Cajun Justice(26)

“She’s going to milk this cash cow for as much money as she can,” Cain said as it dawned on him.

“You think you’ll be mentioned?” Bonnie asked.

“God, I hope not.”

“Prostitution wouldn’t even be mentioned in the Japanese news,” she said. “Nobody cares about that kind of stuff here. One of my clients is the CEO of one of the largest auto companies in—”

“One of your clients?” Cain interrupted.

“Yeah, one of my students,” Bonnie clarified. “I teach English to a few business executives to make a little extra money.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, I don’t tell you all my secrets.”

“That’s probably the best news I’ve heard all day!”

Cain and Bonnie laughed together.

“Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve been telling one of my clients about your situation.”

“Sis, please don’t do that.”

“He can help, Cain. This is exactly what you need. He runs one of the largest auto companies in Tokyo, and he is looking for a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” Cain said with disgust.

“I know. You guys hate that word.”

“We’re not bullet catchers. We use our brains, too.”

“Some more than others.” Bonnie giggled. “The work here would be easy lifting and the pay would be good. Plus, it gets you closer to me. Maybe then Mom and Pops would come out here to visit. You know they’re never going to travel this far unless we’re both here.”

“They’re homebodies. They’ll never leave the farm. Plus, they wouldn’t leave Seth by himself, and he ain’t gonna fly that far.” Cain paused a beat. “Thanks for thinking of me. But I’m going to settle this tomorrow morning at my meeting with the SAC.”

“Fine. If they do end up giving you a few days off work, go down to the farm. Mom would love to see you, and there is plenty of stuff you could do to help out Pops. It’ll be good for your soul to get back south for a bit, too.”

“Maybe so.”

“Give ’em hell, brother. With what you’ve been through in life, this ain’t no hill for a mountain climber.”

“I can always count on you to be my biggest cheerleader.”

“We’re family,” Bonnie said, taking on a more serious tone. “We’ll always have each other. No matter what.”





Chapter 23



Cain had been up for hours. His sleep was restless. After he lost count of how many times he tossed and turned, he got up and sat at the dining table. The rain and gray clouds from the night gave way to a morning that dawned into a brilliant blue sky from horizon to horizon.

I hope this is a sign of positive things to come, Cain thought as he finished his third cup of coffee. Time to get ready for the SAC.

He went to his closet and picked out his sharpest suit—a tailored navy blue with pinstripes. He had custom ordered it for when he was on assignment in Seoul. The president had attended a nuclear security summit and greeted American troops deployed at the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, as they called it. Security had been extra tight and Cain vividly recalled constantly scanning the large expanse of land, hills, and forests for snipers. Had just one North Korean soldier fired upon the president, World War III would have erupted.

Cain donned a starched white shirt, a blue-and-yellow-striped tie, and a pair of caramel leather boots. He was impeccably dressed. Jill was right—the Service judges you on how you look.

As he left his bedroom and headed toward the door, he saw the framed picture on the dining table. He kissed two of his fingers and placed them on Claire’s face. “Thank you for talking me through this, Claire Bear. We have a plan, and I promise I’ll stick to it.”





Chapter 24



The White House meeting began promptly at 0830. LeRoy ushered Cain into the office of the special agent in charge. Unlike the director, who oversaw the entire mission of the Secret Service, the SAC was responsible for overseeing all facets specifically related to the safety of the First Family. His walls were full of framed and autographed pictures of himself with presidents, world leaders, and members of various royal families. The SAC was in his midfifties and still physically fit. He chalked that up to a life without alcohol, living by Mormon principles, and good physical fitness habits he cultivated while playing high school and college basketball. He was clean-shaven and seemed especially proud of his full head of salt-and-pepper hair. He held every strand in place with some type of shiny styling product.

“Thank you for coming today, Agent Lemaire,” the SAC said with a calm and welcoming demeanor.

“Thank you for calling this meeting,” Cain replied. “I’m hopeful we can put this behind us so I can get off admin leave and come back to work.”

“I understand how difficult this last week has been for you,” the SAC said. “Quite frankly, it’s been challenging for all of us. You’ve done a great job protecting our nation’s leaders, Agent Lemaire. You’ve kept yourself in shape, you’ve been reliable, and you were honest during your polygraph exam yesterday.”

“Would you have expected anything less from me, sir?”