“Believe me, Cain wants the same thing. She was pissed. I’ll call you and let you know what time we head out. I’m sure Cain is going to want to talk to you first thing, so call her at the hotel. I’ll make sure it’s a good line.”

“Thanks, Lou, and call me if there’s anything else.” She hung up and checked in with Katlin and was glad the guys she’d picked were packed and ready for a flight at five in the morning. She called the hospital next, and was relieved to hear Josh was hanging on but still in surgery.

“Hey, boss,” Sanders said when she called him next, because she wanted to finish her evening and get to Kristen.

“Listen, I know it’s going to be time-consuming, but you’ve got to camp at the hospital. When Josh comes out of surgery, you need to be the first person he talks to. You also have to make sure no one tries to muscle the people Cain is sending to look out for you guys.”

“I like having a drink at the pub when I can, and Josh is a good friend. I’ll be happy to sit with him until he’s ready to go home. You have to know he’s not going to talk to anyone whether I’m there or not. Josh isn’t that kind of guy.”

“I know,” Muriel said, “but there’s no reason to take chances. Once our guys arrive tomorrow, point them in the right direction when it comes to the contractor. We need to figure out if there’s any connection. The rest we’ll talk about when I call you in the morning.” She left the light on the desk on as she stood and stretched. There was something in her gut that told her this was only the beginning of what was coming.

She stopped at the bedroom door and saw Kristen sitting up reading. The big sweater was gone, replaced by a silk nightgown with two very thin straps. Kristen put her bookmark in place and put the book in her lap. “Is your guy okay?”

There had been women before Kristen, but she’d never met anyone this compassionate. Perhaps it was because of her strange upbringing, but Kristen had a sense of empathy not shared by many people, especially someone this young. Looking at her made Muriel think of all the things Cain had said about Emma through the years. Love was the best healer as well as a shield to face the world when you had it.

“He’s still in surgery, but I’m hoping everything will be okay.”

Kristen got up and began unbuttoning Muriel’s shirt. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Cain was planning to expand the pub in the Quarter, and Josh, the manager—”