Velocity Shift
By -TempestRaces
Ch.8 –Bullets and Bruises
"Please tell me you'n Taylor didn't…" Matty trailed off with a wave of his hand, filling in his verbal blanks.
"A lady never kisses and tells." Storm smiled like a cat into the cream and sat back in the smooth leather seat of Matty's car. She closed her eyes and took a deep nasal breath to just enjoy the leather aroma. It was mixed in this case with the smell of Taylor. Both off his clothes and off her own skin. "I know I'm not a lady but even still, I'll never tell." Her attitude and actions told louder then her confirming words would have anyway.
"God Storm, you're playing with fire here." Matty sighed. Storm fought a giggle at his choice of words. She'd played with fire last night, and she'd never felt better. "I came home early just because I was worried about you and then Dad tells me you never came home last night."
"Well, you know now I was safe so don't sweat it."
"What are you gonna tell Pop? He's gonna flip out."
"We are gonna tell him you picked me up at a friend's because I called you for a drive. He'll cope. Better that than driving home drunk right?"
"Of course. But Storm, you don't look hung over."
"I'm not. I wasn't really drinking last night. Just the one drink that Tay made me."
"Now he's Tay?" Matty asked in agitation. "Storm you can't do this. It's only gonna end badly for both of you."
"You don't know that. Besides, I never said I wanted to marry the guy. He's still annoying as fucken hell. But he's also sweet in his own way and the best kisser I've ever met." Storm sighed dreamily. Best kisser among other things.
"Sis, that would count as a total over-share. I don't need to know. Bad enough Dad's gonna know that last night wasn't as benign as passing out at someone's house for you."
Storm make a noise between her front teeth her brother recognized as her saying 'no way, don't worry about it.' "How would he know that?"
"'Member what I told you about Taylor and your neck? Last night was no different then last time." Matty had turned slightly red again. Storm flipped down her visor and looked at herself. Her neck was in fact quite noticeably marked. She cursed Taylor under her breath as she surveyed the damage. Not that she would have changed anything about last night no matter how many little bruises she ended up with.
"Well, he doesn't need to know it was Taylor now does he? I'll tell him I don't remember who I made out with." Matty gave Storm an incredulous look. He really didn't think that was the lesser of the two evils. "I mean, he doesn't need to know anything other then I made out with some random guy then fell asleep at a friend's. That's if he even notices before I get upstairs and get some makeup on it."
"He was pretty much flippen out this morning sis, ranting and raving about where you were and what you were doin. If he doesn't mug us at the door I'll about die of shock. You, if you might recall, have never 'not come home' at night without letting him know before."
"Correction. I have never 'not come home' at night and gotten caught because I normally lock my door and go out the window. You guys just assume I'm asleep too deep to hear you knocking."
"How many times have you done that?" Matty looked shocked, like he honestly hadn't known. Since he knew his sister better then anyone else that worried him. He knew she was up to things but not that she'd go out and leave no one the wiser where she was. What if she ever just didn't come home some night? No one would know what happened to her or where to start looking if no one knew she was even out.
"Well, the night you came to see me, the night of the storm?"
"Yeah…"
"I'd just crawled in and changed a few minutes before you knocked."
"Oh man sis, if Pop catches you, you'll catch hell."
"Matty, I'm 20 years old. I can pretty much move out if I want. But rents cheap with dad and the house is so big it's not like I have to see that much of him anyways."
"I know what you mean. It's just," Matty paused and sighed worriedly. "I don't know where you think this thing with you and Taylor can go and I just don't think it's gonna be good for either of you. Especially you, if Pop gets wind of it."
"Matty D, you worry too much. Let me do me. I'll come out on top. I always do."
"Like you came out on top of implying you'd kill Theresa? Don't think pop's forgotten that little issue either." Matty grimaced and even Storm cringed slightly.
Matty pulled the car up to their house and parked at the front door. They walked up the front step side by side and Matty opened the door. Storm made a dash up the stairs. She almost made it to the top. But not quite.
"Stormianna Demaret!"
"Fuck. Va a farti fottere!" Storm muttered to herself. She turned around slowly, arms full of Gucci. "Hey pop." She forced a smile to her lips.
"Where were you last night?"
"I crashed at a friend's last night. We were all drunk, no one to drive me home. I said I was sorry I didn't call you."
"What friend's did you stay at?" Benny looked even more upset then Matty had lead Storm to believe. Storm froze. Tell him Taylor's or tell him no one he knew? Would it be better to be honest and tell him Taylor's or would it be better to try and get away with lying to her dad? Something she'd heard around the scene over and over again kept playing in her head.
You don't lie to Benny 'Chains' and live to tell about it.
But did that apply to her? Maybe. Ok, no it didn't. He'd never kill her. But she was willing to bet she wasn't too old or large for him to attempt to pull over his knee for a sound spanking. What about Taylor if her dad knew where she stayed the night? Would Taylor catch hell over it? Again the answer was maybe. There were a lot of unknowns in the situation. Matty was looking at his feet so no help there.
"What does it matter?" Storm hedged with a shrug, trying to just avoid an answer if she could.'
"Come here a second." Benny called, staring at Storm intently. She internalized her groan.
"Dad, I'm actually tired and cranky that I missed out on my own bed last night. I didn't get a lot of sleep. Can whatever wait until after I shower and nap?"
"It'll only take a second."
"Then it can wait pop."
"Storm!" Benny was starting to get exasperated. Catch .22 was, so was Storm.
"Dad! Listen, I only went to that silly event because you asked me too. It sucked, I hated it, had a horrible, stressful time and I went out to blow some of it off afterward. Now since I only did what I did on your behalf can I have a few hours to myself? Please?" Storm cocked her head to the side, put a hand on her hip and stared down at her father.
"Fine!" Benny exclaimed, clearly not happy about giving in. "Do what you want. You will anyway. But we will talk about some things. Don't leave this house until you see me. Got it Storm?"
"I hear ya old man. You'd swear I was 2 not 20."
"That's 'cause you act like it half the time." Benny called on his way back to his office in the rear of the house. Matty watched him go and watched as Storm flipped him off the second their father couldn't see her. He followed his sister up the stairs.
"You got off lucky."
"No kidden. I'll take a long bath, and then I might just take that nap. Then I'll go let him yell at me about Theresa."
"Good luck."
"Thanks." Storm headed to her room and shut the door with a firm click and a thunk as she tumbled the lock over. Leaning against the closed door she happily sighed. Sure her life had just gotten more complicated by half, but in the long run she figured it was going to be worth it.
Who ever would have known that gruff impatient Taylor would be so good and, well, patient when it came to some things? All in all the scene with her dad had been a small one and she was sure that after he'd had more time to calm down knowing she was home safe things would be fine.
She looked at her bathroom, then her bed. Do what she told them she would, take a bath and get some rest? Or crawl down the drainpipe and take her car for a run? She scorned her bathtub and bed in favour of taking her car out for a run. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so alive, she sure didn't need a nap. Sure her dad told her not to leave until they'd spoken but he'd never know. Her car was in the garage by the back gate and she'd be in and out before he'd ever know she was gone.
She first hung up her dress, figuring there was no need of ruining it even if she was fairly sure she'd never wear it again. Then she pulled on some of her own clothes, track pants and a sports top. Grabbing her Sketchers and tying them on saw her ready to go. Ready to run as a matter of fact since essentially that was what she was doing. Running away from the unpleasant conversation she was going to have to have with her dad. She crossed to her balcony and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air.
She shimmied down the drain and darted across the expansive lawn to the garage and crept in the side door. Hauling the car cover off her Skyline she clicked the garage door and gate open as she slid into the driver seat. The car started with a roar and she backed it out of the garage. She tore off out the gate, careful to make sure the garage door and the fence gate closed again. Wouldn't do to have her father realize she was out of the house.
Before she realized it she was at Taylor's again. What the hell was she thinking going back to his place so soon? He was going to think she was desperate. Knowing this didn't stop her from locking the car and running up the three stories worth of stairs to Taylor's door. She knocked and waited for him to answer. And waited. And waited. And knocked again. All to no avail.
She knew he was home because his van was still parked down on the street. She'd parked right in front of him. She pulled her utility knife out of her pocket and got to work on his lock. In seconds she had it popped open but the safety chain was across. Since she didn't have bolt cutters on her she figured that could be an issue for her. She slipped her slim arm in and started feeling around to see if she could get the chain undone. Thankful for her small arms, which allowed her to pull the door shut enough to get enough slack to remove the chain she got the door open.
She relocked it all as soon as she was in, knowing it wasn't the kind of neighbourhood you left your doors unlocked in, even if you were at home. Only Taylor Reese would feel safe with so little protection from his locks. She'd gotten in awful easily. Now that she was in, where was Taylor? She cocked her head to the side, listening carefully to the ambient sounds of the house. There was water running. She checked the kitchen and it was spotless. No one in sight.
She wandered back toward Taylor's room and had to cross the bathroom door to get there. She found the source of the water running. Taylor was in his shower. He was also singing in what turned out to be a fairly pleasant deep baritone, surprising Storm greatly. His voice was so gravely she'd never have figured he could sing in any capacity. When she realized he was singing show tunes she almost burst out laughing. His shower curtain was practically clear and she could see him standing in the hot spray belting out 'Luck be a Lady' while he washed as the steam billowed up around him and over the top of the curtain, filling the bathroom with humidity despite the open door. Finding him in the shower was better then the worry that had been nagging her since he'd failed to answer his door, that she'd find him with another woman already.
She leaned on the frame of the door to the bathroom and just watched him wash and sing with a smile for how cute he was playing around her expressive mouth. She fought the need to join in with him, knowing the words herself. He finished the song and shut off the water. Storm couldn't help it, it was like the Devil took over her hands and she started to clap for his performance. He spun on her and tore the curtain back, ready to beat the shit out of who ever had snuck into his home and dared to invade his privacy. When he saw who it was his anger didn't really go away.
Of course it was more based on the fact that seeing her standing there in her low rider track pants and little cropped athletic top had him wanting her again and she'd only left an hour and a half ago. He wrapped a towel around his waist and looked at Storm again, anger flashing in his black eyes.
"How'd you get in here?"
"You should really think about a better lock for the door and using a bar instead of a chain. It wasn't hard at all to get past." She smirked as she told him of breaking into his house. She was a most unconventional female, Taylor mused even as he fumed.
"Most people wouldn't dare break in here, that's why."
"I am not most people." Storm cocked a brow and licked her bottom lip unconsciously before catching it between her teeth. So she was slightly nervous about what his reaction to her getting in to his house without an invitation was gonna be. Good enough for her.
The retort no kidden came to mind but Taylor didn't say it. It did enter his head to send her home before she got caught here, before she landed them both into the hot water they'd avoided by Matty's timely arrival but he couldn't do it. He hated the fact she could make him want her so bad in the same thought as he was secretly glad someone could make him feel an emotion that wasn't anger again.
"You know what's gonna happen to you comin here unannounced and alone like this?"
"No, show me." Storm ordered with her usual amount of arrogance. It came from being the boss's daughter but it also just came from her own personality. She could no more help it then she could give up breathing.
Or give up Taylor.
Both were ingrained into her very being now. There was no getting them out. It almost gave her vertigo to think how long it had taken for the arrogance to become part of who she was and how very short a time it had taken for Taylor to be that ingrained. How had he gotten so deep so fast? She watched as he stalked up to her like a jungle cat. Hugely muscled but defiantly graceful, despite his bulk.
Show her she said. Oh he'd show her alright.
She watched again as his mouth found hers, felt the drops of water from his skin soak into her clothes. She didn't care. Her focus revolved around the points where her skin met his and nothing else in the world had relevance. It would all have to wait until the feeling of him on her wasn't eclipsing everything else.
xox
"Why'd you come back here so soon? I said I'd call you and I would have." Taylor murmured as he played with one of Storm's errant curls some time later. Her hair was everywhere around them but he didn't care. He was feeling pretty mellow as a matter of fact. That was, he felt mellow when he didn't think of how panicked he felt that not only had he let Storm stay after she'd broken in, but that he was also glad she was there.
"I don't know why really. I got in a fight with Dad about not calling or coming home last night as soon as Matty and I walked in the house. I got away from him without telling him much of anything but he ordered me not to leave the house until after we'd talked, no doubt about Theresa and I and what I said to her last night. I told him and Matty I was gonna have a shower and a nap but I didn't feel like being stuck in the house. I was just gonna take the car for a tear but before I knew it I was here."
"Um" Taylor grunted a noncommittal response.
"I just didn't want to face it I guess so I ran. Plus I wasn't really ready to leave when my brother showed up but it seemed like the best time to take off. I knew if Matty drove me home I could leave you outta it."
"Yeah, but now your car is parked out front."
"Yeah, yeah it is." Storm said and sighed. She had no real desire to leave any time soon but she knew her dad was gonna catch her gone if she put it off too much longer. She pushed herself up off Taylor's broad chest with a groan. Her body felt like her bones had melted and she really had no desire to leave the warm shell they'd created in Taylor's bed.
"Where you goin?" Taylor asked, and then wished he could take it back because he sounded needy, like he just didn't want her to go.
"Bathroom." She called back as she walked out of his room. Taylor didn't answer, just threw an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the reality of what he'd done. Of course the more real problem was who he'd done, he thought crudely. He heard his shower start and checked the clock.
Damn, he had someplace to be in a very short amount of time. And since he now smelled like Storm's perfume again, and the meeting he had to keep was with her uncle, he figured now he needed a shower too. He got out of his bed and walked in the bathroom to find Storm already in his shower singing some song to herself.
"I could call you my baby boy, you could call me your baby girl, maybe we could spend some time, I could be your sunshine." She had an airy, pleasant though not anything spectacular soprano voice. He realized she was dancing in the shower too. She was quite the character.
"You almost done? I got places to be." He called after he watched her wash her hair with some of his soap. He didn't keep shampoo because he had no need of it. He knew it was the wrong thing to say the minute it left his mouth but he couldn't take it back. He could only blame it on the things watching her wash her long hair did to his brain.
The water shut off and one wet arm reached out for a towel. He rubbed his head as he mentally kicked himself. She walked out of the tub with the towel around her hair of all things and brushed past him, not meeting his eyes. She started pulling her clothes on over her soaking wet skin.
"Storm!" Taylor called as he followed her back to his room. She held up one hand for silence as she continued dressing.
Storm couldn't believe his attitude but damn if she was sticking around to hear more of it. If he wanted to treat her and what they had like some booty call that he could end as soon as it got inconvenient she was done with him. Done in the final sense. She took the towel out of her hair as soon as she had all her clothes back on. It had taken some doing since they'd been strewn all over Taylor's room and it wasn't fun to pull them on over her tacky wet skin. She didn't know if she wanted to cry because she was so angry or because she was so hurt. Either way she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt her that badly.
She'd risked her father's wrath and Matty's disappointment because she'd just felt like she had to see him again or die and to him it was just a nice booty call. His tone had proved it quite plainly to her. She stalked past him with dripping wet hair hanging down her back and started to put her shoes on at the door.
"Storm!" Taylor called as he stalked after her.
"Save it!" She roared back. "I don't wanna hear it." Storm undid the chain, then the lock and violently hauled the heavy door open.
"Hold up!" Taylor called after her and grabbed her arm to stop her flight.
"Let. Me. Go." Storm hissed out through clenched teeth.
"Not until you listen to me."
"You have nothing to say I wanna hear. Let me go!" Storm roared and twisted her arm in such a way that he had no choice but release her. He went to chase her out into the hall but he realized he had nothing but a pair of his shorts on. The way she was running down the stairs he'd never catch her before she got outside anyway. He slammed his door shut.
"FUCK!" He roared in his empty house. He wanted to chase her home right away so they could have it out but it wasn't gonna happen. He couldn't follow her home for one thing and for another he couldn't miss out on his meeting with Teddy. He fought the urge he had to start destroying his own place in his anger and took a scalding hot shower.
He knew that punishing himself with hot water wasn't going to help the situation but he was just so irate with himself, and with Storm for showing up uninvited and making him feel so guilty. But he knew too that as pressed for time as he had been he should have put her back into her car as soon as she'd shown up. He curtly dressed and got into his van to go meet Teddy.
xox
Storm alternately cussed Taylor out in Italian and cried the whole way back to her house. She parked the car and climbed onto her balcony and let herself into her room. She headed straight to her bathroom, shedding her clothes on the way and took another shower, this one as hot as she could stand.
As she was getting dressed again in yet another set of clean clothes there was a knock at her door. She tossed it open without even bothering to ask who was there. When she saw Matty's face she burst into tears.
"What happened sis?" Matty asked, very concerned as he forced his way into her room and closed the door behind himself. Storm only shook her head in response. "Storm, come off it. There's no way you're this upset over nothing. Tell me what happened baby girl."
"Taylor happened." Storm hiccupped out as she cried on Matty's shoulder.
"How is this over Taylor? You've been home for hours. How is this over Taylor if it's just happening now?" Matty's green eyes told of his confusion. He had no idea what was going on.
Storm didn't think she could tell him. Taylor was still going to be his best friend and if she told Matty what had happened it would just make him angry at Taylor and possibly hurt their friendship. Storm didn't want that, no matter how much Taylor's callus words had hurt her.
"It's nothing Matty. Just…" She didn't know what to tell him. She'd already said it was over Taylor. How could she tell him it was nothing now?
"What is it? What did Taylor do?"
"Nothing. I just meant it's over Taylor because I don't want to go fight with Dad and the only reason why I have to is because I stayed with Taylor last night instead of coming home." Storm improvised. Matty seemed to buy it.
"Yeah, and the old man wants to see you now. Storm you should go do something with your neck before you go talk to him. I swear its worse now then when I drove you home."
"Must just be the light." Storm retorted and headed into her bathroom.
"Yeah, maybe. Don't keep the old man waiting. He's not in a good mood."
"When is he ever?" Storm sighed as she applied heavy foundation to her skin.
"Dunno." Matty shrugged and left her room.
When Storm was satisfied that her skin looked blemish free she left her room and headed down to her dad's home office. "You sent Matty to rush me along?" Storm was in a bad mood and her father was not going to be spared the brunt of it.
"Yeah, were you ever going to come down on your own?"
"Likely. You forbid me from leaving the house until we talked and I damn sure know I got stuff to do tonight and I will be leavin this house." Storm sat down in one of the chairs in front of her father's desk with a scowl, daring him to have something to say about it. It was clear she was looking for a fight.
"Storm, this attitude is what keeps you in shit." Benny sighed.
"This attitude is a direct result of people always being up in my business. I'm growin weary of it."
"I never said nothin to you yet!" Benny raised his voice slightly with his anger. "But I got lots to say so get comfortable."
"Go crazy old man. I'll just tune it out like I always do." Storm forced a yawn and looked at her nails. She knew she was pushing her father farther then even she ever had dared. She also knew it wasn't really his fault she was looking for a kill. It had been Taylor's harsh words that had set her off, but she couldn't tell her father that, and she'd always been the one who took stuff out on everyone when she was mad. She felt the presence of that line in the sand, she didn't know if she was going to be able to sit tight on her side of it this time however. She had a funny feeling that by the end of this meeting she might have her answer to what would happen if she ever crossed over it.
"Storm, what has gotten into you? This is insolent, even for you." Benny took in her hastily pony tailed hair, scruffy garage cloths and mismatched socks. Much as his daughter's fashion sense leaned toward athletic clothes or jeans she normally would have worn clean clothes to meet him. Not only that but there was a petulant pout on her mouth and her eyes were belligerent. She normally did just sit in the 'punishment' chair and let him lecture her until he felt better about whatever she'd done. He knew she was just humouring him and he didn't care as long as she sat there and listened, whether she cared and agreed or not. But in the harsh daylight of his office he could also see the fact that her normally unenhanced olive skin was made up, and that her green eyes were appearing even more green due to the red raw rings around them that makeup couldn't hide. There was more here then Storm simply not wanting to hear one of his 'respect your aunt' lectures.
"I just don't want to sit through yet another lecture on how I should let my aunt run her huge fuckin mouth because she kept Matty and me for three years while you didn't have no one else to ask. That woman is a whore who doesn't know when to shut up and yet I'm the one who always catches hell over saying anything back to her because she's an adult and I should show some fucken respect. What about some respect for me for a change? Well, the thing is at this point I'm an adult too and I'm sick to death of letting her talk down to me just because she's jealous my dad's the boss when her husband is an underboss who's older then you, his boss, and therefore likely never will take over the business. Why should I have to suffer just because she's old, ugly and hatein on me for being higher then her daughters by birth even though they're all married to your lieutenants."
Storm had stood up and begun to pace while she ranted and her tone got louder and louder the longer she went off.
"Storm…" Her father cautioned.
"And another thing. If I wanna show up at 3am or even the next day after I go out I'm an adult and I don't need you to tell me if I'm allowed or not. You don't do this shit to Matty. I'm sick of bowing to your every whim just because I happened to be born with two X chromosomes and therefore didn't grow a dick." Storm shrieked.
"SIT!" Benny bellowed and pointed to her vacated chair.
"NO!" She roared back. "This conversation is over." Storm moved to leave the room.
"Get back here!" Benny called. Storm turned back to face him half way to the door.
"No." She said, sounding perfectly calm.
"I have more to say to you!" Benny called and pointed back at her chair.
"Me ne sbatto il cazzo!" I don't give a shit, Storm roared in Italian at her father. "I'm tired of trying to be what you want me to be. I'm tired of being the good girl and caring what you think. Tired of trying to win your approval and knowing that no matter what I do it'll never be good enough to impress you. So tired of it all. It's over. I'm living my life how I want to from now on because living my life for you gets me no where but lectured in the office all the time. I just wanna live my life my way for a change."
When it became clear Storm was not going to go sit down Benny strode over to her and stood in front of her.
"What you said about your aunt and implied you would do to her was out of line. No matter how much her conduct offends you, you will not imply you would kill Teddy's wife in front of them. What you joke about to Matty I don't care about if it's in private but you will never act like a mignotta in public like you did last night ever again!" Storm could not believe her own father had just called her a whore. She knew he meant how she'd talked to Teddy and Theresa, that he didn't know about her and Taylor, but she was still shocked. It was the only excuse she had for what left her mouth next because she knew that she knew better.
"Vaffanculo!" Never before had Storm said something so very rude to her father. It was the Italian equivalent of telling him to fuck off or go fuck himself. She knew she'd essentially just taken her foot and rubbed the line out of the sand, she'd gone far beyond crossing it. When this situation was done falling out she was fairly sure there'd be a new line drawn, and that she likely wouldn't be happy with its placement. Storm watched with an odd sense of detachment as her father's eyes turned a green so dark they were almost black with his rage. She watched almost as though she was living in slow motion as his hand came up, reared back and then cracked her across her face. Like it was still slow motion she saw the anger leave his eyes to be replaced by remorse. He'd never raised a hand to her before. She was so shocked that he'd even think of hitting her she never even thought to fend off the blow like she had with Taylor.
Her cheek felt like it was on fire as her own hand flew up to cup it gently. She could feel the heat pouring off her skin and figured she'd have a nice bruise to show for it later. She felt tears filling her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and turned on her heel to leave the room before any of them spilled over. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction same as she hadn't given it to Taylor either. She walked stiffly toward the door of the office and opened the door. To Storm, it seemed like everyone was letting her down. She could deal with Taylor, but she never thought she'd see the day where her own father, the man who'd always been there for her, would turn on her, no matter how angry he was.
"God Storm, I'm sorry." Benny called after his daughter. "Please, come back and we'll talk like rational adults. Don't walk out on me now. I don't know what I-"
"I need to put something cold on this now. Maybe we'll talk later." Storm answered calmly without turning around and left the room. She didn't bother closing the door behind her.
Benny heard Matty rush up to her in the hall. He'd no doubt heard the crack the flesh on flesh contact had made. It had seemed like a gunshot to Benny as loud as it had been to him at any rate. "Storm, you ok baby girl, let me look at you." Matty's voice was full of concern.
"I'm fine Matty. I got stuff to do right now. I'll talk to you later ok?"
"Ok Storm. Don't lock your door ok? In case you fall asleep." It was clear Matty's concern was not over his sister falling asleep, but instead over his sister doing something stupid to herself. Benny wondered what Matty saw in Storm's eyes that made him feel that way. Matty knew Storm better then anyone else in the world, if Matty was that concerned over her it was for a good reason.
"Ok Matty." From the tone of Storm's voice she was already miles away in her own world. She didn't even sound like herself. Benny sank down onto his chair wearily and put his head in his hands. What had he done? How was his own little girl ever going to trust him again if after her confession she felt like she was living for everyone but herself he'd hauled off and slapped her?
Benny had taken a lot of lives in his life and he'd suffered no remorse for any of it. But he was filled with shame over what he'd just done. He'd never raised a hand to either of his children before. Not ever. He especially didn't hold with slapping a girl like he'd slapped his own daughter. She might have deserved to be pulled over his lap and soundly spanked, but never to be slapped across the face.
"What's wrong with Storm?" Matty asked as he walked in the office.
"Nothin. She'll be fine." Or at least he hoped she would. He had to get out of the house for awhile was all he could think. He stood up again and snatched up his keys. "I'm going to the hall for awhile. I'm supposed to meet Teddy there soon anyway. You stay here for Storm, ok?"
"Yeah, ok." Matty didn't for a second buy that nothing had gone down between his sister and their old man but he wasn't one to push. He watched his dad leave then went and put a movie on TV.
xox
Storm locked herself in her room despite her words to Matty and sat on her bed to have a good cry in private. Her life felt like it was in shambles all around her. She had stopped briefly to put a cold washcloth on her cheek, hoping it wouldn't swell or bruise but knowing it would anyway.
She got up to rewet her cloth with cold water and changed into her tank top and short shorts pyjamas while she was up. She knew she wouldn't be going anywhere else that night. She was just going to curl up in a ball on her bed and be miserable alone. How had a day that had started with such promise gone straight to hell in a hand basket so swiftly?
She had figured she'd cry like a baby, had tried to even, figuring it was better out of her system then in. But she couldn't cry. All she could do was lay there, curled up in the foetal position and stare out her window at the sky which had clouded over while she'd argued with her dad, feeling like nothing mattered and nothing ever would again.
Then as the sky got darker the clouds thickened and grew almost alive with the light of a pending storm she started to hope it would just tear the city apart. Maybe the destruction would make her feel some sort of fear or worry at least. As the clouds grew more luminous and the rain started Storm woke out of her almost comatose sleep and walked up to her French doors. Without a second thought she walked out into the November night in her shorts and tank top and let the rain pour down on her, hoping to feel the cold, the stinging rain, something.
Anything.
xox
Taylor cursed for the hundredth time as he worked on his assignment from Teddy. It was collecting some money in a very bad part of town and Taylor knew he'd only been asked to do it as punishment for taking Storm out after the dinner last night.
It didn't help his mood any to know that he'd left Storm hurting when she'd rushed out of his apartment early that afternoon. He didn't know what to do about it. He had no idea. He'd never had a desire to have a girl around for longer then one night before. In his usual circumstances he'd be just as happy she'd left his life after such as short amount of time with such a relatively small scene.
But instead the anger had put him off his game all day long. He'd been even shorter with the scumbags he was down here to deal with then he normally would have been. He'd already left one man for dead he'd beaten him so badly and it wasn't looking good for the one he was dealing with right then either.
"Listen asshole, pay up or pay the price. Deserve says you pay now, not tomorrow or next week. Now." Taylor growled.
"I don't have it now."
"That's too bad for you then." Taylor answered as he hauled back to punch the man in his face. It was what he did, he either got his money or he gave the people who didn't have it a few good reasons to make sure they had it next time. His fist never connected with flesh however, and the next thing he knew he was looking down the barrel of a .38 pistol. He didn't have a gun himself. He never knew when he might come face to face with his parole officer so he relied on his wits and strength, not firearms.
"No, it's too bad for you my friend." The Mexican man laughed as he took aim and pulled the trigger. Taylor moved faster then the other man had anticipated and he missed out on the intended bullet in his head. He didn't move fast enough to miss the second shot though, and it caught him in the shoulder.
He let loose a cry of rage and pain but the Mexican was already fleeing the scene. Taylor knew he'd never catch him as he felt the warm sticky blood trickle down his arm and side. He had to get something done with it soon or he was in trouble. He knew he couldn't go to a hospital and he only knew of one other place he could run to.
Storm.
He'd either end up fixed up or finished off. It could go either way. He knew she kept supplies in her room for doctoring her own wounds much as he hated the fact. He started back to his van, feeling the burning sensation in his shoulder start to fade out as numbness came. He knew that the numbness was not a good sign.
As soon as he got the van started the rain started too. It started out as a mist, not much at all. But half way to the Demaret house the sky opened and his windshield wipers had trouble keeping up with the torrential load.
The house came into view and he parked down the side street where the back gate was. He had no way to get the gate opened but he wouldn't have wanted his van on the property to be seen anyway. Getting over the fence was going to take some work with one arm out of commission too. He got out into the blinding rain and ran over to the gate.
Several fumbling, curse filled attempts later he found himself on the inside of the fence. The damn rain was frigid. He would almost swear it could turn to snow at any time. He started toward the drainpipe he'd seen Storm climb before and started his own agonizing climb. He never looked up to see how far he had left, just kept steadily climbing. When he reached the top he felt like he was ready to pass out. But it was nothing to how he felt when he saw the sight that waited for him on the balcony of Storm's room.
She was standing in the rain, only wearing a white tank top and pair of boy cut shorts that skimmed the tops of her thighs. Her head was thrown back, exposing the curve of her throat and thrusting her chest forward. No detail of her form was hidden by her sodden clothes, plastered against her skin by the rain and every strike of lightning illuminated her white clothes with an almost ethereal glow. She wasn't even aware he'd joined her, he knew. It was almost like she was in a trance. He hated to interrupt but he was in very real danger of passing out at her feet if something wasn't done with his shoulder.
"Storm?" He croaked as he hit one knee, his strength leaving him.
Storm came out of her oblivion abruptly. "What are you doing here Taylor?" Before he could answer she saw the black on his white shirt. Black she somehow instinctively knew would be red in the light of her room. "You're hurt! What happened?" She rushed over to where he was kneeling on her cement balcony and took his face in her hands, looking for injuries there before moving lower, taking an inventory of his body.
"Got shot." Taylor's teeth had started to chatter as the cold rain chilled him and the loss of blood intensified the effect.
"I can't move you Tay, you gotta get yourself into my room." Storm took his arm to help him up and help him into her room. She tossed back her blankets and then turned back to Taylor who was standing in her room beside the French doors not looking like he was totally conscious. Storm started to peel his wet clothes off him, knowing he had to get warm and that she had to see the damage that had been done. She left him in his wet shorts and started to try and get him to get in her bed.
"I'll get blood on it."
"Just sit on the side for now." Storm started turning on lights to see the extent of his wounds better. She had gone right from a trance like state on the balcony to running on pure adrenaline. It hadn't occurred to her how cold she was from her hour standing in the freezing rain. Taylor sat. After she looked at the entrance and exit wound Storm was sure the bullet was not still embedded in Taylor's shoulder. But she was also sure he needed stitches. "You need medical help Taylor. This is bleeding too much to just leave."
"I know you got the stuff here. You gotta do it Storm. I can't go to the hospitals and you know it. I'd never drive there like this and they ask too many questions. You do it. It didn't hit anything vital; I can still use my arm. It just hurts like fucken hell."
"You want me to stitch you up? Taylor I'm not a doctor. I never did anything like that before!"
"No, but you thought you might have to someday. I know you have the stuff here. I mean, Storm if you thought you could doctor yourself you have to be able to doctor me up. I need you to help me Storm." Secretly with the part of his brain that was still working correctly Taylor was just glad Storm hadn't finished him off for what she perceived he'd meant by what he'd said earlier. She looked like she had more protests to make, but like she saw he was right she snapped her mouth shut and went to the bathroom.
"This is gonna hurt. A lot." Storm told Taylor honestly as she returned with the type of iodine swab hospitals used to prep skin for surgery and her suture needle and material.
"I'll be ok. Just do it." Taylor grumbled back. He was touched she cared about hurting him after how he'd already hurt her. She wasn't using it as a way to get back at him. She was being as gentle as she could. As Storm cleaned his shoulder he fought to remain awake. The pain was intense.
"It'd be better if you passed out before I get to the stitching part." Storm imparted sagely, knowing it was going to hurt a hundred times worse when she started to sew his skin closed. It was one of her closet secrets she could sew. But she'd only ever sewn cloth before, never human skin and she felt a bit sick at the thought of forcing her needle and suture material through Taylor's creamy brown skin. She gagged and went to run to the bathroom.
"You can do this Storm." Taylor tried to reassure her. "I'm ok. I know it'll hurt but it'll be ok. Just do it 'Ella." The form of her first name just slipped out. He couldn't have told anyone where it had come from since no one called her Arabella or Bella, let alone 'Ella, but it did seem to focus her. She took a deep breath and pushed the needle through his skin. He sucked a deep breath but managed to not cry out or squirm. He did, after her second stitch, black out but not deeply. She got him conscious enough to get him onto his freshly bandaged front so she could suture the exit wound. All the while lighting flashed outside and the sound of the rain pounding the building came in through the still open French door.
She finished up his back and cleaned and bandaged the wound. Figuring he was out cold she left him on his stomach and went to put her supplies away and wash her hands. As the thoughts of what she'd done washed over her, her suppressed nausea came back and she was sick. Thankfully since she'd never gotten up the will to leave her room after the scene with her father she hadn't eaten in so long she had nothing in her stomach to void anyway. She came back into her bedroom to find Taylor on his back, seeming to still be out cold. She realized how cold it was in her room then, as the shock and adrenaline wore off. She closed the door to the outside and then started turning off lights. She stripped out of her still wet clothes and pulled on dry ones, realizing afterward she'd grabbed Taylor's Yankee's tee shirt off her floor and pulled it on. She was too tired to change and far too cold to care. She went to turn the light off on Taylor's side of her bed, figuring she'd pull the blankets over him and let him sleep while she was over there. She also figured she'd let him have the bed and sleep in the chair since she was by no means ok with him.
It had just seemed petty to fight with him about it while he was bleeding to death. As she leaned over him to pull the blanket over him his good arm shot up and grabbed her chin.
"Who did that to your face?" He asked in a voice so deceptively calm it sent shivers of fear down her spine as he tipped her head to the side to better see the bruised side of her face. She was glad his rage wasn't directed at her because when he talked like he had just now he managed to terrify her like he never had before. When he talked in that tone it showed clearly why the half of New York that knew about him did everything in their power to stay out of his way. That tone showed clearly that he did have it in him to beat a man to death with nothing but his bare hands and it scared her.
Taylor could only tell himself his pain had blinded him to the red handprint on the side her cheek, swollen and bruised. She shrugged in answer to his question. After the adrenaline of helping Taylor had worn off she'd been dropped right back into not feeling much at all. In her world at that moment it didn't matter.
"Not important. You need your sleep." Storm hauled the blankets of her bed up over Taylor's body, knowing he needed to be kept warm.
"'Ella, who hit you?" Taylor asked again, more gently, trying not to scare her with his rage as he watched her fight her tears. He somehow got his abused body to move over so he could pull her quaking form down into the bed with him. She allowed it and started to cry, her whole horrible day rushing back on her. "Shush 'Ella." He had his bad arm stretched out in front of him, cushioning her neck and he wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her back tight against him. "What happened 'El?" He found he really cared and he found her tears were affecting him like nothing had in quite some time. She was freezing and he used his good arm to rub her stomach in a way he hoped was reassuring. "You can tell me 'Ella."
"My dad. We had a fight and I told him Vaffanculo cause he called me a mignotta for how I talked to Theresa."
"What's a mignotta?"
"A whore, literally." Storm sounded almost too detached from the situation for Taylor's liking. He flinched. Her father had, unknowing, called her something he'd made her feel like.
"And what's Vaffanculo?"
"Fuck you, fuck off."
"Why'd you say that to Benny 'Chains'?" No one, in Taylor's memory, had ever lived after saying much less in the way of insults to Benny. Not that Taylor could agree with anyone slapping Storm but in a lot of ways what she'd said to her father could have gone worse.
"I was so mad about how I'm supposed to let Theresa walk all over me. I was more upset about you." She admitted in a small voice. "I didn't know I was just a good time while you wanted me around until then. It meant more to me." She finished in a barely audible tone.
"You jumped to conclusions yet again Storm. I know what I said came out wrong but I didn't mean it like that I swear. Then you took off so fast I couldn't catch you and I had to meet with Teddy this afternoon. There was no getting out of it and I was already running late." He gave in to his impulse to kiss the bare nape of her neck and watched her shudder with it. He saw the marks he'd left her with on her neck and he was proud. She was his. It was time she knew it and he accepted it. The thought of anyone else putting their hands on her made him want to tear the faceless man limb from limb. "It meant more to me too."
"Really?" Storm asked, sounding like a young child who was getting too sleepy for coherent sentences.
"Yeah, really. Go to sleep 'Ella. Everything's gonna be ok. I got you now. Turn out the lamp."
She reached out and did as he asked while she fought a yawn and allowed him to settle her into the crook of his body again. It was like coming home. Suddenly the thing with her dad didn't seem quite so bad when she found out Taylor had really wanted her; that not just any handy female would have done.
Taylor watched her face as she slept. He wished sleep would come to him. It wasn't the pain in his shoulder keeping him up either, though that was bad. It was thinking about Storm being alone and hurting from his stupid words and then on top if it all her beloved father backhanding her over something stupid said in anger.
She was such a little thing; he forgot how resilient she normally was. But the day she'd had had really taken its toll on her. He felt such an impotent rage over the bruise on her face. He couldn't obliterate Benny 'Chains' Demaret into the ground with his bare hands, much as he wanted to. Storm was Benny's daughter and Benny was a deadly boss. There was nothing Taylor could do to avenge her at all and it made him furious. He felt like he was choking on his feelings to keep himself from hunting Benny down, boss or no, screwed shoulder or no, and just showing the man what it felt like to be slapped by someone a few times stronger then you were.
But eventually Storm's deep even breathing and his fatigue and blood loss forced him to pass out, Storm still cradled in his powerful arms, arms that had allowed him to brutalize many men but yet turned so gentle while she was in them.