The Devil Inside

by Ali Vali

  “But that doesn’t really answer my question.”

  Cain glanced at the man on the street again and thought of the best way to answer without upsetting Ross. “In my time and in my business dealings, some people have tried to test my resolve and my position every so often. Sometimes, they try to get to me through my family. At a party for my sister, one of my cousins tried to take certain liberties with Emma in our home. I caught him before it turned ugly, and after seeing she was upset but unhurt, I had a little talk with this guy. The blood on my hands after our talk scared her, and she left a week later. I figured she would come back here, and someday she’d return to see our son. As much as it hurt me, it was her decision, and I’ve tried my best to honor it.”

  Ross leaned back in the booth and stared at Cain’s hands. Granted, her life did have slimy characters at the periphery, but Emma had left because Cain had done what anyone else not even in her position would have. Baby girl, what were you thinking? He reflected on Emma and how she’d spent her time at the farm since she came back in the middle of the night so fragile looking. She had been prime pickings, and her mother had finished the job of beating her down.

  “Cain, there’s something you should know.” Ross stopped talking when she shook her head in a way only he would see.

  “How about you explain why you aren’t making a trip to the feed store until the spring?”

  During the rest of lunch Ross told her about low dairy prices and rising debt. He didn’t mind doing without, but the land he worked had been in his family for generations, and family tradition was a subject he was sure she understood.

  “I can look at you, Ross, and see you’re a proud man, but does that mean you’re stupid?”

  Her smile kept him from getting mad and made him laugh with her. “I’d like to think I’ve got a few brain cells left, thank you.”

  “Then how would you like a silent partner?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Ross laughed again and studied her face to see if she was serious. “Who? You?”

  “Let’s say me for now, but eventually Hayden. I know Emma’s probably your heir, but Hayden’s your grandson and the one chance you have to keep this place you love in your family. I give you my word you’ll never have a problem with the authorities, and nothing will go on there that isn’t going on now.”

  Ross thought of the number of FBI running around his property playing a cat-and-mouse game. He figured Kyle hadn’t realized the woman sitting here with him was the cat. Very seldom did the mouse win when the cat was as conniving as Cain. “How about we say nothing will go on there but farming and milking cows if I take you up on your offer?”

  Ross shook one of the big hands that came off the tabletop and extended toward him. “Deal, partner,” said Cain, apparently not needing a written contract. She excused herself from the table and headed toward the pay phone at the back of the restaurant. Ross sat alone and had another cup of coffee, wishing he knew who was keeping Cain on the other end so long.

  “Let’s head over to the bank” was all she said when she was finished.

  Ross didn’t ask any questions and just followed her down the street. He noticed the employees of the bank looked a little wary when they saw him, probably not wanting to turn him down again for a loan.

  “Ross, why don’t you ask them to fire up the one computer in this place and tell them you’re here to make a withdrawal.”

  He watched the manager step out of his office and behind the counter to the teller, apparently afraid there was going to be a problem. “Jodie, could you access my account, please?”

  “How’re you doing today, Ross?” The manager held his hand out and smiled. “How much will you be needing?”

  Ross looked back to Cain and put his hands up in question.

  “However much it’ll take to bring your account up to date at the feed store and buy another load of feed to fill up the storeroom. And we’ll want that in cash,” said Cain, in answer to the silent question.

  The number Ross told the teller obviously surprised the manager, who pushed the girl aside. “You know that isn’t going to happen, Ross. How about we wait until the spring and you sell some off some of the stock, and then we’ll see what we can do?”

  Cain moved Ross out of the way to get to the manager. “I believe Mr. Verde asked you for some money, so start tapping away on that antique sitting back there and let’s get to it.”

  The manager smirked as he brought up the Verde account. He looked like he’d love to knock the cocky expression off the bitchy woman’s face. “Like I said, Ross, why don’t we wait until spring?”

  “Look at the screen, Fred,” ordered Cain.

  “My name is Herb.”

  “Look at the goddamn screen.”

  It took a couple of envelopes to hand over Ross’s money, and ten minutes to make it out of the bank after the manager saw the new Verde account.

  “Do I want to know how you got my account number?” Ross patted his coat pocket where his newfound wealth was stashed.

  Cain leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Don’t tell anybody, but I’m just a good old-fashioned gangster.”

  Ross laughed and felt a genuine affection for the tall rogue his daughter had shared so many years with. The sentiment had nothing to do with the fact that she was willing to help him, no strings attached, which differed vastly from the deal the government was offering. Still chuckling, he asked, “Does that mean I just cut a deal with the devil?”

  “Ross, granted, you don’t know that much about me, but I’ll never harm you. Things didn’t work out for Emma and me, but she’s the mother of my son, so that makes you part of my family. I gave you the money freely on behalf of Hayden and myself, and I don’t expect anything from you. Maybe you can send us some of the famous cheese Hayden was telling me about. In addition to the money, you have to accept that there’s still a bit of the devil inside me. It’s what makes life fun, though.”

  He patted her on the back, and they continued their walk in a companionable silence. Carol would probably leave him for taking the money, but at least he would be able to sleep at night knowing he wasn’t ruining someone’s life as a way to solve his problems.

  The owner of the feed store seemed shocked when Ross handed over enough cash to not only bring his account up to date and get another load of feed, but to leave him with a large credit. Ross watched him lick his fingers and start counting, taking time to keep an eye on Cain.

  “How’s this afternoon for the delivery?”

  “That’s great, Roy. We’ll have enough time to get back and help the boys unload.” He shook hands with the old man and waved Cain through the door and back to his truck.

  Cain watched the countryside go by on their return to the farm like she was daydreaming, but when they were about ten miles away she asked Ross to pull over.

  “Are you sick or something?”

  “Or something, yes.” She turned her attention to the side-view mirror and waited to see what the sedan that had slowed was going to do. The idiot couldn’t very well pull over without causing more suspicion, so he passed them at the same snail’s pace, like he was searching for a place to pull over down the road.

  Cain put her hand on Ross’s sleeve and just watched the car with a smile. There was no place to hide out here. “Let’s just give him a head start.”

  “You know who they are, don’t you?”

  Cain looked at him and made a decision. She turned on the same small device she had used during her talk with Hayden that morning and expelled a sigh. “Ross, you asked me a question back at the diner, so I’ll answer that one before we get to the buffoons driving around in the most conspicuous-looking cars they could find.”

  “You don’t have to do that, but if you do, whatever you tell me won’t go any further than this truck.”

  “I know that, Ross, but thanks for saying it anyway. I’m a saloon owner by trade, as far as the government is concerned, but I do dabble in a bit of a hob
by.”

  “Hobby?”

  “That’s what I like to call it, but I didn’t say it wasn’t lucrative. See, Ross, when you go to the store and buy a bottle of liquor or a box of cigarettes, right there on the top is a tax stamp. The one on cigarettes is a real money generator for the state and federal government, but for the average storekeep, well, it really cuts into their profits.”

  “Unless they know you.”

  Cain laughed at his quick wit. “That’s right, unless they know me. I move merchandise that doesn’t go through all those pesky regulations. They make money and I make money, but Agent Kyle and his bosses—they just get mad.”

  “No drugs or prostitution?”

  “Selling drugs in my organization or selling someone on the streets is a quick way to mount up some hospital bills or find yourself on a permanent vacation, if the infraction is serious enough. My family has just never been interested in drugs. Don’t get me wrong. Those who do traffic in all that stuff are making a ton of cash, but it’s no good for the kids who get sucked into that lifestyle. My business is slightly lower risk, but I have to deal with some who want to come in and undercut me. I’m thinking once I’m gone, they’ll start charging more than if they bought from regular vendors.”

  Ross let out a low whistle and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “That’s it?”

  “What I just told you in less than five minutes is what Kyle’s been trying to get me to say on tape for the last eight years or more, Ross. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but trust me, to the feds it is. I’m not trying to whitewash my business. Your daughter lived with a criminal for all those years, but I don’t go around hurting innocent people, and I’m not a killer by nature.”

  Ross thought about what Cain would do if she uncovered Carol’s and Emma’s part in Kyle’s trap. “Does that mean you can be driven to it?”

  “That, my friend, is another conversation for another day. Why don’t we stick to the basics today and let it go at that?”

  “I’d really like to know the answer now, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “How about if I answer it this way? Kyle’s here. The car that just passed us proves that, but how he got here and who invited him isn’t my concern. My concern is spending time with my son because he asked me to come here, and with helping you out. Aside from that, I’m leaving in a few days, and it won’t be in handcuffs. And when I’m gone, you won’t have occasion to use your one good suit to attend any funerals.”

  “How do you know I only own one good suit?”

  “Call it a hunch.”

  Ross laughed before turning serious and facing Cain. “You remember what you said about the walls having eyes and ears?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, Ross. I know what I’m doing. Can I ask you something?” He turned to look down the road to see if the sedan was coming back. “Why are you telling me all this? You have to know if Kyle finds out, he’ll slam you with an obstruction charge so fast you won’t have time to scratch your ass. I know your land is important to you, and you’re in serious jeopardy of letting him take it away from you as leverage.”

  “Because that guy’s a slime. I don’t care if he’s got a badge or not. You may be considered the criminal here, but you have more honor than he’s ever thought of having. I just don’t want you to walk away from here and take Hayden with you and never come back. We’ve missed out on so much of his life because of stupidity, and I don’t want to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I want to know my grandson and you.”

  “Thanks for saying that, and don’t worry. Hayden and I’ll be back. Who knows? He might not want to go into the family business and prefer to be a farmer.”

  “Sure, and the cows will be taking their afternoon flight around the barn when we get home. That boy idolizes you, and it doesn’t hurt that he looks just like you.”

  “Of all the people in my life, I can say he’s made me happier than I ever deserved to be.”

  Ross parked in front of the barn and turned the ignition off, trying to find the guts to ask the next question. The wanting to know overrode anything else he felt, so Ross just blurted it out. “Do you miss Emma at all?”

  “Does it really matter? I mean, I’m not a woman who laments over anyone or anything I can’t have. I’m too old to wish for the things I really want, so now I just try and make do with what I have. It’s enough.” Cain reached up and patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks for the great afternoon. I enjoyed it. Come get me when the feed arrives and I’ll help you put it away.”

  Ross didn’t push her any further and watched her head toward the bunkhouse. You’re good at avoiding answering direct questions when you want, I’ll give you that, but your answer tells me you might just miss my daughter. As for you, Emma, honey, I hope you make the most of this time. When he saw Carol waiting on the porch for him, he quit smiling. The frown she was sporting made him want to spend the rest of the afternoon with Cain.

  “Let’s hope my good fortune holds and I live out the afternoon.” He spoke to the steering wheel, staying in the truck as long as he could.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Where’s Hayden?” Merrick and two of the guys were playing poker when Cain stepped back into the room, and by the size of the pile of money in front of the only female in the game, Merrick was making out like a bandit.

  “He left to take another walk with Emma after lunch. Don’t worry, Mook went with him.”

  “He been gone long?”

  Merrick distributed the money back to the others, putting away what she had started with. It was risky to actually gamble with the amount of federal surveillance in the room. “They’re about fifteen minutes out if you want me to run and get him.”

  “I want you to run all right, but with me. Just let me get changed.”

  A short time later, Cain set their pace; the only sound that surrounded them was their running shoes hitting the blacktop highway in front of the farmhouse. They headed in the opposite direction of town, and Cain searched for the fence line for where Ross’s property ended, replaced by another of different design. She broke her silence as they crossed the last fence post, allowing her to keep her word to Ross about not doing business on his land.

  “Did you hear from Bryce?”

  “Not since the airport in New Orleans.” Merrick glanced around, hoping no one else was listening to the potentially dangerous conversation.

  “Maybe I’ll call him tonight and put this business with the Bracato family to bed. Giovanni’s been strong-arming our suppliers for a better deal, and with his unfair advantage, he’s starting to hurt us.”

  “Unfair advantage?” Merrick was lost.

  “His guardian angel, sweetheart, try and keep up.” Cain winked at Merrick as she took a right at the next intersection, following the new fence line. “When we get back to the bunkhouse, I’m going to call and tell Bryce to go ahead with the shipment and see what happens. I’m hoping tripling the amount will keep our guys from jumping ship.”

  Merrick just kept quiet, her mind working to try and decipher the conversation. By the way her body felt, they had gone at least four miles, and she wondered where Cain was finding the energy for two runs so close together.

  When they passed a break in the fence, Cain glanced to her right where, unlike the Verde place, their neighbors house sat much closer to the road. Suddenly Cain slowed down, but her very visible breaths sped up. The color drained from her face, and she just stopped in the road, as if she had been coldcocked by an invisible fist.

  “Are you okay?” Merrick moved closer and put a hand on Cain’s chest.

  “I’m fine, let’s head back.”

  Merrick prided herself on the kind of shape she was in, but by the time they headed down the long dirt road in front of Ross’s farm she was about to drop from the stitch in her side. Cain was moving as if she were running away from something, something that had scared her.

  Emma stopped in the middle of what she was telling Hay
den to watch her ex-lover run until she fell against the side of the barn and promptly threw up. The move was so uncharacteristic that both Emma and Hayden ran toward Cain to see what was wrong.

  “Mom? Mom, what’s going on?” Hayden sounded upset, never having seen his mother this out of control.

  “Just give me a minute.” Cain leaned heavily on the side of the barn and looked down at her feet, trying to process the information running crazily through her head. The sight of Emma’s face made her hands twitch and clench. Never before had she wanted to wrap her hands around someone’s throat until they were dead.

  “Honey, is there something I can do?” Emma forgot the years and circumstances that separated them, and put her hands on Cain’s back in an effort to comfort her. She instantly felt the muscles tense and watched Cain’s long fingers grow white from gripping the wood.

  “I just need a minute.” Slowly Cain shoved her emotions back into the recesses of her heart and took a deep breath. “Too much exercise for one day.” With that short explanation, she smiled at Hayden, then left to clean up.

  “Are you sure I can’t do something for you?” repeated Emma. “Something I can get you?”

  The questions and the concern in Emma’s voice stopped Cain at the corner of the barn, where she leaned against it again as if she were exhausted. “I think there’s nothing you can do now, Emma. Nothing at all.”

  Not understanding what was going on, Hayden turned his fury on his birth mother. Cain had been fine when he had last seen her. “What did you do to her?” Hayden looked at Emma and frowned. No one had ever made Cain look that defeated, and the fact that she never moved away from Emma’s touch meant whatever was wrong was serious.

  Hayden had been only seven when Emma left, but he was old enough to see how her absence had affected Cain. He spent a lot of time with her and knew how important he was to her, but it wasn’t enough. Something had changed in her when Emma walked out, and it took Hayden time to realize that she was obviously lonely, and that he could do nothing to fill the gap his mother had left.