"While you're dealing with him, I'll get us moved back in here and get Hayden's party squared away." She kept up her soft touch and felt Cain's breathing even out as she fell asleep. Once she was sure, Emma dropped her hand and kissed Cain's shoulder.

Emma remembered their first night in this room, but that timid girl who wasn't sure of her place was gone. This time around, the woman she'd become accepted and welcomed how Cain had dealt with the killers who had destroyed their home.

Again she whispered a quick prayer to keep her family safe and to protect the life she carried. As long as G.o.d granted her that, she'd bear the rest the best she could, no matter what sacrifice she had to make personally.

"The b.a.s.t.a.r.d's gone too far this time," Juan said as he paced the new hotel room Anthony had checked them into on Airline Highway, right outside the city limits. It was one of the only places that didn't rent by the hour to the dozens of hookers walking the strip made famous when televangelist Jimmy Swaggart was caught in a s.e.x-for-hire sting.

The ranting was starting to get old, and Anthony contented himself with another small taste from Juan's box. It still surprised him that he'd stumbled on to the one thing in his life that had triggered the addictive part of his brain. He was convinced he was still in control, but he felt so good nothing much bothered him.

"It was lucky for me you called when you did and I got out before Carlos saw me," Juan continued.

"What was he doing at the hotel and how'd he locate you?"

"My uncle sent him, and I don't know how the old b.a.s.t.a.r.d found out I'm back. But if he sent Carloshe wants me dead."

Anthony unb.u.t.toned his shirt and lay back on the bed. "I saw how he was with you at Ramon's place the night he first met with Casey.

Rodolfo doesn't want you dead. You're like a son to him."

"You don't know how Rodolfo Luis works. He isn't a forgiving man, even if it's his family, when someone goes against him." Juan checked the parking lot again before he took the other bed. "I need to get out of here until I can put my own network together, but I want you to do something first."

"Are you keeping it to yourself, or are you going to share?"

Anthony asked, fighting to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

"You're the only one I trust," Juan said, and told Anthony his plan.

After Anthony gave him some ideas, Juan opened up and became more animated.

"Get some sleep then, because what you want is possible, but it won't be easy."

Chapter Fifty-Two.

The next morning Cain took time to have breakfast with Emma and the kids,then walked Emma to the car Merrick was driving.

"Remember, you just point and direct," Cain said. "No lifting of any kind."

"That's the fourth time you've said that in the last ten minutes."

"I'd say it again but I told your father, so I think I'm covered,"

Cain said as she opened the back door to the car. "Take care, and call me if you need me."

"Please be careful today. I don't like this guy, and I don't trust him to keep his word about anything."

The cameras across the street, Cain was sure, captured how she felt about her partner as she kissed Emma as pa.s.sionately as if they'd been alone. More than anything she wanted to forget about business and spend her time holding Emma's hand. The pregnancy caused the over-protectiveness, she guessed, but whatever it was, her heart was screaming much louder than her head for Emma to stay home.

"I love you,' Cain said, her lips close to Emma's ear. There was only so much she was willing to share with the world. "And I'm having a hard time letting you go."

"See, when you say things like that you make me think you're a fraud, mobster." Emma put her hand just inside Cain's shirt against her skin. "I love that you show that side only to me, and tonight I'll prove to you how much. Right now, though, I need you to be the devil I know. No mercy, love, because I'm selfish and want you home more."

"Merrick," Cain said as she still had Emma in her arms. "Make sure the guys keep their eyes open today."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I feel like we're standing in the eye of a hurricane, and the stillness makes me antsy."

"We're moving, Boss, what could happen?"

"Whatever does, make sure you get out of it free and clear." Cain kissed Emma again and watched the car until it disappeared down the street.

The feeling of unease didn't leave Cain as she arrived at the office.

She stood outside longer than usual, staring at the row of windows across the street. "Here I am," she said softly, barely moving her lips.

When she walked in she kept heading toward the back. Lou and Katlin followed her as they walked close to the buildings for more than a mile. Unless Shelby had thought to cover the river, which from their own surveillance she hadn't, they were free to leave.

They weren't going too far, though. Simon was waiting at the door of another small warehouse that belonged to another dead man, but Cain paid the bills.

"Did you have any problems?" Cain asked.

"Nunzio's b.i.t.c.hed about what he called the cloak-and-dagger s.h.i.t, but he's here. Everyone's waiting inside."

"Let's not keep them waiting then." Cain entered and quickly made it through the building and into the next one. As they entered the empty s.p.a.ce, Nunzio walked over to Cain with his finger up and came close to poking her in the chest. He stopped when Lou grabbed his wrist.

"Call this f.u.c.ker off, Cain," Nunziosaid, his voice loud enough to echo against the metal walls. "I came here at your invitation and I'm not going to put up with being treated like this."

"What you're going to do is shut up before I cut your tongue out,"

Ramon said as he crossed his legs. "Did your father really give you the go-ahead to kill my child? I'm curious to know if you're just stupid or if it runs in your family?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nunzio stepped away from Lou and stood closer to Kim. "I'm here to offer my support and help you through this, Ramon. What happened to Remi is tragic, but we had nothing to do with it."

"You know that's true, Cain," Kim said. "None of our people touched Remi."

"I didn't realize we were on a first-name basis, but I believe you."

The way Kim exhaled made Cain take a seat next to Ramon and touch his hand briefly. "None of your people took that shot because I'm sure the only one who could've pulled it off was you, and you didn't do it. Did you?"

"I didn't have anything to do with it," Kim said, sounding like someone trying to distance herself from Nunzio.

"I believe you too," Remi said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Nunzio kept his hands clean by hiring outside talent."

"What's going on?" Nunzio asked, slumping against Kim at the sight of Remi standing there. "I saw you die."

"You saw me get shot, there's a difference."

Cain watched as Kim started to draw her gun. "Simon didn't disarm you, but if your hand goes up any higher I'll have Lou cut it off."

"Cain...Ramon, come on," Nunzio said, his palms up. "You touch me and my father's going to come after you, and that should scare you. Our business has increased his power."

"He has the bigger d.i.c.k, huh?" Cain asked, making Remi and the others laugh. "You took your shot, Nunzio, and nowit's Remi's turn."

"I came here in good faith," Nunzio said.

Remi got close to him as Simon moved behind them. "You think we lured you here to kill you?" She laughed and shook her head.

"No, I want the answer to the question my father asked you. Who ordered the hit on me?"

"How can I tell you something we had nothing to do with?"

"Nunzio, have you met Jorge Cristo? Or have you just talked to him on the phone?" Cain asked. "If you haven't, you were missing out. We talked to Jorge and he was very forthcoming about who gave him his latest half-million-dollar deposit."

"It was business, Remi. I've got nothing against you, butme and my father needed Cain and Ramon to come back to the table." He backed up some more and ran into Simon. "You and Ramon would've done the same thing."

"That's true, Nunzio, we would've done the same, but ask yourself this. If we'd missed, what would've it cost us?" Remi asked, but Cain wasn't watching Nunzio. Her eyes were on Kim as she again tried to reach for her gun, only to have Katlin stop her. Cain knew why she was starting to get nervous.

Cain had known that kind of fear only one timewhen she was on the floor of her warehouse after Kyle shot her. Death was something they were familiar with, but Cain would never consider it a friend.

Watching Emma's face fade from her consciousness had terrified her. Even though on that night they were still estranged, what she felt for Emma and her children was what had made her fight back.

Did Kim have that kind of motivating force in her life?

The phone in Remi's hand rang and only Nunzio glanced down, looking as if the thing was about to blow up.

Remi put it on speaker. "h.e.l.lo."

"It's done, and my debt's paid," Jorge said.

"Just remember the rest of our deal," Remi said, putting the phone to her ear. "There'll be no forgiveness next time."

"What's he talking about?" Nunzio asked.

"Jorge did a job for you, and now he did one for us," Remi said.

"He paid your father a visit, only I asked him to make the shot through the head. Junior's dead."

"You're dead," Nunzio screamed and lunged toward Remi.

"You're f.u.c.king dead," he said again from Lou's arms.

"Actually it's my turn to hit back," Remi said.

Nunzio stopped struggling and watched as Simon took a blade from her belt and sunk it into Kim's chest as if she stabbed soft b.u.t.ter. Kim let out a small gurgle and coughed, which sprayed her white shirt with blood.

She dropped to her knees and Simon took her knife back before Kim fell forward, dead before her head hit the ground. Simon wiped the blade on Kim's back before putting it back in her sheath.

"It might be hard to hear this, Nunzio, but it's important for you to understand," Cain said, making Lou tap Nunzio's face to make him stop staring at Kim's limp body. "The casino is ours. We're letting you go, but if you return to Mississippi with thoughts of causing problems, that's where you'll end up." She pointed to Kim. "You tried and it didn't work out."

"The casino's mine," Nunziosaid, his voice despondent.

"Richard was who we needed," Remi said. "That was your last strike."

"If it takes me the rest of my life you aren't getting away with this," Nunzio said."Why Kim?"

"Why Remi?"Cain asked in return. "We all have our reasons and we have to live with the results of our decisions."

"This has you written all over it, so I'm coming for you first,"

Nunzio said to Cain. "When I'm done, you'll lose people you"

Katlin's phone rang and Nunzio shut up. "What? Slow down," she told whoever was calling.

Cain's phone rang next, followed by Lou's. "Cain, hurry, it's Emma," Carmen said when Cain answered. "They took her."

Cain felt like Simon had stabbed her through the heart. The panic rose so fast she came close to throwing up. Lou stopped her from running out the front door, but they sprinted the entire way back to the office where Nick already had the car running.

"What the h.e.l.l happened?" Cain asked, part of her afraid to hear, and she didn't expect answersnot yet.

"Do we have enough escorts for the movers?" Emma asked Merrick. They were in the den at Jarvis's house and Emma had her date book out. "I made that mistake already and I don't want a repeat."

"I took care of it. Since we're only moving small stuff, we didn't need to hire that many guys."

"If that's the case, let's go pick up Hayden's gift."

"The gunsmith called about that already?" Merrick asked, sounding surprised as she pulled her jacket on to cover her double holster. "He must've put in some time to finish soquick ."

"One of his a.s.sistants called this morning after Cain left and said he worked late last night to get it done. I would've thought all that engraving would take more time too, but I guess he wanted to make Cain happy."

Emma followed a foot behind Merrick as they walked around the workmen, her hand on her stomach the entire time. The morning sickness hadn't kicked in until she'd actually eaten something, making her regret she'd chosen waffles.

"It's Hayden who's going to be thrilled."

Emma laughed. "I think my boy's thrilled most days just with the fact that he's Hayden Casey. The shotgun's an added bonuslagniappe, as Cain likes to say."