Page 32 of Saving Jennifer
“Hired guns,” Marcel added, his voice matter of fact. “Professional trackers, former military. Not the kind of men who give up easily. At least that’s what Uncle Gator told me when I talked to him yesterday.”
Jennifer pushed the eggs around her plate. “I’m sorry to have brought this to your doorstep.”
Noah’s hand found hers across the table. “You didn’t bring anything. I chose to help you, remember?”
His touch sent a wave of warmth through her that had nothing to do with the coffee. She pulled her hand away, suddenly self-conscious under Marcel’s observant gaze.
“I’ll be heading back down to the homestead today,” Marcel said, breaking the momentary tension. “I think it might be best to bring a couple more of our brothers here. Especially if Karim is upping the ante. More money means more problems and we can use the help. Uncle Gator’s our eyes and ears in New Orleans. I know he’ll try to check in with Noah, but even with a sat phone, reception can be sketchy this high up the mountain. I’ll check in with him, see what he’s learned about Karim’s movements.”
Jennifer nodded. “And you’ll be back?”
“Tomorrow, maybe the next day. I’ll bring Caleb and Dylan with me.” Marcel’s eyes met Jennifer’s. “More protection for the journey back to New Orleans.”
“Your brothers?” Jennifer asked.
Noah’s lips curved into a small smile. “The Temple family doesn’t lack for manpower.”
“We take care of our own,” Marcel added with a pointed look at Jennifer that made her heart skip.
“I’m not—” she began.
“You are,” Noah interrupted firmly. “For now, at least.”
Jennifer fell silent, focusing on her breakfast. A warm tingle settled into her chest at their words. The brothers continued discussing security arrangements, contingency plans, and Marcel’s journey down the mountain. Their calm efficiency was reassuring, yet it underscored the danger still lurking.
“I should leave,” Jennifer blurted out, the words spilling out before she could stop them. “Go somewhere else. I’m putting all of you at risk.”
Noah’s jaw tightened. “We’ve been through this.”
“But your family—”
“Knows exactly what they’re getting into,” Marcel finished. “The Amirs aren’t the only ones with connections and resources.”
Noah refilled her coffee cup. “Besides, you’re the key witness. Without your testimony, Sayifa and Rashid walk. Free to try again to take Chloe Hudson.”
Jennifer closed her eyes briefly, remembering Salem’s face when Jennifer told the young woman about the Amirs’ plot. At least she’d finally done one thing right, and Salem and Chloe were safe. “I know. I just—”
A sound from outside silenced her instantly. A crunch of tires on rock.
Marcel was on his feet in one fluid motion, gun in hand. Noah moved to the window, staying carefully to the side as he peered out, a weapon in his hand too. Jennifer’s heart hammered in her chest, her mind racing through escape scenarios, and all the training she’d been doing with Noah.
Noah’s posture relaxed first. “It’s Caleb and Jonah,” he said, holstering his weapon. “And…Ma?”
Marcel lowered his gun, surprise evident on his face. “She wasn’t supposed to come.”
“When has Ma ever done what she’s supposed to do?” Noah muttered, already heading for the door.
Jennifer rose and walked toward the window, watching Noah stride across the yard, his gait strong and sure. Two men who shared the unmistakable Temple features emerged from the edge of the wooded area, followed by a diminutive woman with steel-gray hair and ramrod-straight posture.
“I should have known,” Marcel whispered to her, leaning close. “Ma’s been wanting to meet you since Gator called and mentioned you staying up here with Noah.”
Jennifer turned to him, startled. “Me? Why?”
Marcel’s smile was tinged with humor. “Noah doesn’t bring many people to his mountain.”
Before Jennifer could process this, the cabin door opened, and Noah’s family poured in. The two brothers—Jonah, tall and solemn, and Caleb, a mischievous glint in his eye—nodded respectfully to Jennifer. But it was their mother who commanded the room.
Vivian Temple was barely five feet tall, but her presence filled the cabin. Her eyes—the same piercing gray as her sons’—assessed Jennifer in one swift glance before her weathered face broke into a warm smile.