by Ali Vali
“It’s Anthony. Is that so fucking hard to remember?”
*
Shelby gripped the steering wheel hard, trying to bleed out her anger through her fingers. What Anthony had just spouted off about had hurt, but it wasn’t all wrong. When she’d become an agent, she’d thrown herself into the job.
The night on Vincent Carlotti’s plane when Cain held her life in the palm of her hand, along with the bugs she’d planted, those lines between right and wrong had been blurred but not erased. This case had become a little personal for her as well, but not because she wanted to bed Cain Casey. She’d just come to see that the members of the Casey family weren’t the monsters so many had made them out to be.
After glancing in the rearview mirror and noticing that the redness of frustration had faded from her face, she started the car and headed to the one place where she might find some clues as to what had happened to the amazing disappearing Caseys. She was certain that Muriel had set up temporary offices at the scene of the FBI’s embarrassment to rub it in their faces.
The warehouse along the river where Cain had shipped her load of legal liquor, only to be shot for it by Barney Kyle, had a few men walking along the roof with high-powered rifles strapped to their backs and a collection of BMWs parked in front. The kind of car young, snotty attorneys working for Muriel would drive.
“I’d like to see Muriel Casey, please,” Shelby told the receptionist.
“Do you have an appointment?”
The question made her wonder if Muriel was there and surveillance had just missed her. “She’s here?” she asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.
“I didn’t say that. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed rescheduling you.” The receptionist ran her finger down the old appointment book page. “And you are?”
“Agent Shelby Daniels.”
Finally escorted into the office of one of Muriel’s associates that she had met earlier, Shelby bluntly said, “I need to talk to Muriel or Cain Casey.”
“Of course you do, but they’re both out of town, so I can’t help you there.” The young man pulled his wallet out and retrieved one of his cards. “As you can read there, I’m an attorney, not a travel agent, and I’m a peon in the firm, so they didn’t run their itinerary by me. If Muriel calls I’ll pass along the message you’d like to talk to her.”
“You have no idea where they are?”
“Not a clue.”
His smile made Shelby want to pull back and punch him. “And I’m sure you’d just give up the information if you did.”
“Of course I would, so there’s one possibility you might want to follow up on. Spring’s almost here,” he replied, to her confusion.
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I believe that’s when pit vipers shed their skin. Since I haven’t officially received my fangs, I’m not real sure where one goes to do that. But a boy can dream, can’t he?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” She threw her own card at him and stood up. “Just give her the message.”
The one good thing about dealing with a lawyer like this one was that she’d completely forgotten how pissed she was at Anthony.
She slammed her car door, then punched the steering wheel. As she shook out her hand, she thought of a simple solution and sped back to the office.
With Joe and Lionel looking on, Shelby called the sheriff in Haywood, Wisconsin. Cain had probably taken her family there.
“Sheriff Dobbs, I need you to drive out to the Rath and Verde farms.”
“Jerry or Ross in trouble?” Ignatius Dobbs leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk.
“No, sir. We believe that Cain Casey’s back in the area and need to confirm that fact.” Shelby rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her headache to a minimum.
“I’ll go out there myself and look around, but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary in the last week or so.”
“It would’ve been today, Sheriff.”
“Let me get to work, then.”
If that’s where Cain had run to, surveillance was going to be the logistical nightmare it had been the first time around.
*
Ignatius pulled off to the side of the road near the Rath house and watched the activity there. He laughed when Cain Casey stepped out onto the porch and waved, clearly inviting him to join her.
“Sheriff, it’s good to see you again.” She held the screen door open when he pulled up and rolled his window down. “Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?”
“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” Ignatius said.
“I just wonder who called you, but I think I can narrow it down.” Holding her side, she grunted as she sat across from him. “Was it Shelby, Lionel, or Joseph?”
“Agent Daniels wanted me to come check if you’re doing okay.”
Cain laughed and nodded. “Wanted to know where to send flowers while I’m recuperating, did she?” When Emma stepped into the room and patted Cain on the shoulder before handing the sheriff a cup of coffee, she continued, “Did the concerned FBI agent tell you anything else?”
“Nope.” He took a sip of the coffee and lifted the cup in Emma’s direction in salute. “Just wanted a report of your whereabouts before they made the trip for no reason, I guess. Before you came along we didn’t have too many FBI stakeouts. After I got a taste of Agent Barney Kyle, I can see why some peace officers have trouble working with the feds.”
“I have no right to ask you this, Sheriff,” Emma said. She squeezed Cain’s shoulder before she went on, “but I want you to tell Shelby that we’re not here.”
“Why would I do that?” He took another sip and studied the couple. “You’re not doing anything but visiting friends, right?”
“Agent Kyle shot Cain on the order of a mob boss in New Orleans. So far the FBI has refused to give us any more information on what happened and who else might be involved. We came here so she can heal, but also so we could get out of the line of fire.” Emma delivered the information with a quaver in her voice. “We have children, Ignatius. If you don’t do it for Cain and me, then think about them.”
Ignatius focused on Cain. “I have your word that recuperating is all you’re doing out here.”
“Just recuperating and spending time with Emma, I swear,” Cain said with a wink. “But if this is going to cause you problems, then do what you think is right.”
“Mabel down at the diner hasn’t stopped talking about you since you left, and if Mabel likes you it’s a safe guess that you’re okay. Just behave, and I’ll take care of Agent Daniels. Turns out I came out here and didn’t find anything but cows.”
“Moo moo,” Cain said before she laughed.
*
The chatter around the city for the next week was almost deafening. Not only were the authorities searching for and asking what had happened to the Casey crew, so was anyone working for Gino Bracato. Cain had done such a good job of vanishing that no one had a clue where to start looking, no matter how much money or muscle was dangled in front of them.
News did come on the eighth day of their disappearance, but it wasn’t what Bracato had planned. Cain might have taken her gang with her for the protection of her family, but she still had an army of snitches working the streets, and his family’s name was coming up more often in connection to the attacks on the Caseys.
As for Cain, her daily walks with the children were making her feel better and stronger, and it had been a boost for everyone when the local doctor said it was time for the stitches to come out. The wounds were still healing, and Cain was slowly regaining full health.
Emma watched as Cain threw her coat on, intent on sneaking out to the back fence with the satellite phone in her hand like she had all the other times it had rung. Whoever was on the line obviously didn’t mind interrupting Hannah’s playtime with her favorite new block-building partner.
“What’s going on?” she asked before Cain made it outside.
“I’ll tell you as soon as I’m done with this call. For now could you go keep an eye on Hannah? Hayden’s out for his morning run with Mook and some of the others.”
Seeing that her daughter was fine, Emma returned to the back door and watched Cain’s face as she spoke sporadically, as if either asking questions or verifying information. When she hung up she immediately dialed another number and did most of the talking. Emma didn’t worry until she saw Cain run her hand through her hair. It was a move she knew well, and it bespoke either worry or frustration. Neither emotion was good for Cain’s convalescence.
“Problem?” Emma pulled Cain’s sweater tighter around herself as she joined Cain in the yard. She’d put it on when she felt the wind pick up. The business of Cain’s world had left them in peace for eight glorious days, which was more than she could have hoped for.
“Giovanni’s number-one son was responsible for the bombs at Emerald’s and at Muriel’s office.” Cain opened her coat and wrapped Emma in her arms to keep her warm.
“How do you know?”
“The little shit just planted one at Vincent’s place, or at least he tried. The guy he hired ran into a couple of Vinny’s more unreasonable guys and, if I had to guess, got one hell of an explosive enema.”
As gruesome as the thought was, Emma snorted into Cain’s chest, picturing what her partner had painted. “Who tipped him off?”
“One of our guys on the street. Gino Jr. never did learn the cardinal rule of keeping your mouth shut. Bragging only leads the police to your door or, worse, someone like Vincent Carlotti. The little crazy bastard might have done us a favor, though.” Cain kissed the top of Emma’s head.
Emma ran her hands up Cain’s back until she locked them behind Cain’s neck. “Why do you say that?”
“Because now Vinny really does owe us a favor, and Ramon will be told of our immediate and lifesaving actions. When the time comes or, I should say, if the time comes that I need their help, it’ll be a guarantee.”
She massaged the tense neck and tried to read what was going on in Cain’s mind. “Honey, you have to know that both those guys would come running if you just called. I saw what they did for you and our family when you got hurt.”
“Emma, my father taught me that some help comes back to haunt you, some is freely given, and some is given because it’s owed. Sometimes you have to pay for the help that haunts you with something you don’t want to part with. That’s the worst. Freely given help is good for everyone: we help because we love the other person. But help that’s given because it’s owed is a blessing, just like the second. Vinny is my friend, like Ramon, but I want to live my life and run our business as debt-free as I can.” She stopped her lecture and kissed Emma’s cheek. “Do you understand?”
“By you helping him, he helps us in return because he owes you a debt?”
“You’re a fast learner, lass. Maybe I can retire after all this is over and hand the business over to you.”
“No, thanks, you can keep your job.” Emma took a deep breath and held it as she looked up at Cain.
The last eight days and how they’d spent them returned to the forefront of her mind. They had walked with their children and visited with her father every day, strengthening the ties necessary to rebuild their family. Every night she and Cain had relearned each other in the most intimate and sensual ways possible, waking naked and smiling every morning.
“Go get your coat on, lass.” Cain swatted her gently on the backside and nodded toward the house.
“You need to make another phone call?”
“No, I want you to take a walk with me and tell me what’s on your mind. If this is going to work, then you have to share with me what’s making this worry line get deeper. After all, it’s what you keep telling me to do.” She ran her thumb down the middle of Emma’s forehead. The little part of her brain that had kept her alive screamed what Merrick had been telling her from the moment Emma walked back into her life. Maybe the worry line had to do with the fact that Emma wasn’t being totally up-front with her about how she felt.
“Whatever it is, I’ll listen. Then we’ll fix it, if that’s what you’re worried about. Unless you’re wearing a wire under that bulky sweater of mine.” She ran her hand up Emma’s side more in a tickling fashion than in a distrusting one. “Then we’ll plug you full of holes and feed you to the cows.”
They walked back to the house together and picked up not only Emma’s coat but a blanket as well. Emma wanted to share one of her favorite places with Cain. Maddie waved them off from the family room where she had Hannah engrossed in dressing up her dolls, shooting a wink their way when Emma held up the blanket and pointed to the back of the yard.
Soon they crested a hill and came upon a fairly good-sized lake.
“What a beautiful place.” Cain looked around the area before sitting down next to Emma. “I don’t know how I missed this the last time I was here.”
“The hills around it form almost a perfect bowl, so unless you wanted to do some leg work by climbing, there’s no good reason to come up here. See over there?” She pointed to their left. “It’s the only way to get in without having to make the climb, and that’s how the cows get in here. When I was little and someone else owned Jerry’s place, I’d sneak over here and sit along these banks for hours, just looking at the water or the clouds floating by.” Emma felt melancholy.
“We’ll have to ask your father for some of your baby pictures while we’re here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them.” Cain pressed her back against the tree where they had laid the blanket and pulled Emma into her arms. “You have an unfair advantage since you’ve seen all of mine.”
Emma couldn’t have asked for a better segue into the conversation she wanted to have, so she looked up at Cain’s face and reached for one of the big hands to hold. “My mother didn’t believe in wasting money on what she called frivolous things.”
“Children are never frivolous things, love.”
“I know that, and I knew it back then. That’s what I thought about when I sat here. I daydreamed about the family I’d someday have. About the person who would help me and love me the way I wanted to be loved.”
Cain let go of her hand and ran her fingers along Emma’s jaw down to her neck. She forgot sometimes what a fragile soul her lover was and how many hurts had laid the foundation for the woman she’d become. When they had first started living together, Cain wondered at times what made Emma so skittish. She always seemed to be waiting for the blow to knock her down because of some unforgivable mistake.
“I’d be willing to bet that in all those daydreams your brilliant mind never came close to me. Am I right?” The kiss she gave her after the question was as long and as loving as Cain could make it.
“After I met you I thought of this place again, and you’re right. That’s when I knew I didn’t have enough imagination. I dreamed of someone strong to keep me safe, someone to love me. Little girls normally want those things, but I wanted something even more.”
“What’s that, sweetling?”
“I dreamed of someone who saw me, who really saw me and wasn’t disappointed with the sight.”
The confession broke Cain’s heart like nothing else could have. Her eyes filled with tears for the little girl who for so long had only had a father who loved her, but who wasn’t willing to fully stand up and fight for her. She liked Ross, but a part of her believed he had somewhat failed his daughter.
“Oh, lass, I saw you all those years ago in my pub, and I’ve seen little else since. After today we’re going to leave the hurts and disappointments of that little girl here, ’cause she’s found what she sought. I love you and, more importantly, you belong to me. I’ll let no more pain touch what’s mine.”
“I know, and I love you for it. When I found you and we had Hayden and filled that house up with love, toys, and pictures, I always felt like it was a dream. You showed me it was all right to want those things Mother told me for s
o long I didn’t deserve. I wanted them enough to start believing they were something I deserved because I loved you.”
Cain kissed her again and smiled at the confidence building in Emma’s voice. “You deserve so much more, and if I can, I’ll give you everything and anything you want.”
“Do you mean it?” Emma pressed her palms to the sides of Cain’s face and gazed into her eyes. Cain nodded, and the silent answer gave Emma the strength to do what her father had told her when he left her at the airport. Go and get what’s yours, and don’t ever settle. “I want to have another baby.”
If Emma had asked for anything else, a laugh would have come bubbling out when she watched Cain open her mouth, then click it shut a couple of times. The color drained from Cain’s face so quickly that Emma was afraid she was going to pass out. “Did you hear me, honey?”
“Yep.” Cain uttered the affirmation in such a small voice Emma barely registered it.
“I know we have a lot of rebuilding to do before we get to the point where you’re comfortable with the idea, but I just wanted to tell you that’s what I want.” Her speech sped up as nerves took over. “And if you don’t ever want it, then I guess that’s okay too. This isn’t something someone can foist upon—”
Any other words were stopped by the lips that covered Emma’s in a kiss filled with passion. Without too much effort Cain rolled them over so that she covered the more compact body with her own, never releasing Emma’s mouth.
Slowly Cain pulled away, leaving Emma breathing hard. “I want that as much as I want you right now.”
The desire in Cain’s voice made Emma moan and lift herself so she could reach the tempting lips again. This time when she pulled away she lowered her hands to the button of her jeans and undid them enough so Cain could fit her hand inside. “It’s too cold to take them off completely, but if you don’t touch me right now you’re going to have to carry me back.” Her last thought before the long fingers sliding over her robbed her of the ability to think was how thrilled she was her hopes hadn’t been shot down.
