Page 5 of Saving Salem
“Sweetheart, can you grab Salem’s bag out of the trunk? I’ve got things set up in the blue bedroom, the same one she had last time she was here.” Ms. Patti held Chloe against her chest, rocking her gently. Salem noted the gentle swaying motion seemed to agree with her previously cranky daughter, because she was sleeping like a proverbial angel. Between the teething pain and somehow feeling her mother’s anger and confusion, Chloe hadn’t been her normal, peaceful self for most of the trip from New Orleans to Shiloh Springs. Watching Ms. Patti holding her baby, the sense of relief flooding Salem almost buckled her knees, and she grabbed onto the stair’s bannister. What a topsy-turvy day it had been, and it wasn’t over yet.
“I called Chance and let him know that you’d gotten here safe. If it’s not too late, and you’re not tired, he’d like to come over and talk with you for a bit. He’s got some questions.”
“Of course, Ms. Patti. I’m too wound up to sleep right now anyway.”
“Good, because he’s on his way,” Salem that neither the Boudreau matriarch nor her son would have taken no for an answer anyway. Still, she was glad Chance was coming because she was a nervous wreck. Not knowing what was happening, what the chances were of Tarik’s family taking Chloe away ate away at her insecurities, and she had a lot of those. Tarik had managed through bullying and intimidation to steal all her self-confidence, all her pride, leaving her an introverted mess who didn’t know where to turn for help.
Except now she had someone to turn to. The Boudreaus. She already knew she was going to get an earful when she finally connected with Gabi. Her best friend who’d helped her hide from Tarik when she’d finally managed to escape from the monster. Gabi hadn’t once saidI told you so, though she had every right to, because her instincts had been spot on when it came to Tarik. When she’d first started dating him, Gabi’s radar had picked up something off about the charming man, and she’d warned Salem to go slow, not to put too much stock in the romantic overtures Tarik made. But Salem had stars in her eyes, and between the romantic fantasy of being in Italy and being swept off her feet by a rich, handsome stranger, she refused to see the ugliness filling Tarik’s soul—not until it was too late.
“If Chance is coming, I should probably get Chloe changed and settled.”
Ms. Patti shook her head, and made a shooing motion with one hand, keeping Chloe snuggled against her chest. “Nonsense. I’ll get her diaper changed and if she wakes up, I’ll give her a bottle. You head on to your room and freshen up. I’m sure you’d like to splash some cool water on your cheeks and take a deep breath.” She walked over and gave Salem a one-armed hug. “Everything is going to be alright, I promise.”
Salem couldn’t stop the tears snaking down her cheeks as reality set in. She’d thought her life nearly ruined before, but if Tarik’s family succeeded in taking away the one good thing in her life? The thought drew a shroud of darkness around her, like a cloak of evil. It almost felt like Tarik was standing behind her, smiling that horrific smile he did before he started beating her. She shuddered, the memory sweeping over her until she felt nausea rise to the back of her throat.
“I think you’re right, Ms. Patti. If you don’t mind watching Chloe for a few minutes, I’ll just do a quick refresh. Be right back.”
Turning, she quickly took the stairs up to the second floor, heading for the blue bedroom. Douglas was coming out of the door, and she guessed he’d left her suitcase and Chloe’s diaper bag inside. She drew up short at the scowl on his face. It was almost savage in its fierceness, a look she’d never seen on him the entire time she’d known him. Douglas Boudreau was the sweetest, kindest man she’d ever met, always gentle and soft-spoken whenever she’d been around him. The man before her resembled a Viking set on destroying his enemies with one swing of his broad axe, a berserker bent on pillaging and chaos.
He gently gripped her upper arms between his large, callused hands, the expression on his grizzled face morphing to one of compassion and concern. There was the man she’d come to know in the past year, the one who’d given her shelter, a place to hide away from Tarik and his family. Until he’d managed to hunt her down prior to Chloe’s birth, determined to take her and their unborn baby back to Dubai at any cost. The thought that he might have gotten away with it, with spiriting them halfway around the world, always stole her breath away.
“You okay, honey?”
“I will be. Honestly, I’m more scared for Chloe than for me. She’s an innocent in all this. I have to do everything in my power to keep her safe.”
“Well, that’s something you don’t need to worry about here. This ranch has state-of-the-art, twenty-four-hour security, including camera feeds. Dane and Destiny made sure nobody could come onto this property without an alert going off. With you and Chloe here, any infringement will bring everybody running.”
“Douglas, I know I’ve thanked your wife, but I need you to know—”
“Don’t need to say another word, Salem. You and Chloe are part of this family now. We don’t cotton much to DNA and blood lines around here, as you know. We are pretty much a mixed bag when it comes to being a part of our ever-growing clan, and you and Chloe, well, you belong here.”
Salem felt the tears burning behind her lids, and she fought them back. Sure, she had her own biological family, and she loved them, but after her involvement with Tarik, a gulf had grown between them. They spoke once or twice a month, but her parents had disapproved of her relationship with a foreign man, one who’d refused to even travel to the States to meet them. When Salem had finally come home after Tarik’s death, they’d been happy to see her, but things had never gone back to the way they were before, even after Chloe’s birth. She was still close to her brother; unfortunately, he wasn’t around much, being in the military. Yet somehow, in the midst of all the madness and potential violence, she’d found another family who’d accepted her into their clan without question, simply opening their arms and their hearts to a stranger in need, simply because one of their own asked.
“Thank you. Have I mentioned yet how happy I am to see you?”
A tender smile touched Douglas’ lips, making him look years younger, and Salem could see why Ms. Patti had fallen in love with the man. “I’m happy you’re here too. I put your things at the foot of the bed. I’d better get downstairs before my wife forgets there’s anybody else in the house except for that sweet baby of yours.” He patted her back gently. “Everything’s going to be alright, Salem. We’ll figure out what the Amirs are up to and make things right. Don’t you worry.”
Turning, she watched him walk down the hall and downstairs. With a soft sigh, she walked into the blue bedroom, its familiar scent making her smile. Ms. Patti kept a bowl of sweet potpourri in a little bowl on the nightstand beside the bed, the scents of lavender and vanilla filling the room. Walking over, she perched on the edge of the bed, letting her head drop forward.
Numb. Right now, all she felt was numb. Everything from the day had bombarded her with emotion upon emotion, until it felt like she’d been on a roller-coaster for hours, alternating highs and lows, excitement, and dread. Now that she was here, on a stable playing field, she felt—nothing. And feeling nothing was better than the fear that had eaten away at her for the past year. Because deep down, she’d known she was living on borrowed time, known that Tarik’s family would rise up like a phoenix, ready to devour her entire world in flames.
And Chloe was her whole world, her reason for getting up in the morning, and she’d be damned if she’d allow that monster’s family to steal away her child. Not without a fight—even if it meant she had to fight dirty.
CHAPTER THREE
Chance showed upabout an hour after Salem arrived, and the family gathered in the kitchen. Jack thought about leaving for half a second, but couldn’t bring himself to. Not only was he curious about whatever Chance had been able to dig up so far to help Salem’s case, but he wanted to be around her. Granted, she hadn’t given him more than a friendly smile and a “hello, how are you” kind of look, but he found himself wanting to talk to her. Offer his support, little though it might be.
When everyone was gathered around the table, Chance started talking.
“Salem, I looked at the papers you emailed me. It appears the Amir family has started legal proceedings in the United Arab Emirates and petitioned for full legal and physical custody of Chloe. They are claiming paternal rights, since her father is deceased. They insist she will lose all knowledge and sense of their customs and culture if she is raised by her mother in the United States.”
“Can they do that? Don’t I have rights too? They can’t just swoop in and claim my child. I am her mother. I gave birth to her. She’s…she’s all I have.”
Jack’s heart ached at the break in Salem’s voice. There wasn’t a doubt she loved her little girl with all her heart. Her first instinct had been to bring her child someplace where she’d be safeguarded, her motherly intuition knowing the Boudreau ranch and their family would protect her. He hoped soon she’d include him in that category, as a protector. He was a Texas Ranger, a man of honor and action, who’d never let anybody step in and steal away her baby girl.
Chance laid his hand atop the stack of papers sitting before him on the tabletop. “I’ll be honest with you, Salem, this whole case is outside my purview. I’m a prosecutor. I deal with criminal cases every day. I haven’t had much to do with custody cases since law school. And, frankly, we’re talking about international law here, which is a whole different scenario than a regular child custody arrangement.”
“Is there somebody who can help? Surely you know people, maybe they can point us in the right direction. We’ll hire the best lawyer in the country to protect Chloe and Salem. Shoot, do you think I need to contact the State Department, because I’ll do it.” Ms. Patti’s expression turned fierce as she spoke, and Jack bit back a grin. She reminded him of a momma bear protecting her cubs, and more than once he’d heard one of the Boudreau brothers refer to her as such. Now he was getting to see it firsthand, and it was quite a sight indeed.
