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11.

New York

"H!" "Harem! Stop!"

"No, Taylor. He needs to be fucking jailed!"

Stacia jumped from her seat in the eclectic living room, not only by the shouts from Taylor and her friend Harem but the angry and heavy steps down the stairs from the teen and Taylor's crying. Her front door came flying open with three large men in dark suits, alert and ready to defend whoever was in trouble. Harem was about to address the steely-eyed men when Taylor latched onto his arm and spun him around to face her.

"Please, H. I just want to get away from here. Far, far away and forget. Please help me forget," she begged. The blonde was now on her knees, clutching onto her best friend's hands. Stacia wanted to know what they were talking about but opted to be a distant spectator. Her heart jolted when the angry expression on Harem's face softened his own eyes becoming teary as he knelt before Taylor.

"You're my Tay Tay. I'm supposed to protect you and look what happened. Let me do this. You're hurt in a way you should never be, from the way you're keeping your face away from me, I know there's more. Where was your mother when all of this was happening?"

No one missed the way she flinched when he asked of her mother. Nervously she eyed the guards then Stacia, cowering into the steps and hiding her face deeper into her arms. "Taylor?" The confused and bewildered tone he said her name in, told Stacia that he was seeing something no one else was. Without a word, he silently gathered her in his arms, muttered harshly to the bodyguards, and brought her to the living room. Frozen to the spot, she watched on as Harem gently handled Taylor, her face was buried in his neck while he did the same. Stacia felt like a voyeur watching a couple's intimate moment. When he turned slightly to angle his head better she caught a view of the flesh-colored hearing aid behind his ear. Taylor never mentioned Harem's disability, why didn't she? After looking on at the couple, she understood why, Harem was confident, caring, and loyal and may not accept pity because of his inability to hear on his own. 

"Talk to me, Taylor. If-If you're not comfortable talking to me, talk to Stacia. She has been really worried about you. You have more than one loyal friend, you know that right?" Harem said loud enough for her to hear. Slowly, Taylor retreated from her little cocoon and peeked up at her. Stacia gave her a trembling smile before approaching the two warily. It didn't help with Harem's intense gaze on her each step made her self-conscious of her little attire. 

"I'm sorry for dragging you in this Stacia," Taylor began.

"Why are you sorry? You're my best friend, my only friend. You treated me like a person after years of being treated like another statistic," she said sitting beside Harem. Taylor took hold of her hand as she settled in comfortably in his lap. Subtly she took in his somewhat faint scent of cologne she needed the name of so she can keep to memory.  Admonishing herself for being a simpering kid with a crush on a guy out of her league, she forced herself to pay attention to her friend who needed support. 

"After daddy died, I guess I  was in denial thinking mom didn't need anyone, she had me. When I began warming to the idea of a guy being around, I didn't expect her to be so.... infatuated with another cop. I hated it. Here she was risking her heart again with another cop whose life can be snuffed out in any normal situation. I mean anyone can die at the drop of a hat but I was being selfish and very cynical because she's my mother. I didn't want her to go down into that dark hole once more. I tried talking to her but she said she loved him so much and so on that I didn't have the heart to continue with my tough love. I gave in...." Taylor stopped to take a breath while trying to wipe away the tears that were now like rivulets down her face.  

"I should have known he was bad news. SHE should have known. The feelings and doubts were there for me, I know it was for her but why? Why didn't she do anything?" she cried aloud. 

"What happened?" Stacia asked in a whisper.

 Harem released her when she struggled to get out of his protective hold. 
"When she first introduced me to him, I had the whole creepy guy vibe from him. He complimented me on how grown up I look in my dress and his eyes strayed from my face to down my body, I can actually feel his look on me. Mom was too gone for her to catch his underlying meaning. When he visited mom at the house, I either go to work or stay in my room to avoid him. After a few months of dating, he proposed to mom, I wanted her to say NO but she was so damn happy. I should have said something when he wanted us to move into his house, away from our friends and family. Mom kept taking his side when he made up some bullshit reason why I shouldn't be friends with a guy or have vacations with you. I couldn't believe it. I had to change schools because it was closer to home, leave my job because it wasn't 'becoming' of a young lady, and have awkward family dinners and outings. Each time he became bolder in his show of affection. Mom was on top of the world. Her new husband treated another man's child like his own. She didn't know..."

"Tay. Don't tell me..." Harem started with anguish on his face before she can voice the words.

"She didn't know of his threats, the disgusting words, the touching... the...the rapes. He threatened to frame mom for some bullshit child abuse or alcoholism, some shit to get her out of the picture and shamed by the community if I even mention it. I wanted to call someone but he controlled everything until he showed his true colors to mom. A year ago, mom walked in on him touching me in the kitchen then forcing me to... " Taylor couldn't continue. She held herself tightly not wanting to look at Harem or Stacia, she felt dirty and ashamed for being so weak and for allowing her stepfather to do those things to her. 

"Go on. You need to let it out," Harem said hoarsely. It took a while for her to speak again but she felt her best friend's support like she always had. She missed him terribly and wasn't surprised by his protective alpha male role. His father taught his two sons to always be the man a woman needs. Right now he was the supportive man, she needed.

"He abused mom into submission. I could no longer go to school or to work.  We became his prisoners. Mom was his personal slave for cooking and cleaning while I became his sex toy. The past two months he changed. Usually, he took out his stress from work on me or mom but he became focusing on mom as his personal punching bag and me as his .... woman. He..he.. he began.. fuck... I can't call it rape anymore because I allowed him freedom of my body..."

"Don't you dare. It's still rape. He took away your right. He has been using you. Don't make him win," Stacia admonished her. Both her and Harem were standing in a protective stance before her. "What did he do, Tay?" Harem's voice was calm but Taylor knew better, he was waiting, he was waiting for her to tell him what he needed to know before he goes all avenging angel. At her mother's wedding, he voiced his dislike towards her mother's husband, leaving a few hours later in sheer disappointment when her mother refused to let him take her back to Spencer for a week. 

"He wants me to bear his child," she muttered under her breath. Thinking either one didn't hear, she was startled when Harem exploded with a litany of curse words that made her ears burn. Once again he was about to go after the man who caused her pain and once again she stopped him. "Get the fuck out of my way, Tay. He deserves to pay for what he did to you and your mother. We need to get your mother out of there. Why are you stopping me? I can't sit idly by and watch you hurt. I may be a kid but I'm a kid in a family with powerful connections," he said harshly. 

"He's a fucking police chief, he can hurt you too. He can hurt mom. I can't take that chance. I can't even stay here because he knows about Stacia. Why couldn't you just send the money for me to escape?" she cried. The two stayed in miserable silence, one crying her eyes out and the other trying his best to be strong for her, not wanting her to see his anguish nor allowing his own tears to flow. 

"You don't need me to answer that," he answered softly. The pain-filled cries of Taylor became louder, her weak body gave out from all the stress and her escape from her domestic prison, she couldn't hold it any longer. Harem caught her just in time and simply held her. Allowing her to cry, he began making plans of what must be done. He wasn't letting it go. He couldn't. Whatever he had planned will have to wait, Taylor needed him. 

"I'm here. I'll always be there for you. No matter what."

Taylor clutched onto him tighter, knowing he was telling the truth. She had to allow him to help her. It's the only way to save her mother. Thinking of how fragile and weak her mother looked when she climbed through the broken basement window, doubts rang through her mind. Burying her face into Harem's knitted sweater, she allowed his warmth to envelop her. Sleep finally came easy to her in her best friend's arms.

***

Closing his eyes to calm his temper, he couldn't chase away the images of Taylor being hurt by a so-called upstanding citizen. He had to get her to safety. If the man can imprison a woman and her daughter for over a year without anyone becoming suspicious, imagine how corrupt his mind is.

"She's asleep." The soft hesitant voice of Stacia brought him out of his musings. 

"That's good. There's so much to do," he said resting his head on the back of the sofa.

"Taylor spoke of you all the time. You're not quite what I expected," she continued. Harem turned his head to her just in time to see her blush on her cheek. He chuckled thinking of the stories Taylor may have told her. "Let me guess. You've been expecting a skater dude with mischief in his eyes, wasting daddy's money," he teased.

"Uh... well... yeah," she said with the blush staining her cheek even more. 

"I'm more of a computer geek kind of dude."

"A hot one too," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh! Nothing just saying Taylor needs to eat, She hasn't eaten last night." Stacia began pacing the floor nervously before she realized what she still had on. Harem grinned her way, making a complete show of checking her out. 

"Do you have family anywhere here or away?" he asked. By his tone, she knew all subtle teasing was gone. 

"Uh. No. Um.. it's me alone."

"Any close friend away from this house?"

"No... wait. Do you really think he will come here searching for her?" Stacia found herself now sitting by his side once more like a moth to a flame. 

"From what she told us, I will say he's probably obsessed with her in his own twisted way. I have to get her to safety. He will do anything to get her back. This man doesn't respect women and he won't hesitate to attack you to get to her. You have to get to safety.  Fuck, this senior year curse." The last part was muttered but she heard. 

"This is my home, Harem. My only home. I have no one I can run to. Look I'll be fine. Take care of Taylor, she's the one you need to worry about."

"In an hour we are leaving here. 'We' means the three of us. Pack a bag with only essential things including your work uniform. Leave everything as it is, make it look like you're just going to work and will be back after," he said getting his phone from his pocket. Stacia was about to protest but her words died in her mouth when he fixed her with a steely glare. Swallowing loudly, she quickly rushed from his side and up the stairs, confused by her submissive reaction to him. Doing as he said, she spent that time thinking about her weird attraction to Taylor's best friend. 

"Maybe I'm just looking at things that aren't there," she said softly. Going into the bathroom, she took that time to stare at her features, bright red hair, creamy complexion, and bright sea blue eyes. She has been told she was beautiful and gorgeous but she never saw herself as other people see her. To Stacia, she was too pale, her hair was too bright and wild, there were freckles on her nose which she hated. It reminded her of the cabbage patch doll one of her foster mothers took away from her. Where men saw subtle curves she saw unwanted fat that just won't go away. Taking a deep breath, she made herself ignore the look of interest she thought she saw in Harem's eyes. Though they both were the same age, she felt older than him in some sort of way. Squashing her attraction to the rich teen downstairs, she took a much-needed long bath and prepared herself for what comes next. 

Returning downstairs with a packed bag, Stacia didn't expect to see men dressed in black suits, listening intently to Harem and a freshly showered Taylor eating a light snack on the sofa. "What's going on?" she voiced aloud. 

Harem looked over his shoulder at her, sending a small smile her way after giving her another intense once over. Again she tried not to look into it. "You came down just in time. Can you make sure your gas and unnecessary lights are turned off, please? We have to get moving. The cars are here. These men are the family's security team, they may seem imposing but they are really laidback," he said. She wanted to retort but nothing came out, frustrated by the new docile behavior she huffed and did what he asked, Stacia certainly didn't miss the amused snort from Taylor. It didn't take long for her to do what she was asked. Mumbling to herself, she went to sit beside Taylor who was eyeing her in sheer amusement. 

"What?" she hissed.

This made Taylor's smothered laugh escape, it was good seeing her friend smiling again but she hated that it was at her expense. 

"You like H," Taylor stated.

"N-No I don't," she denied.

"We're gonna play that game huh? Alright. Anyway, I want to thank you."

"For what?" Stacia asked turning fully to Taylor. 

"For helping me in my time of need. For contacting Harem, letting him take over your home and maybe life," she teased with sincerity behind her words.

"You're my best friend, that's why I did it. Also is he always so intense?"

Taylor simply laughed and silently began a ship between her two best friends.


***

The feelings rushing through Harem needed an outsider's opinion and thankfully the only person he had a close bond with besides Elijah and Mischa, was in New York. 

"Hey, little bro. Wassup?"

The man on the other end of the phone call he was making answered after one ring. "I'm in New York at the penthouse. I need to vent a bit. Are you free?"Harem asked nervously. It has been three hours since he brought the girls to the penthouse and had them situated. His mother arrived fifteen minutes ago upon his request to tend to Taylor. He gave her a simple rundown of what happened and in walked his mother with her medical bag and three large shopping bags. The ladies were still upstairs in one of the guest rooms while he was in the office. Three desks were in the large room showing the different personalities of all three boys. The penthouse was a gift from Mischa's father but the design of it all was done by all three mothers. Nothing but the best for their little boys. 

"I'll stop by in a few. Why are you in New York?"

"Taylor needed help," he answered.

"Is she with you now? I can whip something up for you guys."

"That'll be great. Food for four?"

"No problem. See you in a bit."

Ending the call, he went to his desk and quickly sent an email to his uncle and his cousins. He began putting things in place with the help of his older cousin Sheree, Mischa's older sister to get information on Taylor's stepfather. On top of that, he knew someone who will love to get his hands dirty once more. With his father's permission, three guards were sent to her home to check on her mother. No word came in yet which left him uneasy. Something was wrong, he can feel it. 
Rubbing his eyes in sheer tiredness, he ended the final chat via email with a family member who wanted to help the girls in any way they can. Mari wanted to fly up to New York but the twins exed that idea immediately. They knew how mother hen she becomes when there's someone in need. 
It was safe to say, his plan was a good one and the girls will be protected in the one place he knew they can be themselves. Back home in Spencer.

"Oh fucking hell," he groaned aloud. Resting his head on the desk, his thoughts ran to Stacia. He remembered how uneasy she looked when they pulled up at the hotel and everything that happened next. The guards, the butler, the private elevator ride, and her first look at the penthouse. Taylor frequented the hotel lots of times before which helped Stacia adjust. He wanted her to be comfortable but he had doubts about that. He will admit that he found her intriguing and wanted to know more about her. The doubts came when the sting of Selby's rejection came back tenfold. Though they had no relationship, the heartache was still there. She was his first love, his best friend, and her rejection of all of that tore him to pieces. Helping Taylor eased some of that pain, then meeting Stacia had Harem thinking of the reason why he was down in the slumps.  He needed to get his mind right, in order to protect Tay he had to. This entire ordeal made him feel older than his eighteen years. The things teens have to go through to become an adult are tiring.

"Honey? You alright?"

Raising his head too fast, a bout of dizziness took over him, Harem held onto his desk to steady himself before he focused on his mother. He didn't have to get up to meet her because of her immediate response to his little missed average. "I'm fine, mom. Just a minor headache," he muttered. The doctor in her began to give him a simple check-up with the light scolding only a mother can. Slumped in his chair, he gave her a weak grin when she hovered over him, checking his eyes and temperature, her wavy brown hair in which he inherited cast a veil around her worried face. Her green eyes so much like his uncle Eli's shone with worry and love just for him. He missed her so much. Every day he was thankful for her love, along with his father caring for him above parents who find themselves with a disabled child. Harem did his research on kids born with hearing disabilities and found a terrifying amount being given up for adoption or learned to live with it. He was proud to say he was of the latter but did his part in helping those who were forsaken by their birth parents.

"Love you, mom," he voiced. Emilia Johnson-Kertalis paused her actions and smiled down at her little boy. Out of the three beautiful kids her husband Hiram blessed her with, Harem was the one they worried the most about. They thought his disability will set him back in growth and life but he proved them all wrong. Blessed with his father's determination, he learned to adjust, the only part they couldn't protect him from was the cruel ways of kids. It broke their heart when he begged to leave home so he can be happy with his cousins. Seeing him now she realized they did the right thing.

"Love you too, my little Remmie," she said softly before placing a kiss on his head. She went back to fussing over him before standing back and objectively looking him over like any mother would. "You've gained a bit more weight. That's good. Still doing your training?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Did you eat breakfast? Dinner last night?"

"I ate on the plane and that's about it. Lunch should be arriving soon. How's Tay?" he asked wanting to focus on something. His mother sat on the edge of the desk and adapted her doctor's expression when delivering news to her patients. "I was able to pinpoint cracked bones that haven't been healed well like her wrists, ribs, femur, and forearms. There are bruising in intimate areas, scars from old wounds, and signs of slight malnutrition. I called Heather to come examine her and make an official report so we can build a case on that man. I took pictures and got a confession on what happened." Emilia closed her eyes not wanting to think about her own daughter being subjected to that sort of abuse. She always thought of Taylor as her own daughter which made what she had to document harder than ever. 

"Is she alright? What should I do when I get her back to Spencer? I got her school records to be transferred. Rooms have been set up at the house. Mari made sure clothes and other stuff they may need is there and Aunt J is overseeing it. Uncle Eli made himself her guardian and put out feelers for jobs for Stacia. I feel like I should be doing more but what? Tell me, mom. What should I do?" Harem asked desperately.

"Oh, Remmie, don't you see? You've done more than you think. She's safe and happy. You are the man she needs right now, her best friend. Also the protector of both herself and her friend Stacia. You've done so much in so little time. You're truly your father's child," his mother praised.

"It helps to have a large family of overachievers," he teased.

"That too," she laughed. Emilia reached forward and brushed his unruly hair away from his face, frowning when the light of cheerfulness dimmed in his eyes. "Everything good back in Spencer?" she asked carefully. Taking note of him averting his gaze from her, she knew this was an uncomfortable thing he was experiencing.  

"Yeah. Nothing major happened," he answered with a small smile. 

"Hello!! Anyone here in this over-the-top teenage hangout?"

Harem laughed at the person's way of greeting outside. His mother rolled her eyes in amusement and followed her son as he ran out of the office and into the living area. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, unpacking a large tote filled with food cartons was none other than one of New York's top chefs, Issac Bronson. He stopped what he was doing and came around the kitchen island to properly greet Harem. Emilia watched as the two shared a much-needed hug and spoke to each other softly before turning to her. Standing side by side the two can genuinely pass as brothers, lean build, messy brown hair, and captivating brown eyes. Harem gravitated to Issac when he moved to Spencer whenever the older kids came back home or invited the kids to their place for vacation. "Hey, Doctor Em. I brought some food for you guys. If I'd known you were here ratatouille would have been one of the dishes," Issac said approaching the doctor. 

"Well, I guess whatever smells so good in there will have to do but I expect my fave dish when next Hiram and I visit your restaurant," she said accepting his hug.

"Will do."

"I guess you two need to talk. I'll set up lunch on the patio and get the girls," Emilia said eye the two. 

"Thanks, mom," Harem said appreciatively before leading the way back to the office. 

"How's Taylor? Luanne gave me a head's up on what's been going on," Issac asked after the door was closed.
"Good. Well better from mom's word. Heather is coming over soon to help in a way only she can," Harem answered. Issac frowned then sent the boy he considered his little brother a troubled look. "Yeah, I thought the same after she revealed to me what that cocksucker wanted to do." Issac raised an eyebrow with an amused smile after hearing the curse word from Harem's mouth.

"Blame Bryan for our crude language."

Issac laughed and shook his head while taking a seat near the window. "What's been bothering you? We were all surprised to hear you're back in New York during school days and not only that, bunking at twins' place. What's wrong? We worry about you kids, now more than ever," he said steadily. 

Harem heaved a heavy sigh and sat next to Issac, rubbing his face harshly before settling in for their one on one talk. The siblings of each older Johnson kid and the close friends of Marielle saw them all as brothers and sisters, not just cousins. They all had a part in their upbringing from fashion sense to discipline, they even taught the younger ones how to be independent and to carve their own path aside from the riches their parents made. They know they can depend on any one of their large number of older siblings whenever they needed them.

"Turns out our senior year is full of excitement too," Harem started.

"Drugs, justified killings, and teenage drama?" Issac quipped.

"Well, I don't think drugs will be part of it, the jury is out on that one but the latter two are in the makings. You know how deep I had it for Selby right?"

"Everyone did," Issac replied not liking where this was going already.

" I planned to tell her how I felt this senior year before we all decide on college but things didn't go as planned. Spotted her man cheating on her and my conscience began arguing with me. I think he figured out I saw him and made a plan of his own to get to Selby first. She and I found ourselves in our first intimate moment where we shared our first kiss. I know it was incredible for me because I loved her but I don't know her to take on it. Her boyfriend caught us and things escalated from there. He knew I had feelings for Selby and turned it against me. I tried to rectify things between her and me but Derek got me so mad. I spilled his secrets but she took his side and believed him. Him! She chose his words over mine. After all these years of friendship. I couldn't believe it when she cut our friendship over some asshole. To make things worse, she cut all ties from the others."

"Fuck!"

"I know right. There I was trying to regain my fucking confidence to face her in school at the house when I got an SOS from Tay. I came to New York as far as I can only to be blindsided by a real-life redhead pin-up girl," Harem said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yup, those redheads will surely have your head spinning," Issac joked. They both laughed knowing how Luanne got him twisted around her little finger after all these years. The two stayed in silence for a moment before Issac spoke up.

"She wasn't for you."

"What?" Harem asked in confusion.

"You remember how Luanne and I got together right? We were friends first and during that friendship, she believed in me even when I was a fucking prick. She trusted me with her heart, her thoughts and she knew I will always have her back in the best way. A strong friendship equals a great relationship. That not only goes for Luanne and me. It's in our family. Other major examples are the twins and Mari. They had to go through a lot and they still are annoying in love with each other. Selby doubted you at a time when you needed her the most. She should have trusted you from the beginning, know that you won't ever lead her astray."

Harem thought over Issac's words and nodded in agreement. "I won't say the love you had for her will go away by a snap of your fingers but you will find someone who will heal you slowly and maybe, just maybe give you that push to trust again. Maybe you found her already in a very unconventional way," Issac continued.

"Since when does this family do anything in a conventional sense?" Harem joked.

"Exactly. Look, give yourself some time and don't forget your real friends. I bet the girls believed you and the boys when you told them what you witnessed."

"Right away. We all knew how bad he was for her, not only as a boyfriend but as a person in general."

"Don't be surprised when she needs your help. Experienced that over the years," Issac grumbled. Harem witnessed when the friends from high school who turned on him in his time of need came asking him for monetary help and other things when the world took note of his talents. Issac wasn't only a world-class chef and restauranteur, he was also an advocate for kids with dyslexia and abuse and also an artist with a great following. He's a major supporter of the learning centers his aunt Janine and cousin Mari founded.

"Thanks for listening."

"No problem. Let's go eat, plus I wanna see your redhead," Issac teased.

"She isn't my redhead."

"As yet."

The two left the office, teasing and jostling each other as they made their way to the patio. Issac spotted Stacia quickly and understood why his little brother was confused about approaching the redhead. The girl had the look of a 40's pin-up girl with innocent blue eyes, vulnerable yet untouchable. He observed the way her attention zeroed in on Harem before she became nonchalant of his presence. 

"If I were you, I will definitely see what you two have brewing," Issac whispered to him before bracing himself for an overjoyed Taylor. The blonde wrapped her arms around his waist in a fierce hug, burying her face in his chest. "It's alright, now," he said softly. He can feel her tears soaking his shirt but made no point to stop her. He understood her need to have someone to hold onto. Marielle and Bryan were his anchors when he realized he was free from the abuse he endured for the majority of his life.  "Don't forget we are your family. We'll take care of you, don't worry," he reassured her. Feeling her nod against his chest, he helped her dry her tears and allowed her to lead him to the table. 

***

The makeshift family was sitting idly around the table with empty dishes, sharing stories from Taylor and Harem's childhood when the head of security appeared by the door. Harem took one look at the man's grim expression and quickly got to his feet. The man led his young boss far away from the others to deliver the bad news they were all expecting after knowing the details of this new job. Handing over a red handbag with a handmade charm attached to it, Harem knew it was Taylor's mother's favorite bag. He, himself helped her choose the bag for the woman's birthday and watched over Taylor make the 'I love you mom' charm. 

"We found it beside her with a note attached to it. We haven't opened it. We're so sorry sir," the man said with a hitch in his voice. 

"It's not your fault. She thought this was the only way out after saving her only child. Thank you for everything. I will notify you when we're ready to leave New York." With a slight bow of his head, he left the younger Kertalis. 
Harem lifted the tied note on the bag handle, 'To my angel eyes, Taylor.' His hands trembled by the magnitude of the news that was just delivered. This was the off feeling he was having. Walking in a daze he rejoined everyone on the patio, standing by the door, his eyes met Taylor's. He didn't have to tell her much. She probably expected this. Her tear-filled eyes found the handbag in her best friend's hands, which alone broke her. 

Her mother knew she will be safe. She knew the Kertalis family will be there for her and come help her after. Her mother knew. 

Her mother knew watching her little girl escape their prison will be the last time she will ever see her alive.  

One thing Taylor knew. 

Her mother was gone from her life forever. 







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