Rachel & Taylor:-
Rachel sat at the table dressed in one of Taylor's terry cloth robes, it buried her but she loved it, it smelled of him and she pulled it tight around her. She was sat in the kitchen, watching as he made her pancakes from scratch. She was just pouring a generous helping of maple syrup over them when her cell rang…groaning, she went to get her bag and pulled out the beeping cell.
Rachel checked the caller ID and saw Amy's name. She flipped the cell open and spoke, "Hello, Amy?"
A panicked, frightened voice came out of the other end, "Rachel, he found us!"
"Amy, is Sean there?"
"Yes, he's right here."
"Pass me over to Sean, honey, please." She heard Amy tell Sean that she wanted to speak to him.
"Rachel? What's going on?" She could hear the panic in his voice. She knew he would protect Amy with his life.
"Sean, can you do me a big favor and tell me what's happened," she tried to keep her voice calm and she managed it until Taylor spun round to see what she was doing.
"We just got home. Your light was on and we both assumed you had come home. We were…erm…anyway, there was a loud crash, and we went to your room to see what was wrong – everything has been ripped apart…"
"Shit! Shitshitshit!!" her voice was the barest of whispers but both Taylor and Sean heard her. "Is Amy ok?"
"She's shaken but she's ok. Rach? What's going on?"
"It's my ex-husband…get Amy out of there and keep her safe. This man is beyond dangerous. I'm sure Amy will fill you in on his temper."
"I'll keep her safe, no worries there. Where are you?"
"I'm at Taylor's club," she looked up at Taylor, who was watching her carefully, assessing the situation with his usual careful calmness. "I guess I'm safe here." She saw Taylor nod at her and she felt her stomach flip.
"Stay there, we'll ring when we are where we are going, ok?" she didn't speak but he knew she was nodding. "Is Taylor there?"
"Yes," she felt confused.
"Let me talk to him, hun," Sean asked her.
"Taylor, Sean wants you," she offered him the phone and as he took it, his hand lingered on hers.
"Vetter," the greeting was simple and Rachel had to wonder on how many occasions they had met previously.
"Reese. That is my girlfriend's sister you have there. If anything happens to her…do I need to explain?" Rachel saw Taylor shake his head.
"No. She will be very safe here. I won't let anything happen to her. But I need to know what's going on."
"You need to ask her Reese, cos I am not fucking sure myself yet. Ok, I'm gonna get Aim outta here and then I'll be in touch. If you find out anything I need to know, ring me on this number." Again, she saw Taylor nod at the phone before he snapped it shut.
"What did Sean say?" Taylor saw the tears glitter in the corners of her eyes and he knelt before her. Her thighs were trembling and he puts his big hands on them to steady them.
"He told me to ask you what was going on," Taylor slid his hands over hers.
"I guessed. I guess then that I should tell you…" her eyes dropped to the floor and he stooped to see under her hair. One hand went to her chin and he titled her face up to his.
"What ever it is, I can help…if you let me, if you want me to," his eyes caught hers and she melted.
"I barely know you and yet I feel like I have known you forever. I'll tell you all about it…what there is," she pulled a hand from his and wiped her eyes with the back of it. Taylor tucked a lock of hair behind her ear so he could see her face again before pulling her up from the chair and leading her to the couch in the living room.
"Sit here, it's more comfortable…tell me what happened," he sat next to her, pulling her against his side and wrapping one huge arm around her, making her feel safe. She relaxed into him as she started her tale.
"You know I am originally from the UK and I told you I was running from my ex-husband?" she paused and waited until Taylor nodded. "What I didn't tell you is why I was running from him. He's an accountant, worked very long hours and all that crap. Then he got a job in the city, a really good job, twice the amount of money he could make anywhere else. Very long hours. Very long hours. I told him we didn't need the money that bad but he said we needed to plan for our future. I went along with it. He started working longer and longer hours until I finally asked him to quit. He snapped. He started punching me, kicking me…I screamed and screamed…he just kept on and on until he had nothing left. I must have passed out because when I woke I was in hospital. Amy had come home and found me in the kitchen, bleeding. She called an ambulance and took me to hospital. I had a broken nose, several cracked ribs, three broken fingers and a massive amount of bruises."
She wiped the tears that fell down her cheeks and bit her bottom lip. Taylor took her hand in his and kissed her fingers one by one, holding her palm to his cheek. Rachel looked up into his eyes and saw genuine pain for her in them.
"Carry on," Taylor's voice rasped through the silence.
"Anyway, the police came to the hospital and asked if I wanted to press charges. I said yes…I've always been a firm believer that if they do it once, they will do it again. Later, the policewoman told me it was the worst case of domestic violence that she had seen so far. I was photographed by a police photographer and the case went to court. A week before the trial, he came to see me. He said he wanted to talk. Amy was there so I thought I'd be safe. I took him into the kitchen and we sat down at the table," Rachel's voice began to shake as she told Taylor her story. Tears were running freely down her face but now they were left unheeded.
"He pulled out a gun and started waving it about, saying I was a fucking bitch and deserved to die. He called me frigid, fat, ugly and told me no one in their right mind would ever want an ugly bitch like me in their bed. Amy came running in and tried to stop him…the gun went off – I think more by accident than anything. Luckily, no one was hurt but the neighbors had called the police and he was arrested." Rachel pulled herself away from Taylor and pulled her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms round her legs.
Taylor reached for the cigarette's on the coffee table and lit one, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling a flew of smoke.
"I never went to court in the end. I was considered too fragile to go. My nerves were completely in tatters and I couldn't go outside. Six months after his sentence was given, Amy and I packed and left to come here. Jenn had been asking us to move out here for years. And until now, I felt safe because he didn't know where we were. No one knew but me and Amy…we have no other family…it's…just…us…"
Taylor watched, helpless, as her body shook as she cried silently. He leaned forward and stubbed the cigarette out and pulled her back against him. "You know I will never let anyone hurt you, never…even if I have only known you a short time," he kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair. "He won't get near you, not while I am here."
Rachel looked up at Taylor, her green eyes wet with tears. Taylor took her face between his hands and spoke slowly, "You do trust me don't you?"
"Yes…I think I do…strange…I said no one would ever get close to me ever again and here I am, known you what, two, three days and I feel safe with you. Why is that?" He voice was so small he could barely hear her.
"Maybe you were meant to find me. Maybe I was meant to find you…whatever, I promise you, he won't hurt you ever again. Vetter is going to take your sister somewhere safe and I suggest we do the same. We can pack and go somewhere while the police track him down. That sound good?"
Rachel nodded, "I need to get some new clothes and stuff though, I don't want to go back there, back…" she looked over her shoulder and Taylor nodded.
"We can get what ever you want baby, what ever you want," he leaned forward and kissed her, his lips almost barely touching hers.
"What I want right now, is you," she said, breathily, leaning into his kiss and wrapping her arms round his neck.
"Yeah?" Taylor was hardly able to believe that after telling him all that, she wanted to...well, she wanted him. "You want to…?" he jerked his head towards the bedroom.
"As strange as that seems, yes! You make me feel safe. I like the way you make me feel," she giggled as Taylor let out a deep guttural groan. She took his hand and pulled him back towards the bedroom.
Taylor was just closing the door when Rachel's cell rang out again. They both groaned together and Taylor went to get it from the kitchen table.
It was Amy again on the caller ID. He passed the buzzing cell to Rachel who flipped it open and answered. Taylor watched the color drain from her face as she silently listened to Amy. She snapped the phone shut and looked at Taylor.
"We need to go now," she said, reaching for her clothes and getting dressed as quickly as possible. She paused and looked at Taylor's puzzled face. "That was Sean…he's outside now and making his way up…my ex knows where I am, he had bugged our apartment and as far as Sean knows, he could be here already."
Taylor grabbed some clean clothes and dressed, "bugged your apartment?"
"I thought there was something odd a few weeks ago but I forgot to ask Amy if she had let the electricity guy in to sort out some shorted cables in the basement. Things looked like they had been disturbed but I figured it was Amy," Rachel noticed Taylor was watching her, studying her quietly. "What?"
"I just don't like the idea of you being scared," he pulled her into his body and hugged her with a crushing force. "I don't want you ever feel scared with me, you hear. If I do or say something thing that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell me." His voice was soft and soothing and she couldn't help but melt, his voice had a way of making her want him more. She wanted him to run his hands all over her naked body; she was barely listening to what he was saying.
"Mmmm…Taylor…" she let herself relax into his huge, muscular body, her hands gripping his biceps. She closed her eyes as his lips descended over hers; his tongue slipped between her lips and sought hers. She felt a rumble from his chest ripple through her own body.
Taylor pulled away, stopping himself from going any further right now, if he carried on he'd not be able to stop and they needed to get out of here. "I'm going to get the van and bring it round the front. I want you to stay here and when you hear the horn, come straight down, ok?"
"Ok," she nodded, feeling that aching need from wanting him so badly. She looked around the bedroom, "don't you want to pack anything?"
"Nah, I can get some new stuff. I just wanna get you outta here and safe," he kissed her forehead and headed out of the bedroom. Rachel followed him. He picked up a set of keys and paused at the door, "I'll be five minutes, ok?"
Rachel nodded and pushed the door shut behind him. She picked her purse up and placed her cell back in it. She stood by the window and waited for Taylor.
"You really thought you had got away from me, didn't you?" the voice chilled her through to the bone and she swung round to see the owner.
"Jimmy," her voice was so quiet, she wasn't even sure she had spoken aloud.
"What do you think you are doing, fucking some meathead?" he came up behind her and she froze…she could feel his breath on her neck and she cringed. She felt the barrel of the gun dig into her side. Cold fear spread down her spine.
"I…I…" she heard Taylor's horn blast outside. Jimmy shot to the window and peered out to see a black truck parked out front. He kept the gun and one eye trained on Rachel.
"Wonder if your new lover wants to die being a hero?" he laughed, an uncaring sneer pulled at his upper lip as he made his way back to grab Rachel by the arm and pull her over to the window. She could see Taylor through the window and she hoped to god, he stayed there. But, she also knew if she didn't come down, he would come back up for her.
Jimmy pulled her away from the window and sat her down on the couch, he sat opposite her on the coffee table. "I missed you baby," he said, stroking her thigh, making his way up her leg.
Rachel felt utterly repulsed at his touch and she felt her eyes well up. Part of her prayed for Taylor to come and rescue her but part of her prayed he stayed out of harms way.
"Did you miss me too? I bet you did…I bet you thought about me every time he fucked you, you were thinking of me, weren't you, baby?" he rubbed the gun between her legs, pushing it into her pussy.
Rachel was glad she wearing thick jeans. Her stomach churned and she felt sick. She tried not to let herself get over emotional…she tried to remember her training and not let her emotions cloud her judgment.
"No, Jimmy…I didn't miss you and until you showed up, I never gave you another thought. Taylor is a good man. You will not hurt him and you won't hurt me," she watched his smug, evil smile falter.
Like lightning, she moved, aiming her foot at his face and catching him square in the chin. She watched him fall backwards and drop the gun. She scrambled towards the door just as Taylor came flying through it.
Taylor saw the abject fear written all over her face and flew into action. Jimmy was just forcing his body to stand as Taylor flew at him, fists flying, punches rained down on Jimmy as Taylor let loose his well-known temper.
Rachel lunged for the phone on the kitchen wall as the door flew open and Sean stood, filling the doorway. He pulled his gun from the back of his pants and shouted Taylor's name.
"Reese! Back off…NOW!!"
Taylor paused, lofting the near unconscious man in Sean's direction.
"Back away Reese…back away, man," Sean had his gun aimed at the two men.
Taylor raised his bloody fist once more, catching Rachel's pleading eyes watching him.
"Reese, think about it…you really wanna go back to jail?" Sean kept his eyes on Jimmy.
He shook his head, eyes closed and dropped Jimmy on the floor. Taylor stood and walked to Rachel.
Sean walked across the room, reaching for his cuffs as he went. He was about four or five paces from Jimmy when Jimmy reached for his gun and got one shot off before Sean shot him between the eyes.
"Rachel!!" Rachel spun and saw Amy stood in the doorway. They ran to each other, checking each other to make sure they were each ok.
"I'm ok, hun," Rachel assured her panicking sister. "I'm ok!" It seemed more like she was reassuring herself.
Sean was checking Jimmy pulse and Rachel could see that it was finally over. Jimmy was dead. Sean stood, looked over at Amy and went to her side.
"I thought I told you to wait in the car?" he slid his arm round her waist and kissed her cheek.
"I was worried. I'm sorry Sean," she was still holding Rachel's hand.
Rachel turned away from them all and went to the window. Taylor came up behind her, his hands on her waist.
"Are you ok?" he resisited the urge to check her over, he was worried he might find a mark that the dead bastard had left on her.
"Yes, I am really fine," she lent back against him and listened to Sean dialing for the police. "I am fine now, anyway. Thank you, Taylor. My Knight in Shining Armor!" she covered his hands with hers.
"Well, I think even Vetter will tell you, my armor is kinda tarnished," Taylor buried his head in her hair and held her tight.
Rachel was watching Sean and Amy through the reflection in the glass. It was gonna be one long ass day now, she sighed.