The voice stilled Emma’s hand and tightened her nipples to the point where she felt as if she needed to cover her chest to hide the effect from Cain. Her soft timbre reminded her of her nights in Cain’s bed.
“I’m taking advantage of your weakened condition, so be quiet.”
“You know something, shorty?”
“The pain must be getting bad. Either that or you’re delusional if you think you’re going to get away with calling me that,” Emma teased back.
“I’m beginning to think you’re enjoying having me here with no choice but to succumb to your wiles.”
Emma placed the nurse’s call button closer to her hand and stopped what she was doing. “I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat, I already told you that, and if you want I can get someone else to do this. This isn’t about pushing you.”
“I didn’t say I wanted you to stop.”
The blue eyes opened and pinned Emma with a look she hadn’t seen in forever. Cain almost looked like she cared.
“How about you and me make a deal until all this is over and we settle back into some semblance of a normal life?”
“What did you have in mind, Cain?”
“Well, we share a name and all these kids running around, so what do you say to being friends? That’s one thing we haven’t tried in a while.”
“I’d love that. You’ll see with time that I mean what I’ve said to you. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere ever again.”
Cain gave in to her fatigue and closed her eyes. “One day at a time, sweetling. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” The feel of the towel disappeared, but not the fingers running through her hair. Their presence put her to sleep.
*
Merrick was sitting behind Cain’s desk at home getting some business done when the phone rang. They had gotten back from the hospital after the nursing staff wouldn’t be put off anymore and evicted Emma from her spot on the bed. After a late lunch the Caseys had retired upstairs for naps.
“Runyon,” she barked into the phone.
“Merrick, this is Blue over at the club.” The man sounded winded and rushed.
“What’s going on?” She reclined in the comfortable chair and glanced out the window. Six guards perched on the fence line not far from where she was sitting.
“Some fucker just blew the shit out of the place.”
Giovanni’s eldest son looked on from a few blocks away, the detonator still in his hand. They would take out every one of Cain’s holdings, showing her she had no safe place to hide, and they wouldn’t stop until all of the Caseys were dead. The blond bitch who had the audacity to touch his son would pay the ultimate humiliation before he personally slit her throat. He smirked as he thought about making Cain watch as he fucked her precious little wife before he took her out.
“Tick tock, Casey. Your time’s running out, and I’m holding the stopwatch.”
The Devil Unleashed
A gunshot meant to end the legacy of the Casey Clan has left a weakened Cain fighting to regain control of her business while trying to protect her heart from the woman who left her. Threatened from every side, Cain must unleash that devil to protect all she holds dear. One by one, Cain faces her enemies and discovers the truth of who was behind one of the greatest losses of her life. Only this time she might not have to carry the burden of leading the family alone—if she is willing to take a chance on love again. But can she trust Emma not to run as she did once before when faced with the dark parts of the Casey family leader?
Second in The Casey Family Saga
The Devil Unleashed
© 2006 BY Ali Vali. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 10: 1-933110-61-9
This trade paperback original is published by
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.,
New York, USA
First Edition December 2006
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editors: Shelley Thrasher and Stacia Seaman
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design By Sheri (graphicartist2020@hotmail.com)
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Radclyffe for believing in my writing and for your continued encouragement. Your staff and the rest of the Bold Strokes family have been wonderful from the time I signed on.
This book is a sequel to The Devil Inside, and I wanted to thank all those who read it and enjoyed it enough to want more. That is the highest compliment you can pay a writer—wanting more.
The Devil Inside and The Devil Unleashed would not exist without the tireless dedication and work of my editor, Shelley Thrasher. Each word I write is important to me as an author, and Shelley treats them with the kind of respect that makes me grateful to Radclyffe for introducing us. She has been the kindest of teachers, a great sounding board, and the best when it comes to giving praise. Thank you, Shelley, for the hours you put into this and for your and Connie’s friendship as well.
Thanks also to my partner for providing the inspiration I need to keep the words flowing. You have been and continue to be the muse that sparks my imagination. This past year hasn’t been the easiest, and I’m sure we have some hard days yet to come, but it only strengthens our commitment to each other. Difficult or easy, each day with you is a gift I try hard never to squander.
Dedication
For C and Papi
You both instill in me the imagination to tell stories
and the courage to share them
Chapter One
“Fuck!” Merrick Runyon said, slamming the phone down. Blue, the manager of the club Emerald’s, had called to tell her about the explosion that had just destroyed it. If she had to guess, mob boss Giovanni Bracato had thrown the first punch in the upcoming war. With his sons and grandson back in his possession, Giovanni wasn’t wasting any time on exacting revenge.
The tall, slim African American woman leapt from the desk chair in Derby Cain Casey’s home office, the clanging alarm system making her dive to the floor and start crawling. As soon as she opened the door, the wall of Cain’s first-floor office erupted with gunfire. Screams rang from every corner of the house as soon as the firing began, which, judging from the spray of bullets, wasn’t going to end any time soon. Outside, three of the six men stationed on the wall had to be dead for anyone to get this kind of access to the back of the house.
The gunfire seemed to be concentrated on the office and the bedrooms. With the safety of a few walls between her and the outside of the house, Merrick ran up the stairs. If something happened to Cain’s family on her watch, she’d never find anyplace on earth to hide. She gripped her Glock 9 mm as she sprinted down the hall to the rooms where Hayden, Emma, and Hannah Casey had been sleeping.
“Emma,” Merrick yelled as she ran.
A huge wave of relief washed over her as Hayden stepped into the hall in just a pair of jeans. She pushed the twelve-year-old to the ground and continued to the room next door, where she found Emma and five-year-old Hannah cowering in the middle of the room in front of the bed. Without thinking, she dashed in, grabbed them both by the collar, and dragged them into the hall. The windows were history and the wall looked like swiss cheese, but they were safe.