Page 40 of Desert Wind

“He didn’t. Lydia did. They were caught on film arguing at the graveside of his brother. You couldn’t hear what was being said, but photos were taken and sold to the papers. Suddenly, the newspaper shut down, the photos were lost, and no one knew where they went.”

“Holy shit, what have we found ourselves in the middle of?” asked Gaspar.

“A mess, my friends. I would not trust either woman, but you know that. They have no one left in their families. Single women with no one. Widows.”

“That’s not true,” said Nine. “Genevieve is alive, and she’d like to meet her mother.”

Aldo nodded but pursed his lips.

“What do you want to say, Aldo?” asked Ian.

“Do you remember the stories of terrible mothers in fairytales?” The men nodded at him. “Keep those in mind as you meet these women.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Jenna was making coffee and cleaning up the kitchen, humming to herself as she did so. Her first night of lovemaking with Nash was more than she could have possibly hoped for. Fearful that the nightmare of what happened to her would ruin the moment, she was able to use the tools that Ashley and Bree had given her and pushed the nightmares and fears aside.

This was Nash. Not some random biker who only wanted to hurt her. This was a man that was loving and kind. She could see that very clearly, and it kept her steady all night.

When she woke to find him gone, she didn’t panic. She knew that he usually woke early and went for a run or met with the team at the office. It gave her time to shower and change, getting ready for their day.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she stepped out onto the porch and enjoyed the steamy morning air. In the afternoon, it would become stifling, but right now, it was tolerable. In fact, Jenna appreciated the warmth compared to the chill of the air-conditioned house.

A few moments later, she saw Nash walking toward her with Ian, Ghost, Nine, and Gaspar. At first, she smiled. Then she saw the serious expressions and stood.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked.

“It’s alright,” smiled Nash. “Jenna, we contacted your biological mother, and at first, she didn’t want to see you.”

“I see. So, it was more than just looking at the data you gave her. Well, I guess it was quite a shock for a woman her age. I can understand that,” she said with a sad expression.

“That was at first,” said Ian. “She contacted us this morning and said she wants to throw a ball in your honor. In France.”

“What? No. No, I don’t want to go to a ball or be the center of attention. I just want to meet her.”

“We felt certain you would feel that way, but she insisted. The thing is,” said Nine, “we think there’s something else at play here. Lydia Cipriani says she had nothing to do with your kidnapping and now all this strange behavior from your mother. We don’t like it.”

“What should I do? I mean, I’d like to meet her. Just once.”

“We can’t tell you what’s right or wrong,” said Gaspar. “What I can tell you is that you won’t do anything alone. If you go. We go.”

“I damn sure go,” said Nash.

“Why didn’t she want to see me?” she whispered.

“She wasn’t sure it was real,” said Gaspar. “She asked to have all the evidence we had and that she was going to have her team review it. I guess she did that.”

“Is there a possibility I’m not this child? Genevieve St. Martine?”

“No, honey. It’s for sure,” said Ian. “There’s no doubt. You can fool a lot of things but not DNA.”

“Okay. Okay, then I think we should go. I just want to ask this woman why she gave up on me after only a few weeks. I want the opportunity to see her face, to see if I look like her.”

“A little,” smiled Gaspar. “I didn’t see a lot of you in her, but there was some. If you want my honest opinion, you’re much prettier than she is.”

“You’re being very nice,” she smiled. “Don’t worry about me, Gaspar. I honestly don’t expect much. She’s old, and she doesn’t want the memories of what she once had. I don’t understand that because I was never a mother.

“I can say that I don’t believe I could ever hold my child, have it stolen from me, and not move heaven and earth to find that child again. I’m just not built that way.”

---