Chapter 18 #2
Taylor didn’t hesitate, her eyes flashing with the same fire he felt burning in his chest. “Brooks, please don’t insult me. Whatever you need, I got you. Give me an hour.”
For the first time since Jansen’s call, Brooks felt the stiffness ease.
He’d spent so long handling everything alone, carrying the weight of his world on his shoulders.
But the woman on his screen wasn’t asking him to calm down or let it go.
She was rolling up her sleeves, ready to fight alongside him. That was worth more than any contract.
“I appreciate you.”
“Yeah, now look at you just think if you hadn’t answered for me.”
“Ok you right, my bad.”
“It’s ok. Let me go handle this for you and I’ll be in touch,” she said ready to show up for him the way he had showed up for her.
“Bet.”
“And Brooks, breathe, it’ll all work out.”
∞∞∞
Taylor moved through the hospital corridors with purpose, heels clicking against the polished floors like a woman on a mission.
People stepped aside, reading the determination in her quick moving legs.
Taylor on a mission wasn’t someone you wanted to fuck with, especially now that Brooks had let her in and allowed her to help.
She had to own this moment. He deserved that from her.
Felicity Parker, the head of administration, looked up as Taylor entered her office without knocking.
They’d been friends since Taylor started at City, their relationship built on mutual respect, the occasional covered shift, the kind of quiet loyalty built over years.
Felicity owed her, and they both knew it.
Taylor had never asked for a favor. Until now.
“You need what, exactly?” Felicity asked, adjusting her glasses as she scanned Taylor’s face. Taylor had texted ahead with a vague heads-up, but now her tone was all business. She was leaving here with something.
“Any and all incident reports tied to Premier Carry Towing,” Taylor said, voice cool and collected despite the fire in her veins. “Complaints from staff, delays, patient safety issues, facility damage, anything logged in the last 12 months.”
Felicity blinked. “Taylor, you know Premier Carry’s on the hospital’s vendor list. You’re asking for internal records.”
“I know exactly what I’m asking for,” Taylor replied. “And I know those reports exist. You’ve flagged them in staff meetings before. This isn’t just personal, it’s about liability. And we both know this hospital doesn’t play when it comes to public image.”
Felicity hesitated, then exhaled. “You really think this will help?”
“I know it will,” Taylor said firmly. “Someone’s trying to undermine my, uh, friends company. I’m not letting them win. Not on my watch.”
Felicity sighed, the sound weary with memory. “They left Mrs. Levin stranded for four hours last month. And that ambulance delay in February nearly cost us a life.”
“So, let’s put that to good use.” Taylor leaned forward, resting her elbows on Felicity’s desk.
“If Premier takes this emergency services contract, we could be dealing with even more delays and bullshit. People could die waiting for a tow that never comes. You know it, I know it, and the city needs to know it before they make this mistake.”
Felicity hesitated, then nodded, something shifting in her expression. She knew legal would be getting involved soon, and they had the chance to stop it now.
“Okay.” She turned to her computer, fingers flying over the keys with practiced efficiency. “I can pull some records. It won’t be everything, but it’ll be enough to make a case. Just don’t make me regret this, Taylor.”
Taylor exhaled in relief, her shoulders dropped slightly. This was the first victory in what would likely be a complicated battle. “Thank you.”
“You’re lucky I like you,” Felicity muttered, the printer hummed beside her desk. She gathered the documents, organizing them into a neat stack before sliding them into a folder.
“This is worth way more than my favor, so you and Brooks Bishop owe me a good bottle of wine. The expensive kind, not that grocery store shit.”
Taylor’s eyebrows shot up, surprise momentarily replacing her determination. “How did you—?”
“Please.” Felicity handed her the file with a knowing smile. “The whole hospital saw you getting into that car a few months ago. And Brooks Bishop isn’t exactly a man people forget once they’ve seen him.” She paused, studying Taylor’s face. “You’re good together. Different, but good.”
Taylor accepted the file, fighting the urge to twerk in excitement. It was the first time someone had acknowledged them, as something that made sense despite their differences. The validation felt sweeter than she expected.
“I’ll tell him,” She promised, already turning toward the door.
“Taylor,” Felicity called after her. When she turned back, her expression had grown serious. “Whatever you’re doing with this... be careful. Premier has connections. Politics can get messy.”
Taylor nodded once, “So can we.” She winked before clutching the file against her chest.
Taylor left and made it to her car in record time, adrenaline propelling her forward.
She couldn’t wait to be of use to Brooks.
He’d been showing up for her from day one, even when she had done everything to push him away.
She appreciated him for not asking anything of her, understanding that she was still working through her changes.
She’d lived that life with Tyree, giving everything, getting nothing.
And she refused to carry that energy into something new. Not with Brooks.
She pulled away from the hospital and floated to Brooks shop.
Brooks was pacing the length of his office when Taylor’s car pulled into the lot.
Through the window, he watched her emerge from her car, the sight of her making everything but her feel less urgent.
She moved with purpose, the file clutched in her hand, her eyes already searching for him.
In that moment, he realized he’d never had someone show up for him like this before not because they had to, not because they were family or not because they owed him, but because they wanted to.
Brooks couldn’t wait any longer. He walked through his office, went down the stairs, and crossed the yard to meet her halfway. Their bodies drawn together like magnets finding their match.
“How was work?”
She let out a dry laugh. “Work.”
He understood that. He’d had that kind of day also, a bunch of shit to handle, not really in the mood but the grind continued. It didn’t care if you had a bad day.
He walked them inside, massaging her shoulders as he walked behind her. He nuzzled her neck, happy to see her. He’d fought alone for so long, the idea of someone fighting for him felt foreign. His instincts told him to handle it alone, to make the problem disappear with brute force or sheer will.
But here was Taylor, standing in front of him, armed with receipts and a look that said she would go to war for him in a heartbeat. And he didn’t know how to process that.
Taylor handed him the folder, her eyes gleaming with victory.
“Five documented cases of Premier delaying emergency services,” she said, her voice steady but laced with righteous anger.
“Including one where an ambulance couldn’t get through because they blocked the emergency lane.
There’s a patient who nearly died, Brooks.
And three incidents of them damaging medical equipment during transport. They a mess.”
Brooks flipped through the papers, his face contorting as he absorbed what she’d found. Each page was ammunition, each incident a bullet he could fire at the corrupt system trying to shut him down. But more than that, each page represented Taylor showing up for him, in ways no one ever had.
“This enough?” She asked, watching his face carefully.
Brooks let out a slow, dangerous chuckle, the sound warming into something genuine as he looked from the papers to her face. “Oh yeah,” he said, eyes dark with determination rather than rage now. “This is more than enough. This is everything.”
Brooks had spent years building this business with his own two hands, fighting for respect in a world that wanted to count him out. Now, for the first time, he wasn’t the only one fighting.
He closed the file, holding it like the precious gift it was. For a moment, he just looked at her, this woman who had called him out on his bullshit, who hadn’t flinched when he was at his worst, who had leveraged her own connections to help him fight.
"No one's ever done this for me before," he said, his voice rough with rarely shown emotion. “You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did.” Taylor stepped closer, her hand finding his arm. “That’s what this is, Brooks. Not just Denver. Not just fancy dinners. It’s having someone in your corner. It’s give and take. I’ve taken enough. I needed to give to you.”
In that moment, looking at her determined face in the harsh security lights of his shop, Brooks realized something fundamental: he wasn’t his father.
He’d spent so long trying to transform his father’s legacy into something legitimate, he hadn’t noticed how he’d transformed himself in the process.
His father had ruled through fear and control.
Brooks had built something people wanted to protect.
He pulled her close, one hand at the small of her back, the other lifting her chin until their eyes met. “Thank you,” he said, simple and sure. It wasn’t a casual thank you. He was moved by her doing this for him. “But you give me plenty, baby. More than I ever thought I’d have. ”
Taylor’s eyes held his, unwavering. “You’re welcome. I didn’t need you in jail. And no one gets over on you. Not on my watch.”
And he believed her. Because by now, it wasn’t just about taking down Premier or locking in some contract. This was about them. Not just lovers, but partners. Taylor wasn’t just the woman he was falling for. She was the woman who refused to let him fall.