by Ali Vali
“Thanks, lass.” Cain kissed her and nodded to Dallas as they entered the house. “Why don’t the two of you join the kids upstairs and watch some television?”
Emma rubbed the small of Cain’s back to let her know she’d understood the request. No one minded Dallas being there, but she was still a wild card in Cain’s opinion as well as Remi’s. While they wouldn’t send her home, Cain didn’t want her too close to the upcoming meetings.
“Call up if you need anything.”
Cain waited until she heard the door to the den upstairs open and close before she entered the kitchen. She spotted Muriel first and noticed the anger twisting her face. “I need you to contact T-Boy and get with him, Muriel. Tell him it’s worth a lot to me to have today’s list of all the passengers who flew in and had to go through Customs.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Muriel said hesitantly.
“This isn’t the time to withhold any information, no matter how trivial it is.”
“One of Vincent’s men came to see me last night after he talked to you. Somebody’s bringing in a shooter, but we don’t know the target.”
“Or who hired this guy?” Remi asked.
“That’s probably easier, since we can narrow it down to two people we’re dealing with right now. It’s the why that’ll take more time,” Cain said as she cracked open a soft drink from the refrigerator. “What do you think, Ramon?”
“I think like you that it’s Nunzio Luca, but what does Rick have to do with that?”
“The shooter isn’t due until Friday,” Muriel said.
“That’s why today didn’t have anything to do with Luca,” Cain said after she’d sat between Remi and Ramon.
“Then with whom?” Mano asked. “If we’re going to be targets I’d like to have some idea why before one of us gets killed.”
“We have to work together to answer that question, before anyone else gets hurt. I’m guessing, so you can’t take what I say for fact.”
Remi nodded and butted shoulders with Cain. “When you guess, you’re usually in the ballpark, so let’s hear it.”
“Today was like I just told Lou. Our guy Rick was in the wrong place and someone recognized him. To hide the fact that Rick knew who they were, they killed him.” Cain stopped and glanced at Muriel. She didn’t appear as upset now, but no way could Cain let her leave now if she was so angry she couldn’t think straight. “I’m not discounting the shooter and whatever reason someone has for bringing him here, but it had nothing to do with today.”
“I think we can all agree that today, while tragic, is over. Our new problem is Friday and why this guy’s coming,” Mano said.
“Today isn’t over. No one walks up and kills one of my people for no reason, and he’ll pay. Friday has to do with Nunzio Luca and how he plans to break us.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Mano persisted.
“Then we sit and wait to find out which one of us Nunzio’s planning to knock off and afterward come up with a plan. I don’t know about you, but that’s not one choice I’m going with.”
“Cain,” Ramon said with his hands spread out on the table in front of him.
Cain raised her finger for Ramon’s patience and studied Mano and his posture. “I want to hear what you have in mind. I’ve been doing all the talking, and I haven’t given you a chance.”
Mano glanced up and Remi nodded her head, brought her hand up, and curled her fingers over so he’d start talking. “If this is Nunzio Luca, he’s going after the weakest link as a scare tactic to get us to deal. He’s tried being nice, so now he’s going to try the other plan available to him.”
“You should speak up more often, Mano. I agree,” Cain said, lifting her can in his direction.
“So you think I should just sit around and wait for someone to put a bullet in my head?” Mano asked.
Muriel covered his hand with hers and patted it before sitting back. “It’ll be a shot through the heart. That’s Jorge’s signature. He likes the chest shot so whoever’s lucky enough to have him as an assassin can have an open casket. That way your family can look at you before you’re buried and realize it’s their fault they put you in the ground.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Mano asked, laughing finally.
“I don’t think Nunzio hired this guy to kill you, so you should feel better,” Cain said.
“Forgive me if I’m still a little on edge,” Mano said.
“You’re assuming you’re the weakest link in the chain, and in this case you’re not.” Cain peered first at Ramon then at Remi.
Mano didn’t take his eyes off Cain. “What are you talking about?”
“Mano, you’re Remi’s right hand, or you will be eventually, but unless she gives over the reins, you won’t be the head of your family.” She spoke softly and with as much compassion as she could muster, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “I’m not telling you this to hurt you, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”
“You’re right, but that’s not something I’m worried about. Remi will take over for my father one day, and I’m fine with that.”
“Then you have to consider that this chain has three links.” She put her right hand on the table and slid it in front of Remi. “There’s Remi,” she put her left hand toward Ramon and repeated the motion, “there’s your father, and there’s me. Out of those three, if you were some clueless idiot who let somebody they’ve never met before take care of their business, who would you hit?”
“Remi?”
“Remi,” Cain confirmed. “I don’t agree with the assessment, but Nunzio’s thinking like a man chasing something he had, and because he again let that idiot Richard handle his business he lost it, and now he’s desperate. If he takes Remi out, he sends the message that none of us are untouchable if he wants to strike.”
“Then why not you or my father?”
“I told you before, I’m only guessing. I’d kill me, followed by your father, then Remi. You and Emma would be left, and the grief would make you easier to control.”
Mano leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands. “I can see why my father thinks you’re fascinating. You have an interesting way of thinking.”
“Your father’s a smart man, but so was mine. Dalton never thought of anything as having only two sides, but layers. If Nunzio tries to hit me or Ramon and misses, let’s just say he’s an idiot, but he’s not totally stupid. If he misses the two people who are the most insulated, then the fallout would be a tad more stepped up, and he knows that.”
“I still don’t understand why he wouldn’t think that anyway?” Mano said.
“Because your sister’s death would send a message to me more than to Cain,” Ramon said. “If he goes after Cain, she’s in a more powerful position to strike back. We’re partners, though, not family. If he hits Remi, then it could break us, since he considers us the weaker opponent.”
“You’d stand by and allow that to happen?” Mano said, sounding as if he were loath to ask the question.
“You aren’t my family, Mano,” Cain said, and saw his head lower. “Not by blood, but remember this. What we agreed to isn’t just for today. Our deal is for the future of both our families. Because of that, you’ll one day sit at a table where my son is sitting with me. I would never put Hayden in a situation that would leave him vulnerable in any way.” She waited until he looked her in the eye again. “That means you’re not my blood but I welcome you into my family, and I’ll watch over you like you were my own.”
“We have a couple of days then. What do we do?” Mano asked.
The sun was starting to set and Cain stood up from the table and threw her can away. “I have to deal with Rick and his family, Muriel has some information to gather, and it’s getting late. How about if we call it a night and meet again tomorrow afternoon?”
“There’s nothing you want us to do?” Remi asked.
“I need you to do a couple of things in case I’m way of
f on this.” Cain came up behind Mano and spoke in a low voice, making him nod a lot as she went down the list. “Before you go, Remi, I need to tell you something as well.” She led Remi to the study.
“Are you going to share what you told Mano?”
“Your brother’s got that under control, and I’m sure by morning he’ll be at your place with my shopping list of stuff, but this has to do with Dallas.”
“You can’t have found something already.” Remi sat in the chair across from the desk, and Cain sat beside her.
“Mano and your father followed the money. Not a bad plan but it would eventually lead back to Bob, thus a dead end.”
“And you? What trail did you follow?”
“I’m a criminal, my friend. Not a common criminal, mind you, but still a criminal, so I decided to think like the dark side does.”
Remi laughed as she twirled her cigar lighter between her fingers. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Running isn’t in my nature and it isn’t in yours, but Emma said something interesting when it came to your girlfriend. She keeps feeling that Dallas is running from something or someone.” She took a slip of paper out of her shirt pocket and read the name she’d written down. “The thing about running is you have to start somewhere, and it’s a little easier to do when you find someone to help you create a new identity that lets you hide in plain sight.”
“You found her already?”
“More like I found her possible track coach.” She handed over the paper, then took it back and put it in her pocket again. “If I’m right, he gave her all the necessary paperwork to create Dallas Montgomery and the life that went along with her.”
“How long before you know?”
“I invited him to New Orleans for a couple of days. Like I told you, I’ll take care of it, and in a few days I might have the answers you’re looking for. If it helps any, I exhausted my leads into the cop angle. I wouldn’t swear on my mum’s grave yet, but I don’t believe she’s undercover in an official way. It’s more a survival kind of way.”
It was suddenly noisy on the other side of the door, meaning that Emma, Dallas, and the kids had come down, probably searching for food. “And Bob? Did you find anything on him?”
“I think Bob’s an opportunist who found her secret and used it to his advantage.” Cain reached out when Remi started to stand up. “We’ll deal with him soon enough, but Bob has a lot in common with Nunzio Luca. I want nothing more than to take care of Nunzio, but first we have to strip away his own secrets so that when he’s dead—he’s dead. Once he is, we don’t have to worry about anything coming back from the grave to haunt us.”
“Bob’s not that smart.”
“Does Dallas buck him in any way?” Remi shook her head. “Does she act like a woman who thinks her troubles are over now that you’re in her life?” Remi shook her head again. “Then stop and think about what he has over her that’s kept her as compliant as a puppy for years. When someone like Bob sinks his claws into someone, it takes a special meeting to dig them out. Be patient, and once we have most of the answers, we’ll deal with him.”
“And that’s everything?”
Cain hesitated, then nodded. “Everything I know so far.”
“You gave me your word.”
“I’ve told you everything I’m sure about. I won’t put rumors in your head to drive you insane.”
“I want to know.” She put her hand on Cain’s shoulder to keep her in her seat. “I’m not asking because I want to replace Bob in her life.”
“I’d never think that of you, but why torture yourself if you don’t have to?”
“How can I help her if I don’t know the truth?”
Cain stood up, making Remi break her hold. “I promise. Then if you want, I’ll tell you everything I find out.”
With a stiff nod Remi thanked her and left the room. Cain followed her out to the den and saw Emma and Dallas talking and sharing a laugh. She had every faith in Remi, but she prayed she could look past Dallas’s actions enough that they wouldn’t interfere with whatever relationship they established. Sometimes knowing something only allowed doubt to make Swiss cheese out of your brain, and Dallas deserved better than that.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Simon opened the back door for Dallas and Remi, and they rode to the condo in silence. Remi stared out the window, but she didn’t seem to see the houses they passed.
“Are you okay?” Dallas asked. She took a chance and held Remi’s hand. “Emma told me about Rick and how young he was. It’s horrible that someone did that to him.”
“Our world is sometimes a horrible place,” Remi said without taking her eye off the window.
“Do you want me to go home? You have a lot going on, and you don’t need to worry about having me around.”
“You aren’t in the way, and I don’t want you out alone.”
“I appreciate that you care, Remi, but I’ve been on my own for a long time.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life that way.” Remi intertwined their fingers and faced Dallas. “If you don’t let me in just a little, I can’t help you.”
Dallas couldn’t maintain eye contact with her and dropped her head to stare at their joined hands. “It’s not that I won’t let you in. It’s just hard. I’ve survived this long because I don’t let myself get hurt.”
“I’m not asking because I want to hurt you.” Remi put her fingers under her chin and lifted her head.
“I wouldn’t blame you for losing patience with me, but I can’t express in words exactly how hard this is.” She put her hand on Remi’s cheek, then outlined the dark brows with her fingertips. “I’ve truly never taken this kind of chance.”
“I want you to stay even longer than you might’ve planned for. I’m not comfortable letting you go home, and with our time together, maybe you’ll start believing I’m the best problem solver you’ll ever meet.”
“I already know that.”
Remi smiled and leaned closer and kissed her.
“Why do you want me to stay longer? Not that I mind spending time with you.”
“Cain and I have a theory as to what’s going to happen next, and the guy who’ll be responsible for any more bloodshed saw us together. If he thinks we’re a couple, he won’t hesitate to hurt you to get to me.”
When Remi lifted her arm, Dallas took the invitation and moved closer. “It’s that guy that stopped at our table, isn’t it? The one with the dead eyes?”
“Nunzio’s more known for his dead heart, but yes, that’s the guy.” Dallas smiled when Remi kissed the top of her head, because she felt that Remi had done it unconsciously. “Until I know you’ll be safe on your own, I want you to stay with me.”
“Do you think it’ll take long?” Dallas rested her head on the front of Remi’s shoulder and put her hand on her abdomen.
“Could take years.” Remi laughed.
“I don’t know, having you as my jailer might be like winning the lottery.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t keep you captive in your room, but I do have something in mind, and I want you to think about it before you say no.”
“I’ll go along with whatever you think.”
“I might get used to such cooperation.”
Dallas laughed also and ran her fingers down Remi’s leg. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. After all, Emma keeps preaching to me that making you work for it makes it that much more rewarding.”
“I’m more than capable of doing heavy lifting when it’s required, ma’am,” Remi said as she picked Dallas off the seat and sat her on her lap. “I need you to be okay so I can prove myself as a worthy companion.”
“If you offer references to that fact, you could end up with a few bruises.” Dallas held up her thumb and index finger in a pinching position.
“All my references would be glad to tell you how much fun I am for about two dates, then how hard it is to get in touch with me, so
I’ll pass.”
“You’re hoping for more than two dates here?” Dallas dropped her hand to Remi’s neck and came close to holding her breath, waiting for an answer.
“You know where I live. That makes it harder to avoid you, but that’s the last thing I want to do. I want to take my time and get to know you. Hopefully, once that’s accomplished, you’ll have learned something about me as well and won’t be running for the hills.” Remi smiled at her before she lowered her head and kissed her.
“Hopefully you’ll feel the same way about me,” Dallas said as soon as their lips parted. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“The only way that’ll happen is if you don’t give this a chance.” Remi kissed her again, only this time it was longer and laced with more passion.
“And you don’t mind going slow,” Dallas said, her voice dropping lower and her breath speeding up.
Remi combed Dallas’s hair back and placed her finger over her pulse on her neck. “I’m looking forward to the long scenic route, Ms. Montgomery,” she said, then replaced her fingers on Dallas’s neck with her lips. “I’m sure it’ll make arrival much more enjoyable.”
“Uh-huh.” Dallas tilted her head back as encouragement for Remi not to stop. “You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?”
“I wouldn’t want you to lose interest along the way.”
For the first time Dallas felt like she was glimpsing what it would’ve been like to grow up in a world where people dated and fell in love. She was no innocent by any means, but spending time like this with Remi was showing her what being respected and courted was all about. If anything could help heal her soul, she was certain Remi would go out of her way to give it to her.
“I don’t think there’s any chance of that,” Dallas said to Remi. They spent the rest of the trip in each other’s arms.
*
“If you were hoping for the easy answer and an even easier target, you’re out of luck,” Muriel said as she dropped the list of passengers that had arrived the day before. “Juan isn’t on the list. Well, the name Juan is on the list, but only because it’s as popular as John is in the States.”