Shelby Daniels’s presence wasn’t a surprise since she’d become a fixture in their lives almost from the time Cain had met her trying to bug Vincent Carlotti’s plane. The head of the Carlotti family, and also one of Cain’s strongest allies, had wanted to throw Shelby out of the plane for the infraction, but Cain had intervened and saved her life. That encounter had evolved into innocent flirtations between Shelby and Cain, until it became clear to Shelby that Cain was off-limits for a number of reasons, starting with what she did for a living. Her cousin Muriel was another story, though, and Shelby found her incredibly attractive.
“Two explosions in one day? With all the excitement how, pray tell, did you think I’d stay away? Tell me a story, Barrister Casey.”
“Would you excuse us, Detective?” Muriel buttoned her jacket and started walking toward Cain’s office. When Newsome attempted to follow them, two men stepped in his way and refused to move.
“I’m not finished with my questions,” Newsome yelled after the two women.
A closing door with more than a few bullet holes in it was his only answer.
Shelby scanned the room with a critical eye and shivered when she thought of Cain sitting in the chair behind the desk, one of her favorite spots in the house. The amount of firepower the hit men had concentrated on the room would have cut her in two had she been sitting there.
“They did a number on this place, didn’t they?” Muriel said, breaking the silence.
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know, Shelby, and that’s as far down that conversational road as we’re going. Why are you here, really?”
“We’re here to help, if we can. The city has enough problems already without a gangland war breaking out. Trust me, Muriel, my team and I just want to help catch the guys who did this. You and Cain lost people today. Don’t you want someone to pay?”
Muriel pushed aside a pile of broken glass with the toe of her expensive Italian leather loafer as she appeared to think the offer over. “Ask the staff whatever you please, but I want to know if you’re planning to leave any surveillance equipment behind. Granted, closed warrants will cover your ass from answering truthfully, but if you lie the trust between us will vanish. You betray Cain and me, and I’ll cut you out of our lives.”
“We’re here only in an investigative capacity for now. How’s that?” All Shelby saw for a long moment was the top of Muriel’s head as she continued to stare at the ground and move around broken glass. “Who was sitting in here when hell broke loose?”
Muriel looked up at her. “What makes you think someone was?”
At the edge of the desk, almost as if Merrick had just put it down, sat a glass half filled with milk. Everything else in the room was in tatters, but the glass sat untouched. Muriel just started laughing, a heartfelt, belly-shaking sound that made Shelby join in without knowing why.
“What’s so funny?” Shelby asked, as she watched long fingers wipe tears away from the sudden outbreak of humor.
“I’ve never compared Cain to an inanimate object, but does that glass remind you of her? The room is totally destroyed, but no one touched this.” Muriel picked up the glass of milk and set it down next to her. “All my life I envied her the ability to just walk through the chaos and end up just like this—untouched and whole. Cain’s mother, my aunt Therese, used to say it was because she was touched by the angels.”
“As a wise man told me on a plane ride one night, Counselor, Cain was the reason Agent Barney Kyle’s hair was so gray. She was graced with more than her share of Irish luck, I swear. That was very true, though your comparison would’ve been more accurate had it been a glass of beer.”
“Nah, Irish whiskey is her favorite, but I’ve never known her to turn her nose up at a good brew. As much as I enjoy your company, Agent Daniels, I really must get back to my duties.” Muriel’s fingers touched Shelby’s elbow as she passed by her on the way out the door. “Have a good day.”
“Could I maybe buy you a drink later?” Shelby asked in a soft voice.
“Am I your consolation prize?” Muriel walked back into the room, with more than a touch of humor in her voice.
“Truthfully, your cousin was more a passing fancy, so no, you’re not.”
A low chuckle stopped Shelby from continuing. “The forbidden fruit, eh?”
“Cain is more like the whole tree, but you’re a different animal altogether, aren’t you?” Shelby watched Muriel cross her arms and lean on Cain’s desk. “I just thought that since you’ve lost so much today, you might want to unwind a bit. Once you’re done, of course. I like you, Muriel, and now, more than ever, you could use a friend.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“How about someplace neutral? The bar at the Piquant, perhaps?”
Muriel opened the door and waved, signaling that Shelby should go first. “I should be done by eight. If you like, I’ll just meet you there. We wouldn’t want your bosses to think any less of you if you’re seen riding in a car with me.”
“It’s a date, Counselor.”
The way Shelby looked at her as she spoke made Muriel feel as if the excitement in her life was about to begin, and bullets and explosions would have nothing to do with it.
Chapter Six
Cain had silently gazed out the window for fifteen minutes after Merrick had finished bringing them up to date, and Emma knew she wasn’t daydreaming. Like a master tactician, Cain was going through all her options before deciding on her next move.
“You aren’t leaving the hospital, so forget it,” Emma said just as calmly as Cain had begun ordering Merrick to call her doctor back to her room. “And before you give me any crap about it, you were shot two weeks ago. You’re an amazing healer, but that bullet collapsed your lung and did a lot of damage.”
“Merrick,” Cain said.
The guard stood up and left the room.
“Emma, I need you to listen to me, all right?”
“Forget it. You can’t charm your way out of here. I just got you back, and I’m not taking any chances on anything happening to you. You’ll leave here just as soon as the doctor says you can.”
“Deal.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. Cain Casey never gave up so easily on anything. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I just want to talk to the man. Lass, I have to try my best to protect my family, so I’m not going to lie to you. I said I wouldn’t, and I’m not going to, okay?”
“We’re not going to be fine if you push yourself too hard and something happens to you. What about us if you aren’t here to protect us?”
Cain pulled her down so Emma was lying next to her with her head pillowed on her shoulder. “Did I ever tell you what my father Dalton said about the Casey clan and their place in the world?”
“I’ve heard a few aspects of this story, but I have a feeling there’s another chapter.”
“Ooh, I’d hate to think I’ve become predictable, but yes, there’s another one. My father and I were sitting in my granny’s living room looking at my granddad’s coffin, with an Irish flag draped over it. The rest of his men sat in the kitchen drinking and telling stories. There’s nothing like an Irish wake.”
Emma ran her hand in a slow circle on Cain’s stomach as she listened. It was how they’d spent many of their nights together after making love or just waking up together. Cain had also fallen back into their routine as she rested her hand on Emma’s hip, and she would stop every so many words and kiss the forehead so close to her lips.
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen, and full of piss and vinegar. Thinking back now, I’m hoping me mum’s curses don’t come true, since our boy is getting close to that age.” Emma laughed against her side, and her breath warmed Cain’s neck.