Free The Devil's Orchard by Ali Vali

had slipped his five-year-old mind when he’d asked and been put off. “Are you ready for school?”
    “I need my shoes.” Hannah held up her bare feet.
    “Come here, Miss Puppy,” Emma said as she held her hand up. “You don’t want to be late.”
    “It’s okay, Mama,” Hannah said. “I don’t mind being late.”
    “I mind, so let’s get your shoes on,” Emma said, then shook her head when Hannah took off at a fast run. “Do you have your permission slip?” she asked Hayden.
    “I packed it last night along with the money you gave me for lunch.”
    “Where are you headed?” Cain asked.
    “The World War Two Museum. They got a local veteran to take us on the tour. Cool, huh?”
    Trips away from school worried Cain. She always had to balance trying to keep them safe with letting them live as normal a childhood as they could. She didn’t want either of their children to think of this time as a prison or a microscope, where they were constantly being watched.
    “They needed some volunteers, so Mook offered his services,” Emma said, as if reading her mind.
    “Have fun.” She hugged Hayden before he left to gather his things.
    “You don’t think they’d touch the kids, do you?” Emma asked as she came beside her and rested her arm around her shoulder.
    “I don’t ever like to worry you, lass, but to get what he wants, I believe Juan will do anything. To use children would be unacceptable to me, Ramon, and Vincent, but that’s not who we’re dealing with. If he got that lucky, I’d have no choice but to give him anything, aside from you, that he wants.” The frustration of being so blind to what dangers lurked out there made her want to punch a hole in the table. All the time and money she’d spent on hunting Juan and to have nothing infuriated her.
    “Because you’re so self-sacrificing I called the school and suggested they needed more volunteers who were licensed to carry firearms,” Emma said, and kissed the top of her head. Cain said another prayer of thanks to whatever higher power had sent her Emma as a partner. And she was certainly becoming that in every aspect.
    “Thank you for that, my love. Maybe I should put you in charge of finding Juan and Anthony. We’d be done with all that by now.”
    “I appreciate the confidence, but I have a job.” Emma dropped into her lap and kissed her on the lips. “Wife and mother is full-time enough, so you’ll have to deal with the rest. I’m sure some women think I’m letting down females everywhere by sounding so domestic, but their last name isn’t Casey. Those two roles carry a bit more meaning because my name is.”
    “Those are my most important jobs too, so don’t worry about the rest.” She laid her hand on their baby and felt Emma take a deep breath. “You need me to run any errands for you today?”
    “I just have a few phone calls left, and I don’t want you to change your mind,” Emma said before she kissed her again.
    “Change my mind?” She laughed as she stood with Emma cradled in her arms. “Juan has a better chance at stealing you away from me than me changing my mind.”
    “There’s no chance in hell Juan’s getting anything from me.”
    “Then I’ll be waiting at the altar for you, Mrs. Casey. And once you arrive it’ll be my honor to tell our friends and God how much I love you, as well as how I intend to spend my life with you.”
    “I’m looking forward to saying the same, and once I do the honeymoon begins.” Emma bit her bottom lip with enough pressure to make her hard. She felt such a rush of emotion she had to sit again.
    “You’re going to make me late, and I have my shoes on,” Cain said as she moved her hand up Emma’s thigh.
    “Just a little preview of things to come.” Emma stood up and smoothed her linen slacks. “But that’ll have to wait since I’m expected at Hannah’s school this morning. I’m in charge of story time today.”
    “Be careful and call me when you’re