The Black Tangled Heart

The Father

"Thank you so much" smiled Maria Swift as she slid a wad of notes into the young girl's hand "Bringing our Tay back to us, it's priceless to us but to you it's worth..."

"Five thousand dollars and you're welcome" smiles the blond

"I hate you Cass" said Taylor as she kept her gaze low

"Love you too you slut" laughed Cassie as she tucked the notes into the pocket of her jeans and then reached for the door "Have fun with your uncle" She giggled as she pulled the door open and then left, slamming the door hard behind her

"I want to go home" Said Taylor, hating the way her voice shook as she spoke

"You are home sweetheart" laughed Maria as she ran a hand down Taylors cheek and then gripped her chin, shaking her face hard

"Travis will..."

"Travis will never know you're here. No one knows you're here" teased the older woman

"He'll find me" Taylor said, knowing that if Travis realised by now that she was gone that he would probably be raising hell at her house, she just hoped her father still felt a tiny bit of something for her and it was enough for him to help Travis to find her before it was too late

"Maria" said a dark voice from behind them "Why don't you leave me with Taylor for a moment or two"

"Mom don't!" Cried the younger girl

"We have things to discuss and debts that need to be repaid"

"Mom I'm begging you, do not leave me here" but by the time Taylor had spoken, Maria was lifting her purse from the sofa and pushing her dark hair behind one ear

"I'll be back for you later, you're coming home Taylor and we are going to pretend none of this nonsense with Travis ever took place"

"Take me now!" Taylor jumped up from the sofa and grabbed hold of her mother's arm. "Please mom, I'll come with you, I'll do whatever you want me to do, I will give you every dollar of my inheritance, I swear, just please take me with you, please don't leave me here" tears pooled in the young girl's eyes as her mother just looked down at her in disgust and then tore her arm from her grip

"You are embarrassing yourself Taylor and more importantly you are embarrassing me. I'll be back this afternoon" She informed her brother, placing a slow kiss to his cheek and then heading for the door

"Mom please... MOM!" But the final word was lost as the door slammed shut and the taller man moved in front of her

"Well, well, well..." said Roger with a thin smile "Here we are again, I've missed you Tay Tay"

Taylor just moved backwards, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and her so-called 'uncle'.

"Don't touch me" she said weakly, her legs hitting against the sofa causing her to fall backwards

"On your back already, just how I like you" smirked the much older man, his body quickly moving to cover hers, his mouth immediately moving to her neck as a strangled sob escaped her throat

"Whatever you get today, you owe me that and so much more" he said with a gravelly laugh, his mouth returning to her neck as Taylors mind moved back through time to happier memories, separating her body and her brain in a familiar act of protection

Her mother... as his mouth moved across her cheek

Ice cream sundaes on the beach... as his hand moved to her hip

And then Travis... his emerald eyes that sparkled when he smiled at her, the way his hair would fall over his forehead and he would push it back, his lips, so soft, the way he whispered sweet words into her ears as his strong arms held her close

This might not be the 'Travis' other people knew but it was her Travis, her boyfriend... hers and more than anything in the world she needed to tell him that as quickly and as loudly as she could

Suddenly, without warning her hand moved without her permission, slapping her uncles face as hard as she could as her body began to move, wriggling every way she could in an attempt to get away.

Taylor couldn't remember the last time she had fought back but right now all she could think about was getting to Travis and telling him how she felt, that she wanted him, that she needed him more than she'd ever needed anyone in her life

"Get off me!" She yelled but Rogers grip just tightened as he began to laugh in her ear "Stop it!" She yelled again as she heard the buttons begin to rip from her shirt "NO!" She screamed as she finally managed to connect her knee to her uncles groin and as he slipped off of her she finally managed to scrabble to her feet

"You're gonna pay for that" said the strained voice as a hand wrapped around Taylors ankle and she feel hard onto her knees

The next moments were a blur as Taylors uncle began dragging her as she kicked and screamed, she felt herself slipping on the expensive wooden floor and when she looked down saw both of her knees were bleeding and she was slipping in her own blood

"Let me go!" She screamed just as her strength gave out and her body crumpled to the ground "Please!" Dropping onto her stomach, Taylor couldn't stop the tears, her body ached from the struggle, her heart was pounding, her limbs shaking and then suddenly the room was light and a breeze swept through it

Looking up to the door Taylor was amazed to see her mother standing there, her face pale as she seemingly observed the scene in front of her with a look on her face that Taylor couldn't immediately place

"Mom you came back!" 

"No. We brought her back" said a voice that was so familiar and so safe that Taylor couldn't help but crumple to the floor and give in to her sobs

"Travis!" She cried out as her mother fell into the room and the door shut and was then bolted behind her

"Taylor come here hun" Said Jason softly as he took her hand and lifted her to her feet, his arm going around her waist and holding her tightly to him but it wasn't what she wanted, she wanted, no, needed to be with Travis, to feel him and smell him but when she looked up to him she knew it wasn't 'her Travis' that was standing in the room with them

"Everybody out" He commanded and the tone of his voice caused a shudder to move throughout Taylors body

"Travis no..." she said trying to move towards him but Jasons arms tightened around her and started moving her towards the door and towards safety "Jason no..." but it was too late Travis' hands were tangled in Rogers hair as he dragged him to his knees

"Stop!" Said a voice that didn't come from anyone Taylor had seen standing in the room

"This fucker's about to get what he deserves" seethed Travis, his fist coming down hard and immediately breaking Rogers nose

"I said stop!" Repeated the voice and Taylor turned in shock

"Daddy?!"

"Taylor " the word was short and harsh as her father refused to make eye contact with her, the dishevelled state of his daughter causing his blood to boil in his veins

"Are you telling me he doesn't deserve this?" Questioned Travis as the man's blood trickled down his fist

"He deserves this and so much more but he deserves it from me, not you. She's my daughter"

"No!" Cried Maria but she made no move to protect her brother "Please don't hurt him!"

"Oh I'm going to hurt him, the question is am I going to kill him?. Everybody out!"

"Ale don't do this" begged Maria

"I'm going to do it and you are going to watch" Maria shrunk back onto the chair she was sat on as Travis took Taylor from Jasons grip, wrapping and arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the apartment, Jason following behind them and slamming the door shut.

The threesome had just made it to the bottom of the steps when the screaming and yelling began