“I’m fine. Could you call in the guys and let’s see what we’re up against?” She whispered, figuring from Jimmy’s subdued demeanor the bugs were not only there, but were operational.
“How’d you guess Jimmy would’ve taken the chance?”
Emma let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “He was in here working one day when I came by with the decorator. It was the Confederate-flag tattoo with the words ‘live free or we’ll take you out’ that made me think he’d fall for the hype the feebies are always selling.”
“He didn’t look all that brave when he left,” Merrick said.
“I grew up with guys like that and they never are, unless they’re dealing with women or someone weaker. Confront them and they crumble like stale cookies, but for the most part they like to beat their chests and show the world how macho they are. Lucky for me I married the cure for jerks like that.”
The guy standing at the door waited until she finished before interrupting. “You have a visitor, ma’am.” He stepped aside so Dallas was visible.
“You said I could stop by if I wanted,” Dallas said.
“I’m glad you did.” Emma stood and smoothed her skirt.
Dallas appeared almost shy and unsure of herself, and she reminded Emma of the girl she was when she’d first arrived from Wisconsin. Back then she’d never had Dallas’s sense of style or level of success, but looking at Dallas, Emma could tell she had started something that excited and terrorized her.
Remi, like Cain, could devastate anyone with her looks and win anyone over with her charm, but she still had that dark side that couldn’t be ignored. That side of both Remi and Cain could stop you cold if you thought too long about what they were capable of, but loving them meant accepting all of who they were. For her it was easy. Cain was ferociously protective, but she’d never felt that Cain committed the atrocities, as the government tried to define what she’d done, for pleasure.
Now, with Dallas, she had the chance to give someone the insight she’d had to gain for herself, after getting over her own mistakes. It would be nice to have a friend on a journey similar to hers.
“How about an early lunch?” Emma asked.
“That sounds great because I wanted to take you up on your offer to talk.”
“Then how about an early lunch at our current address? If we’re going to talk, I’d rather it stay between friends.”
Chapter Nineteen
“My uncle’s stuck in the past,” Juan said to Anthony Curtis. “He doesn’t understand that the world has changed even though he refuses to.” He shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth, some of it falling and staining the napkin he had tucked into his shirt collar. “He said no, didn’t he?”
Anthony crossed his legs and ran his finger along the top of his coffee cup. He couldn’t appear too eager, because after reading the morning’s paper he wanted in more than ever. If he played this idiot just right, he could use him to find his way in and eventually to Cain.
“Mr. Luis is entitled to his opinion and to whom he has working for him.” He took a sip of coffee and shrugged. “His opinion of me isn’t good, and yes, he turned me down. That’s okay, though. I’m looking into other options.”
“Why not work for me?” Juan dropped his silverware so quickly his plate almost shattered. “I’ll take over for my uncle soon, and I could use you.”
“I don’t want to come between you and Mr. Luis.”
Another mouthful of eggs wrapped in bread disappeared but were still visible when Juan laughed. “I’m sure that’s your main concern, but don’t worry about it.”
“Then I’ll be happy to help you out.” Anthony nodded to the waitress when she removed his plate.
“Just one thing, Mr. FBI,” Juan said, the others with him laughing as he carefully enunciated the three letters. “You in the big leagues now. If you’re thinking of fucking me over, I’ll feed your nuts to my dog with a bowl of salsa.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Anthony said, pushing away from the table. When he stepped out of the restaurant, he took a page out of Cain’s playbook and smiled wide enough to show teeth for the cameras as he put his sunglasses on. For once he felt in control instead of trapped being a watcher. “Twenty bucks dear Annabel calls before the day’s out.”
*
“He’s with who?” Annabel screamed into the phone as Shelby placed the ballistics report on the rifle they’d found at Kyle’s crime scene on her desk. “Just stick with your assignment and I’ll take care of it from my end.”
“Problems?” Shelby asked.
“Not for long, but this couldn’t have come at a worst time. We’re stretched thin now, and I don’t need another rogue agent on my hands.”
“What?” Shelby sat down.
“We’re splitting the investigation into the Luis family business with the DEA, and Mark Pearlman, the agent heading up their part, just called and said Anthony had breakfast with Juan Luis this morning and met with Rodolfo Luis last night.”
Shelby fell back against the wood of the chair, feeling as if someone had hit her. “What’s he up to?”
Annabel laughed as if Shelby had made a joke. “What’s he up to? He’s asking Rodolfo Luis for a job, of course, and since the old man was smart enough not to hire him, he accepted Juan’s offer.”
“What’s he trying to prove?”
