by Ali Vali
“You want to go back to the house, Papa?”
“What I want to know is where your brothers are. I hate walking into a meeting looking like my family has better things to do than meet with the fucks who hold our future in their hands. Where are they?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they were taking care of the business we discussed yesterday. If you want I can start calling around and see if I can find them.”
With a little difficulty Giovanni pulled away from the table and lumbered to his feet. “Forget it, let’s go. We’ll catch up with them later on tonight. I want to make sure my guy at the Piquant keeps an eye on the greasers who just left with a shitload of my money.”
The briefcase Giovanni was talking about sat between Juan and Rodolfo on the way back to their hotel as they laughed about the fact that the older Bracato obviously didn’t know that his son Stephano was already selling their drugs in Mississippi. When they turned onto Royal Street in the French Quarter past the front of the restaurant they had just left, Rodolfo pointed at the van parked across the street. “See, mi hijo, these are the things you have to look out for when you come to America.” He used the nickname “son” for his nephew because he thought of his sister’s child as his own. Juan’s father had left long before his birth, moving to the next town and the next woman waiting to be used.
The man hadn’t gotten far before Rodolfo’s men caught up with him and returned him to the Luis estate. The penalty for deflowering, then leaving Rodolfo’s little sister had been a slow death straight from the imagination of the man who controlled most of the coca plants in Mexico.
At the back of the property that bordered the mountains, they stripped the handsome drifter who considered himself a ladies’ man and tied him to a tree. Then one of Rodolfo’s men coated his genitals in honey and stepped in the fire-ant pile at the base of the tree. The miles of beautiful countryside ate up his screams as the little insects chewed away at what had been a source of great pride. The men went back a couple of days later to scatter his bones.
“Every place you visit, you need a padrino to warn you of what dangers lie in wait,” Rodolfo continued.
“A godfather? I don’t understand.” Juan looked at the van as it disappeared around another corner. “Who was that?”
“You just listen to your tío, and I’ll teach you how to swim in waters other than those in your own backyard.” He patted his nephew’s leg and closed his eyes for the rest of the ride. What Rodolfo didn’t realize was that in these waters, the sharks didn’t work for the government.
Chapter Thirteen
The door to the hospital sunroom was closed, and three guards discouraged anyone from entering. Merrick and Lou lowered and closed all the blinds, cutting off the view of the gardens. A watcher would have to blow his cover to discover what was going on inside.
After stepping out and away from prying ears, Cain and Emma slowly strolled toward the sunroom arm in arm, resembling any other devoted couple. This would be Emma’s first trial as they started to rebuild their relationship based on an equal partnership. The test would be tame, but like nothing Emma had ever seen before.
If the scene she walked in on alarmed Emma, no one could tell from her expression. She stayed at Cain’s side and helped her into a comfortable chair. Merrick already sat nearby, and she merely nodded to them and smiled slightly. With at least ten other chairs to pick from, she chose the arm of the chair Cain was occupying and put her hand on the shoulder of the woman she loved.
Todd was the only person showing any emotion at all. He was trembling but didn’t want to make any sudden movements lest the gun jammed in his mouth go off and leave his brains scattered across the expensive wooden blinds designed to make the room warmer.
“What do you want to do with him, boss? My finger’s getting tired,” Merrick said in a bored tone as she shoved the silencer attached to her gun farther into Todd’s mouth.
“Why don’t we let him have the use of his mouth back for a little while so we can have a chat.” Cain lifted Emma’s hand off her shoulder and gave the palm a kiss.
“I don’t know why I’m here.” Todd was on the verge of tears. He’d been walking out of the employees’ lounge when the big man behind him had grabbed him and brought him here. “Please, this is some sort of mistake.”
“You know what I detest more than a liar, Todd?” Cain asked the question, but her eyes never left Emma’s face.
He shook his head, but the words refused to come out of his mouth until Lou cocked the hammer on his pistol, pressed it to the back of his head, and said softly, “The lady asked you a question, and I suggest you come up with an answer.”
“No, ma’am.”
“She hates anyone who tries to hurt our family more than anything else in life,” Emma finished for her. “Some of us are lucky and she forgives our indiscretions, but luck isn’t running in your favor today.”
“That’s right, love.” The palm close to Cain’s lips received another kiss, and she smiled after delivering it. “What I want to know is why? How much was it worth to you to betray my family and me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Todd pleaded.
“I realize that your salary here must be pathetic, but that’s no reason to keep lying,” Cain said in a bored-sounding voice. “Let me explain to you how this works and why we’re here. First, the human body has only two knees. Once I order Merrick here to put a bullet into both of yours, I’ll be forced to move to things like your elbows, then your head. By my count, that leaves you four chances to answer correctly before you run out of options. Believe me, Todd, there’s no turning back from that last shot.”
With Emma’s help, Cain climbed to her feet and moved closer to the man who just that morning had been feeling like the reincarnation of super spy. Todd manfully tried to meet her gaze, but he couldn’t. There was nothing in the blue eyes that stared back at him. Nothing at all.
“Second, I never invite anyone into a meeting like this without finding out most of the answers first. That way, I know when you insist on lying to me. If that’s how you want to play it, we’ll go ahead and move to the head option now.” Cain stood inches from him, and he had to lean back to see her face. “Shall we try again? How much did it take to get you to plant bugs in my room?”
As fast as he could, Todd pulled out the two hundred dollars and held them up to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Such a clichéd answer deserves the same response, don’t you think?”
Cain stepped back as Lou punched the back of Todd’s head so hard he fell face down on the floor. The groan Todd released at the sudden pain made Emma flinch, but she didn’t say anything or make any move to leave.
“I don’t care about your apologies or anything else. What I want is the name of whoever paid you.” She motioned for Lou to pick him up so the idiot could see her before she continued. “And think very carefully before the words ‘I don’t know’ come out of your mouth. Because you’ll regret them more than you’ll ever imagine.”
“I don’t know his name, I swear. He works for the FBI. He showed me his badge. I got a hundred for the one next to the bed and two for the one in the bathroom this morning.”
Todd was talking so fast Emma thought he would pass out. Not once in her life had she seen such fear in another human being, but instead of condemning Cain for having to resort to violence and intimidation, she tried to concentrate on what had landed Todd on his knees.
“How did he contact you?”
“He just walked up to me in the parking lot one night before work. Somehow he knew I worked on your floor, but I wasn’t assigned to your room so I switched with a buddy. This guy, the guy who paid me, he said he’d call me here if he needed anything else.” All the excitement he felt when the agent first approached him had disappeared and felt pale in comparison to the fear he was experiencing now.
“What did he look like?” Cain sat again as she asked the question and tr
ied to ignore the pain in her side.
“Dark hair, not as tall as you, and built kinda stocky.”
“And that would describe half the men in the city,” Merrick said.
“If I knew more, believe me, I’d tell you.” Todd put his hands together and held them up to Cain.
“Todd, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” Cain leaned forward and pinned the man with her eyes. “I’m thinking of letting you walk through that door in a few minutes—”
“Please, let me go and I won’t tell a soul about this.”
Lou drew back and hit the side of his head, knocking Todd down again and leaving him woozy.
“I’d appreciate if you let me finish. I said I’m thinking about it, but if I do, you’re going to walk out of here and never, and I mean never, be seen in New Orleans again. Don’t go to your apartment. Don’t call your girlfriend if you have one. Just go.”
Cain waited until Lou had peeled him off the floor again before she finished. “If I hear of you talking to anyone, Todd, you remember today as the warning. Next time, if there is one, I’m going to tell Lou here to just put a bullet in the middle of your forehead, and I’m going to leave you to rot where you fall.”
Her words caused a wet spot in his pants that spread in the direction of the floor.
“Do we understand each other?”
“Perfectly.” Todd stood with as much dignity as he had left and walked toward the door, hoping Cain didn’t change her mind before he made it outside and to freedom. Fortunately, she’d let him keep his money, though he wasn’t sure how far two hundred and thirty bucks would get him.
“What do you think the FBI is after now?” For years Emma had wondered what happened when Cain went off to meet someone who was causing her problems, but any questions she had were finally put to rest. After having witnessed this incident firsthand, she found a certain lure in doing business this way.
Most of society obeyed rules because they feared the consequences of breaking them. In circumstances like this, Cain made the rules and enforced them no matter what happened. Being completely honest with herself, Emma realized why this rogue who lived life on her own terms kept her enthralled.
The money and the life that Cain had afforded her weren’t paramount; she loved this mix of devil and compassionate soul. Now, even if it cost her the lasting paradise her mother loved to preach about, Emma would never run from the truth of who she was, and she would accept whatever she had to in order to stay at Cain’s side.
“I thought you said they would lay off after what happened at the warehouse that night.”
“They did—well, as much as the feds are ever going to lay off our operations. This isn’t the feds, though, baby,” Cain said. As she watched Todd walk to the door, she thought of how lucky he was. She’d gone easy on him because of Emma, but in the future she couldn’t afford to be so generous, and she hoped Emma would hold up. “We’re dealing with someone else here, and they’re not interested in what we’re up to.”
“Then what are they interested in, and how do you know that?”
“Why do you want to know?” Merrick asked Emma.
“For the love of God,” Cain said, exasperated with Merrick and her suspicions. What they were talking about, even if Emma was wired, was no different that what the FBI was pondering as well.
“The equipment is too antiquated to be FBI, and I’m only guessing here, but I think they were just interested in finding out how healthy I am. Half-dead targets aren’t as much fun, I’m assuming. If not, the final blow would have come by now.” She’d given Emma the best answer she could think of.
“You’re thinking Giovanni Bracato?” Merrick asked.
“Why not? Word on the street is that every one of the goons lying dead outside our house was on Stephano’s payroll. The club and Muriel’s office, though—that wasn’t him. Something so splashy isn’t his style.”
“Gino Jr.,” Merrick said.
“That’s what I’m thinking too. What I need now is two good weeks to get back on my feet. Then we finish this.”
“And we do it together,” Emma added.
“You’re left out from now on only if you want to be, lass. That I promise you on my mum’s grave. But I want you to walk into this knowing what the outcome’s going to be.”
Emma put her hands on Cain’s cheeks and bent down and kissed her. She obviously knew what she wanted and was staking her claim to it.
She pulled away, but not so far that Cain couldn’t see the openness in her eyes. “No mercy, my love. If they go after our children and you, I want you to show no mercy.”
“Then we want the same things.”
“Forever,” Emma said.
More than anything, Cain wanted to believe the sincerity in Emma’s eyes and the fervor of her tone.
Chapter Fourteen
“Shelby?”
“Speaking,” Shelby said into the phone balanced on her shoulder. She was in the office for the afternoon finishing up the report on the Barney Kyle incident. “Can I help you?”
“This is Agent Franks. Conner, remember?”
“I remember.” Shelby had first been assigned to Conner’s team before Kyle had poached her for his, thinking her looks would help further his investigation against Cain. Now she wished that she’d stayed with Conner, since he’d shown her the ropes so well.
She pictured the short redhead assigned to different areas around the city, currently assigned to Ramon Jatibon and his gambling ventures. “What can I do for you, Conner?”
“Are you all still tailing Casey and gang?”
“You need to come in more often. Didn’t you hear?” she asked, wondering if one more person was going to rub it in. The day after they’d wrapped up the warehouse inventory, someone had left a bottle of whiskey on her desk with a sticky note attached describing what to look for when confiscating illegal liquor.
“I’m not calling to razz you. I just thought you might want to know that Ramon and a couple of his goons just drove up to Mercy Hospital with a big bunch of flowers. Any guess as to who he’s here to visit?”
“What’s Cain doing with him?”
“Look, I have to go. He’s heading inside.” The phone went dead, and Shelby was left listening to the dial tone.
The drone let her concentrate on what the next-best move should be, and Shelby didn’t wait too long to decide. She punched in a number and waited for it to connect. “Joe, where are y’all?”
“Are we speaking again? I thought you were mad at us.”
“Come on. Tell me where you are.”
“Outside Giovanni Bracato’s house watching his guard pick his nose. Where do they find these geniuses? He should know you have to wait till you’re alone to fully enjoy the nose-picking experience.”
“As fascinating as that sounds and as much as I want you to continue down this interesting subject path, I need to ask you and Lionel a favor.”
“Ask away.”
“Meet me at Mercy and see if you can zero in on a conversation happening on the fifth floor.”
Joe banged his head on the small desk in the back of the van and groaned. “Do you remember a woman named Annabel Hicks? A very scary female when angered, who also happens to be our boss, in case that happened to slip your mind. Leaving the scene of a stakeout she assigned wouldn’t be a wise career move.”
“Have I led you wrong before?” Shelby gathered up her things.
“Would you like the list in chronological or alphabetical order?”
“Please, Joe?”
“All right, but if Lionel says no, you’re on your own.” The argument was weak, since Lionel was already in the driver’s seat with the engine running. “We’ll be there in five, and if Giovanni commits some heinous crime in his front yard, you’re explaining it to Hicks.”
“You’re the best, Joe.”
“Yeah, yeah, that and a hundred bucks will get me into a movie with a Coke and popcorn.”
They were set up
and searching for what Shelby wanted when she pulled up, but it was slow going because of all the equipment interference.
“As far as we can tell, they aren’t in the room you told me Cain is occupying,” explained Lionel. He’d pulled up the blueprints to the building to aid in the search, but Cain and Ramon had effectively shut them out.
“What do you think he’s doing here?” Shelby asked.
“One of two things. He’s here only as a friend paying a social visit, or we got the head of one family cahooting with the head of another,” answered Joe.
“Cahooting? Is that even a word?” Lionel asked. “I say it has to do with everything that’s happened. We’ve watched Casey long enough to know she isn’t going to just lie down and take someone blowing up her property and shooting at her house while her children and her woman are inside.”
Joe leaned over and punched his arm. “Her woman? Who are you, king of the jungle? I have to agree, though.” He said to Shelby, “We followed Bracato to Costello’s Restaurant today but couldn’t see who he was meeting. There’s too much activity in town for something big not to be happening. I think the deck’s about to be reshuffled, and whoever’s left will control much more than even we can imagine.”
“Do any of the players have enough muscle to wage a turf war?” Lionel asked, still searching the floor for any sign of Cain’s or Ramon’s voices.
“If brains are the deciding factor, then Cain, Ramon, or Vincent could end up running the rackets for years to come,” Shelby said. “My money’s on Cain.”
“Are you up for this?” Joe looked at her, wanting to see her face when she answered. “If she goes to the mat to destroy those who tried to hurt her family, we have to put her away. I don’t care how much you like Cain and Muriel. No one’s above the law.”