The Devil's Due

by Ali Vali

  “Promise me you won’t lose your cool no matter what it is?” she said as she turned to kiss Cain’s chin. “Hannah is definitely a handful, and at times school gets in the way of that.”

  “So they want her to conform like all the other sheep in plaid skirts?”

  “Hannah Casey will no more turn into part of the herd than you did.” She put her hand on Cain’s arm and held on as she did her best to balance her load. The strain on her back was starting to make her life truly miserable. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Come, Mrs. Casey,” Cain said, walking behind her and rubbing her back. “With any luck she got all your Verde calm genes when it comes to paying attention in school.”

  “You Xeroxed her baby, so keep practicing your fairy tales for Hannah and this one, if you believe she takes after me,” she said as she quickly put her hand over the spot where the baby kicked hard. “They’re all yours, mobster, and they’re all like you. Live with it.”

  “Considering how easily you bagged me, I have every confidence you can keep our brood in line, including me.” Cain helped her into the car and moved to get in the other side.

  “Don’t forget that in case any old girlfriends show up,” she said as they pulled out, their shadows not far behind.

  Chapter Two

  Special Agent Shelby Phillips stared at her reflection in the mirror in the ladies’ room of the FBI building in New Orleans and tried to ignore the dark circles under her eyes. She was back at work after her boss Annabel Hicks had asked her to help with the agent trying to usurp her. Before that, Shelby had been on forced leave after her parents had been killed. Their deaths still seemed bizarrely surreal. Things like cancelling their summer-trip plans ripped away pieces of her soul.

  In one cruel, really unnecessary moment, she’d ended up alone in the world, and no amount of contemplation gave her an easy answer as to why. She’d started something with Cain’s cousin Muriel. But it’d been for her career—a fucking job. The twist of the knife had been when she fell in love with Muriel, even though she knew how they would end when Muriel found out what she was up to. It was still a mystery how Muriel had known, considering how careful she’d been, but while she was busy thinking of ways to bring Cain down, Shelby had missed the danger to her family.

  “What a way to learn a lesson,” she said softly. The price of stupidity was incalculably staggering. She’d lost her parents and Muriel.

  Cain, in the end, had nothing to do with what had happened. She and her team had never expected their old partner, Agent Anthony Curtis, would betray them like this. Anthony had gone to work for Juan Luis, and, according to the limited information revealed, Anthony had been instrumental in planning her parents’ murders to frame Cain.

  How Cain had managed to find out what no law-enforcement agency in the world could was also a mystery, but her anger had momentarily disappeared when she read the paper Cain had held out to her that night in Wisconsin. If it’d been appropriate, she would’ve hugged her for the gift Cain had taken the time to give her right before her wedding. The small slip of paper had been burning a hole in her pocket from the moment she got it, but she still hadn’t built up the courage she’d need to do anything about it.

  “Shelby, you okay in there?” Joe Simmons, her partner, asked after knocking. He hadn’t asked about the exchange with Cain, so she hadn’t been forced to lie, because she wasn’t giving up the information Cain had uncovered.

  “Yeah, sorry,” she said, wiping her face with a dry napkin and hoping it didn’t completely screw up her makeup.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to take a few more days?” Joe said when he saw her. “What happened was a life-altering event, as they say. No one’s going to blame you for staying home. After all, that you’re back at all was a favor to the boss.”

  “I’ve been back for a while, Joe, so trust me, I’m okay. Do I miss my parents? Hell, yes, but work really does help more than sitting home alone with only the TV and my cat for company. I can’t shut my brain off there.”

  “The cat won’t help you complete any performance reviews.”

  “What, you’re going to flunk me?” she asked as they walked to the large conference room the team had set up in. “If you’re worried about your back, trust that you’re safe with me.”

  “You can’t be serious? That’s the last thing on my mind.” He put his hand on her arm and stopped her before she made it through the door. “I’m talking to you as a friend.”

  “I’m sorry.” She smiled and covered his hand with hers. “I need to learn to lengthen my fuse a little.”

  “No worries. Just remember that you aren’t alone.”

  Agents Lionel Jones and Claire Lansing had set up numerous boards of information throughout the room and were placing folders at the seats near their boss. Since their return from Wisconsin, where their surveillance had picked up nothing but Cain and Emma’s wedding, Cain had been a total saint. The guest list had been interesting for people who protested to only being bar owners, but the most interesting drama had been on their end.

  It wasn’t often that the lead agent met the target of their surveillance, then literally ran away. But that’s exactly what Special Agent Ronald Chapman had done. He’d run all the way to Washington, and they hadn’t received any communications from him since. Then Agent Brent Cehan had been arrested on numerous charges incurred at the Piquant during Ramon Jatibon’s birthday party.

  Brent swore Cain had beaten him, fed him drugs, and basically set him up with a prostitute that had been found beaten with Brent’s DNA on her wounds and her blood on his hands. Cain’s alibi, though, was rock-solid. Considering that every federal agent in the room and their surveillance backed it up, it was hard to dispute her word in this case. So for the moment, Brent was sitting in a crappy cell in central lockup, all alone, for his protection. The local jail had been necessary since the locals were handling all his alleged crimes—none of it was federal jurisdiction. If Cain had orchestrated it, then she’d done a masterful job at revenge since they could in no way help Brent, even if they’d been so inclined.

  “Have a seat, everyone,” Annabel said as she flipped back to the first page of the file. “Before we begin, we need to have a conversation that can’t leave this room.”

  Shelby sat down and gave Annabel her full attention because she was the only one who’d give them any answers. The agency always clammed up when it was convenient, especially when something potentially embarrassing came to light. When they had seen Ronald running from the field, she’d guessed Cain had struck again.

  “Have you heard anything about Agent Chapman, ma’am?” she asked, figuring her team wanted to know as much as she did.

  “Ronald’s taken some time off, and I was told to let it go.” Annabel leaned back and took a deep breath. “Do any of you know anything about what was in the envelope Cain gave him before he left? It won’t go beyond this room, and we’ll drop it if you all agree, but if Cain burned him and Ronald thinks it was on our behalf,” Annabel looked at each of them and paused, “he’ll try to bury each of us, and he’ll start with me. You might not love everything about me, but I’ll try to protect you all from any fallout.”

  “The team talked about it, ma’am, and we’ve got no idea,” Joe said, and they all nodded. “We’re all aware of Casey’s largess, but this time she did something for her own reasons, and she hasn’t shared that with any of us.”

  “I haven’t mentioned this before, but she called me,” Annabel said softly. “All she said was if I wanted my post back free and clear to be there that night, but that was the only clue she gave.”

  “Cain always does things for a reason. This time it had to do with Ronald’s relationship with Brent and, to some extent, Fiona O’Brannigan,” Shelby said. “Brent, I understand, but Fiona’s still a mystery.”

  “She didn’t mention it when you talked to her that night?” Annabel asked for the first time, but Shelby didn’t pick up on any accusations in the qu
estion.

  “Cain isn’t always the monster we make her out to be, and that night all she wanted was to tell me she’d made a donation in my parents’ name. They were involved in a few children’s programs, and she contributed to each one.” That actually wasn’t all they’d talked about that night, but the donation part was true. Cain really had been incredibly generous.

  “We know what to do about Casey, but what about Chapman?” Claire asked.

  “If we all agree, we’ll go back to our jobs but investigate Ronald on our own time until we find the truth,” Annabel said, and they all nodded. “The truth, as they say, people, will not only set us free of this guy but also protect us from his inevitable retaliation.”

  Chapter Three

  “You’ve got to understand how disruptive it is when she does that in the middle of class,” the older, pinched-looking woman said as she concluded her long list of Hannah’s sins.

  Emma sat with Cain’s hand in her lap, a little surprised that her usually overprotective spouse had stayed quiet throughout the bitch’s detailed notes of what she saw as wrong with their child. If anything, she was about to punch the woman in the throat, but she blamed that on her own physical discomfort. She was more than willing to take her lower back pain out on this idiot.

  “Was there a reason for Hannah to hug the little girl in the middle of your riveting lecture on world history, or whatever the hell you were teaching?” Cain asked. She sounded incredibly calm, but her question still made Emma snort.

  Emma glanced at Cain and immediately saw through the façade. The muscles in Cain’s jaw were tight, and the hand Emma wasn’t holding had curled into a fist. She could tell that her occasionally volatile partner was about to erupt, so she was glad to see the principal hovering outside the door. Sometimes it was good to have a reputation.

  “Does it matter?” the woman asked, taking off her large glasses. Emma guessed she wanted to better stare Cain down. “It’s not fair to the other sixteen children who were paying attention and trying to learn. Perhaps if she saw less of what I’m seeing now,” the woman pointed to their joined hands with what appeared to be disapproval, “things might change.”

  Cain stood so abruptly that her little red plastic chair flew halfway across the room. The bigot’s expression of superiority drained from her face, replaced by obvious concern as she pushed her chair slightly backward, closer to the board. “The little girl’s name is Lucy,” Cain said, placing her fingers on the teacher’s desk and leaning in. “Lucy’s parents are splitting up and it’s not been pretty, so she’s spent some time in our home recently because she’s not coping well with her parents’ fighting and the general venom they’re spewing.”

  “I didn’t know,” the woman said, leaning farther back, which made Emma smile. When Cain was like this, it was like confronting a rabid dog. Your instincts were to run, but you feared the sudden movement would result in your leg being chewed off. At least, that was the woman’s demeanor as she watched Cain.

  “Shut up.” Cain moved even closer and the woman gasped. “You’ve had your chance to talk.”

  “There’s no need to be rude, Miss Casey.”

  “No, there’s no need for some closed-minded dinosaur in the classroom either, so I hope you’re prepared to defend your beliefs.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Cain laughed, and Emma came close to joining her. The pain Cain inflicted at times when she deemed it necessary had nothing to do with guns or fists. “It means that I’m going to make you wish someone would take the time to hug you when the comfortable and secure life you know turns to dust.”

  “Please, Miss Casey, your threats won’t work here,” the woman said. She laughed but nervously rubbed her hands together.

  “Emma, are you about ready?” Cain held her hand out, but her attention was on the door. “You’ll be hearing from my attorney, and I’ll need a cashier’s check by five today for the entirety of my family’s donations—all of them.” The principal gripped the door at that threat. This time Emma couldn’t hold back her laugh. She doubted the school had that much cash on hand, since the Caseys had been giving to the school from the time Cain had been in kindergarten.

  Levi Layke, the principal, took a deep breath. “Cain, could I speak to you before you go?” he asked. His voice had a nervous quiver as if he knew Cain was talking to him about the money.

  “I’ve wasted enough time here today, so get going. The bank will need you to take a couple of board members with you. Don’t disappoint me.” Cain helped Emma to her feet and put her arm around her waist. “Where’s our kid?”

  “In the gym,” Levi said.

  “What’s our plan, mobster?” Emma asked as Levi trailed behind them, but not close enough to overhear them.

  “Give it a minute, lass. The Catholics love the collection plate almost as much as the Lord, or so Da used to say. Levi either has to write a check or retire that bitch.”

  “You really think he’ll do that?” They stopped at the door to the gym and glanced inside. Hannah was playing with her friend Lucy, some distance away from the other children. Hannah had been glad to share with them how the other children treated Lucy because of how much she cried. Though people often considered Cain a bully, she’d told Hannah that everyone deserved a friend. Emma was glad Hannah had taken Cain’s words to heart.

  “Levi knows me, and more importantly, he knows when I’m not bluffing.” Cain placed her hand on the door frame and kept her gaze on Hannah. “Your mother has already put Hannah through enough. I won’t allow it to happen again, especially by someone who can’t see the value of our family.”

  “I’m—”

  “We’ve talked about this already. You never have to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault. That doesn’t need to be rehashed, and the one person I do blame for that has been buried.” Cain moved to her and placed her hand on the side of her neck. “Nothing or no one can bring him back or come between us again.”

  “Why are we talking about this?” she asked and finally realized something about herself. No matter how far she’d come and all she had—she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. “And don’t pretend that you don’t think about that sometimes. You know damn well I’m mostly to blame.”

  “Forgive me, lass. I didn’t do a very good job of explaining myself, but we’ve both done our penance over this. I meant to say that I want us to raise Hannah and our new baby the same way we’ve raised Hayden. I want her to know nothing but love and give her the confidence to know she can do anything. If taking people out of the way that don’t have that in mind makes me a meddling parent, I’m okay with that.”

  Emma leaned against her taller and much stronger spouse and nodded. “I’m sorry to be so whiny, and I agree. The kids and I are lucky to have you.”

  The loud squeal that only a five-year-old could produce made them both laugh. Hannah had spotted them and was making her way across the gym with her friend in tow. “Mama,” she yelled, finally releasing Lucy’s hand. “Mom,” she said next, leaping up when she got close to Cain, who bent and caught her. Cain was so wrong saying that Hannah didn’t have a sense of herself.

  “Hey, Hannah girl,” Cain said, holding Hannah so she could kiss Emma. “You ready to go?”

  “Can Lucy come?” Hannah asked, her hands framing Cain’s face.

  “Not right now, but we can call her mom later.” Cain seated Hannah on her right side and took Emma’s hand. “Are you going to be okay, Lucy?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The small waif of a girl’s glance back at the gym full of children broke Emma’s heart. Lucy’s unhappiness radiated from her like a lantern in a dark room.

  “Cain,” she said, not having the heart to leave her.

  Levi hovered close by, and Emma could swear he appeared more pale and miserable than Lucy when Cain turned to him. “I’ll expect you not to disappoint me,” Cain said.

  “Emma, come on, see reason,” Levi said, his hands out, obviously hoping
to appeal to the gentler parent.

  “When it comes to the kids, you should know by now she’s seldom reasonable about situations like this, and I don’t want her to be. Kids shouldn’t be made to feel bad about themselves, and I don’t want someone who knows nothing about us making my kid think she has something to be ashamed of.” She slipped her hand around Cain’s arm. Her back hurt and she was ready to go.

  “I’ll have it by this afternoon,” Levi said softly.

  “Don’t look so glum, Levi,’ Cain said and laughed. “Think of this as learning the lesson I’m sure they teach here. The Lord giveth and taketh away. Now go call Lucy’s mother and ask if she’d like us to take her home a little early today.”

  Emma laughed when Cain grimaced as Hannah squealed again, only this time much closer to Cain’s ear.

  *

  Fiona O’Brannigan watched as Cain and her family descended the steps of the exclusive Catholic school in uptown New Orleans. The trio of Caseys and some other kid were surrounded by people Fiona was sure were heavily armed.

  “That’s gotta suck,” she said above a whisper as she noticed how Cain scanned the area as if searching for a conceivable threat. She stopped when she spotted Fiona’s car.

  It was eerie how she seemed to know exactly where all her watchers were, but Cain did seem surprised when she spotted her. Fiona guessed the FBI van was part of the landscape Cain was used to, but not Fiona’s car. She indulged her curiosity only when she wasn’t on duty.

  She thought about starting the engine and leaving, but that might signal fear. So she watched Cain put her partner and the children in the car and cross the street, headed directly for her. She’d have to hit Cain with her vehicle to leave now. She exhaled and thought about the consequences. One more harassment complaint from Cain to Fiona’s superiors and her mother might get her wish of her coming home when the head of detectives cut her from the force.