“Why tonight?”
“Dammit, son, because I want what was once my safe haven to be yours, if it comes to that.” She stopped talking and ran her fingers through her hair to calm down. Tonight was not the time to say something she would regret, or want him to look back later and feel the same way. The last meeting with her father was burned into her memory, down to the color of the sky when she turned to wave good-bye.
She wasn’t planning for her life to end in the middle of her warehouse tonight, but if it did, her son would look back on this night as one where his mother sent him on his way with as much knowledge as she could cram into their short time together. “Whatever else I feel for your mother, I know she’ll protect you.”
“I don’t need--”
“Yes, you do. You’re eleven, so yes, you do.”
Hayden looked as close to panicked as Cain had ever seen him. “Then don’t go. Wherever you’re going, don’t.”
She moved around and knelt next to his chair. “Son, no one’s taking anything away from you. Not me, and certainly not Emma. Remember, you belong to me, but only for a while. What do you think that means?”
The tears were shutting his brain down, and he couldn’t think. “I don’t know.”
“That I can teach you everything I know. Tell you everything I’ve learned from every experience I’ve ever had, but the time will come when Hayden has to pick what Hayden wants. It’s your life, and I want you to live it how you want. I didn’t raise a coward, and neither did my father. I raised a boy who’ll grow to be a strong leader and an accomplished man because he’s sure of his life. If that means you become a cheese maker and farmer, a long line of Irish ancestors will haunt you as you churn, but so be it. But I want you to promise me you’ll be whole and stay safe so the day will come for you to walk that road.”
“Only if you promise to walk it with me.”
She bent a little from the weight of his hug, but she returned it with the same intensity. “I promise, buddy. You never even have to turn around to check. I’ll always be there for you.”
They finished their meal with the same laughs they usually shared. When the dishes were cleared and she indulged him in a latte, Hayden had one more question. “Did Caroline ever talk to you?”
“You bet she did.”
He leaned forward and put his hands up. “Well?”
“What’s her name?”
“Who?”
“The girl who’s got you so full of questions all of a sudden.”
He blushed and dropped his eyes a minute. “Melinda.”
“I see, and she hasn’t noticed you? Hard to believe.”
“Mom, please, what did Grandpa say?”
“It’s easy. You walk up to her and just say hi. Introducing yourself is good too, and then ask her out for ice cream.” She tried hard not to smile at Hayden’s growing frustration.
“And it’s that easy?”
“Make sure you’re not wearing sunglasses at the time, and comb your hair.”
The blue eyes squinted in his confusion. “What?”
“Hayden, your heritage is more than whiskey and business. Look in the mirror sometime. Not to sound like an egomaniac, but the Casey clan isn’t a bad-looking lot. Big blue eyes and coal black hair will get you past whatever reservation she has and get you that first ice cream date. After that, it’s up to you, but lucky for you we’re known for a little charm as well. It’s not just about the looks, it’s the whole package, and you’ve got it. Trust me on this one. Women will never be your problem. You turn into a butthead about it, though, and you’ll have one big problem.”
“What, angry dads?”
“Worse. The fact is, I’m female too, and I’ll be watching you.”
Hayden blushed and laughed a little as he thought about some of the stories his uncle Jarvis had regaled him with. His time was just beginning, that was true, but it was hard not to compare himself to Cain. She was more than capable with the ladies, and if he fell a little short on that score, it would be hard to live down.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Are you sure about this?” George Talbot, the U.S. Attorney for the Fifth District in Louisiana, held the report the four FBI agents sitting before him had put together.
George had worked for the federal government, putting criminals away longer than these guys and gal were alive, he was willing to wager. Every crop of new up-and-comers had its conspiracy theorists, but this group had pictures and video to back up their outlandish claims.
“We’re sure, sir. We’ve got a lot more in our files if you’d like to take a look.” Shelby had been elected their spokesperson.
“No. As the saying goes, young lady, a picture’s worth a thousand words.” He held up the stills from that afternoon’s surveillance atop the abandoned buildings.
“Sir, I know this isn’t the usual chain of command, but we needed secrecy and discretion. We’re the low men on the totem pole, so if things go badly our careers could be in jeopardy.”
“Then why do it at all, Agent Daniels?” He cocked his head and waited. These young people had a fire he hadn’t seen in years, the same drive and passion he had managed to retain.
“Because the law is the law, sir. No one gets to use it for personal gain, especially someone like Giovanni Bracato. Even if you take away our badges, we feel we’ve done the right thing.”
“Okay, tell me this. Where did all this come from?” He pointed at the thick folder thrown down on his desk and looked up at four pained faces.
Anthony jumped in before Shelby could answer. “Mr. Talbot, that’s confidential, sir. Agent Daniels garnered the information, and she trusted the rest of us with the operation because of the short timeline. To betray the trust of our informant would jeopardize future operations where this person could be vital.”
Shelby smiled at Anthony. He obviously wasn’t happy accepting help from Cain, so to have him defend her made her feel better about the upcoming operation.
“I see. Well, I tell you what we’re going to do.” George almost laughed when four eager faces leaned farther into his desk as if he had started whispering.
They talked over their plan, and the four agents agreed to have some of the investigators who worked directly for George brought in for the final operation. The men who sat in on the final meeting had spent their careers with the craggy old attorney and were, in his opinion, above reproach. As far as Shelby, Joe, Anthony, and Lionel were concerned, they had to be for the whole thing to work. They had irrevocably set things in motion to coincide with whatever Cain had in mind for them that night.
“Why do you all think Cain’s going through with this when she’s got to realize the trap is set? I’ve known her from the time we were trying to chase her daddy down for running numbers and booze in the city, and she’s an even more worthy adversary in the slippery department, but she’s no dummy. She’s like an old and wise warrior who’s always three steps ahead of not only what you’re doing, but also what you’re thinking.”
George watched Shelby’s face as he talked. A few more years and a little more experience would help her temper her emotions, but she hadn’t perfected the technique quite yet. He had his answer as to where the file had come from, and in a way it made him feel better. Cain was thorough in everything she did, so the information was as good as if it had come from the FBI.
“I don’t know her well enough to answer that, sir. All I can tell you is we’ve been watching her for over a year, and all we’ve learned is how she takes her coffee, and that she’s got a keen eye for the cameras.” Shelby laughed as the file of pictures of Cain’s smile they had back at the office came to mind.