Now the blinkers were off she saw James for the passive-aggressive bully he’d been. ‘You’ve done nothing but bully me since the second I opened my eyes in the hospital. I hope to hell I’m wrong but …’ The rector flinched and she sent him an apologetic grimace. ‘Sorry, Rector. I—’
‘That’s not true. Listen—’
She cut off James’ protest. ‘I don’t want to find out you’ve been abusing my trust, but regardless, it’s time I started standing on my own two feet and making my own decisions.’
A new resolve ignited within her—a previously untapped strength gave her confidence to listen to and weigh up Max’s claims instead of believing she had no choice but to accept everything James and Sally told her.
A new Jenna—one she still didn’t recognise but was far more comfortable with—emerged in the face of these soul-shattering revelations.
‘It’s hard for me to fathom what you’re telling me,’ she told Max.
Having faith now in her instincts she drew a convincing comparison. Being engaged to David had never felt right whereas her physical awareness of Max had been instant.
There’d been a definite connection when he’d spoken her name.
Max’s strong hands on her shoulders had comforted her and helped her gain new resolve. Although his touch wasn’t something she specifically recognised—not clearly—the connection was so corporeal she recognised it at a deeply subconscious level.
Hesitantly she ventured, ‘I was told I was going to marry David before my accident.’ A flash of anger lit his eyes but she continued. ‘I believed it because I’m expecting his baby.’
‘It’s not his baby, Jenna,’ Max grated.
Audible gasps echoed right through the church at the unfolding scandal.
Shock had her staring up at him, every muscle paralysed.
‘But, if it’s not David’s baby …’
The depth of emotion in his eyes told her he was on the verge of splintering apart. She’d sensed his sheer disappointment she didn’t recognise him. His pain was palpable and despite all the questions hammering at her brain, she knew an almost overwhelming need to put her hand on his arm and offer him comfort.
‘Search your heart, sweetheart, and you’ll know I’m telling you the truth,’ Max urged. ‘I’m the father of your child.’
Chapter 3
Was it Max’s wishful thinking or was there a spark of hope in Jenna’s eyes?
‘You’re the baby’s father?’
‘Yes.’
Whatever he’d seen died a swift death as anguish stole over her features again. Max felt her pulling away from him mentally even before she cried, ‘I can’t remember.’
‘Too much, too soon, Mr Bennett,’ Dr Gerber, the psychologist who accompanied him, admonished him as she moved to Jenna’s side.
Damn but the doctor was right!
He’d hit the woman he loved with major revelations when Dr Gerber had warned that to reveal too much at once to a person suffering from retrograde amnesia could do more harm than good.
Jenna had paled and her beautiful hazel eyes were filled with confusion as she lifted her hands up and hugged them over her chest.
Searing pain tore through him as if a huge, fiery meteorite had hit him straight in the solar plexus. Oh hell, yeah, he was in acute emotional pain. Every muscle in his body had tightened in protest at his helplessness and his blood heated in fury at those who’d lied to Jenna and kept them apart.
The small bouquet Jenna held mocked him, reminding him that they should be the ones exchanging wedding vows. Instead, James, his wife and their closest friend, David, had obviously filled her head with lies because they wanted to profit from the inheritance she’d been left by her mother.
Had they also been responsible for the attempt on her life?
‘Okay, ladies and gentlemen, the show’s over,’ the sergeant announced to the wedding guests. ‘Starting from the back row, I’d like you all to vacate the church row by row in a quick and orderly fashion, and make your way off the grounds.’
‘You have no right to disrupt proceedings!’ James insisted. ‘Bennett’s a liar.’
The fingers of Max’s right hand flexed. They itched to wrap themselves around the bastard’s neck, haul him off his feet and slam him into a wall repeatedly until he confessed to all he’d done. And, when he was finished with Mendles, Max wanted to let his fist connect so hard with Curtain’s jaw that it knocked the low-life into the next shire.
The bloody cheek of Curtain to try to trick Jenna into marrying him and to claim Max’s child as his own.
Max had never felt so violent. His frustration and rage had been brewing for months, his patience stretched to the limit. Each day he’d been kept from Jenna he’d become increasingly concerned for her well-being and more enraged with James Mendles.
‘Hi Jenna. I’m Dr Katherine Gerber. I’m a psychologist and I specialise in recovery from retrograde amnesia. How are you feeling?’
‘Awful. I don’t understand any of this.’ She looked back at Max. The turmoil was evident in eyes which had once looked at him with love and adoration. ‘I don’t know you.’
Her words gutted him and her complete lack of recognition made it difficult to believe he could reclaim her love.
Didn’t she feel the connection?
How could she not tell, as they’d touched, that they belonged together?
Even though Dr Gerber had warned him it was highly unlikely to happen, he’d hoped Jenna’s memory would make a miraculous recovery when she saw him again.
God, but he wanted to spirit her away from here, cradle her against him, kiss her and tell her how desperately he loved her—how he’d missed her and been concerned for her welfare every second of every day they’d been apart—how those months she’d spent in a coma had been fraught with worry.
Jenna looked at each of the people who surrounded her. ‘I don’t know any of you.’ Turning her attention to the Mendles and Curtain she added, ‘I can’t trust any of you anymore.’
The bouquet fell from her fingers and dropped to the floor as she covered her face with her hands.
‘Come and sit down, Jenna,’ Dr Gerber urged.
James began to protest only to be cut off by Constable Norris. ‘Gentlemen, Mrs Mendles, you need to come with us immediately.’
‘Are we under arrest?’ Curtain asked.
‘At this stage, we merely want you to accompany us to the police station for questioning,’ the sergeant replied.
‘Don’t let this happen, Jenna,’ Sally entreated. ‘We’ve done so much for you.’
‘Jenna, you’ve got to know I’ve always cared for you.’ Curtain’s declaration caused bile to rise in Max’s throat.
Jenna’s spine stiffened as she turned sharply to face the man who’d wanted to marry her and had deceived her to achieve that end. ‘If you’d ever cared for me, you wouldn’t have made me believe my only option was to marry you.’ Her hazel eyes were as cold as ice chips. ‘This baby isn’t even yours, is it?’
I’m the father, Max wanted to reinforce, but knew Jenna needed to hear it from the man who’d lied to her in the first place.
Unlike Mendles, at least Curtain had the grace to know when he was defeated. The would-be groom’s head lowered and his gaze fixed on the floor. ‘No,’ came the heavy admission.
‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Mendles exploded, turning his wrath on his friend and partner in crime.
Jenna let out a wounded cry as she looked accusingly from one to the other in the trio who’d wronged her. ‘What sort of people are you that you’d take advantage of me when I can’t remember anything?’
The utter devastation in her voice stabbed at Max’s heart and he moved forward. He would’ve gone to her. He would’ve drawn her to him to soothe the jagged edges of betrayal if Dr Gerber hadn’t held up a staying hand.
‘I’m not going anywhere without a lawyer.’ Defiance stamped itself over Mendles’ features.
‘You can call
for legal support from the police station,’ Norris told him, ‘but you will come now or you’ll be arrested for obstruction of justice.’
James crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Max. ‘You don’t have a case.’
‘Mr Bennett has made some damning accusations.’ Norris indicated to the man Max had employed as a private investigator. ‘This is former Chief Inspector Page. He’s presented us with some evidence that requires explanation. You’ll be given your chance to tell your side of the story.’
Jenna swayed and Dr Gerber immediately reached out to steady her. ‘Rector, would it be possible for us to sit somewhere quietly and for someone to make a cup of tea for Miss Sinclair?’ The psychologist’s was the voice of calm amid the rising drama.
‘Of course. Of course.’ The rector shook his head. ‘In all my days, I’ve never heard the like. This is most unusual. Most unusual.’ He motioned to the two women. ‘Come with me into the rectory.’
Max started to follow the rector.
‘No.’ The psychologist immediately put her hand on his arm, arresting his movement. ‘Not yet. Let me speak with Jenna. I’ll call you when it’s appropriate for you to see her.’
Damn! Another brick wall blocked his way forward.
As much as he wanted to protest, all Max could do was accept her decree. He’d hired Katherine Gerber because she was reputedly the best in her field. Now, he had to follow her advice to the letter to give Jenna the best shot at making a full recovery.
Jenna looked at Max with troubled eyes. ‘I’m sorry I don’t remember you.’
‘I understand.’ Even though it’s like someone has cut me open and torn out my insides, I understand. ‘I’ll be here, Jenna. Whatever you need to know, I’ll be here to answer any questions you have.’
Her lower lip trembled and her eyes were awash with tears, but she simply nodded.
‘Anything at all you need, Jen.’ His voice broke and he had to clear his throat before he continued. ‘All you have to do is ask.’
Her hand settled over the evidence of where their baby lay within her.
Every tendon in his neck pulled taut. He held on grimly for some semblance of control as he struggled to adjust to the uncertainty of his future.
Shit! I’m going through hell. This must be a million times worse for her.
It went against every protective instinct he had to let the woman he loved—the woman who was carrying their child—walk away from him when he wanted to be the one to take care of her. But, she had no basis on which to trust him. He was another stranger to her and she’d been let down badly by those in whom she’d already placed her trust. In the short-term, all he could do was hope Jenna would lean on Dr Gerber and gain whatever support she needed from the renowned psychologist.
In the long-term …
God, please let her remember.
The police, accompanied by the private investigator he’d hired, led the trio of conspirators through the front door of the church. Jenna and the psychologist were being ushered through the back door by the rector.
Max sank onto the hard, wooden pew at the front of the church and stared at the cross on the altar. After all the tension, heated words, and shocking revelations, the silence of the church wrapped itself around him, yet he found no comfort in it. All he knew was a huge emptiness. The void could only be filled by having Jenna back in his life.
He’d never been one for prayer, but by God, he’d do anything it took to have Jenna look at him once again with love in her eyes.
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his thighs and buried his face in his hands. The period since her accident had taken a heavy toll on him and if it hadn’t been for the support of his two best friends, Nick and Luca, he wasn’t sure he’d have made it through the anguish in anything resembling a sane fashion.
Every day had stretched endlessly.
The first day had been the worst because he hadn’t realised Jenna was in a coma. He’d thought she was still furious with him and was refusing to see him.
For the hundredth time he replayed the events of the evening of her crash.
His phone had been switched off while he’d been in the boardroom signing the dotted line on another multi-million dollar deal. He hadn’t checked his messages straight away when he’d headed out of the office.
Arriving home, he’d raced around ensuring his housekeeper had prepared everything as he’d requested. The table was set. Jenna’s favourite meal cooked. All that’d been left for him to do was fill the deep, sunken spa bath with water, light all the candles, select the music and pop the cork on the champagne.
They’d celebrated their engagement the night before. The night of her accident, they’d planned to celebrate Max’s latest deal. As well, he’d wanted to give her an early wedding present before he whisked her away to Paris for the weekend.
When she’d left his London home in the morning to drive back to her estate near Newmarket, all she’d had to do was check on things at home, pack for the weekend and then she should’ve been back in London, walking through the door within half an hour of Max’s arrival.
Time ticked.
Max popped the cork on the champagne and filled two flutes thinking Jen would be there any moment.
He sat down.
He stood up.
He looked at his watch and paced a little before remembering his phone was off. Flicking it back on, he saw there were two messages from her. He assumed she’d called to tell him she’d been delayed.
Now, the last words he’d heard from her prior to her crash haunted him. They’d been recorded in two messages on his voice mail.
In the first message she’d been livid.
‘My solicitor phoned. What the bloody hell is going on, Max? Damn it all! Pick up!’ The harsh exhalation of her breath sounded over the phone before she raged, ‘You can forget Paris this weekend and you can forget our engagement, but you’d better be home when I get there because I want answers. What you’ve done is unforgivable!’
While Max had cursed her blasted solicitor for shooting off at the mouth about a situation he didn’t fully understand, Max had been worried that Jenna would drive to London in such a rage. Oh, he’d been confident she’d calm down quickly enough when he explained everything. In fact, he’d been looking forward to passionate, make-up sex afterwards.
He’d smiled a little as he’d prepared to listen to her second message. Would she have calmed down, let logic prevail and accepted she could trust him? Would she have figured out that there was far more to the story than the solicitor knew? Or, would she have worked herself up into more of a frenzy and be calling Max every name under the sun and letting loose with a heap of vitriol?
Jenna in full flight was a truly spectacular sight to behold. It’d been like that ever since they were kids. Her anger had always been quick to arouse, but he’d also generally been able to calm her down fairly rapidly.
His smile had evaporated as the second voice message played.
‘They’re trying to kill me, Max!’
Panic had laced every syllable and the recollection of her fear still tortured his soul.
A huge crashing sound of metal over the roar of a car engine.
‘Oh God!’ she’d cried.
The sound of scraping metal.
Jenna gasping.
Brakes squealing.
Jenna sobbing out his name.
Another loud crash even more violent than the first.
The squeal of brakes again.
Tyres skidding.
Jenna’s ear-piercing scream.
Then … nothing.
The silence had been worse than her anguished horror.
Sheer terror had gripped him in its claws as he’d listened to Jenna’s desperation.
‘They’re trying to kill me, Max.’ The words replayed in his head. It didn’t make sense. Why would anybody want to kill Jenna?
He dialled and redialled her mobile only to be put through to her message bank each
time.
What the hell had happened?
He sprinted to his garage, jumped into his sports car and headed towards Jenna’s home in Newmarket, driving like the hounds of hell were on his back.
Knowing the route she’d have taken, he knew at any point he might come across the scene of the accident. When he was about two miles from Jenna’s estate, he was forced to slow the car as one lane of the road was blocked by police.
He recognised her car immediately. The sight of the wreckage tore at his guts and almost made him physically ill. The front of her car was completely smashed against the tree, the windscreen shattered.
Pulling the car up sharply, he didn’t even bother turning off the engine. He sprinted past the police officer who was there to direct any traffic that came along. Max ran straight to Jenna’s car.
‘Jenna!’ He’d been so filled with dread, he’d sobbed her name. Then, as he got closer and saw the blood splattered on the windscreen he let out a cry like a wounded animal. ‘Nooo!’
A couple of officers closed in on him, stopping him from getting any nearer. He strained in vain to see into the car. It’d been impossible to discern anything from that angle.
‘Where’s Jenna?’ he demanded. ‘Tell me she’s alive.’
‘Who are you, sir?’ one of the officers asked.
‘I’m her fiancé Max Bennett.’
‘She’s alive but unconscious, sir.’ The young officer shook his head as though he was amazed he was able to relay the news considering the state of the vehicle. ‘She had to be cut out of the wreckage.’
‘Where is she?’
‘She’s been taken to the shire hospital with a head injury.’
‘Let me go. I need to get to her.’
‘You’re in no fit state to drive. We’ll get you there, sir.’
When he got to the hospital and was told Jenna was in a serious condition and he couldn’t see her because she was undergoing a series of brain and spinal scans, he’d broken down.
A nurse had asked him if there was anyone who could support him through it and Max knew he needed the support of his friends. Nick had jumped in his helicopter in London and had arrived in under an hour. Luca had needed to travel from Rome, but had wasted no time getting there.
Seduced by the Stranger (Billionaires & Babies, #2) Page 3
