Blue shaking hands with Stephano Bracato after Bracato had just handed him an envelope full of money. “Was the money so good that you forgot what I’d do when I found out?” Her booming voice echoed through the place. “Did you?”
“I didn’t mean nothing by it.”
Nothing else came out of his mouth when Lou hit him again.
“How much did it take to endanger the lives of my wife and children? Because let me tell you something, Blue. The only reason this isn’t going to take very long is that nothing happened to them. After Danny Baxter tried to rape Emma, he found relief in hell when I was through with him. It took hours for me to finally kill him, and he thanked me when I did.”
His tone tough and threatening, Blue took one last chance. “Did you have the balls to pull the trigger, or did you have your flunky do it? It was just money, Cain. I didn’t think Stephano or his family would be stupid enough to go after you.”
“You thought wrong, then, didn’t you? How typical of you. You gambled and, big shocker, you lost.” She leaned forward in the chair and looked into his eyes. “How much did it take, Blue?”
“Ten thousand.” He straightened his shoulders, starting to feel confident. “Ten grand, just to open up early and let some guy in the storeroom. Stephano told me he was acting as an intermediary for his brother Gino. Part of the payment was telling me what time the thing was supposed to go off.”
“You know what the problem is with people like Stephano, Gino, and the other two idiots Bracato brought into this world?” She held out her hand, and Katlin passed her the gun she’d just attached the silencer to. “As they go around playing gangster, they mess with people’s lives. They’re the ones who have flunkies do their dirty work because, as they say in the movies, they haven’t made their bones. It’s easy to kill someone when you aren’t there to see it, to see the bullet go in and splatter someone’s brains on the floor.”
“Cain, what are you talking about?” Blue couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the gun.
“That their price was ten thousand. Mine’s a lot cheaper.”
“I’ll take whatever you’re offering for the information,” Blue said eagerly. “Better yet, just consider it a favor, to repay any ill will between us.”
“You’re right, boss,” Lou said. “I should slap you for hiring this idiot.”
“I’m not offering money. I want to give you a bullet. If you can take it and walk out of here, then we’re even.” Cain stood up and pressed the pistol to his forehead. “You can tell Gino and his brothers when you see them in hell that he shouldn’t have fucked with me. And to answer your question, I never get someone to do the dirty work for me when it’s personal. Unlike the wannabe you dealt with, I made my bones a long time ago.”
Blue’s response died in his throat when she pulled the trigger.
“What do you want us to do with him, boss?” Katlin asked. She took her gun back and put it in the holster strapped to her chest.
“Find a way to have him delivered to Bracato. I say we give him a little preview of what’s coming.”
*
The glass elevators stopped on the second floor in the Canal Place shopping center, and Emma and her two shadows stepped off. A large portion of the floor was taken up by Saks Fifth Avenue and the little designer shops within the store. It had been an old haunt of hers when she lived with Cain, a place to either pick up some things for herself or items like her lover’s custom-made shirts. During her time in New Orleans, Emma had been one of their best customers.
“Mrs. Casey, it’s so good to see you again. We’ve missed you.”
The middle-aged man was wearing the best tailored suit Emma had ever seen, other than those Cain owned, and he seemed very familiar, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember his name. The disadvantage to frequenting Saks was that their employees didn’t wear name tags; they just wore small pins with the establishment’s initials.
“It’s good to be back,” she tried, searching her mind for a name.
“Kevin, ma’am, at your service.” There was no judgment in his voice and no hint he minded her lapse in memory. “Is there something special you’re looking for today?”
“Of course, Kevin. How’s Ralph doing? That’s your partner’s name, isn’t it?” She looped her arm through his when he offered it, a little angry at herself for not remembering him. Kevin had been the best guide she could have hoped for to help her fit into Cain’s life—well, as far as clothes had been concerned. When they’d first met, she’d joked that you could still smell the hay in her hair.
He led her to a comfortable space at the center of three boutiques within the store. A quick call to his assistant meant hot Earl Grey tea and peanut butter cookies were on their way out.
“Ralph’s doing fabulous, thank you for asking. Just between us, the business you gave me helped me finish putting him through culinary school. After he graduated and paid his dues at one of the downtown hotel kitchens, he got a position at Eleven 79. Not to brag, but it’s one of the hardest places to get a reservation these days.” Kevin took a seat next to her and put his hand over hers.
“Well, I hope Cain still has some influence around town, then. That’s where she’s taking me to dinner tonight and why I need something to wear. Living on a farm for years hasn’t exactly chicced up my wardrobe.”
“No problem. Enjoy the cookies and tea, and we’ll put some selections together for you. I’m sure Ms. Casey will want to take you to some other places as well, and it’ll save you some return trips. May I be the first to say it’s good to have you back, Mrs. Casey.”
“Thank you, it’s good to be home.” Emma leaned back and waved to the two chairs across from her. “You two might as well sit. We’re going to be here for a while.”
Merrick unbuttoned her jacket and grabbed a cookie before taking a seat. “Sit, eat, Walt. You heard the lady. We might be here awhile.”
*
Standing at the sale rack, Shelby couldn’t believe her eyes. They’d used all the means at their disposal to find the Caseys, and here, sitting like a leading lady of New Orleans having afternoon tea, was half of the equation. Since two of Cain’s people were positioned so close and looked so relaxed, Emma had obviously gotten through the door Cain had locked four years ago. It never hurt to see, though, and perhaps exploit the brief encounter they’d shared at the hospital. Surely Emma wouldn’t forget that she’d cried on Shelby’s shoulder after Cain had been shot.
