Responsibility is more than just getting to give orders. It’s sometimes sacrificing everything and everyone you love in order to protect them.”
“Why tonight?”
“Dammit, son, because I want what was once my safe haven to be yours, if it comes to that.” She stopped talking and ran her fingers through her hair to calm down. Tonight was not the time to say something she would regret, or want him to look back later and feel the same way. The last meeting with her father was burned into her memory, down to the color of the sky when she turned to wave good-bye.
She wasn’t planning for her life to end in the middle of her warehouse tonight, but if it did, her son would look back on this night as one where his mother sent him on his way with as much knowledge as she could cram into their short time together. “Whatever else I feel for your mother, I know she’ll protect you.”
“I don’t need--”
“Yes, you do. You’re eleven, so yes, you do.”
Hayden looked as close to panicked as Cain had ever seen him. “Then don’t go. Wherever you’re going, don’t.”
She moved around and knelt next to his chair. “Son, no one’s taking anything away from you. Not me, and certainly not Emma. Remember, you belong to me, but only for a while. What do you think that means?”
The tears were shutting his brain down, and he couldn’t think. “I don’t know.”
“That I can teach you everything I know. Tell you everything I’ve learned from every experience I’ve ever had, but the time will come when Hayden has to pick what Hayden wants. It’s your life, and I want you to live it how you want. I didn’t raise a coward, and neither did my father. I raised a boy who’ll grow to be a strong leader and an accomplished man because he’s sure of his life. If that means you become a cheese maker and farmer, a long line of Irish ancestors will haunt you as you churn, but so be it. But I want you to promise me you’ll be whole and stay safe so the day
“Only if you promise to walk it with me.”
She bent a little from the weight of his hug, but she returned it with the same intensity. “I promise, buddy. You never even have to turn around to check. I’ll always be there for you.”
They finished their meal with the same laughs they usually shared. When the dishes were cleared and she indulged him in a latte, Hayden had one more question. “Did Caroline ever talk to you?”
“You bet she did.”
He leaned forward and put his hands up. “Well?”
“What’s her name?”
“Who?”
“The girl who’s got you so full of questions all of a sudden.”
He blushed and dropped his eyes a minute. “Melinda.”
“I see, and she hasn’t noticed you? Hard to believe.”
“Mom, please, what did Grandpa say?”
“It’s easy. You walk up to her and just say hi. Introducing yourself is good too, and then ask her out for ice cream.” She tried hard not to smile at Hayden’s growing frustration.
“And it’s that easy?”
“Make sure you’re not wearing sunglasses at the time, and comb your hair.”
The blue eyes squinted in his confusion. “What?”
“Hayden, your heritage is more than whiskey and business. Look in the mirror sometime. Not to sound like an egomaniac, but the Casey clan isn’t a bad-looking lot. Big blue eyes and coal black hair will get you past whatever reservation she has and get you that first ice cream date. After that, it’s up to you, but lucky for you we’re known for a little charm as well. It’s not just about the looks, it’s the whole package, and you’ve got it. Trust me on this one. Women will never be your problem. You turn into a butthead about it, though, and you’ll have one big problem.”
“What, angry dads?”
“Worse. The fact is, I’m female too, and I’ll be watching you.”
Hayden blushed and laughed a little as he thought about some of the stories his uncle Jarvis had regaled him with. His time was just beginning, that was true, but it was hard not to compare himself to Cain. She was more than capable with the ladies, and if he fell a little short on that score, it would be hard to live down.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Are you sure about this?” George Talbot, the U.S. Attorney for the Fifth District in Louisiana, held the report the four FBI agents sitting before him had put together.
George had worked for the federal government, putting criminals away longer than these guys and gal were alive, he was willing to wager. Every crop of new up-and-comers had its conspiracy theorists, but this group had pictures and video to back up their outlandish claims.
“We’re sure, sir. We’ve got a lot more in our files if you’d like to take a look.” Shelby had been elected their spokesperson.
“No. As the saying goes, young lady, a picture’s worth a thousand words.” He held up the stills from that afternoon’s surveillance atop the abandoned buildings.
“Sir, I know this isn’t the usual chain of command, but we needed secrecy and discretion. We’re the low men on the totem pole, so if things go badly our careers could be in jeopardy.”
