Page 408 of Savage Bosses

Crave Me

SAVAGE BOSSES

M’Renee Allen

Chapter One

PART TWO: THE PRESENT

Tatianna

Five years later – Paris, France

T

he warm aroma of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen, enveloping Tatianna in comfort as she expertly kneaded the dough. She had always found solace in baking, and today was no exception. Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her reverie. It was her mother.

Tati stopped kneading the bread and walked over to the sink to wash and dry her hands. By the time she pulled her phone from her apron pocket, it had stopped ringing. She quickly called her mother back. As always, her mother was a drama queen from the moment she answered the phone.

"If I were dying, you wouldn't have been able to hear my last words," her mother complained.

"I'm sure your ghost would find me and haunt me for the rest of my life," Tati joked, smiling.

"Heartless child. Are you cooking? Is that why you couldn't answer my call?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to call my sweetheart."

Tati chuckled. "You usually call me at night."

"I'm still confused about the time difference there."

"Liar. What's wrong?"

"Well, since you asked..."

"If it's about Bryceson, I don't want to know," Tati hurried and said before her mother could get a word out.

Silence followed. Tatianna swallowed, hating the bitter taste those words had left in her mouth. Over the years, there had been a few occasions when her mom tried to give her updates about Bryceson. Tatianna desperately wanted to hear them.

But she also didn't. She couldn't. They'd weaken her resolve. And she was doing good for herself. Well, good-ish. Good enough. She was sleeping better these days and having fewer nightmares. And she was working her dream job. This was good enough for her. More than she deserved, actually.

"This isn't about Bryceson. Though, that little fucker has become quite the maniac."

"Mom!" Tatianna yelled, already knowing he'd become someone she would no longer recognize. Because of her.

Numerous times, her mother had hinted at his involvement in his family's criminal activities before Tati had a chance to tell her she didn't want to hear about it. She knew he had his own territory now, something he'd said he'd never wanted.

She knew he was just as ruthless as his father now. She knew all these things from bits and pieces of conversations that her mother had slipped in over the years. She didn't need to know more. She didn't want to know more.

"Alright, alright, I know you don't want to talk about Bryceson. But I will say that he has calmed down. He's not as crazy as he was a couple of years ago and..."

"I'm hanging up, mom."

"How did I raise such a rude daughter?"

"I get it from my mother."

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