Taylor

"Hey!" I heard someone shout and fear gripped me as I looked up to see car headlights. A car had stopped with a screech just a few feet away and a guy got out. My blurred vision meant it was hard to make out his features and I cowered away from him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured me as I felt his hand on my arm.

"Please," I whispered as I looked up at him. There was so much packed into that one little word.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked at my battered face.

I swallowed hard.

"He...Eric..." I couldn't say any more without the emotion of what had just happened to me pushing through to the surface and I felt the tears begin to run down my face.

"It's going to be okay," he assured me softly and I felt the warmth of a jacket enclose my shivering form. I wasn't sure if I was shivering from the fear or the cold.

He wasn't Eric, but I still didn't trust him.

"I'm going to pick you up and put you into the car so I can take you to the hospital," he told me as I felt his hands underneath me.

"No," I tried to argue, but I was already in his arms and he was carrying me to his car.

"I won't hurt you. It will take time for an ambulance to get here. It will be quicker if I drive you to the hospital," he tried to explain.

Logically, what he said made sense, but I was so freaked out that it was hard to trust anyone. I pressed my limbs together to try and deal with the pain as he sat me down gently onto the passenger seat of his car.

The adrenaline that had pushed me began to dissipate and suddenly I felt so tired. The full force of the pain hit me and I tried not to give in to the darkness that was waiting for me.

I needed to feel safe before I'd let go.

The car started up and I heard the roar of the engine. It felt like forever but was probably only ten minutes before the car stopped. My eyes were closed, but I opened them to see where we were and relief flooded through me when I saw the fluorescent name of the hospital shining down on me like a beacon of hope.

The stranger opened my door and I looked at him. For the first time, I could see his features perfectly, my blurred vision gone. He looked mean, with his head shaved and various tattoos on his neck and arms. He looked like the type of guy who should be responsible for the shape I was in.

"Thank you," I whispered hoarsely. There were still good people in the world and, with that thought, I began to lose consciousness, giving in to the darkness. For the first time since Eric had kidnapped me, I felt safe.

**************

When I began to stir, I felt stiff and sore. I groaned as I opened my eyes. I felt disoriented and was trying to piece together where I was.

The dark memories from my kidnapping rushed back. It was then I remembered getting away and the stranger who had helped me.

I was in the hospital, the beeping monitor and bed confirmed it.

"Taylor," I heard a familiar voice whisper and then I felt a hand hold mine.

My eyes settled on the familiar face of Connor looking at me with happiness mixed with concern. One of my eyes was swollen shut. I was safe and I felt the tears begin to run down my face.

"It's okay," he soothed, his voice hoarse with emotion. "You're safe."

He leaned forward and I closed my eye as his lips feathered a kiss to my forehead.

"I love you," he whispered like he was scared he wouldn't be able to say it to me again.

"I love you too," I whispered hoarsely. My throat was sore.

There had been a few times when I'd been sitting in the basement wondering if I would ever see the people I loved again. He helped me sit up and tried to make me comfortable.

"I'm sorry," I murmured hoarsely, my throat burned with pain.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, looking at me.

"For everything," I managed to say before a sob tore from my chest.

"Shh," he soothed, pulling me into a gentle hug. My body was sore, but he was gentle.

"Eric is in custody."

I tried to remember if I'd told the stranger who had attacked me. Then something dawned on me.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, missing that piece of the puzzle.

"The guy who brought you in knew who you were."

Had I told the stranger my name? As much as I tried to remember telling him, I didn't. Had I forgotten that I'd told him? There seemed to be no other explanation. I tried to keep my fear under control. Eric's uncle's actions had taken years from my life and I refused to allow my fear of Eric to do the same to me again.

"You really hit him hard with that lamp. He had to have stitches," he informed me. I couldn't help but smile at the satisfaction that I'd given him a taste of his own medicine.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I stated.

"I'm your older brother. It's my job to look after you."

"You did everything you could," I assured him. He'd hired a bodyguard. Then I remembered Matthew and the accident.

"Is Matthew okay?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"He is fine. He took your kidnapping pretty hard," my brother revealed. "I still can't believe the guy was Sin's roommate."

"Eric has been after me for years. It's no one's fault. He would have done anything to get me."

I was just glad that he hadn't killed anyone trying to get me. I had enough to deal with as it was. I didn't need the added guilt. I shrugged.

"I don't understand," he asked, sitting down in a chair beside the hospital bed.

"He is the nephew of one of the guys who killed Mom and Dad." I dropped my gaze to my hands as I heard the sharp intake of breath.

"I had no idea," my brother mumbled.

"Neither did I."

I'd been so excited about having a chance to live and experience things I'd never done before. There was no way any of us could have foreseen what would happen. It wasn't anyone's fault.

"How do I look?" I asked after a few minutes of silence. Connor reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"You have a few bruises and a cut on your leg," he assured me. "The doctor says the bruises will fade in about a week."

I didn't need my brother to tell me about my wounds. I remembered how I'd endured every blow and cut. Dropping my gaze to my hands, I tried to build up the courage to look at what he'd done to me.

"There won't be any permanent damage," he said. He must have been able to read my thoughts. Tears seeped from my eyes despite my attempts to keep my emotions under control.

"Don't cry, Tay," he pleaded softly. "You are safe now. Eric will never get his hands on you again."

Being safe didn't erase the details of my ordeal. They would be forever imprinted into my memories. I brushed the tears from my face as I took a shaky breath.

"Please get me a mirror," I asked.

"Okay," he answered, standing up. "I'll be back soon."

The door closed shut as he left to find me a mirror. Minutes later he returned with a small compact.

"I got it from one of the nurses," he told me as he placed it in my open hand.

"I need to be alone for a minute," I told my brother, holding the compact tightly in my hand. I raised my eyes to his.

"I don't know if that is a good idea."

"I'm not asking, Connor," I told him. I needed to do this alone.

He studied me for a moment before he gave me a brief nod. As soon as he left, I opened the compact and looked at my reflection. I gasped and raised my free hand to cover my mouth.

The eye that was swollen shut was badly bruised. My whole face was one massive bruise and there were a few small cuts. I swallowed hard as I took in Eric's handiwork.

Having seen enough, I closed the compact and dropped it into my lap. Feeling the fear and anger begin to build up inside of me, I took a deep breath to try and keep the options under control.

I'm safe, I kept repeating to myself over and over again.

I closed my eyes for a moment and all I could see was the monster's face who'd put me in the hospital. I knew from the therapy that I had received after my parents died how to cope with all the feelings that were tearing through me.