TATIANA: Book Three; The Trouble Sisters Saga Read online

  When Savannah just shrugged and sauntered over to the conference table, Tatiana sighed. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know how confrontational this meeting was going to be. It was just that she’d hoped against hope she could convince Savannah she needed to go into treatment. A recommendation she was certain the scowling young woman would reject, making her dismissal from the Sanctuary a fait accompli.

  Tatiana brought two mugs and the coffee urn from her kitchenette to the table. Assuming her seat at the head, she filled each of the mugs and pushed one over to Savannah. Reaching for the tray of sugars and creamers, she asked, “Do you like anything in your coffee, Savannah? If you prefer real cream, I have some in the refrigerator.”

  Savannah looked up with a sneer and shoved the mug away from her. “First of all, I didn’t ask for coffee and I don’t want any. I hate the stuff. Besides, you don’t need to try to butter me up. I know you called me in here to ream me out.”

  “Hmm, what makes you think that, Savannah?”

  The young woman snorted. “You think I don’t know that busybody Bella has been in here telling lies about me? You know she hates me, don’t you?”

  “No, Savannah, I don’t know that. What I do know is that Bella is as concerned about you as I am. And yes, she did tell me about last night.”

  “Humph! What about last night?”

  Deciding that she may as well cut to the chase, Tatiana said carefully, “You came back to the shelter at two-thirty in the morning, which is strictly forbidden in that we have a ten o’clock curfew.” Raising her hand to stop herself from being interrupted, Tatiana added, “In addition to being hours later than the curfew, you had also been drinking and were likely under the influence of illegal drugs.”

  When the young woman flushed but didn’t bother to answer, Tatiana studied her for a long moment, deciding how she was going to proceed. Savannah’s bloodshot eyes and shaky appearance confirmed to Tatiana’s knowing eyes that she was coming down from a night of heavy drinking and likely smack, as Bella had stated. Looking at the young woman, who was only twenty years old, Tatiana was struck by how much older she looked. Not necessarily in years but in experience. The kind of hard experience that made even beautiful young women like Savannah look tired and worn.

  Seeing the ill-disguised rancor on Savannah’s face as she glared at her, Tatiana decided there wasn’t any reason to prolong the discussion. Sucking in a hard breath, she kept her voice calm, professional. “I know you expect what I’m going to say next, Savannah, so I won’t disappoint you. I have given you two warnings, the most that I ever give to one of my clients. As you knew before you came to the shelter, I have very strict rules against drug and alcohol abuse at the Sanctuary. I have made those rules crystal clear to you. When you asked, make that begged me, to give you another chance, I did. Indeed, primarily because of your little girls, I gave you two chances. Last night you broke the rules for the third and, I regret to say, last time. By the end of the day today, I want you to pack up your personal things and leave the Sanctuary.”

  Tatiana expected that Savannah would respond rudely, but she was surprised by her vehemence. “Do you think I give a flying fuck if you kick me out? Why should I care? Like this is some little Garden of Eden, filled with rainbows and sunshine? Like it isn’t a prison filled with ugly women and stupid rules as if we are children? Do you think I care? Well, I don’t. You can’t kick me out, because I’m already going. I’ve told Felicia and Clara to pack their things. That we’re going to blow this pop stand and get the fuck out of here. And it can’t be soon enough for me or my girls.”

  As Savannah rose to her feet, her face contorted with anger and disgust, Tatiana put up her hand, stopping her. “On that point, Savannah, I regret to tell you that the girls won’t be going with you today.”

  Grasping the edge of the table to steady herself, the infuriated woman shrieked, spraying drops of spittle across the table in her fury. “What the fuck are you talking about? You have nothing to say about my children. Nothing, you hear me?”

  “Unfortunately, I do, Savannah. I contacted Child Protective Services and reported what both CPS and I consider an important threat to your girls. As we are speaking, Child Protective Service representatives are on site, interviewing Felicia and Clara. It is the first in their investigation into the charges I’ve filed. Do know that no matter what the ultimate resolution is, the girls will be staying at CPS for at least the next week. Before you leave today, Ms. Shockley and Mr. Renner will meet with you to discuss the next steps both you and the girls are facing.”

  Her face flushed an unhealthy shade of purplish red, Savannah railed, “You goddamn bitch! What did you tell them? What lies did you tell them about me and my daughters?”

  Knowing that the CPS authorities would be talking with the irate woman soon, Tatiana chose not to hide her role in the investigation. “It came to my attention that against our policies, you have been taking the girls out of the Sanctuary without permission.” Before Savannah could speak, Tatiana dropped the bombshell. “Moreover, CPS, on my recommendation, is following up on the fact that at least one of your daughters has intimated that one or more of the men you associate with has potentially abused her.”

  “What? What the fuck are you saying?” Before Tatiana could respond, an ugly expression stole across the fulminating woman’s countenance. The only way that Tatiana could describe her contorted expression was as a combination of evil and triumph. Tatiana didn’t have to wait to discover what had the irate woman looking almost gleeful. “Of course. You found out. That explains it, you fucking whore.”

  Managing to hold her ground against the frothing attack, Tatiana said softly, “I don’t know what you are talking about, Savannah, but I suggest you settle down. Your behavior only heightens my concern and what I’m sure will be the reaction of CPS—”

  Not able to finish her sentence, Tatiana stepped back as Savannah closed in on her. Smelling the stench of alcohol on her breath, she was shocked when Savannah barked, “You found out, didn’t you? You bitch. I thought he was kidding when he warned me that you are the most jealous, possessive bitch that ever walked the earth. I didn’t believe him. You always seem so cool. So haughty. So much better than all the rest of us. But you’re nothing but a conniving skank!”

  Resting against the edge of the conference table to prevent the irate woman from knocking her over, Tatiana said firmly, “Stop, Savannah. Now. You are dangerously close to inexcusable behavior. If necessary, I will call the police and have you forcibly removed from the shelter.”

  Her eyes blazing with hate, Savannah’s face cranked into the ugliest smile Tatiana had ever seen. The Cheshire cat from Wonderland could have taken lessons from Savannah. “Yeah, you do that. Call on your daddy and that butch sister of yours. That’s what he said you’d do if you found out.”

  Ignoring her comment about her father and Tanya, Tatiana asked firmly, “Found out what, Savannah?”

  The venomous cackle that burst from her throat could have come from an overflowing witch’s caldron, it was so rife with hate. “That not only are you a frigid bitch but that I got it from the best possible source.” Her eyes lighting up at the dismay Tatiana was sure was on her face, Savannah snorted. “Yes, Ms. High and Mighty Trouble Sister bitch. That’s right, the man you’re still panting for is with me.”

  Almost too shocked to respond, Tatiana managed to croak, “Arnold? You are seeing Arnold Loomis?”

  “Yes, bitch, I am. How does it feel to be thrown over by someone you think is beneath you? And wait until CPS finds out that the reason you are after me is because I stole your husband.”

  Tatiana would never know how she managed to respond reasonably, cogently. “I don’t have a husband, Savannah, and I haven’t since I divorced him over three years ago.”

  As the door slammed behind the fulminating woman, Tatiana sank onto the chair next to the conference table. She didn’t know how long she sat there resting her head on the table when she was final
ly able to breathe without gagging. In a million years she wouldn’t have expected the scene she’d just participated in. Now that she was somewhat rational, she confessed that among the range of emotions flooding her, the most powerful one was fear. If she knew anything about her former husband, it was that he never did anything without a purpose. That he was going after one of her clients was more than concerning. It was scary.

  With a hard sigh, she admitted that when it involved her, Arnold’s purpose was to take her down in any way he could. Tatiana had always been afraid of what he would do to her father or sisters. But from the ugly things that Savannah said, it underscored what she already knew: he was after her personally. If he couldn’t make her admit that she still loved him, he would do everything he could to damage her—her reputation and especially the Sanctuary, which he hated almost as much as he hated her family. And of course, there was always the threat of what he might do to the children.

  Running her fingers frantically through her hair and not for the first time, Tatiana wished she had someone to confide in. But given that she’d shut out her most supportive allies—her sisters and father—she knew she needed to handle this as she always did. Alone.

  Chapter 10

  After the torrent of challenging upsets she faced throughout the rest of the day, Tatiana went back to the solitude of her office, desperate for peace. The ugly scene with Savannah had been followed by a confrontation between the clearly drunk woman and the representatives from Child Protective Services. Tatiana did her best to contain the angry woman, but Savannah’s expletive-laced threats were audible throughout the halls of the Sanctuary. In any other circumstance, Tatiana admitted that she would have called on her father or sister to “drop by” the Sanctuary, if only to help her contain the woman who was becoming more violent by the moment. Clearly drunk and not able to convince the CPS officials to let her take her children with her, Savannah had fled the shelter, leaving a torrent of accusations and threats leveled against the CPS and primarily against Tatiana in her wake.

  Unlike her sisters, Tatiana didn’t usually turn to alcohol in a crisis. But she hadn’t been in her office for two minutes when she’d quaffed her first shot of Maker’s Mark. Giving in to the power of the potent alcohol, she poured herself another shot, chiding herself to sip, not gulp, the damn thing. As the numbing effects of the liquor flowed over her, some of the anxiety that had threatened to take her down began to release. She knew it would be a long time before she could come to grips with Savannah’s hideous threats. She also knew that she couldn’t ignore or underestimate her former husband. The fact that Arnold was in the picture in a dangerously provocative way was frightening.

  Tatiana prided herself on the fact that she’d ended a difficult marriage. And that she’d dealt with the issues she’d faced by creating the very successful Sanctuary, which had become a beacon of hope for abused women and their children. She was gratified that she was becoming an acknowledged expert in the area of domestic violence. Now to her dismay, after she’d begun to hope that her marriage and the ugly aftermath of their contentious divorce was behind her, Arnold was not only inserting himself directly into her life but was also using surrogates.

  She shook her head, not wanting to think about what he might do next. She was still debating whether she should tell her father about the night he showed up at her house and threatened her. The night she’d ended up pulling a gun on him. Knowing what her father’s reaction would be, she’d convinced herself that she’d handled it and hopefully scared Arnold off. Unfortunately, Savannah’s outrageous claim made those conclusions less certain—to say the least.

  Remembering the luncheon confab her incorrigible sisters had forced on her at what now seemed like a lifetime ago, Tatiana admitted that Savannah and Arnold were far from the only issues threatening her hard-fought equilibrium. For a moment, she allowed herself to remember Tara’s and Tanya’s delight when she’d alluded to the fact that yes, “something” had transpired between her and the sexy district attorney. She’d ended up laughing and admitting that the DA was as sensational as they all thought he was. Confident that she’d been as flushed as she felt, she acknowledged that it felt good to know she might actually be intriguing to the infamous DA. That her sisters were shrieking with pleasure at her admission only confirmed the Pandora’s box of untold reactions she’d unleashed. How could she not struggle with the results of her feverish reaction to his astonishing overtures? After all, it wasn’t often, make that never in her experience, that a sexy rogue deposited her at her doorstep and later suggested in a text that she go to bed naked—the better to allow her sexy body to speak to her.

  Eager to put the hideousness with Savannah out of her mind, she allowed herself to remember what it had felt like when Zane had kissed her. When Zane had made her feel things she’d never felt in her life. Unfortunately, the more she thought about their ferocious doorstep coupling, the more uncertain she became. It wasn’t only that she would be seeing him in Tucson in three days but that he’d been explicit about what would happen in that city, far away from the restraints of their small town. After the tumult of the day, Tatiana began to seriously question whether she was up for the tête-à-tête her incipient lover was expecting. Adding the viperous Chloe Richards into the mix, what only days ago had seemed like a wonderful opportunity to educate an elite audience of lawyers about the multi-layered effects of domestic violence was now fraught with danger. To her and her spirit.

  As she began to seriously consider backing out of the conference, her phone signaled an incoming text. The message was short and to the point. “Three days until Tucson. Somehow I’ll survive.”

  Tatiana tapped out a response and hit send before she could stop herself. “I’m not sure I will.”

  “Hmm. Survive or back out?”

  When she didn’t reply because she truly didn’t know, a second message appeared. “Hope it is the former, lovely lady, because the latter ain’t an option!”

  As if he weren’t content to attack on only one front, there was a knock at her office door. Desperately wanting to be alone, Tatiana nevertheless called for the interloper to enter. She shouldn’t have been surprised when two of her aides entered, their faces wreathed in glowing smiles. Bella held the door while Agnes strode in carrying the most elaborate bouquet of flowers Tatiana had ever seen. She did her best to ooh and aah along with her clearly interested staff, then managed to shoo them out of the room. She didn’t have to open the card, as it was clear who’d sent the outrageous gift. She stood for a moment reveling in the beautiful arrangement before forcing herself to open the envelope. The message, obviously in his handwriting, was as explicit as she should have expected. What she didn’t expect but was helpless to contain was her reaction to his sexy tribute. “Please know the scent of these gorgeous beauties can’t hold a candle to your exotic fragrance. The memory alone arouses me.”

  ****

  Putting the children to bed was one of the moments in her day Tatiana looked forward to the most. Unfortunately, tonight she didn’t know who was more on edge, Marcie or her. She’d done her best to explain that Felicia’s mom had done things she couldn’t do at the Sanctuary and she’d had to ask her to leave.

  Marcie had sobbed, “But why, Momma? And why did you make Felicia and Clara go too? Why couldn’t they stay with us? Felicia wanted to come and live with us.”

  After she’d promised Marcie that Felicia and Clara would be able to visit them, maybe even at Aunt Tara’s big house, her daughter finally fell asleep. Aching for solitude, Tatiana stripped off her clothes and slipped on a sleeveless nightshirt, then headed for her deck. Grabbing a bottle of pinot gris from her patio wine cellar, she settled onto her favorite lounge chair and poured herself a glass of the pricey wine. She acknowledged that it wasn’t her best choice of sustenance in that she hadn’t had anything to eat since her breakfast English muffin—and at least two pots of coffee. Oh yes, and the double shots of Maker’s Mark she’d imbibed to “clear” he
r head and her spirit after the imbroglio with Savannah. Sipping on the wine, she felt a little woozy, which was a nice change from the roiling emotions that had turned her unsettling day into a garish nightmare.

  At the humming vibration, she tried to decide if she would answer her phone. The caller ID as well as her pitching gut confirmed who was calling. Acknowledging that at one level she was acting like a coward, she excused herself, not knowing how much more upset she could handle in one day. When the phone hummed a few short minutes later, she clicked it on but chose not to speak.

  His deep voice layered with humor shot a load of erotic buckshot to her core. “Oh good, I was concerned that something was wrong with your phone. I’m glad to know that it was just you getting cold feet.”

  She squeaked. “That’s a good thing?”

  He was firm, confident. “Absolutely. It means that you are as blown away by what happened as I am.” When she couldn’t find the words to answer him, he added softly, “It also means that while you are understandably confused, you know we haven’t begun to deal with what is between us.”

  Shocked at his confident assertion, she struggled to respond, then fell back on her manners. “At least I need to thank you for the beautiful flowers. They are the talk of the Sanctuary. I . . . I hope you don’t mind, but I put them in the atrium so that all of the women could enjoy them.”

  Again, the humor strafing his voice was evident. “May I presume that you didn’t include the card when you put them on display?”

  She forced herself to respond coolly. “Yes. You may presume that.”