by Ali Vali
“It’s not Miss Emma,” Carmen told her over and over. They were only a block from the house so most of the staff was outside waiting on news. “It’s Merrick, she’s been shot.” Katlin shut her eyes and brought her fist to her mouth.
“Katlin, go,” Cain ordered. “You’ll be of no use to me here.”
“You don’t need to—” Katlin said, looking at her as if Cain had punched her.
“If you love her, go. Some things are more important than anything or anyone else. If you have to concentrate on something let it be Merrick—she deserves it.”
“Boss,” Lou said. “The cops said Emma wasn’t here when they arrived, and the people who called it in said only Merrick was in the car.”
“Miss Emma left with Merrick, I saw her,” Carmen said.
“Somebody rammed them and took her,” Lou said, as if Cain hadn’t figured it out. “Emma’s gone.”
Cain roared like a lion that had lost its mate. “No one saw anything?”
“Our boys said a black Tahoe followed the car out but they figured it for feds,” one of Cain’s men said.
“The feds,” Cain said, as she scanned the crowd and found Joe and Claire looking on. “Who was it?” Cain asked Joe. “You vultures are always watching, there’s no way you missed this. Tell me who.”
“We tried, Cain, but our people didn’t get here in time, even if that isn’t their job.”
“Your job is to protect the innocent. My wife’s done nothing to deserve this, so your job was to protect her.” Cain grabbed Joe by the lapels and shook him. “Tell me who, you son of a bitch.”
“It was Juan Luis,” Claire said, “and we’ve put out an APB on the car.”
“Well, if you did that I can go home and put my feet up and wait for Emma to come home. Your job’s done and I’ll buy you a drink later,” Cain said sarcastically. “Was your fellow agent with him? Because we all know Juan couldn’t find his ass by himself if someone put a gun to his head and said go.”
“If you want us to work with you, you need to calm down,” Joe said. When Cain couldn’t hold her anger anymore and reared back and coldcocked him, he bumped into three other cops standing around. His nose was oozing blood when he straightened up, and he was in an attack stance. “I know you’re upset, but if you try that again I’m taking you in and you can do your worrying in a cell.”
“You can kiss my—” Cain was about to completely lose control when her phone rang. “What?” she screamed. Just as quickly she calmed as she held the phone to her ear and said nothing. “Which house is it?” She hung up and strode around the accident scene, not trading any more conversation with Lou or Claire.
“Where’s she going?” Joe asked.
“It’s got to be the house or someplace close, because she’s walking,” Claire said. “All we have to do is wait and do what she thinks we do best—watch.”
Cain started toward Jarvis’s but met Muriel halfway there. The house Cain stopped at belonged to an elderly woman who’d been watering her plants and witnessed the black SUV slam into the car they were chasing, and what came after. Joe and Claire stood a good distance away as Cain talked to her, obviously asking questions. Then she shook hands with the woman and walked to the house.
“Think she’s going to stay in and not do anything?” Claire asked.
“I don’t see that happening, not unless she has a crystal ball in there that gives her all the answers. I’m not sure where we start searching. What I do know is that Agent Hicks will probably have a warrant out for Anthony and Juan before the hour’s up.”
“Let’s head to the van just in case.” Claire glanced back at the car Merrick had been driving one last time and shivered. The agents they’d left watching the house had tried to get to Emma before the two men had taken her, but Anthony had left Merrick’s car blocking the intersection from both directions.
“Wait a minute,” Joe said and started running down the street. “Shelby,” he said when he was inside and struggling to get his phone out.
“She stayed to sit on Anthony, but none of the guys said they saw her when this went down.”
“If I know Shelby, she wasn’t too far away,” Joe said and pressed the call button on his phone.
*
“Muriel,” Shelby said, “please don’t hang up.”
“This isn’t a good time, Shelby.” Muriel said her name since Cain was looking straight at her.
“I was tailing Anthony when it happened.”
“Where is he now?” Muriel asked, making Cain stand up. “You lost them? How in the hell did that happen?”
“I’d love to tell you that since I’m in the FBI I’m perfect, but I’m not. Once he made it into the neighborhood, Lionel and I didn’t have a lot of places to hide, so we had to hang back. Then the bastard left that car in the perfect place on the street, and we had to go around a few blocks and pray we could catch up, but we lost him.” Shelby sounded genuine in wanting to help.
“Ask her which way he was headed,” Cain said.
Muriel talked for a minute more, then hung up. “She lost them when they stopped at the house. From what she said, someone called the house and talked to Emma, pretending to be the gunsmith’s assistant, and told her the gun you guys ordered was finished. Before Shelby had a chance to figure out what he was up to and make it over here, Emma and Merrick had left and fallen into Anthony’s trap. It was Anthony who lured her out of the house, and with the moving going on, Merrick and Emma left by themselves.”
“Which way was he going when she last saw him?” Cain asked.
“Toward St. Charles, but then he must have doubled back down some of the side streets because there was no sign of him when she got to the avenue.”
Cain sat down and buried her fingers in her hair, wanting more than anything to cry. New Orleans might not be New York in size or population, but right now it could be Podunk USA and she wouldn’t have time to find Emma before Juan did something unspeakable to her.
“You can’t give up, think,” Muriel said.
“They could be anywhere by now, and no amount of thinking will make me pull the answer out of my ass.” Cain came close to hitting Muriel as well, but knew she was only trying to help. “It’s like Marie all over again. I travel with all this muscle and then leave the most vulnerable of my family unprotected. I should be fucking shot for letting this happen again.” She was on a roll as the weight of her failures started to pile on her shoulders, the weight of them threatening to swamp her. Then it came to her. Her greatest failures and how someone would use them to stick it to her and make it hurt as much as humanly possible.
“What?” Muriel said as Cain grabbed her and yanked her toward the back door.
“There’s no way he has the balls for that, but then it’s Anthony with his hand up Juan’s ass making his lips move,” Cain said. “Lou, get the men ready to roll and I want every cop out there covered, because we’re leaving and I don’t want an audience.”
Muriel’s phone rang again. “Yes?” she asked, and talked for a minute before disconnecting. “Shelby found the Tahoe, but there’s no sign of Anthony or Juan.”
“Give her a while and she’ll come up with the right answer, but I don’t have time to drop breadcrumbs for her.”
Five cars pulled out ahead of them and blocked the street from sidewalk to sidewalk as Lou turned in the opposite direction, the FBI vehicles hemmed in. Despite the blowing horns and sirens, the cars didn’t move until Lou and his passengers were out of sight.
“Where to, boss?” Lou asked.
“The house where we taught Danny the lesson on how to kill a goat. Get there fast but don’t get pulled over.”
“There’s no way he picked that house,” Muriel said. “How would he even know about it?”
“Juan wouldn’t, but Anthony had access to all the files that pertained to us and our business, including the dark, bloody chapters. He didn’t go with Juan because he had a burning desire to lead a life of crime—he did it
because of me. Kyle’s a dead subject, but he wasn’t the only one working for the Bureau who hates me enough to bend the rules when it comes to dealing with me.”
Cain couldn’t control the bounce in her legs as she willed the car to go faster. “I had other plans for Anthony but that’s changed. When I find him I’m going to string him up and shove a cattle prod up his ass and turn it on. He wanted to watch me twitch for him when he brought me down, but he doesn’t know the meaning of the concept.”
Lou slammed his brakes on in front of the old abandoned shotgun house that now belonged to Cain. She’d bought it before she’d taken Danny there, wanting to watch the place fall in on itself eventually. It was, like she’d said, the site of her greatest failure, and as long as it stood it reminded her not to let her guard down.
In front, parked haphazardly on the grass, was a beat-up car whose hood was still warm to the touch. Lou ran slightly ahead of them with his gun drawn and kicked open the front door, and Cain saw Lionel standing in the first room. On the table where Marie had met her end, Emma was tied spread-eagle and gagged as Shelby tried to work the knots free on her hands.
“Emma,” Cain said, and slid next to the table. From her pocket she took Dalton’s switchblade and cut her hands free and pulled the gag away from her mouth. “Are you okay?” Her face was caked in blood and the wound on her head was still seeping. Lou finished cutting away her bindings so Cain could hold her.
“I’m okay, honey,” Emma said, but clutched Cain as if she’d disappear if she let go. “He didn’t get a chance…” her voice faded away, and Cain didn’t want to hear the end to that statement as much as Emma seemed not to want to say it. “I need to get out of here.”
“I have to get you to a doctor, lass, so calm down.” Cain held her as tight as she dared and exhaled into her hair as she shut her eyes to try to keep the tears from coming. But she couldn’t deny the swell of emotion that actually having Emma in her arms brought from her heart.
“I’m sorry I left the house and let this happen,” Emma said, as if trying to comfort her. “He told me as he was tying me up that he’d killed Merrick. Please tell me that’s a lie.”
“She’s hurt but she’s alive,” Cain said, hoping it was still true. In all the excitement she hadn’t had a chance to call and check on Merrick’s condition. “Lou, give me your gun and bring the car closer.”
“Cain,” Shelby said from the next room, “they’re gone. They ran out the back the moment Lionel and I arrived, and didn’t have time to take Emma with them. If you want, we’ll escort you to the emergency room.”
“I don’t want to go to the emergency room,” Emma said, but as she stood up a sudden gush of blood ran down her legs. “No,” she said as she doubled over.
Cain picked her up and cradled her in her arms and headed for the door. “Muriel, call ahead and see if Sam or Ellie will meet us at the hospital.” As they headed away from the house, Cain promised herself to come back and burn the damn thing down. She needed no more monuments to the past, and the walls of that horror house had seen the last of its share of cruelty aimed at her family.
“Hang in there, lass,” she whispered to a whimpering Emma, “we’re almost there.”
“Please, don’t let us lose this baby,” Emma said as she breathed hard. “Not now, we were so close.”
“Just relax and I’ll take care of you.” Cain kissed her forehead and pressed the square of gauze Lou had handed her out of the first-aid kit to the side of Emma’s head. “We’ll be fine as long as you’re okay.”
“I don’t want to lose—” Emma didn’t finish the sentence and screamed before passing out again.
“Lou,” Cain screamed in turn, “step on it. Emma.” She held her so she could see her face, but the green eyes were closed and her features had softened. “Don’t you dare give up on me,” she told her as she lifted Emma into her lap. “Please, lass, don’t give up on me.”
Sam Casey was waiting outside as they drove up, and her partner Ellie was inside getting a room ready for Emma’s arrival. “We’ll take it from here, Cain,” she said as Cain laid Emma on a stretcher. “Go have a seat in the waiting room, and I promise either Ellie or I will be out in a little while and tell you what’s going on.” It was the only explanation Cain got as they ran into the hospital with Emma.
The wait was excruciating, and as Cain sat and watched the clock, she vaguely realized those with her were watching her. They had a lot to discuss about what had happened today and what they needed to do about it, but right now none of it mattered. She willed Ellie or Sam to walk through the door, and when it opened she pulled her back away from the seat cushion only to see Shelby standing there. But Shelby approached Muriel instead of her, and her cousin didn’t push her away when she sat next to her and took her hand.
“Cain,” Ellie said from the door a short time later. “I need to talk to you before you go in to see her.”
Ellie and Sam talked softly to Cain, neither of them smiling through the exchange. When Ellie stopped, Cain dropped to her knees and sobbed, Sam following her down and held her throughout her rare show of emotion. As she cried, Sam continued to talk.
“Let’s get you cleaned up before you go in there and scare her, okay?” Ellie said to her when Cain stood up. She took her to the bathroom and gently wiped Cain’s face with a towel. “Emma’s a lucky woman,” Ellie told her as she rinsed the towel in cold water again. “It’s not often that a woman knows she’s loved this much, but you’ve never kept it from her. That’s what saved her today, and what will sustain her as she deals with the aftermath.”
“Thanks,” Cain said, feeling so tired she wanted to curl up beside Emma and sleep for a week. She stepped into the room and locked eyes with Emma. To Cain she appeared lost.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a minute, then I’ll come in and talk to you together,” Ellie said and stepped out.
“I’m so sorry, lass,” Cain said, going to the bed and taking Emma’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry that the darkness of my life touched you like this.”
“I knew you’d find me. Juan and Anthony kept taunting me and telling me you’d never figure it out in time, but I knew. Just like that day with Danny, you made it before I could get hurt.”
“Shelby found you before I did.”
“She didn’t tell you where she was, though, did she?” Emma brought their hands up and kissed the back of Cain’s. “You figured it out and you came for me. There’s nothing else that means anything to me but that.”
“Did Ellie talk to you?”
“If this one’s a boy, I want to name him William, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a boy.” Emma kissed her hand again and tugged her forward to lie with her on the bed.
“What makes you so sure?” Cain asked, feeling the same relief as she had in the hall when Ellie had told her that Emma would be all right and so would the baby, with plenty of bed rest and peace.
Emma stayed on her back and smiled at Cain as she propped her head in her hand and placed the other one on her hip. “Because I’ve given birth to two Casey children, and this one strikes me as a William, but we’ll only call him that when he’s in trouble. The rest of the time he’ll go by the name Billy Cain Casey, a charmer who’ll skip through a blessed life because of what happened today. Sort of like two other Casey siblings I know and love.”
“What happened today is something that won’t be repeated, if I can help it.”
“I know that, and he knows that.” Emma took Cain’s hand and placed it on her middle. “He’s a Casey through and through, which means he’s a fighter. He can’t help it—he’s ours.”
“I love you, and you’re no slouch in the fighter department.” Cain kissed both cheeks and gently tweaked the tip of her nose. “And your number-one son is going to think you’re the coolest with two black eyes.” She tried to joke it off, but the sight of Emma so banged up was tearing at her heart.
“Can you do something for me?” Emma whispered.
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br /> “Anything you want is yours.”
“Find him,” she said with authority. “Find Juan and kill him. I don’t care how you do it, or when you do it, but I do want you to tell me that it’s done. I want him dead.”
“That’s my promise to you.” Cain stayed until Ellie and Sam came by again and talked to them about Emma staying in the hospital for a few days, as a precaution. After that, Cain posted a man outside the door and Nick inside, in the chair she’d been using, so she could go check on Merrick.
Katlin was asleep in the chair next to the bed holding her lover’s hand, but Merrick’s eyes were open. “I owe you my life,” Cain whispered to her after she kissed her forehead. “Thank you for taking care of what’s most precious to me.”
Merrick shook her head, not able to talk yet. From her expression Cain could tell she didn’t believe her. “When you get out of here, you’re coming to stay with us until you’re back on your feet. The day that happens, Emma will expect you at eight as usual with that surly attitude in place. She wanted me to make sure and mention that last part to you.” Merrick finally smiled and nodded. “You take care and I’ll be by tomorrow to check on you. You bear no blame for what happened today.” Cain shook her head and placed her hand against Merrick’s cheek. “You did your job, got her out alive, and took a bullet for her. I owe you whatever you ask.”
“We just want to do our jobs and be happy together.” Katlin voiced what Merrick could not.
“And you’ll have that, with every blessing I can give you.” Cain kissed them both before going down to stay with Emma for the night. The kids and Ross came for a visit, and he asked for what Emma had requested, adding that he wanted Juan’s head on a spike for what he’d almost done to his daughter.
“What are you thinking about, mobster?” Emma asked in the middle of the night. The hospital was quiet and Cain had taken her up on her invitation to hold her. “I promise you won’t hurt me if you fall asleep.”
“I was thinking about my mother, and I was enjoying watching you sleep.”
