by Ali Vali
“Kiddo, all this isn’t carved in stone. Is running the business, the family, something you want to do? You have other career choices, you know.”
“No, I want that more than anything, unless you think I’m not cut out for it.”
“Lesson one, sit up straight and square your shoulders.”
The defeated posture melted away as Hayden smiled and took her advice.
“You control your life, son, not the other way around.”
“What else?”
“Just remember you’re a Casey and you belong to me, but only for a little while. The day will come when it’s your turn to pass down the traditions we’ve held dear for generations, and I promise you on everything I hold dear, you’ll be ready.”
“What’d you want to talk to me about?”
Cain drummed her fingers on the table as a delay tactic. Hayden wasn’t going to like the rest of what she had to say, and in truth she could have just skipped the talk all together. Had they shared any other kind of relationship that was what she might have done. But the trust she had built with Hayden came from never lying to him, if she could help it, and preparing him for the worst.
“This is something my father told your uncle Billy and me when we were coming up. For Billy it made sense, but it forecast how my life would turn out.”
“I thought he liked the way you turned out?”
The open look from Hayden toward her fingers made her stop the nervous habit.
“Yeah, he was proud of me and he loved me. Pop just didn’t treat me any differently from Billy. He lived by certain rules, and because we were his kids he expected us not to stray too far from them.”
Hayden sat up a little straighter and smiled as he sensed another Casey family treasure about to come out of the chest of his mother’s memory. “Sometimes my one wish is that I’d known him.”
“Oh, I think you, Hayden Dalton Casey, would have been one of his favorite subjects, so it’s only appropriate for you to know his philosophy of life. To be a man, you’ve got to hold certain things sacred above everything else. To respect yourself so you can live with the decisions you’ll have to make. To respect your wife because she’s your mate and hopefully the mother of your children. To find someone whom you can trust with both your heart and your secrets. Being able to do that will give you a safe haven. The most important thing, though, is to respect your mother and your family. A man who doesn’t respect them has no honor.”
Hayden reacted as if he were a balloon and she had pricked him with a pin. Her father had shared this philosophy at Hayden’s age because it had something to do with the pretty little Caroline. For her the lesson was easy, but her mother Therese had always been supportive and loving, so much of a fixture in their lives they never thought about the day she wouldn’t be. This lesson for Hayden, though, presented more of a moral dilemma.
During the past four years, Cain had raised a smart, caring boy who thought before he opened his mouth, unlike his uncle Billy. That was why she had taken Dalton’s place when her father died. Hold your counsel, Cain, and only let those closest to you know your thoughts. To speak without thinking will lead you to an early grave, or to a very small cinder-block cell. She could remember her father telling her that over and over.
“Where does that leave us?” Hayden was like Cain’s mother, with her sharp mind and matching wit.
Cain laughed and waited for the server to put their soup bowls down. “In a bit of a quandary, don’t you think?”
He laughed along with her, straightened his shoulders, and sat up again.
“Buddy, I’m giving you a sense of where you come from. Once you know that, it’s easier to get where you’re going.”
“She didn’t respect us, so it’s not so easy to respect her. Maybe with time?”
“Your mother’s in town.” She watched him jump up and storm out to the front of the restaurant, with Mook and Merrick in pursuit. “Well, that went well.”
“Are you leaving, Cain?” The waiter came to remove the dishes and cancel their order, if that was what she wanted.
“No, just hold these and reheat them when I reel him back in. Tell George to hold off on the main courses. We won’t be long.” She buttoned her coat and almost laughed when the rest of the armed entourage followed her out. “I’m going to move to a farm in Wisconsin,” she muttered. The guards were necessary, but they were tough in private moments.
“Stop walking, Hayden.” Her voice carried down the sidewalk, and he took another five steps before he stopped. Rebellion is a good thing in small doses, but it only goes downhill from here the older he gets. The thought reminded her of her youth and the more than many times she had pushed her parents’ patience.
“Why is she here?”
Cain walked half the distance between them. If Hayden wanted to have this conversation, it would not be a screaming match in the street.
The boy took the hint and closed the gap.
“If you want the answer, then I suggest you go back in there and sit down. If that’s not agreeable, then we’ll go home, but don’t you walk out and give Bracato a free shot. You do that again, and Emma Casey won’t be at the top of your list of concerns. We understand each other?”
Her voice left no room for discussion. Cain had never lifted a hand against him, and nothing he could ever do would push her over that line, but he never wanted to face the consequences of truly upsetting her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Two fresh bowls of soup arrived, and both Caseys concentrated on eating. Cain consumed more than half her bowl before she started talking again. “To answer your question, she’s here to make amends.”
“It isn’t that easy.”
The napkin returned to her lap after she wiped her mouth. “Another important lesson in life, son, is the disappointment you’ll feel when you find out everything isn’t always about you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His smile could only mean his good spirits had returned.
“That before you came along and became the center of our world, there was an us. In other words, we were capable of enjoying life before you were born. She’s here to make amends to me.”
“What are you asking me here? You want her back, and you need my permission?”
She laughed, glad that her own good humor had returned. “My, aren’t we full of spunk tonight.” She reached across the table and took his hand to keep him in his seat. “Go back and think of a time when you didn’t hate her.”
“Why?”
“Because tonight I need you to do that. Life’s a gamble if you choose this way of living it, Hayden. If you learn anything at all from me, let it be that, and take it to heart before you accept the reins that’ll look all too enticing. Responsibility is more than just getting to give orders. It’s sometimes sacrificing everything and everyone you love in order to protect them.”
“Why tonight?”
“Dammit, son, because I want what was once my safe haven to be yours, if it comes to that.” She stopped talking and ran her fingers through her hair to calm down. Tonight was not the time to say something she would regret, or want him to look back later and feel the same way. The last meeting with her father was burned into her memory, down to the color of the sky when she turned to wave good-bye.
She wasn’t planning for her life to end in the middle of her warehouse tonight, but if it did, her son would look back on this night as one where his mother sent him on his way with as much knowledge as she could cram into their short time together. “Whatever else I feel for your mother, I know she’ll protect you.”
“I don’t need--”
“Yes, you do. You’re eleven, so yes, you do.”
Hayden looked as close to panicked as Cain had ever seen him. “Then don’t go. Wherever you’re going, don’t.”
She moved around and knelt next to his chair. “Son, no one’s taking anything away from you. Not me, and certainly not Emma. Remember, you belong to me, but only for a while. What do you think
that means?”
The tears were shutting his brain down, and he couldn’t think. “I don’t know.”
“That I can teach you everything I know. Tell you everything I’ve learned from every experience I’ve ever had, but the time will come when Hayden has to pick what Hayden wants. It’s your life, and I want you to live it how you want. I didn’t raise a coward, and neither did my father. I raised a boy who’ll grow to be a strong leader and an accomplished man because he’s sure of his life. If that means you become a cheese maker and farmer, a long line of Irish ancestors will haunt you as you churn, but so be it. But I want you to promise me you’ll be whole and stay safe so the day will come for you to walk that road.”
“Only if you promise to walk it with me.”
She bent a little from the weight of his hug, but she returned it with the same intensity. “I promise, buddy. You never even have to turn around to check. I’ll always be there for you.”
They finished their meal with the same laughs they usually shared. When the dishes were cleared and she indulged him in a latte, Hayden had one more question. “Did Caroline ever talk to you?”
“You bet she did.”
He leaned forward and put his hands up. “Well?”
“What’s her name?”
“Who?”
“The girl who’s got you so full of questions all of a sudden.”
He blushed and dropped his eyes a minute. “Melinda.”
“I see, and she hasn’t noticed you? Hard to believe.”
“Mom, please, what did Grandpa say?”
“It’s easy. You walk up to her and just say hi. Introducing yourself is good too, and then ask her out for ice cream.” She tried hard not to smile at Hayden’s growing frustration.
“And it’s that easy?”
“Make sure you’re not wearing sunglasses at the time, and comb your hair.”
The blue eyes squinted in his confusion. “What?”
“Hayden, your heritage is more than whiskey and business. Look in the mirror sometime. Not to sound like an egomaniac, but the Casey clan isn’t a bad-looking lot. Big blue eyes and coal black hair will get you past whatever reservation she has and get you that first ice cream date. After that, it’s up to you, but lucky for you we’re known for a little charm as well. It’s not just about the looks, it’s the whole package, and you’ve got it. Trust me on this one. Women will never be your problem. You turn into a butthead about it, though, and you’ll have one big problem.”
“What, angry dads?”
“Worse. The fact is, I’m female too, and I’ll be watching you.”
Hayden blushed and laughed a little as he thought about some of the stories his uncle Jarvis had regaled him with. His time was just beginning, that was true, but it was hard not to compare himself to Cain. She was more than capable with the ladies, and if he fell a little short on that score, it would be hard to live down.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Are you sure about this?” George Talbot, the U.S. Attorney for the Fifth District in Louisiana, held the report the four FBI agents sitting before him had put together.
George had worked for the federal government, putting criminals away longer than these guys and gal were alive, he was willing to wager. Every crop of new up-and-comers had its conspiracy theorists, but this group had pictures and video to back up their outlandish claims.
“We’re sure, sir. We’ve got a lot more in our files if you’d like to take a look.” Shelby had been elected their spokesperson.
“No. As the saying goes, young lady, a picture’s worth a thousand words.” He held up the stills from that afternoon’s surveillance atop the abandoned buildings.
“Sir, I know this isn’t the usual chain of command, but we needed secrecy and discretion. We’re the low men on the totem pole, so if things go badly our careers could be in jeopardy.”
“Then why do it at all, Agent Daniels?” He cocked his head and waited. These young people had a fire he hadn’t seen in years, the same drive and passion he had managed to retain.
“Because the law is the law, sir. No one gets to use it for personal gain, especially someone like Giovanni Bracato. Even if you take away our badges, we feel we’ve done the right thing.”
“Okay, tell me this. Where did all this come from?” He pointed at the thick folder thrown down on his desk and looked up at four pained faces.
Anthony jumped in before Shelby could answer. “Mr. Talbot, that’s confidential, sir. Agent Daniels garnered the information, and she trusted the rest of us with the operation because of the short timeline. To betray the trust of our informant would jeopardize future operations where this person could be vital.”
Shelby smiled at Anthony. He obviously wasn’t happy accepting help from Cain, so to have him defend her made her feel better about the upcoming operation.
“I see. Well, I tell you what we’re going to do.” George almost laughed when four eager faces leaned farther into his desk as if he had started whispering.
They talked over their plan, and the four agents agreed to have some of the investigators who worked directly for George brought in for the final operation. The men who sat in on the final meeting had spent their careers with the craggy old attorney and were, in his opinion, above reproach. As far as Shelby, Joe, Anthony, and Lionel were concerned, they had to be for the whole thing to work. They had irrevocably set things in motion to coincide with whatever Cain had in mind for them that night.
“Why do you all think Cain’s going through with this when she’s got to realize the trap is set? I’ve known her from the time we were trying to chase her daddy down for running numbers and booze in the city, and she’s an even more worthy adversary in the slippery department, but she’s no dummy. She’s like an old and wise warrior who’s always three steps ahead of not only what you’re doing, but also what you’re thinking.”
George watched Shelby’s face as he talked. A few more years and a little more experience would help her temper her emotions, but she hadn’t perfected the technique quite yet. He had his answer as to where the file had come from, and in a way it made him feel better. Cain was thorough in everything she did, so the information was as good as if it had come from the FBI.
“I don’t know her well enough to answer that, sir. All I can tell you is we’ve been watching her for over a year, and all we’ve learned is how she takes her coffee, and that she’s got a keen eye for the cameras.” Shelby laughed as the file of pictures of Cain’s smile they had back at the office came to mind.
“Let me tell you something, Shelby. May I call you that, Agent Daniels?”
“Please do, sir, and if I may, this is Anthony, Joe, and Lionel.” She pointed to each man in turn.
“Then you all call me George, not that I mind such a nice-looking group of young people calling me sir. As I was saying, I ran into Cain on the golf course about a year ago. She was playing a round with that big good-looking kid of hers, and she allowed my group and me to play through. She shook my hand and congratulated me for twenty-two years of tireless service to the community. After that, Hayden Casey asked how my daughter was doing and also said to congratulate her on my new grandson. I was out playing that day to celebrate the birth of my fourth grandbaby.”
“Amazing,” said Anthony.
“No, son, that’s not amazing. It’s damned good. Dalton, her father, was good, but he sired something when he and his wife were gifted with Cain. If I did anything else for a living, I’d say she was damned fun to watch, and that kid of hers. Well, let’s just say I don’t envy you your jobs when it’s his time in the saddle.
“When I went to the hospital that afternoon to see my daughter, I discovered a flower arrangement there from Hayden, along with a note saying he had donated his month’s allowance in the baby’s name to a local children’s center where my daughter does volunteer work. If she’s ever sitting in a jury box fifteen years from now, do you think she’ll be seriously considering whatever we’re accusi
ng him of, or will she be remembering that nice note he enclosed? And she knows better.”
“It sounds like you admire her,” said Joe.
“Cunning should be admired in any form, Joe. I’m not saying we should emulate her, considering what our jobs are, but know your enemy, because sure as I’m sitting here, she knows all about us.”
Anthony was thinking back to the morning on the farm when he and Joe had followed her and Hayden on their run. “I would have to agree with you on that score, George. We’re forever running around hiding behind bushes and trees, thinking how smart we are, and she’ll just stop and look right into our eyes and smile. I’m waiting for the day she just waves and puts us out of our misery.” If Cain had a special ability, the old man was right. Her son had inherited it along with the looks and blue eyes.
“It doesn’t hurt either that most people in this town feel like she’s a hero to the little guy. For you folks, that makes life difficult. For me, it makes it impossible. No one wants to convict someone who’s seen as a friend by most. Hell, I think Mrs. Talbot would run off with the outlaw if the opportunity presented itself.”
The occupants in the room laughed and were happy to relax, if only for a few minutes. The investigators who worked with George were back, dressed in black SWAT uniforms with very few markings. They were getting ready to deploy to the warehouse and set up before any other company arrived. Almost simultaneously the beepers the four visitors were all wearing went off. The boss was calling.
“Daniels, where are you?” Kyle was riding shotgun, with his senior agent Samuel Rich behind the wheel. They had taken over as the lead car tailing Cain and her party.
“My group and I are going over last-minute details and waiting for a call from Agent Rich to get going, sir.”
“She and that kid just left the restaurant, and I have a feeling she’s going to be moving after that, so stand by and be ready to move. I don’t want any fuckups tonight.”
“Yes, sir, we’ll be ready.”
