Chapter 55
Back in Seattle - Escala
Solution
Taylor POV
I've never been so pissed about a situation as I am right now. I've also never been as pissed as I am at the men who work for me; Especially Luke. He's always been my top man, professional and thorough. We've never had this happen in all the years I've been with Grey. What a fucking disaster to clean up.
Not to mention Elliot. I can't believe he's kept everything from me. I feel my temper start to rear it's head and I'm struggling to maintain my control so the situation doesn't get worse. If I snap he could shut down and I'd be in the same situation as I am now, with no information to work with. I need as much information as possible so I have to play nice. This is going to be hard because I want to punch him for withholding important information.
In a low but controlled tone I have to ask, "Elliot, why didn't you tell us anything in the beginning? This could have all been avoided if you had just said SOMETHING." I pause, swallowing down my anger, "If we had all the information we could've done something more."
Elliot looks at me, eyebrows raised and eyes full of disdain. It's almost a full minute before he says anything. "Oh no you don't." He growls, and I can see his fists clenching.
Don't go there.
He continues, "Don't you DARE put the blame on me. I've been telling you, from the beginning, what needs to be done but you guys can't fucking listen to anyone who has knowledge of the situation!"
He's shouting at me by this time and my body temperature is increasing in steady increments. I struggle to remain calm but he's making it difficult. What he says next pisses me off and I want to throw punches at him, but I maintain my composure.
"Do you guys even know how to do your jobs or do you just want the details for your own amusement? This is involving someone you don't know and you don't NEED to know. Period." He is seething and I can tell he wants to brawl. Normally it would be a great workout but with the tension from all this I think it would spiral out of control quickly.
Pointing a finger at me, he growls, "You guys need to get your dicks out of your hands and do something to protect her instead of daydreaming about getting laid, being on vacation or whatever the fuck you're doing. She found her happiness and it isn't any one of you. Deal with it. No matter what it is, you're NOT doing your job, not listening to me and fucking someone's life up." He pauses and then a smirk spreads across his face. "For someone who takes pride in himself and the job he does you sure dropped the ball on this one. This is one major fuck up and you WILL regret it if you don't fix it. IMMEDIATELY."
Ok, so that really pissed me off. However, he does have a point. I've thought about her since I saw her photo and I KNOW the guys have too. Not so much as wanting to be with her but just a chance in general. To be honest, I was hoping that things would smooth itself out on it's own and not have to get involved. Obviously that backfired. Not to mention I don't want to be blamed for Grey's fucking issues.
"No matter who is to blame," I pause and look at Grey who has been silent this whole time, "You're right. An innocent person has been caught in the crossfire and now is physically hurt. We need to resolve this immediately. I've got to get control of the situation Luke started." I pause again, "Mr. Grey, I'd like to fly to Vegas immediately to meet with the guys and Luke to find out what the fuck his problem is. Then I can figure out what needs to be done to handle him from there." I look at him, waiting for his response.
Christian POV
Fuck! What in the hell? This whole thing has been a shit show from the beginning. The last thing I wanted was someone to get hurt, especially someone I don't know. Elliot is right, though I hate to admit it. We've all had, shall we say, ULTERIOR MOTIVES and they've not been in the best interest of the girls safety. Well, not completely.
I should've put forth more of an effort into understanding the situation and letting the people who know details handle it. I hate to admit it but I should've listened to Elliot. I'll say it again, God I hate admitting that. I'll never hear the end of it.
While I know I should've let someone else handle things they know about I can't do that. It's not my nature. I can't do that where Ana is concerned. I need her safe. I need her here with me. I need HER. When Elliot said I might lose her my heart stopped and panic started to settle in. God I hope he's wrong and that doesn't happen. That would destroy me.
I don't know if this can be repaired. We've totally handled this wrong from the get-go and, as much as I would love to blame Elliot for not giving us any information about this girl, I can't. It's my fault. I never should have ordered anyone to stay and watch, under the guise of safety reasons. The real reason is because I'm afraid of her meeting someone else. Never in a million years did I expect one of my guys to lose it. Especially Luke. He's always been in control, detached even. I'm going to have to come clean with her, especially if there's a threat of losing her. How the FUCK do I do that?
"Taylor, you're right. You will fly out tomorrow morning, as early as possible. Contact Stephan and make arrangements. Follow-up with your contact Mitch and tell him to hold off picking up Luke. Let him know you're coming out. Once you get there, assess the situation and we'll go from there. I need to figure how to right this wrong."
I sigh. Looking my brother in the eye I swallow my pride. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves and voice I say, "Elliot, I apologize for being the cause of everyone's misery. I should've listened to you from the beginning but you know me, it's not my nature." I chuckle, ironically, "I'm controlling and think my way is the only way. I even have my CPO's thinking that. I don't want you and Katharine to have problems with your relationship. I'm the one that should lose a relationship." Swallowing hard at the thought I continue, "I don't deserve Ana but I DO deserve it if she decides to never forgive me and leaves. Call Katharine and let her know Taylor will be arriving there tomorrow morning to handle the situation with Luke. We'll figure out what to do next when he gets there."