by Ali Vali
They made it to the edge of the yard that led to the woods and found Timothy standing there. “Where you two going?” he asked, smiling, which made him look even meaner because of his crooked, rotting teeth. “Couldn’t wait to get to me, huh?” He laughed.
She looked at Kristen and motioned for her to stay put. “I’m just sending her away so we’ll have time alone.” She dropped her bag and walked slowly toward him. “Close your eyes. I got a surprise for you,” she said to Timothy, with the most relaxed smile she could manage.
“Well, come on, girl. I can’t wait to get going,” he said, his eyes shut so tight he had deep lines next to them.
The rock was really too big for her hand but she wanted the first blow to count. She didn’t hesitate as she swung and connected with the part of his head she could reach. Her strike produced a lot of blood and he bent over, putting his hands over the large cut the jagged part of the rock had made. With her sister’s encouragement, she lifted it over her head with both hands and brought it down as Timothy turned his head and reached for her.
His knees buckled and he fell forward, the side of his head now bleeding from the huge gash she’d opened. It was dark, but in the moonlight she could see he wasn’t breathing, and she couldn’t go back. She stuffed the rock in the bottom of her bag and took Kristen’s hand. The hike through the woods took five days, and the small amount of food had run out by the time they hitched their first ride.
The problem was, no matter how many miles and time she put between her and her old life, she couldn’t completely erase what she’d done and who she was. Timothy Pritchard had been a bastard, but his death was on her head and she’d kept that rock all those years to remind herself how true that was. Getting caught would cost so much more than her time with Kristen now. She refused to burden Remi with having to wait for her to pay for her sins.
*
“Johnny didn’t catch us before we made it to the interstate, and what I did that night hasn’t caught up with me yet,” Dallas said, feeling drained.
“Did you want to be with that guy the night that happened?” Emma asked.
“No,” she said, louder than she’d intended, and glanced over to make sure Cain was still sleeping.
“Then you were only protecting yourself from rape, and what happened was self-defense. As for Remi,” Emma said, placing her hands over hers.
“I don’t know how to tell her.”
“That’s not what you have to ask yourself. Do you trust her or not? And do you trust what you have together?”
“She’s right,” Remi said, walking into the room. “I love you for who you are. Who you were before you came into my life shaped the woman I know.”
How much had Remi overheard? Dallas buried her face in her hands and thought of running from the room to keep from having to face her. “How can you love me? I’m nothing but used and broken.”
Emma stood and moved to the bed, where she sat next to Cain. “I wish Cain and I could leave to give you the privacy you need, but we can’t,” she said, smiling.
“I don’t have to hide what I have to say,” Remi said. She moved and knelt before Dallas. “Emma’s right. You didn’t ask for what happened to you, and what happened because of it isn’t indefensible. You fought for yourself and Kristen, and now you don’t have to do it alone. I love you enough to carry the weight of that rock, but only if you let me. You have to decide to trust me not to hurt you.”
“I trust you, but you deserve better than me.”
“For me there is no one else, querida. I don’t want to pretend what you went through didn’t happen, but I want to help you accept that you don’t have to go through this alone anymore.” Remi reached out and it felt good to lean into her touch. “I love you with all I am, and I promise no one will ever hurt you like that again whether you stay with me or not.”
“It’s so hard.” And it was. Her movie success didn’t matter to the scared little girl inside her.
“Just think about what happens going forward. I can’t change the past, but I’ll be the one constant in your life. Nothing you’ve done willingly or had to endure unwillingly will drive me away,” Remi said, her face wet with tears. “As for my mother, she loves you and she’ll be fine with whatever you feel comfortable sharing with her.”
“See, I told you,” Emma said. “She’s a keeper.”
“Yes.” She moved forward and pressed herself to Remi. “I may or may not deserve this, but I love you too, and I don’t want a life away from you.” She figured her face looked like hell from all the crying but she felt happy—truly happy, which was a foreign concept. The future would be easier with a partner and friends who now knew the truth and still found her worthy.
Timothy Pritchard, though, was a ghost that would continue to haunt her no matter how powerful Remi or Cain was.
Chapter Seventeen
Their business meetings were going well, but Marisol Delarosa wasn’t paying attention to her father’s business manager, Miguel, as he rattled off figures. Her mind was on Cain Casey in the hospital and what had happened earlier in the day. The information had come from Rodolfo Luis, and she still hadn’t figured why he’d told her father.
“Are we boring you?” Hector asked.
“Never, Papa, but we’re still missing the piece that would finish what we need. I’m thinking about Cain, and why we heard it from Rodolfo,” she said, glancing at Miguel. “I thought we’d made some connections here.”
“We have,” Miguel said, sounding defensive. “But Cain isn’t vital to the connections we need to make. We have other priorities.”
“I think she gets the point,” Tomas Blanco said.
She smiled at her father’s guard for coming to her defense, even if she didn’t need his help to hold her own. “Funny, because these past weeks all I’ve heard is how much easier she’ll make this.”
“A mysterious group doing stupid things didn’t cause Cain’s condition,” Hector said as he clipped the end of his cigar. “The FBI has an interest that borders on over-obsessive, probably because she’s eluded them so successfully. She’s become a frustration with no outlet to those agents.”
“So they picked her up and put her in the hospital.”
Her father studied the cigar he was rolling between his fingers to loosen the tobacco, as if he were trying to come up with an answer. “I don’t know why or for what reason,” he said, finally lifting his eyes to hers. “But neither did Rodolfo, so he’s not that far ahead of us.”
“Do you know who killed the dealers in Biloxi, and Cain and Remi’s people?” she asked, not really pinpointing anyone.
“Like I’ve said, we’ve got other things going on,” Miguel said.
“Papa, we’ll finish later,” she said, standing and waving Tomas off. She left, knocked on the door next to their suite, and picked one of her father’s men. “Call down for a car,” she said to the young guy, whose name she couldn’t remember.
“Marisol,” Tomas said, coming up behind her.
“Go back and finish with my father.” The way he acted at times made her realize they needed to have a frank talk soon. Tomas had feelings for her that she’d never return, and he was having more difficulty hiding them.
“Where are you going?” His question made the guy she’d told to order a car freeze a few feet from the door.
“Tomas, you forget yourself,” she said, pointing for the other guard to do what she’d asked. “I answer only to my father, so go back inside.” She met his glare with her own. “I believe I told you to order a car,” she told the man behind her since she didn’t hear footsteps. “Now.”
“Marisol, I’m only interested in your well-being,” Tomas said, lifting his hand to touch her.
She grabbed it before he got the opportunity. “I know my father trusts you with his life, but your job doesn’t give you any privileges with me.”
“Your father trusts me with your care as well, and I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are.”<
br />
“When I get back the three of us are going to talk and I’ll explain what level of care I need.” She followed the guard to the elevator, not giving Tomas another look. “What’s your name?” she asked the man once the doors closed.
“Fidel Lopez, ma’am,” he said, playing with a button on his jacket.
“Fidel, how would you like a promotion?” Her question made him stare at her as if she’d suddenly switched to English. “It seems I need a bodyguard, and I’m offering you the job.”
“What would I have to do?”
“Keep my confidences and not tell anyone where we’ve been, even if that person is Tomas.”
“Señor Tomas is the boss.”
“Tomas’s money doesn’t pay your wages, Fidel, and if you want to make more, you’ll remember that. The job with me is yours if you want it, but if you’re loyal to Tomas I’ll see to it that you’re sent back to do day labor in Colombia.” She laughed when he nodded so fast he almost knocked himself out on the back of the elevator wall. “Good, let’s pay a visit to the one everyone says is our future.”
“Who’s that?”
“An Irish god, if I’m to believe all the hype.”
*
The drive after Muriel dropped Shelby off had helped cool her temper, so she decided it was time to talk to Cain to see what she knew about Shelby’s parents. Turning into the driveway of Cain’s house she was shocked not to see any surveillance outside except for the security walking the walls.
She felt strange ringing the bell, but this didn’t feel like an extension of her home any longer. When Sabana answered the door she tried to keep her face neutral after seeing the shoulder holster that most of Cain’s security preferred. The look on Sabana’s face made it hard not to show emotion, considering this was the same person who was sweet enough to visit after her father’s death.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Cain, so bring the attitude down a notch before I tell her you need a leash. She’s not a fan of guards who are aggressive for no reason.”
The electric whirl of Merrick’s wheelchair broke the silence. “Come in, Muriel.” Merrick touched Sabana’s side and got her to move away from the door.
“Are you two the gatekeepers now, or are you under orders to keep me away?” She tried not to stare at the side of Merrick’s head where the bullet had entered. The spot had left a scar, visible since her hair hadn’t grown back to the usual length.
“I just asked you to come in so, no, we’re not trying to bar you. We figured you’d be at the hospital, though.”
The house was quiet for this time of day, and she glanced around the foyer, trying to see into the downstairs rooms. “Why would I be at the hospital?”
“Shelby had to have told you,” Merrick said, backing away and steering toward the kitchen.
“Tell me already.” She didn’t want to think about the possibilities of more loss.
“Shelby’s team picked up Cain today and blamed her for what happened to Shelby’s parents, so I’m surprised she didn’t mention the lead suspect,” Merrick said slowly, seeming frustrated. “After they stopped her they beat her and didn’t stop until she ended up in the hospital.”
“What time was that?”
Merrick’s answer meant that Shelby’s lone visit to the office was while Cain was in custody.
“Thanks,” she said, pulling her keys out. She had to get to the hospital, and thankfully the one Cain was in was only a few blocks away.
After showing her ID, she took the elevator up to find Emma talking to Remi and Dallas, surrounded by a few guards. When Emma’s gaze fell on her, Emma’s expression turned from a smile to something much angrier.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” she said, stopping when Emma put her hand up.
“Why are you here at all?” Emma asked, obviously not caring who overheard.
“Emma, be fair. Cain’s my family.”
“Your family?” Emma laughed. “If you mean that, you’ve got an interesting way of showing it. You couldn’t even ask why I came to ask for your help. Instead of taking a few seconds, you had other priorities.”
“All I’m asking is for you to be fair, and that’s not,” she said, looking at Emma and feeling a pain in her chest. It was hard to accept that she was a stranger to her family.
“No, Muriel, that’s the truth, and I won’t sugarcoat it for you like Cain’s done so far.” Emma pushed her toward the nurses’ station with more strength than she thought Emma could muster. “Get out and go back to what you think is important, because I don’t want you here.”
“I’ll go, but what’s wrong?”
“They beat her until she was unconscious with a concussion because of Shelby’s parents. Those assholes think she either did it or ordered it, and instead of doing something earlier, you didn’t even bother to ask.” Emma began to push her again and Muriel grabbed her by the wrists.
“Muriel, don’t make this harder on yourself,” Lou said, shaking his head. “Let her go.”
“You don’t have the right to keep me from seeing her.”
“The hell I don’t,” Emma said, slapping her. “Go home and forget about what you care nothing about.”
Emma was upset, but Muriel couldn’t back down as she stood there feeling the heat of her cheek. “You can’t believe that.”
“You haven’t bothered to see what this is doing to her, have you? You’re screwing the woman who wants to put her away or on death row. You don’t deserve the name you’ve been gifted with,” Emma said, finally bringing her voice down. “Your cut was as close to fatal as you could have made it. You went from being her closest friend and confidante to sleeping with someone who can kill and hurt with impunity.”
Lou had come up behind Emma as she said, “I don’t want to believe you’ve forgotten what you were, but you don’t leave me a choice. Get out.”
*
The short woman was out of control, and as much as Marisol wanted to watch the commotion, she couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Three crisp twenties got her the room number she needed, and another one got her the best way to reach it.
“This is why you always have to pay attention, Fidel,” she said as they entered Cain’s room.
The woman who everyone talked about like little boys talk of superheroes didn’t disappoint, despite the cuts and bruises that seemed to be concentrated on her face. Marisol took her time looking at Cain and felt the pull even though she was sleeping. She had to laugh at the foreignness of the attraction. Young men with rippling muscles were much more to her taste.
With a quick nod she sent Fidel to the door so she could get closer. She ran her fingers gently along the bruise on her temple and grimaced when she saw the cut at its center held together with very small, even black stitches. Her touch didn’t wake Cain so she moved to her lips and, with only her fingernail, traced the edges, finally causing Cain’s face to tense.
As Cain’s eyes opened so did the door, and the noise the small blonde made caused her to move back from the bed. Before she could call Fidel back to her side he was pinned to the wall by the big guy they’d seen outside, and from the way Fidel was pawing at the long arm, the man was applying enough pressure to shut off his airway.
“You don’t have a lot of time before your man can’t hold his breath anymore,” Cain said, sounding rather alert for having just woken up.
Marisol hesitated, keeping her eyes on Cain, but could hear Fidel grunting behind her. When she turned she saw the panic in his eyes since the ape hadn’t shown any mercy. “I’m Marisol Delarosa,” she said, watching as the big man now hesitated before letting up. With what looked like one last harder squeeze he did, and Fidel fell limp to the floor.
Cain laughed in a way that sounded like true enjoyment. “You see that, Lou,” Cain said as the short blonde walked past her and sat on the bed. “No way I’ll ever treat you like you’re expendable.”
“That might be good advice for you, Ms. Dela
rosa,” the blonde said. “I highly doubt he’ll put himself in harm’s way for you.”
“What can we do for you?” Cain asked, putting her hand in the blonde’s lap.
“You both know who I am,” she said, moving to the chair and sitting. “Who are you?” she asked, tilting her head slightly in the blonde’s direction.
“Emma Casey. And the other lesson you should try to learn is to keep your hands off people who don’t belong to you.”
“You are the one with no manners. I only came to convey my family’s concern for what happened to you,” she said to Cain, deciding instantly she didn’t like Emma. “My father speaks so highly of you and is thinking of possibilities for us to work together.”
“Thank you,” Cain said, and her eyes seemed to be dissecting her as if she could figure her out by something external. “Your father was helpful the one time I asked him for some information. If I can do the same for him one day, I’d be glad to return the kindness, but our businesses have nothing in common.”
“You’ll see how persuasive he can be. Both of us, actually.”
“Ms. Delarosa,” Cain said as she elevated the head of the bed.
“Marisol,” she said, and smiled.
“Ms. Delarosa, I appreciate the visit,” Cain said. “I’ll be sure to thank your father for sending you, but this isn’t the time to try to broker deals and build alliances.”
“At least you seem open to the possibilities.”
“No, that would be the last thing I would ever do now or in the future, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to rest.”
Marisol would prove to her father she was ready for her own territory by convincing Cain with incivility, since civility didn’t seem to work. “It was wonderful meeting you, and I’ll see you soon.”
“One thing,” Cain said, stopping her before she could move. “How did Hector know I was here?”
“How do you know my father told me?” She felt free to move closer to the bed. “I could be the one who found out.”
