by Lee Taylor
Chapter 25
Hey there.” Zane crouched down in front of Tatiana, who was folded into one of the armchairs. She looked small, frightened. Ensuring that he was at eye level with her, Zane assumed an easy tone. “How are you doing, sweetheart?” Her pale face and glassy eyes confirmed that she was bordering on shock. He added with a soft snort, “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that like the rest of us, you’re having a hard time coming to grips with what happened tonight.”
When she nodded slightly, then slammed her eyes closed, he reached for her hands. “How about I pick you up and settle you on the sofa? You look like you’re ready to fall over in this chair.”
When she shrugged and didn’t object, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa. When he started to put her down, she murmured, “Zane, will you stay by me?”
He groaned as he sank down beside her. “Hell, yes, sweetheart. I hope you know that I’m not going anywhere more than two feet away from you. At least until I can convince you that you need to get some rest. At that point, I will tuck you in bed and hope like hell that you can sleep until morning.”
She shook her head and said softly, “We both know that isn’t going to happen, Zane.”
Relieved that she sounded rational and not as shell-shocked as she’d been after they turned off the hideous cell phone recording, Zane glanced at Titus, who was standing several feet away. Knowing that her father had to be struggling, he waved him forward. “How about you pull up a chair, Sheriff, or better yet, how about I leave you two alone for a bit. I know you need to talk.”
Titus demurred, then yanked a chair over in front of them and plunked onto it. His strain was apparent as he leveled a steely-eyed gaze at his daughter, then glanced at Zane. “No, Zane, don’t go. It’s obvious that Tatiana needs you close to her.” He added carefully, “As I do. Apparently, both Tatiana and I owe you a great deal.”
Zane brushed aside the comment with a wave of his hand.
Before he could respond, Tatiana met her father’s stern gaze. “You need to know, Dad, Zane was furious when he found out that I hadn’t told you and Tanya what Arnold was doing. I . . . I don’t know what to say except that I’m sorry.”
Titus narrowed his scrutiny and said carefully, “Likewise, Tatiana. I don’t know what to say either. I admit I’m angry with you. But more than that, I’m hurt that you didn’t trust me enough to reach out to me to help you.”
Tatiana smiled wanly. “Hmm. That’s what Zane said. As angry as he was with me, he said he was more hurt.”
The sheriff nodded in agreement, and his narrow-eyed observation spoke volumes as did his strained tone. “Tatiana, you have to know I would have done everything in my power to stop Arnold from tormenting you.”
“I know that, Dad, but don’t you see? That was the problem. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to upset you, hurt you.”
Titus made an obvious effort to speak calmly, but the emotion he was feeling was abundantly clear in his terse, understated assertions. “Tatiana, I am the sheriff of Cochise County, the chief law enforcement official in the county. I trust you will concede that is not an insignificant position. Moreover, I have a wall full of tributes, honors, and acknowledgements of the role I play in the law enforcement arena not only in the county but the state, even on the national level.”
He hesitated for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was contorted with a mix of anger and disbelief. “Given that, Tatiana, do you honestly believe that I couldn’t have handled Arnold Loomis? A guy who was so far beneath you—and me—that he didn’t belong in the same universe? A third-rate, drunken loser, who thought he could hurt me physically? Surely, Tatiana, you know how ridiculous that sounds.”
When Tatiana looked down, refusing to meet his gaze, her father’s voice dropped lower and vibrated with intensity. “However, I admit he did have a potent way to hurt me. Not physically, as you imply. That was impossible. But he could and did hurt me at a gut level. Something he couldn’t have done without your help.” At her surprised start, he said softly, “You see, that goddamned son of a bitch knew how to get to me as no one else could. All he had to do was convince you that you couldn’t call on me to get rid of that despicable man. And he succeeded. You truly believed that you couldn’t trust me to handle Arnold fucking Loomis. And yes, my beloved daughter, that not only makes me angry, it hurts me more than you will ever know.”
Zane felt the tremor shaking Tatiana’s slim body. Knowing how much she loved her father, Titus’s indictment had to hit her at a core level. Which made her response all the more unexpected.
She sat up straight and pushed away from him, pressing back into the corner of the sofa. Her eyes flashed ominously, and all Zane had to see was her chin go up several notches to presage her surprising response to her father’s poignant critique.
After pressing her lips together in a hard, white line, Tatiana spoke softly, but there was no way Titus could miss the anger strafing her caustic indictment. “Did you ever think, Dad, that this isn’t about you; it’s about me?” Rising to her feet, her voice rose as she whirled to include Zane in her accusation. “How about you, Zane? While you and my father are nursing your hurt feelings at my thoughtlessly despicable behavior, did it occur to either of you that I didn’t want to tell you what my fucking loser of a former husband was doing to me? That I was ashamed? Did that disgusting truth ever enter your self-righteous male psyches?”
Her anger clearly giving her strength, she tossed her head and spit out, “And did it ever occur to you that the shy, well-behaved, ever-so-amenable middle sister might be seething with rage? So angry, she knew if she ever spoke her fury, she wouldn’t be able to stop? My goodness, she might get so unhinged she might even shoot her disgusting pig of an ex-husband?!”
Marching across the room toward the stairs, Tatiana turned back to glare at them. Her voice was thick with sarcasm. “Gee, I just thought of something. Maybe I can write myself up as a case study to present at the next conference that I won’t be invited to address. Think what a spellbinding tale it would be. The lurid story of the supposed domestic abuse expert who forgot to mention that she was one of those pitiful women who allowed herself to be abused. Then add the ultimate cherry on the sundae, certain to make her treatise a bestseller, that the crazy bitch was convicted of murdering her ex-husband. All because she was determined to take care of herself instead of begging her big strong father and oh-so-powerful lover to risk their lives so she could go on living, knowing that she would be responsible for their deaths.”
Brushing at the tears streaming down her cheeks, Tatiana raised her chin several notches higher and said bitterly, “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. And yes, Zane, as always, you’re right. I am exhausted.”
She was on the third step when he reached her. His voice was dangerously soft. “Unfortunately for you, Tatiana, I do mind.” Ignoring her surprised shriek, Zane swept her up in his arms and headed up the stairs. Holding the thrashing woman tight against his chest, Zane shot Titus a strained grin over his shoulder. “I think I have more options than you do, Sheriff Trouble, to handle this exasperating woman the way she needs to be handled.” Nodding to Griffin and Ryker, who were in the doorway beside a wide-eyed Gunnar Sorenson, he said, “I’ll be down shortly and will meet you and the sheriff at the crime scene.” Ignoring Tatiana, who was pounding on his chest and demanding that he put her down, Zane turned to her sister. “If you don’t mind, Tanya, will you stick around? When I’m through with your sister, I think she will appreciate having a kindred spirit to participate in the male-bashing tirade certain to be on her agenda.”
****
“Damn you, Zane! Put me down! I’m a grown woman, not a naughty child you can pick up and cart to her room!”
“Let’s be clear, Tatiana. You’re the one throwing a tantrum and storming up to your room, no doubt intending to slam the door behind you.” Kicking the door closed with his boot heel, he said, “I’ll save you the trouble.”
Tossing her onto the bed, he stood to the side, regarding her. His rigid jaw and flashing indigo eyes belied the tight smile curving his lips. His stern words confirmed he was not amused; if anything, he was furious. “I should turn you over my knee, Tatiana, and spank the hell out of you. It’s the least I should do on behalf of myself and your long-suffering father. But I’m too angry to spank you. I’ve never hit a woman in anger and I never will. Or at least I don’t think I will, unless you continue that self-serving, poor-me drivel that you’ve been spewing for the last five minutes.”
Tatiana rose up on her elbows, bright red splotches flaming her pale cheeks. “How dare you, you arrogant bastard? I was baring my soul to you and you call it drivel?” Rearing up against the headboard, she demanded, “Go, Zane. Now. Go and, damn you, don’t come back. I don’t want to see you or talk to you ever again. I was a fool to think that you understood me, understood how important my work is, how devastated I am that Savannah and Arnold destroyed what little of my reputation I have left.” Swiping at the tears that overflowed her flashing emerald eyes, she railed, “Damn you, go!”
Zane stepped forward and, in an easy move, captured her in his arms and hauled her onto his lap as he sank down on the side of the bed. His voice was curt. “Be quiet, Tatiana. And no, I’m not going anywhere. But do know that if I hear one more word of that nonsensical idiocy coming out of that beautiful mouth of yours, I will turn you over my knee and do what you’re apparently begging me to do. But we will deal with your nonsense later. I have a suggestion, sweetheart. How about you take all that rage you are flinging against your father and me and, yes, against yourself and put it where it will do the most good. Helping me, your father, Ryker, Griffin, and your sisters fight what is going to be a challenging battle—convincing the court that you didn’t murder your fucking ex-husband.”
At his harsh words, Tatiana’s flushed cheeks paled to alabaster white. Her denial was surprised, halting. “But . . . but that’s not true. You know it’s not, Zane. I . . . I could never kill him—no matter how much I wanted to.”
Lifting her off his lap, he settled her against the headboard and met her disbelieving gaze. “Yes, I do know that, Tatiana, and so does anyone who knows you. But, honey, you would have to be brain dead not to know that the cards are stacked against you.” At her horrified startle, Zane didn’t hold back. “Let me lay it out for you, Tatiana. This is what we are facing. It will take the prosecution ten minutes to confirm that your former husband abused you and has been stalking you to this day. Second, they will have a recording in which you promise to shoot him if he threatens you again. Finally, the evidence lab will quickly confirm that your goddamn pistol, the one found beside his car, was the murder weapon. Oh and, yes, that the killer shot him in a strategic place. It doesn’t take much imagination to conclude that he or she was making a point. You don’t shoot off a guy’s dick unless he’s injured you in some very specific way. Finally, neighbors will testify that Loomis’s car was here tonight, shortly before he was found shot to death a scant mile from your house.”
Seeing her anger morphing into fear, Zane didn’t hold back. He knew the only way he could jolt her out of her mixed-up fear of exposing her abuse was to get her to understand her perilous legal situation. “And then, sweetheart, know that your sheriff father, your deputy sister, and I, the chief Cochise County prosecutor, will need to excuse ourselves from the investigation because of obvious conflict of interest.” He blew out a hard breath and said quietly, “Damn, Tatiana, if I was playing my usual role that of the Cochise County district attorney, I would be advising you to get the best goddamn attorney you can afford. I would then insist that Sheriff Trouble haul you in for questioning and probable arraignment for the murder of your former husband.”
Ignoring her pained gasp and rising to his feet, Zane wasn’t able to quell the righteous anger he was feeling. Pinning her with a narrowed gaze, he snorted. “But now, sweetheart, I need to meet your father at the crime scene and start the arduous process of figuring out how, from behind the scenes, we’re going to keep you from spending the rest of your life in prison.” From the doorway, he added, “Just in case you think I’ve forgotten the ugly accusations you flung at your father and me, I recommend that you hang on to a pillow or two. Knowing how much I’m looking forward to having that sexy ass of yours across my lap, you’re going to need all the protection you can get.”
Not hiding his bitterness, he added, “I’ll send your sister up so that you can gin up your tirade against the men who would give their lives for you and who love you more than you apparently are willing to appreciate.” He blew out a hard sigh. “Later, Tatiana.”
Chapter 26
Needing to see his grandchildren, Titus recommended that they convene at Tara and Griffin’s house. Zane agreed. It was essential that he and the sheriff, along with Ryker and Griffin, meet to discuss the dicey role they were forced to play. Zane was confident he wasn’t the only one uncertain that Lieutenant Sorenson was up to gravity of his assignment as the lead investigator of Arnold Loomis’s murder. Seeing the young lieutenant struggling with the challenge he was facing confirmed that Zane’s job along with that of his clandestine cohorts was as critical as it was challenging.
While Titus checked on his sleeping grandchildren, Griffin brought a horrified Tara up to date on the hideous situation they were facing. Not pretending to care that Arnold Loomis was dead, she was frantic about the possibility of Tatiana being blamed for the murder.
After laying out the probable case against her sister, Zane sought to reassure her. “Obviously, we all know that Tatiana didn’t shoot him. But we’d be foolish not to know we have a challenging road ahead of us.” He dragged his hands through his tousled hair. “Frankly, our biggest challenge may be Tatiana.”
Titus’s troubled question from the doorway spoke to his simmering angst. “Want to be more specific, Zane? Are you saying that you couldn’t get through to her after she went off on the two of us?”
Zane tried to reassure him, relying on his penchant for humor under the worst of circumstances. “No, Sheriff, I’m reasonably confident that I got through to her, although I fully intend to give her a remedial lesson or two later tonight.” Seeing the sheriff’s nod confirming that he agreed those remedial lessons would be necessary, Zane continued. “However, Tatiana is so caught up in what she sees as her shame that she was abused that it has crowded out the severity of the issues she and we are facing.” He looked from one to the other of his serious cohorts. “Gentlemen and lady, our task is as straightforward as it challenging. We need to find out who the fuck killed Arnold Loomis and find him fast.”
****
Zane pulled into Tatiana’s driveway, a rock grinder of emotions churning in his gut. As much as he wanted to take her in his arms and assure her that everything was going to be all right, he’d never been a Pollyanna under the best of circumstances. Indeed, he was a good prosecutor because no matter how open and shut the case against him, if he was confident the perp was guilty, he was like a dog with a bone. He never gave up until he ran the case and the suspect into the ground. Unfortunately, he was now facing a different challenge. The suspect in this case was facing a raft of incriminating evidence that would take a newbie prosecutor a day or two at most to bring charges. Charges that would be hard to refute. Even more challenging was the fact that this particular suspect was the woman he was in love with, a fact that was compromising to say the least.
Zane also admitted that Tatiana was likely to be her own worst enemy. Wracked with guilt and shame that she’d “allowed” herself to be abused, she was unlikely to stand up to the vigorous cross-examination she was sure to face. Not from the sheriff’s office, no matter how tough Sorenson tried to be. But surely from what would be an ecstatic and armed-to-the-teeth ADA Chloe Richards. The young prosecutor had to be gleeful at the opportunity thrown her way. Zane shoved at the army of fire ants crawling up his spine, knowing that in large part he was responsible for the certain vi
ciousness of ADA Richards’s prosecution.
Hearing voices from her bedroom, Zane prepared to face the woman he’d chastised a few short hours ago. He hoped that the tough-as-nails deputy sheriff had managed to get through to her sister and convinced her that they were facing challenging issues. More than that, he hoped the outspoken deputy had taken her sister on regarding what Tatiana had called her “shame.” Zane knew it was going to require all of them—her sisters, her father, not to mention himself, the man who was in love with her and deeply admired her mission—to convince his challenged lover that if anything, her past only strengthened her role as a domestic abuse expert.
Feeling his surging arousal, he admitted his biggest challenge tonight was how to keep from spanking the hell out of her for the outrageous charges she had flung at her father and him. In addition, he admitted that getting his hands on that spectacular ass of hers, whether in anger or in lust, was going to be hard to resist. Blowing out a hard sigh, he knocked on the door and without waiting for a response, strode into the bedroom.
The two sisters were curled up on a lounge in front of an occasional table. The half-empty bottle of Jameson and two glasses ensured that at least on one level they’d been celebrating or more likely stoking their male-bashing party.
Already amped with a mix of anger, frustration, and hell yes, lust, Zane swallowed hard at the sight of Tatiana’s choice of pajamas. A lacey night slip and matching satin panties did a masterful job of showcasing her stunning body. He admitted that it was going to be hard as hell not to strip the abbreviated satin treasures off her and have at her in the most erotic way he could.