Ramon put his hands on Remi and Cain's shoulders. "We haven't heard the last of this."

"You're a gambling man, Ramon," Cain said. "I say we're back here in a couple of days and someone else is sitting next to Richard's chair with a gun pointed at his b.a.l.l.s. Remi was right to call him on it. There's no way Nunzio gave him the okay to walk away from this deal."

"If that's the case, then the guy's gotcojones ," Mano said. "The Luca family isn't known for their forgiving nature."

"It's the only thing we all have in common," Ramon said, the three of them smiling at the truth of his observation. "But only when it's truly deserved. None of us would've let someone else talk for us today, no matter whosename's on the deed."

"Like I said, stupid is a way of life for some people," Cain rea.s.serted. "Our problem is that Nunzio's not only stupid, he's also cruel. We just have to wait to see how he entices us back to the table and what the fallout is if we don't agree."

"Our guys on the street say the storekeeps in the ninth ward want to know when we'll be back online," Muriel said. They'd arrived back in town early enough to go to Cain's office. "They're havingto deal with one of the local suppliers and they're getting squeezed."

"Sure,now they see the benefits of working with me."

"You know all those guys love you, so cut the s.h.i.t."

Cain put her feet up on her desk and folded her hands over her stomach. "They're going to have to hang on. We'll get back to business as soon as I shake your girlfriend off my a.s.s, and since she's keeping us both in the dark as to when that might be, I have no choice but to lay low for now."

The sound of Muriel's pen on the page stopped and she looked up.

"Not funny."

"You're not kidding." Cain threw a paperclip at her and laughed to bleed all the sarcasm from her statement. "But we both know it's true. Unless I want to do some jail time, and I don't, there isn't a whole lot I can do about it right now."

The fact that Shelby and her partners were listening to "Can't Get No Satisfaction" over and over again made Cain smile.

"I know how you feel about this, and I'm going to take care of it."

Cain dropped her feet and moved around her desk to sit next to Muriel. "Let's forget for a minute how I feel about the situation and tell me how you see it."

"Shelby's someone I enjoy spending time with, but I'm not stupid enough to forget the fact that it's like a guilty pleasure. Sort of like too much whiskeytastes good, but overdoing it isn't a great idea."

"Don't think I'm not taking all that into account. I happen to like Shelby." The cotton of Muriel's shirt felt stiff under her fingers when she placed her hand on her forearm. "She's a good match for you."

"Is that an endors.e.m.e.nt, because my father hasn't been sokind. If I get the Casey Clan rah-rah speech one more time about how I'm betraying my bloodline, I'm going to strangle him."

She squeezed Muriel's arm before leaning back in her chair. "If this is the life you really want, then I'll talk Uncle Jarvis off the ledge. But if you choose this, you know I'll have to change your role in the family business, and it'll have nothing to do with trust. You're my family and I love you, and I want you to be happy."

Muriel nodded. "I know that, but I also know that family or not, you can't take the chance, and I can't blame you. Shelby's a beautiful woman, but she's as driven as we are. She's not going to give up her job for me."

"Does she expect you to?" Cain was incredulous, thinking maybe Shelby had changed from the eager but earnest agent she'd met.

"No, and it's not something I'm going to do either, so don't go looking for my replacement yet. Like I said, I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive." Muriel tapped her finger on her notebook."Back to our problem."

"It's time to break out your Robin Hood tights, cousin."

"I look horrible in green."

"Then take the drab blue pants you've got on and tell the guys to make the rounds. Give our regulars something to help out with the added expense and tell them to be patient. It might take me awhile, but I'll think of something to get us back to a more normal schedule.

"I'll send a couple of the guys to pay a discreet visit to the suppliers our shopkeeps are being forced to use. I don't mind a little friendly compet.i.tion, but I'm not going to tolerate anyone trying to squeeze blood from these folks just because they choose to do business with me. The guys can pick one supplier and make enough of an impression that the rest of them should back down."

"I'll take care of it." Muriel finished taking notes. "This did bring more heat than I thought."

"I expected it, but Annabel has to either produce something or ease off eventually. We're going to win when it comes to this waiting game. All that matters is that our debts are paid," Cain said, meaning the Bracatos.

Muriel nodded. "Uncle Dalton would be proud."

"Hopefully, but I still have some atoning to do." Cain stood and escorted Muriel to the door. "Remember to do what's best for you, and I'll accept your decision. If it's Shelby, I love you enough to dance at your wedding."

Merrick was waiting outside the door. She had been guarding Emma, whose day usually wasn't as exciting as Cain's and didn't require much "muscle." However, Cain knew Merrick hadn't forgotten her dark side, and Cain planned to indulge it soon.

"Give me some good news, Merrick," she said, dropping back into her chair.

"Your pal Barney Kyle's attorney managed to schedule a court date to get most of the charges against him dropped. But his row got harder to hoe after a recent FBI investigation. They discovered evidence of his fat bank accounts and haven't allowed him bail."

"Is he going to attend this procedure in person?"

Merrick took the seat Muriel had vacated and crossed her legs.

"The federal prosecutor's office wants to use a video link, but Barney wants to go. That's the story they're putting out."

Cain c.o.c.ked her head back and laughed. "When you say it like that I have to guess there's an unofficial story."

"You remember Shakes Curole?"

"Don't you mean bad-luck Curole? He's the only guy I know who has worse luck at the track and the tables than our old friend Blue.

What about him?"

"His son works at the Federal Building in the jail ward as a guard.

Since they don't hold a lot of people down there, the kid's got plenty of time to keep an eye on Kyle." Merrick took a roll of mints out of her pocket, peeled the foil off the end, and laughed when Cain knocked on the desk to get her talking again. "More importantly, he's been able to keep an eye on Kyle's visitors."

"Who are?" Cain asked, trying to get Merrick to step up the pace.

"Agents who have offices in the Hoover Building, along with the federal prosecuting team a.s.signed to the case."

Cain slammed her hand down and everything sitting on the desk rattled. "The guys trying to put him away are on his visitors' log?

The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are going to cut a deal with this sc.u.mbag?"

"Shakes's kid said, from the size of Kyle's smile these days, they're willing to not just cut a deal. They're going to cut him loose."

"How reliable is this guy?"

Merrick shrugged."Hard to say, but heis Shakes's kid, and he didn't cough all this up for free."

"What'd he want?"

The deep breath Merrick had to take made Cain figure she wasn't going to like the answer. "Shakesis into Ramon for ten grand."

"Tell me you didn't give that idiot ten large of my money?" Cain pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well?" she asked when Merrick didn't answerquick enough again.

"I paid the debt," she said succinctly, then stopped. When Cain only stared at her, she finished. "He came to me and volunteered it in exchange for Shakes's debt. I believed him because I figure he knows not only Kyle's upcoming schedule, but what'll happen to him if he lied."

"Anything else?"

"Kyle might not have a court date with the feds, but there's still the matter of the state charges against him. He'll have to keep that court date until the feds talk the DA's office into playing along."

"When is this happening?"

"Tomorrow morning at nine."

Cain locked eyes with her and it had nothing to do with a power play. "Then I expect you there before nine. Is that good for you?"

The question made Merrick exhale as if she was exasperated. "You asked me that why?"

"Because I just finished talking about how my business is s.h.i.t, and because you're getting used to making big decisions without me.This has to get done, but it has to be done without a glitch."

"Itwill be, no matter what time it is, and I'm up for it. You might want Katlin for this, but I'm just as good."

Cain walked around the desk, stood behind Merrick, and rested her hands on her shoulders. "Actually, I want you for this. It's the reason I sent Katlin to Biloxi. I love Katlin, but between us, she isn't at your level yet. I might not have explained this to you before, but that's why you're with Emma."

"Nothing's going to go wrong, but I want you to reconsider visiting Barney later today." Merrick put both feet on the ground and turned around. "Why turn up the heat if you don't have to?"

"My father always said that sometimes the safest place is in the middle of the fire. It burns off all the s.h.i.t that would otherwise drown you." Cain returned to her office chair and laughed. "And I'm going to visit Barney today so I can start the flames that will change the landscape the FBI has drawn up for us. It's time to give the bloodhounds a new scent."

"I don't doubt you, but considering how relentless they've been lately, I don't know how you can pull that off."

"Merrick," Cain came forward and rested her elbows on her desk, "I didn't need somebody's kid to tell me that the FBI would be willing to cut Kyle loose. Barney wasn't going away, because he did something very few of them have been able to achieve."

"Infiltrate?"

"Giovanni gave Kyle a free pa.s.s because he knew Kyle didn't represent his badge when he showed up. Kyle wanted to bring me down, and he wanted more than a ribbon and a gold watch as pay.

Now the feds are going to give him a free pa.s.s if he teaches them how to do it."

"If you know all that, then why risk going to see him?"

"To make sure.I'm not questioning myself, at least I try not to very often, but I'm willing to be proven wrong when it comes to something like this. I realize my actions may cause some fallout, but I can't take a chance on being wrong one way or the other."

"I'll get back to work, then, and leave you and Lou to it."

Once Cain was alone, she fit her steepled fingers under her chin.

The planning that it took to make her life work was tiring at times, but it was as necessary as what had happened to Giovanni. She took a deep breath and felt like life always put her in situations where she had to climb out of ruts that others dug.

"Da, I hope Emma's right and you're looking out for us. Every so often it's hard to gauge how the bear will react when you shove the stick up its a.s.s."

Chapter Twelve.

"Nunzio."Rodolfo purposely made the simple name sound more exotic. "I hope you're doing well." He glanced out the window to the pool. Juan was once again indulging in his sun worshipping.

"Rodolfo, I'm glad you called. I a.s.sume you've heard about our plans for the casino."

"My man gave me the news." That Nunzio was so matter-of-fact about it made Rodolfo hit his thigh with his fist. "Because of our alliance, I would've expected to hear it from you."

"My father and I decided that to turn the kind of profit we'd like to see from our product, we'd need the capital from this sale. Nothing we worked out between us has changed, so don't worry."

Rodolfo fanned his fingers out and took a deep breath with the receiver away from his mouth. He needed to relax so his voice wouldn't reveal his aggravation. "Are you planning to bring in our product some other way?"

"I don't see any changes, no matter whose name is on the deed, Rodolfo. We have enough muscle between the two of us to ensure that. Like I said, I'm handling things."

"Who's taking over?"

"We aren't partners in everything. Who we're doing business with has nothing to do with our arrangement with you. Just know that we picked someone we can easily control and had the ready cash. I'll be in touch once everything's been finalized."

When Rodolfo heard the dial tone he felt free to curse. Perhaps for once he should listen to Juan's ranting and investigate what was going on. He wasn't about to hand over most of his inventory to a man who couldn't be up-front with him. And now he knew that Nunzio didn't even have the capital for the deal he'd made. If Nunzio had withheld that piece of information, Rodolfo wouldn't be able to trust him and his father about anything.

Nunzio muttered a few expletives as he gently put the phone down.

The call from Rodolfo had interrupted Richard Bowen's explanation of why he wasn't handing over a check. "So you just walked out?"

Nunzio asked, making Richard fidget more. "Are you a f.u.c.king moron?"

"Remi and Cain ran the meeting and they wouldn't sign the contract that let us provide security so I pushed, thinking they'd cave." Richard pulled at his collar as if he were having trouble breathing. "I thought you'd appreciate me taking the chance, since I thought it would go our way. I was just looking out for you."

"I don't pay you to f.u.c.king think. I pay you to go over there andpick up a f.u.c.king check . How difficult is that?" Nunzio had stood up, but he was using his lower, more menacing voice.

"Cain and Remi were running the meeting and you expected them to cave? My dog could've told you thatwasn't going to happen. All you had to do was kiss their a.s.s for five minutes and we'd have worked around it. I don't need those b.i.t.c.hes' permission to do business." He looked at his nails while he delivered the threat.