by Ali Vali
“Then you’ve found the one reason your father came often. The church is for everyone, Derby, even those not in the pews every Sunday. I can give you absolution for your sins.”
“Even if I have every intention of sinning again?”
Andrew laughed again, feeling like he was spending time with his childhood friend. “Even then. The other thing I can offer,” he continued on a more serious note, “is a little wisdom. No one can be strong all of the time, no matter how broad their shoulders. When your load gets too heavy, let the woman you’ve chosen help you.”
“I thought the church frowned on the fact that I love a woman.”
Andrew exhaled a long sigh. “Someday all believers will see love for the beauty that it is, no matter where it’s found. That day hasn’t come yet, but some of us are a little ahead of the times, no matter how many years we carry around with us.”
“And the wolves at my door?”
“Neither the church nor I has an answer for them.” The whirl of a leaf blower came through the window, and Andrew waved to the young man operating it. “However, I do know who does have an answer to that question.”
“Father Andy, if you tell me to pray on it and it’ll come to me, I may have to smack you one.”
The laugh lines around her eyes were a sign that her smile was genuine and that she was teasing.
“I see some smiting in your future, if you don’t behave,” Andrew shot back. “I was going to say that the one person who could answer that was your father. After all, he was a man of honor, but also a man with more than his share of enemies. So he had a philosophy about what the two of you liked to call wolves.”
Cain leaned forward and put her hands on her knees. “How much easier would my life be if he’d lived?”
The question didn’t seem directed at him, so Andrew stayed quiet.
“There was still so much he didn’t tell me before he left.”
“Knowing Dalton the way I did, I can tell you he didn’t choose to leave. He got his money’s worth out of each day God gave him, and if he could have, he would’ve bargained with the devil himself to stay for a while longer and watch you shine.”
The easy silence came once more, broken when Andrew said, “Hell, I miss him so much I would’ve made the bargain myself.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t mean to come here and upset you with old memories.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m an old man who gets more sentimental every day.” He slapped his hands together. “So on to the answer to your question. Dalton Casey believed that man had dominion over the animals.”
“Is this a riddle?”
Andrew shook his head. “If man has dominion over all the animals, then you can either tame the wolves causing you trouble or give them a new scent to follow. What’s most important here is not to show fear for any reason. Accept the things you can’t control, Derby, and plan around them. But you can control some things, so start thinking about how to keep yourself and those around you safe. It wouldn’t hurt to keep them out of jail too.”
As Cain smiled and sat quietly, she brushed back some mussed hair, an old habit that made Andrew see her incredible resemblance to Dalton. “I can see why my father loved you, but why did my mother?”
“Not everyone can be shown the way by taking the same road, child. I listened to your father and didn’t judge, because that’s not my job. To Therese, I was Bishop Goodman first, a man of faith who helped her find peace by praying for her family. It took me an age, it did, but she finally also accepted me as Andy, the guy who shared a few whiskeys with her husband on Saturday afternoons.
“But your father liked coming here for another reason, especially toward the end of his life.”
“Another riddle?”
“Just an observation, but perhaps useful, and the real reason I asked you here today.” With his fingers steepled on his chest, Andrew stopped talking. “I don’t often call my parishioners so late in the evening, bothering them while they’re with their families.”
“Well?”
“He was right about you—a bit impatient.” The reprimand was a bit sterner this time, and it made Cain’s jaw click shut. “Tell me, have you ever heard the expression ‘blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth’?”
“It’s part of scripture, if I remember my religion classes in school.”
“Good. Do you think that God would bless those who help unfortunate children?”
That Andy took the long road to get to every point didn’t escape Cain, so she put her empty cup down and relaxed into the comfortable chair. If anything, their visit was helping her forget Anthony’s intrusion and its ramifications. “If life was fair, my answer would be yes, but it seldom is, so my answer is maybe.”
“Excellent. I see your brain is still capable of firing on all cylinders. In this case, the answer you’re looking for lies with you.”
He held his finger up and she stayed silent.
“Your father took an interest in our youth-development programs, sponsoring certain things so the church’s outreach programs would touch many people’s lives. He would sit in here with Anya and talk about them for hours.”
Cain laughed, but played along. “And Anya is?”
“The director of the youth sports programs. Would you like to meet her?”
She threw her hands up and laughed again. “Sure, I’ve got all day.”
After a short phone call, an athletic-looking woman with auburn hair and dark skin stepped in, introduced herself, and offered Cain her hand. The three talked about Anya’s job and how successful her programs were in the city’s most poverty- and crime-ridden neighborhoods.
Wasting time carrying on such a conversation seemed surreal to Cain, but Anya sounded so enthusiastic about her causes that Cain listened with genuine interest.
“It was nice meeting you, Ms. Casey,” Anya said as she stood up, holding an envelope Cain hadn’t noticed before. “Thank you for listening to me, and just remember, every little bit helps. I also wanted to tell you how fond I was of your father. Mr. Casey did a lot of good, and we still miss him.” She dropped the envelope into Cain’s lap and started to leave. “Would you mind throwing that away for me? I found it outside and don’t need it.”
The innocuous white envelope felt heavy, and out of curiosity Cain opened the flap. She couldn’t control her brief look of shock but quickly slid the cool veneer back into place. “Ms. Sterling?”
The woman stopped, her hand already on the doorknob. “Yes?”
“The new volleyball program you wanted to start, how much do you need?”
“We could do the whole thing for twenty-five thousand.”
“You’ll have a check today.” Cain tucked the envelope into the inside breast pocket of her jacket. “And if you ever need anything else thrown away, give me a call.”
“You don’t have any questions?” Anya asked.
Cain turned to Andy as she answered. “I have faith enough to know when to consider something as good fortune for helping those less fortunate.”
“God bless you, then,” and with that, she was gone.
“Does the church realize aiding known criminals is part of your daily job?” Cain waited until the door was closed before posing the question to Andy.
The bishop put his hand on his chest, his eyes wide. “You’re a criminal?”
“Now who’s the wiseass?”
“Guilty as charged,” Andy joked. “Anya’s a wonderful woman who’s done a lot of good. Her partner works in the FBI forensics lab here in town and in that position sees some rather interesting things.”
“I’ll just bet.”
“Last night when an agent came to her partner and asked for something without following protocol, it piqued her interest, and she said she felt like she was seeing a ghost from the past. She remembered Anya speaking of Dalton often, and someone in the pictures looked an awful lot like him. Anya called me last night, concerned, and I don’t need to t
ell you what a horrible position you’d put her partner in if you let anyone know about this conversation.”
“You have my word, Father Andy.”
“I don’t know what Anya wants thrown away. I just know she needed a donation to start something that’ll bring happiness to kids no one wants to think about. If you decide to make that dream of hers a reality, it’s certainly up to you. That’s why I called you to come today. One thing about her, though, bears mentioning. A fledgling program to do outreach in the housing developments, funded by your father, saved Anya’s mother, who was walking the streets selling her body and using the profits to feed a habit that spiraled out of control.”
Cain nodded. “I guess to her it didn’t matter that it was bootlegger money.”
“It didn’t matter to anyone who benefited from Dalton’s generosity, but he learned an important lesson from the act. Her fortune came back to bless him more than once, but don’t think she’ll always be there to help. When Anya sees an injustice she can do something about, she acts. Lucky for all of us that she’s found someone to share her life who feels the same way. To her it’s just that simple. Do you understand? What happened today may never happen again, so don’t help her if that’s what you think you’ll be getting in the bargain.”
“Perfectly, and your call couldn’t have come on a better day.”
“Just remember her donation and take care of yourself. I told your father I’d look out for you, and you don’t want to make an old priest a liar. It’s sacrilegious.”
“Thanks again, Father Andy.” Cain stood and prepared to leave, hatching a plan.
“Want to go out the back?” Andy pointed to a door near the bay window. “I can have my car take you home.”
She shook her head and stepped closer to him. “My father always said you have to be seen to play the game. To do that I have to go out the front door. ’Cause you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m ready to play.” She wanted to see just how good her opponents really were.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Cain strode confidently up the main aisle, with only a quick glance to her right where the gift shop was located, before stepping out into the cool early afternoon. A car was parked across the street in front of the community theater, just as Cain had requested in a short call from Andy’s office. Since Shelby and Claire were on the opposite side of the square, Cain didn’t expect a tail, at least not from them.
Joe and Lionel made it out in time to see her jump into the back and close the door. Now that no one would see him, Joe pulled out his phone and called for backup. He described the car and its general direction, then called the surveillance van on the radio to join in on the conversation Lionel was already having with them. Joe knew that if they’d had the advantage, Cain had swiftly taken it back.
The car stopped at Vincent Carlotti’s offices so Cain could take care of some business before heading to her home, since she was ready to finish what she’d started with Giovanni and his sons. When they got to the house, Cain sat back and studied it.
It looked exactly like it did the last time she’d walked out the front door to head for the warehouse where Kyle had been waiting to kill her. Not a single paint chip was out of place, but Gino’s men hadn’t come from the front. Like his father, he’d taken the coward’s way and approached from the back, and that’s where the real savagery lay.
Cain had to take a few breaths before she could open the car door, though she knew Emma had tried to prepare her when she’d explained the damage. Now it was time to see for herself what had happened while she was in the hospital, and why Giovanni Bracato’s family would never come out of this intact.
Voices were filtering from different parts of the house, but Cain zeroed in on the one that belonged to the person she wanted to see. Emma was in Cain’s office sitting in the big leather chair full of gunshot holes, signing a contract with the moving company that was transporting the furniture to storage while the house was repaired.
“Just make sure everything that’s not already broken gets wrapped and packed really well, especially the things in my son’s room upstairs.”
The foreman was examining every square inch of the room while he listened. “We’ll be careful, ma’am. Can I ask what happened in here?”
“My wife hired a group of killers to shoot the place up so she’d have an excuse to remodel,” Cain answered from the doorway.
Emma slid the papers across the desk. “Funny guy.”
“But you love me anyway. Imagine that.”
“Yes, imagine that.”
The look between them was smoldering, and the man with the contract in his hand stood there staring.
“Do you have something else for me to sign?” Emma’s eyes never left Cain’s, but her question did snap the worker out of his trance.
“No, ma’am, I’m sorry.” He crumpled the papers in his hands a bit as he stumbled toward the door.
“Mrs. Casey, I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time?” Cain bent a little at the waist and held her hand out. “That is, if you’re free and could perhaps show me a room in the house that isn’t full of holes.”
They were on the first few steps heading upstairs when both Lou and Merrick started to follow them.
“Don’t even think about it,” Emma warned. “As a matter of fact, I want you both to stand here and shoot anyone who tries to climb these after us.”
Cain laughed softly as she followed Emma to what had been their bedroom. The space looked no different than the last time she had stepped out for the ill-fated meeting with Kyle. A shirt lay thrown over a chair near the closet and a half-full glass of water sat on the nightstand, but what caught Cain’s attention was the way Emma was staring at the picture still sitting near the phone.
*
Fourteen Years Earlier—Vincent Carlotti’s Restaurant
“Tell me something,” Emma leaned over and whispered in Cain’s ear.
Emma was afraid the butter knife in Cain’s hand was going to bend from the pressure she was putting on it. The black dress and heels Emma was wearing had obviously put Cain on high alert from the time she’d picked her up.
“What?”
Emma laughed at the way Cain’s voice cracked on the simple word.
“You’re playing with fire, lass, and you’re about to get burned.”
Emma always dismissed the idle threats, knowing Cain was, above all things, noble. “I’ve been playing with fire for months now, so I’m pretty good at it,” she said. “But enough about that. I believe I asked you to tell me something.”
They were seated in a booth at the back of one of Vinny’s places having dinner, so no one even glanced at the table full of tough-looking characters sitting close to them. The tablecloth gave Emma enough privacy to put her hand on Cain’s thigh and scrape the expensive material of the slacks with her nails.
“First tell me, Ms. Verde, do the residents of Haywood, Wisconsin, know what an incredible tease you are?” Cain captured her hand and kissed her palm.
“I’m not teasing, honey.” Pulling her hand free, Emma placed it on Cain’s chest and ran it up until it was resting behind her neck.
With only a very slight tug, Cain’s head came forward and her lips pressed to Emma’s. The sound and feel of a flashbulb going off separated them, and Emma almost felt sorry for the poor guy with the camera surrounded by Cain’s pit bulls. She would have felt more sympathy for the man if he hadn’t just interrupted the best kiss of her life.
“Guys, I don’t think he’s going to sell the thing to the feds. Let him go,” Cain ordered. She handed over a hundred dollar bill and asked for a copy of the picture.
*
That photograph had sat in Emma’s apartment until the day they’d moved in together. Emma could still feel Cain gently holding the side of her face as she returned the kiss. Cain’s tenderness had made her feel incredibly adored, and she’d missed seeing this reminder of it during the years
she’d been away.
“You never did get around to asking me a question that night.” The hands she’d been thinking about rested on her shoulders, and she could feel the solidness of Cain’s body as Cain pulled her closer.
While she’d been studying the photo, Cain had removed her jacket and thrown it on the bed. “Do you remember what you wanted to know?”
Her breathing hitched when the hand at her neck slid down and Cain cupped her left breast. “I was going to ask if you liked my dress, since you never said anything when you got there.”
“I see.” Cain trailed her hand down to Emma’s stomach, then back up to her other breast. “How thoughtless of me not to tell you how beautiful you looked.” A very slight pinch to a very alert nipple made Emma lean farther back into her embrace. “In reality, though, love, you always look beautiful, but I never want to be thoughtless and not tell you so.”
“You make me feel beautiful.” The picture came into Emma’s focus again, and she smiled as the roving hand made its presence known again. “You always have.”
“You’ll always be beautiful to me.” Cain stopped teasing and just held her. “Can I tell you anything now?”
“Just a few things, but they’ll be painless.”
The cheek Emma had slapped was still slightly red, and she laid her palm on it in a comforting gesture. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
They gazed at each other a moment longer before Cain walked them to the bed, knelt between Emma’s legs, and started whispering in her ear. With the radio Cain had switched on before that, even the most sophisticated listening devices couldn’t have deciphered what she was saying. “Never apologize for doing something I asked you to do. Our little ruse this morning flushed out the watchers quite nicely, but I really need you to be more careful about leaving the house alone. Agent Daniels and whoever she was with were easy to spot, but where there’s one fed, there’s always more. They’re like cockroaches that way, and the other ones were in the square.”