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“Look,” Taylor said in resignation, lifting her chin. “I need to get out of here and figure this out for myself.”

  She hurried out of the gate, ignoring their calls. She jumped into her car, gunned the engine, and zipped out of the ritzy subdivision. She yanked her sunglasses off the visor and forced them over her eyes to hide her tears from passing motorists.

  Something vibrated against her stomach. Glancing down, she noticed that she hadn’t removed her messenger bag when she'd hopped into the car. Her cell phone was going off inside so she pulled over, unbuckled her seat belt and removed her bag.

  Retrieving her cell phone, she checked the screen. It was Tia.

  She jammed her phone back in her bag, red hot fury roiling in her gut. She had absolutely nothing to say to any of them.

  Angry fire shot through her veins as their words penetrated the thick cloud of despair lingering in her head. She buckled up, checked her mirrors, and entered traffic again.

  What right did they have? Why did they think they had a say in her relationship with Brady? And how had they all of sudden become experts on her life?

  She drove around for awhile, realizing she had nowhere to go. Finally, she exited the highway and headed to a little tavern she had frequented with Josh in early spring while he'd been working on a story. No one would think to look for her there and she desperately needed a break.

  She sat on a stool at the bar and smiled at the bartender. He recognized her immediately.

  “Taylor?” he asked with a smile. He wasn’t handsome in the movie star sort of way, but his charming grin probably melted many hearts. “You’re Josh’s friend, right?”

  Taylor nodded. “Yeah. How are you, Ray?”

  “Good. Is Josh joining you?”

  Her heart sank to her knees. “No, I’m here alone.”

  Frowning, Ray leaned his forearms on the scrubbed bar. “Everything okay?”

  With a shrug, she gave him a weak smile. “Yeah. Just had a long day and since I’m not much of a bar hopper, I thought I’d come here. I remembered how nice this place was.”

  He snorted. “This dump? What’ll you have?”

  “Just a beer, please,” she requested, reaching inside her bag for her wallet.

  He pushed a bottle in front of her. “No. It’s on the house. It’s not very often someone comes in and calls this place nice.”

  Three hours and eight beers later, Ray came over to check on her. The little tavern was starting to fill up and he’d had to leave her on her own to take care of his many customers.

  “Ray,” Taylor said, her head spinning. “Do you know what I’ve always wanted to do but never have?”

  “What’s that?” he asked, amusement sparkling in his dark eyes.

  “A shot of Tequila.”

  His brows rose to his hairline. “Seriously?”

  She giggled. “Yeah. It looks so cool.”

  With a lift of his shoulder, he grabbed a bottle full of amber liquid off of a high shelf behind the bar. “Okay, but there’s a method.”

  He put two shot glasses, a salt shaker, and two wedges of lemon on a napkin on the bar. “Some people use lime but I prefer lemon.”

  He filled the shot glasses and pushed one at her. “First, you have to lick your hand between your thumb and index finger, then you sprinkle a little salt on that spot. After that, you lick the salt, do the shot, and suck on the lemon. Got it?”

  A wobbly Taylor nodded, trying to focus on his instructions. Watching as he licked his hand, she mimicked him. He sprinkled the salt before passing the shaker to her. She did the same and waited until he smiled and nodded. At the same time, they licked off the salt, drank the shot, and then grabbed the lemons.

  She shuddered and her eyes watered as the liquid burned its way down her throat. She sucked on the lemon, hoping to relieve the awful sensation, but ended up coughing horribly. Ray chuckled and placed a fresh beer bottle in front of her.

  “Drink that. It’ll help.”

  She couldn’t even smile her thanks - instead she grabbed the bottle and chugged half of it. She set the bottle down and looked at Ray through blurry eyes. “Wow, that was awful.”

  Ray laughed. “Yeah. Aren’t you glad you did it?”

  She giggled. “Yep. Shall we do another?”

  His jaw dropped. “Oh no. You better wait awhile.”

  “Fine,” she pouted. Her stomach gurgled a bit. “Maybe I could just have another beer?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, concern etched within the wrinkles of his weathered face. “You sure you should have it?”

  “Oh yeah,” she reassured him. “I’m not gonna drive home. I’ll call someone.” To prove it, she clumsily removed her car keys from her ring and slammed them on the bar. “See? I’m a responsible driver. And drinker.”

  Another fit of giggles wracked her body. Smiling, Ray took her keys, storing them under the bar. He placed another bottle in front of her.

  “I have to go wait on the other patrons,” he winked. “I’ll come back and check on you in a second.”

  She nodded and stumbled to the bathroom. Once she finished, she decided to step outside to hopefully clear her fuzzy, spinning brain. She wandered to the alley behind the building.

  “I thought that was you in there pounding beers,” a voice called from behind her. She turned to face Teresa Lake and a group of her friends.

  “What the hell do you want?” Taylor sighed, hand pressed firmly against the rough bricks to keep her steady.

  Teresa sauntered closer until Taylor could smell the liquor on her breath. “You think you’re something, don’t you?”

  “Not really,” Taylor answered, swaying slightly. “Not at all.”

  Teresa snorted. “You come to this town with your nutcase of a father, start screwing Brady Nolan, and take my dad’s job.”

  The liquor loosened Taylor’s tongue. “Your father is a useless waste of space.”

  Teresa swung and connected with Taylor’s nose.

  Pain shot through her head and she momentarily saw stars. Her reflexes were slow and as her hands cupped her bleeding nose, Teresa swung again, hitting Taylor's jaw.

  Taylor stumbled back so hard, her head crashed into the bricks and she banged her side painfully into the corner of the dumpster before falling to the ground.

  "You think you're so hot, don't you?" Teresa leered. "Well, you're not looking so hot now."

  The girls behind Teresa cackled.

  "How about a hair cut?" one of the asked, stepping forward.

  Taylor's eyesight would not stay in focus - the black edges of the world were closing in quickly.

  Teresa yanked on Taylor's ponytail, causing Taylor's chin to fall into her chest. Before Taylor could protest, one of the girls was sawing at her hair. Too terrified to move her head, all Taylor could do was close her eyes and cry, hoping that they stopped at her hair.

  “What a pathetic piece of trash you are,” Teresa said, slamming Taylor's head into the bricks again.

  "Seriously," her friend said before tossing Taylor's ponytail on the gravel near her feet.

  "Let's get out of here," Teresa said. They spun on their heels and left.

  Taylor scooted over to wedge herself between the dumpster and the wall, out of sight. Tears leaked from her eyes but she didn’t feel them.

  “I do not like being the victim,” she protested feebly to no one in particular.

  Chapter Twenty

  Cool drops of water splashed Taylor's face, dragging her back to consciousness. Moaning, she held her aching head as someone slammed the dumpster lid next to her. Rain kept falling, drenching her shirt.

  “Someone there?” a voiced called. She tried to tuck her body further behind the dumpster but failed. Ray’s confused face peered around the corner and his jaw dropped at the sight of her.

  “Is that you, Taylor?” he asked, dropping the bag of trash in his hands.

  Taylor squinted her eyes at the gray light trying to make its way through her lids.
>
  “Oh my God,” Ray exclaimed as he gently helped her to her feet. “What happened? Have you been out here all night?”

  “I….,” she stammered, her throat like sandpaper. “What time is it?”

  “Eleven fifteen. In the morning,” he told her as he lifted her in his arms and carried her through the open door on the other side of the dumpster. He took her to an office and set her in a leather chair behind a beat up desk. He knelt before her, gently taking her face in his hands, examining it closely. “I better call the cops.”

  “No,” she exclaimed, jolting forward and causing a wave of fresh pain to wash over her aching body. “No, please. I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

  “Taylor, you’re in no shape to drive,” he protested. “Who did this to you?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, her voice as weak as her limbs. “It was just a little fight. I’ll take care of it. I won’t implicate your bar in any way.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” he said, getting to his feet and running his hands through his thin hair. “I’m worried about you.”

  She pulled herself up on unsteady legs. “I was very drunk last night and got into a little argument, that’s all. I wanted to sit outside to clear my head and wait for the bar to empty before coming back in, but I must have passed out.” Wobbling, she clutched the desk to keep from falling. “Can I have my keys?”

  “No,” he said, yanking his cell phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through the numbers he had stored. “I’m calling Josh to come get you.”

  “No, don’t,” she protested. “Josh is mad at me.”

  “He’s still your friend. He’ll take care of you.”

  An hour later, Josh turned on her street. Neither one had said a word the entire drive home. He’d stormed into the office, taken one look at her, and hugged her to his chest. He'd released her only to talk quietly to Ray. Afterwards, he hadn't said a thing, just led her slowly to his car, strapped her in, and took her home.

  “Why are there so many cars in my driveway?” Taylor finally asked as Josh parked on the curb.

  “They’ve been looking for you all night,” he said. “I should have known to check Ray’s. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.”

  “Did you call them and tell them I was with you?” she asked as he opened her door and helped her out of the car.

  “No. I was at the office going through your contacts when Ray called me. I just rushed over to his place.”

  “Great,” she muttered as she wrapped her arms around her body. He led her up the walk and opened the door.

  “Oh my God,” Tia exclaimed. She rushed forward but Taylor held up her hand to stop her. “What happened to you? Where have you been?”

  “Playing the victim,” she remarked, the sarcasm pushing through the hoarseness in her voice.

  Brushing past Tia, Taylor headed for the bathroom. Alcohol still lingered in her bloodstream making her clumsy and she stumbled. Brady ran forward, reaching out to her.

  “No!” she yelled. “Don’t touch me.”

  He backed off, hurt flooding his eyes.

  She righted herself and made it to the bathroom unaided. Closing the door, she planted her palms on the sink, looking at her face. A purple bruise had formed on her cheek and her nose was swollen with crusts of dried blood outlining her right nostril. She could hear the others frantically questioning Josh, but he remained silent.

  “She’ll tell us when she’s ready,” was all he would say.

  A light knocking on the door attracted Taylor’s attention.

  “What,” she muttered.

  “Honey? Let me in, please,” Tia pleaded. “Let me help you clean up.”

  Gently fingering the bruise on her cheek, Taylor relented. “Okay.”

  Tia opened the door and gasped, tears spilling out of her eyes. “Sweetie, what happened?”

  Taylor shook her head and sat on the edge of the tub. “Can you just help me get in the shower?”

  Each time she lifted her left arm, pain radiated through her side. Tia slowly eased the shirt over Taylor’s arms and head. She eyed the ugly black and purple bruise on her side but tightened her lips. Tia supported Taylor’s weight while she stepped out of her pants and turned on the shower taps. Once the temperature was right, she stepped in and closed the curtain.

  “I’ll get you some fresh clothes,” Tia said, leaving her to shower in peace.

  Taylor allowed the warm water to rush over her sore, stiff body.

  “Your clothes are on the toilet seat,” Tia called from the other side of the curtain. "Do you need help getting dressed?”

  “I don’t think so. Thanks.”

  Tia left again as Taylor shut off the water. She dried off - patting her sore spots with the towel - and pulled the loose shorts and t-shirt over her body. She sat down on the toilet to screw up the courage to face everyone once again.

  Her head pounded, her side ached, and her body screamed for sleep. She rose slowly, using the sink for help, and opened the door. Ambling down the hall, she stopped to rest her uninjured side on the corner.

  “I’m going to bed,” she announced, darting her gaze to avoid their eyes. “You’re welcome to whatever you want.”

  She spun on her heel, entered her bedroom, and shut the door. Once she climbed on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling.

  “Love, please let me in,” Brady called softly from the other side of the door. “I’m worried. Let me come in and see you.”

  She swallowed back her tears. “Brady, please, I just want to be alone for now.”

  She heard him sigh. “Taylor, don’t hide from me.”

  “Brady,” she pleaded in a watery voice. “Please.”

  “Okay. For now. But I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me.”

  “Thanks,” she uttered.

  She stayed on her bed with her eyes closed for nearly half an hour, hovering somewhere between sleep and consciousness until she heard a new voice in the living room.

  “Where is she? Did you find her?” It was Teddy’s anxious voice.

  Sobs wracked her already aching body as she inched slowly off the bed and headed toward her little brother’s voice. She’d missed him so much and knew he’d always love her no matter what.

  She opened the door and stepped toward him on shaky legs. He met her half way and pulled her in his arms.

  “What happened to you, T? I was so worried,” Teddy whispered in her hair. “Who did this to you?”

  She cried quietly in his chest as he stroked her hair, not able to answer for a full five minutes. When she got herself under control, she stepped back to smile at him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He kissed her forehead and led her to the couch. Mark and Alex immediately got up to make room for the pair. He sat her down and took her hand, ignoring the group of people watching them.

  “T, they called me early this morning, asking me if I’d heard from you. I got in my car and drove down right away. What happened? Who did this to you?”

  She dropped her head to his shoulder, closing her eyes. “I was mad. Upset. I drove around for a bit then went to Ray’s Tavern. I’d been there many times before with Josh. I got pretty drunk and went outside to get some air. I ran into….”

  Pausing, she lifted her head, opening her eyes a bit. Everyone was looking at her - waiting for her to spill. “I ran into someone I knew. We had words. She hit me a couple of times and I banged into the wall. Her friend was kind enough to give me a little haircut. They left and I stayed outside, waiting for the bar to clear out. I guess I passed out.”

  Brady stepped up to her and dropped to his knee. His shaking hand reached out to take hers. “Who was it, love? They need to pay for this.”

  Her bottom lip trembled as shame washed over her. “I did more damage to myself than she did to me.” She took a deep breath and allowed anger to overtake the shame. “Besides, I’ll take care of her later.”

  A smile formed on his lips at the fire
in her eyes. “I know you want to handle it, but maybe we should call the police.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “It was Henry Lake’s daughter, wasn’t it,” Josh said from the corner where he'd been standing, arms folded across his chest. “I asked Ray who was around last night. He said she was a regular and that she’d been watching you all night. We both figured it had to be her.”

  Taylor's eyes met his. “It was,” she sighed.

  “That little bitch,” Brady exclaimed, rising to his feet.

  “Brady, don’t,” Taylor protested. “Let me handle it. I don’t need anyone protecting me. I’m tired of being the victim.”

  “Taylor, we didn’t mean it that way,” Tabby pleaded.

  Taylor waved her concerns away. “I know and I’m sorry I got so mad. Maybe it struck home.”

  “What are you talking about?” Teddy asked.

  Sitting next to him, Tia told him what had been going on for the past few weeks. When she finished, Teddy turned to his sister.

  “Taylor, you’re a strong person, but you’ve had the weight of the world on your shoulders for far too long. You took care of me when Dad got….sick. You didn’t go to college so you could work and support us and get me through high school. But Dad’s gone now. And I’m an adult. I can take care of myself. It’s time you stopped taking care of everyone else and just relax. It’s time you started worrying about you and live your life.”

  Hugging her, he kissed her forehead. She nodded, swiping at the tears in her eyes. “I know. I will. I promise.”

  He held her close as he cleared his throat. “I think the rest of us should take off somewhere and let you and Brady talk, huh?”

  She looked at him wide-eyed then smiled. “When did you become so grown up?”

  Chuckling, he kissed her forehead again. “After my big sister did a fabulous job of raising me.”

  As he released her to stand up, Josh crossed the room. “Come on. We’ll get a pizza and hang out at my place for awhile.”

  Taylor bit her lip as everyone filed out of her house, telling her they’d talk to her later.

  Brady followed them and closed the door. Turning back to her, he took a seat on the couch. When Taylor looked up at him, she was surprised to see moisture in his eyes. “Brady, I….”