Suits and Scars

Chapter Twenty-Four: Questions

Taylor's Point of View

I wasn't ready to come home when I had texted the guys but I needed to get out of the hotel. I had gotten two more notes from whoever RO was. They didn't make any sense but I needed to make sure they were wrong as well as find a place where they couldn't get to me anymore. I knew the guys were going to have lots of questions once we were together again but I also knew they were the perfect choice to keep me safe.

I got to the apartment and no one was home. I wasn't surprised since it wasn't even five yet so I got to work making dinner for my guys. They didn't need me to make food for them but it was something to keep my hands, and my mind, busy. When they came home it didn't matter that I had busied myself. The second I heard their shoes tap against the wood floor my nerves shot across my body and my heart began to race. I couldn't lose them.

I had to leave the table though. I couldn't sit here and push food around when my stomach was in knots. Just looking at the dinner made me want to throw up. So I got up and went to my room. I took my dress off and dropped it next to the door. If they wanted to talk about why I left then I needed them to see all the scars that caused me to go. When Chris said we were going to talk tomorrow my body relaxed. There was so much I needed to tell them but even the thought of talking to them about Greg made my stomach turn.

"No." I tensed at the sound of Matty's booming command, "I have questions that need to be answered now."

I wrapped my arms around my stomach. I wanted to sink to the floor and melt into the plush carpet. Matty had never yelled at me. I'm not sure he was truly yelling at me now but he was yelling nonetheless.

"Matt, you're scaring her. Is now really the time? Can't we just be happy that she's home?" Dec was trying to keep his voice calm for my sake but I could tell he was annoyed with Matty's reaction.

"I am happy she's home. I'm truly overjoyed." He turned his head towards me, "But I need to know what happened. You may have run because you were afraid of what we would say but that doesn't explain why you were so scared you had to call my dad."

I looked down at my feet and rather than answer him I walked over to my bed. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the mattress. Dec sat at the foot of the bed with his feet on the ground. Chris sat with his back against the headboard and his legs stretched across the mattress. It was as if they both knew tonight was going to be a lot longer than I thought.

Matty pulled his chair closer to the bed but still hadn't looked me in the eyes. He took a deep breath and pressed his fingertips together. "When was the last time you let someone cut you?"

Let? Did he really think I asked for this? I pulled air shakily into my lungs, "Let's get one thing straight, I didn't ask to have a razor blade dragged across my skin."

All of my guys inhaled sharply. I knew they wouldn't like what I had to say, so why did they even have to ask?

Matty curled his fingers into his hands so hard they cracked, "How long ago TayTay?"

I glanced up at him but he was looking through me rather than at me, "The day before I moved into the dorms freshman year."

He finally looked at me, "Who did this to you?"

I narrowed my eyes at him trying to figure out what his plan was, "You already know the answer to that."

Chris and Declan both sat up, "You already know?" Declan bit out.

"I know, but I need you to say it, Taylor. I don't want the only time I hear it to be from my sister. I need you to tell me who I have failed at protecting you from for our entire lives. Tell me who gets to die." The last part was said with such intensity that I hugged my knees into my chest.