The Cain Casey Series

“I already knew that.”

“Then why waste the airfare?” She turned a little in her chair to look at the woman who had not moved closer.

“To give you back what I stole from you.”

Jarvis stood up so fast he knocked his chair over. “I didn’t know she stole from you, Cain.”

“Go home, Jarvis,” she ordered the old man, not wanting to have more of a scene than they had already, given the other customers. She didn’t need to complicate the operation that night.

“Come on, Emma.”

“No, Emma’s staying for a while,” she said.

Her tone told her uncle to just walk out and not argue. Jarvis left without another word, hoping Emma would be all right.

“I just wanted—” said Emma, only to stop when a big hand went up.

She dropped back into her chair and exhaled so loudly the women two tables over could have heard her. “Come back for round two, have you?”

“Cain, please. I just want you to listen to me. That’s all I want. I know I screwed up, but if I ever meant anything to you, I’m begging you to listen to me now.” Emma stood with her hands out to her sides, her palms up.

“Don’t you know you meant everything to me, and you threw it all away? That I opened myself up to you, and you ripped me to shreds without ever looking back? God, now you come back here and expect me to just forget all that?”

For the first time ever, Emma saw the weariness that seemed to cling to her partner. Cain looked almost defeated with her forehead resting on her palm, and she felt like someone was twisting a knife in her gut because she had made Cain feel that way.

“I love you, Cain. No time and no amount of distance between us is ever going to change that.” She took a step closer, thinking that Cain’s defenses were down enough so she wouldn’t turn her away.

“What a joke that is. Love doesn’t exist for me anymore, except when it comes to my son. The time and the distance, they changed everything between us, and nothing will ever make me want to go back to that place. So just run home to your parents and leave me alone. Take whatever story you have to tell and save it. I don’t want to hear it.”

Cain sounded like someone who had lived long with a broken heart, and as Shelby watched from the van she straightened up a little and ran her hand through her hair. Being a watcher for so long, she knew Cain was trying to center her feelings since they had obviously strayed too far from her normal cool self.

So this is the infamous Emma Casey who just walked away from Cain and her son. The thought took up so much of her attention, she blocked out the two other people in the van who were busy setting up the powerful microphone to capture the conversation. During all the hours she had spent observing people like Cain in cramped little places, this was the first time she had heard one of them sound so vulnerable.

Kyle’s voice filtered up from the floor where her headset still lay. “They all turn out the same in the end. A big pussy who will fall, not because of a false move, but because of the weakness of some blond bimbo. They should study up on their history. Same thing happened to Al Capone.”

This assignment couldn’t be over soon enough for her. “Excuse me, sir, did you say something?”

“Women, Daniels. They fuck up in the end because they let their emotions override their brains.”

Are you forgetting I’m a woman, numb nuts, or perhaps the Bureau’s policy against making such statements? She wanted to say her thoughts aloud, but Anthony shook his head and signaled her to focus on what they were doing. Getting into a fight with Kyle now was not in their best interests. “Interesting concept, sir. I’m sure that’ll help us out tonight.”

Lionel never turned from the scope sitting on the tripod he was peering through, but he had had enough of Agent Kyle and his low opinion of the people around him, including those who worked for him. “Sir, the Internal Revenue Service was the organization that brought down Al Capone. As for big pussies, I guess you could’ve called him that because he was afraid of needles. He died of complications of syphilis because he was afraid of getting a shot, but in the end it was the IRS that got him. Death and taxes, sir, not emotional whims or romantic fancies. Not to mention he wasn’t Irish.”

In the other van, three beaming smiles were testament that Lionel wouldn’t have to buy a round the next time they went out.

“Shut up, you little geek. Who asked you anyway?”

“It wasn’t an answer to a question, sir. More like a history lesson, in case you were interested.”

Silence reigned after that as the five watchers concentrated on the coffeehouse.

Emma and Cain still faced each other. “First off, Cain, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you about Danny. I brought Marie, a total innocent, excruciating pain, all because I chose to believe someone other than you. You had your faults, but you’d never lied to me about anything. I’m so sorry for Marie. If I could trade places with her, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t apologize for things you had no control over, Emma. Marie was my responsibility, and I’m the one who failed her, not you. And don’t try to be noble. If that’s all you have to say, consider yourself unburdened and free to go about your life. I have things to do.” She stood up and brushed past Emma without saying good-bye.

If Emma didn’t know better she could have sworn she’d seen tears in Cain’s eyes.

“You can leave, Cain, but you aren’t getting away from me so easily.”

Emma walked to the counter and ordered a cup of coffee. She wasn’t anxious to go back to Jarvis and the lecture she was positive was waiting for her. The door opened behind her, letting in a cold blast of damp air and making her wish the guy behind the counter would hurry with her coffee so she could at least wrap her hands