by Ali Vali
He said good-bye to both of them again before he put Hannah on for a minute, then let Maddie talk.
“That one’s going to be a heartbreaker, Emma.”
“You mean you think they both won’t be?” Emma sat up after taking the handset back and turning off the speaker so Cain could answer a call on her cell phone. She watched as Cain grabbed a pen to write something down. “Are you doing okay with a house full of people, Maddie?”
“The kids are great, and I have to remind myself every so often that the men Cain left behind aren’t field hands. Mook may carry a gun, but he’s wonderful with Hannah and Hayden, and he helps Jerry when he can. Just a minute, I hear something.”
“Is anything wrong?”
Cain stopped talking and glanced at her quizzically.
“It’s just a visitor, but I can’t make out who it is yet. Oh.” Maddie exhaled loudly. “It’s just your father.”
“What’s going on, Maddie? You don’t usually hold your breath when you hear someone up the road.”
“I didn’t want to worry you, but your mother’s started coming by and asking a lot of questions about you. Since I’d never tell her the kids are here, it makes for some scrambles at times.”
Emma shook her head at Cain and smiled. “They’re fine, love. My father just got there.”
“What kind of questions is she asking, Maddie?”
“Just stuff like how often I talk to you and when you’re coming home. Nothing real specific that raises any red flags, and you know I won’t put up with her talking bad about you or Cain.”
“Why the sudden interest, do you think?”
“I have no idea. Just finish what you’re doing and leave the rest to Jerry and me. The kids will be waiting just like you left them.”
“And I’m looking forward to seeing them and you, Maddie. Call if you need anything.”
“You and Cain will be my first call, you know that.”
“Problems?”
Emma stared at the nightstand a few moments longer before answering. “Problems?” she repeated. “I’m not really sure.” She told Cain what Maddie had said about her mother.
“Does she know what the sudden interest is?” Cain pulled her shirt off and draped it over the arm of the chair near the closet. When Emma finally shook off her daze, Cain was dressed in just her underwear.
“I don’t know what her sudden interest is, but can I tell you about mine?” For someone who’d been shot, Cain looked incredibly good.
The deep laugh chased a delicious shiver through Emma.
“What are you interested in, lass?”
“For one thing, I’m interested in expanding my wanton ways,” she said as she stood up and presented her back to Cain, who seemed to take a torturously long time opening her zipper. She just let the dress fall to the floor, waiting to see if Cain liked what she saw. “Then I’m interested in hearing you moan.”
“How, pray tell, do you plan to do that?”
Emma needed no further words as she guided Cain to sit, but not before her plain white boxers came off. Once Cain was sitting, Emma stood before her and released her bra. Cain’s eyes were riveted as Emma slowly peeled the straps down, exposing her chest a little at a time. The awkwardness of her inexperience had long vanished, and she now enjoyed seeing the raw hunger in Cain.
“How about these? This was my latest little gift from Kevin.” Emma put her fingers in the sides of her underwear and smiled.
“Nice, but take them off,” Cain replied, her voice husky. “I want to see all of you.”
The black panties came down her legs, and Emma stood naked, wanting the need in her partner to rise a bit more. The throbbing between her legs increased when Cain’s nipples grew hard just from looking at her. How easy it would be to rush and reach the pinnacle only Cain could bring her to, but tonight wasn’t about fast. Tonight was about giving Cain the pleasure she deserved and making it last as long as Emma could drag it out.
With that goal in mind she grasped Cain’s hands before she could derail her plans. She dropped to her knees and guided Cain’s hands to the arms of the chair. “Just remember one word before we begin.” Emma sat back on her feet and gazed up at Cain with desire.
“What’s that?”
“Patience, love.” Emma let Cain’s hands go, knowing they would stay where she’d put them. “I want you, and I want it to last.” She leaned over and bit down gently on an alert nipple. “Can you give me that?”
Cain put her feet flat on the floor. “I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Good.” Emma sat back again so she could watch her hands wander from Cain’s shoulders down her body. She smiled when she saw how tightly Cain was gripping the chair as Emma’s unrelenting fingers traced every muscle in Cain’s chest and abdomen. “Lean back and relax for me, baby.”
“Relax, she says. Good one.” Cain obeyed anyway, falling back farther into the chair.
Emma stopped roaming and rested her hands at the apex of Cain’s legs. Their eyes stayed locked as Emma slowly opened Cain’s sex and lowered her mouth. With a feather-light touch of her tongue she started at the base of the hard clitoris and worked her way up slowly.
“You’re killing me with all this teasing, darlin’.” Though Cain complained a bit, she never moved her hands, and Emma never stopped or changed her tactics.
The one thing she did do was moan as Cain grew wetter and disobeyed her by lacing her fingers through her hair. Wanting to take her to the next level, she stopped licking and started sucking before Cain could protest.
Emma inched her closer to the sheer definition of pleasure, but before that happened, she lifted her head.
“Lass, this is no time to be stopping.” Cain’s voice sounded almost strangled.
Emma pinched Cain’s clitoris between two fingers, feeling how hard it was. “Tell me what you want.” She pinched harder, liking the way Cain’s hips bucked in response. “Tell me or I’ll stop.”
“I want you to love me forever.” Her hips bucked again as Emma increased the pressure. “And I want only you in my bed till I die.”
This time Emma had no intention of stopping. She sucked until the hands in her hair tightened their hold and she heard Cain scream her name, awed that she could affect Cain so powerfully.
Cain recovered quickly, though, and before Emma could say anything, she found herself on her back on the bed, soaked and ready. Cain’s fingers slid in slowly as her thumb started its delicious stimulation. The kiss Cain had initiated swallowed each one of her moans.
Cain was so tender that a warmth went through Emma that formed tears in her eyes, and she held on to Cain until the walls of her sex clamped down around the loving fingers. As her orgasm washed over her like a Caribbean wave, Emma broke their kiss and arched her back, wanting to get closer, and as in all aspects of their life together, Cain held her and made her feel safe.
“I love you so much.” Emma put her hands on Cain’s cheeks and gave her a blissful smile.
“I love you too, lass, and I’m more than willing to do it again if I didn’t get it right.”
“Honey, if you want me to leave the room tonight, then you got it plenty right.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Cain placed her hand gently on Emma’s cheek. “You couldn’t be more wanted,” she whispered, and Emma’s tears finally fell.
The door that led to Cain’s heart was locked once again, but now Emma was sitting on the inside where no one could touch her.
*
They took their time showering and getting ready for their evening out. Cain stayed with Emma the entire time, watching as she put on makeup and fixed her hair, wearing a new set of underwear. Seeing so much skin on display, Cain was flooded with memories of Emma’s pregnancy with Hayden, and she couldn’t wait to see Emma like that again. At the moment she felt like a spoiled child who wanted the shiny new bike she’d admired forever, but needed to clean her plate before she was allowed to have it. Big Gino was now her only barrier to t
he future she wanted.
“Are you all right, honey?”
Cain looked up as Emma stood before her with a bow tie in her hand. “Sorry, you caught me daydreaming. Did you say something?”
“I asked if you needed some help.” She held up the tie and received a nod. “You can daydream all you want as long as I fit in somewhere.”
“You dominate my dreams, lass.” Finished putting everything on but her jacket, Cain stood to help Emma get ready. They had to attend a dinner before heading over to the club, but they weren’t in a hurry.
“Thank you for saying so, but now I need you to focus on tonight.” Emma stepped into the dress she’d picked up earlier and let Cain zip her up. “Are our friends still out there?”
Cain walked to the window before answering. Stepping out to the balcony, Cain could see two surveillance teams. She lit a cigar as she observed the observers, pulling out her cell phone with a wink for Emma, who was slipping into her shoes. Cain knew that the watchers almost always wanted to ignore these types of calls, since she never used something so easy to listen in on.
“Lou, give us about twenty minutes. Then pull the car around.”
“We’re on it, Cain. You want to go out the back?”
Before she could answer, Emma joined her. “When you’re married to someone like Emma Casey, you always escort the lady out the front door.”
“Truer words, boss.”
The camera captured the embrace followed by a kiss, and the powerful mikes recorded the words. “Think they’re going to dinner at Carlotti’s?” Claire asked.
“There’s no way they won’t be there,” Shelby answered.
*
After weeks of silence and inactivity, the opening of Emma’s signaled more than a new place to dance in the city. As trucks made deliveries to Carlotti’s Italian Restaurant, a wiretap on the office phone caught a conversation between the restaurant manager and his boss, Vincent Carlotti.
Vincent had told him to bump a major anniversary party scheduled in the private dining room. At first the agents assigned to him hadn’t given it much thought, until the agents assigned to Ramon Jatibon reported two new arrivals at the Lakefront Airport. Ramon’s twins Remington and Mano had flown in on their private plane, traveling very light.
“The families are circling the wagons, and they’re probably going to discuss whatever’s bought them all together in that private dining room tonight.” More agents than Shelby thought worked in New Orleans now surrounded the restaurant owned by Vincent, waiting to catch snippets of the conversation. “The only ones missing are Giovanni and his boys, but that’s another story they’ll probably cover tonight.”
Claire nodded and readjusted some of the gear for better reception. “Vincent’s kid, Vinny, I know from my prior assignment, but what’s the story on the Jatibons?”
“Street name Snake Eyes, the twins are the next generation of that family’s empire. The daughter Remi will be the next head of the family, while her brother Mano runs their Las Vegas holdings. In a lot of ways Remi reminds me of Cain, at least when it comes to the revolving door on her bedroom. Just like our friend up there, Remi has had her fair share of beautiful women. The old man, Ramon, much like Vincent in his organization, still calls the shots, but the young guns wield a tremendous amount of power and influence within their respective families.” Shelby tapped her finger to her chin, trying to remember what else was in the file she’d read earlier when they were informed of the twins’ arrival.
“From what I know,” said Claire, “part of the holdings of all three families is legitimate.”
“True, but we’re interested in the part that’s not,” Shelby said. She clicked the camera again, catching the Caseys across the street with their heads together. “And they’re all smart. Dalton, Vincent, and Ramon raised pit vipers, but they’re anything but stupid. All of the children are college graduates—Remi even went to law school—and all of them are master tacticians.”
“Then how do we bring them down?”
“My father loves to build models of famous naval ships,” Shelby said.
Claire laughed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“He taught me that no matter how good the design of any ship, it always has flaws. Most are minor, but they’re flaws nonetheless.”
She concentrated on Claire, knowing Cain wouldn’t give up anything but soft whispers to Emma. “Find those flaws, and enough of them, and you can sink anything. These guys are smart, but no one’s perfect. Our job is to find the flaws.”
Chapter Forty-Six
“Welcome back to Carlotti’s, Mrs. Casey.” The head waiter escorted them through the din of the main dining room to where the rest of the families were waiting.
“Thank you.” Emma was perfectly content to walk at a leisurely pace while hanging on Cain’s arm. “It’s good to be back.”
For once the notoriously prompt Cain was fashionably late, but Emma could tell by their gait that Cain wasn’t worried about it.
“Is everyone here, Dominic?”
“Yes, ma’am. We were waiting for you and Mrs. Casey before we started preparing the salad. Mr. Vincent ordered the crabmeat for everyone tonight, and we want it to be perfect.” He bowed slightly, his hand on the doorknob.
Had it been anyone else, the forty-five minutes they’d kept Vincent waiting would have had them barred from the building for life. But Vincent was far from upset.
“You might want to hold off on that salad a little longer,” Vincent said to the waiter, when he opened the door and escorted the two women in, then just as quickly closed it, not bothering with the lock. “Welcome, Cain.” He took Emma’s hand and kissed it. “Emma.”
“Thank you for having us.”
“Tonight is for you and Cain, so please don’t thank me.”
Emma looked up at Cain, not understanding but confident she would fill in the blanks later. With a wink Cain walked them to the empty chairs at the table and pulled one out for Emma, who casually glanced around the room, recognizing all but a few people. Everyone was dressed to attend the opening of the club after the meal.
“Emma, I believe you know everyone except Remi and Mano Jatibon, and Mano’s wife, Sylvia,” Vincent said, playing the good host. “Raul shipped them off to make even more money for him.”
The twins, seated at their mother’s side, nodded in Emma’s direction. Vincent’s son Vinny and Ramon rounded out the party, and they too nodded in greeting. At the center of the antique table stood a bottle of Irish whiskey and glasses for everyone. Standing, Vincent broke the seal so he could start pouring.
“For months we have been facing a problem.” He spoke to no one in particular, and no one looked as if they were going to interrupt him for an explanation. “A problem that was growing stronger and more dangerous the longer we ignored it.”
Ramon continued, “And while it was a threat to all of our families, from the beginning our snake had its sights on one more than the rest.” He accepted a glass from Vincent, as did his wife and children.
Vincent picked up the tribute again, handing his son a glass. “We have all done our part to solve this problem, but one went beyond what was called for. For that we owe our gratitude.” The next two crystal glasses went to Emma and Cain before he hefted the last one for himself. “Cain, Ramon and I have worked in this city for a long time, building a legacy for our children.”
Ramon stood with his glass in hand again to tell part of the story. He had been the last to arrive in this country and this city, but he understood too well the importance of alliances. “Your father was no different, my friend. It still saddens me that you have had to go on without his counsel because of a pack of butchers.”
“Tonight belongs to you for another reason, Cain.” Vincent finally raised his glass and smiled. “And too long in coming, for which Ramon and I apologize.”
Emma felt Cain’s hand on her arm to keep her in her seat as she stood up and raised her glass as well. “No a
pologies are necessary among friends.”
“Perhaps not, but we’ll extend them anyway.”
When Cain shook her head, Vincent laughed and said, “Your father and I shared a very long friendship, and I was so happy for him the day you were born. The pride in his face only grew in the days that followed. Dalton understood the importance of family and of loyalty.”
His eyes then shifted to Emma. “You’ve given Cain the same gift Therese bestowed, and I see the same pride now blossom on Cain’s face. So in a way, I’m happy we waited to have this meeting.”
“Why?” It might not have been proper to speak, but Emma couldn’t help herself.
“Because, beautiful one, our lives and our businesses exist for our families,” Ramon answered. “We have to always remember that fact. It’s why Vinny, Remi, and Mano are here, as well as my wife.”
Vincent drew himself up, lifted his glass even higher, and formally addressed Cain. “Dalton had our respect and our loyalty because he earned it, and from your actions, Ramon and I can see he taught you well. I offer you the same, Cain. If you accept, I, Vincent Carlotti, offer you my friendship and my oath of protection to you and your family, should it be necessary.”
Ramon lifted his glass as well. “My offer is the same, and I look forward to working with you.”
“I accept,” was all Cain said, with no hesitation.
“To the head of the Casey family, then,” Vincent said.
Emma, Sylvia, and Marianna, Ramon’s wife, kept their seats, but the others stood and raised their glasses before drinking. Something important had just happened, and Emma knew that while Cain had always had power, the night’s events had just increased it tenfold. The old alliance had been formally re-formed, and Cain had replaced Dalton in the eyes of the other families. The muscle at both Vincent and Ramon’s disposal came with that acknowledgement.
Like the men standing with her, Cain had just pledged her help in return, if it should be needed. That meant she’d made a commitment Hayden would be expected to honor, just like Vinny, Remi, and Mano were willing to do for their families.
