The Devil Wears Kolovsky by Carol Marinelli

Author:Carol Marinelli [Marinelli Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-1-4089-2534-8
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon Ltd
Published: 2011-06-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

ALL of it—all of it—would be made so much easier if only Lavinia was sure Rachael wanted her.

Lavinia picked her up from her foster family—saw her pinched little mistrusting face peeking out from behind her foster mother’s leg.

‘She’s tired,’ Rowena said, after introducing herself, and then told her a little of Rachael’s day. ‘She’s had a big morning at kindergarten.’

‘I won’t keep her out long.’ Lavinia forced a smile she couldn’t feel as she offered her hand, but her sister didn’t take it.

Rachael trailed Lavinia to her car and quietly let herself be strapped in. ‘I thought we could go for a milkshake,’ Lavinia said brightly.

‘I hate milk.’

‘Since when?’ Lavinia grinned, but Rachael didn’t answer.

‘Maybe we could go to a park?’

Which was far easier said than done. Lavinia had no idea of the local area, and they ended up on a rather sad strip of faded grass, with a slide, a rickety old see-saw and two swings—not even a duck in sight.

‘Is Rowena nice?’ Lavinia attempted, when Rachael climbed down from her dutiful swing, but Rachael just shrugged.

‘I am trying to get things sorted for you,’ Lavinia started, but there were so many things Ms Hewitt had said not to discuss with her.

‘How?’ Rachael asked.

‘I just am.’ Lavinia had to settle for that. ‘Let’s go on the see-saw.’

‘Before you take me back?’

They didn’t even last the hour. Lavinia tried to console herself it was because Rachael was tired, but the reality was that their time together was hard work.

‘I’ll try and see you again next week,’ Lavinia said, not wanting to make promises Ms Hewitt might not let her keep. Securing her into her seat, she went to give Rachael a kiss, but she pulled her head away.

She dropped her back to the foster home, gave her a hug that wasn’t returned, and, driving back to work Lavinia, who never cried, was precariously close to it. She’d had so much pinned on that hour, and there were so many things she had wanted to say. Nothing had transpired. If anything, Rachael was more distant than before.

She dashed to the loo in the foyer, blew her noise, touched up her make-up—though she needn’t have bothered.

No one even noticed Lavinia enter the office, so furious was the argument taking place. The room seemed filled with people from Legal, Accounts and, loudest of all, Katina.

‘N’et.’ Katina’s lips were white with rage. ‘You cannot do this! It’s too late. You cannot do this.’

‘I’m not doing anything,’ came Zakahr’s clipped response. And, just as Lavinia had surmised on the first day, he didn’t shout, didn’t raise his voice—such was his authority he simply didn’t need to. Zakahr overrode everyone.

‘You have to sign!’ Katina insisted. ‘You have to—’

‘I don’t have to do anything,’ Zakahr interrupted, and Lavinia froze in realisation. The shots of Rula were scattered over his desk, but Zakahr was ignoring them. As chaos reigned around him he was typing away at his laptop as if there was nothing more annoying than a fly in the room.

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