by Ali Vali
“I’m going to be proud no matter what, baby, but I want people to know this is our child. This kid is a Casey, but he’s also a Verde, and I want everyone, especially the baby, to know where he comes from. He’ll be part of both of us, so his name should maybe reflect that.”
“My dad’s name is Hayden Ross Verde VI. His parents for some reason never called him by his first name, I guess because it was also his father’s name, so Ross is all he’s ever gone by. As you can tell by the number, it’s an old family name.”
“What about Hayden Dalton Casey if it’s a boy, and ‘this kid’ if it’s a girl?” she said, and Emma slapped her arm. “Tomorrow when I come home and find you folding clothes we’ll talk about girl names that aren’t ‘Carol,’ but how about we say we’ve got the boy name hammered out?”
“I love you, and my father will be thrilled.”
“I love you too, and I think my da will be happy to be included as well. We’re beginning our family, but there’s nothing wrong with paying homage to our history.”
“Hayden,” Emma said as she placed their hands over the spot where the baby was kicking. “You’re going to be some lucky kid, and we can’t wait to meet you.”
*
“Grandpa Ross’s name is Hayden?” Hayden asked when she was done.
“It sure is. So you carry not only one, but two names that reflect who you are and where you came from. I can’t believe I’ve never told you that,” she said, seeing Ross come toward them. “I wanted exactly what we talked about that day. You are our son, and we gave you a name that would tell the world exactly what your history is and, more importantly, who you belong to.”
“Hey, Grandpa, I’m named after you,” he said, going to hug Ross. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry you didn’t know, but I’m sure there’s been a long line of dairy farmers milking in heaven with a big smile on their face since the day you were born.” He hugged Hayden to him before slapping him on the back. “How’s my new grandbaby?”
“Let me go check if the coast is clear, and I’ll come back and get you. Hope you both ate to keep up your strength. Your mama gives birth to some big babies.”
“I’m sure that’s all got to do with her,” Hayden said, and they laughed.
When Cain returned to the waiting room, the whole family was there, including an excited Hannah, who was glued to her big brother. Cain smiled when she saw Muriel holding an old bottle of Irish whiskey and accepted a hug from her and the others before they all headed for Emma’s room. The nurse glanced up but seemed to understand it would be a bad idea to mention that visiting hours were over or the visitor limit per room.
Hayden and Hannah had taken turns holding their new brother. Then Muriel opened the bottle and poured a little into the glasses Katlin and Merrick had brought with them. Cain took the baby and sat on the bed as Emma held her glass.
“In a few weeks we’ll stand with Father Andrew and baptize this little one into the church, which will make my mum smile down on us from heaven. But first we’ll welcome this Casey home.”
Cain cradled her boy and remembered the words they’d all been told at their births by proud parents who’d survived on their traditions for centuries. “William Cain Casey.” She said the boy’s name with all the pride she felt for him already. “The Catholics, they’ll get ahold of you soon enough, but the whiskey—that’s a Casey baptism. This spirited drink’s in your blood, Billy, and no oil and water a priest pours or rubs on you is going to wash that away. The whiskey’s not only our business. It’s our heritage, our history, and soon you’ll help your brother Hayden and sister Hannah keep that tradition alive.”
She barely dipped her finger in the liquid and placed it in his mouth. “Let this be a bit of a reminder of who you are and what you come from. You’re a Casey, and you’re ours, but only for a time. When we set you out in the world, you’ll go with that rich history not only in your head, but more importantly in your heart.”
Muriel raised her glass and the others followed. “To William Cain Casey and his family. May those who came before us watch over him, may God bless him, and may he always know how loved he is.”
“Clan,” everyone else, including Cain and Emma, said before they drained their glasses. Cain dipped her finger again and put it in Hannah’s mouth, then Hayden’s. “You both are mine, but only for a time. Remember always that your mother and I love you more than life.”
Right then, Billy opened his eyes, and Cain let out a delighted laugh. Perhaps someone upstairs had been listening when she wished to see something she loved so much about her wife. The boy had the Casey coloring, but his eyes were the same bright-green shade as his mother’s. It would certainly distinguish him among the Casey children.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, Nunzio and Santino sat in their hotel’s restaurant having coffee, trying their best to not attract attention. After a few bribes, they’d gotten the lay of the land and the information they needed to visit the maximum-security prison this pathetic little village was famous for.
Roth Pombo had lived the good life for years, and for the poor bastard to be rotting away in that hellhole was justice to some, but Nunzio thought he’d prefer death to that if he was ever caught. He didn’t want to endure a cage simply to keep breathing. Maybe he’d change his mind if it came to choosing that or death, but he doubted it.
“This guy, are you sure we need him?” Santino asked softly as the waitress dropped off a huge amount of food on two large plates.
“Hell of a time to ask, Nino,” he said, using the nickname he’d given his grandfather as a toddler. “We could probably set it all up without him, but why reinvent the wheel if we don’t have to?”
“What are you planning to give him for this shortcut?”
He cut one of the fried eggs and stuffed it into his mouth, cursing when a drip of yolk landed on his tie. “Fuck.” He dipped his napkin in the water and scrubbed. “Think about how grateful someone like Pombo will be if we can give him what he wants more than a woman right about now.”
“You’re not talking about his freedom because that’s something we can’t deliver, and he’s going to know that.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re going to have to trust me, but I did a little research on this guy before we got here.”
“What kind of research?” Santino pushed his plate away and lost his smile. “Remember that while you’re snooping, it’s easy for someone to watch you.”
“Like I said, trust me. How I did it and what I found out isn’t going to come back and bite us in the ass.” He shoved more food in his mouth to keep from saying something that would end in a fight. Although Freddie was an ass, he regretted not bringing him now. Freddie wouldn’t be chewing his butt or questioning his every move.
“Do you mind if I join you?” The older but handsome man spoke with a Spanish accent that sounded like it was perfected in some exclusive US college.
“We’re talking here,” Santino said, and he put his hand up to cut the man off.
“Mr. Hernandez?” Nunzio said and held out his hand as he stood. “Thank you for coming.”
“I hate to be rude but I can’t stay long. My employers are expecting me in less than an hour, so I must ask you to get to the point.”
“I’m sure the Masurdo brothers won’t mind you being a few minutes late,” he said as he sat and picked up his fork again. “How do you like working for them?”
“I like them well enough, and I understand more than you what they mind or don’t mind. At least they don’t play games like this. What do you want?”
This guy wouldn’t dare say a wrong word against his bosses Muñoz and Ernesto Masurdo, the two butchers who’d filled the void Roth Pombo had left. Roth’s old attorney, though, had more class than that, and it was Nunzio’s way inside. “I want to give you an old friend back. Someone I believe valued you more than your current two bosses do.”
“Mr. Smith, if that is indeed yo
ur name, I’d like to give you some free advice. No one comes here and talks with disrespect toward the Masurdo brothers and their family. In your country that might be accepted, but here such things are suicidal.” Hernandez spoke in a normal tone, Nunzio noticed, so this guy wasn’t exactly scared, but he was keeping his head down. He obviously didn’t want to advertise his presence.
“I came a long way to see your old boss, and I think I have something he would find enticing.” He brushed his hair back, not used to the new length, and almost snorted when Antonio glanced up at him with what appeared to be contempt. “I’m sure your job is lucrative, but think about working for Roth again. I’m sure he had much more respect for you than you find in your current situation.”
“I cared deeply for Mr. Pombo, but he’s beyond our reach. Whatever you have in mind, leave him alone. It would be cruel to instill any hope in him because of where he is. That place will crush it before it has time to root.”
“All I need is what guard to ask for to get in. I need to talk to him and ask him a few things. Then once I’m done, if he calls you, please don’t ignore him.”
“There’s a guard on the three o’clock shift, which is the last visiting hour of the day. Ask for Rico and take a hundred bucks. That should give you thirty minutes without the cameras. If you see Roth, please let him know he’s still in my prayers.” Antonio stood and left as soon as he was done talking, but Nunzio was sure they’d see each other again.
They waited until the three o’clock visiting hour and stood in line with what seemed like family members ready to see their loved ones. For two hundred dollars they got a private room with the customary two-way mirror, but Rico promised no one would be on the other side. Roth was done with all his court appearances so he was no longer the big fish who had to be monitored constantly. From what Rico had said, the man had gone a bit mental from all the solitary confinement.
“Who the fuck are you?” Roth asked when he dropped into the aluminum chair bolted to the floor. His hair was wild, and he’d gained weight since the one picture Nunzio had found of him.
“I’m an old friend, remember?” He held his hand out, and when Roth took it he pulled him forward so he could talk directly into his ear. “Your old friend Antonio gives his regards and wants you to know he’s still praying for you.”
“What do you want? Antonio isn’t coming back, because I told him not to. The idiot brothers, I hope, are taking good care of him.” Roth rocked a little as he spoke and twirled a lock of greasy hair around his finger as if he constantly needed something to do with his hands.
“What I want is a piece of what you had,” Nunzio said, glancing back at his grandfather. “I came a long way to talk to you, so I’d appreciate your attention. If you help me set up the old supply chain of tequila, I’ll give you something in return.”
Roth laughed and rocked harder. “What? A blow job while wearing a blond wig? I fucking loved blond women before they threw me in here, but those days are over. You see these gray walls?” He waved his hands around before he started pulling his hair again. “I’m going to die here, and that’s the fucking last thing I’ll ever see.”
“All you need to say is you’ll help me, and I’ll return the favor. Give me the first of your contacts.”
“Help me how?”
“How about a vastly different view? Think about that, but don’t think too long. My two hundred bucks will only get me so far.”
“You have to head to the coast. The guy you need to see is Cesar Kalina. He’s not the first contact. He’s the contact.” He stood up and put his hands behind his back. “One warning about Cesar. Fuck him over or give him even an inkling that you’re going to, and he’ll kill you before you can scratch your ass.”
“Thanks. You’ll hear from me again.”
“I doubt that, fucker, but thanks for blowing smoke up my ass.”
“If you think that, why help us?” Santino asked.
“Because in all the time I’ve been sitting in here, no one’s ever asked me anything remotely like this, so why the hell not?”
It was too easy. That Roth would give up his contacts so fast was making Nunzio twitchy. “So you’d give it up to the first person that asked?”
“Nothing in life is that easy, Mr. Smith. Talk to Cesar, and I guarantee I’ll see you again.”
They waited until they were back in their shitty hotel to talk again, and Santino shook his head. “I don’t like it, but we’ve come too far not to take the chance. The only thing is the Mexican coastline is not only long, but there’s two of them. He didn’t make it easy for us, did he?”
The knock made them both jump, and it only occurred to Nunzio then how exposed both of them were here. Airport customs meant they didn’t have any guns to fight back with if death was waiting outside the door. He opened it when the knocking got louder and found Antonio Hernandez. This guy wasn’t as out of Pombo’s life as he professed to be.
“You’ll need this, and make sure you tell him Roth gave you the number. When you talk to him, it’ll only proceed if you have something to offer, and not just promises of something. Remember that, Mr. Smith.”
“What do you mean exactly?”
“Cesar trusted Roth, and Roth took the fall for him. So Cesar’s still incredibly loyal to a man everyone else has written off as dead. You try to make a deal with Cesar and cut Mr. Pombo out, you’ll never leave Mexico.”
“I’m not planning to cut him out. I want to make Roth my partner. Those kinds of partnerships, though, take trust and time, so stop threatening me.”
“Good luck to you then. You’re going to need it.”
“I make my own luck so here.” He handed over his contact information. “It’s time for both of us to do better than we have so far.”
*
The crying woke Cain instantly, and she smiled when Emma moaned a little. This was the fifth time she’d been summoned to the basinet by a robust little voice that seemed not to care how much sleep his parents were getting. “I see he’s inherited your patience, my love,” Emma said and laughed when Cain stuck her tongue out at her. “Can you believe it? I kept pinching you last night to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”
“Here I thought you agreed with Sam on my slacking,” Cain said as she unwrapped him from the blanket the nurses had swaddled him in to check his diaper. He was still a little red from all the crying, and she imagined from the birth, but he resembled Hayden so much it stunned her. “He’s not wet yet, so I guess this is a boy in need of his mama.”
Emma untied the unflattering hospital gown and accepted the nursing pillow they’d brought from home and made him comfortable. She smiled through her intake of breath when he started nursing and finally laughed when she looked at Cain.
“What?” Cain asked and winked. It was silly of her to be this proud so soon, since all Billy could do was nurse and cry, but she was puffed up so much about being a parent for the third time, her chest almost hurt.
“This is another one for you to spoil, but he’s a beauty for sure. It’s like a dream, isn’t it? You can go from rock-bottom to elated so fast you can get whiplash.” Emma laughed a little and wiped the corner of her eye. “I remember that day under my tree, and it’s like a fairy tale.”
“Lass, you have and always will have my heart, and there’s no other woman I would’ve wanted to share this miracle with but you. My mother would’ve had a statue of you made for the yard by now for all these beautiful grandchildren.”
“For their sake, I wish they’d gotten to meet both your parents. They’d be unbearable from being so spoiled, but think of the joy your parents would have brought to their lives.”
“Between Ross and Carmen at home they’ll get more than enough attention. According to Merrick, Carmen’s been cooking for you since I called last night to make sure you keep up your strength.”
The baby took a break but went right back to nursing when Emma tickled his cheek. “Speaking of the other side of that spectrum, have y
ou heard anything else about my mother? I haven’t forgotten about her, and my father never talks about her because he doesn’t want to worry me. But not knowing is worse.”
“Muriel’s got Sanders Riggole from her office working on it. Muriel had him drop the petition in Wisconsin and refile here. This will guarantee we’ll be working with a much more favorable court. Refiling might set him back, but only a little, Muriel assured me.”
“Can he give her whatever it is she wants?”
“If it was money I’d have written the check myself and gladly handed it over naked, but he can’t give her what she wants.”
“I thought you didn’t know what it was.”
“When we last talked about this I had no clue, so don’t get mad at me. It might’ve pissed you off, but I would’ve told you then if I’d known.”
“What does she want, mobster?” Emma asked as she handed the baby over for her to burp him.
“Maybe you should finish this before we get into all that.” She patted him gently on the back and smiled when the tiny infant let out a rather large belch. When she handed him over for Emma to let him nurse on the other side, she almost laughed at the glare.
“I promise not to curdle his milk, so tell me already.”
“Your mother’s under some delusion that we’ll grant visitation with Hannah, and she’ll in turn give your father his freedom. Muriel told me and I talked to him about it. He hadn’t mentioned it because he thought I’d be pissed, and he was right.” She sat on the bed and put her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Your dad told Carol he couldn’t give her something that wasn’t in his power to grant, so she came back with more objections to the divorce. I guess that’s her strategy for getting what she wants.”
“She thought for one second I’d let her anywhere near Hannah?” Emma said with such menace that the baby stopped suckling. Cain lifted him and tried to burp him again and sighed when he spit up on her. It was a good sign as to how this conversation was going.