by Lee Taylor
Griffin blew out a hard sigh. “Yeah, buddy, knowing that Tatiana didn’t turn to you, was unwilling to tell you that her ex-husband has been tormenting her, has got to be hard. And by the way, your adjective ‘terrorizing’ is absolutely on target. I don’t know if it helps, but, Jesus, dude, her father is the premier law enforcement official in the county and his second-in-command is her sister. And Tatiana refused to call on either of them.”
Ryker stepped in. “From what you’ve said, Zane, as challenging as this is, the craziest part of it is that Tatiana seems to think that she is protecting her father and sister. As if they can’t take care of themselves.” He added with a snort, “I can tell you that guy wouldn’t be able to walk, much less eat without a straw for the next decade if either the sheriff or his deputy got hold of him.”
Zane groaned. “You’re right, both of you. As hard as it is to accept, it’s clear that Tatiana’s almost pathological refusal to ask for help speaks to a deeper issue. God knows I’ve been thinking of nothing else for the last three hours, but the more I think about it, several things are beginning to fall in place for me.” He turned a narrowed glare on his cohorts. “While neither one of you has used the word abuse, it’s clear to me that Tatiana’s fierce refusal to bring the people she loves and who love her into this is because she’s dealing with a much bigger issue.”
Ryker nodded. “Yeah, you’re onto something, Zane.” He shook his head. “It’s not as if we—make that her father and sisters, plus Griffin and me—haven’t always known that something pretty damn bad happened to make Tatiana kick her ex to the curb the way that she did. And yeah, buddy, Tatiana’s current behavior suggests in more ways than one that domestic abuse is at the heart of this insanity.”
“You’re correct, Ryker,” Griffin said. “Although, according to her sisters and father, Tatiana has insisted that the catalyst for the divorce was Loomis’s drinking and drug use.”
Zane nodded in agreement. “That’s what she told me, Griffin. In fact, she’s said precious little to me about her divorce or her ex for that matter, except to refer to his alcoholism and drug use. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t picked up on some alarming clues. According to Tatiana, at least when she is describing domestic abuse in the abstract, acknowledging they’ve been abused is one of the most challenging things for abuse victims to do. In her speech at the ABA, she told an enthralled audience that abuse victims, those who view themselves as strong women, struggle to acknowledge that they’ve been abused. It makes them feel weak, ashamed that they could have participated in such a demeaning relationship.” Zane dragged his hands through his tousled hair and groaned. “Christ, the more I think about it, the way she described the actions of abuse victims now seem damn close to her own.”
“If you look at her actions through that prism, her unwillingness to turn to her father and sisters or you, Zane, it’s at least an explanation of sorts. I think you’re right; for some crazy reason, she’s ashamed. She doesn’t want to admit that she’s been abused.”
Zane shoved out a pained sigh. “Yeah, Griffin, I’m coming to understand that as off-base as that assumption is, it helps to explain her defensive behavior. I also think she has another concern. And that is she fears how Titus and, yes, Tanya would react if they knew what Loomis was doing. She actually told me she was sure Titus would kill her father if he knew that Loomis was threatening her. That was the reason she gave when she made me promise I wouldn’t go to her father. I made it clear that while I’d honor her plea for the moment, if that motherfucker contacted her in any way, all bets were off.”
“I have a feeling that moment will come sooner than you think, Zane. Since we talked yesterday, Tanya gave me some alarming information about Savannah Jenkins, the druggie that Tatiana dismissed from the Sanctuary. According to Savannah’s rants, the reason Tatiana kicked her out and sent her children to CPS was because Tatiana found out that she and Arnold Loomis were an item.”
“What the hell?” Zane was alarmed. He pierced his concerned partners with a hard glare. “Damn, that’s downright scary. From what you’ve said about Savannah, she’s more than a loose cannon. But if she and Loomis are truly involved, you can bet that he’s the one who instigated it.”
He was quiet for a moment, trying to digest the implications of Loomis’s latest subterranean attack. As he grasped the potential damage it could cause, he shook his head and blew out a troubled sigh. “I’m beginning to understand everything that fucker does is premeditated. His sole purpose is to punish Tatiana. And goddammit, I have to admit that asshole truly knows how to get to Tatiana, cause her agony at a gut level. He knows how much the Sanctuary means to her. What better way to undermine her than to claim she took her client’s children away to punish her for hooking up with Arnold.”
“Unfortunately, you are absolutely correct.” Ryker shook his head. “I gotta tell you, Tanya is about to explode, she’s so angry. Like you, she knows how proud Tatiana is of the Sanctuary and frankly of her reputation. She’s spent the last five years of her life creating it. Obviously, everyone who knows Tatiana will know it’s a lie. But that kind of gossip, spread by eager naysayers, can’t help but undermine her mission and her.”
Zane blew out an angry snort. “Christ, talk about a double whammy. Never mind the hideous lie that she would ever do something so egregiously unprofessional, but to say it was because she’s angry that Savannah is with Loomis is a few hundred fucking bridges too far.” Shaking his head, he tossed his friends a baleful glance and said bitterly, “And of course, even though Tatiana has to have heard the gossip, likely from Savannah herself, and is deeply pained by it, she didn’t bother to mention it to me.”
“No, buddy, she didn’t. But remember, that’s her MO. She didn’t tell her sisters or her father either. We wouldn’t know about it if Savannah wasn’t shrieking from the rooftops.”
“Yeah, and no doubt Loomis is doing his damnedest to amplify the lies in the most destructive ways possible. But so help me God, come morning, Miss go-it-alone Tatiana Trouble is going to hear from me that we’re done letting that asshole call the shots. And for the first time in a long time, she’s going to find out that she doesn’t have to fight this alone. Hell no. Rather, she’s going to know that she has a clandestine team around her that should put the fear of God in Loomis and frankly in Tatiana herself if she continues to shut me out.”
Zane managed to get control of his seething anger and shot his friends a grateful salute. “Meanwhile, thank you for calling in your off-line agents, Ryker. Their anonymity will keep the bastard from knowing the net we’re trapping him in. Now we need to include Savannah in that fetter. Hell, she can be as destructive as he is.” He added with a groan, “And, Christ, you two, please know I hate like hell bringing you into this, but I need you. And so does Tatiana. Although she’d kill me if she knew the plans we have for that asshole who’s been tormenting her for the last six years.”
He was gratified when both Ryker and Griffin raised their glasses to him. Griffin spoke for them both. “We’ve got your back, buddy. Hell, if anyone knows how challenging it is to manage one of the Trouble sisters, it’s Ryker and me. Let’s hope we can take out Loomis before Titus finds out that we’ve gone behind his back. I for one like my clanging balls and sure would hate to live without them.”
Ryker gave them both a fist bump and grinned. “Likewise. The last thing I want is to have the sheriff or his deputy on my ass. Trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty and the pain would be long lasting. And I ain’t referring to my clanging balls. Knowing my woman, that would be the least of my worries.”
****
Pulling into the Sanctuary parking lot, Zane got out of his car and slammed the door behind him. Forcing a semblance of a smile on his lips, he strode through the entrance. Speaking to the surprised aide sitting at the front desk, he glanced at Tatiana’s office door. “Is she in?” When the flustered woman nodded yes, he said crisply, “Don’t bother to announce me.”
Withou
t knocking, he threw open the door and then closed it firmly behind him. He stood with his back against the door and pinned a narrowed glare on the startled woman sitting behind her desk. When she started to speak, he shook his head and held up his hand, stopping her. Holding her gaze for a long moment, he strode toward her desk. Stopping in front of it, he said crisply, “Where’s your phone?” When she just stared at him askance, he said, “I asked for your phone.” He held out his hand. “Give it to me . . . now.”
“I . . . I don’t understand, Zane. What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like—”
Again, Zane shook his head and put out his hand. “Your phone please, Tatiana. Now.”
She visibly swallowed, then reached in her drawer. Extracting her cell phone, she lifted her chin defiantly and started to speak.
“Give it to me, Tatiana.”
Apparently seeing his determination, she shrugged and handed him the phone. Zane took it and scrolled through the messages. Pinning her with a narrow gaze, he quirked an ironic brow. “Ah, so it does work. I assumed it was broken or that you’d turned it off. How else could you have missed my three text messages and four phone calls? But no, here they are. All of them, my texts and my unanswered calls.”
He tossed the phone on her desk with a crack and then said in a soft voice banked with intent, “This isn’t going to work, Tatiana. I need to be able to contact you and know that you will respond.” When she tossed her head and met his glare with one of her own, he didn’t temper his cool threat. “You are walking a very fine line, Tatiana. A dangerous one. Know that we are going to resolve this issue soon, but the only way we can is if you understand how very serious I am.”
When she still didn’t respond, he yanked out one of the chairs in front of her desk and sank down on it. He held her gaze with his fierce one and managed to tamp down the anger that was threatening to choke him. “Now, let’s talk about the fact that you supposedly sent Savannah Jenkins’s children to CPS because Savannah stole your ex-husband from you.”
At her horrified gasp, he said with a shrug, “That’s what I’m hearing, as is anyone who’s been at the B n’ T the last couple of nights, so it sure as hell must be true.” He shook his head and narrowed his gaze further. “But then, you know about her threats, don’t you? According to Carol Adams and Tom Creighton, who came here at your request to take Savannah’s children to Child Protective Services, Ms. Jenkins was hostile and threatened you personally. In addition, she accused you of despicable things. She even claimed that you were lying about her children because you were angry that she stole your ex-husband from you. Both of the CPS professionals were confident that you told Sheriff Trouble about Savannah’s threats. They were that concerned what the irrational woman might do. Imagine their surprise when I told them that no, you hadn’t called on your father.”
Zane settled back in his chair and forced himself to contain his fury. It didn’t take the incipient anger flaring in her eyes or the irritated tilt of her chin to know she was preparing to attack, which only exacerbated his fury. He shook his head and said coolly, “Don’t bother, Tatiana. In fact, I strongly suggest that you don’t say a goddamned thing. In case you don’t know how angry I am, please know I’ve never been as angry as I am now. While most of my fury is directed at the man I’m in the process of taking down, I’m also angry with you.” He blew out a hard sigh. “And, Tatiana, to be truthful, I’m as hurt as I am angry. I truly thought that you trusted me. That you know how much I care for you, hell, how much I love you.” He shook his head, stopping her from interrupting him. “Don’t bother, Tatiana. Explanations aren’t necessary or useful. I’m not interested in any more of your lies. And yes, while I’m as far away from being a practicing Catholic as Martin Luther or Joseph Smith, I do believe lies of omission are as bad as or worse than those of commission.”
He rose to his feet and glared at her, refusing to be moved by her trembling lips and the flood of tears looming in her stormy green eyes. “It’s best you know what my cohorts and I are in the process of doing. First, I’m going to run that asshole Loomis to ground and add a few notches to what I put on him last night. I’m going to warn him in graphic terms what will happen to him and Savannah if they so much as speak your name.” He hesitated, then pressed his lips together in a firm line. “As for you, he does one fucking thing to you and you don’t call me, I won’t be responsible for what happens next. And, Tatiana, bringing your father into the equation will be the least of my actions.”
Closing the door firmly behind him, Zane strode to his car, not sure where his next breath would come from. He excused his failed attempt to breathe, deciding that lungs as constricted as his shouldn’t have to deal with as mundane a task as breathing.
Chapter 23
Seeing the number on his caller ID, Zane ran for his car as he punched on the phone. “What is it, Mac? Is he there? At Tatiana’s?”
“Close enough, Zane. Or at least his car is in a clump of trees about a mile from her driveway.”
“Intercept him, man. Don’t let him get any closer. I’ll be there in minutes.”
“Uh, Zane, don’t know how to tell you this, but he ain’t gonna get any closer. To be specific, he ain’t going anywhere.”
After listening for a minute, Zane interrupted his agent to patch Ryker and Griffin into the call. At their crisp responses, he said, “Get your asses over to Tatiana’s. Now.” He spoke to his agent. “Start again, Mac. I’ve got Agent Thompson and Griffin Black on the line. We’ll be there within minutes. Tell them what you just told me. Now!”
“Copy that, Zane. Uh, Agent Thompson, Mr. Black, Loomis’s car is about a mile from Ms. Trouble’s home. But he ain’t going anywhere. At least under his own power. Like I told Zane, you don’t have to worry about him bothering Ms. Trouble anymore.” He hesitated, then intoned softly, “He’s dead, dudes. From what I can tell, he bled to death. A gut shot.” He paused. “Uh, men, if that isn’t enough, he took another bullet . . . in a telling place. Up close and, uh, personal. To be specific, in his groin. From the amount of blood on his pants, I’d be surprised if his dick is still attached.”
Ryker barked into the phone, “Christ, Zane, we gotta call in the sheriff.”
Zane agreed. “Yeah, Mac, call him now. Send out a bulletin-wide alarm.”
Turning off the highway, Zane roared past the parked car surrounded by his agents. His voice was urgent. “I have to make sure Tatiana is okay, that he didn’t get to her.”
He pulled up in front of the house and was at her door before the engine in his powerful automobile shuddered to a stop. Shoving at the door, he ignored the lock and slammed it open.
Leaping inside, Zane almost ran Tatiana over. Grabbing for her, he held her in front of him. He didn’t recognize his voice, it was so harsh. “Dammit, Tatiana, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No . . . I was going to call you, Zane, honest I was. Arnold was here . . . He was banging on the door. I . . . I didn’t open it.”
Glancing around, Zane’s words were terse. “Are the kids here?”
“No, no. They’re at Tara’s. Somehow, Arnold must have . . . must have known I was alone. I don’t know how he—”
At the roar of approaching automobiles, Zane turned to see both Ryker and Griffin pulling up to the house. In seconds they’d piled out of their cars and were at the door.
Ryker’s voice was as brusque as Zane’s had been. “Is she okay?”
Still clasping Tatiana next to him, Zane stepped aside to let them in. Glancing down at the shaken woman clinging to him, he muttered, “Yeah, she seems to be . . . apparently he didn’t get in.”
Ignoring Ryker and Griffin as if she didn’t see them, Tatiana looked up at Zane and clutched the front of his shirt. Her eyes were dark green tempestuous seas; her voice shook as she tried to explain. “He tried to get in, Zane. He was banging on the door. He said he knew I was here. I . . . was afraid, Zane . . . afraid he’d break in. I was getting ready to call you, honest I w
as. But . . . I—”
Zane tugged her tighter up against him and pressed his fingers to her lips, stopping her frantic words. “Tatiana, honey.” He heaved out a hard sigh. “I need to tell you something, sweetheart.” He held her closer to him, then lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his troubled gaze. “Arnold is dead. Someone shot him. He’s in his car . . . just off the highway.”
She stepped back, shocked. “What?! I don’t understand. He was here. Arnold was here. He was trying to get in . . . I wouldn’t let—”
She collapsed against him, then burst into tears. Shaking her head fiercely, she cried, “No . . . he can’t be. He was here.” Pinning him with a frantic gaze, she asked, “He’s . . . Arnold’s . . . dead? How? Someone . . . shot him?”
“Yeah, baby. He’s dead.” Before he could tell her that he’d been gruesomely murdered less than a mile from her house, they all turned at the sound of sirens and squealing wheels from a fleet of arriving cars. Flashing lights and the roar of vehicles competed with the sound of men’s loud voices and tromping boots. In minutes, the front door flew open, heralding the arrival of the ferocious-looking sheriff. A mix of fear and anger contorted his rigid gaze. Hot on his heels was an equally fierce-looking deputy sheriff.
With obvious effort, Titus controlled his voice as he reached for Tatiana, pulling her out of Zane’s grip.
“Are you all right, Tatiana? Jesus God, baby, tell me you’re all right, that he didn’t hurt you.”
Tanya crowded in beside her father, grabbing Tatiana’s arm. Her voice was rife with fury. “Goddammit, sis, tell me you’re okay . . . ”
Tatiana clung to her father. She was shaking so hard, she would have fallen if it weren’t for Titus’s strong arms. “I . . . I’m okay, Dad.” She shook her head. “He was here. He tried to get in, but I didn’t let him . . . in.”