Chapter 78

Meanwhile back in Seattle…

Brothers

Taylor POV

The elevator pings and I roll my eyes when I look at the cameras and see who's standing there. Fuck. I really don't want to deal with this bullshit right now. However, I guess I can't just blow it off, especially since someone's been hurt and the mess Grey created needs to be cleaned up.

I'm still mad at Elliot for not giving us information that could've prevented some of this shit. Unfortunately, it's really not his fault. We were only following Grey's orders. To be honest, I think Grey is feeling pretty bad about this whole thing and I don't think he knows how to fix it.

I watch through the cameras as he walks toward my living quarters. Opening the door I greet him gruffly and step back to let him in. "Hello Elliot. What's up?" This is exhausting.

"Hey Taylor." He sighs as he walks through the door and heads straight to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator and grabs a couple of beers, one of which he hands me. We stand in the kitchen looking at each other before he says anything. "I'm not sure if you've heard but Rhi's hand is definitely broken. She's in a cast right now but she will need surgery when she returns from Vegas."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. Just great. "That's horrible. I'm sorry she got hurt. I truly am." I pause, trying to control my anger. Anger that's not directed at him. "Elliot, I'm sorry she was thrown into this nightmare we created. She didn't deserve any of this."

He's quiet for a moment and I'm not sure what he's thinking. He doesn't respond to what I've just said. Instead he asks, "Are there any updates on the Luke situation?"

He gets right to the point. That's why I've always liked him.

"I've been trying to figure out a plan to make everyone happy but I know that's not possible." I know he's not going to like what I have to say next but it is what it is. Taking a swig of my beer, I look at him for a moment trying to collect my thoughts. I take a deep breath, "Here's the plan so far. This is a sensitive situation and we're trying to protect everyone involved, both the girls and Sawyer." I watch him for a reaction and when I don't get one I continue, "I haven't had Sawyer picked up yet. He's on pain meds and Ryan and Reynolds are taking shifts watching him so they can get some sleep too. As you know, I'm planning on flying out in the morning. I'll be talking to Ryan tonight to gather information and hopefully we'll be able to get this situation under control quickly."

He's silent and I close my eyes taking another drink and wait for him to lose his shit. I'm surprised when he remains calm, though I can hear the tension in his tone. "Is there any way you can have them moved to another hotel or at least another floor? It would be nice to not have the guys so close to the girls. I'm sure it would make Rhi feel better. She wouldn't be so worried about running into them."

The guys should be afraid of running into her instead. I hear she packs quite the punch.

"I'll see what I can do to arrange that. I won't be able to do anything at this time of night but I'll work on it in the morning." It's a reasonable request and I don't blame him for asking about it.

Elliot states the obvious, "Luke is a loose cannon right now and I'm struggling to understand what happened."

You're not the only one.

"Taylor, this whole thing is fucked up. You know that, right?" He asks.

Yep, I totally agree.

He continues, "I've been doing what I can to be the go-between with the girls and you guys but I feel like I'm beating my head up against a wall with you. You won't discuss anything. It's like you want to blame someone else." He pauses before saying something I've been avoiding. "You seem so heartless and cold. What gives?"

FUCK. I have a heart. I'm not the Grinch.

I sigh, "Elliot, I don't know what the deal is. Somewhere the ball got dropped and the whole thing wasn't taken seriously enough. There were too many things in play and the focus was on the wrong things." I'm done with all this drama. I'm being pulled in different directions and feel like I'm caught in a taffy pulling machine. "I will say this, in my honest opinion, a few things led up to the huge fuck up that happened." I hold up my hand, "Now, before you say anything, just listen. Please. We've never had animosity between us and I don't want our friendship to be damaged because of this." I wait for his response. I really do consider him a friend and I don't want to lose that.

"I'm listening." He responds, finishing his beer and grabbing another one.

I sigh. "First, the fact that no one told your brother, or anyone other than you, they were going out of town. I know you promised Kate and Ana but if there was a possibility of danger to someone, you should have said something. Second, no one knew anything about someone else being with them. No one knew anything about Rhiann and, to be honest, we still don't have any information other than what you've given us. It's like she doesn't exist and has no history. Do you know how frustrating it is trying to protect someone like your brother, trying to weed out the dangers, and not being able to identify someone? In addition to all that, not knowing where they were staying or when they would return did not help. You and I both know your brother is a little…"

"Paranoid? Over the top? Controlling? Possessive? Jealous?" He says, sarcasm lacing his words. "Believe me, I can think of a slew of words that describe him."

Yeah, me too and I agree with every single one of them.

I nod and take another swallow of beer to hide the smirk threatening to appear. "Look, what I'm trying to say is with everything combined, this turned into a disaster and got out of control quickly. Blame your brother for starting it blindly. Blame me for following orders and protocol instead of gathering information and using common sense." God that's hard to admit.

Elliot remains silent and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, I continue. "I'd like to apologize to you and the girls about everything. It was never intended to ruin a vacation and the last thing anyone wanted was someone to get hurt. I'm pretty sure your brother feels horrible about his part in this disaster but I'm not sure what he's planning to do. We haven't discussed very much regarding that. Right now, we're trying to figure out the situation with Luke. As you know, I'm flying out in the morning and will hopefully have the situation completely handled by then."

I'm not sure what else to say at this point. I'm just waiting to hear what his response is. I don't expect it to be all sunshine and roses. As a matter of fact, I expect him to be angry. I know I would be. Hell, I'm angry right now; at Grey, Elliot, Luke, Ryan and Reynolds but the person I'm the most angry at is myself. She was treated as collateral damage and that was morally wrong.

After a few minutes of him staring blankly at me he finally responds. "Jason, listen to me. Listen to me as a friend, not as Christian's employee or as a CPO. A friend. Kate told me because we're in a relationship that involves communication and honesty. We don't hide things from each other. Christian doesn't seem to believe in communication, only dictatorship. He thinks things need to go his way and that he has the final say."

Yep. He'd give Hitler a run for his money.

I can see the frustration building up in him but I stay silent and let him speak.

"Now, about Rhi. I've met her and we've become good friends. I think of her as a little sister and I'm VERY protective of her. If Christian would just ASK Ana about her life then he would have known that they go to Vegas every year like clockwork. They never miss them. It's their thing, no one else's and quite frankly no one's business."

Exactly.

He continues, "If they wanted you all to know about Rhi, they would have said something. They have their reasons why they didn't and they shouldn't be pushed to divulge that information."

I totally agree.

I can tell he's starting to get angry but I know better than interrupting him. I'm trying to have a civil conversation with him and it just pisses him off when he's interrupted. Not to mention it's just plain rude. Instead, I finish my beer and grab another one.

He takes another swig before continuing, "As for saying that I should have said something, I DID. However, it wasn't what you wanted to hear so you guys didn't fucking listen and caused problems for everyone. You guys totally fucked this up because you and Christian can't understand that there are other ways to handle things and you guys need to realize that. Not everything is as it seems."

Yes, we definitely fucked up. I swear, I don't think this man is ever going to stop talking and I feel like I'm in the principal's office.

I listen as he asks, "I don't see what the big deal is about now knowing where they are staying. Why does it matter so much?"

It doesn't.

I'm not sure if he wants an answer right now but I guess not because he continues, "So my brother can go there and force Ana to come back to Seattle? He has some serious issues if he thinks that's how he's going to keep any kind of relationship with her."

Nailed it!

"You have to admit that you guys fucked up. The fault rests on your shoulders." He looks me dead in the eyes as he says this.

We totally fucked up.

"When the girls get back to Seattle I can guarantee they are going to have some words they want to say. The final word Ana might say could be goodbye." He punctuates that point by finishing his beer and grabbing another one.

I don't blame them at all if they did. As a matter of fact, I expect them to.

With a smile he adds, "Rhi is the exception. I have no idea what's going to happen when she comes back. I know her and I can guarantee whatever she does or says, it won't be expected."

Well this should be interesting.

"I'm going to be honest here. You guys didn't care about her well-being or her safety or any of that other bullshit you tell yourselves. You just wanted to put your dicks in her." He smiles, "She gets that a lot."

I keep my face blank. Uh, originally yes. I mean, have you seen her?

He watches my face for a reaction before continuing. "That's probably what caused Luke to snap. He got jealous when he saw her with some guy she just met and he couldn't stop himself."

Pretty much.

"Now look at him, he's got a broken nose, a black eye and a concussion. Along with his reputation as a top CPO is tarnished by his fuck up." A smirk makes its way across his face as he says this.

Yep. The fucker deserved it too.

After taking another drink, he says, "You guys really need to check yourselves and refocus on what matters. I'm sure the girls would appreciate an apology. One that is sincere and not just empty words."

I can guarantee it will be sincere.

Pointing his bottle toward me, he gives me some advice. "I strongly encourage you to not contact them until they return to Seattle. They have two days left of their vacation. Leave them alone and let them enjoy it. Is that too much to ask?"

Not too much to ask at all.

"Do you have your own balls or does Christian have them?" His smirk is there again and I know he's trying to get a rise out of me.

Ouch. Ok, so now we're getting personal. I can't believe he just said that. Though he does have a point.

I totally agree with everything he's said but I wait for a moment before answering. "OK Elliot. You're right. I should have listened to you and made sure your brother understood why. I'll make sure there are no attempts to contact the girls or interrupt the rest of their vacation. I'll tell the guys and your brother too so we're all on the same page. If something happens…"

He cuts me off, "Jason, you want to know what's going to happen? Four people are going to be happy and enjoy a vacation they deserve." Taking another swig before he continues, "Despite an innocent girl getting injured. Nothing is going to happen unless you guys fuck things up again. Trust me."

We stand in the kitchen looking at each other.

I finish my beer. "Look Elliot, and this is sincere, I'm sorry all this happened. It shouldn't have. Somehow this will get fixed. I don't know how, but it will. You have my word."

He pauses and nods his head. "I hope so. Your word has always meant something to me. Don't disappoint me." Downing the rest of his beer, he throws away the empties and turns around. "I'll talk to you later."

Yeah, we're definitely the cause of this nightmare. I'm not sure how we're going to make up for it either.

"I'll have Drew and Tristan drive you and your truck back to your house since you've been drinking." He nods and we wait for them to meet us at the elevator. When they arrive, he steps into the elevator, turns and says, "We're still friends Jason. I just want to beat the shit out of you right now."

I get it. I would too if I were in your place.

I nod. "So, let's make a date for the boxing ring." I say with a slight smile.

He chuckles, "Deal. Let's not call it a date though." He smiles, "Those are all Kate's." As the doors close he says, "Fix this."

I'm trying, brother.