The Devil Be Damned

by Ali Vali

  “You don’t have a choice because you don’t get to come in here and accuse me of something, then only tell me bits and pieces. That’s what Rodolfo did, and it sounds like it didn’t work out for him.” She stood and faced the door to let Simon know she was ready.

  “Wait,” he said, springing to his feet. “I need you to get me in to see Cain, then. I’m sure they won’t let me into her house.”

  “Carlos, I wasn’t lying about where she is,” she said, shaking her head and losing her patience. “She’s in the hospital with a head injury, and it’s late.”

  “If I wait until tomorrow, it’ll be too late for Rodolfo.” The attitude was gone and what was left made her think of a small child who needed someone to tell them what to do. “This isn’t my home, so I need your help. If you say no, I’ll never get him back.” He glanced back at the one man he’d brought with him. After a deep breath, he apparently decided to tell her something to help persuade her to give him what he needed. “Rodolfo is more than just my boss, he’s my father.”

  If that was true, it made no sense to Remi why Rodolfo had given Juan so much of his time and presented him as his heir. He stared at her as she considered what he’d said, and it was like he’d guessed where her thoughts were. “I’m sure you don’t believe me, but he told me today.”

  That was all he had to say to make her believe him. The short explanation also answered how whoever had taken Rodolfo had gotten past him. Carlos wasn’t there protecting him because he was off licking the wounds Rodolfo had ripped open in his pride. “If we go see Cain, your man will have to stay downstairs with Simon,” she said, pointing to her guard.

  “Would you do that if you were me?” he asked, his attitude getting a lifeline.

  “If I asked someone for help, I must’ve trusted them a little,” she said, offering him her hand. “You have my word that nothing will happen to you because, like I said before, my friend Cain and I have no interest in you or your father.” He took her hand and seemed relieved. “Up to now your family has given Cain the problems.”

  “If you’re talking about Juan, if I find him before she does I’ll give her the bullet I’ll personally dig out of his head. He’s nothing but a piece of shit.”

  “Come on, then.” She waved her arm toward the door and led him out. “I’m not making any promises, but hopefully we’ll find what you’re looking for.”

  “Whatever it is, your help means that I won’t come near you when I take revenge if something has happened to him.”

  Of all the newcomers to town trying to stake their piece of the drug trade, this seemingly simple man was the best of the lot she’d met. And a war was coming, because if Rodolfo was gone and out of Carlos’s reach, he was dead. But perhaps that held the answer to the questions they’d been asking.

  *

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?” Emma asked from her side. They’d argued about Emma staying home when she took the kids back, but only Emma had the energy to win that fight. After Cain’s visit with Muriel she’d had another seizure that left her drained and a little confused.

  “That’s all I’ve been doing all day,” she said, conscious that she should admit what had happened. “And I’m enjoying feeling you so much that I’m not sleepy.”

  “You can be honest and say you’re pissed that I forced myself on you.”

  “I’m not mad at you, lass.” She wasn’t, but in all their time together fear had never overwhelmed her like this. Feeling like she’d lost control of her body made her crazy. “Being here is a waste of time, and you know how I am when I don’t feel good.”

  “After all the sleep you don’t feel better?” Emma put her hand against Cain’s cheek, knowing her well enough to have picked up on something.

  This was the opening she needed, and neglecting her promise to be open and truthful with Emma was making her headache worse, so she opened her mouth at the same time the door did. She was surprised to see Remi there so late.

  “I’m sorry, guys,” Remi said, coming in and obviously feeling comfortable enough to sit. “I didn’t want to bother you now, but this is important.”

  Emma sat up and straightened her clothes, not appearing too happy. “Are you sure it couldn’t wait?”

  She lay back and listened, not minding if Emma acted as her protector and only opening her eyes when Remi said Rodolfo was missing and mentioned who was waiting outside. She thought about her meeting with Rodolfo in her office after Juan and Anthony had taken Emma and how he’d backed down when she threatened Carlos.

  “He’s Rodolfo’s son?” Emma asked.

  “That’s the first thing I’ve heard from all these guys that I believe,” Cain said. “I should’ve seen it before now.”

  “According to Carlos, Rodolfo only admitted it today. The shock of hearing it probably drove him out and let someone in long enough to take Rodolfo.” Remi crossed her legs and covered her mouth to hide her yawn. “He’s upset he can’t find him.”

  “No clue as to who, if this is something other than Rodolfo taking a walk?” Emma asked, saving Cain the trouble.

  “I know this isn’t the best time, but I think that’s why he asked to see you.”

  “Why me?” Cain asked, finally tired after staring at the dark for hours. “You’re a good contact if he’s looking for help.”

  “He laid the blame on both of us, but you have more against Rodolfo than I do,” Remi said, spreading her hands out. “If we help Carlos, we might find answers to what’s a dead subject on the street.”

  “Send him in, but give us a minute,” she said, holding Emma in place by wrapping her fingers around her wrist. “Stay,” she said to Emma when Remi left. “I need you to listen in case I miss something.”

  “You don’t usually miss anything,” Emma said, concern in her eyes. “If you didn’t already have a concussion, I’d pop you in the head because I know you’re keeping something back. This isn’t the time, Derby Cain Casey, to get stoic on me.”

  “I promise you can scream at me later, but I won’t look very outlaw-like if this ass comes in here and you’ve got me over your knee.”

  Emma sighed but didn’t move. “At least tell me if I’m right.”

  “You’re right, but I don’t feel good enough to fight about it.”

  “I’m not mad. I just love you enough to want to know when you’re hurting. That means physically and emotionally.”

  “I love you too, and I didn’t want to worry you.” The ache in her head eased and the strange, unconnected feeling she’d experienced before the seizures disappeared, to her relief. “Every so often I get tired of all this crap,” she admitted.

  “You thinking of retiring, mobster?” Emma asked, rubbing the center of her chest.

  “Nah, but I do fight the urge to take out everyone who annoys the hell out of me,” she said, and smiled. “I don’t want to look even more psychotic than the FBI gives me credit for.”

  “That’s because they don’t realize what a softie you are.”

  The arrival of Remi and Carlos broke their lips apart, and she dropped her smile when Carlos came in with an expression of disapproval. “You can turn around if you don’t lose the face,” she said, and he looked confused until Remi translated.

  “I’m not here to be lectured to,” he said, and Remi again translated.

  “Then turn around and get out.”

  Carlos seemed hesitant, almost defiant, after Remi spoke.

  Cain glared at Carlos. “I’ve been tied up all day, so I’m not the one seeking you out. You’re the visitor here.”

  “Today I got what I’ve always wanted,” Carlos said after Remi stopped translating. “And now, before I could accept my gift, somebody took it away.”

  Cain figured she felt sorry for this guy because of what she’d experienced today. “I know Rodolfo,” she said. “Not well, but he seems like he’d still be handing out cigars to celebrate the gift of a son.”

  “I’m sure he expected something more in a son, but t
hose hopes weren’t enough. I won’t know anything for sure until I find him and talk to him.” His honesty conveyed through Remi made Cain want to help him. “If I’d come to that conclusion earlier, we’d probably still be having that conversation.”

  “If you got mad after he told you, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to him, if anything happened.” She pointed to the sofa under the window. “We aren’t friends, but I’m not your enemy.”

  “That’s not what you’ve said in the past.”

  “Rodolfo isn’t my enemy, but because he didn’t turn Juan over or help me find him after what happened to my partner, we were never going to do business together. And we aren’t going to share a drink like old friends.” She was careful to use the present tense and hoped Remi did the same. “Why are you here?”

  “You probably will take pleasure in turning me down, but I need your help.” He laced his fingers together, appearing mortified. “In Cozumel and the surrounding countryside, Senor Rodolfo,” he said, and pressed his fingers together harder, “I mean my father, is a god. Here, though, he was building on what he already had. The ability to get things done quickly aren’t within his power yet.”

  “Carlos,” she said, waiting to see if he objected to her using his name. “The last time we met I understood two things. Rodolfo finally realized what he had under his roof all those years, and—”

  “If you mean Juan, he’s dead once we find him. Don’t doubt either of us on that.”

  “I said I got two things,” she said, reminding him not to interrupt. “Also, he was holding something back.”

  “That wasn’t anything against you,” Carlos said hesitantly. “It was family business, and none of that is yours.”

  “Don’t you mean he was protecting his own, and to hell with us?” Emma asked, her obvious fury making Carlos lean back. “That animal Juan deserved to die, but Rodolfo did everything he could to let that bastard go.”

  “What does he know that he didn’t want to share with us? Tell me or you can go to the police and report him missing,” Cain said, taking a deep breath. “I’m sure they’ll call the DEA and hop right on it.”

  “You won’t help me?”

  “Why should I? You aren’t willing to help me, and you know why I’m asking. Five of my people and one of Remi’s are dead, and Rodolfo knows or at least suspects why that is and who had a motive to do it.”

  “He told you about his sister,” Carlos said, waving his hands as if he wanted Remi to talk faster. “That should prove he had nothing to hide.”

  “His telling me about her was like someone telling me the FBI is after me,” she said, and laughed. “It’s not a lie but it gives you an overview that isn’t very helpful. There’s a story buried in there somewhere and I want to know what it is.”

  Carlos beat his fists on his lap and mumbled something that made Remi shake her head, meaning she couldn’t understand what he was saying. When he looked up he apparently had come to a decision. “When my father killed Gracelia’s lover, she changed from a harmless flirt to someone who went off the deep end trying to embarrass him.”

  Cain could tell he was having a hard time talking about this.

  “The only time she tried to make peace with him was when Juan was about five and she’d just come back from one of her adventures that kept her away for months. Gracelia asked to be made part of the business since Rodolfo had fought his way to the top of it in Mexico.”

  “I take it he turned her down,” she said, figuring Rodolfo was dead and his sister had taken his life.

  “He said the only part of her that would be close to the business was her son. Since she’d left Juan with him for over two years after his birth, Rodolfo had no choice but to care for him. All that time, and nothing made an impression on Juan.” He beat his fists down again and she believed he hated Juan as much as she did. “That bastard believed all the stories Gracelia told him, and that’s what he latched on to.”

  “And you have no idea where Gracelia is? I believe that you don’t know where Juan is.”

  “Rodolfo talked with her a few months back, then my mother told him that she’d packed and left. We haven’t been able to find out where she headed, and believe me, I’ve got every man I can spare out looking.”

  “What’s her full name?” she asked, feeling like she could sleep for days.

  “Gracelia Vivian Luis is what I remember him saying one time.” He looked at her like she could give him the answers he desperately wanted. “Why do you ask?”

  “Carlos, thank you for being so honest, and I promise to be so with you,” she said, and smiled. “If something has happened to Rodolfo, we have a few possibilities.” She stopped when he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Law enforcement’s first choice will be Hector Delarosa, since he’s here after the same things you and your father are.”

  “But you don’t think so?”

  “Hector is after me more than he is Rodolfo. Eventually he’ll get around to you, but for now his interests lie elsewhere.”

  “Then who else?”

  The logical answer to his question would also give him the answer he most likely didn’t want to hear. “I give you my word on the grave of my father that neither Remi nor I had anything to do with harming Rodolfo,” she said, and he nodded. “That leaves only one person who would’ve wanted to try something like this, so we have to know for sure if Gracelia is in New Orleans.”

  “I would know if she’s here.”

  “Like you said, this isn’t your home, and you have limited contacts to get real, pertinent information. Go back to your hotel room and leave this to me and Remi.”

  “He’s my father, so I’d like to be a part of whatever you’re planning.”

  “You seem like a reasonable man, Carlos,” she said, and he relaxed his hands somewhat. “I’ll keep you informed as to what I’m doing, and if it turns out to be Gracelia, I’ll hand her over with a bow in her hair. But believe it or not, our best shot at finding out something quick is to call the cops.”

  When Remi told him what she’d said, he stood up and laughed. “You think this is a joke? I want your help, not to get arrested, but you’ve laid there and listened to my problem only to make fun of me.”

  “Do you want me to help you or not?” She waited until he decided to sit again. “I’m not trying to get anyone arrested and I’m not joking about the police. And I’m not talking about the FBI, but the New Orleans Police Department.”

  “What can they do?”

  “If something’s happened to him, they can tell me if they’ve found him, but do you think Gracelia hated him enough to kill him?”

  “In a heartbeat and with no remorse.”

  “Okay, then,” she said, holding her hand out to him. “I know it’ll be hard, but go back to the room and wait for my call in the morning. Keep your men on the street but don’t call too much attention to yourselves.”

  “If you help me, you do know I’ll be forever in your debt.”

  “I appreciate your saying so, but trust me that this won’t cost you much.” She glanced over at Emma and was relieved to see her face wasn’t tight. “Lass, write out my number for him and get his, please.” She shook hands with him and saw the bit of hope in his eyes. “Carlos, you might not have known that he was your father until tonight, but I can tell Rodolfo is proud of the man you are.”

  “Why do you say so?” he asked, still holding her hand.

  “Because only a good son would care enough to search for his father to either bring him back or avenge him if someone has stolen him from you.”

  “If Gracelia has done this, I’ll hunt her down and drive a machete through her forehead.”

  He left after slightly bowing over her hand, with Remi following him out. “I feel sorry for this Gracelia if she did do something to Rodolfo, but then she might deserve what he’s got in mind for bringing Juan into the world,” Emma said.

  “A machete through the head is what her son will pray
for when I find him.”

  “You’re such a romantic,” Emma teased her, “but it’s time for bed for mobsters.” She turned off the lights and lay down next to her again. “Do you need anything?”

  “I need you to make a call for me, then I promise I’ll follow all your orders to the letter,” she said softly, giving Emma the name.

  “You’ll make the FBI jealous, baby.”

  “I only want to show them what they’re missing out on by not being nice to me,” she said, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep and hoping the morning would bring some clarity.

  Chapter Twenty

  Dallas rolled over and reached across the bed, waking up when her hand hit the mattress. The sun was starting to rise and Remi wasn’t back yet, so she got up to make sure she wasn’t in the condo somewhere. Whatever had happened with this Carlos guy she’d told her about before she left had kept her out longer than she’d anticipated.

  When she got back to the bedroom she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She felt great about there being no secrets between them, and her scripts were arriving from the studio today. It was time to take Emma’s advice to be happy, and the only way to burn off her energy was a long run. Since it was so early she figured not too many people would be out when she jogged home.

  She got dressed and stretched in the bedroom close to the window so she could watch the boat traffic on the river. Then she wrote a short note so Remi wouldn’t worry if she got home before she made it to the Quarter. After she left it on Remi’s nightstand she took the extra elevator key from the kitchen.

  The morning was cool and a slight mist was falling through the morning fog, but not enough to make her turn back. Since she was at Remi’s she’d have only her breathing to listen to on the way home, but feeling the burn in her legs made up for not having her iPod with her. She was right that there weren’t many people out this early so she ran down from Remi’s past Café Du Monde to the French Market, then cut over to Bourbon.

  Sweat was starting to run down her back when she saw her house through the fog and she pulled out her cell phone to tell Kristen to come unlock the door. The shorts she was wearing didn’t have pockets so she hadn’t wanted to carry more than just the phone. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the man rushed from the doorway where a girl had been sitting and grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest.