by Ali Vali
Simon’s smile faltered and she pointed at Remi. “Watch it. Don’t tempt the fates.”
“It’s what I live for, Simon. It’s what I live for.”
New Orleans, Louisiana
“Are you sure?”
“Today, baby,” Emma said after she drank a little of her juice. Her usual cup of coffee was absent.
Emma and Cain had been back in New Orleans for two months, living with Jarvis and Muriel Casey again while the contractor finished repairing their house. As Cain had promised, their life had returned to normal after they’d returned from Wisconsin, or as normal as life with Cain ever got.
The one thing hard to miss was the FBI surveillance that had been stepped up from the moment Cain had hit their radar again. The invasion of privacy aggravated Emma, but the authorities were still wondering what had happened to the Bracato family, so Cain had warned her in advance what to expect.
“Today?” Cain asked again as she pushed away from the table.
“If you’ve got something else planned, then I suggest you reschedule.” Emma leaned back in her chair and tried to sound menacing. When Cain chuckled she realized she’d failed.
“Would you think less of me if I told you I’m scared?”
Emma laughed along with her. “I’m sure you’re quaking in your shorts.”
“Are you questioning your ability to make me quake in my shorts, lass?” Cain put her hand on her chest and widened her eyes.
“I just don’t want to waste the opportunity, love.”
Before Emma finished her statement, Cain had risen from her seat and dropped to her knees next to her. “You can’t think I’m not going with you. I’ve been waiting for this day from the second we talked about it. I love you and I’m ready.”
“I was just teasing you, honey. If anything, I’m enjoying my final days of you letting me lift my own glass.” Emma put her hands on Cain’s cheeks, then kissed her. “So are you free at ten?”
“Since my buddy, Dr. Casey, gave me a call and told me not to be late, I’ll be there.”
“Want to go upstairs and do everything we can to relax before our appointment?” Emma kissed her again. “Mook just left with the kids.”
“Then come with me, Mrs. Casey.” Cain stood and offered her hands. “Relaxation is my specialty.”
“Cain?” Katlin Patrick, Cain’s cousin and guard, stopped at the door of the dining room. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“What’s up?”
“Ramon called to remind you about today’s meeting.”
Cain glanced down at Emma before turning to Katlin. “Call him back and tell him today is out. Muriel can handle our end of things.”
Emma rested a hand on Cain’s chest and exercised her new partnership with Cain. “Katlin, please tell him if the meeting is after one this afternoon, Cain will be happy to be there.” She patted Cain’s chest when she felt her take a breath to start speaking. “We’ll be done by then, and I’ll be happy to nap while you’re out.”
“Call him then, and don’t bother us unless the house is on fire.”
“True, honey, you have other fires to start,” Emma said as she slipped her hand into the front of Cain’s pants to lead her upstairs.
Chapter Three
Key West, Florida
“Dallas, why pick this fucking place? This dump is like a furnace.” The sweaty, red-faced Bob Bennett ranted while he walked through the Key West airport. He kept a firm grip on Dallas Montgomery, who was trailing him. “At least the plane should be here soon, and we can get the hell out of here.”
“No one asked you to come. It was my vacation, remember?” Dallas said. “Besides,” she jerked out of his grasp, “I thought you said it was a studio plane. It’s not like you can miss that.” She tried to reason with Bob because once the irritating man got going, her life became that much more difficult.
“How about you shut the hell up. You’ve been nothing but a screw-up all your life, and it’s time you start asking me before you plan these little excursions. You better resign yourself to the realities of your life because, believe me, whatever you’re doing, it’s going to be with me.”
Dallas stayed quiet but mentally added another entry to her list of “ways to kill Bob”—5614—setting him afloat one hundred miles offshore with nothing but a bloody rump roast around his neck.
He was right, though. He wasn’t going anywhere, and instead of enjoying her budding career, she had to deal with the leech who could take it all away. He knew a lifetime of secrets that could break her in ways she wasn’t willing to think about.
In the air above the landing strip, the Jatibons’ private jet was receiving its clearance to set down when Doug Price, the pilot, saw the helicopter cruising in from the east. “Might be the boss, so prepare for a quick turn-around,” he told his copilot and navigator. They had flown the Jatibon family for years, shuttling the family around for business and pleasure, and had over the years become trusted employees. Their greatest asset was their short-term memory. Once the flight was over, no matter who they were escorting, they forgot the name and face as soon as the wheels hit the tarmac. No one could talk or testify about something he had no memory of.
The wheels of the jet touched down and the crew taxied away from the commercial side of the airport toward the section with a multitude of private planes sitting idle. Once the two men had shut down everything, they stepped from the cockpit to let Rosa, the attractive attendant, know they should be on the ground no longer than an hour.
They headed out into the ninety-degree heat in their pressed chino shorts and white polo shirts with the Jatibon name and snake-eyes logo stitched on the breast pockets. The same image of the hooded and slitted eyes of the king cobra was painted on the tail of the plane.
They were there to pick up not only Remi, but her two business partners, Dwayne and Steve, and their wives, Molly and Lisa. Remi’s father, Ramon, affectionately referred to them and Remi as “the crew.” The guys had attended school with her, and when it was time to conquer the world, Dwayne and Steve had signed on willingly with the ambitious Jatibon family. They had two kids each, with Remi the only holdout. She was still single, but the group meshed as well now as when they were prowling the campus at Louisiana State University, then later in law school.
Remi had met Dwayne in their freshman year at LSU and built an instant rapport with him. Steve joined the tight-knit group in their junior year after befriending Remi. Wanting to keep them together, Remi asked Ramon to invest in their future.
He had paid for all of them to attend law school, and the three graduated at the top of their class. They were by far the best negotiators Ramon had seen in corporate America. And after Remi took over the firm that protected Ramon’s company from the sharks constantly circling the waters he chose to swim in, she had won every litigation.
“Steve, is that Rosa?” Lisa, his pretty brunette wife sitting on his lap in the overcrowded terminal, asked.
“Yep, that’s her, which means our ride’s here. Let me get up and start loading all this stuff. Remi should be back soon, and our schedule just got tighter.”
In a few minutes, Steve and Dwayne were joking their way over to the plane, fighting to see who was going to sit next to Rosa, when they noticed the commotion at the bottom of the steps.
Doug was standing by the plane, blocking the entrance and trying to prevent the irate man who was confronting him from boarding.
“Troubles?” Steve asked. Not that he was the spokesman for the group, but at six-feet-five inches, two hundred and eighty-five pounds, he was by far the most intimidating in the bunch. The only thing taking away from his tough-guy image was the hat shaped like a parrot he was sporting. Even with that, he cast a shadow over the two men arguing by the door.
“I was trying to explain to this guy that this is the Jatibon jet, not his charter flight home from Gemini Studio.”
Steve listened, then held out his right hand to the fuming man. “I’m Steve Palma, and yo
u would be?”
“Bob Bennett,” he said, and ignored the offered hand. “My girlfriend and I were waiting for this plane, so step aside, asshole, and I won’t have to get you fired.” Bob glared at Steve and his companions. The sound of the landing helicopter drowned out any further comments.
After they were on the ground, Simon stepped down as soon as the blades slowed. She motioned for Remi to stay put.
“While you’re busy guarding me, I’m going to run in and get something for my mother,” Remi told her.
Simon looked over at the standoff by the jet to see if a walkover was necessary. But when Steve made eye contact with her and waved her off, Remi stepped down from the helicopter.
Simon removed the Glock she kept in a shoulder holster and checked the clip. “If you can help it, try to stay out of trouble. And see if you can find Juno and the other girls. We’ve got to get going.”
“Try not to shoot anyone, Simon. Just think of the paperwork involved, not to mention ruining Steve’s great hat if there’s any spray.”
Getting to the main building, Remi headed toward the only gift shop in the Key West Airport. After she spotted a wall full of gorillas carved out of coconuts, she was removing the tackiest one from the rack when she heard the screaming.
Stepping out of the store, Remi looked at Simon, who was in the middle of the melee, because of the guy who was at the moment pitted against Steve, Dwayne, and Doug. Standing next to the screamer, though, was Dallas Montgomery, costar of the latest Gemini Studio’s action adventure movie, The Lady-Killers.
“Bob, cool it before we become front-page news for the tabloids,” Dallas said as Remi neared. “If you don’t stop, that’s what’s going to happen, and I can’t afford the publicity right now.”
Remi ignored the angry tableau for the moment and extended her hand. “Ms. Montgomery, what a pleasant surprise. I’m pleased to meet you. I’m—”
Bob pushed between them. “Back off, dyke. My girlfriend may be the wet-dream fantasy of a lifetime, but she ain’t gay. She just plays a lesbian on the big screen, or so people like you want to think,” Bob said, glaring at Remi. The group behind Bob stiffened.
In her thirty-four years Remi had grown accustomed to the bigotry of others but not to stupidity, and this guy was no doubt an idiot of biblical proportions. At an even six feet, Remi had to look down at him, finding pleasure when he took a step back as she clenched her fists. A lifetime of training and pushing herself to the limit had given her the confidence to know she could do some serious damage to his looks without any help. The thought had never seemed so appealing.
“We can—” Doug stopped when Remi raised her hand.
“What’s the problem?” Remi asked, never taking her eyes off Bob.
“Mr. Bennett thinks we’re his ride this morning. I tried explaining that he was wrong, and he threatened to report me to my superior.”
“That does sound like something that would end up in your personnel file,” she said as she curled her lips into more of a snarl than a smile. “Why would you assume the plane is yours?” Remi asked Bob.
“You’re telling me you’re not with the studio?” Bob shot back. “If you’re new at this, don’t start your job fucking with someone like me as your first move.”
“Sage advice indeed,” Remi said, then turned to Doug. “Why not avoid the chance of us both getting written up and give him what he wants? I’m sure your superior won’t mind, don’t you agree?” Remi pinned everyone in her group with a look that almost dared anyone to speak.
“You bet. We should be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
Bob first looked at Remi, then at Doug, holding his hands out as if waiting for someone to start explaining. When no one said anything, he asked, “Who are you, anyway?”
Remi decided to liven up the upcoming flight to New Orleans by having a little fun. “That isn’t of importance now, Mr. Bennett. Is everyone ready to go?”
As Remi headed out of the terminal, Dallas fell in step with her, almost skipping to keep up with the much longer strides. “I want to apologize for Bob’s comments, Ms?”
“Did you ask him to act that way?”
“Ah, no.”
“Then you have nothing to apologize for, ma’am,” Remi said, feeling more relaxed now. “As I tried to say before I was interrupted, I enjoyed your last picture with Jenny Tibbs. I seldom see such strong female characters in action films. You gave a great performance.”
“It was a great role.”
“You made it a great role. In most action films, the women are there to fill out the bikinis, not really act. That’s not to say that you didn’t look good in the bikini scene. Keep up the good work.” Remi kept smiling down at Dallas, enjoying the blush creeping up her neck.
“Thank you,” Dallas replied softly.
Once the group was outside, Remi walked ahead and got onto the plane. She stepped into the cockpit and watched for a moment as the pilots finished their preparations. Doug smiled. “What can I do for you, boss?”
“Please, call me the big dyke. It’s all the rage.” She smiled through the exchange, wanting them to know it would take much more on Bob’s part to rattle her cage. “Could you call New Orleans and arrange for a car for our guests. I’d offer, but I have a meeting at Papi’s as soon as we land.”
“Belt up, everyone. We’re ready for takeoff,” Remi said, returning to the plush office on the plane.
“Aren’t you going to go over the safety features and exit locations, good-looking?” Steve asked.
“If an air mask drops in front of you anytime during this flight, Lisa has my permission to strangle you with it. Now come on, let’s get to work.”
Remi sat at the table with her partners and handed out parts of the contract Mano had sent down with the staff. “Well, boys, vacation’s over. Are we ready to go on Monday?”
“Yes, now that our hand’s on the light switch, the cockroaches are starting to get nervous. Did you know the mob is taking over at Gemini?” Dwayne asked.
“Really, now, boys, it’s not just the mob. It’s Papi’s version of the mob.” The three laughed.
Ramon had always been a powerful force, but all three of them sitting at the table loved and admired him. They freely gave him their loyalty, and not because of what they owed him.
Remi exchanged her sunglasses for reading glasses, preparing to dissect the contract, but her thoughts turned to her family’s history and what it had taken to get where they were today.
*
The Jatibon family had always had money until Castro had come down from the Sierra Madres and destroyed generations of work and wealth in one short week. Arriving in the United States with nothing but the clothes on his back, his wife Marianna, and six-year-old twins Remi and Mano, Ramon set out to rebuild his empire for his children.
He settled in New Orleans and quickly learned that the city loved vices. The top three on the list were gambling, drinking, and women, but not always in that order.
With the backing and friendship of Dalton Casey and Vincent Carlotti, Ramon started with a small club, offering all three to upper-crust patrons who quickly helped to fund expansion. The Pescador clubs, named for his family’s plantation home in Cuba, offered complimentary Cuban rum and Russian vodka, which were impossible to get at the time because of the embargo. A patron could gamble with a fine Cuban cigar in one hand and a beautiful woman on his arm, comfortable that the police wouldn’t interrupt his fun. Dalton’s connections made sure of that.
For a price, the women would do anything a customer desired for the evening, but Ramon didn’t make his living off the ladies. He gave them a place to work and made the real money on the gaming tables, not from the lay afterward. The girls soothed the pain of losing, guaranteeing the gentlemen, and women, would be back.
Ramon’s business thrived, and he now had clubs in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast into Texas. With guidance from his children he had diversified over the years and now owned a multitu
de of legitimate businesses, including fifty-one percent of Gemini Studio.
He had brought his children into the business early, educating them as to where the luxuries in their lives came from. It brought him great pleasure when people told him how much like him they were, and not just in their looks. Both tall with midnight black curly hair, olive skin, broad shoulders, and chiseled features, Remi and Mano were too good-looking for their own good at times. But their father pushed them relentlessly, not wanting them to lose the fire that had built the Jatibon empire.
Their mother, Marianna, had taught them manners and style. Ramon had taught them leadership, strength, and killer instincts. Both Remi and Mano had inherited one green eye from Marianna and one blue from Ramon, though they were opposite. So when Mano stood at Remi’s right, the two middle eyes were the ice blue of Ramon’s.
While Ramon loved his children equally, his daughter was most like him. His son Ramon was very like his mother in most things. Remi, though, would rip an enemy’s heart out and let him watch it stop beating in her hand. Ramon knew that Remi would expand and surpass what he’d built, and she would never leave her family behind. His first-born, though by only twenty-five minutes, Remi carried the responsibility of not only the family business but also insuring that her brother Ramon and his family never came to harm.
Ramon also realized that while Remi would probably never give him grandchildren, she would break even his record in bedding women. He had some difficulty with her lifestyle, considering his Catholic upbringing, but he had decided it was just one more thing that made his daughter unique.
On the streets and in the world Ramon controlled, his children were known as Snake Eyes. When the two showed up first without warning, as in the game of craps, their opponent knew lady luck had taken a holiday. To the feds that constantly hounded Ramon, Snake Eyes was a myth to scare the weak, but to him they were the heads of his businesses and made them thrive. They fought good-naturedly with one another, but needed each other for balance.