“You will stay here,” Jai offered, knowing this, too, was the right thing to do. “I have more than enough room.”
Temple shrank back, cradling India closer. “I can’t do that. I’ve already caused you enough trouble.”
“Not you,” he insisted, moving his hand from the baby to place it on Temple’s arm. “None of what happened is on you.”
She sighed. The words would take time to sink in.
“I’ll give you some private time, then we’ll work out everything else, all right?”
Temple still hesitated for a moment, before nodding.
Jai released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, made it a few inches toward the entrance before she whispered, “Please stay. I’m having such a hard time processing this, and you’ve been so easy to talk to …”
He crossed the short distance between them, lowered to his knees and situated himself until he sat on the plush carpet next to her thighs. “I’m here for as long as you need. I truly thank you for coming.”
“As if I had a choice.” A trace of amusement colored her voice.
“You always have a choice with me,” he replied, glancing upward to look at her. “I made a request, if you’re uncomfortable doing this a second time, we can just go back to the original arrangement of pumping—”
“No, I’m just busting your chops,” she teased, giving him a smile.
“Busting my chops?”
She chuckled. “An old way of saying I’m just giving you a hard time.”
“I can take it,” he said with an answering laugh.
Temple glanced down at India, who had sighed with contentment and kept on nursing, then she focused on him again. “Has anyone ever told you, you have the most beautiful smile?”
Jai beamed at the compliment. “And I make a pretty mean poker face, too.” He frowned up his face in a comical fashion and she burst out laughing. The sound of it warmed his heart.
When it died down, she said, “Your face, your smile was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.”
Jai braced himself, trying not to let that statement affect him, but for some reason it shook him to his core. Twelve months in a coma and his smile was what welcomed her back into the conscious world? So profound.
“The first thing I heard was the words, ‘Don’t cut her. Don’t you treat her as someone who doesn’t matter . . . ‘“
Jai bristled and sat up straighter. “Wait a minute! You were awake that whole time?”
That question lingered for several moments as Temple stared straight ahead. “Actually, I think I had awareness off and on at times,” she admitted, absently stroking India’s hair. “I remember the music. I remember the movies, the laughter. I remember the water on my skin and that was the best part. I loved the way that felt, the warmth, the weightlessness.” She closed her eyes. “I remember an argument between two men on whether to play Bernie Mac or a Kevin Hart comedy for me. That was funny, because one of them realized that I preferred Bernie and he was right. I remember not wanting to sleep because it took me away from them.”
Jai inhaled, not wanting to say anything that interrupted her sharing such important things.
“The nurses at Meridian were amazed that I could stand, walk, move. I don’t feel like a woman who has been in a coma for—” She frowned, then asked, “Wait a minute, why are you smiling?”
“You’ve proven everything I believed. Everything I set out to do. I don’t get to have these kinds of conversations with patients.”
“You should,” she said.
“Yes, I’m beginning to believe you’re right.” A thoughtful silence dropped between them before he said, “We’re just so happy when a person opens their eyes that . . .”
“And then I come along and screw it all up.”
“No, never that. Your awakening was a blessing—unexpected, but a blessing nonetheless.”
Her gaze met India’s again, who stared at her trustingly. “I’m beginning to think that having such a handsome, caring man looking after me might not be so bad after all.”
Jai pulled his head back. “Handsome?”
“Fishing for compliments?” She smirked and grazed India’s cheek with one finger.
He chuckled, shook his head, then shifted his legs.
“She really takes to you,” Temple said. “Every time they tried to bring her in, she seemed to be searching … for you.”
“It’s my singing,” he teased.
“Yes, that’s something you’re good at,” she said, laughing. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’re a good man, Jaidev Maharaj. The nurses were going crazy over you. You’re going to need to wear a fake wedding ring to keep them off.”
“Truthfully, that should’ve happened from day one,” he said, meeting her eyes.
“Why are you single?” she asked, flickering a gaze to his left hand.
“Haven’t tried to find the right woman, yet. When it’s time, she will come. I won’t have to go searching.”
“Sounds … magical,” she said. “All that time recovering after delivering this baby, I began to remember bits and pieces.” She adjusted her clothing, allowing India to nurse from her other breast. “But what I remember most is that I felt all this pain and didn’t know what was going on. Even took me back to what happened when I was ten. The pain took me there. And then I was with you. But when I saw you, heard you, I knew you were going to make sure I was …. safe.”
“Didn’t do such a good job of it while you were our sleeping beauty,” Jai grumbled, then kicked himself for offering up that unwanted reminder.
“That’s not on you. You can’t control what other people do.” She peered at him, eyes narrowing to near slits.
Jai stretched out his legs on the carpet, reflecting on the interactions he’d had with the newly appointed Knights. Since they became a part of Chetan, the fellas came to him first with any issues—personal or professional. He was more like a brother-mentor than a boss. He appreciated their trust. “No, even though all the signs point to it—and the media and law enforcement are strongly hinting that way. I believe that DNA will tell the story and they won’t be anywhere on that page.”
India’s hands uncurled and he placed his finger back inside hers. She immediately curled her hands around it. “Their lawyers were pushing for that test to happen in utero, but the men didn’t want any more harm to come to you or the baby.”
Temple’s eyes flashed with compassion. “That was … kind.”
“That was patience and knowing that the truth would come out,” he countered. “That is who they are.”
“So, this has been hanging over their heads for months?” As she asked, she realized India still had eyes on her. The bonding instinct.
“Weeks. We had just found out you were pregnant,” he said, staring at the portrait across the room. “And they’ve been through worse.”
“Tell me about them,” she asked, and the question took him aback. Her expression showed every sign that she was serious.
Hiram had shared a few thoughts about the nurses and doctors and his words came to mind. Jai didn’t understand how all four of them could be so easily bought and swayed. And those were the ones with no criminal past.
Jai filtered through how much he should share without it being too biased, but he didn’t think he could be when it came to them. Their successes outweighed their pasts, but sometimes that’s all anyone could see. But that was also the springboard for where they had started on a better path to their current status. Honesty was the best way to go, so beginning at that point would be best.
“They’ve been guests of the Illinois penal system.”
Her eyes went wide as she lifted India and froze. Then, Temple schooled her expression into the more serious one she’d had the majority of them time she’d been here.
“Now you’re the one in shock,” he said.
“I mean, that is a little risky in your line of business.”
“Not risky,”
he said with a faint smile. “Hopeful.”
This time Temple frowned.
“There is no greater courage, strength, and tenacity, than a man who is embracing a second chance at life,” he said as he sat next to Temple and pressed a kiss to India’s forehead. “They have been a great part of Chetan’s success because they believe, wholeheartedly, in my vision.” Jai kissed the back of India’s hand. “I looked up the file on each one of them, weighed out the crime and their motives. I read through every court transcript—things that were said, other things that were dismissed, and—”
“And then you decided they were worthy enough to work for you,” she said, and the censure in her tone was tangible. “You played God. Just like you did with India.”
Jai was slightly insulted by the insinuation and the haughty accusation in her tone. “I played a director who was careful to choose men with a zeal to succeed, who wouldn’t let their pasts keep them mired in bullshit.”
“Ohhh, so we’re a little sensitive about all this,” she taunted, shrugging while a small smile played about her lips. “Forget I said anything.”
“No, it’s not that,” he said smoothly. “They’ve gone above and beyond what anyone expected. They’ve also been combing through recordings and paperwork trying to find legal evidence of what happened to you. That’s more than the police have done.”
Sandy appeared at the threshold wearing a Switching in the Kitchen apron he’d brought her on a trip to New Orleans. She tapped the place on her wrist where a watch should have been, but was probably on the kitchen counter right now. The woman was a genius when it came to food. And Jai would soon have to take Shaz up on creating a fitness regimen for him. Otherwise, folks would have to roll him around this camp. Yes, the food was that good, and Sandy tried to toe the line between healthy and downright sinful. Sinful won out every single time.
“Temple, would you care for some lunch?” Jai asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she said peering down at India who had fallen asleep.
“My chef, manager, assistant, organizer, and the main woman around here, is making Geechee Shrimp and Grits, fried green tomatoes, peach glazed wings, and—”
He could practically see Temple’s mouth water and her stomach answered before she finally tuned her lips up to say, “Well, since you’re twisting my arm and all that.”
Jai chuckled and kissed India’s forehead a second time. When he raised his head, his gaze collided with Temple’s.
Try as he might, he couldn’t look away.
CHAPTER 16
Jai guided his house manager to a spot outside the parlor where they’d have some privacy but could still keep an eye on what was happening between Temple and India. “Prepare the bedroom several doors down from the nursery. Temple will be staying with us for a while.”
Sandy’s eyebrows drew in, her gaze flicked to Temple, whose interest was solely focused on the baby. “Leave you two alone for five minutes and she’s already moving in?” she quipped, peering around him into the parlor again. “And why not next to the nursery?”
“I don’t want it to seem like I’m pushing India on her. Give her some time to adjust. She needs some peace right now.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” she asked, twirling one of her salt-and-pepper twists around her finger. “Getting involved with a woman who’s at the center of an investigation that involves you?”
“Probably not,” he replied, guiding her chin so that her gaze left Temple and focused directly on him. “But it’s what I’m going to do anyway. I took an oath to first do no harm. Right now, that baby needs her mother—even one resenting how she arrived onto the earth scene— and rightfully so.”
“Chief, it’s not your fault, either,” Sandy protested. “You’re not responsible for any of that. Don’t let guilt about—”
“It’s not guilt at all,” he admitted, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Certain things require that I remain at the center of all this because they are within my purview. That’s one of the things that I learned from Khalil and being part of The Castle. Issues that come to your attention, happen for a reason. It is our duty to make things better for others if and when we’re able.”
Khalil Germaine had indeed lived up to his words. After being shunned by his family because of his pursuit of higher spiritual endeavors, Khalil created an exclusive Members Only Club for affluent patrons in the area. The idea was not only to maintain the wealth of The Castle but also to obtain regular access to individuals with the power, resources, and global connections to change communities worldwide. The money brought in was to be distributed to the less fortunate.
His mentor had heard a rumble here and there during his travels that all was not well, but the regular reports he received contradicted the rumors. However, little inconsistencies in what he was being told in writing and what Daron Kincaid had uncovered on a sweep of the place, caused Khalil to dig further into the matter and he realized he’d been severely misled. He cut the world tour short and came home. Guilt had weighed on him heavily. Not recognizing the lies sooner, allowed a criminal element to taint The Castle’s true purpose. The saving grace was that Khalil had put in a failsafe clause in the contract that enabled him to make a sweeping revision of the managing members if warranted, relegating the former members to a non-voting consulting status with B shares instead of the managing members with A shares. The rest of the members would have to go through the rigorous process of reapplying for status.
Since the members in question were only “alleged” criminals, Khalil couldn’t invoke the clause in the Member Agreements to immediately rescind their positions to The Castle. He also didn’t want to use the section that would require all the programs being run within The Castle to come to an end and the properties and wealth distributed among his beneficiaries. He had to appoint managing members who could systematically unravel the web of deceit.
Khalil was determined to regain order and control without expanding the limited number of spots available. The vacancies and member transfers which had returned to The Castle worked in Khalil’s favor. He used empty slots to recruit new Kings, his former scholars, without expanding the limited number of memberships for everyone else. The new recruits, along with a few veterans, could systematically clean house by weeding out and neutralizing the nefarious alliance’s ability to run amok.
Jai was humbled when Khalil gave them the background details, told them he respected each one of them and expressed confidence that they could handle the task with integrity, courage, and compassion for those that had been damaged by the process.
He snapped back to the current when Sandy touched his arm. Meeting her gaze, he said, “I want you to be reassured that I’m not discounting your concerns.”
Jai tipped his head toward her and continued, “You have an important place in my household. Your feelings definitely matter. And if I can ask one particular favor of you?”
Her chin lifted. “Anything, Chief.”
“Be attentive to the mother,” he whispered. “She has lost her family, her home, and her sense of self. She could use another anchor right now.”
“No worries,” Sandy said with a warm smile. “I will look after our guest as well.”
“Much obliged, Madam Secretary.”
“Hope she likes what I prepare because we need to fatten her up.” She peered at him a moment, gaze narrowing to slits. “Are you all right, Chief?”
The nickname “Chief” was part of an ongoing joke between them when he first hired her to keep his home life together so he could focus on Chetan and now any Castle business that required his time. She believed he was of the Native American—First Nation—variety of Indian; and not the ones from across the Atlantic Ocean. While he was reluctant to give anyone carte blanch over his life, one incident in particular showed him that Sandy Forest had his back, front, and sides. She was the only one who answered his advertisement in the paper that didn’t try to milk him once they figured out he had money.
Sandy had come to his home to do a “deep cleaning” which, unknown to him, would take two days as she was serious about getting to everything.
Two sets of obnoxious neighbors were ticked that she had taken everything from the garage and placed them in the driveway so she could clean out his three-car garage. The neighbors were in the process of selling their homes, something that happened almost immediately after Jai had moved in. They complained loudly that the “unsightly” look was driving down the price of their homes. Never mind the fact that her process was only happening over a few hours. Jai was livid and planned to give his neighbors a good old-fashioned tongue-lashing.
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