Chapter Forty-Nine

The deserted airstrip was lit only by the headlights of the vehicles below, but the pilot still made a smooth landing. Once on the ground, as Emma kissed Cain one last time before following Merrick to one of the waiting vehicles, Lou carried a large bag from the plane and threw it into the back of another vehicle.

As they rode over the rough Wisconsin terrain, Cain closed her eyes and rested her head on the neck support. The bundle she held against her chest was still, oblivious to the rocking. Aside from Mook, who was driving, she’d brought along only Lou and Katlin. Emma and Merrick were already well on their way to Maddie’s.

For once, she wished Hayden were a little older so she could’ve included him. Someday she’d tell him the whole story as part of his lessons for his future responsibilities, which included keeping the Casey secrets as well as their legacy.

They stopped next to a pitch-dark wooded area. After they entered the old stand of trees and walked about half a mile in, Cain noticed that the stars were barely visible, even though the trees were still bare. She had to give Mook credit for accomplishing what she’d asked. From the thickness of the roots, it couldn’t have been easy.

“I owe you a bonus, man,” Cain said. She now sat in the portable chair Katlin had carried for her, a lantern at her feet, and clutched her still-achy side. She could forget about it for long stretches now, but in the cold night air after a long walk she knew she still wasn’t a hundred percent.

“It took me two weeks because I only worked at night, so I’m thinking fifty-yard-line tickets for a couple of games next year for Hayden and me.” The hole they were staring at was deep and more than worth what Mook was requesting.

Carelessly, Lou dropped his load onto the mud near the hole, and in the stillness of the night Cain heard a moan. Giovanni Bracato’s eyes didn’t open after Lou slit the bag apart, and they stayed closed until Katlin slapped him hard across the face, which woke him up from the sedative Vincent’s men had given him.

Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus on where he was. He was sure he would wake from this nightmare and find himself in bed next to the young woman he’d hired for the night. The process by which he’d gone from her bed to a cold night on his knees had to be a dream.

“Personally,” Cain’s voice was low as she adjusted the lamp by her feet, “I like the city, but this place is starting to grow on me.” She waved to the surrounding area. “It really is more suited for nights like tonight than the sprawl of New Orleans.”

“You let me go now, and I might consider letting your family live.”

“You shut your mouth now, and I’ll let you live that many more minutes longer.”

Cain’s matter-of-fact tone made Giovanni stop talking.

“If you want a quick death, though, I’ll be happy to accommodate you.”

“Cut the shit, Casey. You aren’t going to kill me.”

Her chuckle came close to making Giovanni lose his temper, but he pressed his lips together and stopped talking again.

“Why do you think that?”

“You need me.”

She raised her eyebrow at that statement, so Giovanni rushed ahead. “For balance, you need me. Besides, my sons will never rest until they avenge me, and you don’t want that kind of shit.” The urge to take a shot was more important to him than his immediate safety, so Giovanni took it. “It’s less time for you to fuck that little piece—”

Lou hit him in the back of the head, pitching him forward and giving him a mouth full of mud for his words.

“Careful, Big Gino. I wouldn’t want you to die on me before we’re through.”

“Sorry, boss,” Lou said, even though he sounded less than sincere.

“No need. You just saved me the trouble.” Cain pulled her coat tighter around her. “Are you done, or do we leave you with Lou a little while till we kill all that spunk?”

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” She put her hand on her chin as if to think of a good answer. “Not too much, really. I just wanted to have a talk.”

“That would’ve taken a phone call, so why all this?” Even though his hands were tied behind him, Giovanni could feel goose bumps rising on his arms. “Your father would’ve never tried anything like this. He understood the ways things were done.”

“Like having a coward kill him from a moving car? You’re right. I guess he underestimated how dishonorable you are.”

Had there been more light, Giovanni was sure Cain would’ve seen the vein in his neck pulsate. “Dalton was careless, but that had nothing to do with me.”

Cain’s head fell back a little as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I should start by saying that I told my wife this wouldn’t take long.”

Giovanni shrank back from her glare when she opened her eyes again.

“You wouldn’t want to make a liar out of me, would you?” Leaning in his direction, she balled her fist, and the blow knocked him back so far, Lou had to jump to catch him before he tumbled into the hole.

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Giovanni shook his head, trying to clear the blood out of his nose.

“Call it incentive to pay attention.” From her coat pocket Cain pulled a small pouch.

Giovanni spat, trying to get the copper taste out of his mouth, and almost hit Cain’s boot. “What do you hope to gain here? Aside from me making it my mission in life to kill you.”

“I gain knowing the truth of what happened. That’s all, really, and in a way, so will you.” Cain untied the drawstring on the pouch. “Actually, your new mission should be to ask for forgiveness.”

The clink of whatever landed in her palm made Giovanni crane his neck to see.

“I have all the truth I need, so there’s no reason to lie.”

“You do, huh?” Giovanni laughed and shifted in an attempt to get the circulation going in his legs again. “You’re a lot like Dalton.” He needed to tip the scales back in his favor. “Do you realize that? A taste for cheap whiskey and cheaper women, but weak for everything else.”

When he saw the first ring in Cain’s hand, any other words died in his throat.

“If I’m lucky”—the next ring came out of the bag—“at the end of my life, people will compare me to my father.” The third ring rolled out into Cain’s palm, but she didn’t look up until the last one came out and she returned the bag to her jacket.

“What have you done?”

“I observed your offspring, Giovanni. I watched them and how they lived.” She stretched out her hand so he could see the four signet rings clearly. “Your sons were very much like you. Do you realize that?”

“Were?” The possibilities of what Cain had said were almost too much for Giovanni to handle, but he fought back the bile in his throat.

“Did you think I’m so weak that I’d ignore your attacks on my family?” The laugh that followed had nothing to do with mirth. “No, Giovanni, you now have to atone for every action you ordered.”

Giovanni had always avoided tears, but they now flowed freely down his cheeks. “Please, not my sons. Anything but that.”

Cain raised the first ring and held it to the light to read the inscription inside. “For my brother Billy, you paid with Stephano’s life.” With a quiet thud it landed in the mud in front of Giovanni. “For my mother’s life, Michael’s sacrifice seemed to fall short, but it’ll have to do.” The next ring fell next to the first. “Marie, my sister, was an innocent soul, but your boys couldn’t respect that, and they gave her the most miserable of deaths.”

At the word “innocent,” Giovanni knew what name would come next, and the totality of his sins landed on his shoulders. His youngest, Francis, was too kindhearted to ever get far in his world, and Giovanni had kept him close so the vultures wouldn’t get near him. He was doing better after Giovanni had started to spend a lot of time showing him the business, but he still had a lot to learn. Through his tears he recognized Francis’s ring in Cain’s hand. A car accident had caused the ding on the side that his youngest son had never had repaired.

“Francis was your sacrifice for Marie’s death.”

Cain’s words confirmed his fears.

“That leaves us with one.”

“Even if you kill me tonight, Gino will be my salvation. He won’t rest until he avenges all of us.” He spit again after the outburst, and again he landed on his face after Lou hit him.

As Lou lifted him, he sobbed when he saw the last ring in Cain’s hand.

“Tonight I wanted you to know the pain of losing your entire family.” The last ring landed in the dirt. “That was your price for my father’s death. Every one of them is dead, and the Bracato name will die with them.”

“No, I still have my grandson, and even you aren’t coldhearted enough to kill an infant.” He tilted his head to the side, trying to wipe his face on his shirt. “If you are, then you’ll have a special place in hell.”

With a nod Cain signaled Mook to come forward and hand over his bundle. Seemingly happy, Gino’s infant son gurgled and smiled up at her.

“Your eldest son died thinking I’d done just that. He spent his last moments believing his stupidity had cost him the one good thing in his life.”

Giovanni wanted nothing more than to break the bindings and rip Cain apart with his bare hands. “What, you’re leaving that pleasure for me?”

“There’s more than one way to kill something dear.”

A deep breath did nothing to calm Giovanni’s frustration. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“That after tonight, Giovanni Bracato III will cease to exist. Your family name will be forgotten within the week.” She handed the baby back and Mook walked away, the outline of his body rapidly becoming nothing more than a shadow. “It ends tonight, Giovanni, and there’s nothing left to say.”

“Funny, I still have plenty to say.”

Cain pushed, and Giovanni fell back into the hole Mook had worked so diligently on, breaking his arm as he landed. The silence and miles of solitude swallowed his scream.

“Get me out of here.” He imagined that every bug in the state of Wisconsin was crawling on him, and the sides of the space were closing in on him. “Casey, I fucking mean it.”

Cain waved Lou off, then picked up a shovel and started filling.

Giovanni screamed louder when he felt the first load hit his chest, crystalizing what Cain had in mind.

She kept moving dirt until Giovanni could no longer be heard and she’d worked up a sweat despite the weather. Lou took over so Cain could get back to her loved ones.

At the car she took the baby back from Mook and kissed his forehead. “I didn’t know your mama, little man, but from what I learned about her, I think she’d be happy for you. Because no matter what, you’re going to be loved, and that starts now. I just buried your past, so you should have a good head start.”

“Cain told us the news.”

Emma wasn’t listening to Maddie, hadn’t listened to her for the past hour. As much as she’d wanted to wake the kids earlier, Emma had told her to wait. She’d said she missed them but wanted Cain with her when she saw them again.

Emma tapped her nail against the front windowpane and tried to break through her fog of concern for Cain. “What news?”

“Cain bought the old Jones place, and she’s going to let Jerry and your dad share it. We’re planning on doubling our herd by the summer.”

When the headlights of a vehicle appeared in the distance, Emma almost ripped the curtain off its rod. She didn’t know why, but she’d been a nervous wreck since Cain had left her side. Things were probably fine, but now that everything she wanted was in her grasp, the thought of losing it was unbearable.

“Hi, darlin’.” Cain’s deep voice vibrated though Emma’s chest as Emma practically jumped off the porch into her lover’s arms. “Come on and let’s get our present inside.”

Mook handed her the baby and waved good night as he started for the stairs.

Maddie was the first to come up out of her seat when Cain walked in. She smiled when the little guy put his head down on Cain’s shoulder and blinked big brown eyes her way.

“First, I want to thank you for taking our children in and keeping them safe.” Cain couldn’t stand Maddie’s longing anymore, so she handed her the baby. “And if it’s not too late, I want to talk to you two about something.”

“We’re set to take the day off tomorrow, so sure,” Jerry answered. When he touched the baby, his hand covered the back of the child’s head.

Cain winked in Emma’s direction before sitting back and watching the bonding begin. “You two have been so kind to us, especially to Emma and Hannah while we were apart. Emma has told me how well you both treated our little girl, and I believe that kind of friendship should be rewarded.”

“You don’t owe us anything, Cain. Maddie and I were happy to help.” The tough farmer held his finger up and laughed when the tiny fingers grasped it.

“I’ll be honest, guys, if God has blessed me with anything despite the things I’ve done in my life, it’s the love of my wife.”

Emma linked their fingers together and smiled.

“No word can describe what came because of that blessing. When you hold your child for the first time, you believe your life has infinite possibilities and your heart fills with infinite love. The responsibility is sometimes daunting, but very worth it.”

“We can’t…” Jerry stopped. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but Maddie and I can’t have children.”

Cain dropped a kiss on Emma’s forehead before approaching the couple. “May I?” She held out her arms for the baby.

“My father always told me that your children are yours, but only for a short time. It’s what you do with and for them in that time that will make them good people. Your time with him starts now.”

Jerry’s hands were shaking so much he almost dropped the baby when Cain handed him over. “Use it wisely, but only if you want.”

“Do you mean it?” Jerry asked, as Maddie jumped to her feet.

“I mean it, and I can’t think of two better people to care for him.” Cain pulled adoption papers out of her coat pocket.

“Oh, my God.” Maddie flung her hands to her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. “We can’t thank you enough.”

“There’s only one thing I want you to remember.” Cain took the papers and pressed them into Maddie’s hand. “On here it says Baby Rath came from a Russian orphanage. He should never hear any other story about his origin.”

“Why would we think differently?”

The baby sighed as Jerry kissed his forehead again. “We’re going to love him and tell him this is his home. The way I see it, the rest isn’t important.”

“Then congratulations.” Cain gently slapped his back and accepted a long hug from Maddie, who was still crying as she clung to Cain, watching Jerry cradle their new son.

“No one deserves this more than you do, Maddie. My cousin prepared the initial papers, the ones you’re holding, in conjunction with one of her law-school pals who’s currently practicing in Wisconsin. Once you and Jerry pick a name, give her a call. It’s better all around, though, if you pick one before we leave.”

“We won’t ever have to give him back, right? I don’t think I could bear that…the disappointment would kill me.”

“It would take breaking me, darlin’.”

Before Cain could finish, Emma walked up and placed her hand on Maddie’s back. “Cain will often bend on some things, but breaking isn’t in her makeup. Her word is her oath, and nothing will ever change it.”

“Oh, Emma, you of all people know what this means to me.” Maddie laid her head on Cain’s chest like she would never let go. “Thank you, Cain. Tonight you’ve given me the only other thing aside from Jerry I’ve always wanted.”

Merrick walked in carrying a few bags and put them down in the doorway. “Sorry, boss, I thought you were done.” Outside a few doors closed quietly, but in the stillness the group still heard them. “The guys are back and turning in for the night, unless you need something else.”

“I think we’ve accomplished enough for one night, don’t you? Let’s leave the Rath family to get acquainted.”

Cain carried the bags in and gave them to Jerry, since he’d relinquished their new son to his mother. They contained enough diapers and supplies to last them a couple of weeks, which was more than enough time to lay the groundwork to make their story work.

“Enjoy, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

“All set?” Katlin asked as soon as Merrick quietly clicked the door shut.

“Seems like it.” Merrick gazed out at the yard and the men heading into the bunkhouse close to the fence line. “When was the last time you took a girl parking?”

“Does it entail driving? Because I have to warn you about getting lost out here in the middle of flat hell,” Katlin said as she pushed Merrick up against the front of the house and pressed her lips against the side of Merrick’s neck.

“The car you were in should still be warm. If not, you have the key, don’t you?”

“Don’t you worry, darling girl.” Katlin offered her hand readily. “I’ll keep you warm.”

When the back door of the vehicle closed, Merrick climbed willingly onto Katlin’s lap. They’d been doing so much for Cain that their time together had been severely limited. It had been so long since Merrick had wanted to be intimate with someone that now she wanted to rush and feel Katlin’s skin pressed to hers and study more closely the tattoos that were seared into her memory.

“Make sure you tell me if I do something you don’t like,” Katlin said as she tugged Merrick’s sweater over her head.

She bit down softly on a dark nipple, and Merrick hissed. “I don’t do this often with a woman who’s got a gun and knows how to use it.”

“Shut up and get going before I shoot you just for incentive.” Merrick pulled on Katlin’s hair when she bit down a little harder on her other nipple.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Now you’re getting it, darlin’.”

Merrick ignored the laughter as Katlin unbuttoned her jeans.

“Only this is going to mean so much more than just a roll in the back of a car. I hope you’ve come to realize that too.”

Merrick kissed her and unbuttoned Katlin’s shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin. “I realize lots of things, but right now I want you to touch me.” She sat up enough to take her pants off, then went right back to Katlin’s lap. As she wove her fingers into Katlin’s dark hair again, intending to entice her lips back to her breasts, she saw something at the fence line that didn’t belong there. “What the hell?”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14