by Ali Vali
“If you and the mental giants you’re working for had bothered to open one of the crates, you would’ve found the little tax stamp you’re talking about.” Muriel snapped her fingers, and one of the lapdogs pulled a stack of papers from his leather-bound notebook and handed them to Lionel. “As for the sardine crates, I’ll have to mention to Cain’s Canadian distributor, Sardine’s Liquor and Spirits, that you have a problem with their name. I doubt they’ll change it since it’s their family name. Who knows, maybe way back they were little fishers of little fish? You can take up the great question with Norris Sardine.” The other younger attorneys behind her laughed, and Muriel joined in. “I know. I offered to change it to Morris Salmon, but he refused.”
After Lionel read over the shipping invoices, which contained all the proper customs stamps, he ran to get a crowbar.
“This will only take a minute to clear up,” said Shelby, reading the same papers. If they were legitimate, Cain had played them like blind sheep.
“Good, since you have about a minute to vacate my client’s property. If not, I’ll have the police come and remove you, along with every news crew we can get down here to film the government’s harassment of a legitimate businesswoman. Would this be a good time to interject that said businesswoman was shot while she was receiving legal goods?”
“I don’t know they’re legal goods.”
“Do you know Cain, Agent Daniels?”
“I’ve had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.”
“Then you know every one of those crates holds bottle after bottle of federally and state-approved commodities. Leave before I have to put your name on the suit we’re filing.”
“But we’ve been watching Cain for months.” The seriousness of the situation was dawning on Shelby. An FBI agent had shot and seriously wounded a citizen going about her business. The fact that he did it on orders from one of the city’s crime bosses wouldn’t help their case in the eyes of the public. As a group, they had been so busy watching Cain that it never occurred to them to watch their own.
“I’m sorry. Is this where I’m supposed to tell you that everything’s going to be all right?”
Shelby looked up from the papers in her hand and winced when Lionel pried the first crate open. The nails giving from the wood sounded like fingernails running down a chalkboard. “Ma’am, I know you would like us to vacate the premises as soon as possible, but could you give me a few minutes?”
“Take all the time you need, Agent Daniels, as long as it doesn’t take all morning. Could you also refrain from breaking anything else? Nothing upsets Cain as much as spilled booze.” Muriel walked to her cousin’s office and ordered the agents who had taken up residence to get out.
The young man who had written down the serial number of the broken crate was now busy writing up the fact that the desktop was full of mud. The agent sitting behind Cain’s desk had thought nothing of putting his feet up when he took a short nap earlier that morning.
“Tell me there aren’t any tax stamps on those bottles,” Shelby said to Lionel, who was breaking open one of the boxes in the crate.
“This is the fourth one we’ve popped open, and I wish I could tell you no. She played us, Shelby, and like a bunch of fucking morons, we just trusted Kyle. Cain Casey’s business is illegal liquor, but this one time she went more than aboveboard. Those papers that suit handed you have every t crossed and every i dotted. Hicks isn’t going to like this. It’s a complete media nightmare when you put Barney in the mix. We’ll be lucky to convict Casey of an overdue parking ticket now.”
“You’ve got to give her credit, though. God, we should’ve known when she just started talking in Wisconsin. Kyle’s chased these people for years, and all of a sudden she starts giving details, dates, and times. Common sense should have told us all that it would be the one time she’d do it by the numbers.”
Anthony and Joe joined them after they unlocked the back of one of the other trucks and opened some of the crates. All of them had the appropriate markings, meaning the agents shouldn’t be there. In their game of cat and mouse with Cain, none of them had ever realized that they were the ones standing on the wrong side of the trap. They all knew if the winner had been conscious, she would have been laughing her ass off.
“Is everything in order?” Muriel asked, scaring them all because no one heard her walk up.
“We’ll be on our way, and I can assure you, Ms. Casey, we’ll conduct an inquiry into what exactly happened here last night. Here’s my card.” Shelby handed her own card over with a prayer that she wasn’t about to be subjected to a complete dressing-down.
“My cousin told me to watch out for you, Agent Daniels. Her exact words were you were the smart one in the group.” Muriel looked over at the three men backing Shelby up. “No offense, gentlemen.”
“Thank you,” said Shelby. “I was wondering about the last name and the family resemblance.”
“My father thought some of us in the Casey clan should be on the up-and-up.” When Shelby looked confused as to whom Muriel was talking about, she provided the complete family connection. “Jarvis, in case you’re wondering. It was his idea for me to pursue a career as an officer of the court and all that jazz. If you all are finished with your less-than-successful fishing expedition, may I show you to the door? Oh, and if you left any of those nasty bugs behind, I’ll send the extermination bill to you all personally. I’m already on retainer, so what’s one more trip to court to make sure it comes out of your own salary.”
The new guy with the muddy shoes stepped back into the office and returned about two minutes later. He nodded toward Muriel before climbing into the back of one of their cars.
When Muriel laughed softly, Shelby noticed how much she reminded her of Cain.
“I’m sure Agent Hicks from our office will contact you at your convenience, Ms. Casey,” said Anthony, to break the silence.
“Tell Annabel I look forward to it, though she’s another one who would benefit from a name change. Janet Bond, maybe. It sounds much more secret-agent like.” She pointed to the door where some of Cain’s men were already taking up their posts. “Gentlemen and Ms. Daniels, if you would please excuse me, I have work to do.”
Seeing the personnel coming in, the four agents started walking toward the entrance. Whatever was up was big, since most of the men on Cain’s payroll were arriving. One of them dragged a rolling bag behind him and stopped to talk to Muriel before he headed into the office. She nodded at what he whispered before she waved one last time to the curious onlookers.
Shelby turned to her coworkers and winked. The game was afoot again, and this time they would get it right.
*
The doctor patted Emma’s knee. “She’s doing much better this morning, Ms. Casey. She had a good night and is responding well to the medications. The painkillers are one of the reasons she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Derby needs a few more days of rest to put her on the road to recovery.” He answered the rest of her questions and then just sat with her.
Emma tried to process what the man who had put Cain back together had said. She took deep, calming breaths, trying to keep her tears and more-than-overwhelming emotions at bay. “Do you think she’ll have a lot to overcome, once this is all over?” She knew that Cain would be devastated if she couldn’t go back to the life she was used to.
“It’ll take some time, but I think it’s up to Cain to see how long that journey of recovery is going to be. I promise if she applies herself, she should be fine. Last night I wasn’t this optimistic, but the woman lying in there has some amazing healing powers. Are you ready?”
Emma nodded and stood to follow him into the intensive care unit. The sight of Cain with all the tubes and equipment hooked to her made her slump against the doctor. Seeing Cain this vulnerable was threatening to make her breakfast reappear. When they had been together, Cain looked vibrant even in her sleep.
“She needs your strength now, Emma, not your hopelessnes
s.”
He left when she walked to the bed and put her head down on the uninjured side of Cain’s chest. Dr. Elton had explained to her that he was a firm believer that his patients could hear their loved ones when they came to see them and talk to them in situations like this. He had assured her that when she got over the shock of what happened, her soothing voice would bring Cain back to those who loved her.
“Honey, I know I’m the last person you probably want to hear from right now, but I have you in the perfect spot to listen to me.” She wiped her eyes and tried to sound teasing as she brushed back the black hair before running her fingers along Cain’s jawline.
“This is my opportunity to work on that little part of your brain that’s still crazy about me and is being beaten into submission by that tough macho part that likes to swagger most of the time. I’m here for you, my love, until forever.” Her fingers stopped their caress and moved to Cain’s lips, while she clasped the other hand lightly. “You are mine, but not for a short time. You pledged yourself to me forever, and that’s what I want. Please give our family a chance. I want you to rest and get better. I’ve got some stuff to do, but I’ll be back.”
From her post at the door Merrick looked on as Emma leaned over the bed and kissed Cain on the lips. When they connected, Emma felt a flutter in Cain’s fingers. “I love you.”
The nurse behind the counter keeping watch on all the monitors glanced up and smiled. “Thank you for observing the time limit. Dr. Elton is hoping to move her into a regular room by the end of the week.”
“Take good care of her.”
Emma walked out with her two shadows, remembering to nod toward Lou and the other man who stood guard with him. It was time to see a man about her son.
Chapter Thirty-One
When Emma arrived at the warehouse office, Muriel immediately stood, hugged her close, and didn’t let go right away. “Emma, darling, you look fabulous. Cousin Cain won’t be able to hold out too long when she wakes up. I spoke to the doctor, and he told me she’s going to be fine.” Muriel had put aside any anger she had left for Emma when Merrick explained the plan Cain’s ex had come up with.
“Thanks, Muriel. She looks a lot better today, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about Hayden. Have we heard anything?”
“There’ve been no calls, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s not time to start worrying yet.”
From behind Cain’s desk, Emma snorted. “That’s easy for you to say, Muriel. He isn’t your son.”
“Come on, I love the little guy. Of course I’m worried about him, but I realize what all this is about, and you’re doing the right thing. You’ve changed, Emma, and that’s good. I talked to Cain a lot when you left, and you know me. I had to drop my twenty-five dollars into the conversation.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be two cents?”
“Not with what I charge Cain. You probably wouldn’t have left all those years ago if she’d made you more of a true partner. Once this is done, don’t let her be the one to run away this time.”
“I’m trying, Muriel. That’s all I can do.” Emma waited until the man sweeping the room was done before she moved on to more important topics.
When he finished the last section of the room he gave them a thumbs-up and spoke to Muriel. “The room’s clean, Ms. Casey.”
“Thanks, Frank. Why don’t you clean the rest of the place? Those guys were in here for a while. God only knows what they left behind.”
“Did the guys pick up my four packages?” Emma asked Merrick and Mook, not concerned Cain’s attorney was still in the room.
Muriel Casey and her infamous cousin had a lot in common. Both had learned the ins and outs of the family business from their fathers, but Muriel hadn’t lied to Shelby. Jarvis and Dalton had wanted her to pursue a law career because of the family business. Her sexual tastes were also similar to Cain’s. Their parents hadn’t been disappointed in their sexual preferences, but to have them be so open about their lifestyle made both Jarvis’s and Dalton’s dreams of grandchildren dim. Had Dalton only lived to see Hayden, he would have been delighted.
Muriel was two years younger than Cain, but unlike her cousin, she still wanted the pleasure of meeting a lot more women in the city, so settling down was out of the question. Even if she had considered it, watching Cain work through the pain of Emma leaving her put it right out of her mind.
Merrick leaned against the desk near Emma, like she did when Cain was in the chair. “Your packages are under some very watchful eyes at the club,” she assured Emma. “Don’t worry, I put our best guys on the job. With Cain out of commission, the feds are backing off. It’s weird, really. Do they think business doesn’t go on without her here?”
“Your boss just played them like a bunch of pimple-faced rookies, and they’re reeling from what happened,” Muriel interjected so they could move to the subject at hand. “The shipment sitting out there is legit.”
“All of it?” asked Mook.
“Down to the no-name cigarettes in the last truck. My uncle Dalton always said be careful of jumping to a conclusion about anyone or anything. Even though someone’s always done something a certain way, he may take another route every so often. Kyle learned that the hard way, and according to my connections at the federal building, he’s in custody for shooting Cain.”
Emma leaned forward in her chair and put her hands on the desk. “What are you talking about?”
“The story on the street is Kyle was working for Giovanni Bracato and shot Cain on his order. Mr. Bracato was using this as the culminating act to finish the turf war he’s fought with Cain and the other families to take over all the neighborhoods and rackets in the city. With Cain still alive and Kyle in custody, it stands to reason he seized Hayden walking this morning unprotected.
“Nothing will happen to him, Emma. Not yet anyway. Big Gino needs him as an insurance policy for whatever talking Kyle’s doing against him. My guess is he wants us to use our relationships and political connections to take care of that loose end.” Muriel crossed her legs and tried to look relaxed before she asked a question. “But what happens if he doesn’t take the bait you’re going fishing with, Emma?”
“If something happens to Hayden, I’ll trade Bracato’s entire family, with his dead body at the top of the pile, for our son. I’ll pull the trigger myself, if that’s what’s necessary for Mr. Bracato to see I’m serious. There’s no way I go back to Cain and tell her I failed and let harm come to Hayden.”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. If Giovanni put one bruise on Hayden, the streets would run red from the war that would erupt. Going against someone’s child was just not done.
Merrick put her hand on Emma’s back as a sign of encouragement and peered over her head at Muriel. “You want us to call you tonight?”
“I feel like a drink and some dancing, so you won’t have far to look for me.”
“Is that a smart thing for you, Muriel?” asked Emma. “You are, after all, an officer of the court.”
“I’m also Cain’s advisor on everything concerning the business. There’s very little I don’t know, Emma. I just don’t share that knowledge with too many people. If that makes me a criminal as well, so be it, but this is my family too. To me that’s all that’s important.”
“Good to know.”
“Emma, we’re ready when you are,” Mook said when he got off his cell.
“Then let’s go.”
The car waiting outside had completely tinted windows in the back. Once Merrick had seated her new boss, and she and Mook climbed in, they all turned to the small brown-eyed passenger with his legs curled into his middle, crying.
“It’s all right, honey,” Emma cooed, as she took the crying child from one of Cain’s men. The little boy looked up, and his crying slowed to just sniffles.
The driver glanced at Emma. “Christ. Glad you’re here. The kid hasn’t quit bawling since we snatched him in the park. Dumb nanny wasn’t watching the s
troller. Cain would’ve had her head for pulling a stunt like that.”
Emma dried the baby’s tears. “You sure are a cute one, aren’t you? You don’t have to be afraid. We’re on our way to see your grandfather. No one is going to hurt you, little guy, so just relax.” The little boy put his index finger in his mouth and leaned against her, closing his eyes as her soothing voice continued.
The car moved in the direction of Gino Bracato’s warehouse. Muriel had called ahead and used her usual verbal persuasion to get them past the front door or, in this case, to the front door to pick up a lone Gino, shifting from one foot to the other as he watched for the car to arrive. He was obviously worried about the safety of the small passenger.
The FBI team assigned to Bracato, back on live surveillance, was surprised to see the man come out of his offices and get into the limo. The agents, shocked that none of Bracato’s men got in after him and that the car pulled away quickly, called for backup to follow the mystery visitors and see what they were up to with Big Gino.
“Mr. Bracato, thank you for joining us on such short notice.” Emma pulled the child resting against her shoulder tighter against her body and smiled. “I was enjoying the trip over here with your grandson.”
“Listen to me, bitch. You hurt him, and I’ll spend the rest of my days hunting you down.”
“Merrick, if he curses in front of the baby again, please knock out some of those teeth. Good manners are so hard to instill in the young, Mr. Bracato. No sense in giving him a head start on how not to act.”
After both Mook and Merrick eased their jackets open to show Bracato what would happen, he didn’t move to get closer to her and the boy. Instead, he smiled and tried to turn on the charm, though Emma noticed a piece of spinach in his yellowed teeth.
