by Ali Vali
“Ah, now there’s a good-looking group,” Cain said, seeming surprised to see Emma.
When Cain nodded, everyone whose last name wasn’t Casey left the room. Without any encouragement, Hannah ran to Cain and started climbing into her lap.
“Careful, honey. Cain’s got an owie and we don’t want to make it worse,” Emma said. She moved to pick the little girl up but stopped when Cain shook her head brusquely.
“It’s all right. Let her do what she wants. I feel better after a shower.”
“Was that wise? You’re still weak. And what about your sutures?”
“Don’t worry. A big guy from the ward helped me since you weren’t here. And they wrapped me up fairly tight before I got wet.” Cain waved Emma off and opened her hand to her daughter. “How are you doing after all that excitement this afternoon, sweet girl?”
“It was scary, Mom,” Hannah said, her fingers in her mouth.
“I know, sweetheart, but you’re going to be all right. Nothing bad’s going to happen to you, your mom, or your brother.” She stroked Hannah’s thick black hair and kissed her forehead. “I promise. Want something to drink?”
“Can I have a Coke?”
“What do you say, Emma, just this once?” Cain looked at her.
“Just one, Hannah, and you have to stay with Hayden the whole time.” Emma helped her off Cain’s lap and walked her and Hayden to the door. The sight of them following Mook down the hall made her heart hurt.
“Are you all right?” Cain asked as the door closed.
“Two carloads of men came and shot up the room where I was sleeping with our daughter and destroyed the room where you sit day after day working. Am I all right?” Emma’s voice grew louder with each sentence, and Cain didn’t try to stop her. “No, I’m not all right.” The controlled veneer she’d put up for the sake of the children disappeared in a second as she twirled around to face Cain.
“Can I ask you something else?” Cain put up her hand this time when Emma opened her mouth. “Just be quiet and think about what I’m asking before you answer.”
“What?”
“When you first met me, did you ask anyone who I was before you went out on our first date?” They had come a long way from that first night at the Erin Go Braugh, an Irish pub Cain owned in the French Quarter. That first date had blossomed into a relationship that had produced two children, but also the betrayal of Emma leaving.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Cain stared at her and tried to appear relaxed, though she was convinced that Emma would leave her again. And this time would be the last. “It has everything to do with everything.”
“I knew you were the owner of the pub and people had a million stories to tell about your women and what you did for a living. It was just all rumors, but I didn’t go out and ask anyone about you specifically. Why?”
“Because I want to know if you knew me before you entered the devil’s lair, Emma. No one forced you, so don’t act like you think I was some saint who deceived you into a life you didn’t want. Do you regret leaving the farm this time around?”
“Of course I don’t regret coming back, but I love my children and want them to be safe.”
“Come on, then, let’s be done with it.” With considerable effort Cain put her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed herself into a standing position. “Keep your place.” Cain swayed a little, but didn’t want any help from Emma. “I’ll be keeping my feet and dignity as you tell me what you want.”
“I want you—”
“But. It sounds like you wanted to end that statement with a ‘but,’ sweetling.”
“I can’t live like this. It’s not you. I love you more than life, but we have to consider other people. Yes, I knew who you were before I committed to you, and I thought I could handle it, but I just want to keep us all safe. Is that wrong?”
The pain was starting to come in short aching throbs again, and it wasn’t just from the wound. Cain dug deep to stay on her feet. “This time I didn’t set myself up with unrealistic expectations of you, Emma, so I’m not disappointed. If you want to go, then go.”
“Cain, please—”
“I won’t stand in your way. You want to leave, you leave, no questions asked and no tearful farewells. But—yes, I can add those to the ends of sentences too—you won’t take my children if they don’t want to leave. I won’t keep you from them, Emma, but that works both ways. You won’t keep them from me either. I’m sure, being the only parent Hannah’s ever known, she’ll choose you, but if Hayden wants to stay, I won’t send him away.”
“Even if he could get hurt? He and Hannah could be dead right now. All that shooting—”
“Take off your blinders, Emma. You’re standing here alive because my people did their jobs. You think people like Barney Kyle are going to keep you safe? Do you think I’ll just hand over my kids to someone like your mother?”
“Forget my mother, and Kyle. I learned my lesson about trusting people like him. I just want us all to go somewhere until you’re healthy and ready to take on what you need to, to make all this go away. You’re a parent, Cain. Don’t you want that for Hannah and Hayden?”
“I see it as running, and so will Bracato’s men. Do you think Giovanni and his sons will show mercy until I’m ready to fight back? What you’re asking will only put us in more danger. This is the life I’ve chosen, hard realities and all. Just because you can’t take the heat, you don’t have the right to use our children to try and guilt me into seeing things your way. Just get out.”
As much as she wanted to stay on her feet, Cain had to either sit down or fall on the floor. “I don’t have the energy to deal with all this shit and you along with it. Go back to the farm and to Mama, and tell her how she was right all along. We’ll make arrangements as soon as you’re settled.”
“Please, Cain, we need to finish this.”
“I said for you to leave. It’s what you’re good at, and I see it still comes naturally to you. Just tell Merrick where you’re going.”
“You want to know where I’ll be?” Emma took a step forward.
“Of course I want to know where you’ll be, since Hannah will be with you. I won’t keep Hayden from you, but Hannah has a right to know me.”
“Of course—”
Cain pinned Emma with a glare. “Get out. We’re done.”
Emma had hurt her for the last time.
Chapter Three
“What’s wrong?” Hayden asked, having chased Emma into the ladies’ restroom and found her leaning on one of the sinks with her head down, crying.
“Nothing, honey. Cain and I just had a painful conversation, and I’m trying to sort it out before we head back. I don’t want you to worry about it.”
“She gets upset sometimes, but you just have to give her time to cool off. You can’t give up so easily.”
“She gets upset with you?”
“Only when I run off and get picked up by some idiot. It’s just a getting-upset-with-you-for-your-own-good kind of thing, as she likes to call it. There’s usually a lecture, but most of the time I learn something, too. It’s not all bad once the grounding part’s over.” He moved closer, as if he wanted to touch her, but stopped just short of that. “You just need to get to know her again, and then you’ll see.”
Emma ran the cold tap and washed her face before looking at Hayden. “Why do you think she’s upset with me?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sorry I gave you a hard time at first.” He grabbed her hand. “I saw you guys today and how you made her smile. I want Mom to be happy.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Emma asked as she peered into eyes so much like Cain’s.
“I want you to not go. I want you to stay so Hannah will be close to us.”
She shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. “No, do you want me to stay?”
“Yes. I want you to stay with Mom and me. We can’t ever be a family if we’re so far apart.”
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And that was just what Emma needed to hear.
As Emma headed back toward Cain’s room, Merrick grasped her arm and stopped her. “Haven’t you done enough damage for one day? You have the spine of a slug.”
“I think you’d best get your hands off me and let me finish what I came here to do today.” Emma pulled her arm free and continued down the hall, wiping her face as she went.
For the first time since the shooting, Emma was glad that Cain wasn’t up to full strength. She walked back in as a nurse was arranging the sheets around Cain’s waist on the bed, then stood silently while the woman folded the blankets neatly and wrote something on the chart. When the door clicked closed, Cain didn’t even look at her, seeming tired of the whole exercise.
“Forget something?” Cain asked.
Instead of answering, Emma climbed onto the bed and straddled Cain’s hips, taking care to keep her weight off Cain’s injured chest. She leaned forward until her hands were at the sides of Cain’s head and their faces were inches apart. “I have just one more thing to say, and then if you want, you can have one of your big goons throw me out.”
“I’m listening.”
Cain’s smugness under pressure had always amazed Emma. They could be in the most bizarre or dangerous situation, and Cain was always cool, with that cocky little grin on her face. At that precise moment Emma could think of only one way to knock it off, and she decided to take a chance.
The kiss wasn’t one of their most incendiary, but it did take Cain by surprise. Emma had always been able to wipe all thought from her mind, and this time was no exception. The feel of her lips was sweet, nice, and prompted Cain to put her hands on Emma’s hips. “You were saying?”
“I want to stay here with you,” Emma said when she pulled away just a little while Cain caught her breath. “I love you and don’t ever want to be with anyone else as long as I live.”
“What about everything else? I can’t change who I am. If that’s what you’re asking, then in the end neither one of us will be happy.”
“Everything else will take care of itself because I trust you to keep our children and me safe. I just need to know if I’ve got a chance here? I’m not asking for anything more than that.”
Cain worked a hand up and pressed her palm to Emma’s cheek. “Do you know what my greatest regret is?”
“Not letting me get fired that first night we met?”
The deep laugh almost made her melt into Cain’s chest, but Emma stayed where she was.
“Not going after you when you left. My pride stole a lot of years and a lot of good memories from me.”
“I’m sorry for everything. I should’ve come back when Hannah was born, but I thought you’d have me shot the minute I stepped foot out of the cab.”
“Nah, maybe just a few warning shots to make myself feel better, but this time you brought the second greatest gift you could ever give me.”
Emma closed her eyes and relished the feel of Cain’s hand on her face.
“I missed a lot in Hannah’s life, but so did you in Hayden’s. That doesn’t make us even, but it gives us something to talk about for months to come. Just one thing, Emma. If you stay, it’s for good this time. It’s going to take time to rebuild what we had, but you need to be here if we’re going to try.” Cain pinched her cheek slightly. “I can’t say if this will work or not, but I’m willing to give it my best for the sake of our family.”
“Don’t worry. I learned from my mistakes. I need you and love you, and I’ll try as hard as I can not to hurt you again.”
“I don’t mean to be blunt, but only time will prove that. I meant what I said. I won’t go through this kind of pain again.”
“I know better than to promise you any more than that. But each day after this one I’ll prove to you that I’m sincere. There’ll be no more pain for you or our son. If you allow Hannah and me back in, you’ll never doubt my word. It’s the mark of a true Casey to keep their word.”
Cain laughed again and pulled Emma down far enough to kiss the tip of her nose. “And are you a true Casey?”
“I’m something better. I’m your Casey.”
Across town Muriel’s law office went up in bits when the second bomb of the day went off, sending pieces of debris flying in every direction and trapping two of her young associates in the rubble. It was six o’clock, and they were the only ones left in the building.
Cain had no choice but to answer those responsible, but would Emma keep her promise once she did?
Chapter Four
Without warning, Merrick opened the door and stood stock-still. She expected them to be at each other’s throats, not kissing.
“We’re almost done, Merrick. I’ll call you when we are,” Emma said with a fair amount of authority in her voice.
“I need—”Merrick started, only to be interrupted by Cain.
“Do as the lady said. This won’t take long, but she’s right. We need to finish.” When they were alone again, Cain gazed up and into the eyes that had always fascinated her.
Emma’s eyes were a vivid deep green that looked like some special power had speckled them with gold flecks. Cain had always used them to gauge how Emma was feeling. At the moment they were filled with love and adoration, a potent combination for Cain, but the depth of Emma’s betrayal had cut deep. As much as her heart wanted to forget, her head screamed for her to be careful.
“I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds with Merrick.” Emma moved up a little and ran her fingers though Cain’s hair.
“Didn’t you?” The voice rumbled, and Emma could feel it where their bodies touched. “It sure sounded like you did.”
“This won’t work if we go about it the way we did before. I won’t go back to that.”
Emma began to move off her, but Cain held her to her injured chest. “What way is that, lass?”
“I won’t be sent out of the room like a child or some addlepated woman who needs looking after every time the adults have to talk business. I’m either your partner or I’m not.”
“Would this be a good time to remind you that just days ago you were in a deal with the feds to have my ass arrested?”
Emma didn’t bolt or smart off only because Cain asked the question without anger or malice. She was more curious than anything. “If you can’t forgive me, we’ll never be able to trust each other again.”
“Do you know what trust means to me, Emma?”
“I do know, and I’m sorry for the pile of betrayals between us.” Emma brushed Cain’s damp hair from her forehead, knowing the pain was making her sweat. “But I refuse to believe there’s no love between us anymore. That’s strong enough to build on, don’t you think?”
“If life has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes it doesn’t matter what I think,” Cain said almost to herself. “Have you ever gambled?”
“A long time ago I left everything and everyone I’d ever known to move to a place about as different from my upbringing as you could get. It was one of the greatest times of my life, but that gamble paled next to the one I took the night I met a rogue who stole my heart.” Emma picked up one of the Cain’s hands and placed it on her chest. “I take that back. I gave that gift freely. You didn’t steal it. I gave myself to you because I wanted to be with you. If you believe my mother, I did so at the peril of my soul.”
“And now?”
“The true sin is to keep denying the way I feel about you. Four years is a long time, but I don’t think four hundred lifetimes will be enough to make me forget you.”
Cain looked at their joined hands and let out a slow sigh. “I’m sitting at the high-stakes table with only a few chips left. I can throw my ante in one last time and gamble, but if I lose…the devil takes my soul. That means I survived you leaving once, Emma, but twice isn’t in me.”
“I know something about you, Derby Cain, that most do not.”
“What’s that, darling girl?”
“You’re too good a gambler not
to bet on a sure thing. That’s what we are together, and that’s what I’m fighting for here.”
“You commit again and you know what that’ll mean, don’t you?”
“I didn’t understand before, not fully anyway, but I do now.” Emma kept hold of Cain’s hand with one of her own and leaned down carefully. As strong as she was, Cain was still injured. “To be a Casey wife I accept all of you, and I hold nothing back. I will love you, protect you, and be waiting in your bed every night. I will give you everything you need, but I’ll expect just as much from you in return.”
“Pretty words indeed.”
“I want an answer, Cain.”
The gold flecks did Cain in. She was crazy to trust Emma again, and if she was honest, they didn’t share the same level of trust as before, but Cain loved her. That was a starting point. The rest would come later as Emma proved herself, or it would come not at all. For the moment as she gazed into Emma’s green eyes, she decided to at least gamble on the possibility. “Ante up.”
Emma went willingly when Cain pulled her forward. These were the lips she remembered and had dreamed about. Cain kissed her like she wanted her, which made Emma want to cry. “I love you so much,” she whispered when they pulled apart.
“I love you too. God help me if you’re still working for the other side, because I do believe they’ve finally found my greatest weakness.”
“Trust me, we’ll have plenty of things to worry about for the remainder of our days, but that will never be one of them.” Emma pressed her lips to Cain’s once again, feeling almost weightless. “Are we all right?”
“We’re heading in that direction, so it’s a start, but we’ll have a lifetime to get it right.” Cain cupped Emma’s cheek before patting her on the butt. “As much as I’m enjoying this, it’s time to let in the real world.”
“Merrick?” Emma called down the hall. “We’re ready.”
Merrick buttoned her jacket and pushed off the wall. “If you don’t mind, I need to talk to Cain about some pressing issues. One of the guys will walk you down to the waiting room.”