Chapter Forty-Nine

Morgan and I both walk off stage together, it was really nice of him to say all of what he did. I'm kind of glad he didn't let me read the speech beforehand, I would have spoiled how great it was gonna be. Now the speech was over, it was go time. Toby told me he just needed to use the bathroom, which left me alone to get the job done, thankfully, I wouldn't have to try and explain the situation away if he asked. I began to weave through the crowd, every now and then someone would stop to talk to me, I would have to smile and be polite but in my head, all I was looking around for was my family. I had just finished my first lap of the ballroom, when my eyes go to the outside patio door. As I take a look through I see Jasmine sending me a huge wave, I think I just found them. I take a look to Morgan who was still stood by the stage, I lock eyes with him for a second he immediately, knew where I was about to go. He sends me a nod and a smile before I walk over to the door, to play the part a little more I take glances behind me to make it seem like I was worried someone would follow. Once I reach the door, Jasmine turns and runs down the path, what kind of game is the girl placing?! I open up the door where the wind immediately, whips my hair around. She was already near the hedges just ahead, turning with a smile she runs through the gap. If it wasn't an official mission, I would have given up chasing her ages ago. With a sigh I began to run after her and through the gap in the hedge, once I reach the other side I see all my family standing there smiling. Right in front of them was my father, who stood with his arms crossed smiling at me. "My little Taylor, how proud I am of you" he smiles as I stop right in front of the exit, they were taking cover in the open part of the decorative hedges "you look so grown up standing in front of me now" he smiles while I place my hands behind my back, time to show no emotion. "It has been way over ten years" I reply keeping my responses vague and having no true emotion, I needed to get this done and move on "I was unsure if you were going to be able to make it tonight" I say hearing the wind start to pick up more, we were being shielded by this hedge still, I know I'm saying hedge a lot! "I wasn't going to stop until I found a way to attend, as you said this is a huge achievement for you and I couldn't miss another one of those" he smiles while I just nod looking down at the floor, he was making the show no emotion hard! "I wish I could have been there to see you grow into this incredible woman you are today, that man who gave the speech talks very highly of you" he smiles talking about Morgan, I looked around for them when that speech was happening, but I never caught a glance of them, where would have they been hiding? "Morgan has been like a father to me since I arrived at the alliance" I say building up a stonewall against them, focus on the task at hand Taylor! "I know what you're doing Taylor" my dad smiles which was the thing that makes me look up from the floor, please don't say he's figured out the entire plan "you're avoiding eye contact with all of us, you're giving me short replies that are very vague, you don't have to close yourself away, we're family" he smiles once again which does take me back a little, I mean I'm glad he hasn't worked out the entire plan of us arresting him, but he was kind of right about the way I'm acting. "Even though it's been over ten years like you said, the love that we as a family feel for you has never wavered. Even with you being this grown up who's made a life for herself as a respectable agent, you're still my little girl who loved to play in the woods for most of the day, or would rush into the house when she heard that dinner was ready to be made" he says whilst taking steps towards me, my eyes go to the floor having little tears build in them "you're still the little girl who would sit and have a full conversation with any adult, you wouldn't know what the conversation was about but you didn't want the person to feel bad or forgotten, you would sit there as long as it took until they were finished, it was than that I knew the great person you would grow into" he continues now stood directly in front of me, come on Taylor! The emotion wall has to remain up! Remember what kind of stuff this man has done! "I'm not a little girl anymore" is all I say still not daring to look up at him, or any of the family members who were watching a few feet away. "No you're not, but deep down I know you still are, just look at me" he tells me while I shake my head, that will definitely break any of the emotional wall that I have up, but can I just stand here and not at all look at him? I take a deep breath before I lift my head up, looking into his eyes immediately causes tears to leave my eyes. He pulls me into a hug holding me so tightly, I don't really hug back though and just stand there. "You're still you, that's why I know you'll be so happy with how we're running the family business, it was all done for you to make men like Richard pay for ever hurting you" he says mid-hug, which just causes something in me to snap, what am I doing hugging this dude?! I rip his hands away from me and push him back hard, to say him and the rest of the family were shocked was a huge understatement, all or their faces just held shock and surprise. "You obviously didn't know me very well than, did you really believe that at seven years old I would want you to start your own criminal ring! Whenever you're asked why you started this so called group, you always somehow link it back to me and what I would have wanted! When in reality, you did all this to better yourself and make you seem like a good person" I shout pointing at him as I spoke, he shakes his head trying to walk towards. "You're nothing like the man I remember my father was, the man I remember would never have set up any type of group. Because he was a good man, I have no idea what scum you've turned into" I say admittedly loosing my cool, what he was saying and the things I've heard recently have really got to me. "I've turned into this man because of the trauma! You won't believe the type of shit this family has gone through!" He replies growing rather angry as he spoke, I had already hit that level and was flying way off the radar. "The shit you've been through! You're all putting this pain and you're anger down on things that happened to me! I was the one that got hunted down and attacked at age seven! I was the one that got ripped from anything she knew and taken into some place with people I'd never met! I was the one that somehow had to deal with the trauma that I endured. But I choose to take the pain and deal with it in a good way, stopping men like Richard and the likes of you lot" I shout hearing the door I walked through open, this just tells me Morgan and the team had heard my shouts and were coming to help "and that is why I'm going to enjoy this" I smirk before ripping my gun out the clip from under my dress, I hold it up in a slit to their shocked faces staring back at me. "Show me hands!" I shout as the hedge was basically flattened by Morgan, Brandon and Julian jumping through it guns in hands, my dad looks me in the eyes with such a sad expression. "That's why you invited us here" he says hurt clear in his voice, I just smirk looking him dead in the eyes back. "Finally, you're correct about something" I smirk looking over at Morgan than back at him, the whole family stood staring at Travis for the orders. "You wanna do the right thing for your daughter, put your hands up" Morgan tells him taking a step closer, my dad takes another look at me before slowly doing what Morgan told him, the rest of the family joining. "This is for you Taylor, I hope now you'll be able to treat me like your father" he says as Brandon goes up behind him with cuffs, more agents had jumped through after hearing the commotion, the hedge was non-existent now. "I'm sorry but that place has already been filled" I smile lowering my gun and walking over to Morgan, while my dad just fights against the agents who held him back. "Are you okay?" Morgan asks placing his gun back on his belt, I take a look back at my dad before nodding. "It's just another day at work right?" I smile but a single tear does escape my eye, Morgan walks over wrapping me in one of his hugs.