“Our job is to observe, that’s all,” Claire warned when Shelby put her hand on the door.
“Cain’s a lot bigger than she is, and it looks like Emma doesn’t want to be part of this talk anymore.” The sound of a slap echoed in the van, and a stunned Cain stood on the flagstone looking like her next victim would be Emma.
They didn’t exchange any more words until a black sedan pulled to the intersection and Lou climbed out from the backseat. With one last glare for Cain, Emma started toward Lou and the car. She never looked back once she started walking, but neither did Cain when she set off in the opposite direction.
“Joe, you got her in sight?” Claire asked as she started the van.
“Our target’s entering the cathedral. Maybe she’s going to confess her sins and decide to lead a life on the straight and narrow?” Joe and Lionel watched from a park bench in Jackson Square, confident that the black iron fence and shrubbery would keep Cain from seeing them. “Stay put for now, and I’ll let you know where we’re headed next. Lionel and I are going inside.”
“Just remember that she knows you.” Shelby’s voice popped into the conversation.
“Don’t worry. We look like tourists today. She’ll never spot us.” He walked across the grassy area around St. Louis Cathedral that was usually full of artists, street performers, and tourists.
To their surprise, Cain walked toward for one of the confessionals at the rear of the church. They knew she was Catholic; they just assumed she wasn’t a practicing Catholic. The light on the side Cain had entered lit up, signaling that she was now on her knees waiting for the priest.
“Wouldn’t you love to be able to listen in on that conversation?” Lionel asked.
“It wouldn’t be admissible in court, but for pure entertainment value, yeah, I would. Thing is, though, I’m not sure what to make of this.” Joe waved his hand around the vestibule. “We’ve been following her for so long, I thought I knew everything there is to know about her. But today something’s off, and I can’t pin it down. Being out alone, rare but not strange.” Joe held up a finger as if counting off a list. “The fight and this, though, way off the radar as far as previous behavior goes.”
A nun close to them put her finger to her lips and smiled, softening the reprimand.
Inside the confessional a wooden door slid back, and a million memories flooded Cain’s mind as she looked at the man on the other side of the grate. Father Andrew Goodman had graduated from high school with Cain’s father, and despite the different paths the men had chosen, Andrew had remained a good friend.
For years he’d joked that Dalton needed a friend with such high connections to keep him out of trouble. After burying Dalton, his wife, and two of their children, Andrew had stopped joking and started praying for Cain and her family.
“Are there blessings left for the wicked, Father?”
A small laugh escaped Andrew’s lips as he leaned farther in. “God doesn’t see us as wicked, my child. He loves you no matter how bad you think you’ve been.” He put his hand up to the barrier between them. “It’s good to see I still have some influence over you. Thanks for taking me up on my invitation.”
“I thought I’d come in from the storm for a little while, and you’re always a good harbor.” Cain pressed her hand to his and felt the heat through the decorative wooden grate.
“It’s raining outside?”
“More like invaders at my gates ready to storm the manor.”
“You’re early and I still have confessions to hear, so will you do me a favor? One that’ll make your mother happy.”
“Sure.” Cain was amused.
“Go out there and say five Hail Marys and five Our Fathers while you wait for me. If you can spare the time, I’d like to have morning tea with you.”
“I’ll try anything to make my mother smile down on me from heaven,” Cain joked. “Of course if you hear a sudden boom in the next few minutes, you know I got struck by lightning.”
The prayers came with no effort since Cain’s mother had repeated them from the time her children were learning to talk so they would have the starting point to talk to God that every good Catholic had. Cain didn’t think of them very often now, but she wasn’t completely faithless. A part of her wanted to believe in a heaven and a hell, even if that’s where she would one day find herself—as long as those who’d hurt her loved ones suffered along with her.
Joe and Lionel were shocked when they saw Cain genuflecting before the altar. She scooted into a pew, pulled the kneeler down, and folded her hands together in prayer once she was on her knees. From their position on the other side of the church, they could see that her lips were moving in obvious prayer. Her behavior was certainly new and interesting.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Watching a man pull a cart full of art and finding the entire situation absurd, Emma didn’t bother to notice her surroundings. Why should I, since I have someone to do that for me? She glanced behind her at the loyal Lou. The surveillance van Cain had pointed out earlier was still there, so she kept her comments to a minimum.
Juan Luis and three of his men rushed from the coffee shop on the corner and surrounded Lou before he could pull his weapon.
“Good morning, Emma,” Juan said.
Judging by his dark suit with a white shirt and red tie, she would’ve pegged him as a bank president or something just as mundane if she hadn’t known he sold drugs.
“Perhaps you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee or breakfast?”
“I thought I made it clear last night I don’t want anything to do with you, and my name is Mrs. Casey. Is it really that hard to remember, or do we have a language problem?”
“Let me explain something that I imagine your servant here understands. I asked merely to be nice, but answering no isn’t an option. As for ‘Mrs. Casey,’ we both know that title doesn’t exist, so I’ll call you whatever I like.”
From the expression on Lou’s face, Emma was sure he wanted to kill her for antagonizing Juan, but she kept up the sarcasm. “Do women in your country find this attitude appealing, Mr. Luis?”
“Any woman in my country would die to be in your position now. You’re the first woman who touches a place in me that makes me want to conquer something or someone to prove myself to you.” With the calm movements of a man used to being in control, Juan folded his hands in front of him and gave her his best smile. “How could you possibly say no to that?”
With the movements of a woman who’d reached her breaking point, Emma started laughing, aware from one of her college courses that a proud Hispanic man wouldn’t take too kindly to a woman deriding him when he was trying to prove just how powerful and charming he was.
“How could I possibly say no to that?” She repeated the question between gasps of air. “Easy. I’m not one of the many women from your country who wants to be in that position. Just in case I wasn’t crystal clear last night, I’m with Cain. I’m with her not only because I love her and we have children together, but also because I’m gay. If I hadn’t picked Cain years ago, I’d have some other woman in my bed, so thank you for the invitation and the dramatic way you chose to deliver it, but no thanks.”
“You’ll find that what you’ve been missing is the right—”
“Please don’t finish that sentence with ‘the right man.’” Emma quit laughing as her anger returned, and she lowered the tone of her voice. “Lou, let’s go. Even though Mr. Luis isn’t from the United States, I’m sure he knows the consequences of shooting someone on a busy intersection. New Orleans’s finest would love such an open-and-shut case with so many witnesses around.”