The Cain Casey Series

Chapter Thirty-Three

Cain sat at breakfast drumming her fingers on the table, her plate full but untouched. From the set of her jaw and the even, strong beats of her fingers, Emma knew this was the calm before the storm.

“Did I ask you for this?” She raised her hand from her lap and opened her clenched fist so the others could see what she was holding.

“No,” Katlin answered, putting her hand on Merrick’s arm and keeping her in place when Cain leaned forward a little and cut loose.

“Then why the fuck did you do it?” All the dishes on the table clattered when she shouted and pounded her fist. Emma righted Cain’s coffee cup, stood behind her, and put her hands on Cain’s shoulders, trying to calm her.

“We just thought—” Katlin started before Cain lit into her again.

“No one, especially me, is paying you to think. I expect you to do what I tell you to, when I tell you to. That’s it. If that’s not working out for you, then get out of my sight.”

“Cain, we meant no harm, we just thought—”

Merrick stopped when Cain’s hand went up.

“Whose idea was this?”

Again, she held up her hand as if the two guards hadn’t seen what was in it, even though they’d presented it to her when they arrived.

“Mine,” Katlin and Merrick answered together.

Emma noticed something that hadn’t been there before, something sweet, if not ludicrous. Katlin stood slightly in front of Merrick as if protecting her from any threat, even if it was Cain. But if anyone in Cain’s organization could take care of herself, it was Merrick Runyon. Emma didn’t have time for any more speculation, though, because Cain slammed her hand down again. Only this time two matching rings lay in front of her.

“Emma, would you please take Merrick and excuse us.” As Cain spoke, her eyes never left Katlin’s. Cain smiled faintly when Emma bent and kissed her before she left. She didn’t say anything else until the door closed.

“What’s this about?” Cain pointed to the rings on the table.

“Michael and Francis Bracato were a liability to you. Now they’re not, and no one’s the wiser.” Katlin kept standing since Cain hadn’t invited her to sit down. “They weren’t part of the main business we’re after, so Merrick and I took care of them for you.”

“Without consulting me first. If you don’t see this as a problem, then I want you gone today.”

Experience kept Katlin’s mouth shut because she knew Cain was deadly serious. A wrong comment now would land her on the curb so fast it would take it a minute for her shadow to catch up.

“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I brought you in. Having more responsibility was something you asked for, remember?”

Katlin took a deep breath, but still didn’t say a word.

“Remember?” Cain repeated, with a little more heat.

“I remember, but anything I say here’s going to piss you off more than you already are.” Trying to appear calmer than she felt, Katlin ran her hand through her hair and kept eye contact with Cain. “If this is too big for you to ignore then I’ll clear out, if that’s what you want.”

Cain glared at the door when someone knocked. “What is this, no one wants to listen to me anymore?”

Cain clearly didn’t expect an answer, and Katlin prudently stayed quiet.

“What?”

“I know you didn’t want to be disturbed, honey,” Emma said, having heard Cain’s comments about being disobeyed. “There’s an Agent Curtis here to see you. I put him in the solarium to wait. Since it has glass walls, I figured the men outside could keep an eye on him.”

“I keeping telling you, you get any smarter and I’ll give you my job,” Cain whispered into Emma’s ear.

“No, thank you. Taking care of you is my job and my first priority. Should I tell him you’ll be a little longer?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see what he wants.” Cain left her food forgotten and strode out of the room with only a small nod for Katlin. As Emma passed her, she patted Katlin on the arm and smiled reassuringly.

*

Anthony sat in a wicker chair and stared out on a yard that resembled a well-maintained park. It pissed him off that criminals like Jarvis and Cain lived so well while people like him worked hard for peanuts. Just the furniture in the room probably cost more than he made in a year.

“Anthony, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

Cain’s voice from the doorway broke through his anger-induced haze, and he cut his eyes her way.

“I’d appreciate if you addressed me as Agent Curtis.”

Releasing a deep breath slowly while trying to get over her anger, Cain centered herself. The quickest way to end up where she didn’t want to be—in trouble with the law—was to enter a meeting angry and out of control. In this case, having Katlin and Merrick hand her Michael’s and Francis’s rings that morning after having killed the two Bracato brothers the night before had left her in a foul mood. She expected her staff to be obedient.

“And I’d appreciate being left alone, but you’re here bothering me, so we don’t always get what we want, do we? I have some business this morning, so why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”

“I need you to answer some questions, and I’m not leaving until you do.”

Muriel watched from the study, trying to figure out Curtis’s game. She’d been in her suite of rooms upstairs when Emma called her and told her to get down to the solarium as soon as possible. From the set of Cain’s jaw, she was afraid that the agent might get a response he wouldn’t like, so Muriel quickened her pace.

“Do you habitually invade people’s homes and threaten them, Agent Curtis?” Muriel asked as she strode to the chair across from his, acting as if she owned the place. “Perhaps you haven’t had the opportunity to speak with Agent Hicks—your superior, I believe,” she added, just to put him off a bit more. “After the warehouse fiasco, we’ve agreed to play nice until everyone’s had a chance to recover. Should I get her on the phone?”

“Agent Hicks will give me a raise when I show her what I gathered on your client last night. You didn’t think you’d get away with that shit, did you?” he asked, pointing at Cain. He almost laughed out loud when he saw the perpetually cocky Cain Casey visibly pale. “I love it when people screw up, and I have 8x10 glossies of the whole thing.”

When, for the first time, Cain noticed the folder lying on the table next to the agent, she almost jumped from her chair and ripped it open to see just how much he’d caught on film.

Muriel squeezed the arms of her wicker chair enough to make the material creak. Across from her she was seeing the same thing Curtis was looking at, a visibly rattled Cain, which was a first. “Cain, why don’t you head on up and keep Emma company. I’ll handle this.”

“No, I want to hear what he has to say.” Her voice came out in a raspy whisper, and Cain stopped herself from continuing, not wanting to sound any weaker. “You want to do this here or somewhere where you can gloat for your friends, Anthony?”

“I’m tempted to show Shelby and the others exactly what you’re made of, Casey, but here’s good for now. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, then we’ll have to make this a little more official.”

Muriel knew that Cain’s face, devoid of emotion, hid the fact that a million thoughts were running through her head. Curtis was being cryptic on purpose, and the strategy was working.

“You want me to become your informant?” Cain sounded incredulous.

“You’re going to do it and be happy about it.”

“I tell you what, Anthony. You show me what’s in the folder and we’ll see. If not, no deal.”

Muriel wanted more than anything to tell Cain to shut the hell up. Daring FBI agents into gambling with your future was not a smart idea. “Cain—”

Cain raised her hand as if she’d just released the dice in this dangerous game of craps.

“What’s it going to be, Anthony?” Cain asked him, sounding more and more confident.

“I tried helping you, but now I have to go to Agent Hicks and give her my report.” He stood and picked up the folder they were all staring at. Stopping at the door, Anthony glanced back. “You know something, Casey? When I started this job I vowed never to make it personal, and I’ve done a really good job. This time, though, it’s going to be a pleasure watching you go down. You think you’re so fucking smart, but you’re just like the rest of the scum we deal with—stupid as a sack of dried shit.”

Muriel waited until she heard the front door close and they were alone. “How big a problem is this?”

“Cousin, you should know by now that to everything there’s a time and place. Now isn’t the time or the place for this conversation.”

“I can’t plan if I don’t know what I’m up against.”

“I need some time to think, Muriel, so drop it.”

Cain’s voice rose higher than she would have liked, but she wasn’t familiar with the feeling of panic. She’d been careful, or so she thought, but if Anthony had gotten film of what she’d done to Stephano, a jury would probably lock her away for life. He hadn’t taken her up on her offer, so now Cain just had to wait and see what Anthony did with his information.

She abruptly stalked out of the room and, outside, jumped into the first car she found with the keys in it. Before anyone had a chance to respond, Cain was out the front gate headed downtown. It almost felt like fear was chasing her down the street.