Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree hill or its characters… yada yada yada blah.
AN: Okay, for those of you who asked, Robert Hartford is the guy from the girl's last con. He's in the first chapter. Oh, and I want to thank you all IMMENSELY for the amazing, amazing reviews. I got a really good response from that chapter so I'm hoping this one lives up to it.
The Con
Chapter Fifteen: Something Wicked
"I think that maybe you should sit down."
Haley's mind couldn't process what she was seeing. Her feet seemed to be glued to the floor, and her throat was stuck together. She couldn't say anything and she couldn't move.
"Sit down!" Robert shouted, causing Haley to flinch.
"Don't talk to her like that!" Taylor yelled.
"Don't talk!" Robert said, his voice harsh and raw-edged. "Don't you dare talk."
Haley took a deep breath and sat down beside Taylor on the bed, her eyes searching over her older sister's body for any sign that Robert had hurt her. She felt her wrist being grabbed like a vice and looked down to see that her sisters knuckles were white. She was scared.
"So, I see that I don't need to introduce you two, right?" Robert was saying now, pacing up and down in front of the two scared women. If he didn't look so… so completely vicious, Haley would have ran out by now, but as it was, she couldn't. He had obviously said or done something to scare Taylor, and that was no easy feat.
"I mean, no need for, 'Georgina, this is Shelly - you remember her right, the woman who seduced me and ended our very short marriage. Shelly, this is Georgina, my ex-wife."
"I didn't have to work too hard to seduce you," Haley spat. She regretted it as soon as the words were out of her mouth as Robert closed the gap between them in two steps and leant down, his face mere inches from her. She could see that his eyes were blood shot and it looked like he hadn't slept in a while.
"Don't you get on a high horse with me, you little slut!" He muttered, his voice all the more dangerous for being so quiet. Haley flinched at the raw hatred in it.
"I said don't talk to her like that!" Taylor yelled. Robert raised his hand towards her and both girls squealed, leaning as far back on the bed as they could trying to keep out of his reach.
Robert froze his hand in mid-air and his eyes switched between the sisters frantically. He shook his head crossly and stood back up to his full height. "I've never hit a woman in my life," he muttered. "I'm not going to do that now, not on you bitches. You deserve it, but I sure as hell don't."
Haley took in a deep shaky breath and reached out for Taylor's other hand, the one that wasn't on her wrist. Taylor took it gratefully and held on tight. Haley could feel her trembling and realised that she would have to be the strong one. It was a completely new feeling.
The truth was, even though it wasn't always completely well-guided, Taylor had always looked out for her baby sister. Haley was completely aware of this, and even though it normally meant getting screwed over, she knew Taylor's heart was in the right place.
But now… well, now Haley could see that she was the one who had to stay together. It was hard when she had been in the middle of an emotional break down only moments earlier.
"So, what are we going to do?" Robert was asking now, looking at the two of them with cold eyes. "I mean, it's obvious you two have some kind of a scam going on here to cheat hard working men out of their cash, so I guess the only thing I really can do is go to the police."
"No!" Taylor bit out, her eyes widening and her grip on Haley's hand and wrist tightening.
"What… you don't think you deserve it?" Robert asked, cocking his head to the side. "I'm sure that this new guy you're scamming would agree with me that you do…"
Haley's eyes widened and she tasted bile in the back of her throat. "You don't need to get him involved," she whispered, her heart breaking at the thought of Nathan knowing how she had used him.
"Just tell us what you want," Taylor added, glancing at her sister with tear-brimmed eyes. "We'll do anything."
Robert bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. "I guess I could just tell you never to do this again, give you a slap on the wrist and let you off on your merry little way."
Haley and Taylor shared a confused look, but Robert's sardonic little laugh caused them both to turn back to him. "Please, do you really think I'd let you get away with this? You know, I actually tracked you down because I… well, I thought that I loved you!" He was looking at Taylor and Haley felt her grip loosen a little.
Taylor tried to smirk sexily at Robert, and Haley knew what she was trying to do. Unfortunately, Robert wasn't as dumb as he looked. "I said loved. That's past tense sweetheart so you can keep your smiles to yourself."
Haley bit her lip and felt tears rise in her eyes. For the first time since she had came into this crazy situation, she realised how much trouble they were actually in. The strength that she had drawn from Taylor's vulnerability abandoned her and she was the scared little sister once again. The one who had sat on the stairs and sniffed bravely while her grandparents told her Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be back again. The one who had tried so hard to be strong but had crumbled inside.
"Do you want your money?" Taylor asked, her eyes wide like she was clasping at straws. "We can get you that…"
"Taylor," Haley muttered, glaring at her. She couldn't believe her sister was offering money that they didn't have. This is how she got into trouble in the first place. "You owe that money to… to them." Haley still couldn't bring myself to say the name of the drug dealers who got them into this mess in the first place. The only reason Haley did this damn con was because they wanted more money.
Taylor looked down at her hands and something caught in Haley's throat. Oh God, please tell me she didn't… "You do owe that money, don't you?" Haley asked.
Taylor exhales loudly and shook her head.
"You lied to me?" Haley asked, feeling complete and utter betrayal.
"I had to!" Taylor shouted. "You were going to go out there on your own and… you're not ready Haley! You're innocent and the world is far from…"
"Well, while this little family bonding scene is very touching, I do believe there's the matter of my money," Robert spits, leaning against the dressing table. While Haley would like nothing more than to launch herself at Taylor right that minute, she knew that they had bigger issues at hand, even if they didn't seem that way at that moment.
"Fine," Haley snapped, throwing her arms up in the air. "You heard Taylor, you can get your damn money back and leave us alone."
Robert actually laughed out loud at that, his eyes shining with disbelief. "You honestly think the money that I gave you is going to cover what you did to me? I mean, there was the wedding costs, the divorce fees, the therapists…"
"Well, how much do you want?" Taylor asked, and Haley could see fear brimming in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel some slight satisfaction at that, even though her own stomach seemed to be doing back flips.
"I'm not a greedy man," Robert said in a mocking tone that suggested he found Taylor and Haley to be greedy. "How about we settle it at double the settlement?"
Haley and Taylor jumped up at once, Haley's mouth flying open and her fists clenching.
"We don't have that much!" Taylor yelled. "You know we don't!"
Robert shook his head. "I know nothing. I'm just some poor shmuck who you conned out of his hard-earned cash. Kind of like the guy you're working on now."
Haley's fists clenched even harder until the skin on the palm of her hand was punctured. She tried to speal but her mouth was bone dry. "I… I can't…" was all she managed before her voice seemed to run out. She shook her head stubbornly. "No."
Robert raised his eyebrows and looked over at Taylor. "Something seems to be going on with your sister. I think she wants you guys to go to prison or something."
Haley caught Taylor's eye and shook her head, a single tear escaping her eyes. She couldn't go through with this con, not now that she knew she was in love with Nathan. It was hard enough to walk away, let alone have to carry on with this lie. She couldn't do that to him, couldn't hurt him.
"Don't make her do this," Taylor pleaded. "I'll figure out a way to get you your money, just… Haley's ot ready for this. Please, let her go."
Robert shook his head. "She thought nothing about jumping my bones in my office, she can sure as hell finish this… this thing that you guy's have going on and get me my damn money."
"But…" Taylor tried, but Robert shook his head, his eyes showing he meant business.
"No. I'm not going to let you screw me over again. I'm going to be right on your back this whole time so don't even think about running away. You're getting me my money." Robert tightened his coat around him and headed out of the room. Haley completely lost her breath and started to panic. It was like she'd forgotten how to breathe. Taylor ran over to her but Haley waved her off, still mad even in her hyperventilating state. She counted to ten and tried to slow down, feeling the pressure on her lungs wear off a little.
"Oh, and you're under surveillance," Robert shouted from the suite's living room. "So don't try running away."
The door slammed, and Haley started sobbing again. She was going to have to do this. She was going to have to lie to the love of her life…
Oh God… he was the love of her life!
"Haley," Taylor whispered, reaching over and putting her hand on Haley's shoulder. Haley shook her off and got to her feet, pacing up and down while trying to control her sobs.
"Haley, look," Taylor started, but Haley cute her off.
"NO!" She yelled, her sad eyes combining with fury. "Don't you dare talk to me! I could be living life right now, having a job, paying rent! Not betraying the… this really great guy who has already gone through so much crap already."
"Haley, I'll find a way to get you out of here," Taylor promised, standing up and grabbing Haley's hand, refusing to let it go. "I'll sort something out, just say you snuck out in the middle of the night…"
"Oh, right, and be on the run all my life?" Haley asked.
Taylor looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm not saying my plan isn't seriously flawed… but I can't live with myself knowing that I've done this to you. You're right! I screwed up your life because I didn't want you to grow up! I was scared that the world would take you away from me too! Like it took Mom and Dad, and…" Taylor was hysterical now and Haley felt her pain just as sharp as she felt her own. She pulled her big sister into a hug and the two women cried on each other's shoulders.
And it was then that Haley realised something. She was transported back to that day when her granny had told her about her parents being gone. They had left her to sit on her own for a while, and Haley was determined not to cry. Daddy didn't like it when his little angel cried, so she was going to be brave. But… but her nose was starting to hurt, and her eyes were scratchy… but she wouldn't cry! She couldn't cry because that would upset Mommy and Daddy…
And then she felt an arm around her shoulder. She looked up to see her big sister sat on the step beside her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy, but she wore a huge smile on her face for her little bee to see. She stroked Haley's hair and whispered in her ear. "It's alright," she said, pulling Haley in tighter. "It's alright to cry."
And Haley had. The pressure she had been putting on herself was relieved. She sniffed loudly and the tears escaped in a messy waterfall down her face. She buried her face in her big sister's chest - her big sister who was still only a child herself and who had been there for her ever since. She had done her a lot of harm, and got her into a lot of trouble… but she was always there. Always there to tell Haley it was alright to cry.
Haley returned to the present and pulled back, sniffing loudly and wiping her eyes. "We're a team," she whispered, even though her heart was breaking. "I have to go though with this."
--- --- --- --- ---
"But… but I just don't get it," Brooke said for what had to be the thousandth time. Nathan leant back on the couch and rolled his eyes, wondering how many more times he had to go through with this. Living the ordeal once had been enough without his friends wanting a full and detailed examination of it.
Brooke had called it a 'post-mortem', but Nathan wasn't quite ready to accept that yet.
"Absolutely no excuse?" Brooke asked. Again. Nathan shook his head and closed his eyes.
"She said it was too complicated. What does that even mean?" Nathan asked, still trying to come to terms with the whole episode. He didn't think it had quite sunk in yet. Haley was gone. She was out of his life forever, or at least until she decided to come back into it again. Maybe he wasn't accepting it because he still had her cell phone. She couldn't exactly leave without that.
"That's generally what girls say when they don't want to tell you the real reason," Peyton explained, scooting closer to Nathan on the couch and wrapping her arms around him. Nathan leaned into her a little, but he couldn't feel any comfort. Not when the woman he loved had broke up with him for no apparent reason.
"But you two were so cute together," Brooke whines, like the news of her break up has affected her far more than it has me. I'm just really glad that I didn't tell her about my 'marry me' outburst. That probably would have pushed her over the edge.
"Brooke, I really don't think you're helping Nate," Lucas told his fiancée, stroking her hair. Brooke looked up at Nathan with guilty eyes and silently pleaded with them. Nathan understood, she was just in shock. Hell, he more than anyone could appreciate that.
"Hey," Peyton said in a bright voice as if trying to lift the mood. "Maybe she just didn't like your family!"
Her chuckles were accompanied by identical glares from Brooke and Nathan, and a raised eyebrow from Lucas.
"Too soon to joke?" she asked awkwardly.
Lucas nodded. "Maybe just a little. I think Nate needs at least a month before he starts getting over her."
"A month?" Brook asked incredulously, getting up to her feet from where she had been sitting on the floor beside Lucas. She stepped over a cushion and jumped on the couch beside Nathan, wrapping her arms around him so that she mirrored Brooke. "I'm going to need at least a year."
Lucas smiled at his wife-to-be and shook his head. "I think we need to focus on Nathan, pretty girl," he whispered. Brooke snuggled further into Nathan just to show him that she was there for him, despite her reaction.
The thing was, Brooke was normally good in a crisis, so the fact that she was spazzing out was making Nathan feel even more worn out.
Knock, knock, knock.
All four friends looked up to the door at once.
"That'll be Jake," Brooke said. "I told him to come on up for the pity party."
Nathan rolled his eyes. He really didn't want a pity party. He despised pity. He felt Peyton's body tense up beside him, but didn't have too much time to dwell as Lucas opened the door. There was silence for a while as everyone tried to listen in on the conversation in the corridor. All that could be heard was muffled whispering. Was that a girl's voice? No… wait, it was just Luke.
And speak of the devil. Lucas walked back in now with a weird expression on his face. "Uh, Nathan," he whispered as a dark shadow fell across the door way. Nathan strained his neck, just as the two women on either side of him did. When he saw who it was his jaw dropped.
He heard Brooke give a sharp intake of breath, and he was very close to doing the same thing.
"Haley," he muttered, managing to regain control of his jaw.
Haley looked terrible. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her mascara hadn't been wiped away properly, leaving dark smudges beneath her eyes. Nathan wanted nothing more than to collect her up into his arms and protect her, but his pride wouldn't let him. It had been battered and broken tonight, and he didn't know how long it would take for it to heal.
"Nathan," she said, her voice cracked with tears that had already been shed or were yet to come. "Can we talk?"
--- --- --- --- ---
AN: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNH! I know, even MORE drama, but I swear it's necessary. ::ducks rotten tomato:: Oh, and this chapter sucks SO BAD and I'm SO SORRY! You deserve better, but I'm writing it between my revising when I shouldn't be doing it at all, so I don't really have time to go back and change stuff. I'm SO SORRY once again because it is SO BAD!
Please review… looooooooooove xxx