“Can I go with you?” Kristen Montgomery asked as Remi placed a stack of folders in her briefcase. Remi was getting ready to head to the airport to fly out to meet Dallas. “I know you guys want time alone, but I miss my sister.”
“It was supposed to be a surprise for both of you, but the crew’s coming back next week so you’ll have Dallas around again. We’ll be back tonight, and she’ll be here for at least a month.” Remi closed her bag and grabbed her suit jacket. Everything that’d happened that day had put her on edge, and she was ready to spend the flight home alone with Dallas.
“I’ll see you both tonight then, and if you had anything to do with the move back home—thank you. We’ve already spent so much time away from each other, I hate doing it now.” Kristen was still in her early twenties, but she seemed to possess an old wisdom few ever achieved even with a pile of years behind them.
“The future’s going to be different for both of you. No more living in the shadows—I promise.” She dropped everything and hugged Kristen. “So do you mind me not sharing today if she’s all yours tomorrow?”
“Have fun and call me if you need anything or you get delayed, if you don’t mind.”
The different ring on the phone meant someone downstairs was requesting the private elevator. “You expecting anyone?”
“No. I was going to grab something to eat and stay in.”
“Ms. Jatibon, Muriel Casey’s here for you,” the doorman said. “Should I send her up?”
“Yes, please,” she said, putting the phone down. “Good thing the plane has to wait for me.”
Kristen laughed and followed her out to the foyer.
“I know you’re trying to get out of here, but Cain wanted me to give you a heads up. Finley called and is asking for a meeting,” Muriel said after shaking her hand.
“She’s coming here or she wants us to come to her?” Finley wasn’t a stranger to her or her family, but none of them, including Cain, ever acknowledged her in public.
“She’ll be here tonight, and she asked if you could come. This is only an information-seeking thing so it shouldn’t be too long.” Muriel smiled, and Remi noticed Kristen smiling back.
“Considering who’s asking for information, that’s interesting. I should be back no later than nine, so let me know.”
“Go ahead and take off. I can let myself out,” Muriel said.
“Sure, but maybe you can take Kristen out for dinner so she’s not out alone,” she said, and Kristen moaned.
“Remi, I’m sure Muriel has better things to do than babysit me.”
“So you wouldn’t want to go if I asked?” Muriel said with a smile. “Come on. I know a great place.”
“She’s got a curfew, so break it and I’ll snap you in half,’ Remi said, and Kristen moaned again.
“Don’t worry—you know me,” Muriel said.
Kristen figured it was some part of the code Remi and her friends lived by.
Muriel gave a little wave as Remi headed out. “I’ll see you later.”
Kristen studied Muriel like she had on numerous occasions. All she knew for sure was that she was Cain’s slightly younger cousin, an attorney, and incredibly attractive. That Muriel even knew she was alive was a pleasant surprise.
“So what are you in the mood for?” Muriel asked, slipping her hands into her pants pockets.
“You mentioned you know a place. What about that?” She found Muriel’s sudden shy demeanor even more interesting. It was quite a contrast to both Remi’s and Cain’s alpha personalities. When she first met Remi, she was jealous. Then she’d come to realize she’d never be happy with the same things Dallas had. She had to be her own woman, and that included the type of person she needed to fit with her.
“I have a couple of places in mind, so it depends on what you’re in the mood for. I’m good with anything because of the company.”
She pressed her index finger to her lips—maybe Muriel wasn’t as shy as she’d thought. “Is that a well-used line, Ms. Casey?”
“I haven’t kept much company lately, so I might be a little rusty,” Muriel said, her hands going deeper in her pockets.
“I’m sure I can find a way to oil the squeaks and knock off the rust. Do you mind giving me a few minutes,” she asked, spreading her arms out and letting them drop. “I need to change so I don’t look like some charity case you picked up along the way.”
“Take all the time you want. I’ve found rushing isn’t the way to go in situations like this.”
*
Remi put the file she was working on away when the wheels hit the tarmac. She wanted to forget work until she got home, and even Finley’s call for a meeting wasn’t upsetting her mood. Hopefully, Kristen and Dallas would use the time it took to catch up, leaving the rest of the night for the two of them to reconnect.
“And if I get my way that’ll happen with very little talking,” she said under her breath, glad when they came to a stop and she saw a car waiting. “Thanks, everyone,” she said when the crew opened the door for her. “Quick turnaround, so I’ll see you in a few hours.”
The last shoot of the day was in the middle of a cornfield, and she was amused at the crew posing someone to appear dead. Once she’d trained her and Mano’s children to take over the business, she was thinking of becoming a consultant for projects like this. The quickest way to get caught was to leave someone lying around where they’d be so easily discovered.
She found the formula used by Hollywood types comical, but set that thought aside when Dallas spotted her and came running to treat her to the greeting only Dallas had ever delivered. Dallas jumped into her arms and wrapped her legs around her for a human-octopus type of hug.
“I missed you, baby,” Dallas said when their first kiss ended.
“Right back at you.” She kissed Dallas one more time before letting go. “Are you almost done for the day?”
“One more scene and we’re good to go. The dead girl,” Dallas made air quotes with a big smile, “can’t stop breathing on camera.”
“Tell her I’m past ready to get you alone, so get it right or I’ll help her with the no-breathing part.”
Dallas laughed, and Remi swore she could feel the happiness coming off her lover like raindrops in a storm. “Have a seat and you can watch me earn my keep.”
The short scene took another hour, and then everyone was glad to hear they were headed back to New Orleans. That meant a week off for everyone, and Dallas was overjoyed. Their house purchase had come right after they’d started filming so she’d had to put all her remodeling plans on hold. A week would give her a head start on making it a home for them, while all Remi could do was nod.
It didn’t take long for Dallas to pack so they were wheels up and headed home. “How’d you convince Kristen to stay in New Orleans?” Dallas asked from her seat on Remi’s lap.
“She had a date, and I explained I was willing to share, but not yet.” Remi moved in for another kiss.
Dallas grabbed the hair at the back of Remi’s head and dragged her head away a little so she could see her face. “A date? With who?”
“Muriel’s taking her out for dinner. Don’t panic. I doubt they’re picking out china for dessert.” She tried to kiss Dallas again but got Dallas’s index finger to the forehead. “Muriel is taking her to dinner, querida. That’s it, and remember that I’ve known her practically all my life. She’d never do anything to disrespect your sister.”
“Our sister,” Dallas said softly, right into her ear. “Once we’re married, she’ll be our sister.”
“I wouldn’t put her in a bad situation because I love her, but right now she’s fine, and I’d rather talk about something else.”
“Funny,” Dallas said, then ran her tongue around the curve of Remi’s ear. “I’d rather not talk at all.”
*
“When’s she getting here?” Emma asked as Cain rubbed her feet. “I can’t believe I haven’t met her yet.”
“She’s a ghost who’s good at what she does. Actually, she loves what she does, and I can respect that.”
“Will you be long?” Emma moved around on the bed as if trying to find a comfortable spot.
“I doubt it, but I’ve lined up some recruits until I return to provide a backrest,” she said, going to open the door for Hayden and Hannah. “And they’ve promised to do whatever you need until I get home.”
Hannah ran to jump on the bed, and Hayden scooped her up before she could. “Just as long as some TV-watching is part of the deal,” he said, Hannah agreeing by clapping her hands.
“Any requests before I get back?” She kissed Emma as Merrick came into the room with Katlin. Emma’s guard was still moving a tad slower than normal, but her recovery had been miraculous so far. “You guys expand your viewing pleasure so everyone has a good time.”
She kissed Emma again and waved Katlin out the door. She was trying to curtail her evening meetings, but she’d never turn down Finley Abbott. She’d also never been seen in public with Cain so as to not ruin her life by exposing any kind of connection. To assure that had cost them all something she valued above all else.
The trip to the club didn’t take long, and because it was the beginning of the weekend, Emma’s was packed. They went around to the back, avoiding the crowd, and found Muriel and Remi already waiting. The way they both stopped talking meant she’d interrupted their conversation.
“Problem?” She wasn’t in the mood for big issues now.
“Nothing important to this,” Muriel said, and Remi chuckled.
“Your cousin invited my future sister-in-law to dinner, and from her demeanor when they got home, Kristen enjoyed it,” Remi said.
“I see,” she said, glancing at Muriel, then to the smirking Katlin. “Trip to the woodshed is what we walked into.”
“More of a friendly conversation,” Remi said. “Kristen and Dallas aren’t innocents in every sense, but they’re special to me.”
“I know who Kristen is, and I know what they’ve been through,” Muriel said, getting close to Remi. “It’s why I worked so hard to help you give them as clean a future as anyone could hope for. She isn’t a conquest, and you have my word I’ll be honorable.” Muriel held her hand out, and Remi didn’t hesitate to take it. “She probably thinks I’m boring anyway, so all this is a moot point.”
“Uh-huh,” Remi said but stopped her teasing when the door opened.
“Cousin,” Cain said, and opened her arms to FBI Special Agent Finley Abbott, her first cousin. Finley’s mother Siobhan was her da’s baby sister, and Siobhan and Shawn Abbott lived a quiet life in Florida. The sacrifice of being away from family had been worth it to her aunt so that Finley could follow her dreams. “You look good.”
“Thanks for seeing me,” Finley said, moving to Katlin next. Her connection to the Casey family wasn’t public knowledge, but her job had nothing to do with trying to bring them down either. Finley’s job was prosecuting sex crimes, so Cain was interested in why she was here since she worked hard to never let the sex trade touch her businesses.
Everyone had to follow their passion. So to get what she wanted, Finley had done some pruning on the family tree and picked that particular assignment. She’d never be ashamed of who she was and where she came from, but she wanted to ensure no FBI ladder-climber could ever use her blood ties to bring her family down.
“So you ran home?” Cain asked after Finley explained a series of events that had started in New York and had followed her here. Finley had been working undercover to break up a sex-trafficking ring that used women brought in illegally from mostly South American countries.
A mass killing a block from the Plaza Hotel had dropped pediatrician Dr. Abigail Eaton and her three children into Finley’s life, and she was doing her best, from what Cain could tell, to keep them alive. One of the clues Finley had pointed to New Orleans’s Hell Fire Club.
“You’re talking about Nicola Eaton?” Cain asked, trying to keep her tone even. She’d give Finley all the help she could and, more importantly, anything to keep her alive, but this was a cluster fuck waiting to happen. She tapped her fingers on the conference table in her usual random beat, hoping like hell Finley’s answer would be no.
“Have either of you heard of the Hell Fire Club?” Finley asked, and no one minded her taking notes.
Obviously, her life wasn’t going to get any less complicated any time soon. Cain gave Finley everything she had on what was basically a high-priced brothel in one of the high-rises downtown. She’d had some of her people keeping an eye on the secretive operation but had kept her distance. The Hell Fire Club, from what she knew for sure, was controlled by the Russian mob. Taking them on was like jumping naked into a well with a thousand pissed-off rattlesnakes. It wasn’t impossible to survive, but very unlikely you’d walk away without a few poisonous bites.
Remi stood and pledged her help, hugging Finley before she left. Finley apparently planned to take care of this by the book her employers used, and that sounded insane to Cain.
“Finley, I can’t tell you what to do, but you tip off the wrong person and you’ll lose more than Abigail. Can you live with that? Be completely honest, since you’ll carry that load a long time.” All of her own mistakes came to mind in one heavy moment. “I speak from experience when I say it’s backbreaking when you can’t turn back the clock and change the things that go wrong. The load is extremely heavy on the soul.”
“I’ll call, I promise.”
Cain nodded. All she could do now was remind Finley of her place in their family and her willingness to help before she had Lou take her back out the way they’d come. She hugged her cousin again, then dropped back into her chair when the door closed and shut her eyes.
“Nicola Eaton might be dead, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Russians own the Hell Fire Club and whatever else sick shit they’ve got running,” Katlin said. “It didn’t miss a beat when the plane carrying those two pompous fucks went down.”
“Katlin, they’re dead, so drop that part,” Cain said, rubbing her eyes. “I met Nicola here actually, but the brunette with her didn’t strike me as a pediatrician. True, Nicola was a pompous fuck, but we need to keep Finley and her little troupe alive, so start digging and see what you find.”
“Are you sure?” Muriel asked. “And before you get pissed at the question, remember what happened to Pandora. The Hell Fire Club is the equivalent to her box of horrors.”
“I don’t want to open the box if I can help it, just find the snake who owns the box. That might not be so easy, but when we do, we’ll shock the operation by severing the head. The body might not wither and die, but break into smaller, more manageable little boxes.” She opened her eyes and spread her hands open. “I’m open to suggestions. What alternative do you both think will keep Finley whole?”
“I’ll dig and see if there’s another way,” Katlin said.
“Keep in mind the strongest force is always the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room,” she said and stood.
“Are you calling us big monkeys?” Muriel said, laughing.
“We’re all monkeys in the end, cousin, but if you have to be a monkey—you might as well be King Kong.” She smiled and pointed to the door. “Let’s try our best to keep it that way.”