartment at exactly 11:30, wearing bumshorts, a silver crop top and a pair of knee high boots.

Susan simply settled for a black, backless jumpsuit that clung to her body and outlined her curves. She wore red high heeled shoes because she remembered how tall Leo Spencer was, and she figured it would help if she didn't feel so dwarfed standing next to him.

Susan had not been to a club in a long time, not because she hated it, but because she barely had time for it. The Summit was a majestic looking club, and it seemed to have everything it took to ensure that one had a good time, but unfortunately that wasn't what she was here for. Caroline got them drinks from the bar almost immediately, and Susan gladly accepted. She didn't need to be drunk, but she certainly needed a little buzz if she was going to see and talk to the almighty Leo Spencer.

Forty minutes later, there was still no sign of Leo, and Susan was tired of just hanging around. Even Caroline had given up trying to get her to come to the dance floor and now she was grinding up against some guy who'd approached them earlier.

Susan looked around, and observed that she'd seen people going up the stairs to what looked like a private lounge a couple of times. Without thinking, and drink in hand, she stood and headed up the stairs. No one stopped her, and when she reached the top she found out that she was right. It was a private lounge, and right there, seated in the center, was Leo fucking Spencer, although he wasn't alone. Two men and a woman were seated at the table with him, and Susan wondered how she was going to interrupt such a gathering.

Her first instinct was to turn around and flee, but it was too late to be a wuss now, so she stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes. A hefty looking man stood near the entrance, and as soon as she made up her mind and tried to walk past him, he stopped her and stared at her like he'd already asked her a question and was waiting for a reply.

"I... I... I need to talk to Leo," Susan stammered, hoping he could hear her despite the loud music. She involuntarily clutched her purse tighter, although she doubted this man was one bit interested in her possessions. The loud music wasn't making things better, and she suddenly felt faint.

"You can't," the man replied simply, and said nothing else, as if that simple statement was enough to send her on her way.

It worked, and Susan began to turn around, but then she thought of Samuel and that gave her some courage. Slowly, she turned around again. The man was distracted now, his back turned slightly as he spoke to another man who had approached him from behind. This was her chance, Susan thought as she hurried forward.

She was close. So close, but then a large hand was wrapped around her midriff, dragging her backwards roughly. Susan struggled, but it was useless. Her drink fell to the ground and the glass shattered loudly. She screamed as he began to pull her with him, realizing that she had no idea where he was taking her and that she was probably in a lot of trouble.

They both froze at the loud "Let her go!" that came from behind, and Susan breathed a sigh of relief as she was suddenly released.

Leo Spencer was standing now, and he was striding purposefully towards them with a deep frown on his handsome face. Scared out of her mind, Susan turned around and ran.

____________

Leo had been sitting at the lounge surrounded by a few of his friends, when he'd caught sight of a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She had a certain 'vibe' about her, like she wasn't sure she wanted to be there. She looked so out of place... And it wasn't about her outfit. Her outfit was perfect... Sexy even, but she kept looking around, and she walked almost like she was afraid of falling. The women who usually hung around here had a much different demeanor, slightly drunk, outspoken, confident and loud, but this one looked like she'd barely taken a sip of the drink she was holding rather awkwardly. She looked shy, and although she was very beautiful, she looked...Uncertain.

He'd ignored her for a second, then the next thing he knew, there was a crash and Connor was holding onto her, pulling her away with him. His reaction was swift and stood up to help. Her head lifted as she struggled and it was then that he recognised her. He'd seen that face before, and that hair.

Leo wasn't sure what had possessed him to come to her aid. Neither did he understand why the drive to help was stronger immediately he recognised her. For some reason he didn't like the way Connor was manhandling her, and he was going to stop him. Connor released her immediately he asked, but then she did the one thing he didn't expect. She ran.

His instruction to Connor was simple, "Bring her back,"

Susan had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when the guard caught up with her. She didn't even know that he'd followed her. The plan as she fled was to go outside, and then call Caroline so they could leave, but once again, she was heading upstairs, accompanied by one of Leo Spencer's goons. He wasn't exactly manhandling her like he'd done earlier, but he still had a firm hold on her arm.

"Where are you taking me?" she questioned angrily, "You have no right! I did nothing wrong!"

Despite her protests, the man said nothing, and once again, Susan found herself upstairs, except now he didn't take her to the lounge. Instead Susan found herself walking down a brightly lit hallway, then a room was opened and she was pushed inside. Susan turned around to leave, but the door was shut immediately.

Trying not to scream in terror even though she was scared out of her mind, Susan turned around. She was in a luxurious private exclusive room with red neon lights. It reminded her of the strip club private rooms she'd seen in the movies, but that was the least of her worries. The problem now was that she wasn't alone. Seated on the ridiculously long and comfortable looking couch was Leo Spencer.

Terrified, Susan frantically tried the door again. It didn't bulge, but that didn't stop her from trying again.... And again. At her third try Leo finally spoke.

"Are you done?" he asked.

Susan turned around to face him. She wanted to cry, but she refused to. If he was going to hurt her, then she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. "If you touch me, I'll scream," she warned him.

"No one is going to hear you," he replied casually.

God! Just how evil was this guy? He'd hurt her brother. Probably other people too and now he'd kidnapped her. How the hell did a person do such horrible things and still have the guts to sit so calmly?

"Have a seat," he offered when she said nothing,

"I'd rather stand," Susan replied. If he thought she was stupid enough to let her guard down he had another thing coming.

"Suit yourself," said Leo, and then he poured himself a drink, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. After he took a sip, he sat back, stretching his hands on the headrest, and then he swept his eyes over her from head to toe, "What brings you here, Barbie?" he asked finally,

"What brings me here?" Susan repeated incredulously, "Your guard forced me to come here,"

"I meant what are you doing here... at my club?"

"Do you ask everyone who comes here this question?" she retorted, "Do you kidnap everyone, bring them to your...." She paused and looked around with disgust she didn't even bother to hide, "Den of iniquity... Or whatever the hell this place is... And then ask them what they are doing here... Or is it just me?"

Leo couldn't help it. One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin, "My den of iniquity?" he repeated, "Humour me, Barbie. What do you think happens in this room?"

"I came here to hang out with a friend," Susan told him, ignoring his question, "I drove, so she's going to notice my absence soon and then you're going to be in trouble,"

There was silence for a moment, and then he threw his head back and laughed. Susan was startled for a moment, and she wondered if she'd said something funny or if he was insane.

Ignoring her threat, Leo continued like she hadn't spoken, "You're nothing like the girls who usually come around here, so I was curious."

His eyes roamed her body, and Susan fought the urge to wrap her hands around her body. She was a chubby, curvy girl, and although she had no issues with the way she looked, that hadn't always been the case. When she was younger, she had been very insecure about her looks and the attention she had gotten from men. She was past that now. She was more confident, and now she loved her curves, but there was something about Leo's gaze, like he could see through her clothes. He didn't even bother to be subtle about it, and it made her very uncomfortable.

"Yeah you look the part, but your energy is different. Anyone who pays attention would notice it immediately," he concluded finally and took another sip of his drink.

"And so you thought the right way to satisfy your curiosity was by kidnapping me?"

"Kidnap?" he drawled, almost as if he was mocking her, "I don't see you in any ropes or chains,"

"I was brought here against my will!"

"You were stalking me,"

"What?"

He was on his feet in an instant, and Susan trembled as he approached her. There was something about Leo Spencer that frightened her and scared her witless. Yeah it had something to do with the fact that he was a dangerous gang boss, but there was something more... Something she couldn't put her finger on.

He was standing in front of her now. His hands were shoved his pockets so he wasn't touching her, but still her entire body shook. It was one thing meeting Leo for the first time in the midst of other people, but being stuck alone with him in a room that was lit with red, evil looking lights was just straight up terrifying.

"You wouldn't have been up in that lounge if you'd just come to hang out with your friend. I wouldn't have even seen you if you didn't come up there... Without invitation by the way," He took another step closer, "I had a feeling you wanted my attention... that's why I had you brought here.... So now you have it. What can I do for you, Barbie?"

Susan dared to look him in the eye. In this room, she couldn't figure out the color of his eyes due to the lighting, but it didn't reduce the effect it had on her in any way. Her body was tingling all over, and all she wanted was to be away from Leo as fast as possible, but she was here already, so she might as well get this over with.

With all the courage she could muster, she said, "I want you to leave my brother alone,"