The Cain Casey Series

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hayden was tying the laces of his running shoes when Cain stepped out on the porch early Friday morning. “Can I talk to you before you head out?”

“Sure.” He didn’t look up, still sulking from the night before when he’d learned that he’d be staying behind again. He didn’t seem very mature at this point, though he was always trying to convince Cain otherwise.

“We’re leaving later on today, and I wanted to talk to you before that.” Cain took a deep breath, and the cold air was almost painful. “I know you’re mad, and there’s nothing I can do about that, but I need you to look out for your sister while I’m gone. Even though you can’t do all the things you think you’re ready for, you’re still our next generation. If something happens to me, you’ll be responsible for keeping your mother and sister safe, and I just wanted you to know I have every faith that you’ll do a good job.”

Cain interpreted his silence as anger, and she left him to it, not wanting to push him any further than he was willing to go. She’d never forced him to do anything he didn’t feel comfortable with.

Hayden kept tying his laces, head down, though he jerked it up when the door closed.

“Mom, wait.” He caught up with her on the steps leading back to her room. “I know you think I’m too young, but I could help if you take me back. I also know you’re not going to. I’m not happy about it, but I understand. And what you asked me for outside”—he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb—“thanks for trusting me like that. And you have my word I’ll take care of Mama and Hannah. Just be careful this time, huh? No more getting shot.”

Cain stepped down and opened her arms. “Thanks, son, and I’ll try to keep my head low. You remember one more thing, okay?”

“Anything for you.”

“It seems like a long way off, but when you turn seventeen, no more leaving you behind. That’s when I started, and my father before me. Think you can hold out that long?”

“Mama isn’t going to talk you out of this, is she?”

“She made me swear if by then you’re still interested in the family business, I’d teach you everything I know.”

Just as she expected, he stepped back and offered her his hand. To shake it meant the oath she’d made would be as binding as if she’d signed it in blood. With a serious face to match his, Cain took his hand and returned the firm grip. “You have a deal.”

His smile was back. Cain knew that four years and a couple of months seemed like a lifetime, but it was a target to shoot for.

“Thanks, Mom, for giving me the chance.”

“You should know me better than that. I’m not giving you anything you haven’t worked for and deserve. Remember that when you show up on your first day.” She laughed along with him and pointed up the stairs. “Go tell your mother good-bye so she can get over her crying jag before it’s time to go.”

“She’s dressed, right?”

“Everybody’s a comedian,” Cain said.

After a cup of coffee, Cain went back upstairs and stripped off the borrowed robe. “Everything settled with the boy?”

Emma lay on her side watching Cain with a smile on her blotchy face. Hayden had just left. “Whatever you told him sure made him look happy.”

“I just gave him the timeline we talked about. He always wants to go so bad and is disappointed when I leave him, so I gave him a realistic goal. Why? He wasn’t trying to talk you into taking him, was he?”

“No, he wants me to spend every minute when we get to New Orleans keeping you safe.” As sweet as that sentiment sounded, Cain was a little disappointed that he’d thought only of her and wrinkled her forehead.

Emma ran her fingers over the frown lines. “He wanted me to watch out for you since he knew you’d spend the same amount of time and effort taking care of me. I must be moving up in the world if I’m in your league.”

“Of course you’re in my league. You’re his mother. I tried, but I never could fill that part of his life you were responsible for.” Cain handed Emma the cup of coffee she’d fixed for her and lay down. “Though I did a pretty good job if he wants me to spend all my time watching you.”

“He’s twelve, honey. Tell me you haven’t already filled his head with tips on how to deal with girls?” She wrapped her hands around the warm cup and leaned against the strong body behind her.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell the feds.” Emma pinched her on the leg.

“What?”

“I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it’ll incriminate me.”

As Cain’s hand landed on Emma’s middle and was deciding which direction to head, the door to their bedroom opened and a little head peeked in. Their first morning in the Rath house, Cain had learned a quick lesson on how to pull a punch when she woke up to a face about an inch from hers. Hannah might have been born looking like Cain, but she’d inherited Emma’s love of cuddling.

“Good morning, princess,” Cain said in a soft voice. She could tell by the slump of the shoulders and Hannah’s eyes that she wasn’t quite awake yet. Sharing this time with her in the morning was making Cain regret having to leave, but the sooner they got things under control, the sooner they’d be able to enjoy any special moments fully. “Did you have a good sleep?”

Hannah burrowed into Emma’s chest and put her hand in Cain’s. With the lethargy of early morning, she nodded and closed her eyes.

“Don’t want you to go, Mama.”

“I don’t want to go, but when we come back Mom is taking us all to live in New Orleans.”

“Promise?”

“I do, sweetheart. And even though Mama and I are leaving, we’ll be calling you all the time.”

Hannah seemed satisfied for the moment and closed her eyes again when Emma started singing to her.

Cain lay there content for the moment until she heard the front door open and close and Hayden’s footsteps on the stairs. Like his sister, he poked his head in and then walked to the bed when Cain waved him over.

“Watch out for her while we’re gone, and call me if you see anything out of the ordinary, okay?” Cain pulled her hand out of Hannah’s grasp and put it on the little girl’s back. “I know this isn’t what you had planned, but I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take good care of her. Could you just hurry it up and come get us? Baseball season is starting soon and I wanted to try out for the team.”

“You got it, kiddo.”

The four of them enjoyed one more breakfast together before Merrick and Katlin pulled the cars around to pack for the trip to the airstrip. Emma kissed both of the kids again and stepped off the porch to the car door Cain was holding open for her.

From the way her bottom lip was trembling, Cain could tell she was about to start crying again. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

“I want to go with you, honey. It doesn’t mean, though, that I won’t miss them.”

“I know, baby, and it’s what makes you a good mom.” Cain hugged her before helping her into the truck. They pulled away slowly so Hannah could wave to them, and she kept at it until they could no longer see her. Cain sat in the backseat with Emma and held her close. “I’ll make this as quick as I can.”

“I’m not worried about that, love. I know you’re going to try your hardest to make this as painless for everyone as possible. Just don’t ask me not to worry about you and the kids.”

“I’ll be fine, and the only thing that could happen to the kids is getting calluses on their hands from milking too many cows.” Cain pulled her closer and figured Emma had something on her mind she hadn’t found a way to express yet. “Why, are you worried?”

“It’s just that Bracato came after us in the house. Do you think he’d send someone out here to hurt them? And my mother’s coming home soon. I don’t want her to discover that Hannah’s at Maddie’s.”

A little of Cain’s anger escaped her control, and she tensed, but it had nothing to do with what Emma had said. She had pushed her recovery to the limits because she intended to pay Giovanni back for that insane afternoon at her house. And she was sure her men could deal with Carol Verde on the off chance that she came snooping around.

“That’s why I chose to bring them here, lass. This is a great place because it’s in plain sight. That’s why it was so easy to spot Kyle and his men. Anyone who doesn’t belong here will be dead before they step foot out of the car.”

Emma’s laugh sounded much better than her tears. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re threatening bodily harm. You do realize that, don’t you?”

“I’m glad you think so. If that’s the case, the next couple of weeks should be rather interesting for you.” Cain cupped the smooth cheek and stole a kiss. “By the time I’m done, you’ll think I’m the sexiest person alive.”

“Too late on that one, studly. I already think that.”

The plane was sitting on the end of the short strip, and Muriel was there.

“Ah, good, the gang’s all here,” said Cain as she returned the wave.

“You didn’t tell me Muriel was coming with us.” Emma covered the hand on her middle and ran her fingers over Cain’s skin.

“She didn’t tell me definitely, so I thought we’d surprise you if she was able to make it. Look, she’s got a tan.”

Muriel opened the door of the truck for them and offered Emma a hand. “How’s the crabby patient?”

“She’s doing just great, so I wouldn’t be pushing my luck and calling her names. Give her a couple more days and she’s liable to take a swing at you.” Emma stood on her toes and gave Muriel a kiss.

“After I tell her all the stuff I got done, she wouldn’t dare.”

Muriel and Cain eyed each other with mock glares before wrapping their arms around each other. From childhood, they had acted more like siblings than cousins.

“Did you get to speak to Ramon again?” Cain asked once they were airborne, running her fingers gently over her chest, trying to stop the itching of the healing wound.

“A couple of times, and then he met with the people you asked him to. They were interested in a deal if you agree to meet with them too, once this is all over.”

“For what? They can’t seriously think I’d be interested.”

“Not interested, cousin. More like your willingness to let them deal with the other families.”

Cain nodded, but didn’t comment for a long time. “They can hope, but I’ll have to think about that.”

“They realize that, I think, so they told Ramon to convey their willingness to be patient until you’re ready. On another subject, my staff has moved into new office space.”

“Muriel, that’s great,” Emma said.

“Not when your dear spouse gets the bill. They figured you wouldn’t mind if we upgraded a bit.”

“Of course not, the mobster’s made of money,” Cain said.

“You’ll be giving them all raises when you see what else they got you.” Muriel dug through her briefcase for the right paperwork. “Your new deed, barkeep.”

The address at the top made Cain smile. When she was a kid, both her father and uncle had talked about this old warehouse by the river where their grandfather had worked as a young man fresh from Ireland. The property had been part of a furniture store chain for years, and they hadn’t been interested in selling off their holdings in pieces. Years and urban renewal in that part of the city had eventually changed their minds, but the warehouse Cain had been interested in for sentimental reasons had been the one thing the company had hung on to.

“What made them agree to sell?” Cain looked up from the document to her cousin, delighted.

“Not to sound like a canned movie, but you gave them an offer they found hard to refuse. The space downstairs is big enough for what you have in mind for the new club, and with a little insulation and work, the other five floors will do nicely for the new digs of the Casey Law Firm. Hell, they even threw in some furniture they didn’t feel like moving out.”

With Cain’s trust, Muriel had already negotiated, signed the act of sale, and cut the company a check. “If the crew working on renovations keeps up their pace, we should be in there in three or four months. That means you’ll have to stick to the pub for your drinking pleasure until they’re done.”

“What about our friend Blue?” Cain asked. “Has my lucky manager been behaving himself?”

“I’ve had a couple of our men sitting on him.” Another folder came out of the bag, and Muriel flipped through the paperwork and pulled out some photos. “The dumb bastard’s been busy.” The first picture she handed over showed Blue standing next to a new Porsche.

“Man, baby, I’m not sure how much you pay your people, but if you’re looking for a new club manager, I’m interested,” Emma said, peering at the car.

“I pay a good salary, and with some careful planning, he could afford this ride. Problem is, though, our boy Blue likes to spend his days at the track, and he’s got the luck of a two-legged dog in heavy traffic.” Cain examined the next picture taken at the horse track. The wad of bills in Blue’s hand didn’t compute. “Who’s he been talking to? Or should I ask, who’s he working for?”

Muriel handed over the last one taken at the same track, only now Blue was sitting in a box watching the race through some binoculars. It was the man standing next to him that made Cain crumple the picture and throw it to the floor. Stephano Bracato didn’t look too interested in the afternoon horse racing.

“He spent the afternoon with Stephano, losing steadily and drinking. Before they parted in the parking lot, Bracato handed him another thick envelope and they shook hands. You’ll have to talk to him, but I’m guessing his going out to his car had a lot more to do with knowing what was going to happen than sheer luck. The little son of a bitch even called to ask if you were still going to pay him even though the club was gone.”

“Where is he now?” Cain’s voice dropped to a dangerous tone, and not even Emma’s calming presence was enough to relax her.

“Little place off Airline Highway watching the ponies run at Belmont. I got Karl sitting in there having Cokes and placing a few bets to make sure he doesn’t disappear.”

They’d started to descend, causing Cain to look at her watch. It was still early afternoon, but the skies over New Orleans were gray and heavy with rain.

“Merrick.”

Merrick materialized at Cain’s side.

“I want you to take Emma to Uncle Jarvis’s. Don’t take any detours,” she warned, looking at Emma.

Before Emma could start to protest, Cain put her hand up. “Not this time, lass. For an envelope full of money, Blue traded the lives of people who were guilty of nothing more than trying to make a living. Our talk might be long and ugly, and I don’t want you exposed to that.”

“You’ll call and tell me if you’re all right when you’re done?”

“I sure will.”

“And you’ll have Katlin and Lou with you all the time, right?”

“I’ll have a couple more than that, as will you.” Cain stopped to place a kiss on the tip of Emma’s nose. “I plan to put a wall around you, with Merrick as the cornerstone.”

“Just don’t be gone long.” Emma rested her head on Cain’s shoulder and sighed. “I understand why you have to do all this, but after having you all to myself for these past weeks, and knowing this is dangerous, it’s going to be hard letting you go.”

“I’m thinking this bloke is going to start talking the minute I see him, so you’re not going to be by yourself very long.”

“I’d like to go by the house instead of Uncle Jarvis’s when we land to look at the damage and see what we can do about that situation. What do you think?”

Cain looked over Emma’s head at Merrick before answering.

When she nodded, Cain agreed with the plan. “Just remember to stick close to Merrick until all this is done. That house won’t mean shit to us if something happens to you.”

“I’ll keep my head down if you remember to do the same, Casey.”

The time had come for Emma to stand up for what she wanted and to keep her word.