Chapter Forty-Six

“Welcome back to Carlotti’s, Mrs. Casey.” The head waiter escorted them through the din of the main dining room to where the rest of the families were waiting.

“Thank you.” Emma was perfectly content to walk at a leisurely pace while hanging on Cain’s arm. “It’s good to be back.”

For once the notoriously prompt Cain was fashionably late, but Emma could tell by their gait that Cain wasn’t worried about it.

“Is everyone here, Dominic?”

“Yes, ma’am. We were waiting for you and Mrs. Casey before we started preparing the salad. Mr. Vincent ordered the crabmeat for everyone tonight, and we want it to be perfect.” He bowed slightly, his hand on the doorknob.

Had it been anyone else, the forty-five minutes they’d kept Vincent waiting would have had them barred from the building for life. But Vincent was far from upset.

“You might want to hold off on that salad a little longer,” Vincent said to the waiter, when he opened the door and escorted the two women in, then just as quickly closed it, not bothering with the lock. “Welcome, Cain.” He took Emma’s hand and kissed it. “Emma.”

“Thank you for having us.”

“Tonight is for you and Cain, so please don’t thank me.”

Emma looked up at Cain, not understanding but confident she would fill in the blanks later. With a wink Cain walked them to the empty chairs at the table and pulled one out for Emma, who casually glanced around the room, recognizing all but a few people. Everyone was dressed to attend the opening of the club after the meal.

“Emma, I believe you know everyone except Remi and Mano Jatibon, and Mano’s wife, Sylvia,” Vincent said, playing the good host. “Raul shipped them off to make even more money for him.”

The twins, seated at their mother’s side, nodded in Emma’s direction. Vincent’s son Vinny and Ramon rounded out the party, and they too nodded in greeting. At the center of the antique table stood a bottle of Irish whiskey and glasses for everyone. Standing, Vincent broke the seal so he could start pouring.

“For months we have been facing a problem.” He spoke to no one in particular, and no one looked as if they were going to interrupt him for an explanation. “A problem that was growing stronger and more dangerous the longer we ignored it.”

Ramon continued, “And while it was a threat to all of our families, from the beginning our snake had its sights on one more than the rest.” He accepted a glass from Vincent, as did his wife and children.

Vincent picked up the tribute again, handing his son a glass. “We have all done our part to solve this problem, but one went beyond what was called for. For that we owe our gratitude.” The next two crystal glasses went to Emma and Cain before he hefted the last one for himself. “Cain, Ramon and I have worked in this city for a long time, building a legacy for our children.”

Ramon stood with his glass in hand again to tell part of the story. He had been the last to arrive in this country and this city, but he understood too well the importance of alliances. “Your father was no different, my friend. It still saddens me that you have had to go on without his counsel because of a pack of butchers.”

“Tonight belongs to you for another reason, Cain.” Vincent finally raised his glass and smiled. “And too long in coming, for which Ramon and I apologize.”

Emma felt Cain’s hand on her arm to keep her in her seat as she stood up and raised her glass as well. “No apologies are necessary among friends.”

“Perhaps not, but we’ll extend them anyway.”

When Cain shook her head, Vincent laughed and said, “Your father and I shared a very long friendship, and I was so happy for him the day you were born. The pride in his face only grew in the days that followed. Dalton understood the importance of family and of loyalty.”

His eyes then shifted to Emma. “You’ve given Cain the same gift Therese bestowed, and I see the same pride now blossom on Cain’s face. So in a way, I’m happy we waited to have this meeting.”

“Why?” It might not have been proper to speak, but Emma couldn’t help herself.

“Because, beautiful one, our lives and our businesses exist for our families,” Ramon answered. “We have to always remember that fact. It’s why Vinny, Remi, and Mano are here, as well as my wife.”

Vincent drew himself up, lifted his glass even higher, and formally addressed Cain. “Dalton had our respect and our loyalty because he earned it, and from your actions, Ramon and I can see he taught you well. I offer you the same, Cain. If you accept, I, Vincent Carlotti, offer you my friendship and my oath of protection to you and your family, should it be necessary.”

Ramon lifted his glass as well. “My offer is the same, and I look forward to working with you.”

“I accept,” was all Cain said, with no hesitation.

“To the head of the Casey family, then,” Vincent said.

Emma, Sylvia, and Marianna, Ramon’s wife, kept their seats, but the others stood and raised their glasses before drinking. Something important had just happened, and Emma knew that while Cain had always had power, the night’s events had just increased it tenfold. The old alliance had been formally re-formed, and Cain had replaced Dalton in the eyes of the other families. The muscle at both Vincent and Ramon’s disposal came with that acknowledgement.

Like the men standing with her, Cain had just pledged her help in return, if it should be needed. That meant she’d made a commitment Hayden would be expected to honor, just like Vinny, Remi, and Mano were willing to do for their families.

“What we have agreed to tonight has made us all stronger,” Cain said after she’d drained her glass. “To thank you for the honor, I come bearing gifts.”

“Before you say anything, Vincent and I have something for you.” Ramon accepted another drink from Vincent. “What you asked for, or should I say what you hoped for, I’d guess, is waiting for you. The place is a little open for our taste, though, so be careful.”

“What did he say?” Shelby closed her eyes and concentrated on the voice speaking. They were sure Vincent was using some sort of jamming equipment, but they’d come prepared. The audio was low but decipherable.

“Something about a gift,” Claire answered, as she too pressed the headphones closer to her ears. “We’ll clean it up later in the lab.”

“Joe?”

“Go ahead, Shelby.” He was keeping his eye on the cars the players had arrived in. Most of the drivers were leaning against one of the SUVs, smoking and laughing at something one of them was saying. The muscle was stationed at all the entrances. A well-planned hit would take out most of the bad guys in town.

“Call me the minute that door opens and you see them all leaving, Joe.”

“You got it.”

Back in the restaurant, Cain said, “This time around it’s worth the risk, Ramon. What’s the old saying, ‘a life without risks isn’t worth living’?”

“I believe it should be a ‘life without love’ instead of ‘risks,’” Marianna said. She smiled at Emma, who sat quietly next to Cain. “If that’s true, your life is very worth living, so take Ramon’s advice to heart.”

“Thank you, Marianna.” Emma also smiled, at the words and at the fingers squeezing hers gently. “And please don’t worry about Cain. She has too many responsibilities to be going around doing foolish things.”

“Is it official yet?”

“What?” The bottle Vincent had opened was almost empty, and Emma hoped the toasts for the night were done and someone would bring her a large glass of water.

“The reason you haven’t touched that?” Marianna pointed to the drink.

“You’ll be one of the first to know. I’m just following the doctor’s orders in getting ready.”

She laughed as she accepted a large juice Marianna got up and poured from the bar. “Once it happens I’ll be happy to shout it from the rooftops.”

“You might have to hurry for that, sweetheart.” When Emma looked up from her drink, Marianna pointed to the room where the others had disappeared. “The only other person I’ve known who is as crazy about such news is Ramon, so I’m sure Cain will beat you to shouting out the good news.” Marianna stood and embraced Emma. “I’m happy you have found yourself back home.”

“What in the hell are they talking about?” Claire asked. All of a sudden the interference had gotten so bad all the conversations disappeared, and then just as quickly it came back incredibly clear.

“If it’s anything important then they’re talking in code.” Shelby hitched her shoulders a bit as she continued to listen to the women discuss what sounded like nothing. “It’s hard to believe they met tonight so Marianna Jatibon and Emma Casey could catch up on old times.”

“Shelby?”

Joe’s voice startled her as she ran through the possibilities of what was really going on.

“Go ahead.”

“Does this sound vaguely familiar?” With powerful binoculars he swept the area again, but no one in his sights had moved.

The question stopped her thought process cold, and something became clear to her, making her stare at Claire and panic.

“What’s he talking about?” Claire asked.

“We need to get in there,” Anthony said. “Get our boss on the horn and get us a warrant.”

“I say we wait,” Lionel said.

“Explain, please,” Claire repeated. “If we blow our cover we’d better have more than a benign talk between two women.”

“The last time Cain played us,” Shelby paused, trying to get her thoughts in order, “for one brief moment we thought she’d screwed up and let us see into how her mind works. All of a sudden every conversation, every plan she was making was out in the open, and it was as if she didn’t care who was listening.”

“She had her own agenda.” Claire sounded as if it all became clear to her as well. “And tonight is no different.”

Not far from them Anthony was on the phone with Annabel Hicks. He was pleading his case, using the same rational argument Shelby was laying out for Claire.

Because he was, Hicks was hard-pressed to find any personal bias against Cain or the others. As soon as she finished talking to him she picked up the phone again and called one of their more reliable judges for the proper paperwork.

“What do you think she has in mind?” Claire asked.

Shelby kept listening as Emma, Marianna, and Sylvia talked about trivial matters. “Think about who’s in there, and all we hear are the three least important ones. The major players must be gone, making whatever move they had planned all along.”

The phone next to Claire rang, and both women just stared at it for three rings before Claire picked it up.

After listening to the person on the other end, Claire responded. “Yes, ma’am.” She exhaled heavily after she switched the phone off and told Shelby, “With any luck we have about ten minutes before we raid the restaurant.”

“Raid it? What in the hell for?”

Joe cut in on the radio. “The best Agent Hicks could come up with is liquor violations, whatever that means. It’s an excuse, Shel, to get us into that room and prove your theory right.”

“My theory? Oh, no, I’m not going on record as this being my idea. Because if we do this and we’re wrong, kiss the investigation up to now good-bye. You know as well as I do, Joe, once Muriel and Cain finish fighting this legally, the law is going to bite us in the butt. And we’re the law, God damn it.”

In a secluded basement room of the restaurant, the new alliance sat at a table where a lot of their previous meetings had taken place. Here, no matter how good the surveillance equipment was, the group was in a perfectly safe haven. Cain fished the four Bracato rings out of her pocket and placed them on the table, not needing to explain their significance.

“The city needs new territorial boundaries,” she began as she lined up the rings. “I ask only that if you decide on a piece of the drug trade, you do it with someone other than the Luis family.”

“They’re the best connected, so why?” Vinny asked. “They could help us make a lot of money.”

“His nephew has a problem with respect, especially when it comes to my wife and her needs. Do business with him if you like, but understand I won’t respect that boundary.” She stared at Vinny. “If he goes near Emma again, I’ll serve that bastard’s dick to his uncle on a plate and force him to choke on it.”

“Understood, Cain,” Vincent cut in with a glare for his son. “After the gift of new enterprises you’ve opened up for us, we can abide by that. Ramon?”

“Our interests are elsewhere at the moment, so we have no problem.”

His children nodded in agreement.

“Be careful with these people, though,” Ramon said. “They may look gentle, but Juan Luis is nothing but a butcher.” He cut his eyes to both Vinny and Cain. “He learned all his cruelty at his uncle’s knee. Rodolfo drinks in my club, but I’ll never have anything to do with him.”

“Well,” Vinny said, “someone has to control the drug trade in the city, or it won’t matter how aligned we are. The money involved can build an organization strong enough to topple us all. That’s what Giovanni and his sons were after.” Even though he spoke out of turn again, his words rang true.

“It sounds like something you might be interested in.” Cain threw the comment out as a test.

“Not if all of you are against it, but I’m warning you about letting some unknown get too well established. The city already runs red from those who want in and are willing to take a chance.”

Like their fathers, Cain and Vinny had grown up together and more than understood each other. Ramon might have not had a history, but his children had a long one with the next generation. Remi and Mano had known Cain and Vinny since they were six, so the four of them would back each other up even if the majority of them didn’t agree with a venture.

“What if we offered our protection as far as moving the stuff?” Remi said. “I think like Cain. If the drug trade doesn’t touch our businesses, we might negotiate with someone like Vinny, if he’s willing to take the chance.”

Remi had enough of her father’s trust to speak for him.

“What cut?” Vinny asked.

Vincent and Ramon looked at each other and smiled as their children set their courses for the future. Judging from Vinny’s question, the deal was done if the terms were agreeable.

“Twenty-five for us, twenty-five for Cain,” Remi offered, and Cain nodded.

“Done.” Vinny laughed and stood to shake hands with his allies.

Just then a team of agents led by Annabel Hicks entered the restaurant and headed for the private dining room.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14