I Needed You

19

Colby's pov

"Hold on one second," I stood up from the bench behind Sam's desk as he spun around on his chair to face me, awaiting an explanation, "I'm gonna go grab a water. Do you need anything?" I asked, looking back and forth between Sam and his girlfriend.

"Can you grab a lemonade out of the fridge for me please?" Kat batted her eyelashes at me, as if she'd have to convince me to get her something.

"Mhmm," I nodded, walking out of Sam's office and down the stairs, taking my time as I made my way to the kitchen.

I pulled a water bottle out of the container beside the island counter before making my way over to the fridge and grabbing the drink Kat asked for.

While I was downstairs, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check on Taylor. I wanted to surprise her with the Conjuring trip, even though it might not be ideal. But she loved Cerro Gordo so much, and now that those good times were ruined for her I wanted to replace them with something better.

"Taylor?" I called out quietly as I tapped her door. Unlike normal circumstances, the door swung right open, presenting an empty room, "Taylor?" I raised my voice, just in case she was in her bathroom she'd be able to hear me.

I could clearly see that the door was open and the light was off, but I walked over and checked the room anyway. As I assumed, the bathroom was empty.

"Shit," I cursed to myself as I jogged around the house, sticking my head in every room that we had downstairs, just to find them empty.

"Guys!" I shouted as I double checked Corey's old room. I heard Sam yell a response, but I didn't finish what I needed to say until I was back up the stairs.

"Are we out of lemonade?" Kat asked with disappointment as I came walking back into Sam's office.

"No," I looked at her, and did my best to not get annoyed because I knew she didn't know what was going on yet, "Taylor's not downstairs,"

"What?" Sam leaned forward in his seat, narrowing his eyes at me, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I nodded rapidly, "She's not in her room or any other room,"

"What do you mean?" Sam stood up, not speaking again until I followed him out of his bedroom, "Taylor? Taylor, are you hiding?"

When there was no response, we made our way back into Sam's room where Katrina was pacing, "Where do you think she went?"

I heard the front door alarm, and with one glance at Sam I ran out of his room. I could hear Taylor's sobs as I practically flew down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" I grabbed her sad face with both of my hands, forcing her to look into my eyes which she did willingly.

"They're after me," I could see her hands shaking as I looked over her body for any injuries.

"What's going on?" Sam asked when he and Kat reached the bottom of the stairs.

"They're after me, they're after me," She cried out, hiding her face in her hands.

I pulled her into my arms, letting her cry into my chest. I looked at Sam with wide eyes, mouthing 'What happened?'

Sam shrugged with both arms, and Kat did her best to try and calm Taylor down, rubbing the free space on her back and speaking quietly to her. It was no use, Taylor was simply not in the right state of mind to tell us what happened.

"They're gonna find me. They're after me," She cried as I ran my fingers through her hair. I didn't try to speak to her, I would just have to wait and see what she meant when she wasn't so flustered.

Sam and I both shot our eyes to each other as we heard the same thing, made the same connection. Sirens. The police were after her.

"Oh god," I gasped, and pried Taylor's head away from my chest to look her in the face, "Taylor what happened?"

I wasn't going to try and force the answers out of her before but now that I knew she did something to get the police on her the situation became ten times worse.

Taylor sucked in a few quick breaths, shaking her head but not fighting my grip, "I didn't mean to. I-i didn't" She kept shaking her head, as if she was trying to prove her innocence.

I knew she didn't mean whatever she did. In her state it'd be hard to explain.

All of us heard the four knocks on the door, the officers that were probably there not bothering to ring the doorbell.

Kat froze, looking up at me. The way she looked at me, begging silently to fix all these problems and for our lives to be normal, for this all to be normal.

I gave a tiny shake of my head, knowing that if she wasn't paying attention she wouldn't have seen it but she did.

Sam got the door, and I looked up to see four officers, three of them meeting my eye. The fourth was holding up a device, probably showing a picture of Taylor based on the way he was looking back and forth between them.

"M'am, please put your hands up," The same officer said, being respectful enough to not step in our house.

"Please no," Taylor said as she realized I was walking her slowly to the door, "Please," She gasped for a moment as I pulled her hands away from my body, as much as it hurt me to do so. All I wanted to do was hold her, get her out of here and keep her safe. And I tried my hardest to keep her that way.

I've let her down.

Taylor stared into my eyes as one of the officers put handcuffs on her, "If you really love me you'll let me go," She cried out, "I love you, I love you. Please," A coughing fit hit her shaking body, cutting off what she wanted to say.

I felt as if my heart was being ripped from my chest when I saw the sadness in her eyes, wide and unblinking. When she looked away, when the officers took her, her head hung to the ground.

"I'm sorry."