A low chuckle stopped Shelby from continuing. “The forbidden fruit, eh?”
“Cain is more like the whole tree, but you’re a different animal altogether, aren’t you?” Shelby watched Muriel cross her arms and lean on Cain’s desk. “I just thought that since you’ve lost so much today, you might want to unwind a bit. Once you’re done, of course. I like you, Muriel, and now, more than ever, you could use a friend.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“How about someplace neutral? The bar at the Piquant, perhaps?”
Muriel opened the door and waved, signaling that Shelby should go first. “I should be done by eight. If you like, I’ll just meet you there. We wouldn’t want your bosses to think any less of you if you’re seen riding in a car with me.”
“It’s a date, Counselor.”
The way Shelby looked at her as she spoke made Muriel feel as if the excitement in her life was about to begin, and bullets and explosions would have nothing to do with it.
Chapter Six
Cain had silently gazed out the window for fifteen minutes after Merrick had finished bringing them up to date, and Emma knew she wasn’t daydreaming. Like a master tactician, Cain was going through all her options before deciding on her next move.
“You aren’t leaving the hospital, so forget it,” Emma said just as calmly as Cain had begun ordering Merrick to call her doctor back to her room. “And before you give me any crap about it, you were shot two weeks ago. You’re an amazing healer, but that bullet collapsed your lung and did a lot of damage.”
“Merrick,” Cain said.
The guard stood up and left the room.
“Emma, I need you to listen to me, all right?”
“Forget it. You can’t charm your way out of here. I just got you back, and I’m not taking any chances on anything happening to you. You’ll leave here just as soon as the doctor says you can.”
“Deal.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. Cain Casey never gave up so easily on anything. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I just want to talk to the man. Lass, I have to try my best to protect my family, so I’m not going to lie to you. I said I wouldn’t, and I’m not going to, okay?”
“We’re not going to be fine if you push yourself too hard and something happens to you. What about us if you aren’t here to protect us?”
Cain pulled her down so Emma was lying next to her with her head pillowed on her shoulder. “Did I ever tell you what my father Dalton said about the Casey clan and their place in the world?”
“I’ve heard a few aspects of this story, but I have a feeling there’s another chapter.”
“Ooh, I’d hate to think I’ve become predictable, but yes, there’s another one. My father and I were sitting in my granny’s living room looking at my granddad’s coffin, with an Irish flag draped over it. The rest of his men sat in the kitchen drinking and telling stories. There’s nothing like an Irish wake.”
Emma ran her hand in a slow circle on Cain’s stomach as she listened. It was how they’d spent many of their nights together after making love or just waking up together. Cain had also fallen back into their routine as she rested her hand on Emma’s hip, and she would stop every so many words and kiss the forehead so close to her lips.
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen, and full of piss and vinegar. Thinking back now, I’m hoping me mum’s curses don’t come true, since our boy is getting close to that age.” Emma laughed against her side, and her breath warmed Cain’s neck.
“Getting back to my story, my father stared at that casket a long time, but when I put my hand on his knee, he snapped out of his trance. He smiled and covered my hand with one of his big paws. ‘You know something, Derby?’ he said. ‘You’re a lot like my father. Not in looks, mind you, because he was blond and freckled, but in every other way. He was a Casey through and through.’
“These were the times I treasured the most. Just the two of us, alone, with my father telling me a story. ‘Why do you think I’m like him?’ I asked him.
“‘You don’t go backing down from too many fights, but you’re smart enough to know who’s going to be winning in the end. The one thing I want you to copy him in more than anything is how he died.’
“Since the Caseys never talked about death, I laughed, probably because I was nervous. ‘I don’t want to be dying, Papa, so what are you talking about?’
“‘He died in his bed next to the one he loved, in his sleep. My old man did a lot of living before that night came, and that’s what I want for you as well, me pride.’
“Dalton used to tell me all the time that Caseys were like bad grass. ‘You can weed us out for a little while,’ he’d say, ‘but once we’re rooted, you can’t really kill us off. You’re an offshoot of that blade of bad grass, so don’t be wasting your time thinking about death. She’s the one woman you’ll keep waiting for years to come.’”
“He compared you to bad grass?” E mma laughed.
“He wasn’t wrong, now was he? Giovanni Bracato and his sons have much to answer for, but that day won’t come until I’m ready to ask the important questions myself. For now, we’re going to do what he expects a weak woman to do. Only he doesn’t know what we know—bad grass doesn’t kill easy.”
