Page 24 of Desert Wind

“Simple. The winds were more powerful than they thought, and it toppled the water tower. There’s always an explanation, Jenna. Even if it’s not the one they want to hear.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“How is she doing?” asked Ian.

“She’s sleeping right now. In fact, it seems that’s all she does,” smirked Nash.

“Well, that’s normal. She’s had a lot of shocks, a lot of drama in her life this last year. I’d want to sleep until it all went away as well,” said Ghost. “How did she handle everything in Arizona?”

“Surprisingly well. I mean, she was shocked at first, but then I think her memories started to fit into place, and she realized that there were signs things were different for her. She wants to meet her biological mother, but if we do that, the Ciprianis will know she’s alive.”

“That’s true,” said Ghost, “but the question is why are they after her, and what was the secret she carried with her as an infant? Does she have any jewelry that she’s always carried with her? Anything like that?”

“I didn’t get to ask her that question,” said Nash.

“What about the guys that followed you into the neighborhood? Did we find out anything about them?” asked Gaspar.

“We just wanted to make sure that Nash and Jenna were covered,” said Luc. “I think the boys were trying to get a read on the plates.”

“Nothing,” said Ace. “They had no plates. What the hell does she have that would make them track her for more than fifty years?”

“I hate to say this, but I think we’re going to need to visit Claudia St. Martine,” said Nine. “I understand she’s a bitch toget to, but we have to somehow notify her of why we want to see her without telling her all of it.”

“Why not tell her Jenna, Genevieve, is alive?” asked Nash.

“What if she was the one that wanted her dead?” Nash frowned at them, realizing there could be a million possible scenarios as to why she was taken and kept alive.

“I can’t imagine wanting your own child dead, but I guess we all know it’s happened before and will probably happen again,” said Nash. “Did she have other children?”

“None,” said Ace. “Apparently, Genevieve was their only child, and Cipriani had no children. Maybe it has something to do with not leaving an heir to their empire. Without Genevieve, the St. Martine empire dies with Claudia. It could leave the door open for the Cipriani family.”

“That’s true, but when Lydia dies, there’s no one to take over their empire,” said Ian. “It’s all very strange.”

“Ace? See if you can get contact information on St. Martine,” said Ghost.

“I’ve tried, and I’ll keep trying. For someone who runs a supposed legitimate empire at this point, she’s damn hard to get in touch with. No direct phone, e-mail, not even a damn mailing address. I’ll keep looking.”

Ace left them, Code and Sly on his heels. They’d been fortunate over the years to have the best communications, data, and tech teams in the world. With the addition of G.R.I.P., they were producing some of the most advanced technologies in the world that the world knew nothing about. And they planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

“Nash? How are you doing?” asked Kane.

He stared at the five men he admired most in the world. All genuine heroes in a world that needed more heroes. He respected them, emulated their behavior, and praised their compassion balanced with justice.

“I’m doing okay. I know it’s going to take time to get her to open up to me more. She’s a little better, or at least she was while we were in Arizona. She allowed me to touch her hand or shoulder a few times.”

“Brother, this isn’t just about her attack,” said Ghost. “You forget that she was in a convent for the last thirty-five years of her life. She was rarely around men at all. It’s probably one of the reasons she didn’t run when she saw those bikers. She was too innocent to understand that they could be trouble.”

“That’s true,” he frowned. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

“I have an idea,” said Ghost. “What if we took her up to the shop and let her see what the boys are doing with the bikes up there? She’d understand that not all motorcyclists or motorcycle clubs are bad.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” he smiled.

“Hi,” said Jenna. “Sorry for the interruption. What’s a good idea?” They all turned to stare at her, standing like the gentlemen they were.

“Did you have a good rest?” asked Nash.

“I did. What’s a good idea? I feel as though it’s probably about me,” she grinned.

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