her.
Joe and Lionel were shocked when they saw Cain genuflecting before the altar. She scooted into a pew, pulled the kneeler down, and folded her hands together in prayer once she was on her knees. From their position on the other side of the church, they could see that her lips were moving in obvious prayer. Her behavior was certainly new and interesting.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Watching a man pull a cart full of art and finding the entire situation absurd, Emma didn’t bother to notice her surroundings.
Juan Luis and three of his men rushed from the coffee shop on the corner and surrounded Lou before he could pull his weapon.
“Good morning, Emma,” Juan said.
Judging by his dark suit with a white shirt and red tie, she would’ve pegged him as a bank president or something just as mundane if she hadn’t known he sold drugs.
“Perhaps you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee or breakfast?”
“I thought I made it clear last night I don’t want anything to do with you, and my name is Mrs. Casey. Is it really that hard to remember, or do we have a language problem?”
“Let me explain something that I imagine your servant here understands. I asked merely to be nice, but answering no isn’t an option. As for ‘Mrs. Casey,’ we both know that title doesn’t exist, so I’ll call you whatever I like.”
From the expression on Lou’s face, Emma was sure he wanted to kill her for antagonizing Juan, but she kept up the sarcasm. “Do women in your country find this attitude appealing, Mr. Luis?”
“Any woman in my country would die to be in your position now. You’re the first woman who touches a place in me that makes me want to conquer something or someone to prove myself to you.” With the calm movements of a man used to being in control, Juan folded his hands in front of him and gave her his best smile. “How could you possibly say no to that?”
With the movements of a woman who’d reached her breaking point, Emma started laughing, aware from one of her college courses that a proud Hispanic man wouldn’t take too kindly to a woman deriding him when he was trying to prove just how powerful and charming he was.
“How could I possibly say no to that?” She repeated the question between gasps of air. “Easy. I’m not one of the many women from your country who wants to be in that position. Just in case I wasn’t crystal clear last night, I’m with Cain. I’m with her not only because I love her and we have children together, but also because I’m gay. If I hadn’t picked Cain years ago, I’d have some other woman in my bed, so thank you for the invitation and the dramatic way you chose to deliver it, but no thanks.”
“You’ll find that what you’ve been missing is the right—”
“Please don’t finish that sentence with ‘the right man.’” Emma quit laughing as her anger returned, and she lowered the tone of her voice. “Lou, let’s go. Even though Mr. Luis isn’t from the United States, I’m sure he knows the consequences of shooting someone on a busy intersection. New Orleans’s finest would love such an open-and- shut case with so many witnesses around.”
“Not so fast,” Juan ordered. He held his hand up as if trying to regain control of the situation, but the gesture didn’t stop Lou from moving. “I said stop.”
With a small wave, Lou greeted the newest person to join in on the fun.
Emma, expecting Cain, was surprised when she saw Shelby waving back.
“Mrs. Casey, could I have a word with you?” The three men with Juan hid their guns behind their backs when Shelby arrived. “You too, Lou.”
“Emma is busy at the moment, so get lost,” Juan said, returning his attention to Emma.
“Too busy to talk to an FBI agent?” Shelby pulled out her identification and thrust it in Juan’s face. “We really frown on uncooperative individuals.”
“What can I do for you, Agent Phillips?” Emma asked, thinking that the morning had truly spun off into the bizarre.
“Just a few minutes of your time. Unless you have unfinished business you’d like to wrap up.”
Emma snorted and motioned back to the Cafe du Monde across the street. “Why the hell not.”
“We aren’t finished, Emma,” Juan warned as she started to leave.
“Listen to me. There’s nothing to finish since nothing ever started. I tried to caution you last night, but I’ll have to tell Cain about your idiotic behavior. Perhaps if she speaks to you, you’ll believe I’m not interested.”
“I’m not afraid of the infamous Cain, so don’t make idle threats.”
“You should be, butthead,” Lou added. “When she has something to say to a woman, she doesn’t need three guys to back her up. I’ll admit, you caught me unawares today. But that won’t happen again, so I suggest you bring more guys to back up your big cojones act.”
Luis made a fist and spoke to Lou in a controlled tone. “This isn’t over. Tell your boss that.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Casey will tell her everything she needs to know. Now why don’t you take your thugs and slither back to whatever jungle you come from, spunky.” Lou offered his arm to Emma and walked her back across the street.
Shelby followed but crossed walking backward, not taking her eyes off the men standing ramrod straight in the
