Part 31 (1/2)
”Why?”
”Who paid you to think? I want to know, and I need to know if you can do it.”
”That should be easy,” Anthony said slowly, as if talking to a mentally challenged person, because that's what he figured Juan was.
If he didn't want what happened at the airport to end his career, he had to stick with Juan, though. He needed him to knock down the rest of the dominos.
”I don't know. Cain's better at picking up a tail than you ever imagined. Just a warning before you start. If Cain finds you sniffing after her wh.o.r.e, she can have you to do whatever she likes.” Juan laughed as he picked his teeth with the nail of his pinky. ”I've found nothing motivates Cain more than when any man keeps his eyes on that piece of a.s.s too long.”
”Don't worry about it. I'll start this morning, since they'll be easy to pick up at the funeral. While I'm doing that, why not have a talk with Jesus and see if he tells you what really happened at the airport.” Anthony tried to relax and sound as if the outcome of this meeting wasn't particularly important to him. ”And you have to trust me.”
”You don't think I trust you?”
”You order me around but you don't tell me what for. That means you don't trust me.” Anthony put both of his feet on the ground and pushed out of his chair. ”If you don't trust me, then what the h.e.l.l am I doing here? Like you said, if you want me out, then tell me to get out.”
”What do you want to know?” Juan asked as soon as Anthony had made it halfway to the door.
”What's so important about Emma Casey?”
”My uncle always preached to me that everyone has a weaknessthe one thing you can use against them to make them fall to their knees. For Cainit's Emma and those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds they have together, but in this case I can't blame her for letting this woman make her weak.”
One of the bra.s.s bands that played for tourists in the Quarter went under the window, and Anthony wished he was one of those people milling around down on Bourbon Street with nothing to worry about except where to eat that night. ”What are you talking about?”
”I want to kill Cain, but I want to keep Emma for myself. What happens to the kids isn't my problem, but I want her alive and whole.”
The way Juan went down his to-do list as if he were planning a trip to the grocery almost made Anthony's hands shake. ”She'll never do that.”
”Who, Emma?You may have played nice all this time because it's what you do, but there's more than one way to break a woman.
When I'm done she'll beg to stay with me.” Juan turned so Anthony could see his face. ”And every time she does get that pleasure, it'll only remind her how much time she wasted with that b.i.t.c.h.”
”How's your uncle going to feel about your plan?” Anthony tried to talk him back from the brink with the one thing Juan still feared.
”It'll take more than killing Cain to convince her friends and those loyal to her not to come after you.”
”My uncle should've listened to his own advice. He's trying to be something he's not, and the more hetries, the weaker and more pathetic he becomes.”
”What do you mean?”
”Rodolfo thinks he's a civilized man, but he's not. He's just an old man chasing some sort of respectability that no amount of money can buy.”
Anthony had to laugh because, for once, Juan's reasoning was right on the mark. ”And you don't care about being civilized?”
”All I care about is winning and control. If that's not what you want, run back to your job or to my uncle. Whoever you pick won't give you the respect and the freedom to do what you need to when it comes to beating Cain.” Juan stood and put his hands in his pockets.
”We have a deal?”
”That we do, Juan.”
”Are you sure?” Remi asked. They were on the way back to her condo after a walk through the Quarter. Dallas had knocked on her bedroom door that morning, and instead of their usual forty-five-minute jog, Remi and Simon had gone for a brisk walk.
”You could come in to work with me.”
”I checked my phone this morning, and so far I've gotten about sixty messages from Bob. To keep the peace I thought I'd have him meet me at my place, and we'll go to the studio from there.” She wrapped her hand around Remi's bicep and squeezed. ”Please don't be mad. I'll call if I need to change my plan.”
”If that's what you want to do, I'm fine with it, but don't you think it's strange for someone to call you sixty times a day?”
The breeze was picking up along the river, and Dallas moved one hand down and took Remi's, then pulled her hair away from her face with the other. As they approached a bench, she pointed to it and Remi nodded. ”I know you don't understand why I don't tell him to get lost. I would if I could.”
”Why can't you tell me?” Remi lifted their hands and kissed the back of Dallas's. ”No matter what it is, I'll still want to be with you.”
”Let's get through this meeting today, and tonight we'll talk.”
When Remi moved closer and kissed her, Dallas went willingly.
”You make me feel so much.”
”You can trust me, Dallas. Even if you decide this isn't for you, I can help you get to a better place in your life, no strings attached.”
”I'm not sure how I lucked out by having you be so kind, but I'm grateful. I'll tell you as much as I can and after that, the same applies to you. You can walk awayno hard feelings.”
Remi kissed her again before she stood up and helped Dallas to her feet. ”Let's get ready so you can get home to meet Bob.”
”Considering how you feel about him, you're being good about this.”
”I trust you to handleBob, after all you've been doing it for a long time.” She had to laugh when Dallas peered up at her like she didn't totally believe her. ”I'm sending some added insurance, and before you turn me down, remember you said you'd go along with anything I wanted.”
”You're saying I might regret that promise, aren't you?”
”I'm sure you'll be fine.” They crossed the intersection between the aquarium and the Riverwalk Mall, and Remi spotted Emil sitting on the rim of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard that led to her building. When Emil stood up and started toward them, Dallas moved closer to Remi. ”See, I told you. You'll be fine because that's the reaction this big guy always gets.” Remi smiled.
”You know him?” Dallas asked, still glued to Remi's side.
”Dallas, let me introduce you to Emil, who works for my father.
Actually he's his Simon,” she pointed back at her own guard, ”and until things calm down, he's going to work for you.”
”I appreciate your thinking about me, but there's no way I can accept.”
”This doesn't have to do with Bob, but with what happened to Rick and what it means to me and our business. Things happen that I can't control, and if something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to accept the fact that I could've prevented it.”
Emil stood with his hands behind his back until Remi finished.
”Ms. Montgomery, you're not even going to notice I'm around.”
Remi had to cover her mouth with her free hand when he said that.
”Do you really think someone's going to come after me?” Dallas asked.