I knew there was some validity, not because she told me, but because during my research, I learned that Emma and William Ingalls had been involved. When I asked her the first day she woke in my house if she’d been in contact with any of her or Kyle’s friends, the day she identified Greyson in the photo, I knew about William.
She didn’t say.
I didn’t push her for answers. My reasoning was that I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life obsessed with her past. Emma’s future was my concern. Even so, I knew.
And if that fucking past wanted to broadcast shit no one needed to hear, if he wanted to put himself on my radar, I had no trouble removing him for good.
If those motherfuckers want a war, they got it.
“Boss, the doctor’s calling you about Knolls.”
Leon’s voice penetrated my thoughts. Looking up, I saw the caller’s name upon the dash of the SUV. I hadn’t even heard the phone ring.
Snapping out of my haze, I lifted my phone. “Ramses here.”
Emma
Istared at the curtains, suddenly curious of the breeze, the first I’d felt here. “I want to understand.” I did. This wasn’t me pacifying Jezebel for my escape. The woman who gave me life was sharing with me, and I wanted to know how she’d gotten to this place in her life.
“Know that I’m not ashamed of my past, Emma. I’m telling you to show you that you come from strong genes. The man who fathered you wasn’t a good man, but he was powerful. He was a man who used people for his benefit. I learned from him. I want you to learn too.”
I nodded. “When did Isaiah Boudreau learn you were pregnant?”
“When it was too late for him to do anything about it. That doesn’t mean he didn’t try. He wasn’t alone. You see, his wife never conceived. She saw my pregnancy as a personal affront to her. Of course, Isaiah denied that he could be the father.” She placed her hands on the table and splayed her fingers. The multiple gems on her fingers glistened under the light hanging over the kitchen table. She moved her gaze back to me. “It was difficult to deny something witnessed by so many. Up until that point, I’d worked hard to become more than my mother. She was a good woman, Emma. Don’t think less of her because of her profession. Truly, it took me realizing that every woman sells her body. It doesn’t matter if she is born with blue blood or red, the color of her skin, the language she speaks, or the money she has. Some women complete that transaction once with vows” —she nodded toward my wedding rings— “others nightly. Your maternal grandmother accepted her fate. I didn’t. However, you should know, I considered options to terminate my pregnancy before I told anyone.”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“That isn’t a reflection on you. It was a dark time. Not only had my body been abused, my dreams were shattered and scattered on Canal Street for everyone to see. The latter was the most painful. Through it all, I was all alone.”
“What about your mother?”
“She was no longer in this world.” Jezebel stared toward the window as a smile crept to her lips. “I decided to leave New Orleans.” She inhaled. “Even though doing so would have given the Boudreaux what they wanted, I believed I was without options. Then one night, Edmée came to me, telling me she was sent by the spirits.” Jezebel scoffed. “I’d lived my whole life in New Orleans, but I’d never believed as others did.” Her blue eyes met mine. “That night, I believed.
“That night Edmée explained to me what was happening and my role in the future of New Orleans. Not only my role, that of my children. She knew I had two babies inside me long before anyone else knew I was pregnant. She took care of me through the sicknesses, she taught me to listen and heed the spirits, and in doing so, she resurrected my determination.
“Because of her, I knew I’d survive, we all would. And then the warning came.”
“The warning?” I asked.
“The spirits warned her that Isaiah was a danger to my children and the fulfillment of the future she’d seen.” Jezebel reached for my hand on the table.
As hers covered mine, I realized that this time hers was the warm one. Her story had stilled my circulation. And even in the humid air, I was cold.
“I wanted to raise you, both of you,” she said, “but the spirits knew what was best. You needed to be safe. And the best way to keep you safe was to hide both of you and not let anyone know that I had two children. You and Kyle were born on the summer solstice.” A peaceful expression settled over her. “As you know, it’s the longest day of the year. The spirits believe in the power of the sun. Centuries ago, they worshiped the sun. It has long been the symbol of goodness, life, and positivity. You, Emma, were born first. You came into this world strong and vocal. I named you for the woman who delivered you.”
“Edmée?”
She nodded. “Yes, and your brother finally arrived just before midnight.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Kyle’s birthday is in February. I was born eight months later, in October. I realize the math never worked, but as children, we didn’t question it.”
“We believed that because boys grow faster than girls, it made sense to pretend he was older. I had the help of a young attorney. He forged birth certificates in exchange for other things. It stands to reason that even if Isaiah and Lilith didn’t know the date you were born, they’d be looking for a child adopted out of Louisiana with a June birth date.”
“Lilith?”
“Your father’s wife.”
I patted the gris-gris in the pocket of my slacks. “Was the necklace hers?”