Face the Music

Chapter 15

Her fingers slipped on the keyboard, startled, and a harsh, blaring cord rang through the room. 

She stood so quickly that the piano bench flew away from her backwards and onto the floor. It landed with a thud as the last of her shocked musical note died out. She snatched up the broomstick and held it like a baseball bat, just like I'd told her to. Her face was pale, her lips were set in a straight line, and her eyes flashed wild with panic and anger. 

 "Never took you for Loretto's bitch," she spat out, her words crossed the room like a slap, and the insinuation behind them stung just as much. 

 She thought I was working for Loretto? 

 "I don't work for Loretto, Taylor," I told her calmly. "I'm trying to catch him." 

 "Don't call me that!" She snapped. "My name is Ella." 

 "Okay, fine. But why don't you put the broomstick down, and we can talk." I said. Her entire body was trembling, and she was on the verge of tears. 

 "You can talk just fine while I'm holding this. I suggest you start explaining yourself," she said, glaring at me. Behind her, Collins was silently creeping through the back door. I kept my face flat, giving nothing away. 

 "Ella, you can trust me. I promise you, I'm not working for your father." 

 "That man stopped being my father a long time ago!" She was screaming across the living room at me. She lunged for me, pulling back her makeshift bat, preparing to swing for the fence, just like I'd told her to. Collins stepped up just before she swung, and jerked the bat out of her unsuspecting hands. 

 It only took a moment for her to recover from her surprise, but it was enough time for Collins to wrestle both her arms behind her back. She screamed and flailed viciously, but she wasn't strong enough to get away from the large man who was holding her. 

 "Your girlfriend....is kind of....feisty," Collins grunted at me, struggling to keep Ella still. 

 "LET ME GO! HELP!" Ella screamed. 

 "Ella. Ella! Shut up and listen for a minute!" I snapped. The harsh tone in my voice was new to her, and it quieted her for a moment. She eyed me suspiciously, trying to cover the panic that was etched across her face. 

 I took a step forward, and reached my hands out to hold her face still. She whimpered and shied away from my touch. 

 "Take it easy," I said, quietly, brushing her cheek as if I were trying to soothe a spooked animal. She was taking shaking breaths, looking at me through un-shed tears. I leaned my face closer, and whispered to her. "Ella, I'm not going to hurt you. Neither one of us will. We're going to help you, so you don't have to be afraid all the time. You have my word." 

 Tears spilled out of her eyes down her cheeks. I brushed them away with my thumbs. 

 "Your word doesn't mean shit," she whispered back, her bottom lip quivering. 

 "Evidently, yours doesn't either. Taylor," I smiled and put extra emphasis on her real name. "You're a liar too," I said, pathetically trying to lighten the mood. I saw her lips quirk up in a small smile and saw her body visibly relaxed. Collins felt it too, and he looked at me questioningly. I nodded and he let her arms go. 

 "Will you just talk to us?" I asked. 

 "Okay," she mumbled, and nodded. I smiled encouragingly at her. Suddenly, she jerked her elbow backward, and I was stunned to see it catch Collins in the throat. He keeled over and gasped, trying to draw air through his aching trachea. Ella's fist flew forward and her unexpected right hook caught me on the left cheek.