Extinguished

~3~ Knucklehead

Ellie's POV

I notice Taylor running drills with his men when I get a phone call.

I look down at the Caller ID, and I see that it's a call from Liam's school. Crap! This can't be good.

I take the call outside, hoping for as little distraction as possible. By the time I'm done, the men are finished with their drills, so I go to find Taylor.

I finally find him in the locker room, and I can tell that the new girl, Moss, is making him uncomfortable. Oh my gosh, this girl's in love with him!

Once he and I make eye contact, I speak:

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," he says apprehensively once he hears my tone.

He follows me out of the locker room and into his office. Once he's inside, I shut the door.

The look on his face is immediate concern. We NEVER shut the door to his office unless something's wrong.

"What's wrong, Ellie Jane?" He asks me, his voice anxious.

That's his nickname for me. At first I didn't like it—I've always hated my middle name. He explained that he didn't want to call me "El," because that's what Alex always calls me. He calls me 'Ellie Jane'  all the time, and whenever he does, I inwardly smile.

It's grown on me.

"Liam's in trouble...I have to go pick him up from school. Can I have your keys?" I ask him, holding my hand out.

"What did he do?" He asks, his tone hardening.

This is what I love about him. I forget that he wouldn't just simply give me the keys and make me deal with it by myself. He'll ask questions, find out what's wrong. Sometimes I still discipline Liam by myself, other times Taylor takes over.

He and Alex had a long discussion about that one night. Alex refuses to discipline. He wants to be the fun dad—he doesn't want his son to hate him. Therefore, for 17 years, it's always fallen on my shoulders.

Taylor asked Alex for permission to discipline Liam one night...Liam and I had gotten in a fight, and he pushed me so hard, I slammed against the wall.

Taylor lost it. Before he did anything though, he took Liam and drove him to Alex's house. He told Alex what happened, and Alex just rolled his eyes, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.

That made Taylor even more pissed...he said that if Alex didn't handle the situation, then he would. Alex was quick to agree, much to Liam's dismay.

Taylor made Liam bend over the couch, wanting to make sure Alex witnessed the whole thing. As he unbuckled his belt, Alex turned white. Each lick of the belt made Alex flinch. Once it was over, not only was Liam crying, but so was Alex.

From then on, Alex gave Taylor permission to step in when needed. In all honesty, I think Alex was relieved.

Taylor doesn't get involved often, but when he does, Liam's sorry.

I sigh and close my eyes. When I open them again, Taylor's gaze is piercing.

"He snuck into the Driver's Ed room and stole the car keys. He and a buddy went on a little joy ride during PE," I say quickly. I'm so mad, I feel like screaming.