Page 141 of Body and Soul

Lettie's lower lip jutted out in a pout. “No,” she admitted grudgingly. “But he was being scary!”

“I was just playing,” Xander protested weakly from his position on the floor. “Christ on a cracker. I think she ruptured something.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake,” I muttered under my breath. This was rapidly devolving into a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Beside me, I could feel Eli vibrating with barely contained laughter. At least someone was enjoying this shitshow.

Warrick stepped fully into the kitchen, his imposing presence immediately commanding attention. Despite the casual jeans and flannel shirt, there was no mistaking the air of authority he carried. “Lettie, Charlie, go wash up for lunch. We'll discuss appropriate consequences afterwards.”

The girls scampered off, shooting wary glances at me as they passed.

As the chaos in the kitchen settled, I caught my mother's eye and jerked my head towards the porch. She nodded, understanding my silent request.

“Eli, dear, why don't you and Tatty get everyone settled for lunch? Shepherd and I are going to have a quick chat on the porch,” Mom said, already gathering a plate of cookies and two coffee cups.

I followed Mom out onto the porch, the old wooden boards creaking beneath our feet. The winter air bit at my exposed skin, a stark contrast to the cozy warmth of the kitchen. I could see my breath misting in front of me as I leaned against the railing, looking out over the snow-covered fields.

Mom handed me a steaming mug of coffee, the heat seeping into my cold fingers. “You missed Christmas,” she said softly, a hint of reproach in her voice.

I sighed, taking a sip of the strong black brew. “I know. Things were... complicated.”

“They always are with you, sweetie.” She patted my arm. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you were missed.”

Guilt gnawed at my insides. I'd never been great with kids, but I knew I should make more of an effort with my nieces. “I'll try to visit more,” I promised, though we both knew it was likely an empty gesture.

We stood in silence for a moment, sipping our coffee and watching our breath fog in the cold air. I could hear muffled laughter from inside the house—probably Xander hamming it up for the girls again. The normalcy of it all felt surreal after everything that had happened in the past few days.

“Mom,” I said finally, turning to face her. “We need to talk about Algerone.”

Her expression hardened, the warm grandmotherly facade slipping slightly. “That old bastard. I should’ve known he wouldn’t leave things well enough alone.” She sighed. “I suppose there’s no helping it now that you know about him. Might as well deal with it. What’s he gone and done now?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was sure to be a difficult conversation. “Mom, I need to know what happened between you and Algerone. This shit has gone way beyond a simple business dispute.”

Mom's lips thinned into a hard line. She turned away from me, gazing out over the snow-covered fields. The weak winter sun cast long shadows across the pristine white expanse, broken only by the stark silhouettes of bare trees.

“It's complicated, Shepherd,” she said finally, her voice weary. “Algerone and I... we have history. Bad blood that goes back decades.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Fucking typical. Getting a straight answer out of my mother was like pulling teeth sometimes. “I gathered that much. But I need details, Mom. He's using the feds to come after us. This isn't just going to blow over.”

Mom sighed, her breath misting in the frigid air. She took a long sip of her coffee before speaking again. “There was a woman. A good friend of mine. She was an actress, and she was stunning. But she was also troubled. We met Algerone at a wrap party. He was young, handsome, rich… And Imogen was so desperate for a shred of affection. For him, it was a one-night stand, but for her…” Mom sighed. “She got pregnant. It should’ve been a happy moment except when she went to see Algerone, he turned her away without even speaking to her. He had that nasty butler of his send her away. Poor Imogen was crushed. She had…I suppose you’d call it a breakdown.”

“What kind of breakdown are we talking about here?” I asked, my professional curiosity piqued. “Psychotic episode? Severe depression?”

Mom's eyes took on a faraway look. “It was... severe. Imogen started having delusions, convinced that Algerone was sending people to spy on her, to steal her babies. She'd call me at allhours, sobbing and ranting about shadows on the walls and voices whispering to her. I tried to get her help, but she refused to see anyone. Said they were all in Algerone's pocket. I did what I could to help her. I thought she’d get better. But…” She closed her eyes and lowered the coffee cup. “They found her on the bathroom floor one morning shortly after the boys were born. Just…gone.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Was it suicide?”

Mom sighed and lowered her coffee cup. “No one knew. The coroner’s report was inconclusive. After it happened, I felt guilty. I wanted to believe her. After all, you’ve met Algerone. You know how he can be. It’s entirely believable he might’ve been trying to strong arm her into…whatever he wanted. But, given her unstable mind, it’s also possible the entire thing was a delusion. Perhaps Algerone was only ever guilty of fraternal disinterest. There was no way to know. And, at the time, it didn’t really matter to the three babies Imogen left behind. I couldn't just stand by and let those babies end up in the system. So I... took matters into my own hands.”

The pieces started falling into place. “You stole them,” I said flatly. It wasn't a question.

“I prefer to think of it as an emergency adoption,” Mom replied, a hint of her usual dark humor creeping into her voice.

I pushed away from the railing. “Christ, mother. Did you verify Algerone knew they existed?”

She met my eyes. “As far as I knew, Imogen had told him and he rejected her. But…perhaps that nasty little butler of his was the one who sent her away and he never even knew about them as he claims. Anything is possible.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. “Fuck, Mom. You can't just steal someone's kids, even if they are a giant asshole.”

Mom's eyes flashed. “Watch your tone, young man. I did what I had to do to protect those boys. You didn't see Imogen in those final weeks. The fear in her eyes, the desperation. She was terrified of what Algerone might do to her babies. And it turned out I was right. You’ve seen what sort of man he is. Do you think he was capable of raising three babies? Especially Xander, Xavier, and Xion, with all of their issues. Why are you asking me about all this now? I presume he’s approached you since he can’t get to me?”

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