Page 34 of Desert Wind

“Listen, I come from the underbelly of drugs, kidnapping, trafficking, all of that heinous world. Kidnappings are for a purpose, and the children or wives, which is usually who gets kidnapped, are never returned alive. Never.”

“Then we’re missing something,” said Kari. “We’re missing something big, and we’ve got to find it if Jenna has any hope of living a normal life.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Claudia St. Martine walked the narrow stone path toward the family cemetery at the back of her property. She hated this place. Hated it. But she was tied to the land and tied to the businesses belonging to the St. Martine family.

Passing the markers for her former in-laws, she touched the headstones and nodded. There was a small angel marking the grave of her daughter. If anyone had asked her, she would have told them she was dead.

Now, someone was telling her that she was alive.

She already knew that.

Touching the headstone of her late husband, she frowned.

Jacques Felix Christopher St. Martine

Son, Husband, Father

“Husband,” she spat. “You were no husband to me. I despised you. I still do. You took my daughter from me. You took away any chance I had at happiness, at having more children. I was never happier than the day you died.”

The warm summer wind kissed her skin, and she closed her eyes. At least once a week, she walked out here to confess her hatred for her late husband. Wherever he was, heaven or hell, he should know by now that he was not loved by his wife.

An arranged marriage by their families, Claudia never wanted anything to do with him. She was in love with someone else, but that didn’t matter. This was business. The families needed to be one.

All the photos of him with questionable women didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t matter the stories of his drunkennessand violence. It didn’t matter that he was caught in a hotel room with four women and two men.

“It’s a phase of his youth,” said her father. “He’ll grow out of it.”

Except he didn’t grow out of it. He got worse, and she had to pay the ultimate price for that. A price that came at the cost of everything she held dear and loved.

She spit on his grave, not for the first time. Feeling satisfied with that, she sat down and cried like she did every week. It was the only time she allowed herself such a luxury. When her phone rang, she wanted to toss it into the grass, but instead, saw a number she didn’t want to see.

“What do you want?” she asked harshly.

“We had a deal.”

“I’m aware that we had a deal. It’s not my fault that it wasn’t kept.”

“You know what this means, Claudia. It means war between the families.”

“You know what, fine. Let there be war. I’m almost ninety years old. I don’t give a damn any longer. Start a war. I’ll finish it. You still won’t have what you want. You’ll never have what you want.”

“I will have what I want and more. I despise you.”

“The feeling is mutual. I assure you.”

The call ended, and her hands were shaking so badly she wondered if she would be able to make the walk back up to the chateau. She decided that she didn’t care. She would sit here and remember why this was all happening.

“I love you, cheríe. We will find a way to be together one day soon.”

“I love you, too. But we both know that can’t happen. It won’t happen. It’s not possible. Jacques will go on a rampage and create more death than either of us has ever seen.”

“I can fight him. I will for you.”

“No. No, we can’t fight him. He’s too powerful.”

She opened her eyes and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. With one final look at the plot, she moved back toward the house and to her private quarters. Inside, she pulled a box from the closet and slowly opened it.

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