Winter Toes III: Defending the Heart

WT3| "Secrets"

c h a p t e r  n i n e
-
breathe.

   Taylor picked up her phone after seeing it ring for the forth time on her desk. She picked it up, looking out the window of her office at Roman as he painted the side of her building. When the phone call connected, she could hear two feminine voices in the background mumbling something inaudible.

"Hello?" Taylor said into the phone.

"Taylor?" She heard. Taylor tried to put a name to the voice before resting her chin on her free hand.

"Speaking." She said, closing the blinds to block her view of Roman. She took the phone off her ear to see who it was calling her. "Rei?"

"Yeah, we need your help." Reiya replied.

Taylor frowned at her tone of voice. "What's wrong and who is we?" She asked.

"China is pregnant. We gotta get rid of it." Rei said. Her voice was a mix of panicked and determined as if she knew Taylor wouldn't say no, which was basically correct.

"Okay wait. Put China on the phone." Taylor instructed, turning in her chair.

"Hello?"

"China, what the fuck?" Taylor asked, tilting her head back. "You're pregnant. Do you really want to get rid of it? How did this even happen?"

"I don't know, I don't know. I don't even know what to do. I don't know if I wanna get rid of it or keep it–"

"You don't have a choice!" Someone in the background said.

Taylor shook her head. "China, listen to me. You have a choice. You don't have to get rid of it if you don't want to." She told her.

"My mom will kill me. And I'm only 18, I can't afford a kid right now, not on my own." China explained. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Where's the father?" Taylor asked. China didn't respond for a while. "Hello?"

"He's dead." She finally responded. Taylor frowned before taking a deep breath.

"Okay, just tell me. Do you want to keep it?" Taylor asked.

"I can't just keep it... my mom–"

"I didn't ask that, China. Do you want to keep it?" Taylor cut her off, her hand covering her face gently to avoid smearing her eyebrows.

"Yes." She responded after a long hold. Taylor nodded as if she could see.

"Then you can come stay with me and I will help you. Don't let them pressure you to do something you don't really want to do. Okay?" Taylor said.

"Okay." China responded. "What time are you coming?"

"Like 8, when I get off work." She assured her. Once the conversation was over, Taylor took a deep breath and ended the call. She wasn't expecting that. The way Torei went on and on about how she had them in check and she did this and that, Taylor was completely taken aback. She didn't know all that she thought she did but after all, she was the mother and the mother is never told everything.

Taylor went back to the window behind her and peeked out, Roman was gone. She couldn't understand why she was basically stalking this man but there was an everlasting urge to talk to him. To get answers about that day.

Why didn't he stop me? Why didn't I stop him?

She still asked herself this. However, she never answered and she never thought she would get the answers especially after moving back to New York, her original place of birth. She remembered getting back and then going straight to Chris's mother house to cry into her arms and vent to her about everything. Mrs. Gunnings held her as if she was her mother embracing her daughter.

Taylor smiled at the thought of her best friend's mother and how close they were.

Her phone vibrated twice indicating a text message. When she picked up her phone to look it notified her of the other three calls which were all Wyn. After last night, she didn't really want to talk to him so she ignored the text too.

As usual, Taylor wasn't fond of many people other than those that she worked with. She never had time for "friends", she just had business meetings and black tie functions that she attended with people that she fake smiled at and complimented halfheartedly. Ever since Lyah died, Taylor kept a distance from female associates. The only people she talked to were Wyn and his boys. But they had to talk to her.

As many know, Taylor has always been socially awkward and bad at meeting new people. She also came off as awkward after her bestfriend died years ago. Then Wyn came along, then Lyah, Cyn and Glynn, then... Roman.

Taylor found herself wondering where Roman had went, it was well in the morning so he couldn't be taking his lunch unless he had been here for a while which she doubted. How you just gon come back in my life like that? Then walk out and back in again... Taylor laughed a little. Thinking back to when they first met.

A knock woke her up out of her trance. "Who is it?" She asked before the door opened and a gun was pointed directly at her.

***

Glynn smacked her lips as she looked down into the oven. She had burned another sweet potato pie. She rolled her eyes before taking it out and pulling it out. Once she had it, she put it on the counter and blew it to cool it off.

Junior came running in with a smiling face until he saw what was on the counter. "Ugh, ma. You can't cook." He told her.

She gave him a glare before throwing the third pie of today in the trash. Glynn huffed, thinking of Lyah and Taylor. They were the cooks of the house when she lived with them. All the years of practice and it just still didn't mix well with her. In the day she practiced breakfast and lunch which she was advancing in but baking and dinner wasn't her thing. Maybe because she was back at the strip club every night. Glynn and her son lived in Atlanta, and the only skill Glynn really had was stripping. She couldn't raise a child without money and she couldn't earn money without a job or two. And that's where her skill came back into play.

"So, we're just not having pie. Okay?"

"I don't want any now." He said with a smack of his lips before walking out and going back to his game.

Glynn leaned back against the counter, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

***

Taylor looked at the masked man, a calm look on her face as she held her hands up and watched him rob her. "We don't need security. I got niggas watching this spot from head to toe." She mocked in her mind. Stupid ass nigga.

Then she thought to all the calls he sent to her. Was he trying to tell her something? Couldn't be because if it was a real threat that he knew about he wouldn't be calling he would've brought his fuck ass here. She concluded as the man raided the safe.

"That's all that's in here." She told him, lying.

He looked at her before closing the bag and aiming the gun at her head. "Good."

She watched him put pressure on the trigger before closing her eyes. Pow!