“Merrick’s right, you know, and I hope you listen to her. If you walk away again Mom might not let you come back. If you do go, I’m staying here with her, just so you know.”
Emma was stunned. “Like I said, we don’t have to talk about anything right now.”
“I heard you, but I just want you to know that before we get to the hospital.”
Emma didn’t have any idea what she would say when she visited Cain.
*
Three dead strangers sprawled on the sidewalk, and another lolled in the front seat of the abandoned car. When Merrick snapped her fingers, two of her men removed anything that would identify them. As Cain’s personal bodyguard and the head of her security forces, she had to make sure they carried out a thorough investigation before the cops arrived. She strode to the car, pushed the guy over, and jerked out his wallet before going to the passenger side and removing all the papers in the glove box.
One of her men shoved everything they found into a bag and hurried back toward the house in case the police were on a quicker schedule than they planned for. Then another pulled out a digital camera and snapped pictures of the remnants of the men’s faces.
“Make copies and don’t come back until I know who paid them. Whoever finds the ones who got away will get a big bonus in his paycheck this week. Now get moving.” Merrick stalked to the front door.
Sirens sounded in the distance, probably responding to a dozen emergency calls from the neighbors. Merrick figured they mostly thought it was kind of cool to live next door to such an infamous personality—until the ugliness of Cain’s life landed on their doorstep so dramatically. She shook her head and headed inside. For the rest of the day she would have to answer questions and prove she and her men had acted in self-defense. From the kitchen she made two phone calls to speed up the process.
“Muriel, I need you at the house as soon as you can get here. We have a situation, and I don’t want it to get out of control. And I sure don’t want the police to use it to broaden the scope of the investigation that’ll begin in about two minutes.”
Muriel Casey sat up in her office chair and tapped her fingers on the mahogany desk, a gift from her cousin Cain when she’d graduated from LSU Law School. “What’s the situation?”
“Someone blew up Emerald’s before coming over here and shooting up the back of the house.”
When Merrick explained, she sounded like she was ordering lunch, but Muriel knew better. Later, Merrick would decompress over a stiff drink, but now she had to keep her head.
“Anyone hurt?” Before Merrick could answer, something else occurred to Muriel. “Wait, if you were at the house, that means Emma and the kids were with you. God, tell me there isn’t a scratch on them.”
“They’re fine, physically anyway. I’m afraid the trauma may frighten away our little blond bird, but I don’t have time to think about that. I’m going to call Agent Daniels next. We have enough trouble trying to keep the locals at bay, so maybe for once the feds will come in handy.”
Muriel stopped tapping her fingers and flattened her hand on the cool wooden surface. “I’m not saying that’s a bad idea, but hold off on that call. Get Emma and the kids out of there for now and over to the hospital. Cain will want to see them all as soon as possible, just for peace of mind.”
“I think we should phone the feds now, Muriel. This has someone else’s fingerprints all over it, since I don’t believe Giovanni can be this stupid. I say we turn them in to the proper authorities and let them give us a head start on the investigation.”
“I’ll make the call after I talk with Cain, but only when you’re out of the house. After all, Cain’s the one who says you should live with your blinds open every so often, even when you should be locking the doors. Shows whoever’s watching you that you aren’t dirty.”
On her end, Merrick twirled a paring knife between her fingers, trying to temper her desire to plunge it into someone’s chest. “Do you think it’s a good idea for me to leave? Won’t the police wonder where I’ve gone? I’ll look like I’m running from something.”
“You’ll look like you’re trying to protect the people you’re hired to protect. I know who we’re dealing with, my friend, so I can only imagine the damage they’ve left behind. No one’s going to blame you for trying to keep Emma and the children safe. If the police need to talk to you, they’ll do it with me in the room. It’s not like they won’t know how to find you.”
Muriel stood and buttoned her jacket. “Get moving, and I’ll deal with everything. After all, that’s my part of the job. Oh, make sure we have the gun permits handy, and everyone’s license to carry them all the time. Having those might get me out of there before midnight.”
“Call me if you need anything else.”
“Merrick, that’s my line.”
Merrick grimaced, afraid that when Cain heard about this episode, she might want to stick a knife in her.
Chapter Two
“My God. What’s wrong? Is Cain okay?” Emma said when she saw the startled expression of the hospital administrator who met them and their protection in the lobby. It had never occurred to her that Cain might be in danger, since she was always the one who kept everyone safe. If someone had attacked Cain in her vulnerable state, Emma didn’t know if she would be able to endure it.
“Please, Ms. Casey, I didn’t mean to scare you. Everything’s fine. Your partner just wanted me to escort you to her new private room.” The administrator waved toward a bank of elevators.
As Emma, the children, Merrick, and Mook, Hayden’s longtime bodyguard, rode to the sixth floor, Emma felt immensely better that they had a contingent of armed guards in the lobby. She imagined an assassin around every corner and jumped every time she heard a noise.
Considering all she’d been through in the last couple of months, Cain looked amazing. Being shot two weeks earlier by Agent Barney Kyle on her enemy Giovanni Bracato’s order hadn’t been the only thing that had taken its toll. She’d been dealing with the return of her partner Emma after a four-year absence, and the discovery of their daughter Hannah. Those emotional blows had been hard, especially since she was still grieving the murder of her sister Marie.
