Part 20 (2/2)
The occupants in the room laughed and were happy to relax, if only for a few minutes. The investigators who worked with George were back, dressed in black SWAT uniforms with very few markings. They were getting ready to deploy to the warehouse and set up before any other company arrived. Almost simultaneously the beepers the four visitors were all wearing went off. The boss was calling.
”Daniels, where are you?” Kyle was riding shotgun, with his senior agent Samuel Rich behind the wheel. They had taken over as the lead car tailing Cain and her party.
”My group and I are going over last-minute details and waiting for a call from Agent Rich to get going, sir.”
”She and that kid just left the restaurant, and I have a feeling she's going to be moving after that, so stand by and be ready to move. I don't want any f.u.c.kups tonight.”
”Yes, sir, we'll be ready.”
”Rocky, are we ready?” George asked his senior investigator.
”Yes, sir, we're leaving now. Agent Daniels, please be advised we'll be on the scene, so the four of you be sure and not take any shots at us,” he joked.
”We'll keep that in mind, officer.” Shelby answered her ringing phone and was glad they had brought along their own gear so they could leave from the federal building to wherever Kyle needed them. ”Daniels.”
”She's headed to the club, so let's see if she remembers you from the crowd, Daniels.” In his usual manner, Kyle abruptly disconnected from his end.
Shelby unzipped the bag and pulled out a black minidress as her fellow officers just smiled. George finally had the guts to ask, ”Where, Shelby, do you hide a gun while wearing that?”
”Trade secrets, George. If I told you I'd have to kill you.”
”You know who we're looking for, right?” Cain stopped at the front door of Emerald's and talked to the guy in charge of letting people in.
”Yeah, boss. Merrick gave me the heads-up earlier today. Don't worry if they show up. I'll make sure they don't wait in line.”
Cain turned to Merrick and leaned in a little. ”Where are they?”
”The trucks are en route still and about three hours away. That gives us enough time to meet with Vinny and finalize the distribution once they arrive. His father's monitoring the caravan and says we have plenty of company.”
”Good to know I'm still so popular.”
They entered the building and went directly to Cain's private table.
”Are you sure you don't want to let me in on what you're doing?”
”Sweetheart, you worry about my son and keeping him safe. Let me and Vincent worry about everything else.”
Merrick tried to hide her hurt feelings of being cut out of Cain's inner circle.
”Don't pout, Merrick. I haven't lost faith in you. Believe me, that's not it. Vincent and I are the only ones on the front lines on this deal. I need you to be ready to move with Hayden, if it comes to that. Once my son is safe, you worry about me, understand?”
Merrick put her hands on Cain's cheeks and gazed into her eyes for a long moment before kissing her. ”I may understand, but that doesn't mean I've got to like it. My place is with you.”
”For now, sweetheart, your place is where I send you. Granted, Lou isn't as beautiful, but he's got my back tonight.”
The big man of few words turned to the two women at the private table before he returned to observing at the crowd.
”At least there'll be no t.i.ts to distract you,” said Merrick.
”Yes, that's one advantage to taking Lou along tonight.”
In answer, or perhaps a curse, to what Merrick had said, two women entered the club, neither of them noticing the other, but both looking for the same person. When they spotted the object of their search in such an intimate embrace with Merrick, they had identical frowns. Anthony walked up and put one hand on Shelby's elbow and pointed two fingers at her eyes to get her to focus on why they were there. The other woman's eyes never left the couple as she stalked toward the table, appearing ready to mark her territory.
”Heads up, boss,” said Lou.
”Well, well, who do we have here?” asked Merrick.
”That, my dear, is what my mama would've called a devil in a blue dress.”
”Can I talk to you?” Emma seemed ready to drag Cain away by the hair, if that was what it took to get her to cooperate.
”Sure, I'm feeling generous tonight. Merrick, take off and call me when you get home.” Cain stood and kissed Merrick one more time before she left.
When she scanned the crowd, she noticed Emma wasn't the only surprise guest in the building. Shelby and her shadows were making their way to the bar and keeping an eye on both her and Emma. ”Lou, call me in the office when our buddy gets here, okay?”
”You got it, boss.”
For the first time in four years Cain wrapped her hand around Emma's and pulled her toward the office. It was their first prolonged physical contact since Emma had walked out the front door of their home. She tried to ignore the pull of her heart, but like she had admitted to herself earlier, Emma would always hold a special place in that sealed vault.
From her bar stool, Shelby locked her eyes on the mirror next to the bar. If Cain didn't know better, she would have sworn the agent could see into the quiet office where they had shared such an intense meeting not that long before. ”Emma, you look like your old self tonight. What can I do for you?”
”I want you to listen to me and not interrupt until I'm done. Do you think you can do that?”
”I think I'm disciplined enough to pull it off.”
Emma looked suspicious. She wasn't expecting Cain to be this accommodating. ”Okay, I give. Why are you being so nice?”
”Because it's the only way I can figure to get rid of you, and like I said before I've got things to do.”
”Whatever you've got planned tonight, Kyle knows all about it and is waiting for you.”
The admission took Cain by surprise. Emma had set her up to get Hayden back, and now she was willing to throw it all away by spoiling Kyle's surprise. ”How?”
”He showed up at the farm and bugged the h.e.l.l out of the bunkhouse. He knew you wouldn't let Hayden come alone, so he set a trap for you.”
A dark brow arched at the news, and Emma wanted to run from the look in Cain's eyes.
”And you know this how?”
”Because he had to ask our permission before he was able to do that. I guess he could have gotten a court order or something, but he talked to me, and I listened again. You've got to understand that I thought this was the only way to get Hayden back. But then I learned the truth about Barney Kyle and what kind of help he had gotten from my mother. I can't take back the past, Cain, but I can try and make up for it, starting now.”
Cain exhaled and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. ”Are you blaming your mother and Kyle?”
”That would be the easy way out, wouldn't it?” Emma sat on the opposite end of the couch and hoped Cain would listen to the rest without trying to kill her. ”No, what I did, I did for my own reasons. I let someone else convince me of how evil you were, and even though I couldn't reconcile that person with the one who held me at night and loved me so well, I trusted a stranger blindly.”
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