“I think we’ve accomplished enough for one night, don’t you? Let’s leave the Rath family to get acquainted.”
Cain carried the bags in and gave them to Jerry, since he’d relinquished their new son to his mother. They contained enough diapers and supplies to last them a couple of weeks, which was more than enough time to lay the groundwork to make their story work.
“Enjoy, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
*
“All set?” Katlin asked as soon as Merrick quietly clicked the door shut.
“Seems like it.” Merrick gazed out at the yard and the men heading into the bunkhouse close to the fence line. “When was the last time you took a girl parking?”
“Does it entail driving? Because I have to warn you about getting lost out here in the middle of flat hell,” Katlin said as she pushed Merrick up against the front of the house and pressed her lips against the side of Merrick’s neck.
“The car you were in should still be warm. If not, you have the key, don’t you?”
“Don’t you worry, darling girl.” Katlin offered her hand readily. “I’ll keep you warm.”
When the back door of the vehicle closed, Merrick climbed willingly onto Katlin’s lap. They’d been doing so much for Cain that their time together had been severely limited. It had been so long since Merrick had wanted to be intimate with someone that now she wanted to rush and feel Katlin’s skin pressed to hers and study more closely the tattoos that were seared into her memory.
“Make sure you tell me if I do something you don’t like,” Katlin said as she tugged Merrick’s sweater over her head.
She bit down softly on a dark nipple, and Merrick hissed. “I don’t do this often with a woman who’s got a gun and knows how to use it.”
“Shut up and get going before I shoot you just for incentive.” Merrick pulled on Katlin’s hair when she bit down a little harder on her other nipple.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Now you’re getting it, darlin’.”
Merrick ignored the laughter as Katlin unbuttoned her jeans.
“Only this is going to mean so much more than just a roll in the back of a car. I hope you’ve come to realize that too.”
Merrick kissed her and unbuttoned Katlin’s shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin. “I realize lots of things, but right now I want you to touch me.” She sat up enough to take her pants off, then went right back to Katlin’s lap. As she wove her fingers into Katlin’s dark hair again, intending to entice her lips back to her breasts, she saw something at the fence line that didn’t belong there. “What the hell?”
Chapter Fifty
“The course is set for Cozumel,” the pilot reported. They were about twenty minutes into the flight and had been monitoring the target’s radio transmissions. “With this headwind, it’ll be another hour or so before we’re on the ground. I called ahead and arranged for some local law enforcement, as well as some of our guys, to meet us when we land.”
“Thanks a lot,” Shelby replied. She’d been looking out the window all night, and when there was a break in the clouds she could see Carlotti’s plane. The sight made her think of the night she’d met Cain and how truly afraid she’d been staring down death. “What business could she have in Mexico?”
“Maybe Anthony had something with those photos of Casey with Rodolfo Luis.” Joe sipped on a Coke. “Wouldn’t that just chap my ass?”
“From the time we started watching Cain, we haven’t seen any hint of drugs,” Shelby said.
“It’s where the money is these days.” Lionel was also looking out the window as he tapped his fist on the armrest. “Most of the big guys dealing that crap on the streets make more in a month than the three of us will in our lifetime. The temptation of all that cash might’ve been too much for her.”
A strand of hair fell into Shelby’s face when she shook her head. “I don’t buy it. Casey’s worth that now from just her legitimate businesses. Trust me, the IRS goes over every penny every year, and it’s all accounted for.”
“What you don’t get, though, is that her type never gets enough. There’s no magic number.”
Shelby let Joe have the last word and stared out the window again. For once she felt as if they held the upper hand, and when Cain and Emma committed to their final destination, the surveillance would be in place. This time Cain wouldn’t have any clandestine meetings in the middle of nowhere with no one watching, like the night she’d met Vincent Carlotti in a deserted field just over the border into Illinois. Shelby still carried the guilt of not telling anyone about that first night she’d met Cain, but she’d struck a deal for her life that she intended to keep.
They flew over the dark Gulf for another hour and twenty minutes, the pilot in the lead plane clearly in no hurry to land. When they started their descent, they were assured Cozumel was indeed the plane’s destination. Quickly scanning their databases, Lionel discovered that Rodolfo Luis had a large vacation home in the area. The confirmation reminded Shelby again that no matter how much she liked Cain, Cain was in the business of breaking the laws she fought so hard to uphold.
As they stepped off the Coast Guard plane, the team caught only a glimpse of the couple as they entered the customs building and were out of the airport fast, presumably because it was so late.
The team wasn’t in a hurry, since the DEA had agents outside in case they weren’t quick enough.
As soon as the Mexican authorities verified their credentials, they hopped into a waiting car. “Relax and enjoy the weather, guys,” the DEA agent who met them said. “Your targets are headed for the Hilton.”
“How can you predict no detours?” Joe asked.
“I can’t, but I thought it was a safe enough bet since the Hilton’s car picked them up. My men will call if there’s a change.”
As the DEA guy relaxed into the driver’s seat and turned onto the main drag, his radio came to life, and his partner reported that the two women in question had arrived at the resort and been escorted to one of the waterfront suites.
“You heard him. Now it’s hurry up and wait.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Emma lay with her eyes open, amazed at the silence. The house settled every so often, but that was the only sound. When she’d moved back home, she’d hated nights like this. With her head pillowed on Cain’s shoulder, though, Emma wouldn’t have minded if it went on forever.
“What wheels are turning in that pretty head?” The burr of Cain’s voice sent a pleasant chill through Emma’s body, and Cain pulled her closer.
“Thinking of how blessed I am.”
They’d looked in on the sleeping children and then retired to the room Maddie had given them on their previous visit and locked the door behind them. After the kiss they’d shared at the top of the stairs, Emma needed to feel Cain’s skin. She scratched along Cain’s chest and smiled when her fingernails caused a shiver. “I’m thinking about what our next baby will be like.” She shifted so she could see Cain’s face in the moonlight. “I’m thinking about you roaming the aisles at the toy store.”
“I’ve been visualizing that myself. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to our little girl.”
Even though Cain’s comment was light, Emma teared up. “I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” Cain rolled over and cupped Emma’s cheek.
“Hannah’s not going to know what hit her when we settle into a normal routine.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, love, it’s just that for all her short life, presents have been of a practical nature. Just one more thing I caved in to my mother about. Toys aren’t practical.” Emma imitated Carol Verde’s pinched voice. “I not only stole time from you, but I stole all those Christmas mornings and birthdays from Hannah.”