The Devil's Due

by Ali Vali

  “Ross knows we’ll need him to come along, and he’s as eager to help as ever, considering what happened today. I saw him at the house earlier and he seemed afraid to come home, so you might want to talk to him.”

  Cain smiled and shook her head. “I’m not that scary, am I?” They both laughed, which lightened the gloom that had brought her down all day. “You know how much I miss my father because I realize how close you are to yours. It’s not just about the advice he was always happy to share when I asked, but simply the talks we had about so many subjects. Da was a big reader, so we’d sit outside and share a drink on most afternoons, and he’d tell me about whatever he’d found interesting that day.”

  “Papi’s the same way. Considering how close we are and how you and your father were, I’m not sure how well I’m going to handle losing him.”

  “To tell you the truth, you don’t. Not really anyway. It’s the number of days that come after that loss that dull that pain, but it’s always there.” She got up and poured two drinks. She handed one to Remi and sat next to her. “My relationship with Ross has made me in a way miss Da more, but on the other hand helped me feel better. He’s a world different from Dalton Casey, but they have one thing in common. Both of them love their children, and in our case, that means he loves my children like he does Emma.”

  “Then when he gets back, you need to remind him that you feel that way. He’s a good man, and I’m enjoying working with him.”

  “Will do. Now get out of here since he mentioned he was cooking something up for you that has nothing to do with business.” Cain slapped Remi on the back and got up. They went up and found Dallas holding and cooing over the baby while Emma watched.

  “Ready to go, querida?” The smile on Remi’s face telegraphed how she felt about Dallas.

  “As soon as we can I’d like to babysit, so don’t forget,” Dallas said as she handed Billy to Cain. “And call me if you need anything at any time.”

  Remi held Dallas’s hand on the way down the stairs and helped her into the car, eager to start their night. “Where do you want to go?” Dallas asked.

  “How about dinner someplace romantic, and we’ll go from there?”

  They kissed as Simon turned out of the gate, and Dallas broke away from her when they stopped a few minutes later. “Do we have to go in? I was looking forward to a night off with just you.” The house was so close that once they had children, they wouldn’t have to go far to play with the Casey kids.

  “One thing upstairs, and then I’m all yours.” They got out and she winked at Simon, knowing she’d go as soon as they were inside. Her overprotective guard and friend insisted on a small group on the grounds, but they’d be alone otherwise. “Ross said something about some samples he left in the master-bedroom bathroom that you need to decide on, since they’re ready to get started on that in the morning.”

  They climbed the stairs, and Dallas turned to her after she glanced down the hallway to the large master suite. The door was open, and it was easy to see the glow of candlelight, so Dallas grabbed both Remi’s hands and walked backward for a few feet until Remi swept her up and carried her the rest of the way.

  A few dozen candles illuminated the mattress at its center, along with a food basket and a champagne bucket.

  “What’s all this?” Dallas held her hands up to her face in a clear expression of delight.

  “I’ve told you before that I loved this house because it holds a lot of good memories for me from when I was a kid. Our family spent time here running around with Cain and her siblings, so I saw that as a good omen,” she said as Dallas gravitated to the windows that overlooked the large yard and guesthouse, as if imagining what Remi was saying.

  When Dallas turned from the windows, she gasped. Remi was on one knee.

  “A good omen that one day our children would play here with the friends and cousins that’ll always be a part of their lives and help them build our business,” Remi said.

  “I want that more than anything.”

  “Dallas, you might not have started in the best of places, but I love you for the strong woman you are, who overcame all those obstacles. In my eyes, you aren’t simply beautiful but perfect in the way you care for and protect those you love.” She reached into her pocket and retrieved the box that held the symbol of the commitment she sought. “There will be no other woman for me for the rest of my days because I’ve found the one who is the other half of my soul. Dallas Montgomery, will you marry me?” Remi opened the box and took out the ring.

  “Yes,” Dallas said, running and throwing herself at Remi so hard that she almost knocked her on her back.

  “Are you sure? Because once you put that ring on, I’m never letting you go.”

  “I’ve never been so sure of anything, and I’ve got a bucket list a mile long when it comes to the life I want with you.”

  She slid the ring onto Dallas’s finger and closed her eyes as she kissed her knuckles. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d be truly ready for, but if Dallas had said no, it wouldn’t have been easy to recover. Dallas’s laughter made her forget any thoughts of sadness, and she opened her eyes to Dallas with her hands on her, taking her shirt off.

  “I’d live my life over again a million times if I always end up here with you.” Dallas looked at her hand and smiled when she studied the ring.

  Remi had obsessed over it for months. With her mother Marianna’s help she’d finally picked the square-cut diamond set on a platinum band.

  “I love you, and I can’t wait to start planning, but I need you to touch me,” Dallas said.

  Remi stood and unzipped Dallas’s skirt, letting it drop to the floor. The white-lace underwear made her want to rush. It seemed like it had been so long, but tonight she wanted everything to be perfect. Dallas pouted a little until she began to strip, finishing what Dallas had started, and helped Dallas with the rest of her clothes. No way in hell was she letting this much time go by again without the sensation of Dallas’s skin pressed against hers.

  Dallas spread her legs as soon as they landed on the bed together, with Remi on top. The sensation of Dallas raking her fingernails up her back snapped her resolve to go slow. Without moving too much, she reached down and slid her hand between Dallas’s legs, finding her wet and her clit as hard as the stone in her ring. When she pinched Dallas’s clit between her fingers, Dallas dug her nails in hard and moaned.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” Dallas said, lifting her head and biting her neck gently. “But tonight isn’t going to be just about you driving me insane before I touch you.”

  She moved her fingers up and down, and Dallas bit her harder. “You can do whatever you want, but I have to touch you.”

  “And you will,” Dallas said as she pushed her off and rolled with her so she was now on top. “But first I want something from you.”

  “Whatever you want is yours.”

  “Are you sure, because I have something in mind.” Dallas sucked on her earlobe as soon as she’d whispered that in her ear.

  “Whatever you want, querida, but remember that I have to live out the night if you want me to walk down the aisle,” she said and laughed.

  “Then surrender,” Dallas said as she moved down her body and knelt on the bed, looking at her in a way that Remi felt devoured.

  “I’m yours,” she said the second Dallas put her mouth on her. It took all her control to not come as soon as Dallas moved her tongue up her clit and then sucked her in. With one hand in Dallas’s hair and the other strangling the sheets, she gritted her teeth. It was easy to hold on since Dallas had stopped.

  “I don’t want you to keep anything back from me,” Dallas said before returning to what she’d been doing. She couldn’t deny the request, so she let her legs fall open and allowed the rush of the orgasm to flood through her as she pressed her heels into the mattress. It was way too fast but gave her the opportunity to touch Dallas while she caught her breath.

  She wanted to tast
e Dallas, but Dallas held her in place. “Right now, I need you to love me while I can look at you. I want you to see how much I love you and that I’m yours. It doesn’t matter to me what the rest of the world thinks or wonders about us. I just want you to see that’s the truth every time you look in my eyes.”

  Remi held her gaze and moved her hand between Dallas’s legs. Dallas didn’t last much longer than she had, and she laughed as she held her afterward.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “If being engaged makes loving you a race, we may have to rush the wedding.”

  “Oh no,” Dallas said, and pinched her side. “You’ve given me a fairy tale up to now, and I want the rest of it.”

  “I seldom skimp on anything, much less what makes you happy.”

  *

  “Where is he then?” Cain asked as Katlin and Muriel explained that Nunzio and Santino had disappeared from both New York and New Orleans. “Think about what can happen if we ignore this.”

  Muriel nodded and glanced at Katlin. “We’ve got someone reliable keeping an eye out in both locations. I agree that we can’t let it go this time, because Nunzio’s planning something. We’ll keep searching until we’ve got all the pieces.”

  “Any luck finding where Santino was in Remi’s condo building the night you saw him?”

  “None of the names on the leases raised red flags after we checked them out, but I’m not taking any chances. We got the maintenance guy, who requested a favor afterward, to start checking every apartment. Tomorrow, we’ll finish with the last five.”

  “What about Hector?”

  Muriel smiled, wondering if Cain’s brain ever truly slept. The strategizing that constantly went on in Cain’s mind seemed almost second nature and was impressive to see on a daily basis. Carol Verde should’ve been the single thing on her cousin’s mind, but she wasn’t wired to ignore other potential problems. In Muriel’s opinion, the only thing that would cheat Cain would be death, but not until she was done with everything necessary to keep her family safe for the next generation and Hayden was truly ready for that mantel.

  “He’s back, and from what we hear, he’s got trouble in his ranks at the very top. Marisol’s been getting cozy with Nicolette, and Hector has supply problems,” Katlin said. “The safe houses that were hit had plenty of his supply, and he’s going to have to start a war to get his toehold back.”

  “It’s late, so get going. Tomorrow we’ll have to meet with Ramon and Remi as well as the others to make sure Hector’s war doesn’t take any shots in our direction.” Cain smiled and pointed to the door. “Go home. All this overtime is costing me a fortune.”

  They laughed. For all that went on in Cain’s head, Emma and the kids really were the most important now and always.

  Muriel thought about that as she headed home to her quiet house. At night, when the place creaked and settled around her without her father for company, she sensed the loneliness of her life the most.

  She left her car in the front drive and went in to find her housekeeper in the foyer. “Anything wrong?”

  “You have a visitor so I thought it wasn’t a good idea to leave them alone.” The woman pointed to the den. “If you’re hungry, I left dinner in the oven.”

  “Any hints?” she asked, curious when the woman hesitated, then shook her head.

  “It’s better to discover some things on your own,” the housekeeper said and winked. “Have a good night.”

  Muriel stood there until the back door closed. Whoever was waiting obviously didn’t pose a threat. She opened the doors to the den and found Kristen at the small desk with a few books open. Homework, she guessed, which made her pause. Schoolbooks made their age difference feel like a slap in the face. This might be a bad idea for this beautiful young woman.

  “Such gloomy thoughts already?” Kristen said without lifting her head. “The way I see it, you have a choice, Counselor.”

  “What’s that?” She took a seat on the leather couch not too far away.

  “You can eat alone or you can take me out to dinner. And depending on how good the meal is, your night might hold promise.” Kristen got up and straddled her lap as she slid her fingers into Muriel’s hair. She hardened instantly at the touch. It’d been so long since she’d even thought of having sex with anyone. “And I peeked in the oven. You’re better off taking me to dinner.”

  Muriel cocked her head back and put her hands on Kristen’s hips, which was the only encouragement she seemed to need. The passion in their kiss made the objections in her head disappear, and she moved her hands up to the undersides of Kristen’s breasts. “Are you sure you want to go out?”

  “There she is,” Kristen said as she put a little separation between them. “I knew you weren’t made of stone, but the ten years between us seem to be worming through here whenever you first see me,” she said, tapping on the side of Muriel’s head as if she could read Muriel’s thoughts with the touch. “Now you know, like I do, though, time is relative when we want what we want.”

  Muriel watched Kristen as she dipped her hand under her skirt and between her legs, but only briefly. “You want to be honorable, but I just want you.” Kristen brought her hand back up to paint Muriel’s lips with her wet fingers before sliding them into her mouth. The little taste made Muriel want more.

  But wanting more wasn’t exactly the right way to describe her feelings. She needed more and now. “Are you sure?”

  “That I want to go out to dinner with you? Yes, I’m starved.” Kristen stood up and held her hand out. “Ready?”

  “You want to go out now?” She was so hard and ready that walking out of the house would be a problem.

  “Baby,” Kristen said, leaning over and running her hand from Muriel’s knee to her crotch, “we’re going out, so come on.”

  “We can order in.”

  “I want you to sit in a crowded place and think about two things and forget two things.” Muriel took a deep breath when Kristen took her hand.

  “What?” she said, and her voice sounded two octaves higher.

  “Tonight I want you to consider that I’ve been sitting here imagining us together, which made me crave your touch and forget about all those objections of how this might be a bad idea. I know what I want and what I’m doing.”

  “That’s one thing to think about and one thing to forget.”

  “Then I want you to think about the fact that nothing is standing in the way of what you want.” Kristen guided her hand under the short skirt to show her that nothing was keeping her from touching her. “I also want you to forget who we are as individuals.”

  Kristen was so wet Muriel was having trouble understanding what she meant. “The first part I get, but not the forget part.”

  “You’re Muriel Casey, Cain Casey’s cousin and advisor. I’m Kristen Montgomery, future sister-in-law of Remi Jatibon. Individually we’re that, but together it’ll be something else, and it’ll be ours.”

  An hour later they were sitting in Vincent’s restaurant with Kristen’s scent on her fingers and her foot halfway up her pants leg. It was an exercise in patience, but she knew Kristen’s game. By the time they got home she’d be lucky to make it to the door before she gave in and eased the profound pain she was experiencing. For that she had to smile. There were worse tests in the world and worse positions to be in.

  “Muriel.” The person who’d uttered her name dampened her desire considerably.

  “Agent Phillips,” she said, looking to her right to acknowledge her old lover. “Thank you for any help you gave in finding Hannah.”

  “How are you?” Shelby appeared haggard and exhausted.

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking, but if that’s all, we were in the middle of something.”

  “I’m sorry to do this here, Muriel, but you won’t take my calls. What I did was wrong and I know there’s no going back, but please know that I’m sorry for hurting you. Nothing was worth losing you, and I didn’t realize that until it was out of m
y reach.”

  Shelby’s betrayal hadn’t completely killed any feelings they’d once had for each other, because even now a small part of her cared for this woman. Then again, Emma was a stunning example of seeing how the heart could forgive. But Shelby was no Emma Casey, so it was time to let go for good.

  “Thanks for saying that, but as I said, we’re in the middle of something.”

  Shelby nodded, and Muriel watched Kristen stare at the door for a long moment after Shelby exited.

  “Is she why you’re holding back?” Kristen asked.

  Muriel shook her head.

  “Then go after her and ease her into that frame of mind. I promise I’ll be here waiting.”

  Shelby was right outside, her head tilted back as if studying the cloudy night sky.

  “If it helps, I understand what you did and why, but you also had to realize there was no going back once I found out.”

  “I thought I was careful, but I forgot who your greatest champion is. In the end, I was an idiot.”

  “So this is about getting caught?” She owed Cain so much more than just for getting her out of this situation.

  “No, Muriel, it’s about thinking that my job was more important than my heart. You’re never going to believe me, but I love you. In you I found what I didn’t think existed, and by my own choice or fear I gave it away.”

  “If you need me to say it, I forgive you. We can’t go against our nature no matter how hard we try or how enticing the prize. You’re good at your job because you pour yourself into it, and I’m a good Casey because I’m loyal to my own. Neither of those things can survive and thrive with the other.”

  “Maybe you’ve found your answer then, and she’s waiting inside.”

  “Don’t…I’d wish you luck, Shelby, though that wouldn’t be smart for my family. But I do hope you find something or someone who’ll hold you while your heart heals. I barely remember my mother, but my father’s loss helps me understand your pain. If I can do something for that, please call me. I also believe that losing your parents the way you did played a part in your actions. You betrayed me for what you believed my family did, and you believed it because one of your own set it up that way. Perhaps you don’t owe the job absolutely everything. For once think of yourself and what’ll make you feel better.”