Emma blinked in confusion until the previous night rushed back like some bad B-movie. If her original plan had been to alienate Hayden from Cain, she had succeeded. Only now, he totally despised her as an added bonus.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen to Cain?"

"No, ma'am, the hospital called and said Ms. Casey's doing better. I just thought you'd like to join young Hayden for some breakfast before you both head back to the hospital."

Merrick banged on the door. "Carmen, where's Hayden?" Merrick felt truly panicked as she asked the question. His dismissal of them the night before had caught both her and Mook off guard, but they had tried to give him some room. So much s.p.a.ce that now they couldn't find him.

"I thought he was in his room."

Emma threw back the blankets, walked up to Merrick, and grabbed her. "What do you mean, where's Hayden?"

"I can't find him anywhere in the house, but he knows better than to be out alone. He didn't tell you anything?"

Emma tightened her grip on Merrick's arms. Hayden was probably just out blowing off steam like any normal eleven-year-old who had gotten into an argument with his mother. However, most young boys weren't the son of Cain and Emma Casey. They weren't walking, enticing targets for those who would use them as payment for the sins of their family. If he had let his anger override his good sense, then he could be in big trouble, now compounded by the fact that Cain wasn't there to fix any problems.

Mook ran in and had to take a second to catch his breath before he could talk. "We found his bike about a block from here, but no sign of him."

It was Merrick's turn to hold on to Emma, as she almost collapsed at the news. "Come on, Emma. Now isn't the time for you to fall apart. As much as I don't like it, we're in this together, and we have to get him back before Cain wakes up. She trusted all of us to take care of him, and let me tell you, folks, we aren't exactly doing a bang-up job here."

"Maybe he just went for a walk." Mook tried to think positively, but even he couldn't even imagine having to tell Cain they'd lost her kid.

"Mook, I love you, G.o.d knows, but if he left here on his bike he didn't go for a walk. We need to find out who exactly has him."

"I think I'm going to be sick." Emma took a deep breath and only for an instant leaned against Merrick for support. "Shouldn't we ask the feds outside if they saw anything?"

"They're not here anymore. The big fish they were trolling for is laid up in the hospital, so they don't have any real reason to watch us peons anymore. Unless your girlfriend did you a favor and called off the dogs."

"Back off, Merrick, and she isn't a friend of mine. I met the woman last night, and she helped me through a rough spot. That doesn't make us lovers. And as for Cain" She was about get on a roll when Mook interrupted them.

"Ladies, I don't mean to be rude, but we have bigger problems than who gets to walk home from school with the boss."

"He's right. We need to put our personal feelings aside and concentrate on how to get Hayden back. I think Merrick's correct about him not being out for a walk. Someone's taken my son, and I'm going to do something about it."

Merrick started laughing so hard she almost fell over. "You're going to take charge? That's rich. You're the reason he's not here now. Leave this to me and the guys. Then you can go back to milking cows."

"Mook, go downstairs with Carmen and a.s.semble the men. We're going to the hospital first. Then I have a job for you. With Cain being hurt and Hayden disappearing, there's only one Casey left in this house and it ain't Merrick, so move."

The guard and house servant turned and left the room to do Emma's bidding.

She wrapped the ends of her robe tie in her hands and cinched it closed. "Not you, Merrick."

The guard had begun to follow the others, but the new commanding tone stopped her.

"I intend to resolve this situation before Cain gets too worried. She doesn't need any extra stress during her recovery, and I do plan to stay to see that she does recover. You can either suck it up and help me, or you can leave. Those are your only choices, so don't take long to decide."

"I don't take orders from you."

"Fine, get out. Leave now or I'll have you removed, and when Cain does wake up I'll explain your reluctance to help."

Merrick laughed again, only this time it sounded sarcastic. "My, the lady has claws, or is it the pit viper has fangs?"

"You're wasting my time, so leave."

"Come on, Emma. You don't think Cain's going to side with you on this, do you?"

She had a hard time keeping her calm exterior intact, when all she wanted to do was run to the hospital and beat on Cain until she woke up and fixed things. She knew, though, that she didn't have the luxury of wasting time fantasizing. At the moment she knew two things with utmost certainty. The man who had taken her son wouldn't harm him without negotiating first, and if she didn't break Merrick now, she never would.

"I spent years being where you can only dream about, Merrickin Cain's bed. You know what I learned in all that time, aside from the meaning of true pa.s.sion?"

The guard's green eyes narrowed to slits, but she didn't respond.

"No clue? Let me tell you, then. I learned how Cain thinks and how she plans. Last night you weren't at the warehouse. The one night everyone's been planning on forever, and you're nowhere in sight. Why was that?"

"You think you're so f.u.c.king smart."

"I don't think, I know just how smart I am, thank you, but getting back to my question. You weren't there because your job was to watch our son. Cain counted on you, and now he's gone. I'm not blaming you, but I'll lay it on thick when it comes to telling her about the getting-him-back part. Because let's not kid ourselves, shall we. We know who has him and why." Emma strode toward the bathroom. The talk was over, and she had baited the hook. She needed Merrick, but only if the woman was willing to work with her.

"How did you know I haven't slept with her? You've been gone a long time."

"A wife knows, Merrick. Don't forget that. I'll see you downstairs in a minute."

The humor returned to Merrick's laugh. Cain's partner had won a decisive victory without throwing a punch, garnering a bit of admiration from her, the loser. Merrick had no doubt why her boss was still lamenting the loss of this woman. Any other woman would have fired her out of pride, but by allowing her to go wait with the rest of Cain's men, Emma was giving her a second chance.

Carmen and some of her girls were pa.s.sing around coffee cups when Merrick entered the large den where they had all convened. The only men missing were the ones watching over Cain in the hospital. Mook tried not to smile at Merrick's appearance, knowing what it meant. He had no reason to dig into her wounded pride.

"What's the plan, Merrick?" one of the men asked, looking around Carmen, who was filling his cup.

"I'm sure when the boss gets down here she'll tell us what we need to do."

"Who, Cain? I thought she was still in the hospital?"

"Not exactly, fellas. For now we'll be taking orders from Emma Casey, and before you start grumbling, let's hear her out. This woman may surprise you. She sure did me just a few minutes ago when I had a run-in with her."

Mook and Merrick listened to the group's grievances, letting them vent before Emma came down. One man named Hank who had been with Cain for a little over a year sounded adamantly opposed to taking any direction from Emma.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I ain't going along with no s.n.a.t.c.h ordering me around." Hank crossed his arms and leaned back into the thick cushion of the sofa.

"And your name is what?" Emma strode in and took a seat in the chair Merrick was standing behind. The fact that the guard didn't move sent a clear message to the rest of the people in the room.

"Hank."

"Hank, you are free to leave." Emma pointed in the general direction behind her. "Don't let the k.n.o.b hit you in the a.s.s on the way out. Merrick, please settle up with him if Cain owes him anything for services rendered."

Merrick tried hard not to laugh at the shock on the man's face. Emma had effectively pinned him to his seat since he looked so paralyzed.

"We have plenty to cover, Hank, so get moving."

"You heard the lady," said Mook. He stood and walked over next to Merrick. It wasn't totally clear why Merrick was going along with this, but his job was Hayden's welfare, so to get the boy back, Mook would deal with the devil.

The guard walked out without any other response except to slam the door.

"Here's what we're going to do," said Emma. When she was done, everybody in the room knew the woman had spent years at Cain's side. She was more polite, but what she was asking bore Cain's distinct cunning and resolve.

"You heard Mrs. Casey. Break into four groups and meet me back in the office at the club tonight. Don't even think about s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g this up." Merrick paused and looked at Emma before finishing. "It's a good plan."

"Thank you." Emma smiled and turned her attention back to the rest of the group. "Good luck and remember, Merrick's right. There's no room for error on this one. My son's life is on the line, and if one of you gambles with that I'll kill you myself. " She stood and paused to see if she would hear any other dissent. "Merrick, Mook, let's head over to the hospital and check on the boss."

Chapter Thirty.

Another padlock slipped into place on one of the trucks the federal agents were using to cart away the mounting evidence against Cain. It wasn't yet ten in the morning, and the combination of too little sleep and the sick feeling over what they were doing was giving Shelby a ma.s.sive headache. Why Cain had just given up and let them catch her so easily had been the question on her mind.

Lionel took a seat next to her. "We're going to have to call Agent Hicks to see where she wants us to store all this stuff. Eventually I'm sure it will all be destroyed. Since I like a drink every so often, I think that's a shame." He stared out at the warehouse, which was far more luxurious than he would have guessed from the outside. Cain obviously didn't use it too often the way the s.p.a.ce was intended because of all the exercise equipment and the collection of cars.

Shelby had meant to call Agent Annabel Hicks all morning, but she had put it off until the inventory was done. Hicks supervised the New Orleans office and was no friend to their supervisor, Barney Kyle, so she had spent her morning in the federal lockup dealing with the ramifications of having a dirty agent in her employ. As Shelby went to call her, a forklift unloading boxes dropped one of the crates. It sounded as if every bottle had broken, and the stains on the wood confirmed at least a majority of them had bitten the dust.

All of a sudden, a car door slammed near the entrance to Cain's property. A tall, dark-haired woman emerged from the driver's side, accompanied by a group of young, well-dressed men and women. One of them pulled out a leather-bound notepad and wrote down the number on the crate that had just been destroyed. Anthony stopped them from entering the premises and just as quickly pointed toward the table where Lionel and Shelby were sitting.

"Agent Daniels?" The woman in the lead held her hand out in greeting, not bothering to introduce the people she was with.

Shelby just stared at her, not lifting her hand. She knew clothes, and the outfit the woman had on cost more than the federal government paid her in two months, six if you threw in the expensive jewelry that adorned the hand at the end of her visual tour. "And you are?"

"Muriel Casey, and I believe you are trespa.s.sing on private property." Tired of waiting for the woman to break out of her stupor and shake her hand, Muriel dropped her hand and lifted an eyebrow instead.

"If anyone is in the way, it would be you and your little entourage of eager beavers."

"As Derby Cain Casey's attorney I would like an explanation as to why you're destroying her property."

"Ms. Casey, we are investigating the illegal importation and sale of liquor and cigarettes, which your boss didn't bother to pay federal taxes on. In case you missed that cla.s.s in law school, that's a crime. I know she hid them in the cleverly disguised sardine boxes, but we are a bit more sophisticated than she gave us credit for." Shelby leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She was tired, and the fact that this woman looked a lot like Cain was throwing her. Her own investigative skills and gaydar were pinging family in more ways than one.

"If you and the mental giants you're working for had bothered to open one of the crates, you would've found the little tax stamp you're talking about." Muriel snapped her fingers, and one of the lapdogs pulled a stack of papers from his leather-bound notebook and handed them to Lionel. "As for the sardine crates, I'll have to mention to Cain's Canadian distributor, Sardine's Liquor and Spirits, that you have a problem with their name. I doubt they'll change it since it's their family name. Who knows, maybe way back they were little fishers of little fish? You can take up the great question with Norris Sardine." The other younger attorneys behind her laughed, and Muriel joined in. "I know. I offered to change it to Morris Salmon, but he refused."

After Lionel read over the shipping invoices, which contained all the proper customs stamps, he ran to get a crowbar.

"This will only take a minute to clear up," said Shelby, reading the same papers. If they were legitimate, Cain had played them like blind sheep.

"Good, since you have about a minute to vacate my client's property. If not, I'll have the police come and remove you, along with every news crew we can get down here to film the government's hara.s.sment of a legitimate businesswoman. Would this be a good time to interject that said businesswoman was shot while she was receiving legal goods?"

"I don't know they're legal goods."

"Do you know Cain, Agent Daniels?"

"I've had the pleasure of making her acquaintance."

"Then you know every one of those crates holds bottle after bottle of federally and state-approved commodities. Leave before I have to put your name on the suit we're filing."

"But we've been watching Cain for months." The seriousness of the situation was dawning on Shelby. An FBI agent had shot and seriously wounded a citizen going about her business. The fact that he did it on orders from one of the city's crime bosses wouldn't help their case in the eyes of the public. As a group, they had been so busy watching Cain that it never occurred to them to watch their own.

"I'm sorry. Is this where I'm supposed to tell you that everything's going to be all right?"

Shelby looked up from the papers in her hand and winced when Lionel pried the first crate open. The nails giving from the wood sounded like fingernails running down a chalkboard. "Ma'am, I know you would like us to vacate the premises as soon as possible, but could you give me a few minutes?"

"Take all the time you need, Agent Daniels, as long as it doesn't take all morning. Could you also refrain from breaking anything else? Nothing upsets Cain as much as spilled booze." Muriel walked to her cousin's office and ordered the agents who had taken up residence to get out.

The young man who had written down the serial number of the broken crate was now busy writing up the fact that the desktop was full of mud. The agent sitting behind Cain's desk had thought nothing of putting his feet up when he took a short nap earlier that morning.

"Tell me there aren't any tax stamps on those bottles," Shelby said to Lionel, who was breaking open one of the boxes in the crate.

"This is the fourth one we've popped open, and I wish I could tell you no. She played us, Shelby, and like a bunch of f.u.c.king morons, we just trusted Kyle. Cain Casey's business is illegal liquor, but this one time she went more than aboveboard. Those papers that suit handed you have every t crossed and every i dotted. Hicks isn't going to like this. It's a complete media nightmare when you put Barney in the mix. We'll be lucky to convict Casey of an overdue parking ticket now."

"You've got to give her credit, though. G.o.d, we should've known when she just started talking in Wisconsin. Kyle's chased these people for years, and all of a sudden she starts giving details, dates, and times. Common sense should have told us all that it would be the one time she'd do it by the numbers."

Anthony and Joe joined them after they unlocked the back of one of the other trucks and opened some of the crates. All of them had the appropriate markings, meaning the agents shouldn't be there. In their game of cat and mouse with Cain, none of them had ever realized that they were the ones standing on the wrong side of the trap. They all knew if the winner had been conscious, she would have been laughing her a.s.s off.

"Is everything in order?" Muriel asked, scaring them all because no one heard her walk up.

"We'll be on our way, and I can a.s.sure you, Ms. Casey, we'll conduct an inquiry into what exactly happened here last night. Here's my card." Shelby handed her own card over with a prayer that she wasn't about to be subjected to a complete dressing-down.

"My cousin told me to watch out for you, Agent Daniels. Her exact words were you were the smart one in the group." Muriel looked over at the three men backing Shelby up. "No offense, gentlemen."

"Thank you," said Shelby. "I was wondering about the last name and the family resemblance."

"My father thought some of us in the Casey clan should be on the up-and-up." When Shelby looked confused as to whom Muriel was talking about, she provided the complete family connection. "Jarvis, in case you're wondering. It was his idea for me to pursue a career as an officer of the court and all that jazz. If you all are finished with your less-than-successful fishing expedition, may I show you to the door? Oh, and if you left any of those nasty bugs behind, I'll send the extermination bill to you all personally. I'm already on retainer, so what's one more trip to court to make sure it comes out of your own salary."

The new guy with the muddy shoes stepped back into the office and returned about two minutes later. He nodded toward Muriel before climbing into the back of one of their cars.

When Muriel laughed softly, Shelby noticed how much she reminded her of Cain.

"I'm sure Agent Hicks from our office will contact you at your convenience, Ms. Casey," said Anthony, to break the silence.

"Tell Annabel I look forward to it, though she's another one who would benefit from a name change. Janet Bond, maybe. It sounds much more secret-agent like." She pointed to the door where some of Cain's men were already taking up their posts. "Gentlemen and Ms. Daniels, if you would please excuse me, I have work to do."

Seeing the personnel coming in, the four agents started walking toward the entrance. Whatever was up was big, since most of the men on Cain's payroll were arriving. One of them dragged a rolling bag behind him and stopped to talk to Muriel before he headed into the office. She nodded at what he whispered before she waved one last time to the curious onlookers.

Shelby turned to her coworkers and winked. The game was afoot again, and this time they would get it right.

The doctor patted Emma's knee. "She's doing much better this morning, Ms. Casey. She had a good night and is responding well to the medications. The painkillers are one of the reasons she hasn't regained consciousness yet. Derby needs a few more days of rest to put her on the road to recovery." He answered the rest of her questions and then just sat with her.

Emma tried to process what the man who had put Cain back together had said. She took deep, calming breaths, trying to keep her tears and more-than-overwhelming emotions at bay. "Do you think she'll have a lot to overcome, once this is all over?" She knew that Cain would be devastated if she couldn't go back to the life she was used to.

"It'll take some time, but I think it's up to Cain to see how long that journey of recovery is going to be. I promise if she applies herself, she should be fine. Last night I wasn't this optimistic, but the woman lying in there has some amazing healing powers. Are you ready?"

Emma nodded and stood to follow him into the intensive care unit. The sight of Cain with all the tubes and equipment hooked to her made her slump against the doctor. Seeing Cain this vulnerable was threatening to make her breakfast reappear. When they had been together, Cain looked vibrant even in her sleep.