by Ali Vali
“What we have agreed to tonight has made us all stronger,” Cain said after she’d drained her glass. “To thank you for the honor, I come bearing gifts.”
“Before you say anything, Vincent and I have something for you.” Ramon accepted another drink from Vincent. “What you asked for, or should I say what you hoped for, I’d guess, is waiting for you. The place is a little open for our taste, though, so be careful.”
“What did he say?” Shelby closed her eyes and concentrated on the voice speaking. They were sure Vincent was using some sort of jamming equipment, but they’d come prepared. The audio was low but decipherable.
“Something about a gift,” Claire answered, as she too pressed the headphones closer to her ears. “We’ll clean it up later in the lab.”
“Joe?”
“Go ahead, Shelby.” He was keeping his eye on the cars the players had arrived in. Most of the drivers were leaning against one of the SUVs, smoking and laughing at something one of them was saying. The muscle was stationed at all the entrances. A well-planned hit would take out most of the bad guys in town.
“Call me the minute that door opens and you see them all leaving, Joe.”
“You got it.”
Back in the restaurant, Cain said, “This time around it’s worth the risk, Ramon. What’s the old saying, ‘a life without risks isn’t worth living’?”
“I believe it should be a ‘life without love’ instead of ‘risks,’” Marianna said. She smiled at Emma, who sat quietly next to Cain. “If that’s true, your life is very worth living, so take Ramon’s advice to heart.”
“Thank you, Marianna.” Emma also smiled, at the words and at the fingers squeezing hers gently. “And please don’t worry about Cain. She has too many responsibilities to be going around doing foolish things.”
“Is it official yet?”
“What?” The bottle Vincent had opened was almost empty, and Emma hoped the toasts for the night were done and someone would bring her a large glass of water.
“The reason you haven’t touched that?” Marianna pointed to the drink.
“You’ll be one of the first to know. I’m just following the doctor’s orders in getting ready.”
She laughed as she accepted a large juice Marianna got up and poured from the bar. “Once it happens I’ll be happy to shout it from the rooftops.”
“You might have to hurry for that, sweetheart.” When Emma looked up from her drink, Marianna pointed to the room where the others had disappeared. “The only other person I’ve known who is as crazy about such news is Ramon, so I’m sure Cain will beat you to shouting out the good news.” Marianna stood and embraced Emma. “I’m happy you have found yourself back home.”
“What in the hell are they talking about?” Claire asked. All of a sudden the interference had gotten so bad all the conversations disappeared, and then just as quickly it came back incredibly clear.
“If it’s anything important then they’re talking in code.” Shelby hitched her shoulders a bit as she continued to listen to the women discuss what sounded like nothing. “It’s hard to believe they met tonight so Marianna Jatibon and Emma Casey could catch up on old times.”
“Shelby?”
Joe’s voice startled her as she ran through the possibilities of what was really going on.
“Go ahead.”
“Does this sound vaguely familiar?” With powerful binoculars he swept the area again, but no one in his sights had moved.
The question stopped her thought process cold, and something became clear to her, making her stare at Claire and panic.
“What’s he talking about?” Claire asked.
“We need to get in there,” Anthony said. “Get our boss on the horn and get us a warrant.”
“I say we wait,” Lionel said.
“Explain, please,” Claire repeated. “If we blow our cover we’d better have more than a benign talk between two women.”
“The last time Cain played us,” Shelby paused, trying to get her thoughts in order, “for one brief moment we thought she’d screwed up and let us see into how her mind works. All of a sudden every conversation, every plan she was making was out in the open, and it was as if she didn’t care who was listening.”
“She had her own agenda.” Claire sounded as if it all became clear to her as well. “And tonight is no different.”
Not far from them Anthony was on the phone with Annabel Hicks. He was pleading his case, using the same rational argument Shelby was laying out for Claire.
Because he was, Hicks was hard-pressed to find any personal bias against Cain or the others. As soon as she finished talking to him she picked up the phone again and called one of their more reliable judges for the proper paperwork.
“What do you think she has in mind?” Claire asked.
Shelby kept listening as Emma, Marianna, and Sylvia talked about trivial matters. “Think about who’s in there, and all we hear are the three least important ones. The major players must be gone, making whatever move they had planned all along.”
The phone next to Claire rang, and both women just stared at it for three rings before Claire picked it up.
After listening to the person on the other end, Claire responded. “Yes, ma’am.” She exhaled heavily after she switched the phone off and told Shelby, “With any luck we have about ten minutes before we raid the restaurant.”
“Raid it? What in the hell for?”
Joe cut in on the radio. “The best Agent Hicks could come up with is liquor violations, whatever that means. It’s an excuse, Shel, to get us into that room and prove your theory right.”
“My theory? Oh, no, I’m not going on record as this being my idea. Because if we do this and we’re wrong, kiss the investigation up to now good-bye. You know as well as I do, Joe, once Muriel and Cain finish fighting this legally, the law is going to bite us in the butt. And we’re the law, God damn it.”
*
In a secluded basement room of the restaurant, the new alliance sat at a table where a lot of their previous meetings had taken place. Here, no matter how good the surveillance equipment was, the group was in a perfectly safe haven. Cain fished the four Bracato rings out of her pocket and placed them on the table, not needing to explain their significance.
“The city needs new territorial boundaries,” she began as she lined up the rings. “I ask only that if you decide on a piece of the drug trade, you do it with someone other than the Luis family.”
“They’re the best connected, so why?” Vinny asked. “They could help us make a lot of money.”
“His nephew has a problem with respect, especially when it comes to my wife and her needs. Do business with him if you like, but understand I won’t respect that boundary.” She stared at Vinny. “If he goes near Emma again, I’ll serve that bastard’s dick to his uncle on a plate and force him to choke on it.”
“Understood, Cain,” Vincent cut in with a glare for his son. “After the gift of new enterprises you’ve opened up for us, we can abide by that. Ramon?”
“Our interests are elsewhere at the moment, so we have no problem.”
His children nodded in agreement.
“Be careful with these people, though,” Ramon said. “They may look gentle, but Juan Luis is nothing but a butcher.” He cut his eyes to both Vinny and Cain. “He learned all his cruelty at his uncle’s knee. Rodolfo drinks in my club, but I’ll never have anything to do with him.”
“Well,” Vinny said, “someone has to control the drug trade in the city, or it won’t matter how aligned we are. The money involved can build an organization strong enough to topple us all. That’s what Giovanni and his sons were after.” Even though he spoke out of turn again, his words rang true.
“It sounds like something you might be interested in.” Cain threw the comment out as a test.
“Not if all of you are against it, but I’m warning you about letting some unknown get too well established. The city already runs red from those w
ho want in and are willing to take a chance.”
Like their fathers, Cain and Vinny had grown up together and more than understood each other. Ramon might have not had a history, but his children had a long one with the next generation. Remi and Mano had known Cain and Vinny since they were six, so the four of them would back each other up even if the majority of them didn’t agree with a venture.
“What if we offered our protection as far as moving the stuff?” Remi said. “I think like Cain. If the drug trade doesn’t touch our businesses, we might negotiate with someone like Vinny, if he’s willing to take the chance.”
Remi had enough of her father’s trust to speak for him.
“What cut?” Vinny asked.
Vincent and Ramon looked at each other and smiled as their children set their courses for the future. Judging from Vinny’s question, the deal was done if the terms were agreeable.
“Twenty-five for us, twenty-five for Cain,” Remi offered, and Cain nodded.
“Done.” Vinny laughed and stood to shake hands with his allies.
Just then a team of agents led by Annabel Hicks entered the restaurant and headed for the private dining room.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lou was the first to intercept them before they reached the door. “Good evening, Agent Hicks.”
“It’s nice to be so well known.” Annabel spoke almost as if she were joking with him and had no choice but to stop, since the man was so large. “Step aside or we’ll move you. I don’t care how intimidating you think you are.”
“Is there a problem?” Lou asked.
“Open the door,” commanded Annabel, Anthony Curtis at her elbow.
“Can I see a warrant?” Lou didn’t seem fazed and didn’t budge. “Since you can’t answer a simple question, maybe your reason for being here is written on that.”
“The lady said move.” Anthony put two hands in the center of Lou’s chest and shoved. Considering Lou’s size, Annabel was shocked when he went flying into a table where a waiter had just served four heaping bowls of pasta.
The bigger shock came when Vincent came to the door and opened it himself. “What the hell is going on out here?”
“Where’s Casey?” Anthony demanded, his words dying on his lips when he saw that smug smile from behind Vincent. “You can’t be here.”
“Agent Hicks, I want an explanation,” the elder Carlotti continued.
They all watched as the diners who’d cushioned Lou’s fall were helped off the floor by a team of waiters. The hot oil and garlic on one of the pasta dishes had splashed on Lou’s face, forming angry red splotches.
“We have reason to believe,” Annabel started, grimacing when the rest of the group they thought was missing came out as well, “that you have some illegal liquor on the premises. We have a warrant to check your licenses.”
“Be careful, Vincent. The last time this happened to me I caught a bullet with my chest,” Cain said.
Annabel was one of the only people in the place who didn’t laugh. “That was uncalled for, Ms. Casey.”
“You aren’t kidding, Agent.” This time any lightheartedness bled out of Cain’s voice.
“Dominic, get the paperwork, then get my attorney on the phone,” Vincent ordered. With a sneer, he looked at Annabel like a shark regarding a wounded fish. “How do you feel about Anchorage, Agent Hicks? Because once I’m done with you, you’ll be investigating bear shit for the rest of your career.”
“Is that a threat, Mr. Carlotti?”
“It’s an invitation to meet me in court, and unless Lou over there says otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be alone in my complaint.” He held his liquor as well as other license information up, but she didn’t even bother to look at it. She and the other agents had seen what they’d come for.
“Tell me again, Agent Curtis, how this isn’t personal,” Cain said as the agent started to leave. “At least this time you all bothered to get a warrant and not shoot me at the first given chance. I thought you would’ve learned your lesson after paying some stupid flunky to bug my hospital room,” she said, taking a chance that she was right.
Anthony pulled away from Hicks by shrugging her restraining hand off his shoulder, his face red. “You think you’re smart enough to never get caught, but no one’s that fucking smart. I’m going to love the day we bring you down, no matter how we do it, and I’m going to be the one who drags you there.”
While Cain’s comment was meant to bait, no one in the restaurant heard it, though Anthony’s booming voice was hard to miss.
“Agent Curtis, stand down,” his superior ordered. “My apologies, Ms. Casey.”
“You can apologize from across the street, Agent Hicks.” Muriel arrived dressed in a tuxedo, like most of the group that had been called away from the private dinner. “Sorry I’m late, but I was just finishing up with a bit of business.” She gave a copy of something to Cain before addressing the group gathered in the main dining room. “The Fifth Circuit just issued an emergency protection order on my client’s behalf, stating there must be five hundred yards between the agents listed here and Derby Cain Casey and her family.” With a smile she handed over the brief as she pointed her date in the direction of the private dining room and away from the agents standing behind Annabel. “That includes everyone present, so please vacate the property or I’ll involve the police, and we both know they’d love nothing better.”
“There’s no way the court sanctioned this.”
The paperwork Annabel was examining looked authentic, though.
“Ordinarily no, but this was extreme circumstances, and neither I nor the court was willing to take a chance with my client’s life again. If there was one rogue agent, who’s to say there aren’t more?”
The order wouldn’t be in place long, but Muriel decided to have a little fun while she could. Anthony had been the weak link, and Cain had exploited it well.
As Annabel stood and read, none of her people moving, Muriel pulled out her phone. “Commissioner Albert, Muriel Casey.”
The fact that she had his direct number snapped Annabel’s head up.
“About that paperwork we filed, I might need some assistance.” She paused to listen to something, never losing eye contact with Cain. “Carlotti’s Italian Restaurant, and please bring as many units as you see fit.”
“This isn’t over, Ms. Casey.” Annabel handed back the papers and signaled for everyone to pull back. No way in hell was she letting the New Orleans Police Department escort her anywhere.
“I bought you a night, cousin,” Muriel whispered in Cain’s ear when they embraced. “Use it wisely.”
“I use them all wisely, Muriel, but thank you. Emma doesn’t need any stress right now, so this should simplify matters.”
“It sounds like you’ve got a lot to look forward to, then, so I want you to be careful as well.”
Cain held out her hand out to Emma, who immediately took it. “I have everything to look forward to, cousin.”
And every reason to fight for what’s mine, she thought, and Emma read the sentiment clearly in her face.
*
As they rode in silence to their new club after dinner, Emma enjoyed the feel of Cain’s arms around her and her lips against her neck. Their afternoon had left them both in the mood to touch, and they didn’t waste even that short span of alone time.
“Thanks for bringing me with you tonight, baby.” Emma looked into Cain’s blue eyes. She smiled easily when Cain’s hand went to her middle. “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl?”
“It’ll be what I want most. A Casey with a lot of Verde mixed in. We’re going to love it no matter what, so it isn’t important to me what it is.”
The excitement from the restaurant as well as having Emma this close in a very tight black dress was fueling Cain’s libido. She felt Emma’s nipple harden under the material as she squeezed her breast. “Tonight was about both our futures, mine and Vincent’s, and the futures of our families, so it was im
portant for you to be there.”
“Just remember that I belong to you and it’s my job to make your dreams come true for the rest of our lives.” Emma pressed Cain’s hand harder against her chest as she brought their lips together. “Tell me we’re almost done? I miss the kids and want us to be a family again.”
“One dance, darlin’. Then we’ll finish this.”
The car stopped, and the noise coming from the line waiting to get into the new club was just audible through the thick glass. After another long kiss Cain knocked on the privacy window, and Merrick opened the door.
Their dinner companions were already at Cain and Emma’s private table, and the others they’d invited were dancing and taking advantage of the open bar. Cain hadn’t thrown a party like this in a while, and the crowd seemed happy to be there now that she felt the need to celebrate something.
When they paused at the top of the stairs that led down to the bar, the music didn’t stop, but the DJ lowered the volume considerably, making people look up.
“They look stunning together,” Muriel said to her date as they both stood up. “And I didn’t realize till just now that I missed seeing them together.” She glanced across the place as people started to clap, spotting Claire and Shelby not far from where Cain and Emma were standing. Since the agents’ names weren’t on the list, they weren’t supposed to be there. Before she could do anything about it, Cain nodded in her direction, then motioned for her to forget it.
“The place looks great, honey.”
Cain put her arm around Emma’s waist as they descended the stairs. “Let’s hope it isn’t the explosive success the last place was.”
“Not funny, darling.”
The techno beat changed to something slow and sexy, and Emma pulled Cain to the middle of the dance floor. “Dance with me?”
“Forever and a day, my love.”
The two agents scanned the room as the Caseys shared a dance, but they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. They’d been a little surprised when Cain had nodded to them on their way in, giving the bouncer the false impression of permission to enter. It was a chance, but it was worth taking, even if they did end up in jail.