by Ali Vali
“And if I had to guess, I’d say you’ve been going behind my back and talking to Emma,” Cain said, and Muriel’s head snapped up. “She told me pretty much the same thing last night, but I know what happens when I relax.”
“You do that to yourself and you’ll be miserable.”
“Are you back with Shelby?”
The way Muriel’s forehead scrunched showed how much the question confused her. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Muriel’s answer let Cain know what she was gut-sure about. “It has to do with everything. I can’t relax until what needs to be done gets done. If this was Shelby, would you appreciate me telling you to relax and forget about a threat?”
“You can’t compare my relationship with Shelby to yours.”
Cain sighed and dropped her feet to the floor. “On that point you’re right because I know nothing of your relationship with her. No,” she said when Muriel opened her mouth to interrupt her. “I didn’t say that as a reprimand or as an opening for you to tell me something you haven’t up till now. You obviously don’t feel it’s any of my business.”
A beat of silence went by as Muriel clearly waited for Cain to finish. “I don’t know. That sounded suspiciously like a reprimand.”
“My view on this subject hasn’t changed, and it won’t. Your happiness is important to me, and if this woman gives you that, I’ll accept it and wish you the best. But,” she raised her finger, “you can’t have it both ways, Muriel. Play Russian roulette with your life, but not with mine.”
“I’m not sure how this conversation became all about me, and I usually don’t get upset with you, but if you can have it all, why not me?” Muriel asked a little louder than she usually spoke to Cain.
“Like you said, you can’t compare your relationship with mine. Emma screwed up and we made it through, but you do that with Shelby, and I’ll see my family for the rest of my life with a glass partition between us.” The phone rang and Cain picked it up and put it back down. “I’ll never turn my back on you, you know that, but our business relationship will change if this is the course you choose.”
“That’s a lot of buts, Cain. Remember, though, this is my family too.”
“You’re right and you’re wrong about that,” Jarvis Casey said to Muriel from the door. He made his way inside relying on his cane, weak from a recent bad bout with the flu.
“Da.” Muriel stood and took his arm and Cain the other so they could help him into Cain’s comfortable seat behind the desk. “What are you doing out?”
“An old man gets tired of looking at the same thing all the time, so no fussing. Besides, after hearing what you just said, I’m glad I made the trip.”
Cain kissed him on the forehead. “Muriel doesn’t need a lecture, Uncle Jarvis.”
“No lectures, but a lesson never hurt anybody,” he said and laughed, which caused a round of heavy coughing.
Cain went to the bar and poured him a finger of whiskey. “Don’t worry about that either. If I can’t argue with Muriel, then who can I go a round with?”
“Thanks,” he said after he’d drained the glass. “Muriel.” He pointed to the closest visitor’s chair. “You’re a part of this family, but the family is Cain’s. It’s our way, and for generations the oldest child of the previous clan chief might have led us. But sometimes someone else emerged as the strongest one. That’s the case with Cain on both those criteria. Dalton was my brother, and when he died my loyalties didn’t die with him. They went to Cain because they’re rightfully hers. If you can’t abide by her decisions then you better pick your path and pray she keeps her word that she’ll never turn her back on you.”
“I can’t have an opinion?” Muriel sounded as disturbed with her father as she was with Cain.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” he said, and started coughing again. “I haven’t said anything up to now, but you’re sleeping with an FBI agent. If you weren’t my child and I didn’t love you the way I do, I’d say you’re insane and I’d ask Cain to banish you myself.”
“Women do sometimes drive us to insanity, uncle, but Muriel’s choice won’t drive her from her place here.” Cain tapped over her heart as she looked at Muriel. “Unfortunately, your father’s right. Your relationship is what it is, and I don’t fault you for your feelings. But you’ll have to choose. I won’t bend on this—ever.”
“I gave her up once, but I don’t know if I’ve got it in me to do it again.”
“No one’s asking you to,” Cain said as she sat next to Muriel. “You were the one who asked me for more responsibility when we were in the thick of this, and even though I didn’t think it was right for you, I caved.”
“But if I stay with Shelby, you’ll cut me out again.”
“Not completely, since I’m not a total idiot who depends only on bootlegging,” Cain said, and knocked the side of her head with her knuckles. “This thing isn’t that thick. You have plenty of choices, from working with the clubs to joining Remi and the guys at the studio. I just want you to be happy and I want to make sure I don’t give you any information that you might accidentally share with Shelby. That’s for your protection as well as mine.”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Muriel said, sounding like she was speaking more for Jarvis’s benefit. “Shelby’s different from anyone I know, and it’s hard to ignore how I feel with her.”
“It’s an act,” Jarvis said. “You sit there and tell me you believe she’s not working when she’s with you?”
“We try to leave those things at the door.”
Jarvis shook his head and started coughing again. “You said you haven’t decided, so let’s drop it for now,” Cain said, pouring Jarvis a small amount of water. “Let me take you home,” she told him, “and we’ll let Muriel get back to work.”
“I can take him,” Muriel said.
“I promised Emma lunch, so it’s on my way. Actually, Uncle Jarvis, you can join us if you want.”
“I’d love to.” Jarvis accepted Muriel’s help up and kissed her cheek. “I love you,” he told her. “And I’m proud of you. Don’t forget that and don’t forget what I said.”
“With both of you reminding me, how could I?” Muriel answered after she kissed his cheek.
“You can choose the devil himself to love, and I’ll still pray for one thing—that you have the kind of happiness I had with your mum. Cain has learned what all the Caseys have at some point—to find the one who completes you is a gift you shouldn’t squander.” He placed his hand against her cheek and smiled. “My hope for you is that you don’t let anything stand in your way when you find that other half you’re missing. If that’s how you handle it, I’ll accept whoever that might be. Do you promise to remember that?”
“Always, Da.”
He nodded and smiled so widely he appeared strong again, despite his stooped shoulders and shaky hands. He’d shown Cain what it meant to be a good parent, and she committed the lesson to heart since her children might be in the same situation one day.
Chapter Three
“What now?” Anthony coughed as the dust blew through the windows while they traveled west along what seemed to be a goat path.
Juan sat next to him with his head back and his eyes closed again. “The plan has no changed since the last time you ask me, so stop bitching.”
“I realize we’re going somewhere. I just want to know where since I’m in a foreign country illegally.” They hit another pothole and he wanted to ask the driver to stop before he threw up the Coke they’d given him once they made it across the border.
“Relax, we do that shit all the time and nobody get hurt,” Juan said, and finally opened his eyes. “We got to make it to the coast and find the boat my mama gots waiting. Hope you don’t get the seasickness.”
“Boat to where?”
“Cabo San Lucas,” the driver said, as if to put him out of his misery.
“Sí, Cabo,” Juan said. “My mama’s house is there and she help us get bac
k to the U.S. after we take care of a few things.”
“Want to share what that is, or do you want to take another nap?” To their right the flat terrain was starting to give way to rock clusters that appeared higher than the truck. Every so often a thatch roof held up by only four posts dotted the desolate area, and Anthony was amazed to see children running close by. The scene was as surreal as he felt.
“I no sleeping, amigo, I thinking,” Juan said, tapping the side of his head. “You should be trying too, because we in some deep mierda. But if you too tired, me and my mama, we take care of you.”
“Whatever our plan is, we have to wait before we try to go back. After what happened, Casey isn’t the only person we need to worry about. The Feds should be high on your list. I’m sure my old boss and team have warrants out for us right now, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a federal prison.”
“Chinga , the Feds are happy catching the crumbs we give,” the driver said. “The real action is like shit under their noses they don’t smell.”
“Thanks for the big elaborate explanation,” Anthony said. The heat was finally breaking even though the sun was now high, and the slightest smell of salt was coming through the windows. “Just remember, Juan—those warrants have my name on them too. You’re cracked if you think I don’t want some say in whatever we do next.”
The truck sounded like it would choke out as it climbed the steepest hill so far, and when they made it to the top they all fell silent as the Sea of Cortez came into view. To Anthony, it seemed out of place butted up against the sparse, harsh landscape, but for some reason he felt a peace that had been nonexistent the prior month.
They stopped at an area with some rickety buildings and a tiny pier that looked ridiculously small with a large vessel tied to it. At the end, a stunning woman stood in a sleeveless white shirt and pants that contrasted well with her dark skin and jet hair. Juan jumped from the vehicle and ran down the long, narrow pier until he was able to wrap his arms around her.
“Take care, amigo, and don’t fall off,” the driver told him, pointing to the boat and laughing.
By the time Anthony made it to the end of the pier the woman was again standing alone, and she looked at him like a lioness with a small animal under her paw. The wide smile he’d seen from the truck was gone and her hands were fists resting on her hips.
“Welcome, Mr. Curtis.” She held out her hand to him after a good five minutes of staring. “I’m Gracelia Luis Ortega.”
Juan’s mother’s English was better than his, and from only the brief sentence he could tell she had more polish than her son would ever possess.
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” It was an inane thing to say, but his mind had gone blank. In fact he couldn’t find any trace of her in Juan’s features, making him wonder what Mr. Ortega looked like.
“My son took a great chance trusting you,” she said, and let go of his hand. “Are you sure you’re worthy of that trust?”
The driver’s laughing comment suddenly bled away Anthony’s calm. He was about to board a boat that would sail over water where gray whales came to give birth, but also swarmed with sharks, the great white being at the top of the food chain. The possibility of being thrown in along the way make him think carefully about his every word.
“I helped him try to take something he wanted and got him out alive when his plan didn’t work.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried not to act nervous. “Because I did that, I can never go back to the life I had. That’s the sacrifice I made for Juan so, yes, I’m positive I’m worthy of his trust and yours.”
“Then you are prepared to do what needs to be done?” she asked, and he nodded. “You’re a smart man, so if you ignore the position we’re in you won’t live past this month, since even my brother is hunting us.” Gracelia relaxed one hand and waved him toward the boat. “To board means you admit Juan and I are your only friends.”
“I will if you admit I’m not your enemy.”
“Done.”
He laughed and followed her up the gangplank. “That was easy.”
“Don’t mistake fast and easy with foolish, Agent Curtis. My son,” Gracelia said softly as she got close enough to him that he could feel her warmth, “might act with the inexperience of youth, but I have no such problem. You’ve been running toward me for the last couple of months, which was smart of you because it gave you time to hide your tracks. That gave me enough time to find out what we’re up against. Try to screw us over and I’ll present you to whoever will give me the most in return, and believe me, the list is long. Remember that if you do something stupid.”
“Done.”
*
The key in Muriel’s hand represented a new aspect to her relationship with Shelby, and while it had been easy for Shelby to convince her to accept it, she heard her father’s disapproving whisper every time she used it. As she slipped it into the lock she knew she was creating another thin layer in the barrier that would someday separate her from Cain.
“Tough day, baby?” Shelby was wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“Same old stuff.” The short conversation was as close as they ever got to talking business, and they’d been careful not to walk any harder on that spread of eggshells. “How about you?”
“Still no sign of Anthony or Juan, and instead of putting more people on it, my boss thinks we need to focus on more important things.”
She accepted the drink Shelby held up and the kiss she offered. “Let me guess, the Casey family exploits?”
“For once you aren’t my responsibility outside this house.” Shelby sipped her drink, wheezing as the aged whiskey glided down. “I asked Annabel for a transfer and she obliged me.”
“Let me guess again, you got put on Remi or Ramon’s detail so you can still keep an eye on us?”
“Wrong again.” Shelby went back into the kitchen and lifted the lid on a large pot.
Muriel looked over her shoulder and smiled at the huge amount of beef stroganoff. “Expecting someone or do I look skinny?”
“Don’t freak out, but I invited some people over since I won’t see them every day. My team isn’t real happy with me for asking for a new assignment, so this is my peace offering.”
The whiskey in Muriel’s glass was her family’s favorite and now a staple in Shelby’s house, so it was laced with memories and traditions that made up her life. At least that’s what it usually tasted like, but sharing it with Shelby made it taste as if something was missing or different. Her family, especially her father, believed firmly in going with his gut because he’d seen his brother Dalton fly high through life with that as his only weather vane.
Muriel stared at the amber liquid and her gut reaction was to put the glass down and walk out. Then she looked at Shelby. Love pulled harder even though it pulled her away from the familiar and the comfortable.
“I feel special, then,” Muriel said, and poured herself a bit more. “You’re letting me into the club?”
“Can I be honest with you?”
“Eventually you’ll see that I’m probably the only one you can be honest with.”
“I’m not happy.”
“With?” she asked, and had to place her hand on the counter near the stove to steady herself.
Shelby saw the walls go up immediately and had to play the rest of this talk carefully. “With my job, not you, baby. This next assignment is crap, but I don’t want to go back to the old one.” She placed her hand on Muriel’s face. “If we’re always on opposite sides, we won’t make it.”
“You actually see a solution?”
Shelby took Muriel’s drink out of her hand so she could get close enough to lay her head on her chest. “Not yet, but eventually I’ll have to because I won’t lose you again.”
“You sound sure of that, but I’m not.”
“Why?” she asked, trying to keep Muriel from emotionally pulling away from her even more.
“Be honest about the problem and wha
t it’ll take to fix it. I mean the only thing. I’ve looked at this from every angle and one of us has to give up what we do.”
“I’d never ask you to do that, and I doubt you’ll ask me either, so what’s the answer?” Shelby looked up and for the first time since they’d met, she clearly saw the amount of sadness in Muriel’s eyes.
“Then it isn’t a matter of asking but of sacrificing. When the time comes you’ll keep your place and I’ll change mine,” Muriel said.
Shelby suddenly visualized Annabel’s expression when she had asked for permission to find a way into Cain’s business. Her request was at Muriel’s expense, and she had to confess that fact now or lose more than her place within the Bureau. “You’d do that for me?”
“I care for you, Shelby, and I don’t think I realized how much until today. If I have to choose, I’ll choose you.”
“Baby,” Shelby put her fingers over Muriel’s mouth, “I don’t want you to regret a rash decision. You do that and I’ll lose you no matter what.”
“Stir your stuff and forget about all that tonight. We don’t have to think about this right this minute.” Muriel smiled and kissed her forehead. The doorbell rang and Shelby didn’t move from Muriel’s arms. “You want me to get it?” When Shelby nodded, Muriel kissed her again before she moved away.
“Fuck,” Shelby whispered as she bent over the counter. She hadn’t expected Muriel to say all that, but she couldn’t tell Annabel she’d changed her mind. She and Muriel hadn’t declared their love, but Muriel seemed at war about it. Shelby loved her and knew what it would cost Muriel with Cain and the rest of the Caseys if she gave in to it and still did what she needed to do. If she was successful, Muriel would never believe Shelby’s feelings were genuine, only that she’d used Muriel to ruin her family.
“Shelby,” Claire Lansing said, and placed her hand on her back. “You okay?”
