Part 14 (1/2)
”I really had a good time, and I'm positive Hayden enjoyed his time with you too.”
”You sure you won't stay another day?”
”Hayden wants to head home, and I don't feel right about pus.h.i.+ng the issue anymore. Stay in touch,” she said, holding her hand out.
The farmer shook it without any hesitation.
”Hayden, come over here and say good-bye to your grandfather.”
The boy stepped up and offered his hand as well, getting Ross to give him a warm smile. ”Thank you, sir, for having me.”
”I hope it won't be the last time you come up here to see us. Especially now that we're business partners,” Ross joked and held Hayden's hand with both of his.
”Maybe next time you can come and see us in New Orleans,” Hayden said.
Just as the large vehicle turned onto the road, Emma came running into the yard with the picture Cain had left. If everything Cain had said was true, she couldn't possibly undo the damage she had caused to all their lives by just walking away.
G.o.d, why hadn't she trusted Cain enough to just ask? She had just blindly sat and listened to Agent Kyle that day he had cornered her outside Hayden's school. The one time she had forced her hand about the constant protection Cain insisted on was the one day the agent had been able to get so close.
Four Years Earlier in New Orleans, a Week after the Attempted Rape ”Stay put. I'm just taking Hayden to school. That's hardly cause for a gang war.” Emma grabbed her purse and car keys, wanting to get out of the house for a while.
”Ma'am, Cain said” Mook tried to stop her, but Emma wasn't in the mood to listen.
”Cain's your boss, Mook, I respect that, but she isn't my keeper. The fact that I'm married to her should carry some weight.”
”Yes, ma'am. I meant no disrespect.”
Emma helped Hayden put on his sweater and smiled at her son's guard. ”Don't worry, Mook. You can blame me if she gets mad. I just need some time for myself.”
”Please be careful.”
They made the short drive in relative silence, with just the radio tuned to a station Hayden had picked out. Emma kissed him good-bye at the front door of the school and waved to his teacher standing in the hall.
She never noticed where the man came from, but suddenly when she got back into her car, he stood there tapping on her window. The badge he held up made her put her head on the steering wheel for a moment. Could she just drive away and expect him to leave her alone? His insistent tapping made her look up again and press the b.u.t.ton to lower the window. Kyle handed over his ID.
”Ms. Verde, can I have a moment of your time?”
”It's Casey,” she informed him as she ran a finger over the leather of the wallet that held his credentials. It was a rich calf leather and extremely expensive, if she had to guess. Interesting taste the agent had, and she wondered if it was government issue.
”Excuse me?”
”My last name, it's Casey. Would you like to see my driver's license?”
Kyle laughed and accepted his wallet back. ”I see you've learned a few things from Casey about how to deal with the authorities.”
”Agent Kyle, is it?”
He nodded at her question.
”If you want to talk to Cain, then I suggest you call her at the office. If you don't have the number, I'll be happy to give it to you.”
”I don't want to talk to Casey. I want to talk to you. Would you like to have a cup of coffee? I promise it'll be worth your while.”
”Do I have a choice?”
”You can drive away now, Ms. Casey, and I promise never to bother you again. But if you'd like to know the true nature of the monster you live with, I suggest you accept my offer.”
She followed him to the location he suggested and hoped no one from the house would come searching for her if this took too long. In less than an hour Kyle painted a picture of Cain she had never considered. She couldn't conceive of the drugs Cain peddled and the number of prost.i.tutes she owned. They went far beyond the image Cain had always painted of herself as a saintly bootlegger.
It was his last detailed account of Danny's murder that finally made the tears roll down her cheeks. If what Kyle said was true, Cain had looked her in the eye as she washed his blood off her hands and lied. The last lie in a long list of them.
”I don't believe you.”
”Ms. Casey, what could I possibly have to gain by deceiving you? I'm not here to try and talk you into testifying against Casey. I just think you deserve to know so you and your son have a fighting chance at a normal life, if that's what you want.”
He sounded so sincere as he described the makeup of Cain's business and the people she dealt with. However, when he asked what she would do when the ugliness Cain was involved in invaded their home again, but with more devastating results, she winced. What if next time the enemy went after Hayden? Could she live with that?
A few days later Emma had packed her bags and left. She sacrificed one child to save another, and when Hannah was born she had tried to make peace with her decision.
How strange it had been when they laid the baby in her arms and she had not seen Cain's blue eyes smiling down on her in pure joy. Her friend Maddie and her father had been the only ones at the hospital to make sure mother and child had made it okay, but they were outside in the waiting room, not standing by her side as Cain would have been.
Four Years EarlierMaternity Ward in Wisconsin ”One more big push, Emma, and we're done,” the doctor coached as one of the nurses mopped her forehead.
It was a relief to finally be in labor after what seemed like more than nine months of misery. This time around she had no Cain to rub her tired back or to grimace in sympathy through the worst of the morning sickness. This time she saw only her mother's disgusted face, which grew worse in proportion to her waistline.
She screamed as a powerful contraction hit her, and she half sat up and pushed. She felt the baby slip out and heard the l.u.s.ty cry a few moments later. Then she sobbed from the happiness of hearing the baby roar and the doctor say, ”It's a girl.”
Hannah Marie Casey was placed in her arms just long enough for Emma to know any chance of forgetting Cain was futile. Her first clue was a full head of black hair matted down from the mess that still covered the baby. Later, when she breast-fed for the first time, the innocent blue eyes that opened served to complete the picture. She had given birth to another Casey, and she had to keep it from the one person who would have rejoiced in the knowledge of her existence. Billy Casey might have provided the means for her conception, but Hannah was Cain all over again. Not only in looks but in spirit.
”It's just you and me, baby girl. Let me tell you about your family.” Emma started talking to Hannah about her rich heritage, just like Cain had done for Hayden after his birth.
Rousing herself from her reverie about Hannah's birth, Emma murmured, ”I'm sorry, Cain. I'm so sorry.” She watched the dust settle after the departing vehicle roared away. Kyle had lied, and she couldn't begin to understand why.
Chapter Twenty.
”You want to talk about it?” Cain sat in the backseat with Hayden in the Tahoe Mook had rented, and the others followed close behind.
Hayden watched the scenery they drove past in silence, much like he had done on the day they had arrived. Being strong now meant keeping his mouth shut. He knew that was what Cain would have done, so he shook his head. His questions could wait.
”It's all right, Hayden. Go on and ask if you want to.”
”I can wait, Mom.”
”Maybe this time I don't want to wait.”
”Why?”