Part 46 (1/2)
The hunting trip Cain was taking him on was only part of Hayden's gift for his thirteenth birthday. They had ordered a twelve-gauge shotgun identical to the one Cain owned, with a vine of Irish roses engraved along the barrel and the Casey family crest carved into the stock. Cain's had been a gift from her father on her fifteenth birthday.
”True, but it's nice that it's ready a few days early,” Merrick said.
They turned right out of the drive, and Merrick glanced in the rearview mirror.
”Why do you suppose these guys are always so interested in our little shopping trips?” Emma asked when she saw Merrick's attention still behind them.
”s.h.i.+t,” Merrick said, speeding up.
”What?” Emma asked, squeezing the armrest to braceherself . The car rammed them from behind, making Merrick sideswipe a parked car. She righted them and punched the accelerator, but the car hit them again as they crossed an intersection.
In the more open s.p.a.ce they were rammed hard enough that the car Merrick was driving turned sideways. The attacker then slammed his brakes on and threw it in reverse to give him more room to speed up and hit them again. This blow to the driver's side pinned Merrick behind the wheel and broke her left arm.
Even though she was hurt, Merrick tried to get to her phone as Emma lay unconscious beside her. The last impact must've slammed Emma's head into the window, because Merrick could see her blond hair was dripping with blood.
”Emma,” she yelled, trying to revive her. ”Open your eyes,” was all she was able to say as her window shattered beside her from the force of Juan Luis's gun b.u.t.t.
”She'll be easier to move if she's out, b.i.t.c.h,” he said as he placed the gun correctly in his hand.
Merrick forgot about the phone and went for her weapon instead, as someone flung the pa.s.senger-side door open.
Anthony Curtis unbuckled Emma and jerked her from her seat and over his shoulder. Merrick framed the word ”No” on her lips, but Juan pulled the trigger before she could get it out.
All Juan could do was laugh and stare at Emma in the backseat as they sped away. Anthony's plan had gone off flawlessly, and he had what he'd most wanted from Cain.
”I'm going to enjoy this,” he said to Emma, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. ”And I promise it'll be slow and long.”
”This is the beginning of Cain's end,” Anthony said and laughed.
”If that b.i.t.c.h had a weak spot, it's ours now to do with as we please.”
”Are you sure you know where we're going?” Juan asked.
”I got the address from the file before I quit. It's the last place Casey will look, which will only prove she's not the big s.h.i.+t everyone thinks she is.”
”Let's go have some fun then.”
Chapter Fifty-Three.
The police had barricaded the intersection where Merrick's car sat mangled. An ambulance was screeching away, and the police had to hold Cain back to keep her from chasing it down.
”It's not Miss Emma,” Carmen told her over and over. They were only a block from the house so most of the staff was outside waiting on news. ”It's Merrick, she's been shot.” Katlin shut her eyes and brought her fist to her mouth.
”Katlin, go,” Cain ordered. ”You'll be of no use to me here.”
”You don't need to” Katlin said, looking at her as if Cain had punched her.
”If you love her, go. Some things are more important than anything or anyone else. If you have to concentrate on something let it be Merrickshe deserves it.”
”Boss,” Lou said. ”The cops said Emma wasn't here when they arrived, and the people who called it in said only Merrick was in the car.”
”Miss Emma left with Merrick, I saw her,” Carmen said.
”Somebody rammed them and took her,” Lou said, as if Cain hadn't figured it out. ”Emma's gone.”
Cain roared like a lion that had lost its mate. ”No one saw anything?”
”Our boys said a black Tahoe followed the car out but they figured it for feds,” one of Cain's men said.
”The feds,” Cain said, as she scanned the crowd and found Joe and Claire looking on. ”Who was it?” Cain asked Joe. ”You vultures are always watching,there's no way you missed this. Tell me who.”
”We tried, Cain, but our people didn't get here in time, even if that isn't their job.”
”Your job is to protect the innocent. My wife's done nothing to deserve this, so your job was to protect her.” Cain grabbed Joe by the lapels and shook him. ”Tell me who, you son of a b.i.t.c.h.”
”It was Juan Luis,” Claire said, ”and we've put out an APB on the car.”
”Well, if you did that I can go home and put my feet up and wait for Emma to come home. Your job's done and I'll buy you a drink later,” Cain said sarcastically. ”Was your fellow agent with him?
Because we all know Juan couldn't find his a.s.s by himself if someone put a gun to his head and said go.”
”If you want us to work with you, you need to calm down,” Joe said. When Cain couldn't hold her anger anymore and reared back and coldc.o.c.ked him, he b.u.mped into three other cops standing around. His nose was oozing blood when he straightened up, and he was in an attack stance. ”I know you're upset, but if you try that again I'm taking you in and you can do your worrying in a cell.”
”You can kiss my” Cain was about to completely lose control when her phone rang. ”What?” she screamed. Just as quickly she calmed as she held the phone to her ear and said nothing. ”Which house is it?” She hung up and strode around the accident scene, not trading any more conversation with Lou or Claire.
”Where's she going?” Joe asked.
”It's got to be the house or someplace close, because she's walking,” Claire said. ”All we have to do iswait and do what she thinks we do best.w.a.tch.”
Cain started toward Jarvis's but met Muriel halfway there. The house Cain stopped at belonged to an elderly woman who'd been watering her plants and witnessed the black SUV slam into the car they were chasing, and what came after. Joe and Claire stood a good distance away as Cain talked to her, obviously asking questions.
Then she shook hands with the woman and walked to the house.
”Think she's going to stay in and not do anything?” Claire asked.
”I don't see that happening, not unless she has a crystal ball in there that gives her all the answers. I'm not sure where we start searching. What I do know is that Agent Hicks will probably have a warrant out for Anthony and Juan before thehour's up.”
”Let's head to the van just in case.” Claire glanced back at the car Merrick had been driving one last time and s.h.i.+vered. The agents they'd left watching the house had tried to get to Emma before the two men had taken her, but Anthony had left Merrick's car blocking the intersection from both directions.
”Wait a minute,” Joe said and started running down the street.
”Shelby,” he said when he was inside and struggling to get his phone out.
”She stayed to sit on Anthony, but none of the guys said they saw her when this went down.”