Page 35 of Saving Salem
“What the hell is going on? What’s she doing here?” He started around the table, before Jean-Luc grabbed his arm. All he could think was she’d put Salem in danger before, and her being here meant she’d brought trouble with her.
“Wait! You need to hear what she has to say. We’re waiting for Salem to get here.”
Jack jerked his arm free of Jean-Luc’s grip and stared at Jennifer. She didn’t so much as blink at his angry glare. Her cool exterior held a core of ice, he was sure. They’d managed to break her when she was in Shiloh Springs, forcing her to leave the county with her tail between her legs. Salem hadn’t heard a word from or about the Frenchwoman ever since.
Yet here she was, smack dab in the place where Salem lived. Now that he’d had a minute to calm down, he figured she had to be here about the Amirs. She’d willingly worked with Tarik, but had vehemently protested when asked about giving information to the other members of the Amir family last year. From what Rafe had been able to glean from her, before riding her out of town on a rail, she’d been shunned by her father’s family, an outcast, a pariah, a blemish on their proud heritage.
The sound of female laughter could be heard from the lobby, and moments later the women made their way to the conference room, arms loaded with shopping bags. The minute they spotted Jennifer, all talking stopped.
“Sorry to cut your trip short, Salem, but we’ve got a situation.” Samuel moved to stand behind Jennifer. “I’m not sure if you met Jennifer Baptiste when she was in Shiloh Springs last year. Ms. Baptiste, this is Salem Hudson.”
“Salem Sutton,” Jack growled. “My wife.”
A calculating smile lit Jennifer’s lips, like a cat eyeing a tasty bird. “I’m aware of your marriage, Mr. Sutton. Congratulations. Salem, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Her French accent was like her entire persona, elegant and aloof. Her ensemble reeked of money and power, an air of sophistication surrounding her. Jack had been around people like her before, Texans with money and political ambition. It didn’t impress him.
“Baptiste? You’re the woman who worked with Tarik.”
“It’s a long story, and we really do not have the time to go into the complicated relationship I had with my brother. Suffice it to say, I’ve learned a lot about him and my mistaken choices in the past year. I deeply apologize for my actions. I would apologize for Tarik’s—stupidity—but, would it be crass of me to say my half-brother got what he deserved?”
Not quite what Jack had expected the Frenchwoman to say. The year before, she’d been arrogant and controlled, until Rafe managed to get her to admit she was working with Tarik to find Salem. They’d later found out Jennifer had been played by Tarik, just like everyone else. He’d been very good at hiding his sadistic side. Jack wished again he could bring the man back from the dead so he could dole out some extra justice for Salem before putting him in the ground again.
“How are you here? How did you find me?” Salem sank onto one of the chairs at the end of the table, and Jack went to stand behind her, his hand squeezing her shoulder. She needed to know he was there, keeping his promise to never leave her.
“It’s a long story, and we do not have a lot of time. I contacted the sheriff in Shiloh Springs. Not a conversation I want to have again, I must say. A very unpleasant man. I needed to find you, to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
“Yes. The Amir family will stop at nothing to get their hands on your daughter. She is the key.”
“The key to what? I can’t protect Salem and Chloe without knowing why the Amirs are dead set on gaining custody of Chloe.”
“Hold up, Jack. We’ll get the answers you need, but first, ladies, time for you to go.” Samuel stared at his wife, who simply leaned against the wall.
“Andrea…”
“Not going anywhere. You should know better.” She leaned against the conference room wall, arms crossed over her chest.
“I do, but I had to try,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t suppose I can get the rest of you to leave?
In answer, Stephanie and Maggie sat in chairs on either side of Salem.
He blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. Shut the damned door. We don’t need anybody else overhearing this.”
Andrea turned and closed the door, winking at Salem when her back was turned to her husband. Jack almost laughed at her smirk. It was definitely going to be fun working here, he thought.
“Let’s start at the beginning. As Ms. Baptiste stated, she contacted Sheriff Boudreau, trying to find a way to get in touch with Salem. Once he heard what she had to say, he directed her to contact me.”
“The mistrust you Americans have boggles the mind, as you would say,” Jennifer added, flicking a speck of invisible lint from her jacket sleeve. The sapphire blue color with her dark hair made her look chic and in control, yet Jack spotted a chink in her deceptive armor. The slightest tremor of her hands betrayed her calm demeanor. She was scared. But of what he wasn’t sure yet. He had the feeling before the end of this contretemps, he’d have a better clue.
“Once Ms. Baptiste told me why she was looking for Salem, I told her to head to New Orleans. The time it took her to get here allowed me to check out a good portion of her story.”
“May I continue?”
“Please do, Ms. Baptiste.” Uh oh, even Jack, who didn’t know Samuel that well, could hear the barely disguised threat beneath his professional demeanor. While he might be the owner of a prestigious and world-renowned security company, and a billionaire with influential friends, Samuel wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty if the need arose.
“I had no idea how depraved my half-brother was. He never showed that side of himself to me. It is possible he used me the way he used everyone. Tarik could be charming when it suited his needs. But I digress. All of my father’s family disavowed me. The only person I had was my mother, and she refused to talk about my father or his family. When Tarik reached out to me, I finally had a connection. Someone who wanted to get to know me, provided a link to my past. You probably wouldn’t understand, unless you grew up not knowing anything about yourself except what one parent told you. I loved my mother, but I craved knowledge of my father. Tarik approached me at my business in Paris and explained who he was. Over time, he ingratiated himself into my life, though he admitted the rest of the family didn’t know he maintained contact with me. They told him to cut all ties. I won’t regale you of the things said about me by my other half-siblings. They were…not kind.”
She paused to take a drink of water, and Jack leaned down and whispered in Salem’s ear, “You okay?” At her nod, he straightened, keeping his hand on her shoulder. He wanted that touch, that connection with her, even something so small.
