Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Taylor gasps out a sob.
“Save your tears,” I say. “God knows I had to save mine.”
“I’m so sorry,” Taylor says. “None of us ever meant to—”
“Stop right there,” Buck says. “We don’t really give a rat’s ass what you meant or didn’t mean to have happen. You clearly know what’s going on, and that’s what we need to know.”
“Nancy…” I say. “It’s all starting to make sense. If Gloria got my position, Nancy would be her backup. It would cement her place on the team in the position she desired.”
Taylor sniffles. “I suppose so, but you really think Nancy could’ve done any of this?”
“Really?” I say. “You’re going to go back there? Just tell us what the fuck happened, Taylor.”
“You don’t understand,” she says. “I lost everything because of this. My father disinherited me. I lost everything.”
“Save your fucking whining. You didn’t lose what I lost.”
This time I do it. I remove my T-shirt. Throw it on the couch. Then I pull Taylor into a stand. Force her to look at me.
Her gaze zeroes in on the pistol strapped to my shoulder.
I don’t mention the gun, and neither does she. I simply turn, show myself at every angle.
“Do you see the scars? They whipped me. So badly sometimes that I got infected, and I nearly died.”
I turn around, unclasp my bra, and let it fall from my shoulders. From one shoulder actually. The holster holds the other side in place. But it’s enough to show her what they did to me.
“But that wasn’t the worst part. Take a look at my breasts, Taylor. Take a long, close look.”
She bursts into tears. “I’m so sorry, Aspen.”
“For God’s sake, don’t be sorry. Just help me. Help me bring these people to justice.”
She falls back on the couch. Buck helps me reposition the bra and clasp it, and then I pull his T-shirt over my head.
Taylor sobs.
I look toward Buck. He shrugs. Right. He doesn’t know how to handle a sobbing woman.
Unless she’s me. He does well with me. But I don’t think I want him taking Taylor up to her bathroom and running her a lavender bath.
No, I need to take the lead here.
I need to deal with a sobbing Taylor Wallace—who was disinherited by her millionaire father and who clearly had something to do with my abduction.
I let her sob. I let her sob for five minutes and then ten.
But now it’s time to stop.
I grip her shoulders and force her to turn toward me on the couch. “Snap out of it, now. You had your time to weep. If I can get through this without breaking down, so can you.”
She chokes back one last sob and nods. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”
“Start talking now,” Buck says. “We’ve been more than patient.”
“All right. But you need to know that the reason I tried to leave the back way isn’t because I know anything more.”
“Why was it then?”
“I need to protect someone.”
“All right,” Buck says. “You’ve got my attention. I understand what that feels like. Who do you need to protect?”
“I need to start at the beginning,” Taylor says.
Meanwhile Buck is fiddling with his phone. He must be researching something or talking to Reid Wolfe. It’s my job now to keep Taylor occupied while he finds out whatever he’s trying to find out.
“Go on then,” I say to Taylor.
“I really loved Gloria,” she says.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means… I was in love with her. I thought she was the one. I know we were young back then, but she was so good. Such a good person.”
“That’s what I always thought.”
“Like I said, we broke up soon after you disappeared. She gave me the PR excuse, and she also said that she had to concentrate on the team now that she was the middle blocker. She didn’t have time for a relationship.”
For God’s sake. I’ve heard Taylor’s tale of breakup woe. But at least she’s talking. “Maybe she was telling the truth,” I say.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Did she have any other relationships while she was still on the team?”
“Not with team members.” Taylor cocks her head. “Come to think of it, not with anyone else, that I know of.”
“Then she was probably telling you the truth,” I say. “She wanted to give her all to the team. The PR thing probably stung you a little. I get that.”
“All I knew was that the person who I thought was the love of my life basically left me for a job.”
“Then she wasn’t the love of your life.”
“Of course she wasn’t. But that’s how I felt at the time.”
“I can understand that.”
At that time I thought Brandon was the love of my life. Turns out I was very wrong.
“All right. So you and Gloria broke up, and then what happened?”
“There were others,” she says. “Others who had more to do with this than I did. Gloria for one.”