Saving Salem (Cajun Connection #5)

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

“Y ou are coming to the Big House for supper, right?”

Jack Sutton glanced up from the report he’d been reading. Rafe Boudreau’s question hung in the air, and Jack finally nodded. Who was he to turn down a home cooked meal, especially one prepared by his favorite lady, Patricia Boudreau?

“Your mother already texted me, making sure I’d be there. Appreciate the invite.”

Rafe chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “I bet you do. If you’re lucky, she’ll have some new gossip about Salem.”

Trust Rafe to rub salt in the wound. Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone, dang it? If only he’d hidden his interest in the pretty redhead on the night they rescued her, he might have avoided all the ribbing he’d gotten from his friend.

“When are you going to drop it, dude? I haven’t seen the woman in a year. Barely even talked to her. No reason to make a big deal out of—”

“Outta the fact you couldn’t stop talking about her, asked about her for months? Needed to know about her daughter, make sure they both settled into New Orleans without incident. Your excuse that you wanted to close the case in your head is a load of baloney and we both know it. Seems to me you’ve got a serious case of the hots for our Salem.”

“She’s a beautiful woman who lived through a nightmare. Your momma was right; the timing for me to even consider asking her out when she was here a year ago would have been awful. After everything she suffered at the hands of Tarik Amir, I get it. She needed time to heal, time to have her baby, and settle into some kind of normal life.”

Rafe nodded. “Salem needed a break and space away from the trauma, to heal physically and emotionally. Heck, she needed to get her head on straight after going through her own private hell at the hands of a monster. I mean, think about it. The man she escaped from, who held her against her will for months, traumatized and stalked her, was killed in front of her. Add in the fact at the time she was seven months pregnant with Amir’s kid. Anybody would need to take a step back, try to regroup, and figure out what their life was going to be like now they were free.”

Jack leaned back in his chair, papers scattered in front of him on the conference room table forgotten. “She was something else that night, wasn’t she? Pretending to go into labor in the middle of a gully washer of a thunderstorm was brilliant. Bought her and Nica enough time for us to get there and take out Amir.”

“I remember.” Rafe leaned forward in his chair, his gaze focused in like a laser. Jack recognized that expression, the one where his best friend was getting ready to give him some unsolicited advice. And he had a pretty good idea what he was going to say. That it was better for him to let go of any thought of getting with Salem. That she was happy, content with the life she’d built for herself and Chloe, her precious daughter.

“It’s okay, my brother, you don’t have to say anything. I have no intention of getting in touch with Salem Hudson now or in the future.” Didn’t mean he had to like it, but psychologically Jack got it. Too bad he still wanted to hop in his car and drive to New Orleans just to see her again.

“Wasn’t what I was gonna say, jackass, stop putting words in my mouth. I think you should talk to Momma. Ask her how Salem’s doing, and whether she thinks Salem’s ready to consider risking her heart in another relationship. I promise Momma will give you good advice, won’t steer you wrong. You know she’s kept in touch with Salem ever since the whole fiasco. She’s mighty fond of the woman. I know they’ve talked and emailed a lot over the past year.”

Jack burst out laughing at the thought of going to Ms. Patti and asking if it was okay to ask Salem out on a date. He could picture it, that loving yet headstrong woman who ran the Boudreau clan with an iron fist and a loving touch. Small but fierce, he’d never met anybody like her. She’d probably sit him down and explain all the reasons why it wasn’t a good idea. Heck, even he knew it wasn’t a good idea. He’d seen Salem exactly twice—once on the night they rescued her, and once when he’d stopped by the Boudreau ranch a couple weeks later. Salem had been loading her bags into the trunk of one of the Boudreau’s cars. He seemed to remember it being Jean-Luc, Rafe’s cousin, who’d come all the way from New Orleans to drive Salem back to the bosom of her family. Jealousy had reared its ugly head until he found out Jean-Luc was happily married and had no expectations from Salem. Plus, his sister, Gabi, was Salem’s best friend.

“Rafe, let it go. I need to head home in a day or two anyway, as soon as I finish going through these reports. I want to talk to the witnesses again.” He tapped the files on the table. “I probably could’ve done all this from Austin, but I couldn’t resist seeing your ugly mug.”

“You are such a—”

“Watch your language or I’ll tell your momma.”

Rafe laughed and stood. “I’ll tell Momma you’ll be there for supper. Seven o’clock. Want me to pick you up?”

He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ll drive. It’ll give me time to think about things.”

“Things like Salem and Chloe?”

Jack tossed a binder clip at Rafe’s head and watched him snatch it out of midair. “No. I need to finish up this case and get back to my regular duties. Appreciate you letting me help with the Willard case. We always made a good team, didn’t we?”

“That’s the truth. I’m glad your boss didn’t mind you taking the time to help with these damned drug smugglers. Thinking they can run that crap through my county? Hopefully, the message will get passed back down the pipeline to avoid Shiloh Springs in the future.”

“I’m sure it will, though how much good that’ll do remains to be seen. There’s way too much money to be made with smuggling fentanyl across the border. Nobody seems to care that it’s killing hundreds of people. All they care about is how many U.S. dollars they can funnel back into their pockets.”

Rafe scrubbed a hand across his face. “It makes me sick. We lost two teens this month to fentanyl overdoses. Doesn’t seem to matter how many times we try and educate them, tell them how dangerous it is, the draw, the excitement, the high is too much to resist. They think it won’t happen to them, that they’ll be the lucky ones who never get hurt. Instead, we had two funerals for kids barely old enough to drive. Makes me sick to my stomach, and angry as hell at the dealers and suppliers.”

“Only thing harder is having to tell their parents.” Jack placed a hand on Rafe’s shoulder. “At least we plugged this hole. Best we can do for now.”

Rafe straightened to his full height, and Jack understood. Sometimes it was easier to pull the pieces together around you, like a suit of armor to protect yourself from the emotions and the anguish. The terror that everything you did was too little, too late. All good cops felt it, until they couldn’t deal with the fallout anymore. Then they either quit, put a bullet in their brain, or went to work for the other side. Hell of a thing.

“Sorry for all the ribbing about Salem. Honestly though, I think you should go for it. From what Gabi’s told me, Salem has healed a lot physically and emotionally since last year. I can’t guarantee she won’t shut you down the minute you open your mouth, but what have you got to lose? You deserve to be happy, Jack, and if you think Salem is someone who might make that happen, go for it. I have never regretted for a single second going after Tessa. The woman makes me happier than I ever imagined possible. You deserve to find somebody who can stand by your side, help keep the nightmares at bay.”

Jack refused to meet Rafe’s gaze. Poor bastard didn’t know half of what Jack had been through, what he’d seen over the last few years. He’d imagined when he became a Texas Ranger he would be able to do some good. Help people. Why did it always feel like nothing he did mattered, that people didn’t care anymore?

“Nope, you were right the first time. It’s best I stay out of her life, let her and her little girl enjoy the freedom and happiness they’ve found since Tarik Amir is out of the picture.”

Rafe shook his head and headed for the door. Pausing, he glanced over his shoulder at Jack. “Don’t let your past keep you from grabbing hold of your future, Jack. Life isn’t guaranteed. Most of the time we let our chances slip away, thinking we’ve got all the time in the world, when that’s as far from the truth as the sun is from the moon. Think about if you really want to see Salem, and if the answer’s yes, talk to Momma. Like I said, she’ll set you straight on whether or not Salem would be open to seeing you.” Jack shrugged, telling himself Rafe couldn’t understand his reluctance. “At least think about it.”

“I will.”

“See you later. And don’t try to get out of dinner. Not unless you want Momma showing up on your hotel room doorstep.”

Jack chuckled as Rafe walked out the door, before looking down at the papers spread across the table, not really seeing them. Instead, his mind pictured a beautiful redhead with hair cascading over her shoulders in a fiery curtain, laughter and joy reflected in her brown eyes even after the hell she’d lived through. He swallowed back a sigh, allowing the picture to fade. He couldn’t afford to think about Salem. No, she was better off without him.

Gathering his notes, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his boss. Might as well get some work done before facing the Boudreau matriarch. He only hoped he could fool her into thinking he didn’t care about Salem. Guess he’d better brush up on his lying skills before dinnertime.

“I don’t know what to do. They want to take Chloe.” Salem could barely get the words out over the tears she choked back.

“Nobody’s going to touch your child, honey.” Ms. Patti’s voice held an ocean of calm and serenity, exactly what Salem needed to hear. The minute she’d opened the envelope with the legal papers stating Tarik’s family was suing for custody of Chloe, her first instinct had been to call Ms. Patti. Well, second thought anyway. The first had been to grab Chloe and run as fast and as far as she could, even if it meant leaving the country. Once she’d calmed down, she’d thought about talking to Ms. Patti. The woman had become a surrogate mother to her during the time she’s spent hiding out on the Boudreau property a year ago, when Tarik had been stalking her. Given the fact he’d threatened to kill Ms. Patti’s niece, Gabi, it was a wonder any of the Boudreaus wanted anything to do with her. Yet they’d not only helped her, but they’d also accepted her as a part of their family, their clan as they called themselves.

“You don’t understand. Tarik’s family has more money than some small nations, and they’ll use it to take my daughter away from me. Legally, they can hire the best attorneys because they can afford to. I work for minimum wage part-time at a coffee shop and part-time for a private investigator. Max pays me decently to help around his PI office, but not enough to hire a shark who can take on the Amir family. Because that’s what I’ll need to fight them—a legal shark.”

“First, stop. Take a deep breath.” Ms. Patti’s voice held a command Salem couldn’t refuse. Drawing in a ragged breath, she closed her eyes and pictured the petite blonde woman who’d come to mean the world to her. She loved her biological mother, she truly did, but there was something about Ms. Patti that made her feel cherished. Like she mattered, on a purely emotional level. “Good. Now take another one.”

Salem glanced over at the playpen only a few feet away, watching as Chloe pushed her bottom in the air and rocked back and forth. She knew her baby was close to getting to the walking stage. Chloe had mastered crawling easily, and her happy giggles made every moment with her daughter a joy. It didn’t matter who her father had been, Chloe was nothing like him, and Salem swore she’d do everything within her power to keep her from becoming like the monster who had sired her.

“I thought I was finally free of him. Tarik’s dead. Why is his family coming after Chloe now? They haven’t shown a single bit of interest in her before.”

“That’s a good question, sweetheart. And we’ll get the answers, I promise. I want you to email copies of the papers to Chance. I’ll let him know they’re coming, and he’ll take a look. While he’s not a specialist in child custody cases, he’s a mighty fine lawyer, and the district attorney for Shiloh Springs. If he can’t help you, I’m betting he will know somebody who can.”

“Chance. Why didn’t I think of getting in touch with him?”

“Maybe because you’re too upset to be thinking straight right now? Have you talked to Gabi?”

“No. She’s got enough on her plate right now, with just having her baby, and Dylan is up to his neck working a case for Samuel Carpenter. I don’t think Gabi needs the added stress right now.”

“Piffle.” Ms. Patti’s voice held more than a touch of humor. “Gabi’s your best friend. She’s Chloe’s godmother. She’s going to be highly upset if you don’t confide in her. Remember, she’s the one who helped you through that whole ordeal last year. If it hadn’t been for Gabi, we’d never have met.”

Ms. Patti was right. As usual . Gabi Boudreau had been a huge part of her life for the past several years, and they were as close as sisters. Gabi had fought with her, tried to keep her from hooking up with Tarik. If only she’d listened to her bestie’s advice, she wouldn’t have dealt with all the pain and suffering she’d gone through at his hands. Wouldn’t have endured the beatings, which left her battered and scarred. Then again, if she hadn’t gone to live with Tarik, thinking she loved him, she wouldn’t have her precious baby girl. Chloe made everything worthwhile.

“I’ll think about calling her, Ms. Patti. I promise.

“Okay, Salem, here’s what I want you to do. Number one, call Max Lamoreaux and let him know you’re going to be taking some time off. Do the same with the coffee shop where you work. Number two, call Gator. Tell him what’s going on, especially all the details you know about Tarik’s family. Ask him to keep an eye peeled around the city for anybody who might come sniffing around, asking questions about you or Chloe. Number three, pack a bag, get in your car and head here. Drive straight through. If you don’t run into any huge construction zones, you should make it here sometime tonight.”

The weight that’d been pressing down on Salem’s chest lifted at her words. Somehow, she’d known Ms. Patti would tell her exactly what to do. Would offer her a safe landing space, a place where she could breathe, leave the panic behind, and figure out a plan of how to proceed. She wasn’t about to simply hand her daughter over to the Amir family. They were no better than Tarik, had stood silently by while he’d taken advantage of her naivete and abused her, mentally, psychologically, and physically.

Her hand rose to her face, her fingers running softly against the scar he’d given her. That moment had been the last straw, and as the blood had dripped down her chin, she’d sworn to find a way to escape him. “I don’t know how I can thank you.”

“You can thank me by doing what I said. You get yourself and that precious baby here in one piece. We’ll do the rest. Nobody is going to take Chloe.”

Salem drew in a deep breath, her hands still shaking. The papers lay in front of her on the table, the stark black letters mocking her, making her feel small and insignificant. The same way Tarik had made her feel for months.

“Honey, you still there?” Ms. Patti’s voice broke her from her morose thoughts.

“I’m here. I just realized how blessed I am to have you and your family as part of my life.”

“We feel the same. Now, you go and make those calls, and get packing. You need to hit the road because you’ve got a long drive ahead of you. Oh, and don’t forget to email those papers to Chance. I’ll give him a head’s up, so he can be expecting them. It’ll give him an opportunity to look them over before you get here.”

“I’ll do that right away. Thank you again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’re a smart woman, Salem. You’ve got friends and family who are there for you. All you’ve got to do is call them. People like Gator. Ranger. Even Samuel Carpenter.”

Salem gave a half-hearted laugh. “I suspect you’re right. It’s simply hard for me to ask for help. I’ve always stood on my own two feet, didn’t want or need anything from anybody. Until I ran to Gabi last year. I feel like I’ve been in limbo for so long, I don’t know up from down sometimes.”

“You’ve come a long way to getting your life back, Salem. Don’t allow Tarik’s family to derail the progress you’ve made or let them take away the joy you’ve found with Chloe. Now, go on, get to packing. I expect you to get here around dinnertime. Got it?”

Salem felt the corners of her lips curve up. She adored the Boudreau matriarch, and honestly, she couldn’t wait to be back in Shiloh Springs. It was the one place where she’d finally felt safe. Oh, she loved New Orleans and everything about it, and never planned to live anywhere else, but there would probably always be a special place in her heart from the little Texas town and for the second family she’d found there.

“I’m on my way.”