save me - taylor swift

8

She tried to lift her head, tried to see, but her vision was still swimming, her body still too weak. All she caught was the blur of a dark figure slipping through the open window, disappearing into the night.

The door burst open.

"Taylor!"

Travis's voice was sharp with panic as he rushed to her, his phone clattering to the floor as he fell to his knees beside the bed. His hands grasped her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "What the fuck happened? Talk to me!"

Taylor couldn't answer. She was still gasping for air, her fingers weakly clutching at his sleeve. She lifted a shaking hand, pointing toward the window.

Travis turned, his expression darkening as he stormed over and peered outside. But the person was already gone.

Taylor's breaths were coming in short, ragged bursts, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She pressed a hand to her throat, feeling the raw, burning imprint of fingers still lingering against her skin.

When she finally found her voice, it was hoarse and unsteady as she whispered, "Someone tried to kill me."

Travis's entire body tensed.

That was all it took before he was storming out of the room, shouting furiously as he ran downstairs, scolding every single guard in the house.

Taylor barely heard it.

She was still staring at the window.

Still seeing those hazel eyes.

Still hearing the way they had cursed under their breath before running.

And she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew exactly who they belonged to.

-

Ruby ran.

She ran faster than she ever had before, her feet pounding against the pavement, her breath ragged, her heart slamming against her ribs. She didn't stop. Not when her lungs burned, not when her legs ached, not even when her vision blurred from the sweat dripping into her eyes.

The image of Taylor gasping for air was burned into her skull, playing over and over again like a nightmare on repeat.

She had been seconds away.

Seconds away from finishing the job.

Seconds away from killing Taylor Swift.

And she couldn't do it.

The thought made her stomach churn, but she didn't have time to deal with it now.

She reached Dominic's base, barely pausing to catch her breath as she shoved the door open.

The moment she stepped inside, she was met with chaos.

Dominic was furious, barking orders at his employees, his voice sharp enough to cut through steel. Papers were scattered across the room, a sign of his rage, and the air was thick with tension.

The second he saw her, his eyes darkened.

He moved fast—too fast for her to react—grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall.

"You had one job," he snarled, his grip tightening.

Ruby winced, her jaw clenching as she gritted out, "It was the fucking boyfriend. I was almost done—I didn't know he was there."

Dominic's expression twisted with rage. Before she could brace herself, his hand snapped across her face, the slap so forceful that she stumbled to the ground.

A sharp pain erupted across her cheek, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

She felt it drip from her nose, warm and thick, pooling onto the floor beneath her.

Humiliation burned through her as she felt every pair of eyes in the room on her, watching.

She didn't lift her head.

Dominic loomed over her, his voice venomous as he spat, "I got a call. They're tightening their security now because of your fucking incompetence."

Ruby swallowed hard, keeping her eyes fixed on the bloodstained floor.

Dominic exhaled sharply, the rage in his voice lowering into something eerily calm. "You get one more shot," he said. "If you don't finish it, I'll send someone else. And I promise you, they won't be as kind as you've been."

A chill crawled down Ruby's spine.

Someone else.

Someone else would go after Taylor.

Someone else would finish what she couldn't.

The thought sent something dark and cold slithering into her chest.

She didn't want anyone else touching Taylor.

Didn't want anyone else near her.

Dominic waved a hand, signaling for one of the employees to clean her up. A man stepped forward, kneeling beside her with a cloth, but the moment he reached for her face, Ruby shoved him away and pushed herself up.

Without a word, she turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

The second she was outside, she let out a sharp, guttural scream, her fingers tangling into her hair as she pulled at it in frustration.

She felt like she was suffocating.

Like the walls were caving in around her.

Like she was losing control.

When she finally stopped, her breaths were shallow, her chest heaving. She wiped at her bleeding nose, her fingers smearing red across her skin.

She needed to get home.

-

The water was freezing.

Ruby stood beneath the shower, fully clothed, her back pressed against the cold tile. The water poured over her, washing the blood from her face, her fingers twitching against her sides.

Her eyes squeezed shut.

And all she could hear was Taylor's voice.

Screaming for her.

The image of Taylor's terrified face was seared into her mind. The way she had gasped for breath. The way she had fought, nails scratching, body writhing.

Ruby exhaled sharply, forcing her eyes open.

Her gaze dropped to her wrists, and she winced. Deep, angry red scratches marred her skin where Taylor had clawed at her, the pain now a dull, lingering throb.

She stepped out of the shower, grabbing a first-aid kit from the cabinet. Her hands were steady as she cleaned the wounds, wrapping a bandage around them.

She moved on autopilot.

Because if she thought too much—if she felt too much—she wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself from unraveling.

Without another word, she turned off the lights, crawled into bed, and willed herself to forget.

But even in the darkness, she could still hear Taylor's voice echoing in her head.