The Devil Be Damned

by Ali Vali

“You could be, but you weren’t.” The way Cain smiled at her annoyed her because she felt she was being made fun of, and lying about how her father knew put her in a weak position. If she said her father was watching Cain, that implied she meant more to his operation than he’d ever admit. That was worse than telling her the information came from Rodolfo.

  “You’re right,” she said, smiling. “Papa told me.”

  “That I know, Ms. Delarosa, but I don’t know who told him.”

  “My father’s always on top of things,” she said, trying to keep her smile. “Like you said, you need your rest. Fidel,” she said to her man, who was back on his feet but still rubbing his neck. One backward glance at Cain gave her the impression her visit had been damaging.

  *

  Having no other option, Muriel sat in the floor’s waiting room watching the elevator. She was in the type of shock she had experienced the night Cain told her of her father’s death. Emma was a strong woman, but being on the receiving end of her protective streak had left her hurting.

  She needed to see Cain, but she also wanted to talk to Shelby and ask what had prompted her old team to make the arrest. The twentieth call, like all the others, went to Shelby’s voicemail for no reason, since her flight had arrived hours before. Muriel had called the airline to verify that.

  The ding of the elevator made her put her phone away. Katlin emerged and hesitated, then walked toward her. “I’m glad you’re here,” Muriel said, opening her arms to her cousin.

  “This is serious, Muriel,” Katlin said, letting her go and stepping back. “I hope you brought some new information, because I can’t explain why this happened.”

  “I came because Merrick told me what happened. Merrick, not you.” She was angry, but the only real target she could zero in on was herself. Fate had thrown all she’d ever known and what she’d come to want in the air, and all of it seemed out of reach. “Have I really screwed up that bad that you don’t include me?”

  “I’ve done nothing but defend you,” Katlin said, jabbing the space between them with her finger. “And you can choose to forget that you were one of the first people I called today. We needed you to do what you’re good at, but you didn’t come to the phone. Don’t try to lay a guilt trip on me.”

  “I’m sorry, but Emma just tore a piece of my ass and you’re giving me attitude.”

  Unlike Cain, who was slow to anger, Katlin grabbed her by the front of her shirt and dragged her into the one-person bathroom by the elevator. “You’ve been through your share lately, Muriel, but it’s time to pull your head out of your ass. Don’t you remember asking Cain for more to do?”

  “I was tired of sitting on the sidelines.”

  “She gave in,” Katlin said, throwing her hands up. “Probably not as much as you would’ve liked, but you fucking pay her back with Shelby? Do whatever the fuck you want, but remember that today Shelby’s team picked her up and spat on the law they love to brag about.”

  “How the hell would I know that?” she asked, pushing Katlin away from her. “Emma told me I couldn’t go in.”

  “Emma’s protecting what’s hers against what she doesn’t know anymore.”

  “You all honestly think that I’d betray Cain because I care for Shelby?”

  “I’m lucky,” Katlin said, straightening her jacket. “Merrick and I both think and care about the same things. If that weren’t the case and Merrick didn’t support what I do and what my family means to me, I’d have to choose what was most important.”

  “And you think Shelby’s my choice?”

  Katlin laughed but Muriel knew it was pure sarcasm. “You shouldn’t give a shit what I think. You should care what Cain thinks.”

  “Why’s that?” she asked, even though she was in no mood for the answer.

  “Cain will always love you, Muriel, but trusting you is another matter. You’ve given her no choice but to doubt you.”

  Katlin opened the door and walked out, and the silence she left behind was deafening.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Anything you want to tell me?” Cain asked Emma. After Marisol left, Emma still appeared on edge, which was making Cain a little crazy since she was trapped on the bed for now.

  “Why don’t we make a deal not to talk about work until you get out of here?”

  “Come here,” she said, not wanting to watch Emma pace any longer. Having Emma lie next to her actually alleviated her headache some. “You should check all my decisions while my head’s fuzzy, but I can’t just stop working, considering what’s going on.”

  “This isn’t a complaint, but do you think it’ll always be like this?” Emma asked, fooling with the tie on the hospital gown.

  “I could be a nice quiet accountant, lass, and we’d experience some of this turmoil because it’s human nature. People see something that looks better than what they have and they try their best to take it away from you.” She kissed Emma’s forehead and scratched the back of her neck. “Unlike the majority, though, I plan to dish out double what we’ve been through when the time is right.”

  “And that’ll prevent it from happening again?” Emma asked, looking up at her.

  “Maybe, and in some aspects, no.”

  “Then why do it?”

  “Because it’ll make us feel better,” she said, and smiled even though it hurt. “At least it’ll make me feel better to beat the crap out of someone who tried to mess up my good looks.” The joke hit the mark and Emma laughed. “Want to tell me now what’s bothering you?”

  The more Emma relayed about how Muriel had handled her calls, the more tense her shoulders became. “She’s here?” she asked when Emma finished.

  “She wants to see you,” Emma said, then hesitated. “I told her to go to hell.”

  “Don’t worry about that, but could you have one of the guys go get her?”

  “For what? Lame excuses are way late, and apologies won’t erase the bruises and the concussion.”

  “It’s time to give Muriel back something she’s been missing.”

  Emma sat up and combed her hair back into place. “Family’s important, but I’m not in a giving mood.”

  “She might not be in a receiving mood either, but I don’t want to be the one to sever her ties to us,” she said before kissing Emma’s palm. “Before I talk to her I need one thing from the house.” She’d thought long about what to do with the box she needed, but it was time. After today Muriel would either retake her place or be lost to her forever.

  *

  The night view from the suite didn’t appeal to Rodolfo. Instead he kept his eyes on the wide sidewalk and the stretch of street he could see from his window. Carlos had been gone all afternoon and Rodolfo was starting to worry, so he’d sent Fausto and a few others to look for him.

  Finally admitting that Carlos was his son had liberated his imagination and he had been spinning scenarios of what the future would hold as he started to hand over his business. When Dolores, Carlos’s mother, had told him she was pregnant, he’d come close to getting rid of her, but the beautiful peasant had touched something in him, and it enraged him to think of anyone else touching her.

  He’d lied to Carlos by saying Dolores had wanted to keep his identity secret, but back then it had been an embarrassment to father a child with a woman who barely read. No, Dolores’s hips and mouth had kept her in his bed for so long, and then he had Carlos in his life to do with as he pleased. But he hadn’t lied about being an old man.

  He had women whenever the mood struck him, but Dolores was the only one who’d given him a child. And whether he liked the idea completely, Carlos would be his only legacy.

  “Anything?” he asked Fausto when the phone rang. “Keep looking.”

  He glanced at his watch and decided to try a few of the bars they’d visited when they came to the city before. Wearing only his shirt and suit pants, he figured he looked like every other tourist out that night, and he left through the back of the hotel for Ramon’s club.
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  The street was fairly deserted and he whirled around when he heard footsteps close behind him. He really was getting old if a well-dressed young man could scare him for no reason. He returned the guy’s smile and turned back in the direction he was headed. Something bothered him, though, and he sped up his pace when the guy came even with him.

  “In a hurry, Rodolfo?”

  The way his name rolled from the man’s lips made him stop. His voice was familiar but his face wasn’t. “Who are you?”

  “I’m the past catching up with you,” the man said, standing under a streetlight, his face totally visible.

  The voice slammed into his head and he suddenly recognized it. This man had perfected Juan’s voice, but Rodolfo couldn’t identify him. “Aren’t you too old for riddles?” he asked, fighting the urge to run when he heard more footsteps.

  “If you think hard enough, I’m sure you’ll understand why I’m here, you son of a bitch.” The man’s laugh was the same as Juan’s. “Wasn’t that what you called me when you thought I wasn’t listening?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Or was it bastard?”

  This guy didn’t seem to need him for this bizarre conversation. While Rodolfo listened he looked around, trying to find a way out of what his gut was telling him was a deadly situation. The man with the familiar voice lifted his hand as if he were accepting something, which drew his total attention to the strange act.

  “You always found me lacking.”

  “I don’t know you, so why in the hell would I care?” A car driving down the street made him look, and in the headlights he saw either his chance to make it back to the safety of the hotel or his death. When it stopped even with his tormentor, he had the answer he didn’t want, especially when he saw who got out and accepted the man’s hand.

  “Gracelia,” he said, but his eyes were on the man with his nephew’s voice. “And Juan, I assume.”

  “My name is Gustavo now, but for tonight you can still call me Juan.”

  “Is this why you’ve been hiding?”

  “Hiding?” Gracelia asked, laughing. “It was more like preparing,” she said, and he felt the warm metal of a gun pressed to the back of his neck. “Get in the car, Rodolfo, and if you’re looking for a way out I’ve got some men on the corners convincing people they should detour.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Someplace you’re familiar with.”

  Whoever was behind him pushed him hard, making him stumble, and Gracelia and Juan were in the backseat before he was thrown in the trunk. He wasn’t a religious man but he prayed Carlos would forgive him enough to avenge him. Death was certain, but the last mystery he had to ponder was how it would come about. “Knowing Gracelia, it won’t be quick, and pain will be my last companion.”

  *

  The hospital’s visiting hours had ended, but no one stopped Emma as she arrived with her children and the box Cain had sent her for. On Cain’s floor, Muriel was still sitting in the waiting area, and Emma walked by, wanting Cain to have some time with the kids before they had to go home again with Mook and Sabana.

  Hayden glanced in Muriel’s direction, but he took her hand and kept walking. It was as if he knew the reasons for her exile, even though Emma hadn’t told him anything about that. She’d just told him what had happened to Cain and had felt good when he’d gotten Hannah ready to go.

  “Don’t be scared, okay?” Hayden said to Hannah. “Mom’s hurt but she’ll be home soon.” Hannah held his other hand with both of hers and nodded.

  Cain assured them she’d be fine, and Emma held Hannah while Cain and Hayden put their heads together for a quiet conversation. Whatever Cain told him made him nod before kissing her good night.

  “Here,” she said, handing Cain what she’d asked for. “I’ll wait outside until you’re done.”

  “I have to do everything possible to know what angle everyone who comes close to us is working,” Cain said, opening the small box and showing her the tapes inside. “This time instead of proving we were right, I thought I’d lock these away because of what they meant.”

  “Keeping secrets from me, mobster?”

  “I thought about it, but I want you to know what’s on these before we call Muriel in,” Cain explained. Emma wasn’t surprised because she could see why Cain had put them in the safe. “When we pick love, we all want to believe our hearts.”

  “Sometimes we can,” she said, sitting down and facing Cain. She intended for her kiss to heat up Cain’s passion just enough for her to know how she felt. “You’re my choice and I know it’s right.”

  “And you’re mine.” She hissed when Cain pinched her nipple hard enough to wake up her clit. “But save any more kisses like that until we’re done.”

  “I don’t mind waiting outside, baby. Muriel should hear this without me being here to embarrass her.” She kissed Cain briefly but held the roving hands. “I love you, and I want you to take your time. Muriel deserves it, even if she’s not my favorite person today.”

  Cain closed her eyes when Emma left, trying to calm the pounding in her head and lip. She didn’t want to take anything to dull her senses any more, even if the doctor had allowed it.

  The intake of breath meant that her face shocked Muriel. “Are you coming in or don’t you recognize me?”

  “What happened?” Muriel asked, her feet glued in place.

  “Come in and sit.” She opened her eyes. Muriel was like a stranger. Something seemed to have come between them that was so much more than Shelby, and it was time to talk about it. “I’m sure Katlin or someone told you what happened, so let’s not waste time.”

  “I know you’re pissed I wasn’t there today.”

  “One of the things they taunted me with while they had me cuffed to the table in that small room is that you weren’t coming. Annabel and her minions made it sound like they already knew your choices when it came to me.”

  “You believe that?”

  She took a deep breath and folded the blankets over her lap to give her some time to answer. “I believe something’s changed between us and I’m tired of reacting to try and keep up. We have a problem and I want to know what it is.”

  “You don’t have to know anything, Cain, because you have the final say on everything and it’s non-negotiable. That means I’m out, Sanders is in, and there’s nothing more to talk about.”

  The defensiveness appeared sooner than she expected, and Muriel’s anger was almost predictable. “Drop the bullshit self-pity routine and be honest. Up till a few months ago we lived fine with those parameters, so what’s changed?”

  “I’m sure your ready answer is Shelby.”

  “Today and this,” she said, pointing to her face, “was about Shelby. Her parents are dead and I’m to blame.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the team Shelby worked with.”

  “Are you telling me you know them better than you know me?” she asked. If she felt better she’d get up and hit Muriel for the first time as an adult. “When have you ever known me to lie to you?”

  “Calm down.”

  “Shut up,” she said, talking over Muriel. “And sit the fuck down or I swear I’ll have somebody tie you to that goddamn chair.” It was time to stop coddling her. “You’re going to sit and listen to what I have to tell you, and then you can do whatever the hell you want. I’m damn tired of watching you turn into some whiny, sniveling idiot who can’t remember what and who’s important.”

  “I’m not ten anymore.”

  “I said shut up,” she said, pressing her hand to her temple when yelling blurred her vision, it hurt so bad. “You think you’re the only one who’s lost a parent and that I’m stealing your birthright?”

  “You had no right to remove me from my office,” Muriel said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It hurts that you don’t think I can separate Shelby from my responsibilities.”

  Muriel watched as she opened the box and placed the tape num
bered 5 into the small recorder and pressed Play. When Shelby’s voice began, she leaned forward.

  “Hey, Granddad,” Shelby said, a television playing in the background. “Go ahead and watch, baby, this won’t take long.”

  “Anything new?” a woman asked.

  “I found the address of two warehouses, but she doesn’t keep many files in the house. I’m trying to find a way to get into the office without an escort. Jarvis’s death has distracted her, but the building is never empty and I haven’t found the security codes in case I do get an opportunity.”

  “What do you think the warehouses are used for?”

  “I’m having the information run now, so I’m not sure. This could be how Cain moves product, and if we can find out if the buildings don’t have an elaborate security system we can set up our equipment to monitor any movement.”

  “One last thing. You’re sure no one, especially Cain, suspects you?”

  “Want anything?” Muriel asked.

  “No, Granddad. I’m fine and don’t need anything. I’m glad you’re feeling better, and I’ll call you soon.”

  She shut the tape off and handed the box to Muriel. “I’m curious,” she said, pressing against her temple again. “Did she want something?”

  “How did you know?”

  “We’ll get to that,” she said, glad to see Muriel had lost her fight for now. “Because of this we lost the wine warehouse and the overflow space in the east. On top of that I had to waste manpower to sit on every property until I know which ones we eventually need to take off our list. Instead of finding who killed our people, I had to plug the security holes your girlfriend caused us.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “No, you didn’t, because you believed a lie instead of what I was telling you. In the future remember that I may not say what you want to hear, but I’ll never lie to you.”

  “How long have you been aware?” Muriel asked, running her finger over the six other tapes in the box. “I’d think you would’ve loved rubbing it in that you were right.”