"Travis , if you could just calm down please and remember who's home you are standing in" Alejandro Swift sat at his patio table, clutching his coffee mug and attempting to keep control of his very short fuse.
The Canadian in front of him had apparently decided to take his life in his hands and appear in front of him ready for all out war.
"I will calm down when those restraints are removed and that key is in my hand" Travis' arms were crossed over his wide chest pulling his black t-shirt tight over his muscles and revealing the black butterfly tattoo that adorned his bicep
"Those are in place for Taylors protection, they stay. End of story"
"Protection?! Are you insane?! I am here for her protection, that stuff in there is to help you keep her and her problems out of sight. Have you thought about all the things that could go wrong? What if she vomits in her sleep and chokes? What if the house goes on fire and she can't escape eh?" Travis' hair flopped over his face and he swept it back and stared down at the sitting man with more fury than he had felt in a long time
"Travis you haven't seen what can happen, so I suggest you forget what you saw last night and just get on with the job I'm paying you to do. This is none of your concern"
"I will walk the fuck out of this place and I will take her with me if you think I'm going to stand around and..."
"And what?!" Alejandro was on his feet in front of Travis, his jaw tense, his face red and two guards quickly raced to his side, guns evident in their waist bands "That is my daughter, my child. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe if that means restraining her then so be it"
"Get a fuckin psychiatrist in here, do something useful!"
"She's had more psychiatrists than bodyguards, don't you get it? She has night terrors. She walks out of the house in the middle of the night, we find her in the garden with knives, one of her previous bodyguards ended up with his scalp sliced open when she hit him with a lamp in her sleep. The door stays locked, the restraints stay in place and you mind your manners around me" he turned to leave but as quick as a flash Travis' hands were on his shoulders spinning him around and forcing him up against the wall, the two guards drew their weapons and immediately pointed them at Travis
"Liberenlo o disparamos" they shouted in a panic
"You give me the key, you move the restraints and you let me do my fuckin job!"
"Liberenlo ahora mismo muchacho"
Alejandro looked down at Travis' hands, wrapped tightly in the fabric of his shirt.
Alejandro Swift wasn't used to not being feared but Travis' face was angry, not afraid, his courage beyond anything Ale had witnessed and it bolstered his belief that this was the right man for the job
"Retirense" he barked to his guards "Dije que se retiren carajo!" the men looked between themselves before slowly retreating and replacing their gun in their holsters "Now take your hands off me Mr. Kelce and maybe we can have a civilised conversation about this.
Travis released the older, far shorter man from his grip and then dropped down onto a seat at the patio table, his chin firmly in the air, his gaze fixed on Alejandro
"Travis, when you have lost almost your entire family, it's easy to become over protective"
"That's not protective, that's abusive, it stops or I leave and I wasn't joking about not leaving alone"
"Try and put yourself in my shoes..."
"4 years ago I was in charge of a group of soldiers in Iraq, 8 of us left and 3 of us came back. Those boys were my brothers, my family, I was responsible for their safety so don't tell me I don't understand loss and the complications that come from it" He slammed his hand down into the table attempting to force the memories from his brain.
"I'm sorry"
"Don't be, shit happens, just give me the key, I will remove the restraints myself and then leave me alone to do my fuckin job. You think I don't know about night terrors? You think seeing 5 of your friends shredded by an IED doesn't cause you sleep problems? Trust me. You hired me for a reason"
"Ana, bring the key!"
"Thank you"
"Don't make me regret it"
Travis nodded his head in agreement as a very tired looking Taylor entered the kitchen and he shot to his feet
"Taylor, how are you? Here, take a seat" he pulled out a seat at the kitchen table and was surprised when she simply sat without arguing "Can I get you a coffee or a fruit juice?
" Just a water please" She answered him, she was polite... He was beginning to feel uneasy but he went with it.
Grabbing a water from the fridge he cracked the seal and handed it to her "I'm going to grab the first aid box and then I want to see your wrists and ankles okay?"
She simply nodded "Can I get some pain medication too my head hurts" she forced a small smile and he felt a protective roar break out in his chest.
Her long blond hair hung like curtains framing her face which was far paler than normal and her beautiful crystal, blue eyes were rimmed red whilst black circles hung under them
" How do you feel?"
"Like shit"
Sitting next to her, Travis lifted up her wrist and shook his head at the brutality of it all "I hurt someone, they have no choice" she offered weakly, refusing to meet his gaze
"You hurt someone one time when you weren't aware of what you were doing, they hurt you way more often knowing fine well the damage they are doing. Don't justify this" taking an antibacterial wipe he cleaned both wrists before taking bandages and wrapping them both
"Wow, you're good at that"
"I was in the army, you never knew when medical skills would be required"
"A soldier and a detective, if I'm a really good girl can I see a photo of you in your uniform? Actually if I'm extra nice can I keep it, for my own 'pleasure'" She winked but he knew she was just putting on a show, trying to proove she was okay when he could see that see wasn't
" So do you have them every night?" Travis got to work observing the wounds on her ankles
" No"
"Is there a specific time of night they occur?
" I don't know, I'm asleep, how could I?"
"Would you be apposed to me sleeping in your room for a while just so I can observe your sleep patterns? "
"Well that depends, will you be sleeping in beside me?"
"Definitely not"
"Well that's no fun" She pouted as he applied a band aid to the broken skin on her ankle
"So I will stay on your room, for maybe the next week so I can work out the frequency on them and the timing. Okay?"
"What ever you say Detective"
"You know I'm not a detective anymore"
"I know but it gets me hot calling you that"
"I'm going to take a shower whilst you have breakfast then I will drive you to school
" Can I take a shower with you? "
" Taylor... " he warned, his tone low
" To save water"
"I will see you after breakfast" he said as he stood from the table, spared her one last glance and then left her under the ever watchful eyes of her father and Ana.
