by Ali Vali
Jarvis sighed and waved to one of the chairs. If what she said was true, he could do only so much for her. “Emma, I never asked Cain what made you leave so suddenly, and I’m not asking you now, but you’ve got to realize what’s happened since you’ve been gone. Cain isn’t the same person you knew four years ago, and Hayden, he’s completely different. Cain is, and always has been, strong and proud. What you did, or your reaction to something she did, ripped holes in the very essence of who she is.”
“Don’t you think I sit up nights thinking about that? That I miss her more than I can stand before I’m a teary mess again?”
He put up a big hand to silence her. “I didn’t say all that because I think you insincere, Emma. You and I will come to an understanding today, or else I’ll drive you to the airport myself and wash my hands of you.”
“Just ask and I’ll do it.”
“It isn’t that simple, lass. My brother and I had the good fortune to find and marry women who loved us with a fierce devotion.” The more passionate he got, the more his brogue slipped into his conversation. “They loved us and were able to turn a blind eye when the situation warranted it, because they knew what loving us meant. What acceptance they had to bring to their commitment of marrying a Casey.”
“You think I’m not capable of that?”
“I’ve lived this long and enjoyed the fruits of my work too many years by not reading too much into any given situation. To survive, I accept only what’s there. And I’ve seen you running away from your spouse and your son. Add to that not one phone call to check if they’re doing well or if they need you. So no, I don’t think you’re capable of that kind of commitment.”
His honesty stung, but she couldn’t come into his house and argue with him over the truth as it had played out so far. “You have my word, uncle Jarvis. Get me one more chance, and I’ll never give you reason to doubt the depth of my commitment. Four years is a long time to learn a lesson, but I belong with Cain, and I’ll die by her side.”
“I took a chance on you already, Emma, and it cost me a little of Cain’s respect. If I do what you’re asking and you renege on your word, I’ll lose my place with my niece. If that happens, Cain will be the least of your worries.”
She knelt in front of his chair, put her hands over his, and gazed steadily into his eyes. “I give you my word as a Casey.”
*
“I’m sure it is important, uncle Jarvis. I just can’t tonight.” As Cain put her shoes on, she paused to listen to him ask again. “No, it’s not a hot date. I’ll call you tomorrow, I promise, but tonight I’m meeting someone to go over something important. If I could reschedule it I would, but I’ll have to ask your cooperation and flexibility on this one.”
“I have your word you’ll make time for me tomorrow?”
“You got it, and thank you for understanding. The way we left things the last time we talked has been bothering me, so I’ll look forward to tomorrow.” She hung up and hoped Shelby had been able to get the night off.
Jarvis tapped the receiver against his chin and closed his eyes. Oh boy, she feels bad for screaming at me. Somehow I’m thinking she’s going to forget her remorse really fast when I show up bearing gifts of small blondes again. He heard Emma behind him, waiting to hear the verdict. “Tomorrow will have to be soon enough. She had dinner plans that she couldn’t change.”
“I’m not too late, am I?”
“Like I said earlier, Emma, four years is a long time. But if it makes you feel better, Cain hasn’t had any encounters I’ve been able to confirm. With her reputation that’s hard to imagine, but I don’t think anyone’s standing in your way. No one, that is, but yourself.”
The thought of someone else pressing her naked skin to Cain’s sent a swift pain through Emma’s heart that just as quickly turned to anger. It was irrational to expect Cain to abstain until she came to her senses, but that was what she had done. As for Emma, no one else had remotely come close to engaging her in a long conversation, much less making her share herself in such an intimate way.
*
The object of Emma’s jealousy walked into an office supply store, sure that no one had followed her. What luck for the award-winning Emeril’s Restaurant to share a wall with such a mundane business. The aisle with the pens and office paper was just where Cain said it would be, and at the end was a door. Shelby knocked and stepped back a little when Merrick opened it outward.
“Welcome, Agent Daniels.”
She frowned when the woman called her by name. Cain had promised not to share it with anyone.
“I’m the only one here, and I’m the only one aside from Vincent’s men who knows your name, ma’am, so don’t look so worried. If you’re ready, Cain’s waiting.”
Cain was seated in a beautiful private room waiting for her. As always she looked incredible in the custom suit she was wearing, and Shelby was glad she had put a lot of thought into choosing her own outfit.
Cain stood up and nodded to Merrick, who went to wait in the office of the business next door.
“Welcome, Shelby. I hope you’re hungry and curious.”
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? If you ever decide to leave your life of crime, you can write a book on interesting tidbits in New Orleans.”
“I would, but I hear a life on the straight and narrow path really doesn’t pay,” Cain joked back as she moved forward to kiss the agent hello.
“Isn’t it a life of crime doesn’t pay?”
“Bite your tongue, Agent Daniels.”
“I’d rather you do that.” She blushed. “I can’t believe I said that. I really do need to stay away from you before you convince me bank robbery might be a good hobby.”
Cain laughed and lowered her head. Since Shelby hadn’t hesitated about her method of greeting, Cain lingered a moment longer and enjoyed it. “Why don’t you try a curried shrimp, and I’ll pour you a glass of wine?” Cain pulled Shelby’s chair out for her and tried to squelch her libido.
“This is very nice. Thanks for asking me.”
“My pleasure. Maybe after your big promotion you’ll be the one to treat me to dinner.”
“And why am I going to be getting a big promotion?” Shelby tapped her glass against the one Cain held over the center of the table and smiled at her before taking a sip.
In lieu of an answer Cain passed her a large file and sat back to enjoy her appetizer.
Twenty minutes later a waiter appeared with the next course, noticeably upset when he found Shelby’s plate untouched and papers spread out around her chair.
“Leave it, Julian. I’ll cut it up and feed it to her in small pieces so she won’t choke while she’s reading.”
“Another twenty minutes or so before the soup, Ms. Casey?”
“That sounds about right. Why don’t you bring that with a straw?” Cain teased.
Shelby finally looked up, an expression of total shock marring her features. “I’m sorry for zoning out like that, but there’s no way this is true.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Just because I gathered the information, it’s bogus because it suits my interests?”
“No, Cain, because of what it implies. This is a serious allegation against someone who up to now has been beyond reproach.”
Cain lifted a shrimp off Shelby’s plate and held it up for her to take a bite. “I’m a Casey, Shelby, which makes me a bad guy in the eyes of the law. What you just finished reading doesn’t make him any different from me because of who he works for. I asked you for a favor—for you to do your job. You have the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow to do it. Verify the information and then make your decision. That’s all I ask. Forget now that you owe me your life. Your being here tonight has paid your debt. As your friend I’m asking you to do this. If you refuse, I still have options, but I wanted to give you first shot.”
“Can I get some help from some of the other agents?”
“If you trust someone else, then knock yourself out.�
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“Cain, would you be terribly offended if I skipped the rest of dinner?”
“Eat one more shrimp to make Julian happy. Then get out of here.”
Shelby ate the shrimp, gathered all the paperwork, and jumped up. She kissed Cain good-bye and was almost to the door before her benefactor stopped her.
“Is there room in your sensibilities for me to ask one more favor?”
“I’ll owe you more than one favor if this checks out. What else do you want?”
“Tomorrow night is the one night your boss has been waiting for.”
“Cain, it’s not too late to call off whatever you’ve got planned.”
“I don’t want to call it off. I want this to finally come to a head, and I want you to be there. I’d like to live out the night, and with you there, I’ll feel better that’ll happen.”
Shelby put her hand on Cain’s cheek and nodded. “I’ll be there. I promise no one will harm you.”
“Thanks. Just one more thing. Do you want the video and audio tapes that go along with that file?”
“You have film to go along with all these pictures?”
Cain pointed to the box near the door.
“If you were a man, I’d have your baby, gangster or no.”
Shelby kissed her and jumped a little when the door opened again and an acne-faced teenager from the office supply place waited to carry her box out for her. Cain had even thought to put it in a box from the place to make it look like a purchase.
“I’ll keep that baby thing in mind, but it’ll have to wait. You have work to do.”
Merrick walked in, pulled the plate of salad in front of her, and accepted a glass of wine from Cain. “All done?”
“That should keep her and her friends busy for the next twenty-two hours or so. Anything more and it’s just overkill, since we did most of the work.”
“Are you sure about all this, Cain? I have the worst feeling.”
“Merrick, nothing in life is a guarantee, but I promise you I’ve worked out all the angles. I’m through with playing by someone else’s rules. I’m ready to take control of the game again.” Cain lifted her glass and pressed her lips to the rim. The next question wouldn’t come easy. “There’s something I want to ask you. Actually it’s something I want you to promise me.”
“You know you don’t ever have to ask me. Just tell me and I’ll see it gets done.”
She shook her head and reached across the table for Merrick’s hand. “No, sweetheart, I want to hear you say it.”
“What do you want?”
“If something should happen to me, I want you to take Hayden to Emma, and I want you to walk away. He’ll have more than enough money, and I don’t think anyone will go after him in Wisconsin.”
“Honey, he’s never going to agree to that. Maybe with your uncle Jarvis?”
“No, Merrick. Promise me you’ll take him to Emma. I love Jarvis, but Emma’s his mother. No one will fight harder to keep him whole than she will. He’s young and maybe doesn’t understand completely what’s best for him, but if I’m no longer around, she’s what’s best for him. I’m counting on you to tell him that if I can’t.”
For one of the only times she could remember, Merrick’s eyes filled with tears, which fell silently down her face.
“Please don’t talk like that. I’ve never known you to plan something that didn’t include survival ahead of everything else.”
“I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of my father and go without planning for all the possibilities. I loved Dalton with everything I was, and I’ve thought of all the ‘what ifs’ because he was taken from me so soon. I want better than that for Hayden. He needs a sense of himself other than what he is with me, and I think his mother is the best person to give him that. Trust me, sweetling. I don’t ask this without biting back a whole bunch of feelings, but I have to do what’s right for my son.”
“I may have to tie him to the wing of the plane to get him there, but if that’s what you want, that’s what I’ll do. Will you promise me something now, boss?”
“Anything.”
“Promise me this is just one more cog in the wheel you’re putting together and not a real possibility. Because if you’re thinking like this, I’ll tie you to a chair all day tomorrow and be damned with the consequences.”
“There’s no one you’ll meet who adores life more than I do, Merrick. I put tomorrow together because I want to enjoy the years to come as much as possible. When this is all over, there’s a girl I want you to meet.”
Merrick lifted her brows in surprise. Having Cain mention anyone was cause for celebration. “The one who left just now?”
“No, I don’t want to chance prison time every time I exchange pillow talk. This girl, she’s special, and when you lay eyes on her you’ll understand why.”
Merrick lifted her glass and waited for Cain to do the same before she made her toast. “To life.”
“And its infinite possibilities,” Cain added, before she tapped her glass to Merrick’s and took a sip.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The old chair creaked when Cain stared out the windows behind her desk at home. The branches of the bare trees in the yard swayed gently in the cold breeze. The sun hadn’t shone all day, and the visibility on the docks that night would be extremely low. While she usually welcomed such a gift from Mother Nature, tonight it made her think of all the things that could go wrong because of all the people who would be watching.
“Cain?”
“Come in, Merrick.” Her hand appeared from behind the chair and waved the trusted guard in.
“In a minute, boss. Your uncle’s on line one for you.”
She hesitated before she picked up the phone. She had honestly forgotten about Jarvis. Their last meeting had left her with enough bad feelings to make her ignore him, but he was family, which brought its own obligations, so she had to put her feelings aside. “Uncle Jarvis, I’m sorry about last night. I couldn’t help it, though.”
“I know you’re busy, Cain. Think nothing of it. Could I talk you into stepping out for a cup of coffee with me?”
Something about the request made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Jarvis usually just dropped by and dragged her away. When he asked, even so informally, he was usually up to something.
“How about the place close to the house? I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes it is.” Jarvis put the receiver down and faced the windows in his study. Emma had wrung her hands during the short conversation. He wondered if she realized how precarious a situation she had put him in. Cain was a special part of his life, one he would miss if this situation brought about his exile.
“Did she say yes?”
“Twenty minutes at the coffee shop near the house. Let me talk to her first. Then I’ll send for you.”
He knew she was about to protest. He heard the hitch of her breath as she told him she had come to see Cain, which was the only thing important to her.
“Cain has never struck a woman or me in anger. I don’t want that streak to end today. Call it a selfish whim on both our parts.”
“I trust you to do what’s best, uncle Jarvis. My fate is in your hands.”
“As is mine in yours, little one.”
*
“Where do you suppose the mighty Cain Casey’s going alone?” Kyle focused the binoculars in his hands and studied the way Cain’s coat draped perfectly over her shoulders. He saw no guards, no Casey troops keeping watch as the crime boss strolled leisurely down the street looking like any other homeowner on her block. All she was missing was a big happy dog.
“Use another pay phone, perhaps?” The agent sitting with Kyle watched as well so that he could radio the next post to take up surveillance once she was too far away from them.
“Let’s wait and see. Move it, Jones. We can circle the block and pick her up on St. Charles.”
Cain heard the cable van start behind her, makin
g her laugh when no cable guy emerged from her neighbor’s house. Maybe they just throw those nice new digital boxes on your front lawn now and let you fend for yourself. She pulled the brim of her hat lower and glanced quickly down the street for their backup. She stopped at the sewer truck, thinking it was the most logical choice. It suited the way the government conducted its business concerning her family.
“Daniels, do the three of you see her?” Kyle’s voice boomed though all their headsets.
Shelby, Joe, and Anthony popped their heads up from the vast amount of paperwork spread out in front of them and barely restrained themselves from answering, “Who, sir?”
“She just turned right on the avenue, sir. We’ve got her.” Shelby scrutinized the tall woman like Kyle had, but with much different results. She wondered what it would feel like to have Cain wrap her up in that greatcoat. “She just stepped into the coffee shop. Her uncle’s waiting at a table. Maybe it’s just a social visit?”
“Jarvis Casey doesn’t have a social bone in his body, Daniels. None of these Neanderthals do. Try to remember that. No, I’m guessing a last-minute advice session before our little escapades tonight.” When Lionel Jones stopped short, Kyle lost his balance and almost smashed his head into the back door of the van. “Watch it, idiot.”
“Sorry, sir.” Lionel was praying the time would go faster so he could meet Shelby and the others before that night. After spending the day working with Kyle, he was ready to take a job as security guard at an old folks’ home if it meant never having to sit and listen to the pompous ass spout off about all the subjects he thought were interesting. The real action was happening in the other van, and he was missing it, though he was truly grateful to be one of the agents Shelby had confided in for the job none of their supervisors knew about.
*
“Cain, thanks for coming.” Jarvis stood and hugged his niece.
“What brings you out on such a nasty day?”
Jarvis watched as Cain walked toward him, removing only her hat. “Gloomy days are made to talk about love, don’t you think?”