by Ali Vali
“Just wanted to come by and see if you’d changed your mind, and since I’m back early we can go out. It’ll save you the time in the kitchen.”
“And they say chivalry is dead.” Dallas leaned on the open door and smiled up at her. “Would you like to come in and have a drink?”
“You’re drinking already? Bad day?” She followed Dallas back to the courtyard.
“I was having hot chocolate, but if you’d like something stronger I’ll go see what I have.”
“Hot chocolate?” Remi asked, making it sound like something she’d never heard of. “Sounds great.”
“What can I get for you?” Dallas held her hand out to Simon.
Simon shook it briefly and bowed her head slightly. “Simon Jimenez, ma’am, and don’t bother with anything for me.”
“I’ll be right back then.”
“We’ll wait over there.” Remi pointed to the chairs under the trees. She sat and leaned her head and tried to make out the noise from the street, but had a hard time.
“I’ve been thinking about you since you left this morning,” Dallas said when she returned with two more mugs, clearly ignoring Simon’s wishes. “Not the least bit curious?” she asked when Remi didn’t say anything.
“Infinitely so, but there are two possibilities.”
“Which are?”
Remi took a sip, then leaned forward, holding the mug between her knees. “It’s either a good thing or a bad thing.”
“I see.” Dallas folded her legs under her and sat back on the double seat she’d picked next to Remi’s. “Which are you leaning toward?”
“From the welcome I got, I’d go with a good thing, with a little bad mixed in.”
“Is that a description of the situation or of you, Ms. Jatibon?”
“Maybe some of both.”
Dallas nodded and ran her finger along the seam of her jeans. “I am curious about one thing.”
“Ask away.”
“Why is it I’ve never seen you, and just recently heard of you and your family, but you own the studio?”
Simon cleared her throat as Remi put her mug down. The leather of her alligator cowboy boots made a stretching noise as she crossed her legs so she could put her hand on the familiar leather bumps. “My family isn’t the kind that craves attention.”
“You’re in the movie business and you don’t crave attention.” Dallas’s laughter made Remi think she wasn’t being taken seriously. “That’s rare, because usually everyone in this business craves attention.”
“Even you?” Remi said with a hint of humor.
“Once I get to know you better I’ll tell you why I’m in the business, but for now, I’m perfectly content to sit here in my little secret garden and read books that let me escape for a while.” Dallas pointed to the basket filled with books next to Remi’s chair.
“So you only don the dress clothes and fake smile when the occasion calls for it, huh?”
“The dress was a last-minute decision and the smile was real, thank you very much. I see my new boss isn’t easily impressed.”
“After you sign the new contract I’ll be happy to tell you what impresses your new boss, but for now you’ll have to figure out any new information about her over dinner.”
The gate opened again, making Remi stop talking and Simon stand, as was her training, in case the unexpected entry was cause for alarm. “I see more than one person shares the secret garden.”
“Excuse me for a minute, would you? And no, I live alone.”
Bob stopped at the edge of the flagstone and stared at Remi. The hatred she’d seen in his face before appeared only briefly, then was replaced by a smile so wide it made him appear freakish. If he intended to join them or to spend time with Dallas, the heated but short conversation Remi witnessed put those ideas to rest. That is, until they reached the gate again and Bob held the door shut with his palm.
“No fucking way, Dallas,” Remi heard him say as she walked up.
“Dallas, you were getting your shoes,” Remi said, never taking her eyes off Bob. “Are you about ready to go?” She stepped closer. “Unless you wanted something, Dickey?”
He opened his mouth wide enough for Remi to see the fillings in his top molars, but just as quickly closed it and took a deep breath. “Just a few minutes of your time to discuss Dallas’s contract.”
“I’m sure Dallas isn’t going to have a problem getting a fair deal for the sequel, but I’m not in a position to discuss that right now.” She lowered her eyes to where his hand was wrapped around Dallas’s bicep. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“Since you’re new to this business, let me give you a word of advice.” He yanked Dallas closer to him. “It’s considered taboo to speak to someone without their representative present. Keep that up and no talent will want to work with you.”
“I appreciate your concern when it comes to my family’s business, but since you’re not familiar with the way we operate, let me give you a little advice.” Remi held her hand out to Dallas, which she quickly accepted, making Simon step forward. The actions made Bob let go.
“We don’t respond well to threats. If you don’t like the way we conduct ourselves, then I suggest you suck it up and do the best by your client, and leave your personal feelings outside the negotiations. If you can’t, then I’ll give Dallas some free advice—to find new representation.”
“Dallas doesn’t go anywhere or do anything without me,” he said, pointing at Remi. “She knows how long her leash is and isn’t likely to do anything stupid.”
Remi squeezed Dallas’s fingers when she began to say something and cocked her head in the direction of the house. Dallas took the message and started for the door, but stopped to look back every so often. “Something tells me you have a story to tell, Dickey. Do you plan to tell it willingly, or is it going to take a little persuasion on my part?”
“I did a little digging on you, and you and your family don’t scare me. You should be afraid of what I can do to you.”
His jabbing finger came within an inch of Remi’s chest, and she shook her head in Simon’s direction to keep her from doing anything. “Like I said, I don’t respond well to threats. That’s why I rarely issue any, but in your case I’ll make an exception.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I don’t know Dallas very well…yet. But if I find out you’re hurting her in any way, you’re going to remember today. You’re going to remember it because it’s the day you had the chance to walk away and didn’t. You’ll be thinking of that opportunity as your scariest nightmare unfolds, and it’s worse than anything you could dream up.”
“Big talk, Ms. Jatibon, but where I come from we don’t take people like you seriously. We take you for a walk in the woods and get rid of the problem ourselves. I don’t need any backup.” He pointed to Simon.
When Remi started laughing, Bob’s face got red. She heard the screen door open behind her, but Dallas didn’t move from the doorway unless she was still barefoot. “I’ll keep that in mind, and I look forward to talking to you again soon. Now I believe you were leaving.”
As Remi finally turned around to see where Dallas was, the gate closed behind Bob. The last thing she needed was someone with baggage, and she had a feeling Dallas came with a cartload. Her mother came to mind, though, and she headed toward the girl with her hand out. Ramon had taught her to be strong, but her mother had tempered that quality by preaching justice and charity.
Dallas Montgomery was beautiful, but she was clearly a woman in need of both.
Chapter Fourteen
“Come to gloat?” Barney Kyle walked into his side of the drab room and sat in the only chair facing the glass that separated him from the free world.
Cain spread her hands out and shrugged. “God knows what you would’ve dished out if I was on your side of the glass.”
“What in the hell do you want?”
She laughed at his impatience. “What’s the rush? It’s not like you don’t have tons o
f time on your hands, and only that little cell to run back to.”
“Actually, I’m glad you’re here.” He leaned forward, almost pressing his nose to the glass. “If only to tell you how much I enjoyed that night I pulled the trigger. Seeing you down and bloodied was the highlight of my career.” His smile widened when she lifted her fingers to her chest where the scar from his bullet was. “No matter how hard you try to forget me, that hole will make it impossible.”
“When you’re sitting on your cot, do you ever think of what a waste your life has been? That you worked so hard for something but you’re a complete, miserable failure?”
“Ha.” He slapped the thick glass but it didn’t move. “You think this is over?”
“In more ways than one, actually,” Cain said with a smile, enjoying the exchange. This was the first time she’d actually talked to Kyle face to face.
“Tomorrow I’m going to court, and when I’m done the federal prosecutor’s not going to have any choice but to let me go. I’m too valuable to lock up, and if that argument doesn’t work, then I’m still in a good position. I know too much for them to take the chance of pissing me off.” He sat back, looking to Cain like a man who was about to begin to enjoy all the rewards of his wrongdoings. “Annabel doesn’t have the balls to take me on.”
“Spoken like a man who’s spent his life observing it from under a rock.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She sighed and reached in her coat pocket for something to hand to the guard on her side. “It means that you’ve spent your life in shadows watching other people live theirs, only you did it for your own gain and not for the reasons you took an oath. You made a pact with a demon to bring me down, but if I had to guess, Giovanni has done his best to disavow you. Your patron, if he shows his true colors, has turned his back on you and will do everything he can to destroy you before you get the chance to do the same.” She stopped so the guard could hand Kyle the gift she’d brought him. “You’re all alone, Barney, and that’s not a good position to be in when you’re in jail.”
“What the fuck is this?” He held up the gold-embossed prayer card Bishop Andrew had gotten for her after she’d asked for it. On one side was a novena written in scrolling letters and on the other was St. Michael in the pose most people were familiar with—his foot on Satan’s head and his sword raised in his right hand ready to strike.
“Just a reminder.”
Kyle held the card to the glass as if she’d forgotten what it was. “Of what? A reminder to pray for good things to happen to me?”
“I’m not that presumptuous, and I could give a fuck about your soul, so no.” She tapped her finger to the picture he still had pressed to the glass. “This is to remind you that before you go hunting the devil, you should know your own demons.”
“Getting religious on me, Casey? If you think that’ll get these assholes off your ass, you’re crazy.”
“I don’t waste my time on wishful thinking, and I’ve finished what I came for today.”
“So you’re not here to gloat and only come bearing gifts?” He put the St. Michael card in the pocket of his gray jumpsuit. “This doesn’t make us even, and it sure as hell doesn’t make us friends.”
“For once, Barney, you’re right on both counts. After meeting you, I can honestly say I’m rooting for the feds this one time. You don’t deserve anything more than a small cell and time for everything you’ve done.” She stood and buttoned her jacket. “Take care, and perhaps with everything you’re facing, prayer wouldn’t be such a bad thing. My priest tells me confession is good for the soul, and if you’re contrite enough, the folks who control your future might just show compassion.”
“After tomorrow you should just worry about yourself and that pretty bitch who shares your bed. As a matter of fact, Emma might be one of the first people I visit when I get out of here. I gave her a way out and away from you, and she spit in my face.”
“Best of luck to you then. I’ll have a whiskey waiting.” Cain chuckled at his baffled expression, but she didn’t add anymore. She’d gotten what she came for, which was to meet the man who’d brought her such misery in both his time with the FBI and in Giovanni’s employ. She knew her demons, so now she could bring her sword down on this snake with no remorse.
With one last wave she stepped out and headed toward the waning sunlight. She gazed back at the building, wondering if, when your time came to an end, it would be better to know or more peaceful to never see the bullet coming? Whatever the answer, she would ask Kyle when she eventually met him in hell.
*
“Can I call you back?” Shelby asked as soon as she answered her cell phone, not bothering to see who it was. Her eyes were glued to Cain’s retreating back as she quickly navigated the steps of the Federal Building on the way to her car.
Muriel answered her. “I’ll be in the office until seven, then I have an engagement tonight for work. Try me before then or wait until tomorrow.”
“Wait,” she said, but was too late. The call had dropped from Muriel’s end. “Shit.”
“If you have to get going, I’ll brief the next shift,” Joe said, waving her toward the door. Since they were essentially back at the office, their cars were only a few blocks away and Shelby could get to Muriel’s quickly.
“I’ll take the morning briefing then.” As she drove to Muriel’s office, she tried to phone three more times, but the assistant said she was on a conference call. She stepped out of the elevator on the second floor over Emma’s, Cain’s newest nightclub, and was escorted into Muriel’s office right away. She was still talking and pointed Shelby into one of the chairs facing her desk.
“A few more days is what I’m guessing, so sit tight and keep your eyes open. Call me if you get anything new and I’ll let Cain know what you said,” Muriel finished and hung up. “Don’t,” she said when Shelby stood and started toward her.
“So much changed since last night that I can’t touch you?”
“Things haven’t changed, Shelby, but they’re clearer than they were last night. I pride myself on not going out of my way to make mistakes, but I didn’t do that well this time,” Muriel kept eye contact with her. “I made a mistake and it’s time to rectify it, because no matter what promises we make, our lives aren’t going to change, and our priorities sure as hell aren’t. It’s time to end this before we get any more involved.”
“You think it’s that easy to walk away?”
Muriel took a deep breath and shook her head. “It’s far from easy, but neither of us has much choice. It was my mistake to think we could make this work, but our worlds are too far apart, and there’s a fence dividing them that neither of us is willing to cross. To do that, we have to betray something that means more to us than what we have now.”
“You’re making a mistake, Muriel,” Shelby said, her fingers wrapped so tight around the arms of her chair her chest was aching. “No one expects you to sacrifice so much for family honor. This isn’t the Stone Age, for God’s sake.”
“I’m saving us both from facing now what’s going to be inevitable eventually.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Shelby asked, her swelling anger making her want to hit something.
“Tell me that Annabel or someone else in the Bureau hasn’t made an issue out of who you’re seeing, and I’ll back down.”
“No one of import—”
Muriel slammed her hand down on her desk. “You lie to me now and you can get out, we’re done.”
“It doesn’t matter to me who said what about you, baby. I don’t owe my life to the Bureau, just like Cain doesn’t own you. Don’t throw this away for things that won’t matter to us in the long run.”
Muriel’s phone rang four times before she reached over and picked it up. All Shelby did was watch as she held it to her ear and said nothing. Muriel wouldn’t utter a word as long as Shelby was sitting in the room, so she put aside any notions of begging. It would do no g
ood unless she was willing to toss aside everything she’d believed in up to then. Clearly Muriel wouldn’t, no matter how much she cared for her. The realization hit her like a hurricane in August and she walked out.
“Muriel, did you hear what I said?”
“Sorry.” She pressed her fingers to her forehead as if the pressure would erase the image of Shelby leaving. “Start from the beginning, T-Boy.”
“This is a safe line, right?”
T-Boy was a gambling addict who knew more about the city than the people who supposedly ran it, but he was smart enough to know when to stay quiet. His call meant either he was broke and looking for some fast cash or he was banking for the future with something Muriel and Cain would find valuable.
“Safe is always relative, isn’t it?”
“Just heard from my buddy that works at the airport.”
Muriel picked up her pen, ready to start writing. “New tourists in town?”
“Your uncle and his boy are back from south of the border. Got in about an hour ago and got detained in customs, but from what I hear, it was so they could get fitted for a new suit. Custom job like from where your family shops.”
Muriel wrote down that Rodolfo and Juan Luis were back and already under the watchful eye of the FBI and DEA. “We’ll have to get together soon. Thanks for letting us know.”
“One more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a new player in town looking for work, and considering his resume there’s been plenty of interest.”
Under the Luis names she put a question mark. “Can you come by in the morning? I’ll stop and pick up my father’s favorite.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Shit,” Muriel said as she fell back in her chair. Their future was a little more complicated. She wanted to wait to tell Cain, but thought better of it considering how Cain felt about Juan.
She called the house and found out where Cain and Emma had gone out for the evening, then drove to the Quarter to Galatoire’s, one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Outside was a no-parking zone that the police patrolled regularly, so the paneled van that had been trailing Cain was parked down the block. Muriel was sure the group on duty was crammed inside because you couldn’t get a table here without a subpoena, and even with one you’d have a hard time.