The Bodyguard - Chapter 7

[teamzaylor]

Title: THE BODYGUARD
Chapter: 7
Rating: Nc-17
POV: Taylor / Eagle Eye
Summary: The death of their parents broke Taylor and Zac apart. Each of them went his own way of life, Taylor became a famous superstar and never thought that his profession would bring his life in danger someday. Blade (Zac) buried the past and lived his life contentedly in his dark and dirty world as a pimp. Because of some unexpected circumstances Blade got hired as Taylor's bodyguard and the brothers saw each other for the first time after almost a decade. How will they find a way to each other again after the past had put thick walls between them?

Authors Notes: Hello guys! Sorry for our long absence! Life's been crazy for the three of us.
Here's the next Chapter of The Bodyguard. Chapter 8's coming very soon.


previous Chapter 6                                                                                                                                                                    next Chapter 8

Taylor:

An incredible feeling of shock and daze had overtaken me by the dreadful events.
I couldn’t remember much about how I ended up sitting here, a total mess, beside Eagle Eye. He had kept me up as he led me out of the harsh lights of the building and into the cool night air; he had guided me out of the venue. Supported by him, I stumbled dizzily beside him through the impenetrable fog to his police car. I did not want the horrible events to be true and tried to pretend I was just dreaming, although deep inside I knew I was not.

Skye was not here anymore and I could not understand why he had left me alone when I needed him so badly right now. Without him, I felt so left alone.

What I remembered was that, he kept on saying the name 'Blade' before he left. Skye was still obsessed with the idea to find my brother and have him work for me as my bodyguard. I couldn't convince him to stay with me. I didn't know how to endure this situation without Skye by my side.

Unbearable feelings of guilt overtook me.

Why did I not care enough about my pregnant wife to arrange security for her in our home? Why didn't I take those weird letters seriously? Was it all my fault? Who else should I blame but myself...?

The brutal reality caught me off guard and now I got punished for my inexcusable recklessness.

Skye repeatedly reminded me of how important it is for me to have a security and that the police couldn't keep an eye on me 24 hours a day.

Now it was too late. I couldn't turn back time and prevent the horrible events. I didn't want to feel anything anymore.

The truth that I was trying to deny hurt so bad and I knew deep inside, this time I wouldn't find a way to get over it.

My mind swirled around on imagining how my wife died. Had she suffered? Had she known what was happening to her? Did she try to fight back to protect our unborn child? The swirling images escalated on how she had been killed.

Skye's words came back to me he promised me that he would come back to me soon. Before Eagle Eye and me left the venue, Skye kept on trying to comfort me,

"You will see, I will come back with your brother, he will be there for you soon."

I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't. The news of my wife's death and unborn child profoundly shocked me so much that I just felt numb.

The moment Zac’s face came to my mind, my head ached. There were two different faces, one cheerful looking face of a sixteen year old boy with long light blond hair and another one which I had seen for the first time a few hours ago. An emotionless, cold expression on a familiar face, hidden behind his dark sunglasses...



These two faces melted into one. I couldn't even say which one was the most strangest to me.

He had changed so much; he wasn't the same Zac I knew anymore. I closed my eyes tightly. Thinking about my brother wouldn't help me. I needed an escape from everything and everyone.

My mind drifted back to Skye's upset voice as he told me about my child, that my beloved unborn child couldn’t be revived anymore.

‘Your wife, she’s been murdered….. Murdered….. Murdered……’

The awful words kept on repeating in my head. Desperation rose up in me.

‘God, this is not happening, it can’t happen to me. I maybe a useless brother, I maybe the most careless husband, but why did God really think I deserve this? It can’t be real, this can’t be happening to me. Not to Natalie and especially not to my innocent unborn child! God please, no! Those things only happen in movies, but not in real life. My baby is still alive.’

The lump in my throat felt so hard suffocating my airway so that I could hardly breathe. It felt like I was going crazy, I opened my eyes and pinched my wet cheeks over and over to feel anything beside this emotional pain. Tears were prickling my eyes, covering my eyelashes like miniature tightropes. I tried my best to balance them but I had no power to indulge myself in wishful thinking like that and seconds later, I felt salty drops running down my face.

Instead of waking up from a horrible nightmare, I heard Eagle Eye's voice talking to me,

“Taylor, stop doing that. We’re near your house, try to calm down, and don't think too much. Don’t worry, Skye will be back soon, he'll surely come back with your brother. We won't let you go through this alone.”



I should be waking up any time soon. This is just a bizarre dream.

I closed my eyes, I just wanted to curl up in a ball, not talk to anyone or do anything, all I wanted was to cry and just die. I was so tired emotionally, physically and mentally of everything.



“Taylor!”

I jumped when I felt strong hands grasping my arms. I opened my eyes and looked around. We were on a highway  and I saw Eagle Eye looking intently at me, his face was filled with sympathy and pity.

His expression only showed me how real it was, that what I heard from Skye was true. My tears blinded me, I couldn’t control them anymore, and I was shaking too.

I couldn’t help it, my life was already a mess since my parents died and it became messier when I realized that I'm not addicted to women anymore. But I never thought that it could become even worse. My child was my only hope, my last ray of hope to get back to a regular life...

I was ready to fix my married life, to suppress my outlandish sexual preferences. I was willing to do anything for my baby. I wanted to feel how good it felt to love someone and to be loved back again. To feel something that I had not experienced in years.

But those dreams couldn't be fulfilled anymore. I had failed in everything. My family died. I lost my child, I wasn’t just a horrible brother and a husband, I was a horrible father, too.

I bit my lips hard, trying to stop myself from crying out loud. I'd love nothing better than push the car door open and scream out my feelings but I couldn't. It wouldn't make any difference.

I just wanted to drive off the next cliff and bleed until I couldn’t bleed anymore. That wouldn’t be as painful as this felt to me.

“Taylor, I know it’s hard for you, I can only imagine how it feels, but someday it’ll be alright . You'll see, time is a great healer.”

The tropical landscapes flew past us through a mist in front of my eyes.



I couldn't listen to Eagle Eye's words anymore. I knew he meant well but I couldn't see any reason why I deserved to live in this world anymore.

                                                    Who can say why your heart sighs
                                                            As your love flies, only time
                                                     And who can say why your heart cries
                                                          When your love lies, only time

Enya's angelic voice from the sound speakers made me feel accomplished in my decision.

My eyes fluttered to the door knob a few inches away from me. The salvation was only one grasp away.



Slowly, I moved my right hand towards the doorknob while my other hand inconspicuously opened the seat belt.

My heart was beating faster and I felt droplets of sweat building up on my forehead.

Maybe in my next life I can be a better person than I've been in this life.

And this brings me to the end.

Now or never, I thought to myself.

With one daring move, I opened the car door wide and slid sideways on the seat.

My upper body fell out of the car like a weightless doll, my whole life ran in slow motion within seconds through my mind as I hung out of the car, some blond strands of my hair were slightly brushing the blacktop.

I leaned my head back and stretched my arms out like wings... in hope gravity will do the rest.

No matter what happens now, nothing and no one can turn back the time to give me a chance to make up for all the mistakes I made in this life.

"Taylor, Taylor! Are you crazy? What the fuck are you doing!?" Eagle Eye shouted, in a split second, his strong arms grabbed me. I didn't expect his vigorous purposeful manner, but there was no time to think about it, the car made a dangerous swerve and he lost control over it, but he didn't let go off me and managed to pull my burnt out shell forcefully back in the car.

The car tires made a deafening squeaking sound as Eagle Eye strove to gain control over the car again and we swerved about to the side stripe. As by a miracle, he somehow managed to bring the car safely to a standstill.

Gasping for air, we sat still on our seats; my mind was in a haze.

Who knows what would have happened if we collided with the grey truck in front of us...?!

Through my fault, I almost destroyed another life. When I realized my careless decision, my stomach felt sick.

Eagle Eye saved my life without hesitation.

I choked, before I leaned my upper body out of the car again, but this time because I was puking.

Eagle Eye didn't say one word about what I just did. His hands ran up and down my back, he embraced my shaking body.

I was genuinely grateful to him for his selfless, noble gesture.


Eagle Eye

It was the very first time for me I had witnessed a suicide attempt. Thankfully I was trained for situations like this, so I did what I had to do because this is my job.

Any training is not comparable to a real situation though, I had no time to remember about the professional way how to do it, I just followed my instinct. I knew a quick reaction was more important in situations like this. As I tried to control the car with one hand again, I didn't let go off Taylor, making sure he wouldn't jump out of the car again.

Taylor looked weak; he looked so fragile and empty. I didn’t know how to reassure him, how to comfort someone who didn't see a sense in living anymore. His face looked anguished and he seemed not himself anymore.

I gave him a tissue out of the glove box after he finished puking. I knew it couldn’t make anything better, but I gave it to him anyway.

When I wrapped my arms around him, I let him clutch my arms tightly, his nails digging into my skin.

I have never experienced losing someone from such a horrible death, but I saw how people suffered because of it. It would not have taken much and my colleagues would have had two more corpses to pick up.

Both of us needed a few minutes to calm down. I didn't feel that I had the right to yell at Taylor, I could only imagine how desperate he felt. He was alone and I was the only one he had at that moment. I had to be his source of strength.

No one would have thought that the famed and perfect Taylor Hanson was in this situation that no one would ever wish to be in. He was probably he was asking himself the same question. Why? Why him of all people?

I couldn’t just sit there beside him and do nothing; he was Skye's best friend. Skye never mentioned anything bad about him. Taylor was a close knitted friend to Skye and I knew that he was a really talented guy. He didn't deserve to lose his family and his own life, especially not at such a young age.

When his cries and whimpers softened, I gently pushed him back into his seat, placed his seat belt on and locked the car door next to him.

Basically, it was senseless. If he wanted to take his own life, I wouldn't be able to keep him away from another attempt but it seemed to be the only thing I could do at that moment.

I didn't know what else I could do to protect him from himself.

Instinctively, I hoped that Skye would come back soon with Taylor's brother. He couldn't be alone in his current condition.

I grabbed my phone to call Skye asking where they were.



If it was my destiny to die with Taylor tonight during the rest of our car ride, it should be granted to me to hear Skye's voice for a very last time. But personal issues have no place on duty and I had no intentions of telling him that Taylor and I almost lost our lives only minutes ago.

A hysterical boyfriend was the last thing I needed right now. Skye would get panicky and talk a blue streak. Furthermore, he knew that I had to put my life on line almost on a daily basis in my job.

It was good to hear his voice, but I got disappointed when he told me that he was still sitting in Santiago’s bar waiting for Blade. Even though I haven’t met the guy yet, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that he would just make things worse for Taylor.

But I wouldn't dare speak out my misgivings to him in his current condition. Apparently, some people couldn’t understand the term emergency. Skye briefly told me what happened between Blade and Taylor earlier, but in emergency situations like this, personal issues should be forgotten.

I also knew that Skye had a weakness for dangerous men, but I rejected the thought as irrelevant. I had to focus on what was important at the moment, which was to drive Taylor home safely.

Shaking my head, I started the engine of the patrol car again. I had to distract Taylor from his longing to die and he should come to know what would be expected of him at his home. I knew my fellow police officer's would ask him a lot of questions, I should at least warn him.

I cleared my throat to speak with a steady voice to him.

“Taylor, I'm sure you will think it's not the right moment to say this, but I believe there is never a right moment for saying these things, I have to tell you some things which you really should know. You have to be prepared Taylor. There are already police officers in your house right now and for sure they will ask you questions. Not all of those questions will sound comprehensible for you, some of them might hurt or confuse you, or... even will make you mad. What I'm saying is, don't take those questions personally, they are routine questions for this type of situation. The more you act cooperatively, the sooner it will be over."

I gave him short glances as I spoke, but he just kept on staring out of the window. When I didn't see and hear any sign of respond from him, I continued.

"They will need information from you which might be helpful for the investigation of… of your wife’s death.” I said those last words almost inaudibly. I wanted to regret what I just said, but I couldn’t see any other way to say it.



Natalie was found dead an hour ago, and it could have been an accident, because it happens all the fucking time. However, there were too many inconsistencies that lead the detectives to believe this was not an accident.

I got informed that there were signs that she was running and struggling before she fell down the stairs, we didn't find any sign of forced entry into their house, though.

Our key piece of evidence was a note on Taylor's nightstand from a certain weird name ‘Twink Twink’, who is definitely the prime suspect on the case. We proceeded on the assumption that it was a note from a fan.

Skye already told me that Taylor received some alarming letters, but nothing more happened until today. Famous stars like Taylor receiving tons of that kind of stuff in most cases were harmless. It was very unfortunate that we couldn't take any actions to help him and his wife earlier.

Taylor didn’t say a word the whole time, but I didn't expect him to. I continued to drive him to his house and I let him have his peace. He just silently wiped his cheeks and looked out of the car window.

My job as a cop made me accustomed to deal with situations like this. I was used to seeing crimes and injustice daily, but to deal with the loved ones was always the hardest task for me in my job.

It was always difficult to find the right words, to say anything that would give hope to the affected people who were left in their endless sorrow.

Even after years in this job, it still felt horrible to see them crying and feeling lost after a horrible death, a child losing her parents, a father losing a child. I was not sure if I would ever get used to that.

My job was to avert disasters and the more I see people suffering from crimes that are happening in the society every fucking day, the more I wanted to strive harder to catch the culprits.

I wanted them to be accountable for their actions, to pay for the lost they caused with their evil deeds.

Those notorious criminals deserved to get imprisonment for life, to suffer in jail and feel alone.

Why did God let such brutal injustices happen? During my career, I still couldn’t understand why certain people had chosen to end someone’s life just to have their way which caused the loved ones to take their own lives like Taylor just tried.

With all those thoughts running through my head, I felt all the more sorry for the poor boy crying silently beside me.

May God have mercy upon those criminals, because I won't.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


video inspiration for this Chapter:

Only Time - Taylor Hanson by Enya ♥

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Comments

[teamzaylor.livejournal.com]

thank you very much for your great feedback and your constancy of reading. ♥♥♥

That's right Taylor really needs protection in his current state, all I can say is it won't take long until he is not alone anymore. It will be a hard ride but we hope everyone likes it.

We'll update a new Chapter very soon, thanks again! :)