The Devil's Orchard

by Ali Vali

  “We’re leaving in the morning, and Jerome is in charge. If any of you talk to him the way this piece of shit did, we’ll do this again as many times as it takes for you all to understand my wishes.”

  She handed the gun back to Pablo and kissed Jerome in front of her men to further prove her point. “Get rid of him.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You’re going to behave and listen to everything Katlin and Lou tell you, right?” Emma asked as she helped Cain put on her jacket and straightened her collar. “I don’t need to mention for you to stay away from Marisol Delarosa, but I will. That girl looks at you the way I do, and I’m not ashamed to admit I don’t care for it.”

  Cain turned and wrapped her arms around Emma. The short, thin nightgown she wore made her smile, since these days Emma preferred comfort over style. During her pregnancy, at some point Emma’s usual nightwear changed to her granny fashions, as she described them. Cain found them adorable since they displayed their growing baby well.

  “I asked him to leave her at home, but I don’t have any control over that. He probably won’t listen since that crazy bitch is his heir apparent. He, like I will eventually with Hayden, will use this as a learning opportunity.” She kissed the top of Emma’s head and felt the swell of their baby against her.

  They were into the second trimester, and so far everything was good with both mom and baby. The doctor had explained that since this was Emma’s third pregnancy and she’d been so slim going in, this time around she was showing a lot more at sixteen weeks than with their first. Cain was thrilled about the development because she loved the proof of their growing family every time she saw Emma.

  “Don’t waste time thinking about that idiot.” She’d called Hector back and asked him to join her for a drink at Emma’s, their upscale nightclub in the warehouse district.

  “She might be an idiot, but she’s a beautiful one.”

  “You’re beautiful, lass, and you’re the woman I love. Even when we get Hannah her puppy, I’ll still be your best friend, and I’ll be twice as loyal.”

  “Can I pet you later?” Emma asked, and sounded in a better mood. She had to stay home because while the place shared her name, the loud music and cigarette smoke weren’t ideal for the baby.

  “I’d even consider a leash, if you get me a leather collar with spikes.” She ran her hand along Emma’s back and kissed her. “I love you, lass, with my whole heart. There’ll be no other for me.”

  Her honesty made Emma blink away tears and smile. “I love you the same, and I thank God for giving me such a miracle.”

  “Get some rest and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need us to come with you?” Sabana asked when she got downstairs. “You might need us.” Dino stood next to her, but from his expression he wanted no part of Sabana’s request.

  “Girl, Cain’s lived her whole life without you, so sit and do the job I asked,” Lou said bluntly, his normal tone when aggravated. “In case you missed it, Juan is back and wants nothing more than to take Emma somewhere you’re going to have a hard time finding. If you allow that to happen, I’m going to rip you into pieces so small your mother won’t be able to recognize you.” He looked back at her. “Sorry, boss.”

  “Truth doesn’t need an apology,” she said, and pointed at Sabana. “Let’s talk before I go.”

  Sabana followed her to the office and wisely stood behind one of the visitor chairs, not assuming she was there for a casual talk. “I only want to help.”

  “No. You want to get your way, and I’m getting tired of your whining when you don’t. I thought what I asked you the other night would’ve tamped that lust to kill down some, but it hasn’t.” She was also damn tired of repeating herself with this girl, and the obligation she’d felt for Rick and his sister’s future was starting to fade. “By now I thought you would’ve learned that everyone plays a role.”

  “I did a good job the other night, and I’ve been patient waiting for what I want. My brother’s dead, and so far no one’s paid for that.” Sabana puffed herself up as she spoke and never lost eye contact, as if to prove nothing intimidated her.

  “What do you think destroying that house was about? Has your anger made you stupid? Gracelia and Juan Luis are responsible for Rick’s death. The house you hit and the people you killed work for them. Now that I know Juan is here, I trusted you to watch over the one person in my life he covets most, because Merrick can’t.”

  “Trusted?” Sabana asked, and sounded like she’d stuck a pin in her and deflated her ego.

  “Someone who knows more than me, Lou, and Merrick combined has outgrown us. If you’re constantly dissatisfied with what’s asked of you, it’s time to move on.”

  “You’re firing me?”

  “When I add someone to my crews, to my family, I don’t do it lightly. When I do, it takes years before I allow them into my home and around my family. Rick understood that, and I thought you did as well. What your brother understood as well is how you get to leave.”

  “You’d have me killed?” Sabana didn’t sound completely afraid, but her words had made cracks in her bravado.

  “I didn’t say that,” she said, and spread her hands out. “But you seem ambitious. Sometimes to get what we want takes hard work or having something to trade up. Anyone out there not a part of this clan would love to know the inner workings of our family. You give them that, and they’ll give you anything or any job you want.”

  “I’d never do that to you.”

  “I know,” she said, and slammed her hand down. “The last person who did got my father, mother, brother, and sister killed. Betrayal cost me the whole of my family because some bastard wanted more responsibility and freedom. He wanted the life of the wise guys he’d seen in the movies, and when I refused, when my father refused, he ran to the first person who would give it to him. Only it wasn’t free. He gave up everyone I loved.”

  Cain stood up and moved around the desk as she screamed. Sabana didn’t move but gripped the chair so hard the leather creaked. “Do you honestly think I’d take that chance again?” Sabana shook her head and wouldn’t look at her. “You must think me brain-dead if you do.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Remember that,” Cain said, her face inches from Sabana’s. “Because if you can’t, I’m not wasting my breath on you again, and I’m not going to have you killed.”

  “Thank you,” Sabana said, obviously relieved.

  “I’ll kill you myself.” She let that threat hang for a moment and saw Sabana swallow. “The next time you ask for something other than what Lou assigns, you’re done. I’ve trusted you with Emma’s life, something I’m seriously reconsidering, so spend tonight thinking about this conversation and we’ll meet again tomorrow. Run tonight and I’ll find you by morning, and you won’t even have time for a prayer when I do.”

  She opened the door and called for Lou. He’d had a soft spot for Sabana since her arrival, but he didn’t even glance at her. “Put her on the wall tonight with a warning about pouting while watching my family. I understand what motivates her, but I’m tired of being questioned and second-guessed.”

  “So am I. I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.” Lou didn’t take long, and Katlin and Dino didn’t comment when Sabana headed outside without complaint.

  “Nelson called,” Katlin said about the manager of Emma’s. “Hector and Marisol are there, and he personally escorted them to your private table. From what he was able to pick out, at least four DEA agents are posted around the club.”

  “Just what I want,” she said as she got into the back of the car with Katlin, “more voyeurs in my life. What’s your guess as to what Hector wants?”

  “Same thing Hector always wants. The DEA is coming down hard on his business ventures here, and they’re teaming up with the Federales south of the border. When you gun for that top spot in the cartel it puts you in the spotlight. If that’s not slowing him down enough, ICE is doubling
patrols, making it more likely they’ll spot anyone coming in illegally. It’s an extra added bonus when they’re carrying lots of Hector’s drugs.”

  “Did you lie and tell him I’m an agent with powers to make his problems disappear behind my back?”

  “No, and the guy might have problems, but he is observant. You don’t have near the sticky messes he does, so he needs your secret.”

  The drive wasn’t that long, and Cain wasn’t in a rush to sit with Hector, so she took time to shake hands with their security personnel outside. “It’s not a secret, cousin. What Hector needs is a personality as charming as mine,” she said, and Katlin laughed.

  “Then I foresee plenty of messes in his future, because he doesn’t come close.”

  It was early, so the dance floor was still quiet, but the bar and tables were full. At this time of night a conversation with friends was possible, since the music was mellow and soft. Nelson’s estimate of four turned out to be about six, but she didn’t feel like searching for and counting the others who were probably there. They weren’t her problem.

  “Hector, thanks for coming over,” she said as she took his outstretched hand. He was like a boy with a crush who thought his persistence would eventually win her over.

  “After our last talk I’m surprised you called. When you speak to me that way, I think you don’t want to be my friend.”

  She accepted a whiskey neat from Nelson and took a sip before she answered. “Can I be honest?” she asked, not caring what his answer was.

  “I’ve known you to always be truthful, Cain, but that translates into crassness at times. It’s not in line with your education.”

  “I don’t want to be your friend.” His eyebrows came together and his smile disappeared instantly. “Before you order me killed, I don’t really want to be your enemy either.”

  “The edge of a fence is at times too thin to walk,” Hector said, but Cain kept her eyes on Marisol. The young woman had stayed silent, to her amazement. Marisol was beautiful but seemed to jump into situations and then consider her options. That was a flaw if she wanted to one day take over for her father, one Cain constantly preached to Hayden to avoid. Perhaps Hector was making headway. “I’ve never met anyone who has been able to do it for long. Eventually you lose your balance and fall one way or the other.”

  “And no one has ever threatened me so subtly, or tried to push me in the direction they want. You refuse to see I have nothing to offer you except my neutrality. I can’t help but wonder what a friendship between us would bring into my life.” She turned away from them, pointed out each agent, and described them. “You come with baggage I have no interest in carrying for you, Señor Delarosa.”

  “You say such things, but you are involved in my business.”

  “How so?” It must’ve chapped his ass to find Vinny and Jasper already in the big hole she’d blown in Gracelia’s business. “You’re sitting in my business, and unless someone kept you from dancing or drinking, I’ve done nothing to you.”

  “You don’t play the fool well, so skip the performance. If we cannot be friends and will not be enemies, then we will agree to stay out of each other’s way.” Hector’s smile was back and he again offered her his hand. “Be careful on your fence, and if you fall, depending on where you fall, I’ll be there to catch you.”

  “Or to watch my head splatter like melon on the sidewalk, right?”

  “I like you, Cain. I would rest easier if I did not, but you remind much of myself when I was younger. You will not consider any offer I present, so I will leave you be.” When she took his hand he pulled her toward him and whispered in her ear, “You trusted my information once. Will you do so again?”

  “It depends on what you want,” she whispered back. “When the price is as steep as yours, I’d rather fumble around in the dark until I find my own way out of it.”

  “You won’t accept even if the gift is free?”

  “Last time you said it was free, yet it wasn’t. You can’t accept that I don’t want or need what you’re offering.”

  “The world will pass you by unless you decide to try new things.”

  “You’ll do fine without me.”

  “Someone called me and said he had the information I wanted,” Hector said, and his breath in her ear was annoying. “Gracelia Luis isn’t someone I want, but that’s who this guy offered me.”

  “I’m not really interested in Gracelia either.”

  “You are a bad liar. If you find her, you will find her son probably still suckling at her breast. Juan, I know, interests you.”

  “Thank you, but we’re done.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked as he took a step back and out of her personal space.

  “I’m sure, but I appreciate your generous offer.”

  He and Marisol left after that, and the agents followed him out. Cain didn’t want Hector in her life, but she’d found his visit enlightening, so she was glad she’d come. Rodolfo was gone, and his men obviously weren’t happy with the new management. It was the only way someone from this Luis camp would be brave enough to make Hector the offer.

  It was the lesson she’d tried to explain to Sabana. The betrayals that cut you off at the knees came from within. Whoever called Hector proved that, for all Gracelia’s posturing, someone with the keys to the kingdom she was trying to build was shopping for a new boss. With a little work she’d find out who that was and how much they wanted.

  Once I do, almost everyone will get what they want, she thought. Carlos would get Gracelia, Jasper and Vinny would get a larger slice of the business, and she would get Juan.

  “Anything important?” Katlin asked.

  “Let’s go upstairs and talk about it.” In Muriel’s conference room she told Lou to put more money on the street for information on Hector’s mystery caller.

  “We’ll start tonight,” Lou said.

  “Good, and I want to personally talk to any takers. If they have a map to Gracelia, Juan, or Anthony, the reward will be huge.” She glanced at her watch and figured Emma was still up. “It’s not all I want for Christmas this year, but it’s up there on my list.”

  “Boss, the holidays are months away,” Lou said.

  “It never hurts to shop early for the things you really want.”

  *

  “Did he tell you not to talk about what your answers were?” Claire asked Joe and Lionel. They’d both accepted her invitation for a drink in her apartment.

  “Yeah, but since I figure our answers all match, I say fuck it,” Lionel said, the language uncharacteristic for him.

  Joe looked at both of them and missed Shelby all the more. These guys were great, but Shelby had a knack for seeing every angle. “He asked me about Barney Kyle and how we gathered the intel we turned over to George,” he said as he twirled his beer bottle on his lap.

  “Then he didn’t ask us the same things,” Lionel said. “All my questions were about Anthony and how Agent Hicks handled the situation. He asked a lot about Anthony’s father too, but I had nothing for him on that.” Joe found it humorous that Lionel stuck to Coke.

  “What’s that asshole’s father got to do with anything?” Claire asked.

  “We’ll get to that.” He sat forward and rested his elbows on Claire’s kitchen table. “What did he want from you?”

  “Shelby, and I mean everything about her. I feel like I’m betraying her, but we had no choice but to mention her visits to Casey in our reports. It’s not like we can erase her from the video.”

  “Shelby knows what she’s doing, or at least she thinks she does. Both my parents are alive and well, enjoying their retirement in Florida, so I’m not going to judge her for whatever she thinks she’s going to get out of Cain. I’ve already gone to her and talked about coming back, but she’s not ready.”

  “She’s angry, Joe, and I can’t blame her. I saw the crime-scene photos. What happened was brutal, and because she notices everything, that damn bottle got her attention. She thought
it was Casey taunting her after she’d killed them for who their daughter was and what she did for a living,” Claire said. “Her instincts failed her this time, and we’re the ones paying for it, but I don’t mean any disrespect by that. The assumptions she made took the leash off Brent, and Muriel Casey had a field day after he attacked her cousin. I wasn’t too torn up about it when it was happening, but the hangover’s been hell.”

  “Hicks hasn’t shared with me what Ronald grilled her about, but if I’m right, it was all those things. I believe he’s using our mistakes and missteps to boot Annabel as well as some of us out of here because she’s right. Ronald wants her job for some reason, and he wants it badly enough that he’s willing to smear all of us to get it.”

  “So that’s it? We’re out and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Lionel said, his shoulders slumped.

  “Claire, you weren’t with us when Shelby decided to meet Cain and accept the box of goodies she dangled out there. For the head of an organized-crime syndicate, Casey put together a solid case against our former boss.” He counted off on his fingers that list of good fortune. “She had video of Barney meeting with Gino Bracato, pictures of him taking payments, and wiretaps of them planning Casey’s death and covering it up as an FBI operation.”

  “George didn’t care where the stuff came from, did he?” Claire asked.

  “He didn’t at first, and before it became an issue in court, Washington came down and started to negotiate a deal with Barney. If he cooperated and told them how he’d cracked the nut of getting someone like Big Gino to trust him, he’d walk and get to keep all that cash Gino lavished on him.”

  “Barney didn’t get to spend a dime when someone spattered his brains all over the back of that van,” she said.