“You think I don’t know what I’m doing?” Before his youngest son could answer, Giovanni slammed his hands down on the table. “You don’t know fuck. I was making deals and getting this family to where we are today from the time I was ten, so don’t tell me how I should or shouldn’t act.”
Across the street Lionel and Joe sat in the service truck trying to drown out the rest of the restaurant noise to hear what was going on. They had followed the Bracatos to Costello’s, an Italian restaurant toward the back of the Quarter, only to lose sight of them when they stepped into the private room in the back. Whoever they were there to see was already behind the oak-paneled doors when Joe and Lionel arrived. Since only the two of them were watching and trying to listen in, they never saw the car pull out from the block behind them or the Luis family depart through the kitchen.
“You want to go back to the house, Papa?”
“What I want to know is where your brothers are. I hate walking into a meeting looking like my family has better things to do than meet with the fucks who hold our future in their hands. Where are they?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they were taking care of the business we discussed yesterday. If you want I can start calling around and see if I can find them.”
With a little difficulty Giovanni pulled away from the table and lumbered to his feet. “Forget it, let’s go. We’ll catch up with them later on tonight. I want to make sure my guy at the Piquant keeps an eye on the greasers who just left with a shitload of my money.”
The briefcase Giovanni was talking about sat between Juan and Rodolfo on the way back to their hotel as they laughed about the fact that the older Bracato obviously didn’t know that his son Stephano was already selling their drugs in Mississippi. When they turned onto Royal Street in the French Quarter past the front of the restaurant they had just left, Rodolfo pointed at the van parked across the street. “See, mi hijo, these are the things you have to look out for when you come to America.” He used the nickname “son” for his nephew because he thought of his sister’s child as his own. Juan’s father had left long before his birth, moving to the next town and the next woman waiting to be used.
The man hadn’t gotten far before Rodolfo’s men caught up with him and returned him to the Luis estate. The penalty for deflowering, then leaving Rodolfo’s little sister had been a slow death straight from the imagination of the man who controlled most of the coca plants in Mexico.
At the back of the property that bordered the mountains, they stripped the handsome drifter who considered himself a ladies’ man and tied him to a tree. Then one of Rodolfo’s men coated his genitals in honey and stepped in the fire-ant pile at the base of the tree. The miles of beautiful countryside ate up his screams as the little insects chewed away at what had been a source of great pride. The men went back a couple of days later to scatter his bones.
“Every place you visit, you need a padrino to warn you of what dangers lie in wait,” Rodolfo continued.
“A godfather? I don’t understand.” Juan looked at the van as it disappeared around another corner. “Who was that?”
“You just listen to your tío, and I’ll teach you how to swim in waters other than those in your own backyard.” He patted his nephew’s leg and closed his eyes for the rest of the ride. What Rodolfo didn’t realize was that in these waters, the sharks didn’t work for the government.
Chapter Thirteen
The door to the hospital sunroom was closed, and three guards discouraged anyone from entering. Merrick and Lou lowered and closed all the blinds, cutting off the view of the gardens. A watcher would have to blow his cover to discover what was going on inside.
After stepping out and away from prying ears, Cain and Emma slowly strolled toward the sunroom arm in arm, resembling any other devoted couple. This would be Emma’s first trial as they started to rebuild their relationship based on an equal partnership. The test would be tame, but like nothing Emma had ever seen before.
If the scene she walked in on alarmed Emma, no one could tell from her expression. She stayed at Cain’s side and helped her into a comfortable chair. Merrick already sat nearby, and she merely nodded to them and smiled slightly. With at least ten other chairs to pick from, she chose the arm of the chair Cain was occupying and put her hand on the shoulder of the woman she loved.
Todd was the only person showing any emotion at all. He was trembling but didn’t want to make any sudden movements lest the gun jammed in his mouth go off and leave his brains scattered across the expensive wooden blinds designed to make the room warmer.
“What do you want to do with him, boss? My finger’s getting tired,” Merrick said in a bored tone as she shoved the silencer attached to her gun farther into Todd’s mouth.
“Why don’t we let him have the use of his mouth back for a little while so we can have a chat.” Cain lifted Emma’s hand off her shoulder and gave the palm a kiss.
“I don’t know why I’m here.” Todd was on the verge of tears. He’d been walking out of the employees’ lounge when the big man behind him had grabbed him and brought him here. “Please, this is some sort of mistake.”
“You know what I detest more than a liar, Todd?” Cain asked the question, but her eyes never left Emma’s face.
He shook his head, but the words refused to come out of his mouth until Lou cocked the hammer on his pistol, pressed it to the back of his head, and said softly, “The lady asked you a question, and I suggest you come up with an answer.”
“No, ma’am.”
“She hates anyone who tries to hurt our family more than anything else in life,” Emma finished for her. “Some of us are lucky and she forgives our indiscretions, but luck isn’t running in your favor today.”
“That’s right, love.” The palm close to Cain’s lips received another kiss, and she smiled after delivering it. “What I want to know is why? How much was it worth to you to betray my family and me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Todd pleaded.
“I realize that your salary here must be pathetic, but that’s no reason to keep lying,” Cain said in a bored-sounding voice. “Let me explain to you how this works and why we’re here. First, the human body has only two knees. Once I order Merrick here to put a bullet into both of yours, I’ll be forced to move to things like your elbows, then your head. By my count, that leaves you four chances to answer correctly before you run out of options. Believe me, Todd, there’s no turning back from that last shot.”
With Emma’s help, Cain climbed to her feet and moved closer to the man who just that morning had been feeling like the reincarnation of super spy. Todd manfully tried to meet her gaze, but he couldn’t. There was nothing in the blue eyes that stared back at him. Nothing at all.
“Second, I never invite anyone into a meeting like this without finding out most of the answers first. That way, I know when you insist on lying to me. If that’s how you want to play it, we’ll go ahead and move to the head option now.” Cain stood inches from him, and he had to lean back to see her face. “Shall we try again? How much did it take to get you to plant bugs in my room?”
As fast as he could, Todd pulled out the two hundred dollars and held them up to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Such a clichéd answer deserves the same response, don’t you think?”
Cain stepped back as Lou punched the back of Todd’s head so hard he fell face down on the floor. The groan Todd released at the sudden pain made Emma flinch, but she didn’t say anything or make any move to leave.