Chapter Thirty-One

For one brief moment Cain could hear the echo of laughter when Marie and Hayden had played together, enjoying each other’s company. Not a day went by that she didn’t miss her sister, but she realized that while Hayden hid his feelings on the subject well by not talking about it much, Marie’s vicious murder had left a hole in his heart. Compared to what Marie had endured, the syringe full of liquefied cocaine she had just given Stephano was a gift.

In a lot of ways, this night resembled the night four years earlier when Danny had tried to rape Emma, causing her to leave Cain because she believed Cain had killed Danny in revenge for an act that never took place. Only this time Cain really had taken a life, a life that had ended in a sputtering mess of twitching muscles and tense limbs. Stephano’s death had eased some of Cain’s guilt over her failure to protect the most innocent of her responsibilities, but now came another test.

A light under the door flashed every so often, and Cain guessed Emma was watching television, trying her best to wait up. She paused, her hand on the knob, wondering how Emma would react this time around. “The proof is as easy as opening the door,” Cain whispered before doing just that.

The television was on, but Emma sat in the middle of the bed staring at the door, willing it to open. When it did, she could see from Cain’s clenched jaw that she was upset. The sitting and waiting had been murder, but now she needed to help.

Without a word, she pulled Cain into the room and locked the door. When she finished, a pile of clothes lay on the floor and she was lying skin to skin with Cain as she held her.

“Tell me what happened.” Emma’s tone showed no trace of indecisiveness.

“Stephano came to the address. Alone, like Lou had asked him to on the phone.” Cain relaxed into Emma’s chest, enjoying the methodically moving fingers combing through her hair. “We treated him to some of the shit he sells, and it made him really talkative…”

As her voice died away, she expelled a big sigh. “Maybe some part of him knew I’d never let him walk, so he wanted to inflict the maximum amount of hurt before his time was up.”

“What could he possibly say to hurt you?”

Cain closed her eyes as if reliving the little speech Stephano had given about that night. When she opened them again they stung from unshed tears. “He was there the day Marie was killed. He tortured her too, and laughed about it.” The sheets wrinkled in her fists as she gripped them, trying to fight the urge to go out and find the rest of the Bracatos and inflict some pain immediately. “Thing is, Danny put on a little show for not just Stephano, but for his big brother Gino. That bastard took a turn with her.”

Emma held Cain as her tears fell, something that rarely happened. Cain had always had time to spend with her younger sister. She had taken such good care of Marie that Emma had been sure Cain would make a wonderful parent and therefore had loved her even more deeply.

Fourteen Years Earlier

“Why do you look so nervous, Emma?”

“Are you kidding? You haven’t done anything but talk about your sister and your family for weeks. What if they don’t like me?” Emma was enjoying their rare time alone as Cain drove them to the Casey home for a casual Sunday lunch.

“Lass, quit your worrying. Marie’s going to love you, and so will Billy and my mother.” She squeezed Emma’s thigh and smiled. “Just remember she gets confused at times, but just be patient with her.” Two of the guards opened the front gate, and Emma waved, recognizing them from the pub when they accompanied Cain.

“I remember.” She smoothed down her dress for the hundredth time since Cain had picked her up. “Do I look all right? I don’t want your mother thinking I’m not right for you.”

Cain’s blue eyes softened. “You look fabulous. At least I certainly think so.”

“I just want them to like me.”

Cain got out of the car and walked to Emma’s door. When she opened it she crouched down and pressed her palm to Emma’s cheek. “Do you think you’re right for me?”

“With all my heart.”

“That’s all that matters.”

Before Cain could say anything else, the front door opened and Marie pressed herself to her sister’s back. “Hi,” she shyly said to Emma. “We’re going to be great friends.”

The words proved that Cain was right. Life might have given Marie a mind that wouldn’t mature like most, but her heart had fared just fine. Emma smiled and gazed into eyes so like Cain’s that she felt an instant affection for the girl who was so important to the woman she was falling in love with, although Marie’s eyes were missing the mischief always shining in Cain’s.

“Do you remember the day you introduced me to Marie?” Emma brushed back a thick lock of Cain’s hair and held it in place when it kept falling forward.

“I remember how well you and she got along.”

“Do you know why we got along?” Cain shook her head, and Emma kissed Cain’s forehead before answering. “Because Marie told me something that I’ll always treasure.”

“What?”

“She said you’d found someone who would love you more than she did. Then she told me how lucky I was.”

“Why?” Cain moved to get a better look at Emma’s face, never having heard this story.

“Because I’d never have to be afraid. If you could keep me safe, you would.”

Emma could see the wounded look her words caused. She had to tell the first part of this memory, though, so she could get to the wisdom that had been Marie.

“You didn’t fail her, love, and no matter her handicap, Marie understood more than you think. She finally said that you couldn’t be everywhere, and sometimes bad stuff happened. When it did, you still loved me and didn’t want it to occur. It just did sometimes.”

“But she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

“No, she didn’t, but it wasn’t your fault, and it wouldn’t have taken place if you’d known about it. That’s the important thing here, love. If you’d known. You didn’t, and it’s time to stop beating yourself up about it. What happened to Marie happened because Danny was a sick bastard.”

Emma rested her head on Cain’s and sighed. “I almost wish he’d taken out his need to hurt us on me. Maybe that would’ve saved her.”

In an instant their positions reversed, and now Cain was doing the holding. “Don’t ever say that. Even though I lost Marie, I thank all that’s holy you don’t have to live with the pain of what he could have done that night.”

“Thank you for feeling that way, but I want you to forgive yourself for Marie.” Emma straddled Cain’s lap so they could look each other in the eye. “Will you at least try?”

“I’ll try.”

“And will you promise me something else?”

“Name it.”

“Heap on Gino Bracato the same pain he gave Marie. She was your sister, but she was my family too. I don’t know what happened to Danny, and I don’t care to know exactly what happened to Stephano, but Gino deserves to suffer.”

Cain put her hands around Emma’s hips and pulled her forward in a hug. “Thank you for that, but I don’t want you to say or know things you’ll have a hard time living with later. I treasure your compassion and the fact that you haven’t had to make any pacts with the devil yet. Because, believe me, he exacts a heavy toll at times.”

“Don’t patronize me, Cain.”

Cain smiled. “I’m not patronizing you, love. I’m just looking out for you.”

“But I can live with this wish.” Emma pushed herself up so Cain could see her eyes and the sincerity in them. “No one lives a complete life if they don’t learn from their mistakes. I adopted my mother’s perspective and considered everything either black or white, right or wrong, in its place or out of it. When I met you, I fell in love with you, but part of me thought what you did to earn a living was wrong.”

“But I am. Wrong, I mean, in the eyes of the law.”

“So what? Special Agent Kyle was supposed to be the law, and look what happened. I know now that you don’t go out of your way to hurt people, and what you do and how you do it isn’t hurting anyone but the IRS.” Emma pressed her fingers to Cain’s lips to keep her quiet for a while longer. “There’s something else. You know when to avenge a wrong done to someone you love, and just because you do, you’re not a horrible person.”

“That’s a change of heart,” mumbled Cain, the fingers still pressed to her mouth.

“It’s just the truth, sweetheart. Marie’s life meant more than Gino’s, so it’d be wrong to let him get away with what he did.”

“And he won’t. I’ll swear to that on a stack of Bibles.”

Before Cain could continue, the phone on the nightstand rang. It was one of the only secure lines in the house. “Casey,” she said. “No, it’s not too late, don’t worry about it.” She pulled Emma closer and listened to whatever the caller was saying. “I’ll try and make it in the morning.”

“Anything wrong?”

“Just a strange invitation. Nothing to worry about.”

“Good. Now we can go to sleep.” Emma snuggled up to Cain’s side. They would have many of these talks, she was sure, especially once Hayden came of age, but they’d get through them if they just said what was in their hearts. That and love would keep them whole.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14