by Ali Vali
“Who’s Washington sending down?”
“Ronald Chapman.”
Annabel said the name like a curse, since Chapman had complained all the way to the director when she’d been given the New Orleans office. Ronald had been raised in the lower Ninth Ward and had dreams of returning to his hometown riding the white horse of justice. Anyone who knew him, and Joe did, realized he had his sights on the governor’s office eventually. He needed the exposure of cleaning up New Orleans to get himself elected.
“How would you like me to handle this?” he asked. Mentally he started drawing up an aggressive surveillance schedule that’d keep him out of the office as much as he could get away with. He had no desire to get stuck in the coming power struggle.
“I need you to get to Shelby,” Annabel said, not making eye contact, “unofficially.”
“For?” he asked warily as he pressed his fist into the table. Shelby was his friend, and as such he wasn’t going to like where Annabel was taking this.
“I know you’re loyal to her, enough so that you shut your eyes the day Cain Casey was brought in and left here on a stretcher. You, like everyone else, including me, thought Casey had slaughtered her family.” She finally looked up with her mouth in a tight line, as if she were in pain. “It was my fault for letting it go so far, letting Brent take out his frustrations on her like that.”
Special Agent Brent Cehan was still on desk duty and under protective order because of his actions toward Cain the day she’d been brought in for questioning. Joe had turned his head when Brent pounded Cain while she was cuffed and defenseless, and he’d gotten a perverse sense of satisfaction from her suffering. It was in that moment that he totally understood why Barney Kyle and Anthony had taken the easy low road. Even if Cain hadn’t killed Shelby’s parents, she was guilty of so many things, including murder, that he still couldn’t muster up too much regret.
“In the end, though, ma’am, Brent might be the answer to taking Casey down permanently when she tries to get back at him for what he did.”
“As much as I’d like to bring Casey down, Joe, this isn’t frontier justice. Under my watch Brent beat a suspect and took her in under a false charge of resisting arrest, and another agent has gone rogue.” Her list was probably much shorter than Ronald Chapman’s, and he’d use every misstep as a way to strip away not only her place here, but her job as well. Annabel, after all, had been brought in to fix the fiasco her predecessor Barney had made by taking a job with the Bracato crime family. “If Shelby is able to convince Cain to help her get the revenge she wants, Chapman will bring us all down, and you know that’s why she’s at Cain’s. Shelby’s your friend, but are her motives worth losing your pension over?”
“I’ll talk to her, but are you going to let her come back? She needs structure right now, not to be set adrift.”
“She still has to pass the psych evaluation, but yes, I want her back.” Annabel started to put her papers away but glanced up at him again. “My apologies for not cutting you in on what Shelby was doing. If it hadn’t been for her parents, I believe we’d have the bones for a solid case against Cain by now. She was the one who insisted on the limited knowledge of what she was doing, and not because she didn’t trust you.”
“Why, then?”
“Muriel, like Cain, is smart. If you’d known the relationship was a scam, Muriel would’ve picked that up instantly and it would’ve ended the first day. Shelby needed all of you to display the wariness you did when she told you about her new assignment because of Muriel.”
“The problem, though, is that relationship wasn’t all a scam. It couldn’t have been, because Shelby wouldn’t have basically whored herself out as part of her duties.” He had to believe that or lose all respect for his colleague. If she’d been with Muriel just for leads, it made her no better than Kyle and Anthony. “Why is Chapman really coming?”
“Muriel filed another protection order on behalf of her cousin, only this time in federal court. It was enough of a red flag for Ronald once it was granted.” Annabel tapped the corner of her folder on the table when she was on her feet. “No matter what we do, we might’ve lost the war already.”
“Do you trust me to go a little beyond talking to Shelby?”
“Will there be a record of what you have in mind for Ronald to add to his list of my sins?”
“No, and if I’m wrong I’ll be happy to throw myself on Chapman’s hand grenade to save you and everyone else.”
Chapter Three
Luce Fournier glanced around the inside of the warehouse as the driver Cain Casey had sent held the door open for her. “Looks are sometimes deceiving,” she said in French.
“I hope you mean the building and not the group we’re here to see,” said Maximo Roux, the Chateau Michel Winery manager.
“Don’t let the charm and smooth talk fool you.” She followed the driver to a conference room to the left of what appeared to be a number of offices. “Our hostess is like this place—a contradiction with many layers.”
“Are you sure that’s not your own preconceptions bleeding into this?” Maximo’s eyebrows came together as he asked. “This deal is good for us, and one the boss has been after for years.”
“I’m not biased, old man.” She dropped her bag next to the chair she’d chosen and took a minute to admire the grand antique table. It was as beautiful as the paintings on the walls. “We can take a lot of other avenues that are better than this. Either I’m trusted with the business or I’m not, but I’m going to do what I believe is best for the family until I’m told otherwise.”
“Until you own the wine, and you don’t, your job is to carry out orders.”
Maximo picked the opportune time for his reprimand since the door opened again when he was done. “I’m Cain Casey,” the woman leading the group said, with her hand out.
“Luce Fournier.” She tried to match Cain’s grip as she compared herself to the competition. And she did regard Cain as competition in so many ways.
They were, in her opinion, night and day. Cain’s dark hair, tanned skin, and build were the polar opposite of Luce’s slim physique and blond hair in its usual tight ponytail. Really, their only similarities were their blue eyes and height, though Cain’s eyes were a much darker shade. Casey wasn’t the ogre she’d hoped, not outwardly anyway, but she had time to dissect her to find the flaws and weaknesses.
“Is there a problem?” Cain asked.
“No, why do you ask?”
“You haven’t let go of my hand, and I feel a bit dissected,” Cain said with a smile that seemed cold and distant. It was eerie how she’d almost plucked her train of thought right out of her mind.
This wasn’t someone who trusted easily, but then again, she wasn’t here for a best friend. With a hard squeeze she released Cain and sat. After the endless hours she’d spent with Muriel, Katlin, and Mano Jatibon, she was anxious to book a flight home.
“I have no interest in you other than doing business, Ms. Casey, so if you’d like we can begin.”
“The Jatibons should be here in ten minutes. Would you like something to drink while we wait? Or maybe you’d like to introduce your friend?” Cain sat across from them and smiled. Her poise and confidence radiated like a neon sign, and it only irritated Luce further.
“We are interested in doing business with you, so I’d like to finish. Once the Jatibons arrive, you can inform them of our final decisions, or whatever you’d like.” A sudden heat made Luce’s body flush, but her hands were clammy. That, along with the fireball in her stomach, was the familiar but unfortunate side effect of confrontation, but if they didn’t gain the upper hand now, she’d never wrestle it from Casey. Her stomach acid doubled when Cain stood and her chair slid easily to the wall.
Cain rocked on her feet momentarily and stared at Luce before leaving without a word. “Lou,” she said, once she’d cleared the door. “Escort them from the building.”
“I’ll get Frank to drive them back.”
“You do that and it’ll kill the deal,” Muriel said from a few paces behind her.
“Would I like this deal?” she asked as she dropped into her office chair. “Sure, but I don’t usually go into business with hostile partners. You don’t have to love me, but do you honestly think Luce Fournier has our best interest in mind? Especially if something goes wrong? We’ve got enough people trying to bring us down without inside help.”
“I don’t get it,” Katlin said. “We’ve met with these people numerous times, and we had a solid deal in place with the understanding Remi and her family were part of the mix.”
Cain heard the screaming in the hall, first in English, then French, between Luce and the older gentleman. It was the first time she’d seen who she knew was Maximo, but she’d heard plenty about him and his talent for creating excellent vintages. She had background on Luce as well but hadn’t thought the woman stupid enough to allow her personal issues to get in the way of business.
“You’ll get an apology in less than an hour and a request for another meeting,” she said to both her cousins. “I don’t care who answers that call. Tell them we’re out.”
“Do you have any idea what happened in there?” Muriel asked. “I agree with your decision, but if Katlin and I did something wrong I’d like to know what it was so we don’t repeat it.”
“You both did a good job on this, so obviously neither of you is the problem. Luce works for Michel Blanc but shares a special relationship with his daughter, Nicolette.”
“The Nicolette Blanc you graduated with who was attacked before she went home?” Muriel asked.
Muriel had finished Tulane a year after her, but had to remember the French beauty who’d pursued Cain more determinedly than the FBI. “That’s her, and she pushed her father to meet with Da from the first day of our freshman year. When that psycho caught her in that alley and carved a chunk out of her face, they went home without the deal Michel wanted.”
“I thought Uncle Dalton met Michel before they left,” Muriel said.
“He did, when he came to pick me up at their hotel. Nicolette didn’t take no well to any question, but Lou, Merrick, and I got her out of that bind before the guy cut her heart out. Michel was grateful, so that’s why I started with him for this.”
Muriel nodded as if satisfied, so she turned her attention to Katlin. “Do you think it’s a good idea to do business with an old flame?”
“Nicolette was a beautiful coed, but we were strictly acquaintances. Anyone who was that curious about Da, me, and the family back then was someone I kept at arm’s length.” She gazed at the family portrait on her desk and thought of Hayden’s drive to please. Her son was going to be her successor, and she hoped her Da had been as comfortable with her at Hayden’s age as she was with her son. “The day before I graduated Da gave me a promotion, so I wasn’t too trusting with anything or anyone new. I didn’t want to take the chance that I’d screw up.”
“Should we start over or forget this expansion?” Muriel asked.
“I’m sure France has more than one vineyard, so start over with someone else. Only don’t make this a priority. We’ve got enough to do, and things are starting to get back to normal on the streets.”
“Our numbers are up both in shipments and income, so not having this won’t hurt,” Katlin said.
A knock stopped their conversation, and she stood to greet Ramon and Mano when they entered. “Good morning.”
“I’m disappointed,” Ramon said as they shook hands. “One small traffic accident and I missed all the fireworks.”
“He means Luce Fournier is screaming in French outside,” Mano said. “I’m sure she’s cursed every ancestor we have as well as everyone in this room, and Papi set her off again when he waved on the way in.”
“Ms. Fournier needs lessons in manners, so I apologize for the time you dedicated to this, Mano. The deal is off.”
“Do you mind me asking what set her off?” Ramon asked.
“She started by disrespecting your family’s part in all this, dismissing you like my flunkies.”
“Puta,” Mano said, spitting the word whore with venom. “Thank you for your backing. At least we know what we want from whoever we deal with.”
“No need to thank me, Mano,” she said as Katlin closed the door. “The most essential thing to the future we both want is peace. You have children, so you understand what a strong alliance with people you completely trust means.”
Ramon nodded with a warm smile. “We’re agreed, then, that we’ll try again.”
“I understood your hesitancy in the beginning.” She spoke calmly, not wanting her words to carry any more meaning that’d insult either man. “We’re both comfortable swimming in our own ponds, but combining our forces when it’s appropriate will only strengthen our position against our enemies.”
“As long as you know my questions had nothing to do with you. After meeting with Muriel, Katlin, and Mano a few times, all my worries disappeared.”
Ramon’s accent and mannerisms made her think of her father. Both of them always seemed so sure of themselves and left her with a sense of calm after only a short exchange. “I’d never speak ill of Vincent or Vinny,” she said of the Carlotti family, “but Vinny’s business is going well. With success, though, comes power.”
“Vincent would take him down himself if Vinny went against us,” Mano said.
“You misunderstand me.” Both she and Ramon smiled. “My partnership with you as far as trust is concerned is the same with Vincent, and I know your father feels the same. The Carlotti family and mine have a long history of friendship I’ve counted on, as they count on mine. The loyalty they’ve shown through the years is the reason both Remi and I backed Vinny in a business neither of us are really interested in.”
“I agree with everything you said, but I still don’t understand,” Mano said.
“Power is like a popular toy on the playground. If someone has it, someone else wants it. Vinny’s doing well and playing by the rules we set for him, and as he becomes more successful, the vultures will eventually start to circle to try to strip him clean.”
“If Vinny’s business is combined with someone’s approximately the same size, it’ll take all three families’ resources to bring them down,” Ramon said. “That’s not a problem, but it’s always better to avoid a fight if you can.”
“Do either of you think that’s going to happen?” Mano asked.
There was one fight she was willing to not only find, but win as well. Her problem, though, was that she hadn’t found Juan Luis no matter how many people she’d thrown on the street. Many people, like Mano, she imagined, thought things came so easily for her. Her life had been blessed, but the ease came from meticulous planning. Knowing every angle that could blow up in her face and doing everything she could to avoid it had been like a religion to her, but nothing she’d done had made Juan surface.
“Am I worried about something specific?” she asked him as she held her hand up. “No, but it’s something not to forget. We already know what happens when you leave something undone.”
“We’ll find these assholes, don’t worry,” Mano said.
“It’s not your commitment I question, Mano. That’s a nonissue. When you have someone like Juan lurking in the dark, I worry. I can’t help it because for every one like him, a hundred more are waiting for their chance to take us down.”
Ramon slapped his hands together as if in warning to his son that they’d eaten up enough of her time. “Until tomorrow night, Cain?”
“We’re looking forward to it.” She embraced both men and followed them out to the expansive warehouse where their cars were parked. “I’ve already told Muriel and Katlin I won’t be accepting any calls from Luce or anyone in Michel’s circle. Their window to work with us is closed.”
“Do you even want to pursue this? With
everything else you’ve got going on, we can put it off if you want.”
“It’s a lucrative expansion for both of us, so I’m going to do what I should’ve in the first place. We’ll deal with a broker that’ll give us access to more than the few labels Michel presents. After today my debt to him for what happened to his daughter is paid.”
“Dalton told me more than once that wasn’t your fault,” Ramon said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “You owed him nothing to begin with.”
“That’s true. I didn’t send the crazy nut in the alley, but what happened seemed to have deeply marred more than Nicolette’s face. Hopefully with time she was able to put her fears in a cage.” She thought back to that night and the satisfaction of taking Nicolette’s attacker down. The man who’d professed to be a preacher found no salvation with her, or with Michel, if she had to guess. She hadn’t pulled the trigger, but suffered no guilt when it came to sending him to a sure death at the hands of Michel’s men.
“Thanks for everything, Ramon.” She waited until their car had made it outside before returning to her office. “Is there anything else?” she asked her cousins.
“Just the day-to-day stuff,” Katlin said. “We’re moving out of New Orleans east into the warehouse we decided on in Metairie, so we’re checking the surveillance before we transfer everything a little at a time.”
She noticed Muriel’s gaze drop to her lap. It’d take a few more talks before she released her self-imposed guilt. They were moving because of the information Shelby had been able to gather while dating Muriel. The FBI agent had exploited Muriel at the one time in her life she’d questioned her place and her future.
“Muriel, go ahead and start with the list we made up as plan B for this deal. It’s not a priority, but I’d like to see who bites if we start looking.”
“Do you want me to help with the move?” Muriel asked. “I’d deserve it if you made me carry every box.”