sounded genuine in wanting to help.
“Ask her which way he was headed,” Cain said.
Muriel talked for a minute more, then hung up. “She lost them when they stopped at the house. From what she said, someone called the house and talked to Emma, pretending to be the gunsmith’s assistant, and told her the gun you guys ordered was finished. Before Shelby had a chance to figure out what he was up to and make it over here, Emma and Merrick had left and fallen into Anthony’s trap. It was Anthony who lured her out of the house, and with the moving going on, Merrick and Emma left by themselves.”
“Which way was he going when she last saw him?” Cain asked.
“Toward St. Charles, but then he must have doubled back down some of the side streets because there was no sign of him when she got to the avenue.”
Cain sat down and buried her fingers in her hair, wanting more than anything to cry. New Orleans might not be New York in size or population, but right now it could be Podunk USA and she wouldn’t have time to find Emma before Juan did something unspeakable to her.
“You can’t give up, think,” Muriel said.
“They could be anywhere by now, and no amount of thinking will make me pull the answer out of my ass.” Cain came close to hitting Muriel as well, but knew she was only trying to help. “It’s like Marie all over again. I travel with all this muscle and then leave the most vulnerable of my family unprotected. I should be fucking shot for letting this happen again.” She was on a roll as the weight of her failures started to pile on her shoulders, the weight of them threatening to swamp her. Then it came to her. Her greatest failures and how someone would use them to stick it to her and make it hurt as much as humanly possible.
“What?” Muriel said as Cain grabbed her and yanked her toward the back door.
“There’s no way he has the balls for that, but then it’s Anthony with his hand up Juan’s ass making his lips move,” Cain said. “Lou, get the men ready to roll and I want every cop out there covered, because we’re leaving and I don’t want an audience.”
Muriel’s phone rang again. “Yes?” she asked, and talked for a minute before disconnecting. “Shelby found the Tahoe, but there’s no sign of Anthony or Juan.”
“Give her a while and she’ll come up with the right answer, but I don’t have time to drop breadcrumbs for her.”
Five cars pulled out ahead of them and blocked the street from sidewalk to sidewalk as Lou turned in the opposite direction, the FBI vehicles hemmed in. Despite the blowing horns and sirens, the cars didn’t move until Lou and his passengers were out of sight.
“Where to, boss?” Lou asked.
“The house where we taught Danny the lesson on how to kill a goat. Get there fast but don’t get pulled over.”
“There’s no way he picked that house,” Muriel said. “How would he even know about it?”
“Juan wouldn’t, but Anthony had access to all the files that pertained to us and our business, including the dark, bloody chapters. He didn’t go with Juan because he had a burning desire to lead a life of crime—he did it because of me. Kyle’s a dead subject, but he wasn’t the only one working for the Bureau who hates me enough to bend the rules when it comes to dealing with me.”
Cain couldn’t control the bounce in her legs as she willed the car to go faster. “I had other plans for Anthony but that’s changed. When I find him I’m going to string him up and shove a cattle prod up his ass and turn it on. He wanted to watch me twitch for him when he brought me down, but he doesn’t know the meaning of the concept.”
Lou slammed his brakes on in front of the old abandoned shotgun house that now belonged to Cain. She’d bought it before she’d taken Danny there, wanting to watch the place fall in on itself eventually. It was, like she’d said, the site of her greatest failure, and as long as it stood it reminded her not to let her guard down.
In front, parked haphazardly on the grass, was a beat-up car whose hood was still warm to the touch. Lou ran slightly ahead of them with his gun drawn and kicked open the front door, and Cain saw Lionel standing in the first room. On the table where Marie had met her end, Emma was tied spread-eagle and gagged as Shelby tried to work the knots free on her hands.
“Emma,” Cain said, and slid next to the table. From her pocket she took Dalton’s switchblade and cut her hands free and pulled the gag away from her mouth. “Are you okay?” Her face was caked in blood and the wound on her head was still seeping. Lou finished cutting away her bindings so Cain could hold her.
“I’m okay, honey,” Emma said, but clutched Cain as if she’d disappear if she let go. “He didn’t get a chance…” her voice faded away, and Cain didn’t want to hear the end to that statement as much as Emma seemed not to want to say it. “I need to get out of here.”
“I have to get you to a doctor, lass, so calm down.” Cain held her as tight as she dared and exhaled into her hair as she shut her eyes to try to keep the tears from coming. But she couldn’t deny the swell of emotion that actually having Emma in her arms brought from her heart.
“I’m sorry I left the house and let this happen,” Emma said, as if trying to comfort her. “He told me as he was tying me up that he’d killed Merrick. Please tell me that’s a lie.”
“She’s hurt but she’s alive,” Cain said, hoping it was still true. In all the excitement she hadn’t had a chance to call and check on Merrick’s condition. “Lou, give me your gun and bring the car closer.”
“Cain,” Shelby said from the next room, “they’re gone. They ran out the back the moment Lionel and I arrived, and didn’t have time to take Emma with them. If you want, we’ll escort you to the emergency room.”
“I don’t want to go to the emergency room,” Emma said, but as she stood up a sudden gush of blood ran down her legs. “No,” she said as she doubled over.
Cain picked her up and cradled her in her arms and headed for the door. “Muriel, call ahead and see if Sam or Ellie will meet us at the hospital.” As they headed away from the house, Cain promised herself to come back and burn the damn thing down. She needed no more monuments to the past, and the walls of that horror house had seen the last of its share of cruelty aimed at her family.
