BirthStone (19 page)

“Tell him how you feel. Please do not marry
or date anyone you cannot be open and honest with, it never works
out in the end.” Renee glanced at Jasmine before returning her
attention to their mom.

“I did. But he says we can do it together.
Having a child means a lot to him.”

“What about you? What about you're not
wanting to go through this again? Does that mean anything to him?”
Renee snapped.

“Tone. Watch it,” their mother reprimanded
with a pointed finger at Renee.

“Sorry, but please don’t do this,” Renee
continued in an unapologetic tone. “Don’t marry this man, have a
baby, and be miserable, Mom. Just don’t. Think about yourself for
once.”

“I did, and for years I denied the man I
loved the family he wanted. He died and I can never prove to him
how much he meant to me.” Victoria’s chin dropped to her chest at
her outburst. “The feelings I have for Mark are the closest I have
ever come to loving anyone like I loved George. I don’t want to
mess this up.”

Renee stood, knelt in front of their mother
and took her hands. “I know you love Mark. But he’s not dad. Having
a baby for him won’t make you or dad feel any better. A man who
loves you won’t push you to do something like that. He would
respect your decisions.” She looked at Jasmine and tipped her head
a couple of times.

“She’s right, Mom. As much as you love each
other, things will go sour pretty quickly if you have a child just
because he wants one. You need to want to give birth and then be
prepared to raise the child. Think about that before you jump into
this marriage,” Jasmine said, watching her mom struggle to remain
dry-eyed.

“I’m tired of being alone,” she whispered
brokenly. “I want this to work, it may be my last chance.”

Concern ripped through Jasmine. This was not
how her mother talked, at least she had never heard or seen her mom
this defeated. And over a man…never happened before.

“What’s going on, Mama,” Renee said softly.
“This isn’t like you. Has something been going on that we should
know about?”

Jasmine nodded her agreement, glad Renee
spoke what was on her mind.

Her mom rested her forehead in her palm.
“Some days are so dark…I have a tough time getting out of bed. It’s
unbelievable what getting old will do to you.” She snorted. “No
matter how desperately I cling to the days of yesterday, they still
slip through my fingers. What can I say, I’m getting older, just
can’t do the things I used to do.”

“Mom, you’re only sixty. Old is another
twenty-five years. Stop talking like this, you’re scaring me,”
Renee said, grabbing her mom’s hand, tethering them together.

Her mom’s gaze flicked over at her and then
returned to Renee. “I’m having a bad day, that’s all. It’ll get
better…just as soon as I see my grandbabies.” She smiled brightly
as if the gloomy discussion had never happened.

Jasmine eyed the older woman a second
longer, honestly debating if she should take her mom around her
kids. Something was off but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“You didn’t see the kids last night?” Renee
sounded surprised.

“No.” She glanced at Jasmine.

Exhaling, Jasmine explained what'd happened
and ended the story with Mark leaving after her mom’s slip up.

“You told me the same thing, that you met
him on the cruise. What’s Cathy’s phone number?” Renee asked,
standing.

“I don’t know it.”

Renee and Jasmine stared at their mom.
“She’s been your best friend for the past twenty years, how can you
not know her phone number?” Jasmine asked.

“I don’t know. We haven’t talked in months.”
Victoria frowned. “I’m not sure why.”

“Um hmm…what does she think about Mark?”
Jasmine asked, her opinion of Mark taking a turn.

“She likes him. We’ve had dinner together
with her and Grant a few times. But she’s been busy with her new
grandkids and hasn't had a lot of free time.”

Renee had been fiddling around with her cell
and yelled. “Got it.” She pressed a button and eased back onto the
sofa while keeping her eyes on mama. She smiled. “Hello Cathy? This
is Renee.”

Jasmine watched her mom as Renee talked with
Cathy. Her mom appeared interested but it wasn’t as if the
conversation mattered, which again was strange. Renee’s face
changed from being happy to one of boredom. Cathy could talk the
length of a movie without breaking for air.

“Okay, Cathy, I will tell mom when I see
her. Bye.” Renee shook her head when she disconnected and placed
her finger in her ear, jiggling it a bit. “She said you told her
you met him online and flew to Miami to meet with him. She didn’t
remember meeting him on the cruise. She thinks he’s great, yadda,
yadda. She was his personal cheerleader.”

They had finished eating when there was a
knock on the door. Surprised the staff would return for the tray
without her call, Jasmine stood and went to open it. When she saw
who was on the other side, her eyes widened before she
screamed.

“Jacques.” She launched herself into his
arms and hugged him tight. He stood shorter than Silas, with a
round barrel chest, and thick arms. It took a moment before he
returned her embrace. “I am so happy to see you. When did you get
here?”

She stepped back to look him over. The last
time she had seen him, he had been sick and on bed rest. Long,
thick wavy brown hair shining with health touched his wide
shoulders. Sharp, milk chocolate brown eyes beneath bushy brows
returned her inspection.

“An hour ago or so, Madam. I was with Silas
and he suggested I come greet you. How have you been?”

“I am good. Come, meet my mom and sister. We
just finished a late lunch, but I can have another plate brought
for you.” Holding his hand she pulled him into the suite.

“No, I ate with Patron, the twins, and
Cameron. I just came to say hello.”

“And you will as soon as you speak to my
sister and mom. Stop dawdling,” she said, laughing at his reddened
cheeks.

“Mom, Renee…this is Jacques, Silas’ best
friend. They go way back. We named Jackie after him.”

Renee nodded. “Pleased to meet you. They
named the other girl after me.” She laughed.

“I guess Victoria is too old-fashioned,” her
mom said in a petulant tone.

“Victoria is a beautiful name for a
beautiful woman,” Jacques said, taking the seat near her mother.
Jasmine grinned at the older man’s antics. Her mom glanced at him
and then looked away, but not before Jasmine saw the pleased smile
on her face.

Maybe Jacques would be what the doctor
should have ordered but didn’t.

Chapter 16

Silas sat at the conference table waiting
for Dr Passen to enter information into his computer regarding the
device he and Matt confirmed could be placed in Julie with little
effort. The plan was to put her asleep, insert the device, and
return her to her cell without her realizing what had been done.
Leonidas and Tyrese would then take her to the hospital. She had
lost weight after refusing all food and water for the past two
days. Silas hoped she would escape from the hospital and return to
her group. Although his mate never said, he knew it bothered her to
see the woman in her present state of decline. Last night, when he
went over this plan with her, she'd disagreed. Jasmine believed
Julie was willing herself to die.

“Julie will never leave the hospital. She is
done,” Jasmine had argued. But they both agreed the woman needed
medical care, so regardless whether she became his unwilling pawn
or not, she would be leaving the compound as soon as the doctor
could set things up.

“Here it is,” Dr. Passen said, his voice
rising in gleeful satisfaction as it always did when he discovered
something new.

Silas glanced at the paper the doctor took
from the printer. “Good news?”

“Yes, Sir. Most definitely. I found the
device to fit inside the Miss. The military has been using for
years with their operatives. It has great range and is precise in
terms of locating its subject. I just special ordered it, should be
here within three hours via special courier.”

“Good,” Silas said nodding, pleased with the
progress. “Will it require a lengthy surgery?”

Dr. Passen shook his head while pushing his
glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “It can be done in less
than an hour and she should be fine within five hours max. The
surgery is not too invasive, I will go in through her nose to place
it and then secure it. After the anesthesia wears off she may be
groggy for another hour or so. Five hours gives me a cushion.”

“So she can leave sometime tomorrow?” Silas
asked, calculating the time in his mind. The christening was day
after tomorrow and he would be busy with that a large portion of
the day. His jaw clenched as he thought of what bad timing it was
to have house guests and an event. Despite this being a small
family gathering, Silas was still uneasy. Jennings was a cop who
had been taken and then used to destroy others. It was a slap in
his face that his enemies had pulled it off right beneath his nose.
When Jasmine’s mom flew in early with no security he had been
afraid someone might grab the woman to use as leverage against him.
There was no doubt in his mind that his mate would do whatever was
necessary to ensure her mother’s safety. The twins would walk
through fire and brimstone for Jasmine, so it must be a family
trait.

“Yes, Sir. I would say in the afternoon.
Have you made arrangements with the hospital?”

Silas nodded. “Rose will set it up as soon
as I tell her a date.”

“Good. I will schedule the surgery later
today.”

After standing, Silas looked in the
direction of Asia’s room. “We making any progress with the
information from Asia?”

Dr. Passen’s lips tightened slightly. “Yes
and no. We have the information, she has been extremely helpful in
that, but it’s disjointed, hard to understand. I have sent
everything to you in a file. Maybe Tyrese or Tyrone can connect the
dots so we can move forward and catch those assholes so that young
woman can have some peace. I don’t know if we can fix her, the
other alternative is to get rid of the threat.”

“I agree, Doc. But let’s keep looking for a
way to rid her of those devices; it’d be good to have her in the
field working on my side.”

“I understand, Sir.”

Silas heard the disappointment in the
doctor’s voice. “You misunderstand. I respect the bitch and value
her service. But she is a warrior and will never be totally content
outside of the action. It’s who she is, a warrior bitch. Never
forget that.”

“I understand. It’s just…she's been through
so much. She’s been used and it’s not right. When does she get the
chance to have her life back, to be normal, to smell flowers and
tend a garden, if that is her desire? She has never had a chance to
make choices regarding her future. I don’t think that’s right.”

Silas thought of his mate, and wondered what
she would say of the doctor’s defense of Asia. Did Jasmine have a
choice? Did he choose to have half-bred pups? Higher powers had
chosen them to be mates. Asia’s choices had been taken from her,
but did that invalidate the life she had lived? Not necessarily.
She was one of the most powerful bitches alive, with knowledge most
could only dream of. Did the end result justify her painful
journey? Most would say no. But he was not sure Asia would
agree.

“We will ask Asia what she wants to do when
she is free of the technology that imprisons her, and I will make
sure she receives whatever that is. That will be the beginning of
her life of making choices. Thanks for reminding me of that,
Doctor.” Silas nodded and left the room smiling at the stunned look
on the good doctor’s face.

As he headed down the corridor he contacted
Jacques. The man should be in the office by now. Silas couldn’t
imagine his friend spending more than few minutes with Jasmine and
her family. He had not been able to do more than greet his friend
with a slap on the back before his meeting with Matt and the
doctor. Now he needed to get Jacques started on that file Passen
had sent him with all the information Asia had provided. The man
was a genius when it came to putting abstract information together
to make a cohesive whole.

“
Jacques, meet me in my office.
” He
sent the message as he stepped into the elevator.

“
Yes, Sir.”

Silas frowned at the strange sound of
reluctance in Jacques voice. “
Jacques
?”

“
Yes, Sir
?” There it was again. The
man sounded strained, as if he were being pulled in two
directions.

“
All is well?”

“
Yes, Sir.”

“
My office
.” Confused, Silas stepped
out the elevator wondering what the hell was going on. Jasmine had
not contacted him, so he knew she was okay. But Jacques did not
sound at all like himself.