  Paid Justice 

                         By Morgan Kelley

 Copyright © 2017 Morgan Kelley LLC

All rights reserved. Without limiting rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, introduced into a retrieval system, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including without limitation photocopying, recording, or other electronic or technical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The scanning, uploading, and/or distribution of this document via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. For permission requests, email author.m.kelley@gmail.com

Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains graphic violence, explicit sexual activity and disturbing imagery. This book also contains a gay couple, but there is no descriptive sexual contact.

 ©Copyright 2017 cover by Celestia Abraham

Dear Reader,

Since my books crossover a great deal, I recommend reading them as they are written. I tend to mention characters in books they don’t generally occur in, and later in the series, there are full crossovers.

Some readers have contacted me for this list, and I figured I’d pass it on to the rest of you.

While you can read the books by series only, it only enhances the reading experience if you go in order of how I wrote them. I tend to give away secrets…

I’m sneaky like that.

On the next page, I’ve given you the list. 

MK

Here is the reading book order:

The Killing Times (FBI)
Sacred Burial Grounds (FBI)
True Love Lost (FBI)
Deep Dark Mire (FBI)
Fire Burns Hot (FBI)
Celestia is Falling (Croft & Croft)
Darkness of Truth (FBI)
Vegas is Dying (Croft)
Devil hath Come (FBI)
Christmas is Killing (Croft)
Blood Red Rage (Littlemoon)
Consumed by Wrath (FBI)
Sinner Repent (Carter trilogy 1)
Love is Bleeding (Croft)
Lost & Broken (Littlemoon)
Illegal Fantasies (Anthology 1)
Redemption is Here (FBI)
Sinner Realized.(Carter trilogy 2)
Romance Under Arrest (Anthology 2)
Heaven is Weeping (Croft)
Unthinkable Games (Littlemoon)
Dead Shall Speak (FBI)
Sinner Reborn (Carter trilogy 3)
Pledging to Die (FBI)
Hell is Burning (Croft)
Truth is Found (Littlemoon)
Slay Bells Ring (FBI)
Holiday Reinforcements (Trilogy 3)
Oracle Rising (Oracle)
Past will Haunt (FBI Flashback 1)
Choices will Destroy (FBI)
Justice is Dead (Final croft book)
Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon)
Blood Shall Run (FBI)
Oracle Seeing (Oracle)
Dark Justice (New Croft Series)
Forbidden Secrets (Littlemoon)
Act of Blood (FBI)
Oracle Saving (Oracle)
Stalked by the Past (FBI flashback 2 )
Dying to Love (FBI)
Lost Justice (Croft)
Kiss of Souls ( Littlemoon) (FBI/Littlemoon crossover)
Oracle Haunting (Oracle)
Revenge has Come (FBI)
Paid Justice (Croft)
Lost Souls (Littlemoon)
Discarded by Fate (FBI)October 2017

Atonement (Hunter Trilogy 1) November 2017

It’s Good to be the Boss (Romance Anthology 1) November 2017

Harcourte books do not cross over and can be read anytime.

Dangerous Revelations
Dangerous Choices
Dangerous Misery
Dangerous Retaliation
Dangerous Influence
Dangerous Sacrifice
Dangerous Destruction Dec 2017

        ~~~~       About the Author    ~~~~

Morgan Kelley lives in the beautiful Pocono Mountains with her husband and two children. After attending college at Penn State University and studying Criminal Justice, Morgan knew her only true passion in life would be murder and books.  She put them both together and began her career as a writer.  Other than books and writing, you can find Morgan hanging out in her garden and digging in the dirt.

Her other works include: The Junction, Serial Sins, The Blood Betrayal, The Killing Times (1), Sacred Burial Grounds (2), True Love Lost (3), Deep Dark Mire (4), Fire Burns Hot (5), Darkness of Truth (6), Devil Hath Come (7), Consumed by Wrath (8), Redemption is Here (9), Dead Shall Speak (10), Pledging to Die (11),  Slay Bells Ring (12), Past will Haunt (13), Choices will Destroy (14), Blood shall Run (15), Act of Blood (16), Stalked by the Past (17), Dying to Love (18), Revenge has Come (19), Blood Red Rage (1) Lost & Broken (2), Unthinkable Games (3), Truth is Found (4), Haven of Nightmares (5), Forbidden Secrets (6), Kiss of Souls (7), Celestia is Falling (1), Vegas is Dying (2), Christmas is Killing (3), Love is Bleeding (4), Heaven is Weeping (5), Hell is Burning (6), Justice is Dead (7),  Dark Justice (1), Lost Justice (2), Paid Justice (3),  Dangerous Revelations (1), Dangerous Choices (2), Dangerous Misery (3), Dangerous Retaliation (4), Dangerous Influence (5), Dangerous Sacrifice (6), Sinner Repent (1), Sinner Realized (2), Sinner Reborn (3), Oracle Rising (1), Oracle Seeing (2), Oracle Saving (3), Oracle Haunting, (4),Illegal Fantasies (Anthology 1), Romance Under Arrest (Anthology 2), and Holiday Reinforcements (Anthology 3)

Please feel free to visit Morgan at her website: www.morgankelley.com, email her author.m.kelley@gmail.com, or visit her blog at www.morgankelley.blogspot.com

Spin off series of ‘The Croft & Croft romance adventures’.

Celestia is Falling

Vegas is Dying

Christmas is Killing

Love is Bleeding

Heaven is Weeping

Hell is burning

Justice is Dead

Dark Justice

Lost Justice

Paid Justice

Love isn’t always easy for everyone, but everyone deserves to be loved, Dimitri Gideon…

        You will get your turn.

Riley Henderson…buckle up!

My name is Greyson Croft…

Vegas is a cesspool.

Let’s call it what it is.

Not only that, but it’s getting worse every day. With each corrupt official that I take out, three more take their place. It’s become my full-time job to keep the city on the up and up.

And I’m failing.

I’m man enough to admit it.

I may be in over my head in all of this. At the beginning, it seemed achievable that our small group of ex-Feds, Russian criminals, and my family could put a dent in this mess.

Now, I’m not so sure.

It’s beginning to become overwhelming. With each person that we agree to help at ‘Aquarius’, we have to turn four more compelling cases away.

The issues in Vegas appear to be worse than I originally thought.

How do I help them all?

Is there a way?

There has to be something I can do to save as many people that the system forgot.

I just have to figure it out.

AND FAST.

There are so many questions, and not enough answers to the problems that we face every day.

How do I make a difference?

Am I making one?

All of this goes through my head as I’m silently sitting at our home. I wonder if I’m making it better or if I’m adding fuel to the seedy element’s fire.

It’s a question I ponder each and every day.

There is no black and white in my world.

It’s all gray.

What I do know is that I have to rely on the people I trust to help me through this.

Without them, I’m screwed.

They are the ONLY people in Vegas I trust. I put my faith in the people we call our own.

The family.

Mia familia—as the old Italian mobsters of long ago called them.

They are my lifeline.

When the chips are down, the family will always have my back when I need them the most. We may not all be blood, but we are one.

We are united in the cause to save this city, and that’s all that matters.

We’ve sacrificed our time.

Our careers.

And now our lives.

We’ve given all we have under the guise of being the criminal element, and we will fight to our last breath.

They are my strength.

Beside me, I have my wife. She’s a blessing to me each and every day. When I get lofty, or think I’m going to slip into the dark side of this city, she’s there to pull me back.

Emma is my anchor.

She’s goodness and light, and she’s the one I rely on most in our family. When we are home in our bedroom or locked in my secret room, I can count on her to be my solace.

She’s my sanctuary.

I can count on her to love the man I am, and the man this hellish city has forced me to become. She sees the real me, and has always loved me for those gray areas.

I’m a killer.

I own it.

Let’s call a spade a spade. I’ve done some questionable things since losing my badge.

I’ve broken the law.

I’ve taken life.

I’ve played the odds to win after stacking the deck in my favor.

Still, for my sweet Emma, it doesn’t matter.

When I’m with her, the darkness recedes, and I am able to breathe again. When she sits in my lap, I have a firm grasp on who I am, and how I got here in the first place.

Truth.

Justice.

Law.

They all led me to this Godforsaken hellhole.

It takes a strong man not to succumb to the vile evil that pulses beneath the seedy underbelly of this town.

She’s the reason I stay afloat.

Emma is my goodness. She’s my purity in a world filled with hate and ugliness. Without her as my constant reminder, this city would have swallowed my soul whole.

She is my everything.

She’s also going to be the mother of our child. In her body, she’s growing a miracle. She’s making me a child.

That’s a gift I never thought I’d be given, and now one I can’t imagine living without.

Emma, my reason for living, is giving me one more miracle in my life.

I’m going to be a father.

Now I have everything to lose, and even more to fight for in this town.

I will do battle with the Devil, himself, to keep my wife and child safe. I will go full on rogue and play in the muck and mire to give our child a place to be safe.

Nothing will touch my core.

I will use every resource I have before I give up.

Speaking of resources…

Then there’s Dimitri Gideon. He was born Maximillian Marchenko, and he’s a killer too. He’s lived so long on the shady side of existing that he’s lost just like me.

Dimitri is battling his own demons, but as he keeps fighting, helping women in this city, he’s learned a thing or two about Vegas.

Don’t make it personal.

This city hates everyone.

Don’t second guess yourself.

If you do, you’ll never sleep at night, and he should know. Sleep, like peace, eludes him.

Don’t trust anyone you don’t call family.

He’s learned that one personally, and he’s on board with our team. They are his as much as mine.

Why?

Dimitri is my right-hand man. We share everything in this family.

Assets.

Money.

Power.

Nothing is ‘MINE’, but ‘OURS’, and he’s good with that. We’ve built our businesses to be unstoppable money powerhouses, and that’s what keeps us afloat.

His and my relationship has evolved.

At first, he was nothing more than security, but he’s become something so much more. Without Dimitri, I can’t pull off half the things I need to do to survive and protect my own without him.

He’s my friend.

He’s my partner.

He’s my brother-in-arms.

I trust him enough to call him my own, and know enough to see that he’s his own force to reckon with.

What I like best about him is that Dimitri isn’t one to mince words.

He tells me like it is, fearless from the repercussions. In the end, I won’t ever turn on him because I’ve chosen him to be my brother.

We are thick as thieves, and we plan to stay that way.

Yet, there are rumors.

Some people say he has a thing for my wife, as he’s always doting and watching her.

I’m not blind.

I see it all.

Honestly, it’s something I’ve had to come to accept. This is Vegas, where you can roll the dice and be a winner or dead by morning.

I trust my woman, and I trust my family.

Besides, the more people watching Emma in our family, the safer we are. We have to keep our eyes on the prize, and on the people in the game.

Emma is my queen.

She’s protected by him, and I’m willing to ignore that he’s coveting what’s mine.

It’s one of the sacrifices I have to make to survive in ‘Sin City’.

Then there’s my blood.

Dante Atticus Croft.

He’s a soldier to his core, and he’s an enigma. While we look so similar that people sometimes think he’s me, we are very different people on the inside and out.

I’m older, I hope wiser, and carrying the weight of this city on my shoulders.

Dante is covered in ink, and he happens to love men. I don’t get it, but that’s not my road in life. All I know is my brother would die for me, and I would do the same.

Dante would shed blood for any of us, and he’s a soldier in the fight against what is wrong with this city.

Corruption.

With my brother behind the helm of our businesses, I know the Croft empire will grow. Emma inherited this money, and Dante is making it profitable.

Why?

So we can help people.

The more he makes, the more people we can help. That’s our goal, and we’re going to ensure that we save the downtrodden that Vegas has threatened to consume.

Dante is blood, but he’s also my friend, and he has my ear, my heart, and best interests in mind.

Then there’s Curtis Croft.

He’s my son in all ways. He acts like me, he is a caveman in the making, and he’s also there to have my back. Curtis is the son I’ve always secretly wanted, and he makes me proud each and every day.

While I trained him to be a good guy, he’s followed me into the dark. While there, he’s changed.

He can hack with the best of them, playing on the Dark Web for shits and giggles.

He’s my computer guy, my head researcher, and a man I respect from the bottom of my heart.

My son is going to be a father.

Ironically, he’s going to give me a grandchild before my own child is even born.

This confuses everyone, but us.

When in Vegas, do it backward.

It’s the Croft way.

Curtis will one day be at the helm, and I’m trying to teach him the ways of this crooked paradise. If I need it broken into on the cyber trail, he’s the one who can make it happen. Maybe he was meant for this lifestyle.

He’s so damn good at it.

Then there is his wife, Katerina, my new daughter-in-law. While she’s pregnant, Dimitri has pulled her out of the rotation. While she’s carrying a Croft heir, she has to be kept safe. If anything were to happen to myself, she’s giving us a backup plan.

This child is wanted.

By them.

By me.

By Dimitri.

We will die to keep her protected. As long as we’re here, no one will touch a hair on that child’s head.

Dimitri has vowed that, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We know how dangerous it is to have children here. They are a way of strengthening our family, tying the Crofts and Gideons together, and putting a little something away for the future.

They are the next line of vigilantes being born of ex-Feds and Russian killers.

That scares a lot of the seedy element.

The scum in this city would kill her just to end that baby’s life. Curtis is already marked since this fortune is mostly his, but that baby…

They will want Sadie Emma Croft to die in her mother’s belly.

That can’t happen.

Not on mine or Dimitri’s watch.

As the men heading this family, it is our duty to protect the women. Being a caveman, in my world, is a good thing.

It will keep our family alive.

Kat has gifts you just don’t find every day. She’s excellent at weapons, and can shoot anything you hand her. She’s great at breaking into buildings, and she speaks more languages than the rest of us.

She’s an asset, and once this child is born, she’ll be back in the rotation.

We need her to have our backs.

The family is blessed to have Dimitri’s other sister on our team too. So, as Kat is taking a safety sabbatical, her sister, Natasha, is picking up the slack.

The woman is a mystery.

Literally.

She pops in, disguises herself, and disappears in plain sight. She’s the Harry Houdini of our family. If you need to go invisible, she’s your girl. We haven’t found a pair of handcuffs that can keep her contained.

She’s an enigma to us all.

Lately, as she begins her relationship with Christopher Ford, she’s been a lot more visible.

She laughs.

She smiles.

She kicks ass.

Having her on the team is an asset too. Natasha can steal anything, anywhere, and anytime. She has no fear of dying, and that, in our lives, is important.

At any time, we could go down.

There is always a chance of collateral damage. It’s the downfall of what we do. Vegas thinks we are expendable.

It just may be right.

This is one more price we all pay, and one more worry I carry to bed each and every night.

I worry about the women.

I’m not alone.

Natasha’s sexy heartthrob is none other than Emma’s bodyguard, Christopher Ford. He’s big, bulky, and smart. He was once a homicide captain, and he can run any operation with his eyes closed. More importantly, he’s madly in love with my wife.

I can see it.

I’m not blind.

While he courts Dimitri Gideon’s sister, he’s still carrying a torch for the woman he now calls sister. It’s a bond I have NO intention of trying to break.

That love was forged when Emma saved his life, refusing to leave him behind. In that bloodshed, it formed an attachment that matters.

I get it.

Once, back in Celestia, she saved my bacon too. She found the killers, rescued me, and I fell madly in love with her. So, I don’t blame Christopher Ford.

I get it.

Besides, the media has played with it. They’ve twisted it, made it something perverse, and cheap—that’s on them—not him.

We are a family, and I know they will never betray me. Besides, it keeps the seedy element guessing.

If they think Emma has a few men courting her affection, they might not try to take her down.

Why risk retaliation?

I have to work with what Vegas has given me. The picture isn’t always clear, but muddied with falsehoods I’ve let slip by.

That’s the way I like it.

I have faith in my family to never cross that line, and I trust him not to break that bond.

He’s earned it.

Chris has saved my wife’s life before, and I have no doubt he will be forced to do it again. Suited up in the most expensive body armor, he faces down the fact that if he’s off his game, Emma could die.

I trust him with the most precious thing in my life, and I know what he risks for her each time they leave the house.

It is a labor of love.

It’s a risk of dying.

Chris has a hard job, and I’m not going to ride his ass. Just recently, the man has finally come around, forgetting that he was once a cop. Natasha has had a big part in that, and I’m glad.

It’s not easy going from carrying a badge to carrying the weight of this city on your shoulders.

But we do.

Daily.

That keeps everyone guessing. The bad guys fear the cops we were, and the supposed good guys fear what we know from our pasts.

It keeps the hounds at bay as our family is growing.

With each day, we have one more person signing on to fight the good fight.

We are covering our bases.

We have an ex-ME who knows the dead. Steele Bentley is on the cusp of becoming my brother. He’s marrying Dante in the next week, and he’s going to be carrying that bull’s-eye on his back too.

He’s got something that is more valuable than all the money in the world.

When he was abducted, he didn’t break. They abused his body, tried to destroy his spirit, and his soul, but they failed.

He was loyal beyond the moment they dropped his battered body into that grave.

He was going to die for the Croft family, and that’s an asset. Steele may be battered and bruised, but when he’s back on his feet, he’s going to help keep this train on the tracks. We deal with the dead.

He’s the king of them.

Having an ME at your fingertips is a blessing. The last two cases, he was able to see the clues in the victims, and that made the difference.

He may think he’s used up, but to us, he’s essential personnel.

But that’s not all…

We don’t have one doctor.

We have two.

Doctor Paris Archer is a psychologist with expertise in criminals. Once working for the FBI, beneath me, he’s now at my fingertips when I need a profile, or to help us keep this family on track.

He can analyze anything.

Anyone.

He can work a case from a totally different perspective, and that makes him incredibly valuable.

He gave up his legs out of love and loyalty, and he’s helped us make a difference. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.

Nothing.

He’s mine to protect.

Why?

I put him in that chair, and I’ll give him anything he needs to keep his life intact.

Beside Doctor Archer is his girl. Tessa was a Fed, and she’s good with details. We use her a lot to do the legwork. She’s got a propensity to work the details, find the threads that tie them together, and help us reel in a killer.

She helped find the last one with her deep searches, and we are blessed to have her on our team.

In Vegas, so much is fake and a fraud. It’s hard to tell what is real and what is going to bite you in the ass. One can’t be too careful, as you dig for the truth.

Beneath the lies.

Beneath the ugliness.

Beneath the vile disregard for human life.

It’s a never-ending battle, and I have some secret help from the other side.

Yes, I own a cop.

Don’t be surprised.

What kind of gangster would I be if I didn’t have someone working the cases right under the other cops’ noses?

He wants to clean up the corruption, and I think he’s bat shit insane to think he stands a chance.

Just like us.

So, Riley Henderson, the son of a cop, who was the son of a cop, who was the son…

You get my point.

It’s in his blood.

He’s out for justice, and with him on the inside, I know I can pull it off. We have our eyes and ears in place, and we’re ready to do battle.

We have our bases covered.

Our lawyer rounds out the power players on the team. Delilah Fleur is damn pretty to look at, but beneath that defense attorney gleam is a savvy woman who knows what she wants in life.

She defends the wrongly accused.

While the local cops despise her, she has her own little way of taking the bad guys down a notch. Delilah uses her law degree to make their life hell.

She’s a nightmare in the courtroom, and she’s playing for Team Croft.

Last, but not least, our newest team member is a child. He was tossed by his family, abused by the system, and now is one of us too.

He knows what the bad side of Vegas looks like, since he was dropped into it as a baby.

Sam is on the cusp of becoming ours.

He’s chosen Dimitri to be his father, and he’ll learn the ropes. Hopefully, we can teach him how to be a bad guy the right way. We have high hopes, and know the boy will do the family proud.

He has light fingers.

He’s silent when he stalks.

He’s got the makings of a perfect criminal.

Emma wasn’t the only one who fell in love. He has all of our hearts.

Sam has found his father-to-be, and he’s staked his claim on the Gideon clan. We are training him to fight for the underdog, like him—to always do what you can—even when it skates the line between wrong and right.

Most importantly, to fight for your family—blood or not.

And he’s learning fast.

He’ll learn from his soon-to-be sisters, his new father, and from me.

I’ll take him under my wing, and he’ll one day run this empire beside my son, my child growing in Emma’s body, and the people we leave behind.

We aren’t just a force to be reckoned with.

No.

We are an empire.

Destiny.

We are the ones you find when you can’t get justice from anyone else.

We are the Gideons and the Crofts, and we are going to save you.

No matter what the cost.

Signed,

Greyson Croft 

Prologue

Las Vegas

The Strip

Two weeks Ago…

N o one would notice if she were gone. If she just disappeared from the world, no one would even miss her, and that’s what made this all perfect. She would be off the street in one minute, and in the hands of the buyer by the following week.

She would be cleaned up.

Promised a life.

And trained.

Then, when she was perfectly groomed, ready and able, she’d be someone’s wildest fantasy.

Middle Eastern men.

Russian gangsters.

Men who liked them young.

Men who had to hurt women to get off.

The clientele possibilities were endless.

To them, it didn’t matter where she came from, but that they could pick up a phone and have a girl delivered to their door. That was what gave them power in Vegas.

They had a specialty, and they provided the pedaled flesh in ‘Sin City’.

How apropos?

It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it, and they were the ones to make a name for themselves in the seedy underbelly of that town.

They were damn good at it too.

In the city that never slept, there was a need for fresh, young women—all day and night.

That sweet piece of ass was a commodity, and they’d dialed in to the perfect source.

They’d hit the mother lode.

Vegas was the best city in the country if you were looking for some nubile flesh.

These girls knew no bounds. They were willing to do whatever they were asked if given a little booze, cash, and drugs.

They would open their legs for any man.

They would do anything to survive the streets.

That’s why, after working in New York and Houston, they’d made Vegas their home base. It was a city built on the working girl’s body.

Sex sold in Vegas, at the bunny ranches, in the private transactions between the madams and their clientele, and now with their high-end clients.

It was all good in Vegas.

Well, as long as you weren’t the one being bought and sold. Their expiry date was short, as they’d all come to see.

The women they found were bought, sold, and used up. Most never came back. Most found their way into dumpsters, crack houses, and the city morgue.

That was life.

And death.

It wasn’t their fault. When the johns paid, they bought the full service.

Snuff films.

Sex orgies.

Daddies who liked little girls.

It took all kinds to make the world go around, and they were locked into the sleaziest clientele.

It was perfect.

Then, it started going downhill.

At some point, word spread, and it became harder and harder to find willing girls. These weren’t your normal hookers. When they would go to a buyer, they soon began to realize that they weren’t coming back.

It got harder.

So, no longer were they looking for women to work for them. These girls had to be taken.

It began with tricks, continued with drug addiction, and then off to the men who used them up.

No one liked the words ‘sex slave’, but it happened in Vegas. Trafficking of fresh, nubile flesh was a big market, and they were at the top of the list for supplying the girls.

And they did it with a smile.

The repeat clientele gave them a reputation, and they had earned it. They’d transported, hooked up with pimps for any ‘special’ girls, and then they got them to the training expert.

He was a sick fuck.

He’d let so many people use them, that they were conditioned to perform. They were nothing more than little girls locked in cages, but when the client pulled them out, they were whores with a purpose.

It was dark.

It was evil.

It was a money-making gold mine.

They were living large, and that was a beautiful thing. Everyone knew money talked, but in Vegas, it bought the finer things.

It was good to be powerful.

When the sun came up, the world was a sunny place, but at night, when it was dark, dirty, and dingy, the cheap motels lit up with deviants from every walk of life—they were on the speed dial.

They came to them, begging for a taste of their goods.

The deviants would peek their heads out of the shadows and have incredibly eclectic tastes.

Take the latest buyer.

He wanted young pussy.

She had to be blonde, she had to be under eighteen, and she had to fight like a hell cat.

That’s not easy to find.

Specialties like that were…pricey.

If they were going to pick off the menu, they were going to have to pay a premium. Their Russian gentleman was their best client. He bought, used, and was a return customer.

He’d just put in that order, and it was time to make it happen.

While their buyer waited, they were going to make sure he got what he wanted. With the money being dropped, there could be no mistakes.

So, they began searching.

Finding the perfect girl was a science. You just couldn’t grab anyone and try to pass them off as quality.

So, they hit the clubs.

One by one, they would weed through the prospects to find the perfect girl.

It took days.

Weeks.

Sometimes, months.

Their clientele was patient, and this man didn’t mind the wait. He wanted perfection, and he wanted it to be a right fit.

So, they stalked the women out of the ‘Titty Corral’. They had questionable strippers, and they didn’t follow the rules. Luckily for them, the pimp hanging out there, who they had worked with often, had some fine fillies in his stable.

They saw her.

She was a child.

She was perfect.

The deal was made.

The young girl was handed over with the promise of her being ‘used’ for a few nights.

All was well.

As they got her into the car, they asked her if she wanted to make so much money she could retire.

That piqued her interest.

Then they gave her water.

Tainted water.

It had enough drugs to knock her on her ass for a week.

That was what they needed to subdue her. They couldn’t risk her getting away, telling the police or her pimp.

They needed her malleable, moldable, and ready to learn for her new life. She was going to the rich Russian, and she was going to be his toy.

When they took the picture, and sent it off, she was drugged, naked, and being trained.

Immediately, he fell in love.

She was blonde.

Young.

And not long on the street.

She was their perfect candidate, and he wanted her for his own.

The deal was done.

The money traded hands.

Only, there was one problem.

The pimp.

It was time to tie up loose ends.

Sitting in the dark alley, the snoozing treasure in their trunk, they waited for him to start his walk home. As he headed out, taking his pimp stroll home, it was time.

He’d made his money, and now he was going to leave this world. He was no longer of any use, and that meant he had to go.

Besides, would Vegas really miss one more pimp? They were a dime a dozen.

So, it began.

The headlights flashed on, the engine raced, and there was the squeal of tires. Before the pimp even knew what hit him, he was dead.

His body met the front of the car, and he flew over the hood, slamming into the metal dumpster. The sick thud told the tale.

They didn’t look back.

They didn’t slow down.

All they did was head back to the training area. It was time to see what this little girl could do.

Oh, the irony.

If only the pimp knew.

In a couple hours, she’d be going ‘home’. She had a new daddy now, and he was going to rock her world.

Or whatever.

She was only flesh. It didn’t matter.

When the money was paid, and the goods delivered, they had fulfilled the contract. That was what mattered most.

The sex trade was a dirty business, but tonight, they’d given their client what he wanted.

Young.

Sexy.

His.

That’s all that mattered, and the best part?

No one would notice her missing. They never did. What was one more slut on the street, passed off to a foreign gentleman who wanted to use her up?

Nothing to them.

Nothing to anyone.

And that was the beauty of it all.

They were the forgotten.

And no one would ever look for them.

Because they were lost to the night.

                   * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Two Weeks

Later

She had to find her.

She’d made a promise to her little sister that she’d never stop looking for her—no matter what.

When they were separated in the foster care system, she vowed that one day, she’d get her back and they’d have a nice home together.

They’d be a family, and they’d have each other to love. Nothing else would matter, and that was her focus.

She had made that promise, and she was going to keep it despite the odds being against her.

She had to do it.

What were you if you couldn’t keep your word to family?

You were nothing.

Vegas had swallowed her kid sister whole, and it was up to her to dig and find a way to pull her out of the belly of the beast.

She’d do anything for her.

ANYTHING.

Yes, her mother gave them up, tossing them away when her drug habit became far too important. All the while, allowing her disgusting boyfriend to take liberties with both of her daughters to supply her habit.

That was then.

This was now.

She wasn’t that scared girl anymore.

She was stronger.

She was a fighter.

She was going to find her sister, and she was going to bring her home. She only knew the name of the madam she last worked for, but she was getting closer.

She chased her sister from New York to Vegas. She followed every clue, asked questions, and hid in plain sight. She took jobs, talked to the homeless, questioned hookers, and lived her life on the seedy side.

She had to do it!

Someone had to care that she was missing.

Someone had to try.

She’d take jobs, squirreling away every penny until she had enough to work on her sister’s case. She’d bribe street criminals, she’d flirt her way through the men who thought she was easy—just to find her, but it wasn’t working. She’d become desperate. She’d even sleep with someone to get that next clue.

This was her drug.

This was her obsession.

And…

She was losing hope.

As she tried to figure out a way, she was out of options.

To her, there was only one left, and she knew she needed to do it. She didn’t want to go to the madam that had sent out her sister, but she would. She’d pretend to be that person if it meant saving her sister.

What choice did she have?

None.

When you loved someone, you fought for them tooth and nail, and she loved her sister. They weren’t close in age, but they were both fighting their pasts.

She chose not to get lost in it, and her sister…she chose to run to the streets. She thought it would be better. Foster homes sucked.

The men were creepy.

The women mean.

She didn’t want to know what happened to her sister every night when their foster mother went to bed. She already knew. The men of the house always liked the girls.

Always.

It had happened to her too.

To these families, they were disposable, they were nothing, and people tossed them on a whim. They were a paycheck, nothing more than extra money in their pockets—meanwhile the kids were dropped off with all their worldly possessions in a trash bag.

It was a continual horror story.

The five foster homes that deemed her unfit, kept tossing her back, ignoring her pleas for help.

The one family that she really liked…

They tossed her too.

For some people, there was no happily ever after. For some kids, they were meant to be nobody, and that sucked, but she’d come to grips with it so long ago.

She would make up her own world. She’d build her own fantasy out of a shit life that no one deserved.

All she wanted to do was find her sister, get the hell out of that city, and never go back.

Vegas was a horrible place.

She wanted to get away from it as fast as she could. The city sucked you in, and you couldn’t escape. There was no way in hell she’d stick around.

There was nothing there for her.

Once she found her sister, they were getting out of there. She wanted a normal life, a happy little chunk of the world to call her own, and she was going to get it.

There would be a porch swing.

A cat in the window.

Sunny curtains she’d made herself.

Vegas was neon and shit, and she couldn’t wait to escape it.

As she headed down the street to her last possible solution, she wanted to weep.

It was never going to end.

She was never going to find her.

Hope was gone.

Vegas and its inhabitants had sucked her soul dry.

And she wasn’t surprised.

God help the next man.

She was all used up.

                                       * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He used her up.

She was perfect.

With her tiny little body, and how she screamed and begged, he couldn’t be happier. She was perfection as he tied her down, used her body, and played with her like a toy.

She lasted almost two weeks with him, and that was delicious. He’d raped her so many times, and still, she fought.

It was a testament to her tenacity, and he was impressed. Not many would have tolerated his sick tendencies and fetishes.

They had to be young.

The younger the better.

They had to be pretty.

He loved to destroy beauty.

They had to be trained.

She had to tolerate all kinds of kinky sex.

She’d met all his criteria, and he was pleased.

While she wept in the other room, after their voracious sex, he found himself smiling.

She was feisty.

She was a fighter.

Now she was broken.

While he’d use her one more time, the appeal…it was gone. While he’d been with her, he thought she might last a very long time. She tolerated his biting, the burning, the cutting, and most importantly, the way he fucked her until she cried.

Then, she gave up.

That spark died.

It disappeared.

Between destroying her body and mind, she’d found that secret place to escape to and hide, and he couldn’t—despite trying—lure her out.

She was done.

Pulling out his phone, he made a call. He reached out to them for one more girl.

“I need someone stronger,” he said. “This one was amazing, but she couldn’t handle me.”

“What happened?”

“She’s not the one. Don’t get me wrong, she was delightful, and I enjoyed her, but she’s given up. I need one with an unbreakable spirit. They are the best ones. I want one who is defiant, who will fight me, but I can still take. I need her to be pretty, but tough as nails.”

“That’s a tough order. The one we found you was a lucky break. I don’t know if we can find another. Maybe you should go older. They tend to…”

He cut the person on the phone off.

“NO! If I wanted old, any street slut would do. My fantasy needs something more. I need them to be young. I don’t care about the hair color or anything else, but I want a child.”

And here was where it got hard.

“I can’t promise…”

“I want what I want. I don’t care if you have to find her in a year. Keep sending me samples. I’ll keep paying. You have to have more,” he hissed.

“You aren’t our only client. I can’t give you every girl. There isn’t an endless supply.”

He didn’t care.

“If you don’t give me what I want, you’ll be shocked to find the cops asking you questions. While you don’t know me, I know you.”

“Are you threatening me?”

He laughed.

Yes, yes, he was.

“Are you cutting me off? I pay you top dollar for pussy. Now, find me a girl who won’t be crying in a week. I need one who can take pain, who likes being my whore, and who I can mark up.”

There was a pause.

“We may have one.”

“Is she young?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes.”

He was pleased. “Then I’ll meet you at the customary spot. I’ll bring cash, and since you didn’t make me wait, I’ll add a little something extra for your trouble.”

He hung up.

Pulling on his rubber gloves, he grabbed the bucket of bleach. It was time to clean up after himself, inside and out. He wouldn’t leave a trace.

She’d be pristine when he gave her back.

Only, she wouldn’t be alive.

No.

He didn’t share his toys, and this one…she was beyond repair. They didn’t make things the way they used to.

Women…they were so…fragile.

He needed these distractions as he planned the destruction coming to Vegas. He had plans.

Only, he needed to calm his mind.

The next one would be better.

He had to have hope.

After all, this was Vegas.

Here, the city never slept, and neither did the debauchery.

Thankfully.

                        * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Director Robert Lee’s

Office

The city was a mess.

The sex ring his people were working on was going nowhere. They couldn’t seem to find anyone. All of his agents, as they went out, were struggling.

It was as if Vegas was blocking them.

The more questions they asked, the more lies they were handed back.

He was in a tricky predicament.

Did he call his boss and ask for assistance or did he give it a little more time?

This had been a mess he’d inherited with the job from Greyson Croft. Since then, it had spiraled out of control.

He honestly wasn’t sure what was going on.

Was Croft behind it?

Was he running this too?

He wasn’t sure.

No matter what he did, sending out wave after wave of agents, they couldn’t find anything to tie anyone to the investigation.

It made him think of the man.

They couldn’t pin any murders on him either.

They couldn’t figure out if he was crooked or not. With each attempt to take him down, they were met with his lawyer.

She was a pain in his ass.

He had a file on her too, and she loved to make cops suffer. She was a bitch on wheels, and no one could get past her to the Crofts’ gate.

For now, they were ‘legally’ trying to obtain information by sitting outside their home.

It wasn’t working.

It was keeping him up at night.

Now, they were barely on the legal side of this case. Before long, they’d have to back off.

He saw it coming.

Pushing the intercom button, he called down to the front desk.

“Is the police commissioner here yet?” Robert asked.

The security hadn’t seen him.

“Well, when he arrives, send Commissioner Raye up. We have a lot to do.”

He stared out at the stars in the sky, and he knew one thing.

They were running out of time.

Vegas was about to blow up.

Chapter One

Terrace Glen

Saturday

Ten P.M

One Week to the Wedding…

T he house was silent, and that in itself was odd. Dimitri was accustomed to the place being a madhouse. Over the last few days, Emma and Steele were neck deep in planning a wedding. It was fast approaching, and the whole family was getting ready for it. There was going to be one hell of a celebration as they came together to see Doctor Steele Bentley officially become a Croft.

Honestly, he didn’t get it.

It was only a wedding.

What did it matter?

Most marriages failed, and that was why he was never going to get stuck in that trap. He didn’t ever see himself settling down and getting married.

Why?

There was really no need.

He was perfectly happy as he was. He could come as he wished, he could smoke and not be nagged, and he could kill without conscience.

The last thing Dimitri needed was a babysitter. He certainly didn’t want a wife.

They were trouble.

He watched the man he admired, and he saw the internal struggle he was having.

He couldn’t have a cigar around Emma.

She was with child.

Killing had repercussions.

Emma would worry about his soul.

It was all about pleasing a wife, and he didn’t understand it at all. Dimitri didn’t find any lure to it. Greyson could have any woman he wanted, any life he wanted, and still he chose to wear that gilded ring—a symbol of his imprisonment.

Yes, Greyson got to sleep beside a warm body, having sex whenever he wanted, but Dimitri got plenty of sex.

He didn’t have to be nagged, and he didn’t have to make attachments. That was what he didn’t get. Why was the man making his life harder, not easier?

Don’t get him wrong. Dimitri knew that Emma was one hell of a catch. She seemed to come from an era long gone, and she complemented the man nicely.

She added to his mystique, but she added to his burdens—and as of late, they were growing. 

Having a wife, someone you paired off with, seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Why?

To have a bed buddy?

For the sex, he got it, but to have someone to sleep beside each night?

Surely, it was overrated.

The last thing he wanted was a woman in bed with him once hell broke loose. When Dimitri closed his eyes, he had about three hours before the nightmares began, and then he was over it.

They were enough to make his bowels run cold, his blood to freeze, and his soul to die.

He couldn’t face them in his sleep because then, he’d have to face them while he was awake.

And that would suck.

Truthfully, Dimitri would rather hide. He’d lived on catnaps and caffeine for years.

Why stop now?

All roads led to this point in his life, so what did it matter if he got married or lived alone?

There was no doubt in his mind that if he found a wife, he’d be just as miserable.

He wasn’t the only one not sleeping well at Terrace Glen.

It was fact.

After all, fate didn’t seem so particular. He and Greyson were from different lives. He’d grown up in a home with a mother and father, and Dimitri hadn’t.

Still, they both paced the floor at night.

Greyson had killed for his country, taking lives when he was told to pull the trigger. Dimitri had stripped away humanity to the barest sense of it before ending someone, and he’d done it for money, being a mercenary.

Again, they both carried the same weight.

So why did he believe he’d be happy married? It wasn’t that Greyson wasn’t happy, he was simply carrying the same burdens, plus one more.

He had to worry about Emma.

The man had so much more to lose. Other than Dimitri’s sisters, he couldn’t be hurt. His heart was empty, and that was the best for a man in his position.

He had to protect the people he loved, but from the outside, he appeared to have no baggage.

He didn’t have ties.

Well, other than the boy he was about to adopt.

The burdens were the same, but he could come and go how he wished, smoke like a chimney, and he didn’t have some woman’s disapproving glare.

That worked for him.

Besides, they were too busy. They were in this Vegas together, and as of late, there was a lot of talking going on.

Something was coming.

Once more, Fate was laughing at them. Being from two different worlds, you’d think his friend would have an easier life.

While Greyson had the best start a person could get, being nurtured and raised in love, he’d been beaten, abused, and neglected.

They were still standing side by side in the shit mess. Did Dimitri really think it was good to drag another person into that?

No.

It wasn’t.

Greyson had made his choices, and now, he was going to make his too.

He knew his life was going to be short, and he’d accepted that years ago. He’d raised his sisters, and now, they were happy. He was going to raise Sam, and he was likely done.

He was holding on for as long as he could, as the darkness threatened to swallow him whole.

So, he was going to smoke, buy his women, and call it a day. The lack of attachment made it easier. Women were wonderful, but they were…difficult.

He knew.

He raised two, and now, he was going to do it all over again with a son.

What had he been thinking?

Oh yeah.

He wasn’t.

The Crofts did him in.

How?

Dimitri had fallen in love. He’d fallen for a family that he had no business caring about.

He’d fallen for a woman who was married to a man he respected. He loved her because she loved him.

Oh, he didn’t want to have sex with Emma. He simply wanted to be a part of her heart, and he was.

That was plenty for him.

It was all he deserved.

Dimitri was paying his penance one day at a time. He was paying for his sins, and until he did, he couldn’t have anything to call his own.

Yes, he had money.

Wealth.

Assets.

He just couldn’t put down roots. This arrangement with the Crofts was the first time in…ever, that he’d actually wanted to stay in one place. They’d come, go in to do the job, and leave.

Well, he liked being near them.

Honestly, he liked being around Emma.

She was cathartic.

Emma’s love ebbed from her, covering them all. Look at his sisters. Kat was happy. She was expecting her first child, and he was going to hold that baby. She’d already decided that on the day the child was to be born, he’d be by her side.

Well, he and Emma.

She was the mother to them all, and it pleased him that she loved his sisters as much as he loved them. It’s all he really wanted for them.

Still, in the back of his mind, he saw himself walking away one day. When the family was safe and when his sisters were loved, he’d leave, knowing he did his job.

Dimitri knew there would be no love for him.

He wasn’t the lovable type. He killed without thinking, and he didn’t bat an eye when he did it.

He was broken.

Heartless.

Nothing.

For now, he kept up the charade, hoping no one would see through it. It wasn’t easy.

Emma Croft was, indeed, like a mother.

She was tricky.

She would be smiling at you one minute, and the next, she’d be analyzing you.

God help her child.

That baby was getting away with nothing. She was the mother of all mothers, and it made him smile.

So, as he patrolled the house, making sure to check on everyone, he couldn’t help but think about the next part of his journey.

Father part two.

The boy deserved some stability, and frankly, he reminded him of himself.

When Dimitri was a boy, he was about Sam’s age when his father really began abusing him. From the times he’d hold him down and beat him with his belt, to the days he’d lock him in his room without food for days.

He told him he was making him tougher.

All he was doing was making him mean.

Like that abused dog, he’d turned him from someone who could have been lovable into something dark, angry, and more prone to bite.

He could remember all those days where he would be in his room, his back bloody and damaged, and he prayed for a way out.

That’s when the stealing began.

Dimitri stole food.

His mother didn’t give a shit about him, and she barely remembered to close her legs. So, he had to walk through the markets, and take what wasn’t his.

Oh, he’d been caught, but when he told them his name, they set him free.

They all knew his father, Constantine. He was named for an emperor with the heart and soul of the Devil, himself.

The man was pure evil.

Now that he had a son, or would as soon as the papers were signed, he’d make sure Sam was never broken any more.

He deserved a chance.

Dimitri would try and balance the debts he owed by doing one more thing right.

It was all he could do.

So, as he stood at the boy’s door, he stared in at him. Sam was tucked into his bed, and on time. That had been the first battle. He wanted to stay up all night like him, but a growing boy needed certain things.

Food.

Shelter.

Clothing.

Love.

Sleep.

Sam was going to be a handful. He was fighting against the rules, and he was continually calling all the women ‘babe’. While funny, it wasn’t right. Dimitri didn’t want him objectifying women even if it was a way to break the ice.

Sam didn’t take that rule very well either, and Dimitri had his hands full.

When he ‘borrowed’ a car from the garage to ‘drive into town for some stuff’, Dimitri had to put his foot down—and hide the keys.

It was expected.

When you had a kid, who had nothing his whole life and who was barely fed each day, there was bound to be issues. He had been barely kept alive, and then he was dropped into Terrace Glen.

For Sam, it had to be overwhelming.

This was a playground.

There was food everywhere.

The house had a theater.

A game room.

A pool.

It was a kid’s wildest dream come true and a grown man’s too.

Then you show a boy a building full of cars…

It was bound to happen. Fortunately for them, Sam was a decent driver, but shitty at stealing.

He had a lot to learn.

They’d managed to have the car locked down before they had to report it stolen.

They’d found him pissed and locked in the vehicle, trying to get out. It amused the hell out of Dimitri.

The kid could barely see over the wheel, and he was cursing like a sailor.

It was as if he had actually spawned the child. Dimitri knew this one was going to be tough.

Sam didn’t like being told no.

The kid wanted to learn everything he could so he could assimilate into their world. All they really wanted him to learn was math.

English.

Russian.

History.

They were trying to instill in him that an education was priceless, and that he had to get one.

You’d think they told him he was in prison.

That was the second biggest fight. He wouldn’t go to public school, and he hated male tutors.

The kid was making him work for it, but it was worth it. An education was so valuable. He’d barely known how to read when he entered the military. His love of books had helped him get smarter, and more dangerous.

A boy with a mind could move mountains.

A damaged boy with smarts could conquer the world.

And he had.

Well, Dimitri wanted that for him since he’d never had the chance to prove his intelligence. He’d gone right into the military, and then he escaped with Kat and Nat after killing his father.

There was no math.

There were no languages.

He had to pick them up on the fly. He’d been born a killer, bred to destroy, and never given a chance.

Dimitri wanted the opposite for Sam.

He was given no chance, but he’d have a good education, and he’d never be forced to kill.

Steal?

Okay, maybe.

The family business was the family business. There was nothing he could do about that. The kid was going to have to pitch in and do his time.

Like Kat.

Like Nat.

Like him.

As he watched from the doorway, the boy was sound asleep. He was shocked the child had gone to bed without a battle, and then he could tell why he’d slipped off to slumber without a fight.

Emma had been there.

He could tell.

The boy was tucked into the bed, and there was some big, stuffed, fluffy dog beside him. It was one that he didn’t own before. She was spoiling him rotten, and he didn’t even mind.

It made him smile.

It took a village, and he had his backup for this one.

Dimitri made a mental note to get the boy a real dog. Yes, he knew Greyson didn’t want one, but he figured every kid should have a pet.

He never had one, and look how he’d turned out. He had to stop that before it ever happened.

Dimitri wouldn’t wish his life on his worst enemy.

Closing the door, he headed to a control panel in the wall. Swiftly, he checked on all the occupants.

There was snoring from Dante and Steele’s room, so he knew they were in and safe.

Curtis and Katerina’s room was empty, since they weren’t back until tomorrow from their honeymoon.

He typed in a code, and the sound popped on for the pool house. There was giggling and moaning.

He turned it off and rubbed his temples.

Now he’d have to have a drink to forget about hearing Natasha and Christopher Ford fornicating.

Again.

Dimitri had a high sex drive, but Chris Ford? He wanted whatever the man was taking.

He was ALWAYS molesting Natasha.

It was nonstop.

Dimitri didn’t know if he should be glad or horrified by how much sex was going on in that pool house. It was like its own little love shack.

He’d puke. He didn’t want to dwell since it grossed him out. That was his baby sister, and for his own sanity, he didn’t want to picture it in his mind.

Next, he typed in the code for Greyson and Emma’s room—audio first. He could hear only her breathing. He turned on the camera and saw her alone in bed.

That was…odd.

Wherever the woman went, her husband was sure to follow. The man couldn’t stay away from her.

In fact, Greyson must be popping the same pill that Chris Ford was too.

Now his curiosity was piqued. He needed to find the man so he could relax.

As he searched the house, he found Greyson in his office. He was sitting behind his desk working.

Dimitri headed there to see what was bothering him. If he was up working while Emma was sleeping, there had to be a reason.

There was likely a storm brewing.

In the doorway of his office, he saw him.

“Working?” he asked.

Greyson looked up. “Yeah, I’m handling something that Curtis sent me. Would you like to join me for a drink?” he asked.

Dimitri headed in.

“Sure.”

He sat.

Greyson poured them both some bourbon and tossed him a cigar. “This is the last room I can smoke in,” he said, already knowing what the man was thinking.

It was clearly on his face.

Dimitri laughed. “Yeah, well, you’re pussy whipped.”

“I’m not giving my unborn child birth defects for the pleasure I get from a cigar. I’ll wait. One day, I’ll smoke around my kitten again.”

Croft missed having his cigar girl. It had fueled so many fantasies he couldn’t keep track of them all.

Maybe, when he climbed back into bed, he’d act a few of them out.

Dimitri lit his cigar and tossed his friend his lighter.

“You’re a better man than I am,” Dimitri admitted without an ounce of animosity in his voice because it was true.

It was fact.

Greyson heard the tone, and he knew right away something was bugging the man. He leaned back in his chair and studied Dimitri like he’d done so many times before.

He was edgy.

Croft could see it in his normally calm features. The sharp angular nose, the deep aqua eyes, and his strong brow were all showing the stress.

Here was a man on the edge.

He could see it because they’d become close. They shared secrets.

Everything.

They’d killed together.

“Why do you look pissy?” Greyson finally asked when the man didn’t offer anything.

“I’m not.”

He lifted a brow.

Yeah, he’d just lied.

With Dimitri, you didn’t force him to share. He was one of those people who would suffer in silence, and be a martyr.

“You realize you can tell me anything, right?”

“Your wife is sexy when she sleeps.”

He didn’t react.

This was more proof that there was a shitload of self-loathing going on. Dimitri knew who he was baiting, and he was in the mood for a fight.

Well, he wasn’t getting one.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

Dimitri took a puff of his cigar and wanted to apologize for the shittiness he had just handed him. Greyson hadn’t been miserable, and he didn’t deserve to deal with his BS.

“Why are you in here working?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be asleep with your wife?”

Oh, he wished.

That was where he had been, and then he had to deal with one more mess in Vegas.

“We have a problem, and I don’t know what to do about it,” Greyson said.

Dimitri was curious. “Only one problem? What happened to the other ninety-eight of them?” he asked.

Croft laughed. “I know, right? They are right here,” he said, tapping his head. “I’m working my way through them one by one, but this was the one at the top of the list.”

“What’s our problem?” he asked.

Greyson loved how the man always wanted to help. It was never their issue or his family, or their lives. It was always OUR. That mattered.

“Here.”

He slid the file toward him. “It came after dinner. Curtis and Kat found it in Philadelphia.”

“I thought they were going to Celestia.”

“It’s only forty minutes away. I was curious. I worked out of there, and I had some friends who pulled some strings with some money.”

“So you bribed people?”

“Yes.”

“You realize you can just say that. It is what it is,” he offered, as he flipped open the file to read it.

He knew when Dimitri saw it.

“Oh.”

Yeah, he’d thought the same thing.

He looked up. “Well, this is bad on all kinds of levels,” he offered.

Greyson knew it.

“This explains why you have a naked woman in bed and you’re sitting here with me.”

Preaching to the choir. He’d rather be in bed.

“Here’s my conundrum. Do I tell her? Do I dredge up the past and tell my wife that a man she’d slept with once, and who her brother had warned her to stop seeing, was actually the man who planned her brother’s death?”

Yeah, this was ugly.

Dimitri thought about it.

Greyson knew he was weighing all the pros and cons, as he tried to navigate what he should do. If anyone could help him, it would be Dimitri.

This was his thing.

“I wouldn’t tell her.”

Greyson needed his opinion.

“Talk me out of it,” he said. “Marriages are supposed to be open, and this…”

He got it.

This was one more reason why he was never falling in love. It clouded your judgment, and as a soldier, you couldn’t be weak. You had to be ready for anything. This was weighing on Greyson instead of him just making the decision.

Thomas Christ lived.

Or he died.

It was that damn simple.

“If you tell her, she’s going to be hurt. It’s clear to see that Emma was damaged that day.”

Oh, he didn’t know the half of it.

Damaged wasn’t the word he’d use. She couldn’t eat meat, she’d wake from nightmares, and she still had dreams where she couldn’t save him.

All these years later, and she was still suffering.

And now she was with child.

His child.

“If you tell her that she’s been intimate with the person who plotted Gage Starling’s murder, that’s going to be brutal for her. She was betrayed. No one likes that feeling of betrayal.”

Greyson happened to agree.

“If I don’t tell her, I’m going to betray her. Will I then be the man who saved her heart or broke it?”

Yeah, he got it.

It was a slippery slope.

Again, this was exactly why Dimitri wouldn’t find a woman and do all of this.

It was too much.

It was damaging.

“I still stick with my initial thought on this. I wouldn’t do it, Grey. She’s pregnant. You don’t need this landing in her lap and making her do something…”

“Stupid?” he asked.

“Dangerous. She’ll confront him. You have evidence. If that gets out, he’s going to strike at her and at you. None of this is a coincidence, and you know it.”

Yeah, he did, but he didn’t care about himself. There was nothing they could throw at him that he couldn’t take.

He did care about Emma, and he couldn’t risk her.

Not now.

“Then what do we do?”

Dimitri laughed. “I’ll handle it. I have some connections at a couple clubs. I can head there, and he can disappear.”

“Fuck no, Dimitri. You’re not my personal killer, and you’re not hiring a hit man. That’s how people get caught.”

Oh, he was aware, but what did it matter?

He was expendable.

“You aren’t going to ‘handle’ anything, and you’re not heading to one of those places to do any deals. Don’t dance with the devil, son, if you can help it.”

Dimitri was always amused when he called him ‘son’. Yes, Greyson was probably eight years older than him, but Dimitri had seen his share of death.

It aged his soul.

“Besides,” Greyson stated, “If I can’t do it myself, I can’t ask you to do it.”

“I’d do it for Emma in a heartbeat,” he admitted. “I’d do anything for her.”

It was said.

There was the truth.

Men only killed for so many reasons. They were both aware of those reasons. They were either paid to do it, they were angry enough to do it, or they loved the person they were doing it for.

He didn’t doubt which Dimitri fell under.

This man loved Emma, even if he was hard pressed to admit it. Croft could see it in his eyes when he watched her. He wasn’t blind.

“I’ll handle it,” Greyson stated.

“How?” Dimitri asked.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll work on it. I’m not rushing into it.”

“Well, if you get caught, I get to marry your wife after you’re incarcerated.”

He laughed. “Okay, you can handle it because the day I picture you with my wife doing anything but talking is the day I drop dead anyway.”

Dimitri gave him that infamous grin.

“Here I offered to help, and you’ve ruined it for me,” he teased. “Spoilsport. Seriously, how are you going to handle it?” he asked, curiously.

“I don’t know. I haven’t really planned a murder before. I’m new at this kind of thing.”

Yeah, Dimitri was aware.

That was EXACTLY why he couldn’t let him do it.

This was a jail sentence in the making.

“How about this? WE handle it. That way you have an alibi, and you have my expertise.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want you carrying this on your soul,” he said. “You’re carrying too much, Dimitri. I can see it. As of late, you’re slipping.”

He put his drink down and stared at the man.

Was he questioning his abilities? That was all he had left, and if that were the case, he was useless.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, trying not to be offended. “I’m not slipping. I’m good at my job.”

Greyson moved around the desk. “You can’t kill forever and not have it affect you. You can’t pretend it doesn’t.”

He got it.

He wasn’t insulting him, but trying to protect him. Well, Dimitri didn’t need his protection.

That was his thing.

“I’m fine.”

“Yeah, okay. Well, you’re a stronger man than I am. I’m not fine. I don’t want to kill another person, but I know this has to be handled. Thomas Christ set up a hit. He killed Gage Starling, and he is a cop killer.”

“Yeah, and I’m a cop killer. I’ll take Christ out.”

“No. We do nothing for now. We do nothing until I’m sure it has to be handled.”

“You yourself said…”

He was aware what he said.

“No, Dimitri.”

“Your morals are frustrating.”

“Yeah, I’m a pain in the ass like that when I don’t want someone I care about to get hurt.”

Dimitri tossed back the bourbon.

That was the difference between them. One man had the luxury to care.

The other…not so much.

“I’ll handle it.”

“I mean it. You don’t do anything. I told you this in confidence. Don’t you dare go after the man. For all I know, it’s a trap. What if this is a way to catch us? I need to think this out, and decide what to do about Emma.”

“No one figured out Mace. I think I can kill a person without leaving a sign over them that points at us.”

He was aware.

“And look at the shit that buried us under. I don’t want another cop going down, and us wearing the shit from the blowback. We have too much to lose.”

He was getting frustrated.

Dimitri didn’t like being told what to do.

It pissed him off.

Well, he was already irritable, but this added to it, and it made him want to rebel in the worst possible way.

He wanted to kill someone.

For Emma.

For him.

“If you’re done talking to me, I’m going to head out. I have things to do.”

Greyson knew what he was going to do. Dimitri was going to hire a hooker and have sex. It was his normal Saturday night ritual.

“Okay.”

“That tone, Greyson. It says otherwise,” he stated, the Russian seeping back into his voice. When Dimitri was pissed, he couldn’t hold it back.

It scared people.

It didn’t scare Greyson.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Greyson said, pouring himself more bourbon.

“Bullshit. Just say it!”

He turned. “Hey, don’t read into it. I’m not your mother. I’m not here to police your dick. If you want to dance all over that rabbit hole, that’s on you when you fall down it and can’t get out.”

“Why does it bother you?” he asked. “Why does it bother your wife?”

Did he really not get it?

“Because I think you matter more than you do, and for the life of me, I can’t get you to see that. Emma feels the same way. We see the value in you.”

“Yeah, I protect you both.”

Greyson slammed down his glass.

“Is that all you think?”

Dimitri stubbed out his cigar. This was escalating, and he didn’t want to be angry, but they were right.

It ate away at him.

But it was all he had. They didn’t get that because they had what he’d never achieve.

No one could love a cold, dead-inside man who lost his soul so long ago that he couldn’t recall the last time he enjoyed feeling.

They knew love.

He only knew pain.

Dimitri planned to just walk away, but when he opened his mouth…

Yeah, it got worse.

“We don’t all have pretty little lives where we find the woman of our dreams across a field.”

Greyson stared at him.

“Some of us have to find that comfort in ways that aren’t so pretty. Don’t judge me and my dick because you have no clue what lives in me. You see this man, not the truly hideous one no one can bare to look at.”

Greyson sighed.

It was time to back off.

“I’m not judging you.”

“Worse, don’t pity me. I don’t want that from you, and I don’t want it from your fucking perfect life in your ivory castle. When I go down, Greyson, I know that there will not be that love to have my back.”

He turned to walk away.

“Dimitri.”

The man stopped at the door.

“What? More pity?” he asked, his voice bitter with so much anger and resentment. Only, it wasn’t for Greyson.

It was for him.

You lived and died by your choices, and he’d chosen this path.

Croft wanted to shake some sense into him, but this was Dimitri.

“I’m sorry. Just be safe, okay? Christ and his asshole dirty cops would love to catch us off guard. I’m sorry I’m edgy. This has me rattled. I don’t know what to do. I’m torn.”

He turned, staring into the man’s silver eyes.

“I told you. I’ll handle it.”

Greyson knew he was in no position to be handling this, or where he put his dick.

Someone was a runaway train.

“Please.”

Dimitri was tired of arguing. He wanted to escape it.

“Fine. See you tomorrow.”

He slammed the door, and he headed out. Out in the garage, Dimitri picked a car that could outrace the media, and the cops, if need be.

He was so damn angry, that he just wanted to drive for days until he couldn’t drive anymore.

He wanted to escape that pain.

But it chased him.

Dialing the madam he used frequently, he headed out and put in his order.

“I need someone new. I need an adventure.”

He wanted to be wild.

Rough.

Angry.

“Mr. Ivanov, I thought you might be taking this week off. Normally, you call before now.”

“Yes, I’m running behind with business. I really am in the mood for some company. Can you find me someone?” he asked, letting all the Russian out.

He was tired of pretending he was something he wasn’t. Tonight, when the girl came, he’d be himself.

He’d be that bastard.

“I happen to have someone new,” she offered. “Tonight is her first night.”

He wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He needed someone with experience. This wasn’t going to be about her learning. He needed someone to ride his dick and make him forget.

Still…

It was this or likely no one.

“Send her.”

Dimitri hated living this lie, but he’d pretend he was someone else just to feel. He was empty. Tonight, Mr. Ivanov would get off. Dimitri Gideon would lie in wait in the shadows like the sick predator he was.

It was for the best.

“Are you sure?” she asked, sensing his hesitation. “I can come if you need me.”

That was the last thing he needed. He’d slept with Stephanie before, when she was just starting out. He didn’t take the same ride twice.

It was always a bad idea.

His soul.

His heart.

The well of strength.

It was running out. He was faltering.

“The new girl will be fine,” he answered, hoping he was right.

“Okay, Mr. Ivanov. If you change your mind, for the special fee, I can come.”

He was aware.

While he’d enjoyed her, Dimitri needed this anonymity. She would know him if she saw him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

“Thank you, Stephanie. As always, you never let me down,” he offered.

“Have fun, Mr. Ivanov.”

He hoped he would.

What he needed was a distraction. Tomorrow, he’d head into ‘Aquarius’, and he’d find them a case.

They needed to work.

He needed to work.

“Send her to the hotel. My normal room. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll have her there in thirty. Our standard rate?”

“Da. That is good,” he offered in broken English.

He hung up.

As he cleared the gate, he watched the house in the rearview mirror. He could see Greyson watching from his office window.

It pissed him off.

Lately, everything did.

Dimitri hit the gas and took off. In two hours, he’d be okay. He’d let off some steam, find that release, and be able to go another day.

He tried not to think about how he was having to hire women more often, or how he wasn’t getting that rush that he once got.

He knew why.

Dimitri had caught something.

Morals.

And frankly, they sucked.

                                       * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He felt horrible watching him leave.

Dimitri was on a one-way course with death, and Greyson could see it.

Only, what was he supposed to do?

He couldn’t baby the man.

He wasn’t his father.

Greyson had to let him figure it out on his own. There came a time when you couldn’t control all the players in the game. Greyson had a million other issues to deal with, starting with his wife.

What the hell was he going to do?

As he shut everything off in his office, he knew where he needed to be.

Heading to their room, he checked on Sam, and he was asleep.  Continuing down the hall, he reached their bedroom.

His queen was in bed.

Naked.

At first, Greyson thought about letting her sleep, but as he stripped down and slid beneath the covers, it became too alluring to ignore it.

His kitten was right there.

He’d been drinking.

She smelled amazing.

The next thing he knew, he was molesting his wife, and he didn’t care if she was asleep.

He needed her.

“Emma,” he whispered, as his mouth moved down her neck, to her breasts, and her belly button.

She shifted, going into his body.

Emma’s eyes fluttered open, and she could smell the cigar and bourbon on him.

He’d been up working.

“Greyson,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

“I need a break from thinking,” he said, rolling to his back. He knew his wife, and she was exactly what he needed.

“I’ll make you forget,” she murmured as she continued to leave a trail of light butterfly kisses that offered him reassurance.

Croft let her do her thing, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

He was rock hard, and she was leaving kisses all the way down his chest.

“Emma,” he whispered as he stared in awe that the beautiful woman in their bed was his and his alone. This was reason enough to kill anyone.

His wife was above him, and her form was illuminated by the moonlight coming through their window.

She looked like a goddess.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too, and I have you, Grey,” she crooned, as she continued her gentle exploration with her mouth.

He was tense, and not in a sexual way.

He was stressed.

That made Emma want to soothe him even more.

Allowing her lips to travel lower, across his navel and past his muscle-corded hips, she used the tip of her tongue to torment him.

He moaned.

As she added in her hands, he couldn’t help but find peace. His wife knew him, and Greyson was eternally grateful for that.

She got it.

He needed this.

With her fingers, she traced hearts across his thighs to remind him of what they had.

“Yes, honey, God! Yes,” he said, as she came ever so close to his erection.

Emma took her time, blowing across his dick as she watched it tighten and bob. It was begging for her attention. With her fingers, she stroked and soothed—offering the never-ending promise of her love.

Leaving a trail of kisses, she slid up his frame, resting him in just the right spot as she stared down into his eyes. “I love you, my husband. I’ll make it all right,” she promised, sliding him home in one stroke.

“Emma,” he whispered, his body bowing beneath her at the hot, wet slide into the heat. “You’re my everything,” he vowed.

His fingers found her hips, as her hands rested on his chest. He knew it was coming.

She watched him fill with emotion as she began her slow ride. With each stroke up his erection, his breathing matched. At that moment, there was perfect syncopation as she rocked them both to ecstasy.

This was perfection.

He was the reason she existed.

This man was her all, and the way he was watching her was enough to put her over the edge.

Emma focused on him.

His breath hitched as she rode him.

Greyson couldn’t look away. She was rumpled from sleep, all that red hair—a halo around her.

Croft had never seen a more beautiful woman. She was his siren, and this was their song.

“Never leave me,” he whispered. “I’d die without you my queen.”

It made her heart hitch.

“I’ll never leave you, Greyson,” she whispered, placing her hand over his heart. “We are one,” she vowed, as his hand covered hers.

“Forever.”

She kept rocking, and he kept pulling her hips down with one hand. There was that feeling of complete happiness as they came together.

Emma was close.

As she tightened around him, he moaned her name, and refused to fight it. When she fell, he would follow. 

He’d chase the only woman he loved.

There was no Greyson without Emma. They were meant to be one.

Emma shook, and then there was that gasp of pleasure before she shattered and collapsed.

Greyson could feel her tumble and went for the ride, just allowing himself that fall into perfection and bliss with his woman.

They laid together, bodies pressed as one, and their breathing slowed.

When she could focus past the sleep and pleasure, she needed to know.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He wouldn’t lie.

He couldn’t.

“Dimitri.”

She sighed. “He left again, didn’t he?” she asked.

He didn’t have to speak.

She already knew.

The man was on a mission of self-loathing, and they were going to lose him if they couldn’t reach him.

“What do we do?” she asked.

He didn’t know, but now, his ninety-nine problems were up to one hundred, and it wasn’t looking good.

For anyone.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Thirty

Minutes

Later

She was nervous.

The madam told her he was her best customer, and to treat him well. She wanted to, but she was so afraid.

She’d heard the other girls talking, and Mr. Ivanov was likely one of the men who had ‘bought’ her sister. He seemed to get preferential treatment from the madam, and that had to mean something, right?

She couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t matter. She’d get him to talk. Once he did, she was willing to slit his throat.

If he touched her sister, he was dead.

That’s it.

Hope was lost, and it was desperate times. She couldn’t let him have any more women like her sister.

He was a predator like the rest of them, and these women were nothing but prey.

It ended here.

Pulling the blade out of her bag, she headed to the luxurious hotel room door. As she took a deep breath, she prayed he’d give her the answers that she needed.

Someone had to know.

Someone had to see her.

A person didn’t just disappear into thin air.

Right?

Knocking on the door, she was ready. She was getting answers, or the man wasn’t leaving alive.

She was done.

It was time to find her sister.

When he heard the knock, he was just about to take off his suit.

“Mr. Ivanov?” she called through the door. “Stephanie sent me.”

It was his girl.

There was that little tingle of awareness, almost as if he recognized her voice, but he chose to ignore it.

Did he know her?

How could that be?

He specifically asked for a new girl.

Stephanie had never let him down before. She was good at catering to his needs.

After all, he’d used her for years.

“Come in! The door is open. I’m in here getting ready for our little date.”

He pulled off his tie, and he began slipping out of his suit jacket. He was thinking about getting off, getting home, and then handling the Thomas Christ situation.

Honestly, he was thinking about Emma. He was worried about her heart when she heard all about this.

Despite wanting to stop thinking, she was on his mind.

Then, he heard the girl coming up behind him.

It was time to get off, and then he’d deal with the rest. He needed these few minutes to find himself.

“I’ll be ready in a minute. You can undress and get on the bed. There’s money for you on the…”

He caught a glint of something from the corner of his eye in the mirror across the room, and it saved his life.

He turned just in time. The blade would have gone through his back and into his heart had he not turned. Instead, it pierced his shoulder, cutting into his flesh.

Dimitri spun, catching the woman off guard. In the process, he was surprised, too, and by more than the knife sticking out of his flesh.

“Marissa?” he asked, completely confused.

She sucker punched him in the face, and he fell back.

“What did you do to my sister?” she asked, before she attacked him, trying to claw out his eyes.

Dimitri avoided one hand, but she scratched the hell out of his neck.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, you sick fuck!” she raged, as she kept trying to make him bleed.

Dimitri was confused, so he did the only thing he could.

Dimitri brought up his elbow and knocked her out.

As she fell back onto the bed, he was only thinking one thing.

What the bloody hell was this?

                              * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Town

He was bored.

When he picked Vegas, he thought it would keep him entertained.

Oh, and it had.

Vegas was an unusual place, and he’d seen a lot of places in his life. He may not be old, but he was wise to the world.

He’d traveled.

He killed.

He’d done everything his government had asked him to do. He’d lived up to his father’s memory.

Now he was here.

He was intrigued by the city that never slept, and the flashing lights. He was enthralled by the women he could buy, and he would be pleased when he found his ultimate prize.

Yes, it was about the sex and the slutty little treasures he found along the way, but it was about more.

He needed to find his brother. Then, when he did, he’d enact his revenge.

For his father.

For his blood.

All these years, it had been almost impossible to find him. Then, he saw him.

Ironically, he was on the news, and there was no doubt that he was the one.

There was that flash of a news story, as he rested in his hotel room in New York. He saw him, it was only a few seconds, but he recognized him.

He looked like their father.

They had the same eyes.

They shared the same cheekbones.

Dimitri Gideon was his brother, and they had a date to finish up some things. 

How did he know this was destined from the day he was born?

Rumor travelled, and finally, it had gotten back to them.

Well, to his mother.

She told him everything when he asked about his father. There was only one picture of him in their home, and he cherished it. Constantine had been holding him the day he was born.

His mother said he was so proud to have a good son.

And he wanted to live up to that.

Oh, and he would.

Yes, he’d heard the stories about his great father, the KGB man who served his country well, and he’d heard the lies to smear his character.

He didn’t buy into them, and he never would. Yes, he may have had an icy cold heart, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t love him and his mother.

Yes, he’d used pain to get his way, and he couldn’t blame him. Weak people needed to be dominated.

Look at his slutty treasures.

He still loved the man.

As he grew up, alone, with only a mother, he never understood why.

She was KGB, too, and she was lovely.

When he was a teenager, he found the picture. He found the face that launched a million questions, and he’d learned about the man who made him.

He loved his mother.

They had a passionate affair.

Then, one day, he was killed in his own home. It took years to find out who did it. It took bribes, listening to a ton of bull, but he found the truth.

He was killed by his son.

His brother.

That was a travesty.

As he went to work for the government, killing for them, he grew to hate the man who took his father’s life—his mother’s one true love.

He festered in the anger.

He vowed to find him.

Then, when his mother died, he sought revenge. If not for him, for her. She struggled her whole life without the man she loved. She said he was callous to the world.

Hard.

Difficult.

But to her, he was sweet, and she missed him.

So, he was going to find his killer.

He was going to make sure he paid.

After all, he obviously didn’t realize that you didn’t betray your own blood. It was thicker than water. It was all you ever had in life.

When you betrayed it, you had to pay.

So that was the real reason he was in Vegas, but he’d still have fun.

He’d still terrorize a few people.

Starting with his brother.

They may have shared the same aqua eyes, the same nose, and skills, but in the end, Viktor knew one thing.

Maximillian couldn’t hide.

Anfisa wasn’t safe.

Anzehlina was just as guilty.

And in the end, they would pay. They violated something so sacred. They betrayed their country, working for the Americans.

They betrayed their heritage.

They betrayed family.

And that meant one thing.

Death.

Chapter Two

W hen he got the call, they’d been finishing up sex. Emma had been cuddled against him, and it was peaceful at Terrace Glen. Only, it didn’t last for very long. The ringer on his phone went off, scaring the shit out of him and Emma.

It was Dimitri.

Why Croft got that sick feeling, he wasn’t sure, but he knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“Dimitri, are you okay?”

“No. I need you to come. I have a problem.”

Greyson could only imagine what that would be. A man hires a hooker, after leaving his home angry.

Yeah, he was expecting a bloodbath.

Jesus.

“I’m on my way.”

“What happened to Dimitri?” she asked curiously.

“Nothing, honey. I have to run out.”

She got out of bed.

“Uh, you’re not coming with me, Emma. You’re safer here,” he said, pulling on his pants.

“Bullshit. I’m not letting you go out at eleven at night when we have people trying to frame us. I’m riding shotgun, Greyson.”

She had a point.

“Dimitri is at the hotel, and he needs me.”

She lifted a brow.

That couldn’t be good.

As she dressed, Emma pulled a gun from her dresser and tucked it into the back of her pants. She knew what was coming was likely going to be bad.

“I don’t think you need…”

Who was he kidding?

He grabbed one of his guns too.

“What happened exactly?” she asked.

“We were talking about some issues, and he and I had a disagreement. He left. All I know is he needs help.”

She knew what he was thinking, and it made her sick. Emma prayed that he didn’t do something stupid.

“Do you think he killed a woman?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

Emma didn’t like this.

Mostly, because it was eating away at Dimitri. He couldn’t see it, but she could. This had to stop. There had to be a way for him to get off this runaway train before it derailed and killed him.

“I’ll grab some things.”

“Like what?” he asked. “A shower curtain to wrap up the body?” he inquired, staring at her.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to plan ahead. Cops notice things missing from hotel rooms.”

“Emma, it’s our hotel. I think we can doctor the scene later,” he offered, grabbing his keys. “We have to hurry.”

Emma followed him out.

As she did, Greyson called Chris.

“We are heading out. We need someone up to patrol. Can you and Natasha handle it?” he asked.

He heard the answer, and he was willing to handle it.

Normally, he wouldn’t stress it, but he didn’t trust Sam not to steal another car or try to run away again. Before, he’d been trying to keep people out.

Now he was trying to keep people in.

Oh, the irony…

Life was funny.

Their lives were chaos.

As they hit the garage, he grabbed his car. He didn’t get to drive it much. The media knew it was his, but it was fast.

“Buckle up,” he said, as his wife began doing just that.

He headed out, opening the gate and gunning it through the opening. It luckily caught most of the reporters off guard, and he was able to get far enough away that he knew he could lose them once they hit the strip.

“What are we going to do?” Emma asked. “If he killed someone…”

He didn’t hesitate.

“We will clean up the mess.”

She knew what he was planning. “There’s a bag in the trunk.”

He was aware.

He’d placed it there.

There were medical supplies, a first aid kit, and plastic garbage bags.

Yeah, their life had drastically changed. More money did equal more problems, and here was the proof.

“I wish you would have stayed home,” he admitted, once they were close to town.

She glanced over at him.

“Are you kidding me? And miss out on the fun?” she teased. “I love hiding a body in the desert at midnight after making love to my husband. Who has Saturday nights like this?”

Yeah, God forbid they actually do something normal like sex and sleep. That would be too damn easy.

“I’m going to kick his ass.”

“No, you’re not. He’s hurting, Grey. That’s not how you fix this. You don’t get angry. Dimitri doesn’t know it, but he’s just like Sam. He’s lost. We find him, we heal him, and we take care of him.”

He sighed.

“I’ll handle it,” she stated. “This needs a woman’s touch. He will listen to me.”

Greyson hoped so.

He was getting cranky too. He’d just told Dimitri no body because that would cause issues, and here he was on his way to the strip to likely clean up after a mess.

This was bad.

Very.

Very.

Bad.

He held the towel to his arm. He wasn’t gushing blood anymore, and that was probably a good thing. He’d had the fortitude to restrain Marissa’s arms before she could wake up.

Now she was pissed off.

She was glaring at him from the bed and cursing his name. Well, he had news for her. She was going to have to try harder if she wanted to insult him.

He’d been called all those names before.

“When I get free, I’m going to kill you,” she hissed from the bed.

Oh, she only wished.

Marissa had gotten lucky. He’d been distracted. From here on out, he wasn’t going to let that happen.

Ever.

Again.

“I hate you,” she hissed.

“Yeah, I’m not all that happy with you right now either,” he said. “You freaking could have killed me.”

“I wanted to kill you, you asshole!”

He didn’t get it.

He’d never been unkind to her.

Why was she trying to end his life? Then again, maybe he should have let her.

“What is your problem, Marissa? You came in here with a knife. You’re damn lucky I didn’t shoot you!”

“You slept with my sister! What did you do with her?” she raged. “Where did you dump her body, you asshole!”

He was confused. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, Marissa. All I know is I hired a hooker…”

He pointed at her.

“I’m not a hooker!”

Well, she could have fooled him, especially since he’d called a madam and ordered one up.

“Listen, you can stop blaming me for whatever it is you’ve come up with in your head. You’re the one who is dressed like a prostitute. Imagine my surprise when a woman I used to employ wasn’t trying to suck my dick but shank my throat!”

She got off the bed, and he shoved her back down with his good arm.

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Clearly, but I don’t know why. I hired you when you needed a job, I took care of you when you were hurt, and then you disappeared without a word. What the hell is going on?” he asked.

She got up again and kicked him in the leg with the tip of her pointy heel. She got him right on the shin, and it hurt maybe more than the knife.

He began cursing in Russian.

Marissa went at him again, and he shoved her back down. “If you come at me again…”

“You’ll what? Kill me?”

“I’m contemplating it. Trust me, you’re close to pushing me past my control.”

There was a knock on the door, and then Greyson’s voice. Dimitri didn’t have to answer. He knew the man had a master key card, since he owned the place.

When Greyson came in, he was relieved.

Until he saw Emma.

Jesus.

Great.

This had just gone from bad, to embarrassing, and then right to disastrous. Here he was, in a hotel room, with a hooker he hired—who was once an employee and who stabbed him—with a woman he didn’t want to see him behave like this.

This was why he saw hookers at a hotel and not the house. It wasn’t right to flaunt this in front of her.

Perfect.

Emma saw him and immediately, she rushed toward him. “Dimitri, are you okay?” she asked, concern in her voice.

“I’m good, Emma.” He tried to move away from her so she wouldn’t have to deal with this mess.

Or to touch him.

He didn’t think he deserved it.

“Let me see your arm,” she said, dropping the bag she’d been carrying.

He stood there.

Emma touched his arm. “Dimitri, please let me see your arm.”

He sat, seeing that she was NOT going to give up.

“What’s going on?” Greyson asked, relieved that the woman was still alive. This made his night a million times easier.

“He killed my sister!” Marissa hissed.

Greyson stared at her. “Wait! Didn’t you work for him?” he asked, finally recognizing her. “You were the hostess!”

“Yes, I was, and I’m trying to find my sister. I have information that says he saw her.”

Emma pulled the towel away. She needed to get to his arm. “I need to take your shirt off,” she said.

He moved out of her reach.

“Dimitri.”

Greyson had to grab Marissa before she attacked again, this time with her high heel in her hand behind her back. If this hadn’t been serious, he would have laughed at how awkward this was.

Only their life.

“Sit,” he ordered.

She tried to get up again, and despite being restrained, she was going to try to hurt him again.

Greyson had to step in.

“Emma, take him into the bathroom. I’ll handle this, and you deal with his arm.”

She took him by the hand and led him into the bathroom. Once he sat down, he wouldn’t look at her.

“What did I do to make you upset with me?” she asked, when he was giving her the cold shoulder. There was a chill in the room, and she figured it had to be her.

“Nothing.”

“Then look at me.”

He did.

That’s when she saw it.

He was mortified.

This was the same look that Dimitri gave her when she hugged him or gave him a kiss. It was one of embarrassment.

Well, at least she didn’t upset him.

“What happened?” she asked, reaching for his shirt. Again, he pushed her hands away.

“I came here to get laid. She tried to stab me. That’s all you need to know.”

Emma tried to be calm. She’d learned a lot about this man over the last year, and she knew he was struggling.

“Newsflash, she did stab you. Now let me see your damn arm. You’re bleeding all over the floor!”

He looked down.

The second he did, she grabbed the shirt and yanked it off his body.

He stood and stared at her, putting his back as far from her as he could. “Don’t touch me!”

She didn’t understand.

Then, she could see his back in the mirror, and it horrified her. She knew he had scars, but in the light of the bathroom, they were a million times worse.

He was a mess.

There were vicious angry scars crisscrossing his whole back.

“Dimitri, who hurt you?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

“Don’t, Emma! Not now, not here, and not with me,” he said, his voice cool and low.

She didn’t budge.

“Yeah, why should I care that someone I love is hurt?” she asked, a tear slipping free.

Shit!

She was crying.

He sat in frustration.

Instead of addressing what was going on, again, she tried something different. She hugged him.

It worked because it caught him off guard and allowed her to get closer to him.

“It’ll wait. For now, I’m here now. I’ll fix your arm and get you a new shirt. Okay?”

He didn’t know what to say.

“Okay.”

She grabbed the first aid kit and checked his shoulder. “When we get home, Steele is going to have to stitch this up. It’s a big cut.”

“I’ll handle it when I get back to my room. It won’t be the first time, or the last. I can handle it.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No.”

She got to work with cleaning out the wound, and bandaging his arm. Her fingers moved gently across his shoulder, patching him back up.

When she had it covered, she spoke again, “I’ll get you something to wear. Stay here.”

He took her hand and stopped her.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m not angry at you, Emma. I shouldn’t have been an asshole to you.”

She got it, but she wanted to know the truth, and from him. It had to be from him.

“Then who are you mad at, Dimitri?”

“Me.”

She patted his cheek. “I’m sorry you hate that man so much that you’ll punish him like this. I know for a fact that Dimitri Gideon is a good man,” she said. “I wish you saw him like I do.”

Her words hit home.

“Me too.”

She stared into his eyes. “We’ll fix this, and then we’ll go home. You need to come home.”

He was aware, but how did he explain that home hurt him just as much?

That he was lost there too?

“I’ll be back.”

He watched her leave, and he did the only thing he could. He closed his eyes and prayed.

Greyson was getting nowhere with the woman. She was being belligerent. As soon as Emma came out, he looked toward her, and took a foot to the gut.

He nearly went down.

Emma was on the woman, a gun pointed at her head. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked, putting her finger on the trigger.

Marissa stopped moving.

Greyson stared at her.

As did Dimitri who came running out of the bathroom to see what was going on.

He was shocked.

When did she start carrying?

“I just want to find my sister,” Marissa said. “He had contact with her.”

Emma had been a cop. She knew how to interview someone. “How do you know that Dimitri had contact with her?” she asked.

“I found her apartment. I found her things. This was in them,” she said, struggling awkwardly, as she reached into her purse to pull out a card. When she opened her zip-tied hands, there was an ‘Aquarius’ card.

Emma picked it up.

On the back, there was Greyson’s cell number.

She showed it to her husband.

“I only wrote my number on one card,” he said. “It was one day when we were in that strip club.”

Dimitri watched from the doorway and he recalled it. Now, everything was starting to make sense.

“Give him your hoodie,” Emma said, tucking the gun back into the back of her pants.

Greyson unzipped it and passed it off to Dimitri.

“Thank you.”

“Now, how about you stop abusing the men I like, and tell us what the hell is going on, from the beginning?” Emma asked. “You’re pissing me off, and I’m tired, pregnant, and getting bitchy. You won’t like me bitchy, Marissa. I get mean. Spill it.”

She did.

“My sister went missing while she was working the streets. I found this card, and I know he’s had contact with the women in this city. He did something to her!”

Emma knew Dimitri. He’d never hurt a woman. He couldn’t. It wasn’t his nature.

“I have to find her before something horrible happens to her. She’s missing, and her pimp is dead.”

Emma crossed her arms. “So, let me get this straight. You immediately thought your old boss, who helps women on the streets of Vegas, killed her?”

“I thought it was Mr. Ivanov. I didn’t know it was Mr. Gideon. I took a job as an escort to find my sister, and I was sent to offer Mr. Ivanov a date. He was who I was going to kill.”

“You realize that makes you sound crazy, right?” Emma asked.

Greyson agreed.

This whole thing was insane.

Dimitri couldn’t believe it. He glared at her. “And what if I hadn’t been the one waiting for you? You do realize that in this city, women get killed for doing stupid shit like this. You could have come face to face with an angry John who killed you.”

“I have to find her.”

Emma sat. “Can I have a knife?” she asked.

Greyson handed her the bloody one.

She cut the zip tie. “What’s going on, Marissa? Wait! That is your name, right?”

She nodded. “I’m Marissa Pierce. I’ve been searching for my sister for two years. I think something bad has happened to her. She’s not even eighteen.”

Greyson sat in a chair.

“Why didn’t you tell Dimitri?” Greyson asked. “He would have helped you.”

“I would have,” he stated. “Well, before you shanked me in my hotel room.”

Then again, it did save him from sleeping with one more hooker to fill the hole.

Maybe he should thank her.

She glared at him. “He’s hiring women for sex! He’s part of the problem. How do you know he’s not the one killing them?” she asked.

That barb was brutal for him.

Emma came to his defense. “He hires them, and then gets them out, Marissa. He’s trying to save women, not kill them.”

“You don’t know that.”

She looked over at him. “I do know that. Dimitri is a good man. You worked for him. What you see is what you get. Now, start at the beginning. Tell us about your sister.”

“We were put into foster care. I’m older. I swore I was going to find her, and I’ve been trying. She slipped through the cracks. She ran away from her foster home and hooked up with some man named Anthony Delmarco.”

Dimitri stared at her.

“Wait.”

She did.

“When you left, I went to check on you at your apartment. I found a few things.”

He pulled out his phone and pulled up the pictures. Then he handed them to her.

There was a paper with Anthony Delmarco’s name on it.

“I forgot it in my rush to get away from you,” she stated. “I knew his name. I didn’t need it.”

He showed her another picture.

“Is your sister’s name Julie?” he asked.

She was up and off the bed so fast that no one expected it. Then she was on Dimitri, trying to hurt him again.

Emma grabbed her, and flipped her onto the bed. Again, the gun was out, and pointed at her.

“If you touch him again, I’m going to be the one you need to worry about, Marissa. He won’t be killing a hooker, but I may be.”

The warning hit its mark.

She swallowed, and stared at the gun.

“You’ve stabbed a man I love, and you’ve kicked my husband in the stomach. The next time you show any signs of violence, I’m going to show you some street violence I picked up in Philly on the beat. You will not look the same when I’m done. Are we perfectly clear?” she asked.

Everyone stared at Emma.

Greyson was wildly turned on by his wife being all aggressive. It reminded him of when she’d been a cop.

Dimitri was touched by her words.

She was protecting him.

In his world, that never happened. He was the protector, and never the one anyone worried about.

Until that moment.

“I’m sorry.”

“Tell him that. You stabbed him, and you scratched his throat. One more mark on him, and I’m going to have to drag you out in a shower curtain.”

“They leak. Bad idea,” Dimitri said.

She stared at him. “Really? Now? Maybe that should have stayed in your head until later, don’t you think?”

It made him smile.

He needed that.

“Anyway, back to your sister,” Emma stated, once more tucking the gun away. “Remember, third time is when I shoot. I’m not screwing around.”

She sat there.

Again, Dimitri showed her the phone.

Marissa’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s Julie.”

Greyson lifted a brow.

Dimitri knew why. “Remember that case we were working, and we went to that club.”

“Yeah, that’s where she got the card,” he stated.

Marissa stared at them both.

“Wait! You saw my sister?”

Dimitri passed his phone to Greyson, and he checked out the picture. It was the first time he’d heard about Dimitri finding it, but he wasn’t surprised.

He had secrets.

Which was exactly his point earlier.

They were bad.

Here was the proof.

“Yeah, that’s her. I had a conversation with her. That’s why she had my card. I gave her that, and told her if she was in trouble, that she could call me. I also gave her two hundred bucks for a bus ticket anywhere but here.”

Marissa’s eyes filled with tears. “So she’s alive?” she asked, breathing out. “When did you talk to her?”

Greyson thought back.

“A couple months or maybe five-six weeks. Time in Vegas is one big blur.”

Marissa needed their help.

This clearly hadn’t worked.

In order to gain their trust after this mess, she had to come clean.

“We were both put into the system by our mother. She used to let her boyfriends touch us. She was a drug addict.”

They all listened.

“We got separated. I vowed to find her. She’s just a kid. I have to find her before something happens to her.”

Emma listened. “You said her pimp was found dead?” she asked.

Dimitri spoke up, “We talked to him. His name is…”

He stopped.

“What’s his name?” Marissa asked. “I know he’s dead, but if I have his name, I can keep looking. The police won’t help me. She’s one lost hooker in a city of filth.”

Yeah, they were aware.

They were fighting it every day.

Dimitri laughed. “You have no business looking. If you need proof, check out tonight. You stabbed a man. You could be going to jail.”

“Oh, and you’re calling the police?” she asked. “Dimitri Gideon, the infamous man of the night—who hired a hooker to get laid—is calling the cops?”

He flinched.

Emma wasn’t having it. “Tread lightly, Miss Pierce. I’m not your biggest fan right now. If you piss me off, I’m the one with the gun. You’re lucky he wasn’t carrying.”

She gave him a look.

He should have been carrying.

With the way Vegas was trying to swallow them whole, you’d think he’d know that.

Well, he would.

Later.

Dimitri was glaring at Marissa, trying not to notice how Emma was looking at him. He couldn’t meet her eyes. He’d been so irritated with Greyson, he’d left the house without any protection. In a fist fight, he could hold his own.

Against a woman, who he refused to hit…

He was screwed.

“I might call the police if it keeps you from being killed as you pose as some hooker. You could have been trapped with a man who insisted on sex. Then what?”

“I would have followed through. She’s my sister. What wouldn’t I do for information to find her? You don’t understand what a person will do to save their blood!” 

Actually, he did get it.

He’d committed a plethora of travesties in order to get Katerina and Natasha to this life. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to save them.

He’d killed.

Robbed.

Executed.

Tortured.

His existence didn’t matter. It was all about them, and he knew it. He was in the home stretch. Once Natasha married Chris, and he didn’t doubt the man would ask one day, he could stop being this man.

He could have peace.

“What’s his name?” Marissa asked again.

Dimitri wasn’t having it.

“Don’t tell her his name. She’s going to get herself killed by playing investigator. That’s not her job.”

She stood.

Emma warned her. “I will shoot you if you look at him funny.”

Greyson, who’d been quiet, finally spoke, “I have a solution if anyone wants to hear it.”

They all looked at him.

“We help people. We’ll take your case, Miss Pierce. We’ll find your sister for you.”

Dimitri stared at him. “WHAT?”

Emma did too. “GREYSON!”

She couldn’t believe it.

“Maybe this was meant to be. She stumbled onto him, and we’re supposed to help her. Besides, she’s got the magic black card. That means we’re going to help her out.”

Oh boy.

This was bad.

Even Emma could see that.

“Greyson, she tried to kill Dimitri. Maybe she’s the last person we should be helping.”

He shook his head.

Croft recalled talking to Julie. He wanted to bring her home and feed her cookies as she did homework.

She was a child, and the system failed her.

Like Sam.

She didn’t have a chance out here by herself, and if they wanted to find her, they had to move fast. There were women dying out on the streets as they sold themselves each and every day.

This girl…she needed help then, and he didn’t step in and handle it, and for that, he regretted it.

Well, it was better late than never, right?

“Dimitri usually picks the cases, but I should have helped her when I saw her. We’re going to help you, Marissa, but you have to stop being violent. That solves nothing.”

She began crying, glad that she was going to get some help with all of this.

“Thank you, Mr. Croft.”

He pulled out his wallet. “How much were you supposed to be paid?”

“Five hundred.”

“Pay your madam, and then go home. Dimitri is right about this being dangerous and stupid. It will get you killed. The police have a file cabinet full of dead hookers that no one is missing. Don’t end up there.”

She took the money. “Thank you, Mr. Croft.”

“Meet us at ‘Aquarius’ tomorrow when it opens. We will talk about your sister and her case then. Right now, we’re going to get Dimitri, and ourselves, home. I suggest you do the same.”

She took the money, and the card her sister had in her possession.

Then she left.

Emma stared at him.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she offered, going on record. “I have a sick feeling in my gut.”

Yeah, he did too.

Greyson knew it was a terrible one, but that didn’t change it. “Our last case, we were hired by a killer. It can’t get much worse than that, now can it?” he asked.

Dimitri shook his head.

He couldn’t believe this night.

All he wanted was to go back to Terrace Glen and stitch his arm closed. It stung like a bitch, and his mood was really miserable.

He had a feeling it was going to get worse.

“I’ll see you at home,” he said, grabbing his things. When he headed out, he slammed the door.

“Greyson, maybe you should have asked Dimitri if he wanted to work this case. He seems angry.”

He kissed his wife.

“I’m angry too. My security guy was nearly taken down by a hostess, playing hooker, and all in my hotel. I’m not a patient man, Emma, and something has to give. Dimitri is playing a dangerous game.”

She was aware.

“Take me home, and I’ll take care of his arm. Have you seen his back?”

He nodded. “His father did a number on him as a child.”

She cringed. “Those three poor kids,” she said, thinking about the one growing in her body. “They lived through hell, Greyson. We have to do something to help him through this. We can’t lose Dimitri.”

He was aware.

Emma had an attachment.

Hell!

He did too.

“When we go home, you go play mother and take as long as it takes to get him in the right frame of mind. I’ll start working on researching our new client. If I find anything bad in the search, we’ll drop her case. If not, we’re going to take this one.”

She didn’t get it.

“Why are you so hellbent on taking this one case, Greyson? Why? Help me understand.”

“You know how you feel bad about not saving Sam before that man beat him in the alley?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Julie Pierce is my Sam. She was right there, and I didn’t bring her home with me. I could have, since I knew she was nothing more than a child.”

“Grey.”

He shook his head. “We find her. We clean her up, and we send her home. I can’t save them all, Emma, but I can save her.”

She thought about Dimitri.

But could they save him?

Chapter Three

Sky Villa

One A.M

W hen he arrived at his own personal place, he wasn’t happy. Dimitri, at the last minute, decided not to return to Terrace Glen. He, instead, headed to the luxury condominium to avoid the family.

No, not the family.

He headed there to avoid Emma and Greyson. For tonight, he needed to be alone, or something bad would happen.

Dimitri could feel it.

His mood was dark, brooding, and just about to the point where he was going to lose control. What he wanted was to have some booze, stitch his arm shut, and kill something.

Maybe Thomas Christ would be a good target?

Greyson had said no, but he was willing to ignore the man. After all, why the hell not? Greyson, clearly, didn’t care that he didn’t want to help Marissa Pierce on this case.

A part of him, the angry part, wanted to be defiant in protest. He could feel the trouble coming, and Dimitri had the sick suspicion he was going to be pulled into the storm.

Marissa Pierce was trouble.

Big trouble.

She’d been given a shot in his club, and she’d lied to him. When he hired employees, it was under the guise that they stopped the farce and lived their true lives. It was about rehabilitation before stepping out in the world.

She’d done neither.

That was a huge problem. They shouldn’t be taking this case, and he knew it.

Dimitri didn’t trust her.

He’d done his search on Marissa Pierce, and he knew about foster care. He’d never thought to look deeper.

Why?

He was good at picking up lies.

He was so damn good at it that he prided himself on it, and still, he never knew.

Why the hell not?

What charm did she have over him that he didn’t look or kill her when she came at him in that hotel room?

He never suspected any of this, and that was why he was so pissed.

At her.

At himself.

At Greyson.

Maybe he was losing his edge.

When he saw her tonight, and she’d stabbed him, he knew the truth.

She was corrupted—like him.

Only the wickedest of the worst element could lie to a pro and not get caught, and he didn’t want her near his family. He didn’t want her corrupting what he’d come to love.

The people at Terrace Glen were his heart. They filled him with something he’d never had before.

A family.

Now they would be in danger.

Dimitri also didn’t want to feel that sexual pull toward her. There was something about her legs, and those pouty lips that tormented the hell out of him. When he’d turned around and saw her, it wasn’t as a woman. He saw his purchased prize, and that lust filled him.

Then she shanked him.

And he still didn’t kill her.

What the fuck was his issue?

Dimitri didn’t like the feelings brewing in his gut. He didn’t like that she always grabbed his attention, making him want to break the rules.

His rules kept him alive.

Now he was angry, frustrated, and wishing he could walk away from the whole thing. He didn’t want to work this case with Marissa Pierce.

He knew better.

Only, if he walked, who would protect the people he loved most? Who would protect the Crofts?

Dimitri was trapped, and that pissed him off. He prided himself on always having an escape route to leave a bad situation, and now he was stuck in a predicament he didn’t really enjoy.

If he walked, he lost everything he’d built the last year. He’d lose Emma and her kindness, and he’d lose Greyson and his comradery.

He’d have to leave his sisters behind, and he’d never see Katerina’s baby born or Natasha get married.

His fight or flight instinct was telling him run, but his heart was telling him stay.

There was only one person to blame…

Marissa Pierce.

It all started the second he’d seen her again, and he knew it was going to be bad.

It was a punch to the solar plexus.

It was painful to know he’d been taken by this beautiful woman, and he’d never seen it coming.

He was tricked.

That ate at him.

What was he going to do?

As Dimitri paced Sky Villa, he needed to work this out in his head. The hotel scene had been confusing, but now he got it. He thought back to that night where he carried Marissa back to her apartment.

The scent of her perfume made him insane, but his control was still intact, and he was safe.

He recalled placing her on the couch and seeing the pretty kitchen decorated by her, and it didn’t fit in with the rest of the drab apartment.

She’d been a mystery, as if she wanted to give herself one place to be at peace. That kitchen, fancifully decorated, looked to be it.

In that moment, he’d known the undeniable truth.

He wanted her.

Something about her intrigued him, and he was drawn to that mystery.

When he watched her sneak out, feeding the homeless people, he honestly believed it was to help them.

Then she disappeared without a trace, and that mystery appealed to him too.

He couldn’t find her. She was like a thief in the night.

Dimitri had to do something, but what?

He didn’t like the way he reacted to her being around, and he didn’t like the way she was now touching his family.

He feared for them.

Dimitri prided himself on being able to tell if someone was on the up and up.

Now he couldn’t.

He couldn’t read her.

That meant he couldn’t keep his family safe, and he couldn’t run for his life. So that left being a trapped animal, and that was dangerous.

As he moved around his luxury condo, he was pissed, bitter, and on the verge of hurting someone. Dimitri normally was a master at control, but now, he wanted to put his fist through a wall in anger.

Then the doorbell rang.

“Who the fuck?” he muttered storming there. When he whipped the door open, he saw her.

Emma.

She was there waiting for him.

“Well, this doesn’t look like home, but we have trackers on all the vehicles for a reason,” she said, ignoring the look on his face. She trusted this man with her husband’s life every day. There was no doubt in her mind she would be protected there.

Besides, this wasn’t like Dimitri. He wasn’t a runner. He was a fighter, and she knew something was off.

Her mom instincts were kicking in—big time.

“Where is your husband?” he demanded, his accent present and accounted for, despite his attempts to calm down.

It irritated the hell out of him too.

She irritated him, and for that, he was ashamed.

“He dropped me off. I’m your problem for the night. I guess heading here was a bad idea, huh? It’s kind of hard to hide fourteen stories up.”

That was a total mother way to handle it.

He crossed his arms and glared at her. The whole time, his heart was breaking inside. He wanted her to save him.

God!

Dimitri needed someone to save him.

“I’ve never been in here. Are you going to make me stand here all night, Dimitri?”

His heart skipped.

No one came here.

No one.

Dimitri didn’t fuck women here, and he certainly didn’t entertain company. This was his hidey-hole, and he came here when the demons threatened to take him under.

Like now.

Yeah, this was bad.

He was in no mood for the pretty redhead who tried to mother everyone she loved.

Right then, he was unlovable.

Broken.

Unfixable.

“You should go. I’ll drive you home.”

Emma could see, and hear, the storm. This man was struggling. This was exactly why she told her husband to bring her here. Against his judgment, Emma was willing to do battle for Dimitri and his soul.

Someone had to do it.

The man was slipping from their grasps, and she couldn’t let him go.

So, she’d face this scary storm.

She stopped him from grabbing his keys. “How about you do it after I help you with your arm? If you don’t want me here, then I’ll catch a cab.”

He stared at her. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Clearly. Love makes me do stupid things. I could be at home in my bed with my husband, and yet, here I stand, Dimitri.”

He let that hang there.

He prayed for a miracle.

And he got Emma.

Jesus!

What the hell had happened in the span of one day? Just last night, he’d been in control.

“Clearly, it does,” he said, handing the word back to her.

“Well? Can I come in?”

He moved backward, allowing her access to his private sanctuary. He didn’t let anyone there but Kat or Natasha. No one had seen it but his sisters.

And that realization hit him in the heart like a well-aimed punch. Emma was here.

One more sister for him to love.

That both made him relax and get angry all over again. She had this power over him too.

Now he had to wait to see if she’d hurt him.

“Welcome to my home,” he said, fighting to be pleasant to Emma.

When she entered, it was hard not to look around to check it out. The place was finely decorated, but it was contradictory of what she knew to be true.

Dimitri was making a statement.

He was hiding, and Emma didn’t buy it for a damn second.

“It looks like you,” she offered, as he locked the door behind her.

“Yes, it’s sparse and cold,” he said.

She stared at him like he was crazy. “Actually, I thought strong and masculine. It’s clear you don’t think highly of yourself, Dimitri. I, on the other hand, do.”

Dimitri didn’t know what to say.

“This is a bad idea. You being here, Emma, it’s not a good thing. Please just leave.”

“Why because you want to yell at someone, and I’m here? So, go ahead and bitch and scream. I’ll stitch you up, and we’ll get some sleep.”

He didn’t think she got it.

He was edgy.

Angry.

Horny.

Bitter.

“You’re not safe here. I’m a danger to myself and everyone around me right now. I don’t want to hurt you. Not you, Emma.”

There.

He said it.

There was no doubt in her mind that he was fighting an internal battle, and she would make it easy for him. She’d stand in front of him, giving him all she could.

Emma would protect him when he was too weak.

“Oh, Dimitri.”

She walked right toward him and into his body. Lovingly, she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso. “I’m very safe with you. I wish you felt the same about me.”

That melted the chill.

How could he be mean to her now?

“Emma.”

She held onto him. “It’s okay, Dimitri. I understand. We all have those demons. We all have those secrets that scare even us, and they chase us. Let me help you tonight. Let me fix up your arm, give you some pain meds, and just keep you company. I know you think you know what’s best, but tonight, I think you need me here.”

He did.

God!

He really did, and that was the problem. If she wasn’t married to a man he loved and respected, he would be trying to steal her away for himself.

He loved her.

He loved how sweet and innocent she was.

He wanted that in his life, and she wasn’t his.

“I trust you,” she said, when his heart quickened. “You’re my brother, my friend, and I love you as my own.”

He wrapped his good arm around her and let her heal a piece of him.

He was already wearing down from the fight. He was exhausted emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Dimitri knew he needed to hold on for one moment, and maybe he’d get strong again.

She looked up at him. “Now, where’s the pain meds and antiseptic. You’re a hot mess.”

He laughed.

“You have no idea.”

He pointed to the bathroom off the living room area. “I’m going to go change in my bedroom.”

He headed down the hall, and Emma went into the bathroom on a hunt for anything they could use to clean him up. Under the cabinet, she found the kit.

Including a tranquilizer bottle and painkillers.

Yeah, that would work.

She grabbed one of each. Someone needed to sleep, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

In the kitchen, she found water in the fridge.

Everything was pristine, black, and white, and spotless.

Yep.

This was Dimitri Gideon personified.

Cool.

Calm.

And hurt.

From the counter, she opened the huge first aid kit. She grabbed it and headed down the hall toward his bedroom. When she walked in, he was pulling on a pair of jeans.

“Emma!”

She laughed. “What? I live in a house with seven men. You have nothing I haven’t seen. Sorry, but the male anatomy isn’t shocking. I was a cop. We all shared a locker room.”

He still stared at her as he tried desperately to keep his back away from her view.

“I already saw them, Dimitri. You can pretend they aren’t there, or I can if you’d like.”

He stared into her green eyes.

There was so much emotion in his.

“Choose,” she said, giving him that escape route. When you trapped someone, who was wounded, they reacted like an animal, and she didn’t want him more worked up over all of this.

“I’d like option B, if possible.”

She shrugged. “Okay. Here,” she said, handing him the pills and the water.

He took them.

“I was thinking bourbon.”

“I was thinking it would be nice not to have you die from mixing drugs and alcohol, so the water is your drink of choice.”

He laughed despite himself.

She had that effect on him.

From the day that Randall Mason sicced him on her, he’d always been intrigued. Emma had that essence around her like she would never hurt anyone, and he needed that for now.

“Now, sit on your bed and give me the needle. I’m going to clean your arm and stitch you up.”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“Hell no! What sane person has? Had you come home, Steele would have done this. I’m not a seamstress. I was a cop.”

He raised his hand.

“Like I said…”

He laughed more. When Emma was around, he always felt a million times better. She had this way of making him feel…human.

No one else did.

People stared at him, and they saw Dimitri Gideon, the killer—the mercenary—the man who did horrible things for money. She saw Maximillian Marchenko. He didn’t get why she wasn’t afraid or loathed him.

He couldn’t figure it out.

What was it about her that made him seem like he was worthy?

“How hard can it be?” she asked, as she cleaned the wound with alcohol and clean gauze.

“I’ve been hurt worse. This is nothing. I could have handled it. You’re pregnant and should be home sleeping.”

“About that,” she began. “I needed to ask you something. I know it’s personal, but I figured this was as good a time as ever, since you’re a captive audience, and it’s just us.”

He didn’t like the sound of that.

At all.

It freaked him out. He was trying not to covet his friend’s wife, but it was so damn hard.

“What?” he asked.

“Our wedding is coming up in two months, and I was wondering if you’d walk me down the aisle. I want you and Chris to do the job. It feels right having the two people I trust more than anything beside me that day.”

He stared at her.

“Seriously?”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I get it. You can say no, and there will be no hard feelings. I just wanted you to be part of my day. You and Chris ARE my brothers. I lost Gage a long time ago, and we eloped because Greyson didn’t want me to be alone on our wedding day.”

He listened.

“Well, here’s another wedding day, and I’m just as alone. My parents are dead, and I don’t have him anymore. It would mean so much to me to have you do what you did for Kat, and what you’ll one day do for Natasha.”

How could he say no?

Especially since he knew what Greyson had found out.

Yeah, he was going to kill Thomas Christ for what he took from this sweet woman.

“Well?”

“I’d be more than happy to do it. Will all three of us fit? Chris is a tad bit bulky.”

“I’m sure he’ll say that about your ego.”

He laughed.

He was feeling better.

“I’m in.”

She took his face in her hands and stared into his aqua eyes. “You are a good man, Dimitri. Despite the hype you believe about yourself, I see the truth.”

He was about to say something.

Only, she gave him a kiss.

It was soft.

It was gentle.

It lingered.

He moved away from her. “Emma.”

She smiled at him. “I trust you with my life. I know you would never hurt me. Sometimes, we just need to feel.”

He was speechless.

Emma patted the bed. “Time to stitch you up. Walk me through it.”

He explained what she had to do, and it wasn’t easy to stay beside her. Emma’s fingers moved over his skin, and her perfume was right there.

He was trying to be good.

He was trying not to think about it.

“I need a favor,” she said, as she threw in the first stitch. She knew he wasn’t going to like it.

“What?” he asked.

“No more hookers.”

He stared at her. “Emma, I’m sorry it embarrasses you, and it’s beneath our family.”

She put her hand over his mouth.

His eyes went big.

People didn’t touch him. They didn’t get too close, and they never treated him like he was just like everyone else.

Emma did.

She had no boundaries, and that confused the hell out of him.

“It’s not that. I’m not embarrassed by anything you do, Dimitri. I’m worried about you. We are watched. Don’t think that Thomas Christ or Commissioner Raye haven’t put out feelers on any of us. They could get to you through a hooker, and if I have to find you dead, I won’t survive. I lived that once, Maximillian. So, for me, I’m going to ask you lose them for the time being.”

He stared at her.

When she used his real name, his whole world shifted. He stopped being angry. Instead, he worried about her. He heard the sorrow.

He wanted to make it stop.

“Okay.”

Dimitri couldn’t believe he agreed to that. What the hell was wrong with him?

She hugged him. “Thank you. When the heat cools down, then I don’t care, but we have so many issues right now, and we can’t lose you.”

“I get it. I’m security.”

“What you are is an asshole,” she stated.

He stared at her. “What?”

“If you think that’s why I’m asking you, then you’re not half as smart as I thought.”

“Emma.”

“Here, let me spell it out for you. If you die, my heart will be broken. You’re important to me and Greyson. You’re not expendable. We can hire security. I can’t hire a brother. Let that sink in,” she said, throwing in the next stitch.

“Jesus! You’re mean,” he said, flinching at how much that one stitch hurt.

“Yeah, people are deceived by my sweet, sunny exterior. They forget I was a cop. I can be mean, and you won’t see it coming.”

The next stitch was gentle.

He relaxed.

“I understand what you’re saying,” he stated. “I’ll agree to it for you.”

She gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

It was so motherly.

It was comforting.

Dimitri relaxed.

And then, he noticed something. His tongue was getting fuzzy, and he was dizzy.

“What did you give me?” he asked, trying to lift his arm. His limbs felt like they weighed one hundred pounds each.

“A pain pill and a tranquilizer. You need to sleep.”

He began panicking. “I can’t sleep. I need…” His words were fuzzy.

She watched him as she finished the last stitch. Emma could see his jugular thumping. He was fighting it.

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” she said, trying to soothe him.

“I need caffeine. I can’t go under,” he mumbled, his words barely coming out. He didn’t like meds for this reason.

He never took them.

What had he been thinking?

“No!” he muttered, as Emma pushed him back onto the bed and lifted his legs. All the while, he fought hard.

“I’ll be here.”

He reached for her. “Please don’t let me sleep. Dreams,” he slurred. “I can’t fight the dreams.”

His fear upset her.

She’d never seen him look this panicked. Here, Dimitri looked like a scared child.

In fact, like Sam had that first night, and so many after it.

In that moment, she saw the similarities, and they broke her heart. She had intended to put him to sleep and head home, but he needed her.

So, she’d stay.

Emma lovingly covered him with the comforter. “I’m here, Dimitri. I’m here,” she said, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. “Rest. I have you.”

He lost the battle, and his eyes shut.

Emma cleaned up, and she climbed onto the bed. She called her husband.

“He’s asleep. I patched him up.”

“Do you want me to come get you?” Greyson asked.

She stared down at him. “He said something about dreams.”

Greyson didn’t know how much to tell her.

Then again, this was his wife.

“He has really bad nightmares. He’s lived a hard life, Emma.”

“I’m going to stay with him. I’ll sleep here beside him if he needs me.”

“Please tell me he’s dressed.”

She laughed. “He’s shirtless, but other than that, he’s dressed.”

Greyson relaxed. “Be safe, Kitten. I’ll be up working if you need me. Call. Maybe we can have some really raunchy phone sex,” he teased.

“Or, when I get home, I can make your eyes cross with one hell of a blowjob.”

“Vicious,” he teased. “Now I’m holding you to it. Take care of him, okay?” Greyson said, feeling for the man. He knew Dimitri was doing battle for his soul.

All soldiers did.

He did, too, at one time.

Emma was cathartic. He’d share her love if it meant saving a man who’d dedicated his life to their family and well-being.

Dimitri was a good man.

“I’ll see you at ‘Aquarius’.”

“Can you do me a favor, Grey?” she asked.

“Yeah, what?”

“He’s got nothing to eat here. Can you make food magically appear for me to make breakfast for him?”

He laughed. “Will he be getting bacon? If yes, then screw him. He can eat his leather couch.”

She snorted. “I was thinking more like the basics. Eggs and toast. Then again, I’ve never seen him eat breakfast, so this is mostly for me.”

“He’s more a coffee and protein bar kind of guy,” he offered, “always after he works out.”

“Well, he won’t be working out tomorrow. He needs to give that shoulder time to heal.”

Greyson was amused.

Someone was going to be mothered in the morning. That would frustrate the hell out of Dimitri.

Good.

He needed it.

“I’ll have it there for you before sunrise. Get some sleep. You’re carrying our child.”

She placed her hand over her belly. “I can’t wait to hold our baby.”

He grinned as he sat behind his desk. “I can’t wait to chase you around when you’re fat. I’m going to have my wicked way with you.”

She snorted. “You already do.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s good to be king.”

“I love you, Greyson. I’ll see you in the morning. Bring Chris to ‘Aquarius’. Then I’ll swap you bodyguards.”

He laughed. “Clever, my wife.”

“Always, my husband.”

She blew him some kisses and hung up. Then, she fluffed the pillow, and hit the light beside the bed.

She hoped he slept.

He would need it.

They both did.

Their cases ran them ragged, and from the looks of this one, it was going to be a marathon.

Not just the case, but the battle for Dimitri’s soul.

In his office, Greyson hung up his phone. Chris was sitting across from him. He’d opted to stay up, in case something went on at the house.

Natasha was going to patrol, but he wanted her to get some sleep. It rubbed him the wrong way to think she was out walking around at night alone.

She was a girl.

She should be safely inside.

She was his girl.

She should be in their bed.

Well, he said that to himself, not to her. Chris knew better. The women in this house packed more guns than anyone he knew, and he didn’t want to get shot in the ass for crossing the line into possessive caveman territory.

“Is Emma okay?”

“She’s with Dimitri at his place.”

Chris raised a brow. “At his place? Alone? And you’re not shitting a boatload of bricks? Who are you?”

“I trust him.”

Chris said nothing.

“You don’t?” he asked.

“I trust him. I just never thought I’d see you being all cool and collected when another man was near your pregnant wife.”

Yeah, he was aware.

“I let you near her.”

“Well, I’m safe.”

He laughed. “You’re always checking out her ass.”

“Nope. I’ve not looked once since I’ve started something with Natasha. I’m not stupid.”

He laughed.

“Smart. Dimitri would die before putting his hands on Emma. In fact, you take more liberties.”

Chris stared at him. “What? How did I get to be the bad guy here?”

Greyson poured them both bourbon. “True or false?” he began. “You’ve kissed her?”

“True.”

“With tongue?”

“I was bleeding on the floor, and my bucket list was to die making out with a babe. I don’t think you can hold that against me. I was supposed to die. Blame your wife for being stubborn. She saved me. That one is on her—not me.”

Greyson laughed, but the game wasn’t over yet.

“If she was single, you’d be all over her?”

“True.”

He didn’t even hesitate.

Greyson was glad. He didn’t like being lied to by anyone, and especially not the people he called family. That would piss him off.

“And there’s my point,” Croft said.

Chris defended himself.

“Emma’s beautiful, and she’s my type. I have a thing for redheads. I won’t pretend I don’t, and then there’s that sweetness. You’re a lucky man, and we all know it.”

Oh, he was well aware. His wife was the best thing that ever happened to him.

He got it.

Men coveted her.

“Dimitri needs some TLC right now, and she’s in her mothering mode. I’ll entertain it.”

Chris gasped. “I have a splinter. I need some TLC.”

Greyson stared at him.

“What?”

He laughed. “You’re lucky I like you. I didn’t always. I thought you were a dick.”

“Yeah, and I thought you were a corrupt asshole who wanted too much power in Vegas…oops.”

Croft laughed.

“Yeah, funny how that worked out. You were so damn good at your job that you were a year ahead of your suspicions. You get one more shiny star, Captain Ford.”

He snorted. “Thanks.”

Greyson tossed him a cigar. “While the pregnant missus is away, the husband will play.”

Chris figured it was a good time to go on the record. “I want to be honest.”

“Okay, shoot,” he said, as they prepped their cigars.

Chris cut the tip and lit it.

“If you drop dead, I’m marrying her. Okay, carry on.”

He stared at him.

“Are we talking natural causes, or are you plotting my demise?” he teased.

“I’d go with A on this one.”

Greyson laughed.

“I’m not worried. I see how you follow Natasha around,” he admitted.

“It’s true. I’m happy. Emma and I flirt. I wouldn’t do anything to cross the line. I wouldn’t hurt Natasha.”

And that was why he trusted Chris. He was a straight shooter, and he genuinely liked him.

“I believe you.”

Chris needed to talk to Greyson anyway. “I need to discuss something man to man.”

“What?”

“Since her name came up, it’s about Natasha, and I need to keep it between us.”

Greyson held up a finger and checked his tablet. She was tricky to pin down, and she liked to lurk. He pulled up the camera in the pool house.

“Okay, she’s in bed.”

Chris relaxed.

“What about her?” Greyson asked.

“She’s been talking weddings.”

He started laughing. “I owe Curtis money. He said you would be married before me.”

“Wait! Hold on! You all are betting on my relationship? That’s all kinds of wrong. We’re men. We should stick together. What happened to the bro code?”

He laughed. “Yeah, well, you know how the women always win. So, what about her and weddings?”

“I’m not ready yet. I’ve never had this girlfriend and boyfriend dynamic. I dated Denise for years, and then we got hitched right out of high school. I just want to go slow.”

“Dimitri is not going to give you twenty years to date his daughter/sister.”

“I don’t need twenty, but I need more than a couple of weeks.”

“Don’t get her pregnant.”

He was aware. “Thanks, Dad. Can you buy me some prophylactics while you’re at it?”

“All the cool kids call them rubbers.”

He snorted. “What I want to know is how bad is it if I just tell Natasha I’m not ready?”

“Will you ever be ready?” he asked.

“I hope so.”

“Well, then it’s fair to her. Natasha seems like a pretty laid back woman. I can’t see her pushing the issue. She seems happy with you.”

“She isn’t high maintenance. She likes watching movies, and she loves just being near me. That’s a nice change. I’m comfortable with her.”

“Then go for it. When you’re ready, I’ll go ring shopping with you. The pull top from a beer can isn’t appropriate.”

“That’ll teach you. Budweiser doesn’t have those anymore, and you’ll have to fight it out with Emma. She’s going to insist on going so I don’t buy the wrong thing.”

Yeah, he was right.

Greyson laughed. “Okay, you win. What was I thinking? How could I pick out jewelry for a woman? I have no practice.”

That amused them both. Greyson was the king of shopping for his wife. Emma was draped in trinkets at every given chance.

“Thanks for the talk,” Chris said. Then he realized that the man looked a little distracted.

“What are you working on?” he asked. “Are you working because Emma is right now naked in bed with a Russian?”

Croft lifted a brow. “I’m not going to kill Dimitri so you can extend your dating with his sister, but good try.”

He grinned. “Damn it.”

“We have a case.”

“Want help?” Chris asked.

He’d planned on telling them all in the morning, but since the man was there, they could talk about it.

“Yeah, I need help.”

Greyson told him all about what had happened. He mentioned the meeting in the morning, but made sure to leave out anything about hiring a hooker. He was going to protect Dimitri as long as he could.

Eventually, it was going to get out.

“What was he doing at the hotel?” Chris asked.

Greyson tried to come up with something.

“Um…”

“If it’s about him buying women for sex,” he offered, “I already know. Natasha told me. Kat told her because she was worried about him.”

So much for protecting the man.

“I won’t deny or confirm. That’s his business, and not ours.”

Chris got it. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you. Anyway, Marissa, who used to work for him is searching for her sister. She said her sister’s pimp was killed.”

“Did the cops…?”

He shook his head. “They turned her away.”

He wasn’t shocked. “We do have Riley. He might be of use on this one.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same. I’m going to call him around seven. He’s usually heading to work. He might be able to give us something.”

“What’s the pimp’s name?” he asked.

“Gerald Darden, and he worked out of a place called the ‘Titty Corral’.”

He began laughing.

Greyson was a smart man. He knew exactly why Chris found it amusing. Every time he had to step foot in a strip club, Emma got something pretty.

It was a good thing they were loaded, or he’d be selling off organs.

His.

“Yeah, I’m not taking that interview. The media loves making up stories about me being some lecherous, lap dance loving asshole.”

Chris was amused. “Yeah, you have a reputation. The media loves seeing you going into those places.”

“Yeah, I’m STILL not taking that interview.”

“Well, if you’re not going…?”

Chris got it.

“Shit! I have a girlfriend. Now, I’m the one who is going to get his ass kicked. That doesn’t seem right.”

Greyson grinned.

“I don’t care. You and Emma are going. She’s always saying she misses being in the field, well, how much trouble can the two of you get into in a strip club?”

He wiggled his eyebrows.

“I will hurt you if you even pretend to enjoy it.”

Chris laughed.

He knew the man wasn’t serious. He gave him a great deal of latitude when watching Emma. As long as she didn’t get killed, Greyson was calm.

“No worries. I’ll take Emma after our meeting with Miss Pierce in the morning. We’ll cover our bases. What will you be doing?”

“I’m going to have Marissa take us to her sister’s place, so Dimitri and I can look around. We might find something we can use to help us out.”

He was good with that.

Greyson paused.

“What?” Chris asked, seeing the storm brewing in his eyes. Greyson was worked up about something.

“I need to know where your allegiance lies, Chris,” he began.

Oh, that didn’t sound good at all.

Something bad was coming.

“What?”

“I need to know…”

He cut him off. “I don’t like the sound of this. Why do I feel like our happy little family is about to go nuclear?”

He pushed the file toward Chris, and let him read it.

“Curtis and Kat found this while they were in Philadelphia.”

He read.

“Oh, holy shit. This is bad.”

“Do I tell her?” he asked. “Do I break my wife’s heart all over again over a man who killed her brother? I don’t know what to do, and for the first time, I’m actually afraid that my actions will hurt her. That’s saying a lot since she tossed her badge for me, and now I’m the mob.”

Chris closed the file.

This was a slippery slope.

“Grey, you have to tell her. She’s always wondered what she could have done to save him. If she finds out that it was a hit, she won’t carry the burden of it being her fault. Emma thinks Gage died because her timing was off, and she wasn’t strong enough to fight that man off. You can’t hide this.”

He was aware.

All of this was weighing heavily on his mind. A part of Greyson wished he’d never asked Curtis to find their contacts in Philadelphia and dig this up.

Now he was burdened with carrying it.

Emma was going to have to deal with whatever choice he made, and it wasn’t going to be a good one.

He could tell.

Croft spelled it out for his friend.

“If I tell her, I’m going to kill him.”

Chris didn’t flinch. “If you tell her, WE will handle him. Emma is all of ours to protect. Lies and secrets are bad, and that’s not how you run this family.”

Yeah, he got that.

Well, Chris said tell her.

Dimitri said don’t.

It looked like he was the tie-breaking vote.

Lucky him.

Sometimes, running this family was harder than it looked.

His job sucked.

Chapter Four

Sunday Early

Morning

Sky Villa

D Imitri Gideon was lost in his dream. It was a maze of darkness, trees, and so much hate. He couldn’t get free, no matter how hard he tried. He waited for it to overtake him, and he knew it would. He’d been here so many times before, and the outcome was always the same.

He’d been lost in this nightmare.

Without having to even think about it, Dimitri knew what came next.

All that was left was for him to rush through the trees, run into the small house, and stick a knife into his father’s throat. He could hear the screams and begging from Katerina, and he could hear her horror.

He felt it.

He lived it.

As his dream played out, he was a captive audience. He was moving through the darkness, willing his body to stop. He prayed for unicorns, a rainbow, anything that would stop the blood from coming.

As always, nothing stopped it.

He was forced to relive it as his penance once more.

So, it began.

As soon as he rushed into the house, he pulled the bowie knife from his boot. Once inside, he rushed toward her small, vile bedroom where their father and his friends went to rape her.

He opened the door and there she was—this slip of a girl—pinned beneath him as he pummeled her tiny body with his. The smell of sex and blood assaulted him.

It horrified him.

Only, it wasn’t his father’s blood.

YET.

Dimitri hadn’t delivered the killing blow.

His mind was in control, and it forced him to focus on his sister. She wasn’t a day over ten, and she was being destroyed by the man who created her.

The copper-y penny smell made him want to puke, as their father dug his nails into her throat, as his swollen erection was forced into her small body.

The rage was there.

The hate.

The anger.

He knew it was time. With one swift move, he stuck the knife into his own father’s throat, killing him. With a strength that he didn’t know he had, he finished him off, snapping his neck like nothing more than a small branch beneath his boot.

He was done.

Kat was free.

As soon as he had her in his arms and she clung to him, the vision wavered. It was a different house, a different girl, and still it caused him so much pain.

He had to lie to get her. He had to pretend to want her for nothing more than sex. It was anything but. This was about saving her.

He gave the woman more money than she’d see in a lifetime, and then headed toward the dark room to get his new property.

Inside, he found her, her ankle chained to a radiator, her bone stick legs protruding from beneath the rags that the woman forced her to wear.

Immediately, she looked up at him with dead, cold eyes. She was close to death, and he’d nearly been too late. He’d had to kill so many to get the money to save her.

He’d had to wade through the blood of many women, men, and children to save this child—his blood.

In that moment, he didn’t regret it.

As Natasha’s mother unlocked the chain and grabbed the broken girl by the hair to drag her across the floor, clumps of what looked to be dirty red hair fell from her head.

It made him sick. She was less than human as she howled like an animal in pain. Then she scooted back to the corner as if she expected him to hurt her.

The poor thing cowered.

His heart broke.

Dimitri could hear himself talking in Russian, trying to coax her away. She wouldn’t budge. It was a sad testament to what this woman did to her.

She was a victim, but she’d rather stay with her than trust a stranger.

After a few moments of him kneeling on that dirty floor, she finally understood.

He was her salvation.

Dimitri reached down for her, and when he lifted her into his arms, he could feel the bony edges of her body, digging into his. She weighed nothing. She was like a sack of dust, barely straining his arms.

She was on death’s door as she clung to him, and in that moment, he took a vow. He’d avenge them. Those two broken children, one his full blood, and one his half-sister, would have their revenge.

He carried her out, tucked her into the back of the car with his other sister, and handed her some water and cookies. She ate them like she’d hadn’t been fed in weeks, as she backed away from him so not to be hurt.

He could see Natasha in the darkness huddled on the floorboard of the back seat, trying to be invisible. She was trying to disappear by making herself as small as possible.

That enraged him.

And it scared him since he knew what came next.

Revenge.

Vengeance.

Punishment.

Whispering to Katerina, he turned and went back into the house. He knew Natasha’s mother was done.

For this, he’d never forgive or let her live.

What was one more soul on his shoulders?

What was one more kill?

There had already been so many, and he’d never forgotten any of them. They were links in the chain that held him to this world.

At the door, he knocked again, and she opened it, smiling like she’d won the lottery.

Oh, she had.

The reaper had come, and it was time.

Once inside, he beat her to death with his own hands, breaking her limbs, spilling her blood, and then ending her by slicing her throat. In the end, he wrapped that chain round her bloody neck, locking her to that radiator—a shiny gold coin shoved down her throat.

As her blood ebbed across his boots, he stared down at her with nothing but emptiness.

He had no remorse.

He had no sorrow.

Instead, he walked out that door, never to return. Once outside, the car was gone, and it was a different scene.

Dimitri knew what was next. He was struggling to get free, as he was tied to a chair.

He recalled those months of this, and he prayed the memories would flash past him, giving his battered soul a break.

Only, they didn’t.

Dimitri was being tortured, and the entire time, he knew he deserved it.

He’d killed so many, and he justified it all. It was his duty, his honor, and his privilege to end their lives. He was tortured for three months, and they made sure the scars were mostly invisible. He’d been battered, bruised, starved, and the entire time he only thought one thing.

He’d failed the two little girls. They were by themselves as he took this one last job to make them enough money. Only, he’d screwed up. He’d been betrayed by a woman—one he trusted.

Now, he was fighting to live to get back to them.

Love had done this.

Someone he’d felt safe with had broken him. Dimitri mourned it in his dream, struggling to get free of the memories and burdens of his heart.

He focused on his sisters, and he knew he had to escape. They had nothing but him, and his will to live had to be greater than his longing to die.

As the dream shifted, more death came. He’d killed them, too, doing horrible things to escape. He slaughtered the woman who’d helped them.

Dimitri killed her, and the child she carried to prove a point. He hadn’t known she was pregnant, but it didn’t matter.

It was too late for her, and for him.

All of this made him, and as he was about to fall into the cataclysmic abyss of darkness. He won again.

Dimitri woke himself up with a start.

He was free.

God!

It was lies.

He would never be free!

Emma could feel him moving.

The whole bed was shaking, and she felt horrible that she’d caused this pain. As she sat up, his fists were clenched, his body taut, and he was struggling.

She touched his chest, and he was warm. Immediately, she pulled the blankets off them, and she went to her knees.

“Dimitri!”

He continued to battle something.

“Dimitri! It’s okay,” she said, hoping she could get through to him.

Suddenly, he sat up with a start, his eyes popping open. He focused on her, and she stayed very still.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice heavy with the drugs and horrors of sleep.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He covered his face as he tried to shake off the demons. “No, but I will be.”

The worst part, when he was most vulnerable, was this moment. It was when he woke, confused, disoriented, and when he could be hurt the most.

Emma moved closer, and she wrapped her arms around him until he stopped shaking. Then she laid back, taking him with her until he was pressed to her side.

He fought to move, but she held on.

“Shhh. I’m here. Just rest a second. It was only a dream. It can’t hurt you.”

Oh, she was very wrong.

It could hurt him.

It always did.

“It was more than a dream. It was my life,” he whispered, trying to regain control of everything around him. Once he was in control, he could beat it back.

Emma held him closer, and she soothingly ran her hand across his arm and back. “I have you. You’re safe. Whatever was chasing you won’t get you here.”

He wasn’t so sure of that, but the scent of her perfume, the soft feel of her body…it calmed him.

It helped him relax.

She gave him a kiss on the temple, and all the tension was gone. It helped that she wasn’t asking him uncomfortable questions.

Instead, she just held him.

Dimitri didn’t remember when that had happened last. No one ever touched him. Kat and Nat loved him, hugged him, but when he woke afraid, scared, or haunted, it was always alone. This was the first time in…ever.

His heart rate slowed.

He pulled away from her, still grateful for that contact. He didn’t have the words to tell her what it meant to him. He refused to break. He was stronger than that, and he had to be.

Everyone needed Dimitri for his strength.

Except her.

It confused him so much that it brought tears to his eyes.

With her, he felt value.

Emma didn’t give up when he moved away from her. Instead, she battled harder for him. She went with him, placing her head on his shoulder, and her arm over his waist.

She held him as he fought whatever was in his heart and mind. Emma wasn’t giving up. She’d lost one brother, and she wasn’t losing this one.

As they lay there, he finally spoke, breaking his silence.

“Greyson would not be amused if he saw this.”

She knew differently. He’d told her to help him, and she was doing just that.

This was what Dimitri needed.

“He knows I’m in bed with you. I spoke to him three hours ago, and he’s fine. Relax.”

He was trying.

It wasn’t easy.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“It’s a little after four in the morning. You should go back to sleep. You need rest in order to heal. Tomorrow is going to suck if you don’t sleep.”

He didn’t doubt it.

Every day sucked.

“I can’t go back to sleep.”

She knew he was afraid, but he wouldn’t say it.

“Well, I need to sleep. Can you just stay here with me?” she asked.

He’d be stupid not to take her up on her offer. He really hoped Greyson knew, or this risked everything he’d found and fallen in love with in his life.

He couldn’t lose the family.

“Please?” she asked.

“Okay, Emma.”

She laid there, her hand moving back and forth across his abs. She was hoping it soothed him.

When he yawned, she kept going. She snuggled closer, dropping her leg over his, and pulling the blanket over them. They cuddled like two kids scared during a thunderstorm.

She’d done this with Gage so many times when they were kids.

It brought back memories.

“I like the smell of your hair,” he admitted, as he yawned again. “You always smell like a garden.”

She didn’t speak.

Instead, she held him even tighter. Clearly, it was soothing him because it began to work.

Slowly, Dimitri slipped into sleep. She could hear the soft in and out of his breathing.

He was relaxed again, and this time, he wasn’t dreaming. That would help him. Maybe he could find some peace.

She didn’t move for a little while. When the clock said five fifteen, she knew she needed to head down and get the things Greyson would have sent.

They were starting a case, and she should rest, but she couldn’t help but want to mother him.

One day he’d open up to her.

She knew he would.

Until then, she’d battle on.

Dimitri Gideon wasn’t going down.

Not on her watch.

                                       * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Town

Julie’s Apartment

Marissa Pierce couldn’t sleep. She was rattled to her core. The sexy Dimitri Gideon hated her fucking guts, and she couldn’t blame him.

What had she been thinking?

She stabbed the man in a hotel room.

Marissa was obviously out of her damn mind, and she needed to apologize today. Maybe, if she was lucky, he wouldn’t kill her. She knew what they said about him.

He was lethal.

He was dangerous.

He was sexy.

He was the kind of man you didn’t get attached to because they didn’t live long. Still, he was the epitome of masculinity. When she’d seen him without his shirt, she wanted to touch him, run her fingers over his skin, and do wicked things—even as she wanted to hate him.

He was an enigma.

Marissa didn’t get why a man as sexy as him had to hire prostitutes. What was he thinking?

Any woman would crawl just to touch him.

Including her.

Working with him at ‘Aquarius’ had been hard. He smelled so delicious, and she always checked him out.

Marissa heard all the women talking. He’d slept with each of them, but only once. The stories they’d tell about the sex made her green with envy.

She wanted that one taste of paradise to forget. Only, she’d never have it.

Why?

Because she tried to stab him.

Why couldn’t her life be easy?

Maybe there was hope. After all, she couldn’t believe she was going to be getting his help, but she was.

Again.

That day he brought her home, she’d been scared. She wanted him to stay, and she wanted to beg him for help, but she’d lied to him.

That was so wrong of her, and she knew it. Dimitri had rules, and she’d broken them while working at ‘Aquarius’. That had been her first mistake.

Her second was that she wanted to be near him. When he was around, she felt safe.

That was priceless in her life. He could give her what no one else could.

Protection.

The day he rescued her from the detective who pushed her around, she wanted to kiss him.

She still did.

Only now that was gone.

He wanted to kick her ass, and she didn’t blame him. She would have reacted the same way too. Stabbing a man was not the way to get his help, or attention.

Today, she’d be on her best behavior.

Today was a new beginning.

Dimitri and his friends would help her find Julie, and she could move on with life and finally be free.

There was hope.

There was a shot at happiness.

It had to work out.

There was so much on the line.

Julie’s life depended on her playing nice, and for her sister, she’d do anything.

                              * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

When he opened his eyes, Emma was gone. In fact, he looked at the clock, and he’d slept another two hours.

What the hell?

How did she get him to fall back to sleep, and where was she?

Dimitri hopped out of bed, and he pulled on a t-shirt that he’d grabbed from his dresser. Once on, he padded down the hall to the main area of his living space. From the doorway, he could see her in his kitchen.

Emma was making something.

“Hey! You’re up,” she said, picking him up from the corner of her eye. “I made you something to eat,” she said, as he slowly approached her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She laughed at the look of confusion on his face. “Are you okay? I just told you I’m making us breakfast.”

He stared at her.

“What?” she asked, looking around.

“I just don’t know what to think,” he said. “In one day, I’ve been assaulted, stabbed, drugged, I slept with a woman married to a man I consider my best friend, and now she’s in my kitchen cooking—in a place I don’t bring women. Ever.”

Emma knew he was off balance, and that was exactly her plan. Dimitri was a man of planning, constant restriction, and abusing himself over his past.

If she could keep him guessing, he wouldn’t be focused on anything else.

Emma knew men.

She was married to the biggest enigma of them all.

Instead of answering, she handed him a mug of coffee. She went up on her toes and gave him a kiss.

“You’re funny. Not many people see that. You should let that side of Dimitri out. He’s sweet.”

Now he stared in horror.

“No one sees that,” he said, taking a seat. “There’s a reason for that, and I’m not sweet! No one calls me sweet!”

Truth be told, no one made him breakfast in his home.

Hell!

There was a good reason for that. He didn’t want to be weak.

“Well, you were hurt, I did drug you, and I figured to get your forgiveness, I’d feed you.”

“You don’t need my forgiveness.”

She stared at him. “I do. I didn’t know about the nightmares. Had I, I wouldn’t have taken your free will and forced you to sleep with that tranquilizer. I think my need to take care of you got a little out of hand.”

He wasn’t upset with Emma.

He couldn’t be.

There wasn’t a malicious bone in her body. Besides, he knew anger, hate, and abuse. That wasn’t her.

“Why do you want to take care of me?” he asked. “That’s what I don’t get. Why? I’m nothing to you.”

She headed back toward him. “That’s bullshit. You mean a lot to me.”

He laughed.

There was no way that was possible.

Other than his sisters, since he saved them, he was nothing to anyone but a tool to be used to kill, hunt, or protect.

No one ever got to know him.

Ever.

“I’m serious. You matter, Kat matters, and Natasha too. I love all three of you. To me, you’re not Gideons, but Crofts. I’ll fight for you, Dimitri, even if you tell me to stop.”

He was staggered by that.

Dimitri didn’t understand why, and it embarrassed him, so he tried to cover it with a joke.

“Want to run away and get married?” he teased.

She took his hand in hers. “If I wasn’t happily married, you’d be one hell of a catch, Max.”

Emotion filled his eyes. He got up to move away from her.

“Please don’t,” she said. “Please don’t run anymore.”

He stopped.

“I don’t know how to deal with how you treat me. I’m not accustomed to it, Emma. I feel wrong for enjoying it, like I don’t deserve it.”

“So what you’re saying is you want me to treat you and your sisters like shit?”

“No. They don’t deserve to hurt. This is on me, and only me.”

“Why?”

He turned and moved at her so fast it was startling, but she’d been a cop, and she was braced for it.

“Because I’ve done things that would make you hate me. I’m not this,” he said, slapping himself on the chest. “I’m not the good man you’ve pictured me as. I’ve killed, I’ve lied, and I’ve done horrible things. Maximillian is dead because he was a monster. His father made him one.”

Emma didn’t give up.

She knew what was on the line with him. If they let him fall, they’d lose him forever. He was family.

He was theirs.

“Maximillian isn’t a monster. He’s my friend. He’s my brother, and I love him. You can scare the world, Dimitri, but you won’t scare me away from loving you.”

He was frustrated.

He threw the coffee mug at the wall, and it left an ugly brown stain.

“You don’t know me. I buy women for sex, and I’m an asshole. I don’t deserve your kindness and love. It’s only a matter of time…”

He stopped.

Already, he’d said too much.

She didn’t deserve to carry his burden. That was on him, and him alone.

Instead, he went to the wall and picked up the broken shards of mug, and of course, she was right beside him. Emma kneeled and helped.

As he reached for the biggest chunk of ceramic, her hand covered his. Dimitri glanced over at her, meeting her gaze.

“I won’t ever stop loving you. Why can’t you just accept that? Why can’t you just say ‘I love you too’, and know that in ten years, I’ll still be here? Greyson will still be here. We are your family. You can’t carry this all on your own. You have to let someone in. Let it be me.”

He stared down at the cut on his finger, and he’d never even felt the pain. That’s how filled with it his life had become.

Then, as usual, she took care of him.

Emma took his hand in hers, and she put pressure on it with her own hand to stop the bleeding.

That spoke volumes.

Finally, she broke the silence.

“You have me when you need me. I won’t force you to feel anything for us. When you’re ready, you have a family who will support and help you. This loneliness, Dimitri…it’s self-imposed. You have a chance. If you push it away, that’s on you.”

She went back to the kitchen and tossed the shards of mug. Then she went and cleaned up the coffee from the wall. When she stood, he was standing there.

“I don’t know how to be that man. I don’t know how to be part of a family. I watch all of you, and it’s so foreign to me. I’ve never been given that love, Emma. I don’t know why I’m worthy.”

She saw him struggling.

“You’re worthy because you are. Every child is worthy of that protection. I can’t go back and fix that, Dimitri, but I can fix the now. Kat needed a role model to help her be a wife. Natasha needed to see that she deserved to be safe, and she found that too.”

“I don’t know what I need,” he admitted. “I’m so far gone that I don’t know how to get back.”

“You need love.”

He couldn’t believe he was worth it. No one had ever loved him in all of his life.

“You can fight me, you can throw coffee mugs at your walls, and you can say you don’t deserve it, but that is NOT going to stop me. I battle stubborn every day. Look at my caveman. I’m going to love you whether you think you deserve it or not.”

“You’re insane.”

She laughed. “This mother gig is a bitch. There should be a handbook.”

He relaxed.

“I don’t know how to ask for anything. I’m the provider, not the one given anything.”

She stared into his eyes.

He was getting frustrated.

“Ask for a hug,” she said.

Dimitri trusted her.

“I need a hug.”

She went into his arms, and held him.

For the longest time, he didn’t move. Dimitri soaked in that feeling. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t about their bodies pressed together. It was about how she held him. Her hand moved slowly up and down his back, ignoring the telltale bumps of his scars.

She accepted him.

ALL of him.

Finally, she spoke, “Ask for what you need. You are worthy, and for once, let me provide for you—not the other way around.”

He didn’t know how to do that, but he’d try.

“I need to know that you’ll forgive me for what I’ve yet to do. The killing, it never stops. I am that monster.”

That was the problem.

From a young age, he was never protected. He’d built the walls, and he’d hidden behind them. Now she was asking he take them down.

It scared him.

Well, that was about to change.

“Then let me do it for you. If you can’t carry the weight anymore, tag me in. Let me handle it.”

That astounded him. She didn’t even ask what he was taking on, but she was willing to do it.

It was selfless.

It was unselfish.

It was so much like a mother that he couldn’t fathom it. Instead, he buried his face in her hair and just breathed.

“Who do you need to kill?” she asked.

He couldn’t tell her that he planned to execute Thomas Christ in the most painful way for taking her brother away from her.

Then he was secretly glad it all happened. The selfish part of him wanted her to always care about him like this. She was the only one who ever had.

“I was going to off your husband so I can steal you away as my own.”

She snorted. “Well, he’s not going to make that easy, now is he?” she teased back.

Dimitri laughed. “He’d be an idiot to let you go.”

“Keep telling him that so he appreciates me,” Emma added, winking at him.

Dimitri’s eyes were clearer, and some of the demons were pushed back.

It was a start.

“Now, tell me what you need,” she asked. “It’s a new day. Help me help you.”

What didn’t he need?

A therapist.

A padded cell.

Prison.

“Can I have a kiss?” he asked.

She gave him one, and Dimitri cherished it in case it was the only one he ever received.

“Thank you for that,” he said, when she smiled up at him. “I will hold that in my heart.”

She patted his chest above his heart.

“That’s why I know you have the ability to be whoever you want. You’re not a monster, and you aren’t too far gone. Your father did not make you one.”

He only wished.

“Now what do you want?” Emma asked.

“Well, since this is so easy. Can I have some breakfast? I don’t remember when I ate last.”

That she could do.

Emma led him into the kitchen. “Well, I wasn’t sure what you like to eat. I don’t ever see you eat breakfast. So, I went with eggs.”

“I like eggs. We’re friends.”

Then it occurred to him.

“Wait, how did you get eggs? I don’t keep food here. I hope you didn’t go out alone,” he said.

“Down boy. I’m taking care of you for the next hour. Baby steps.”

He laughed. “Yes, Mom.”

“I called the big man, and he handled it. Greyson can deliver a plane if I need one, so why not breakfast foods?”

It figured.

“Of course this was him. It’s not fair when you both team up against me.”

The idea that both of them were trying to heal him gave Dimitri hope. Two people found him redeemable.

That had to mean something.

Emma handed him a plate and there was bacon. She knew why it was there. Greyson was making sure his friend was fed and he knew everything about Dimitri. They spent all their time together.

Greyson must have seen a storm brewing too. He was a smart man who missed nothing. He, too, knew it was coming their way.

Dimitri was the center of it.

He carried her plate with him, so they could eat at the table. She brought him more coffee.

Together, they ate.

“Ask,” he said.

“Are you going to be okay to work this case? If not, you can pass, Dimitri.”

He stared at her. “That wasn’t what I expected.”

“Yeah, you thought I was going to ask about your back or the nightmares. Well, they aren’t my business. I figure if you want to tell me, you will. If not, then I don’t bring it up. Now, this case—that’s my business—since Greyson opted to take it.”

She was giving him an out.

“I wish he didn’t.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Uh, because she stabbed me?” he offered. “That’s never a good sign when the client has tried that,” he teased.

She wasn’t buying it.

“Good answer. Now try the truth.”

“I’m sexually attracted to her. There.”

She laughed. “Well, she is beautiful. I’d do her if I was into babes.”

He stared at her. “The pictures in my head.”

She snorted.

She gave him her bacon.

“You don’t like bacon? Who doesn’t?”

She knew with him, she had to give a little to get a little. “When my brother was killed, I held him in my arms. I stared down at his body, and all I saw was the way the knife cut him to pieces. There was meat, human meat, and it makes me squeamish. I can pull it off when Greyson is around, but not often.”

He didn’t know that.

Her explanation changed everything. Now he wanted to protect her even more, and let her help him.

She knew damage. Her past held it too.

Dimitri shared a little more.

“I dislike that I want Marissa and hate her at the same time. She lied to me, and I didn’t see it. Why? Did I let her attractiveness blind me? Am I slipping? Can we trust her?”

They were all good questions, and Emma understood why he was so worried.

She was too.

Marissa had stuck a knife through their head of security’s body. That didn’t bode well.

“I think she’s desperate to find her sister, and we can’t judge her based on last night’s actions. We need a little more. What would you do to find Kat or Nat?”

He laughed.

What didn’t he do?

His nightmares proved it.

As he ate, he noticed she was waiting. There was no pressure, and for the first time, he wanted to get the burden off his chest.

“I killed my father.”

She didn’t flinch.

“Yes, I’ve been told.”

He knew he needed to tell someone. Why not trust Emma? She comforted him.

Dimitri told her everything. “He was raping her when I arrived. I killed him and took her away.”

Emma listened to the gruesome details, and tears filled her eyes.

He didn’t stop. “When I saved Natasha, she was a mess. She was dirty, starving, and going bald from the lack of any light. She was basically an animal, locked in a room.”

As he described it, tears slipped from Emma’s eyes, and he wasn’t surprised. It had been terrible.

He’d cried over it too.

“What no one knows is I went back in and slaughtered her mother. For years, I carried that.”

Emma refused to look away. It caught him off guard as she gazed into his aqua eyes. “I’m sorry that you had to do that.”

It staggered him.

She was shedding tears for him, not his sisters. He didn’t get it.

“Why me?”

“You had to do it.”

“They are the ones who suffered.”

“But you saved them. Who saved you?”

When she turned her head, he was staggered. Emma got it. She saw what no one ever had. Yes, his sisters were broken, but he’d had to do horrible things to save them.

He was broken too.

“What?” she asked, seeing the look on his face.

“Nothing. I was thinking. Anyway, I had to kill her.”

“I would have too.”

He laughed.

“I would have. I would have killed her for trying to break someone beautiful. I would have killed her for starving and neglecting a child. I would have killed her for making you face and handle that.”

He ate his bacon.

“I kill a lot,” he admitted. Dimitri thought about being held prisoner and tortured, and how he’d killed the woman who betrayed him.

And the child.

It weighed on him.

“Sometimes, Dimitri, you have to do it. Before, I thought it was black and white. Now I see there’s a shitload of gray. We live in that gray. There are times in our lives when we have to break the law.”

“And if I had to break it and kill someone else?”

“I told you. I’d do it for you.”

Her hand was there.

He took it.

It was the first time he’d touched her first.

“Emma, stay who you are. Some of us, your husband included, need that purity. Don’t let it taint you too. If you do, then we don’t have that one beacon to hold onto in life.”

She got up and went to his side. He hugged her, resting his head on her chest. As he closed his eyes, there was that peace.

“If you need this, Dimitri, you call me. I’ll come. No matter what, where, or when, I’ll be there. I’ll show up and be that person for you.”

“I don’t know why.”

She lifted his chin. “Because love doesn’t judge. It’s free, and it’s never given with restraints. You have my love. There’s nothing you can do to change that.”

“Your husband…”

“If you kill him, I can’t love you,” she teased.

He laughed. Finally, that light met his eyes. “You have a point. I guess I’ll have to behave.”

“That’s probably for the best. Now, I have to finish eating. We have to be at ‘Aquarius’ soon.”

She sat.

“Thank you, Emma.”

“You’re welcome, Maximillian.”

His heart skipped. “I hate that name.”

“Then I won’t use it. I don’t want to bring you pain, only peace.”

He thought about it.

“You can use it.”

“Why?”

“You’re the only person I’ve loved in my life. You give me that peace. You can use it.”

She patted his hand. “He’s a good man.”

Dimitri said nothing.

He couldn’t.

He knew that was not the truth.

He’d lived as him, and it had been hell.

Maximillian Marchenko was evil to his core.

                               * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Outside Sky Villa

Following Dimitri Gideon wasn’t easy.

It was a challenge to say the least.

In order to stalk a killer, you needed to be a killer yourself. It was a good thing he was a rising star in that world and could compete with the best of them—him included.

One mistake, and a killer like him would be on to you. Dimitri Gideon, or as his past life knew him, Maximillian Marchenko, was the best at one time.

The KGB had trained him, and then he went private to make money. The US government utilized him, and gave him a new identity to set him free in the public sector.

He was highly sought after.

Now the Crofts employed him as their head of security, and so many wanted him to protect them too.

He was wasting his skill.

My, he’d given up the high life for something so mundane. Maybe that’s why it had been so hard to find him. He’d gone and done something unpredictable.

He hid in plain sight.

Now that he had turned up, watching him was so very important.

The man, who once worked for two countries, could smell a tail a mile away. One error, and all of his hard work would be for naught. He couldn’t risk a mistake.

With a man like Dimitri, if he suspected you were there, he’d turn and bite you when you least expected it.

So space mattered.

For now, he’d watch from a distance until the perfect opportunity came up.

When he could, he’d take a shot, and then it would be over.

One by one, he would dismantle Maximillian Marchenko’s family.

Why?

Because he could.

Vengeance was best served cold.

Like the soon-to-be dead man’s heart.

Chapter Five

Club Aquarius

Eight A.M

A s they stood outside the business, Greyson could feel eyes on them. He knew it was likely someone a cop had sicced on them. As of late, Commissioner Raye was being silent. It wasn’t like the douchebag to hide his intent, and that made Greyson nervous.

If anything, the man was predictable, except for lately, and that was worrisome.

When the scourge of the city was backing off, that meant trouble was coming their way.

What kind?

Oh, if his shitty luck held out, it would be something they’d never see coming.

Basically, he knew it was the calm before the shit storm. That was never a promising thing. While he was at the top of the world in Vegas, that didn’t mean he was safe. There were so many snakes waiting to take his place, and Greyson wasn’t having it.

If he fell, then Vegas went too.

He couldn’t let that happen. There were too many people barely hanging on as the city consumed them alive. Him and the team were all that stood between them and the corruption.

No, Greyson had to stay at the top.

As they stood there, Chris positioned his bulkier body in front of Greyson, and he saw him first.

“Asshole at ten o’clock,” he said, repositioning himself to ensure they were both safe, and in view of the security cameras.

One never knew what this asshole would pull.

Until Emma got there, Chris knew his job was to make sure no one killed his friend.

Yeah, his job wasn’t going to be an easy one.

“Well, look at this here. Is that Greyson Croft, the mob man, congregating on the streets?” Thomas Christ asked. “It’s so unlike you to leave that big house of yours in the desert.”

Greyson didn’t even flinch.

Thomas Christ kept going. “I’m surprised you’re out in the sunlight, since you’re a vampire sucking this city dry of all its resources. What? Nothing illegal to do today?”

Greyson knew the man was likely wearing a recorder. This was their old trick, and he wasn’t falling for it.

In fact, he had a way to play the game.

Finally, he spoke, “Is that the man who had a cop head to my property to try and frame me for drugs? Tsk Tsk. If you’re going to do something ILLEGAL, you should probably pick someone a little smarter than Heath Spencer. How’s lock up doing for him?” he asked.

The man glared at him.

“You can turn the recorder off,” Croft stated. “Your one trick ponies are getting boring.”

He did just that.

“Funny you should ask about him,” he said. “Someone tried to shank him in lockdown. You wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”

Croft laughed. “If I didn’t shank him outside the cell, you can’t be suggesting I did it inside, now are you? What would that be, Chris?” he asked.

“I’d say harassment, since I know our attorney sent his boss a little letter insisting he stop stalking you. It’s like he’s got a big old man crush on you, Grey. I think he thinks you’re sexy.”

Thomas Christ turned red.

Chris wasn’t done.

“I think I know why he and Emma didn’t work,” he began. “I think he’d rather suck some…”

He didn’t have to finish.

Thomas Christ stepped toward him.

Greyson pulled out his phone, and he made a call. Once she answered, he put it on speaker.

“Delilah, here I am, standing in front of my business, and the police Captain, and I use that word loosely, is trying to intimidate and ask me questions about shanking some crooked detective. Can he do that?”

Chris grinned as the man scowled.

“Well, Greyson, I’m sure he realizes that after that bungled frame up, we have a cease and desist order against the harassment you and Emma have been getting from the police department. In it, I do believe, since I wrote it, that he’s not supposed to contact you without me there. Luckily for him, my office is right around the corner. I’ll be right there, and he can ask you plenty of things, but then I can ask him questions too.”

Greyson hung up.

“Yeah, my attorney said I can’t play with you,” he said. “You see, you wanted your detective to frame me, and that wasn’t going to work. So, you got caught.”

Thomas Christ wasn’t one to give up. “Oh, I wasn’t coming here to see you, Mr. Croft. I was coming here to have a morning drink in ‘Aquarius’. You don’t own it, so…”

Greyson smiled.

Thomas Christ looked confused.

“You’re right. I don’t own it, but if you step foot in there, then I’m going to share another little secret with the world.”

The man crossed his arms. “What? That your wife is really good at riding dick? Does she still scream in bed?”

Greyson wanted to kill him.

He wanted to tear his face off and feed it to him, but that was exactly what Christ wanted.

It wasn’t happening.

“Yeah, she mentioned your tiny dick and how she had to over exaggerate because she was afraid for her life.”

He lifted a brow.

“Why you ask? Here’s why, Captain. I know you killed Gage Starling. We all know and you don’t want that coming out. There is NO statute of limitations on murder. You can still go to the chair for setting up a cop to die. Well, almost two cops.”

Christ actually paled.

“If I were you, my very crooked friend, you had better turn yourself in to the police. I have an official copy of the Philadelphia report that Commissioner Raye had hidden. Maybe they won’t give you the chair.”

The man stopped smiling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t get to say more.

There was the quick clicking of heels heading their way. He didn’t even have to look to know who the angry staccato belonged to.

Delilah was there.

Greyson waved at his attorney, who was dressed to kill. She didn’t look amused.

“I see you’re still harassing my client. I guess I can call the judge…”

“Oh, he’s going to leave, and he’s also going to realize that his recorder isn’t working, but mine is. You remember what I said, Captain Christ. Vegas is a rough town.”

He headed away.

Delilah watched him go.

“What is going on?” she asked.

“I have a legal document that I need protected,” Greyson offered. He pulled it out of his bag. “I have copies, but this is the original. It was stashed at the Philadelphia police department.”

She took it from him.

When she read it, she went wide-eyed.

“Jesus! He is implicated in the murder of your wife’s brother? The Philadelphia police were working that case?”

He nodded.

“We can bury him.”

“I want it held for now,” he said. “I haven’t told Emma. I’m going to later today. I need to be gentle. I just need the record to show that this was anonymously sent to you by some concerned citizen, and you’re going to validate and hold it. When the time comes, we’ll use it.”

“When you tell Emma, please let her know I’m sorry. I lost my brother too. It sucks.”

He patted her hand. Greyson was aware. Delilah’s brother had been a good soldier, and he’d gone down fighting demons most people couldn’t even understand.

“I’ll tell her. Thank you for rushing here. I wouldn’t have been so dramatic, but I wanted to make the man turn tail. He’s the least of my issues now.”

She got it.

“I was about to get some coffee and take a break. I have court this week, and it’s an ugly one.”

Well, coffee he could do. Dimitri was open early for the people leaving the casinos to head back to Greyson’s hotel.

“We have coffee.”

“Then I’ll follow you anywhere,” she said, looking around. “I need to caffeinate or I get mean.”

Chris laughed. “We like you mean. It’s fun to watch.”

She smiled at him. “You didn’t think that before, Captain Ford.”

He got it.

She was a frigging barracuda in the courtroom. Delilah had chewed up all of his detectives at least once.

Now she wasn’t the enemy.

Thank God.

“We are about to meet a new client. The least I can do is buy you some coffee. I’m sorry we had to drag you here. The cops are…”

“Assholes?” she asked. “Yeah, I’ve noticed. They’ve been staking out my place.”

He didn’t like that.

“What do you mean?”

“When I headed out to work all last week, there was one of those beat down cop cars. I’ve got some detective tails.”

That made him worry.

“Where’s Heath?” Chris asked. He knew the man. If he was going to go after them, it would be Delilah first. She was the one that pushed for his incarceration.

“He’s out on bail. The judge wouldn’t listen to me,” Delilah said. “I must suck at trying to prosecute,” she teased. “I didn’t do it justice.”

Croft hoped Heath Spencer had enough common sense to stay far away from them.

If not…

Yeah, he’d make sure of it.

Once they headed inside, they saw Detective Riley Henderson in a back area. He waved.

“Speaking of cops, what’s his deal?” Delilah asked. “Is he your new BFF?” she asked.

Greyson nodded.

“He’s our inside man. If not for him, we don’t have ears inside that building. Raye and Christ have locked the place down. I can’t even buy a cop these days,” he said.

Chris laughed. “Yeah, your life sucks.”

Greyson was amused as he ordered them three coffees.

“Yeah, I can’t lose him. Then what? Too many people think I killed Mace Bristol.”

She shook her head. “They can think it all they want. We’ve proved you weren’t there. One more attempt, and you won’t have to buy a cop. You’ll own the LVPD.”

Oh, he’d love that.

“Anyway, is he on the up and up, or is that an act?” she said, referring to the detective at the back of the bar.

“He’s the real deal. He wants to save the world one person at a time, and he knows his cop friends are dirty.”

Well, that endeared him to her even more.

She grinned. “That’s sneaky and very sexy of him. Maybe all cops aren’t assholes after all.”

Greyson saw the look in her eyes.

He was well aware what it meant.

Delilah was one of those women who could get anything they wanted just by breathing. From the long black hair to the cat eyes, she could take a man apart, or curl up in his lap. It was hit or miss. She left him, Dimitri, and Chris alone, simply because he was a client. Delilah took her job very seriously, and she’d never risk that.

Unfortunately, Riley wasn’t a client, and he was in danger. She was tracking him with her eyes, and her intent was crystal clear.

“I think I’ll say hello,” she said, heading toward him.

“That man is toast,” Chris said, taking a mug of coffee from the woman. “She’s going to play with him like a damn mouse.”

Then he laughed.

“Lucky him. I can only imagine.”

Greyson laughed too.

He didn’t doubt it.

Before he could say anything, the new hostess had his attention.

“Mr. Gideon is on his way in, Mr. Croft. He’ll be here shortly,” Marie offered. “He asked that you wait for him in the back, where it’s safe.”

He could do that.

He and Chris headed back.

They knew Riley would get there eventually.

Maybe.

He saw her coming, and he swallowed his coffee. The woman was staring at him like he’d committed some sort of a sin. That one look freaked him out, but he stood his ground.

Immediately, he stood for the lady.

“Detective,” she purred, checking him out. She didn’t miss how he got up out of politeness.

Seriously.

He was as cute as hell.

Here he was, wearing a suit and the gold shiny badge on his hip. It amused her. Normally, she had nothing but disdain for the cops of Vegas, but this man intrigued her.

He was polite.

He was genuine.

He was a do-gooder.

She wanted to see if he was the real deal. Certainly, men like this didn’t exist anymore. They were a dying breed.

As for him being a good cop…that was shocking.

If she had a dollar for every wrongfully accused person in Vegas, she’d be rich—richer.

The fact that he was helping the Crofts save Vegas was a big plus in his column.

She wanted to dislike him based on her past experience, but there was something about his blue eyes and dirty blonde hair that drew her in.

He was incredibly handsome, if you went for the California beach boy look.

Maybe that was her type.

As of late, the men in Vegas were boring the hell out of her. Okay, men in general. They all wanted one thing from Delilah, and she was worth more than a quick lay.

She was searching for something deeper, and had all but given up on the opposite sex.

“Are you okay?” she asked, as she reached his table. 

Riley was having a hard time focusing.

No, he wasn’t.

“I’m meeting with the Crofts, so leave my ass attached to my body, Miss Viper. I’m not here to question them about anything.”

She laughed and sat down.

“I was just going to say hello.”

He stared at her. “I need to check to see if my gun is loaded. I had a dream like this. You turned into a wildebeest and tried to eat me. It started like this, only you had a tail.”

She snorted. “Well, at least you’re dreaming about me. That’s something.”

Oh, he was always thinking about this woman.

He didn’t know why, but she was forever coming up. He’d be in the office, and someone would say her name. He’d be in court, and there she was down the hall.

Riley couldn’t help himself when it came to her. It had to be those heels.

Jesus!

He was an idiot.

“If you’d like, I’ll stand back up and turn around so you can see I don’t have a tail.”

That caught him off guard. Riley didn’t know if she was flirting or setting him up for some vicious attack. He’d seen her in action. Attorney Delilah Fleur was a mankiller—he suspected literally. She tore through cops at a record pace, leaving them at her feet as she laughed.

You didn’t screw with her.

She was mean.

“Uh, I think I may still be dreaming. You haven’t told me to shut up yet.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed. “And now I know this is real. I would have preferred the dream. You usually get naked in them.”

She stared at him. His honesty was…refreshing. There was something about him that intrigued her.

So, she went for it.

“Funny, in mine, so do you. In fact, you do a lot of things that might make you blush, Detective.”

He stared at her.

“I guess we should leave this conversation right there. Have a good day, Detective Henderson. Fight the good fight. I will see you around.”

He didn’t know what to say.

She’d rendered him speechless.

Delilah dropped her card on the table. “If you find yourself all tied up, and need some help, give me a call.”

He stared at her.

Somehow, he didn’t think she meant legally.

As she walked away, he watched her long legs, the line down the back of her black hosiery, and the way her skirt hugged her body.

Damn it!

She got him all hot and bothered like no woman he’d ever come across.

At the door, she turned, winked, and disappeared out into the sunlight with her coffee.

Riley was confused.

He was also rock hard. It was clear he needed to find a hobby that didn’t involve flirting with women who would use him up and spit him out.

He didn’t need that mess.

Once he was able to focus, and his lower anatomy was in check, he grabbed his coffee and snuck into the back room.

Riley couldn’t be seen there. He was stopping in before work, so he needed to stay low key. His new partner was keeping tabs. As far as he knew, he had a dentist appointment.

Once in the room, both men began laughing and applauding him.

“She let you live, huh?” Chris asked. “You’re in serious trouble if Delilah Fleur is tracking you. I suggest you lie down, let her do her worst, and thank the Gods she’s picked you.”

He laughed.

Yeah, he was pretty much thinking the same thing.

“What’s her deal? I don’t know if I should say a prayer or take a cold shower. Why the hell doesn’t she harass you two?”

Greyson knew. “I think she likes you. The second she knew you were helping us…”

He stopped him. “You can’t spread that around.”

“Client confidentiality. She’s on our payroll. She is loyal to the Crofts and genuinely a good person.”

“Money does that.”

“Well, she’s loyal for a lot more reasons than money. We’ve been friends a long time. Delilah and I go way back,” Greyson offered.

Riley took a seat. “Did you sleep with her and escape with your life? You may be the only man. I just keep picturing her putting her fangs in a man and then ripping his head off at the point of orgasm.”

Chris laughed. “She is totally a praying mantis. All cops have that fantasy, and yet, we still want her to do it. She’s got a cauldron in that office of hers.”

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Greyson reassured them.

“No, I’ve never been in Delilah’s claws. I served with her brother in the military. He was a good guy, and so is Delilah. When I came to Vegas, I couldn’t afford her retainer, but now we can.”

“Is she on the up and up?”

He laughed. “With her job or how she wants to jump you?” he asked.

Riley was horrified.

He flushed.

“Again, do I run or take a shower?”

Chris laughed. “Shower. Something tells me she’d make you forget your name, son.”

Didn’t he know it?

Women like that were hard to come by. In Vegas, pretty was nothing. You could walk down the street and run into fifty gorgeous showgirls.

That just wasn’t his thing.

Riley didn’t do one-night stands with women he didn’t like or trust. Relationships should matter. Sex should matter.

“We need to get this show on the road. I have to be at the office soon.”

“Emma is on her way in. She’ll be here…”

He stopped midsentence.

When he turned his head, Greyson saw her. Immediately, he was up and out of his seat. Emma rushed him, and he caught her.

Greyson held his wife against his body.

He’d missed her.

All night, there’d been that empty feeling without her near. He’d gotten accustomed to his kitten sitting in his lap.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Emma wanted to weep tears of joy. She was back against his body, and everything was right in the world. Emma took a moment to give him a kiss.

Riley laughed. “To have a woman do that when she sees me…”

Chris smiled. He got that with Natasha. At one point, he’d coveted their relationship, too, until he found his. Now he saw the beauty of it. Those two built this family, and they were the core.

It was lovely.

Emma broke the kiss and ran her fingers down the scar on his cheek. “I missed you, my rogue pirate. Later you can shiver me timbers all you like.”

He grinned.

That was pretty much the plan.

Dimitri was right behind Emma and moved around her to shake the detective’s hand. “How are you, Riley?”

“Busy. I did get the file you wanted,” he said, handing it to Greyson as soon as Emma was out of his arms.

“Perfect,” Croft offered.

Riley continued, “Gerald Darden was definitely murdered. We have camera footage from a local business showing that a white, older model car took him out. He was tossed through the air, and the brakes never went on. There were no skid marks. The person who hit him likely did it intentionally.”

Interesting.

“Any plate?”

“No tags on the car. It was found later, and it was stolen. We found blood in the trunk, but we can’t match it to anything. There’s nothing on file. So, we don’t know who was in that trunk.”

That was normal in Vegas.

Bright lights.

Gambling.

Dead bodies in trunks.

Emma had worked at least twenty cases just like that. If you wanted to move a body, you did it in a trunk.

Hell!

She’d been abducted and in one herself.

“Anything else?” she asked, making mental notes. “Do you have anything on possible perps?”

He shook his head. “It’s not my case, but I can ask around. I’m sure one of the detectives will give me something.”

They could use that.

“What are you working?” Riley asked. “Is it cop related?”

Greyson shook his head. “We have a missing underage girl. Her sister is looking for her, and we’re taking the case. Can you find out if there are any Jane Does who match her?” he asked.

“You think we might have her in the morgue in storage?” Riley asked.

Greyson thought about the poor kid he’d met in that strip club, and it broke his heart.

God!

He really hoped not.

“No, but before we go crazy, trying to find this girl, I want to make sure she’s not dead. Let’s face it. Hookers are the number one victims in this town, right after tourists.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

“I can call you later. Give me her stats.”

Dimitri could do something better. He pulled out his phone, and sent the man a picture. “Here she is.”

That worked for him.

“I’ll dig around for you,” Riley offered. “If anything turns up, you’ll hear from me.”

“Just watch your back,” Emma warned, touching his arm. “We’re being followed. You may want to go out through the back of the club,” she offered. “If it’s a cop, and they see you leaving here…”

She didn’t have to say anything else.

Riley would be royally screwed if anyone could tie him to the Crofts. He’d be tagged dirty, and that was the irony of it all.

They were likely the only ones who weren’t dirty in Vegas.

“Thank you for the heads up.”

“We were followed,” Dimitri began. “I didn’t see who it was, but I could feel him. We all have to be more careful,” he warned.

They trusted his gut.

“I have to go. My new partner keeps tabs on me,” he said. “Lester Lucas is an asshole—especially now since you guys sent his BFF to the slammer for stealing drugs from lockup. I hate when shit like that happens.”

Greyson gave him the heads up. “Delilah mentioned he’s out, so watch for him.”

Riley knew he was safe. They hadn’t figured out who had leaked the information to the cops. So far, he was in the clear, and that’s exactly how he wanted to keep it.

“Be safe, and I’ll be in contact,” he offered.

When Riley headed out, closing the door behind him, the team regrouped.

Immediately, Emma went back against her husband to cuddle against him.

“God! I missed you,” he said, nuzzling her with his cheek. She was warm, pregnant, and his.

She knew that feeling.

“I definitely missed being near you, handsome.”

“I’ll ignore that you smell like Dimitri’s cologne,” he said, sniffing her. “The confusion will end once I rub my scent all over you,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Well, I did sleep with him. His bed smells like him.”

Chris began choking on his coffee. “What? How did I not get that exclusive invite? I didn’t know we were allowed to sleep with Emma too!”

She punched him.

“That sounded cheap, and you know better!”

“Can I please sleep with Emma?” he teased.

She pointed.

“I’m not feeling the love, and you’re hitting me. I think I may cry,” he said, teasing her. “I remember when I used to be your favorite.”

She laughed and gave him a hug. “You’re up there pretty high on my list.”

What she didn’t tell him was all this talk about being followed was freaking her out. The hug was mostly to make sure he was wearing body armor.

“Well, I’ve slept beside you too,” she offered. “Remember when you were recouping?”

He did.

It had mattered to him, and his heart.

“I only recall you making out with me. After that it all gets hazy,” he teased.

Greyson pointed at him.

“Geez! No one laughs anymore.”

Dimitri did. “Yeah, she slept over, she made me breakfast, and…”

Emma covered his mouth.

Chris growled. “Mine. Stop poaching my Emma.”

Greyson laughed. “Uh, no. MINE, and I shouldn’t have to remind you chuckle heads of that. My ring, my wife, my girl, my baby on board, and my girly bits.”

She stared at her husband.

“Seriously? You’re going to bring my girl parts up? I remember when I was the queen.”

He laughed.

Emma knew he was trying to keep it light. He kept looking over at Dimitri to make sure he was okay. He was a good man, and she loved him to death.

“Anyway,” Emma said, “where’s our client?”

She never got to be part of these meetings when they heard the story for the first time, so she was more than happy to see what Dimitri did.

Plus, she wanted to make sure he was really fine with taking this case. He still seemed rattled.

“Emma, do you want coffee?” Dimitri asked.

“Yes, please.”

He got up to get her and himself some. When he was gone, Chris was the first to speak.

“What gives?”

She wasn’t shocked he could feel it.

“He’s having a rough time taking this case. Greyson, we may have to bail on it. I’m not willing to let him hurt.”

“Nightmares?” he asked.

She nodded. “Really bad ones. I’m worried about him. He’s hurting.”

Greyson weighed his options.

At that moment, Dimitri came back in, and he placed the coffees down. They all stopped talking, and that told him everything he needed to know.

“For the record, this place is wired. I can go back and listen to you on my phone,” he offered, patting his pocket. “Do I need to?”

Greyson had to trust his wife on this.

“We were discussing if we should really take this case. Emma mentioned you were concerned.”

“I am.”

“Then we drop it.”

He stared at Emma. She’d helped him work through a lot, and he had to put his faith in his family. If this went wrong, they would catch him.

“I think we should take it.”

“Marissa…”

He stopped Greyson. “I’m not doing it for her. I’m doing it for that seventeen-year-old girl we saw in the strip joint. I’m doing it so she knows that not all men are sick and want to rape a child. I’m not doing it for Marissa. I’m doing it so we can find Julie and send her home.”

Emma said nothing.

“Last night was hard for me, and I’m sure Emma will tell you later.”

“I won’t,” she promised, looking up at him.

“I need to trust my family now. I’m going to try and be the man I should have been.”

Chris stared at him. “If it’s any consolation, Dimitri, I like the man you are. You raised two girls who are amazing, and I’m grateful to you.”

His heart felt a little lighter.

“Thank you for that, Captain. I can do this, but I need my family. I may need someone to tell me it’s going to be okay.”

Emma stood.

“Do you need a hug?”

He smiled. “Yes, please. Give me a hug.”

She did.

Both men stared. Something huge had happened if Dimitri Gideon, hired killer was taking hugs and asking for them. He didn’t look uncomfortable.

Emma held him.

When he let her go, she smiled. “See?”

Yes, he did.

“Let’s get ready to begin,” he offered.

When Dimitri sat, Emma planted herself right beside him. Chris actually lifted a brow, and Greyson gave him a kick to the leg beneath the table.

That was his signal.

No one was busting Dimitri’s ass. This time, Croft was forbidding it. Greyson had to give his wife some leeway. She was trying to help the man.

“Since we have time,” Greyson began. “We had company.”

That had her attention.

“What do you mean?”

Greyson told her about their meeting with the Captain right outside the door of ‘Aquarius’.

She whistled.

“He’s getting ballsy,” Emma said. “He has a death wish to come at you here.”

Yeah, if she only knew how ballsy he was all those years ago, she’d lose it.

“I really don’t like him,” she stated. “He’s a piss poor example of what Chris had to do for his job. That whole place has gone to hell in a handbasket since he left. There’s no integrity there anymore.”

They didn’t disagree, and she didn’t know the half of it. When she did, they’d have a bigger mess to handle.

There was a knock to the door before Marie peeked her head into Dimitri’s private room.

“Sir, Marissa is here.”

“Bring her in.”

The woman smiled and ducked back out to get the woman. Even though she’d worked there, Dimitri had made sure she wasn’t wandering around without supervision.

He’d been burned once.

“How’s she working out?” Emma asked of the newest employee.

“Not as well as Marissa, but she was a fluke. I’ve begun to realize that she’s not going to be easy to replace. I need someone confident at the front door, and to handle the men who get a little too drunk.”

“Why don’t you hire her back? It would make our lives easier if she wasn’t under foot. You never know what we’ll find out,” Greyson offered.

“I can watch her,” Emma offered. She knew what he was struggling with, and his attraction to the woman was making it hard for him.

Emma didn’t want him to suffer.

He’d lived through enough.

“I can take one for the team,” Emma said, giving her husband a look.

Dimitri weighed the options, and knew what she was trying to do. He patted her hand on the table. He was going to take her advice and seek affection when he needed it—especially with her. She made him feel safe, and like he wouldn’t be rebuked.

That helped.

“Thank you, Emma, but I think hiring her back would be for the best. If she’s interested. I don’t want her investigating. Let’s all recall what happened last night,” he said, pointing at his shoulder.

How could they forget?

Besides, that gave Dimitri an out. He would avoid ‘Aquarius’ like the plague until they finished this case. Then, she’d be gone.

He didn’t want her there.

Liars were not welcome in his life.

“I won’t risk my family, and it’s dangerous out there right now,” Dimitri offered. “I’d prefer if you weren’t playing babysitter to a wild card.”

They got that.

“I have to ask,” Chris said. “You let someone sneak up on you?” he inquired.

Dimitri braced for it.

“Yes.”

“It had to be witchcraft,” he said, cutting the man a break. “We all know how impossible that is.”

Dimitri relaxed.

His family was protecting him. He could feel it, and he let them. He was raw inside, and it was only going to get worse.

As the woman was escorted into the back room, she took a seat beside Chris in an empty chair.

Now Greyson and Chris figured out why Emma sat beside him. She was hovering and in protection mode.

They waited for Marie to pour a coffee for their guest, and to refresh everyone else’s cup.

The door had barely closed when Marissa was already speaking.

“I’m sorry about last night, Mr. Gideon. What I did to you was inexcusable, and I have to make up for it. Just tell me what it is, and I’ll do it.”

He shrugged in his normal way.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, Miss Pierce. I don’t hold a grudge. Today, we’ll hit up your sister’s last known address and begin working this case.”

NO ONE at that table believed that. Dimitri Gideon could hold a wicked grudge if he was provoked.

“It’s not fine. I snuck up behind you and stabbed you. I could have killed you.”

No one spoke.

They knew what he was thinking.

A flush of red was creeping up Dimitri’s neck. It was visible over his starched, shirt collar.

That was bad.

He was worked up.

This was either going to blow up all over Marissa Pierce, or them. Chris hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Again, I’m over it. Emma patched me back up, and it’s forgotten,” he said, leaning over to kiss Emma on the cheek. “I’m good.”

Emma took his hand in hers.

Greyson watched it.

There was something there. Dimitri was trying too hard not to look at the woman, and Emma was mothering him.

Croft really hoped Dimitri would hold it together.

“I feel so helpless. What can I do?” Marissa asked, “I want to help,” she admitted, addressing it to Greyson since Dimitri wouldn’t even look at her.

“We’ll take care of everything,” Greyson stated.

Dimitri chimed in, sipping his coffee. No one missed that there was this veneer covering him. It was ambivalence, irritation, and hostility.

None of which he ever let anyone see.

He was rattled.

When he disliked someone, they were none the wiser. Now he was cracking under the strain.

“If you’d like your job back, while you’re here, it’s yours,” he stated.

She stared at him. “Why would you do that?”

“You were good at your job. Don’t read into it. There’s no allegiance between us,” he said, glancing over at her with his aqua eyes. “You need to do something while we work at finding your sister. That’s all.”

She stared at him. “I thought I could help you find Julie. I knew her best.”

Dimitri squeezed Emma’s hand under the table, as he battled for composure against this woman. The betrayal had offended him. Her lies had irritated him.

Emma knew she had to help him.

Dimitri let few people in, and for some reason, he’d let this woman get under his skin.

This was going to be…bad.

Emma took over. “Well, had you not tried to kill one of us, and then hit Greyson, this might be different. You can work here, and we will update you.”

“But I know…”

Emma protected her family. While Greyson headed the ‘family’ these people were hers, and she’d be hellbent if she let this woman do any more damage.

When Dimitri was worked up, it was a bad thing.

“NO. I think I made that crystal clear,” Emma said. “You will NOT be helping us. Your behavior was unacceptable. If it were up to me, we wouldn’t be taking this case. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my decision. I don’t like people who use violence as a way to express their frustration. It’s so very childlike.”

Marissa got it.

She’d pissed one Croft off, and a Gideon. She was batting a thousand today.

She didn’t miss the way Emma was leaning against Dimitri. It was her signal the man was off limits. If she could just get him alone to talk to him.

She’d apologize again and again.

“If you say so,” Marissa offered.

Greyson stopped her from continuing. “Those are your choices. This is what we do, and we don’t need help. We have a whole team of people who can do this.”

She got it.

She’d fucked up.

“Okay. I’ll take the job back. I’ll give you everything I have so far.”

They waited.

She pulled out her notes.

They’d been wrong. She was likely qualified to help them. Only, she wasn’t part of their team.

What she did was too inexcusable for Emma.

“Talk us through it,” Emma offered.

“The last place I could trace Julie was to that madam. Stephanie said she didn’t stay long. She suspected that Julie took a side gig with someone else, maybe her new pimp.”

Greyson needed to know. “What do we know about the validity of that madam?” he asked.

Chris pulled out a tablet. “Do we have her name?”

“I can vouch for her. I’ve dealt with Stephanie for a long time as Mr. Ivanov. She began as a street level hooker, and she’s moved up in the world.”

No one challenged him.

If Dimitri was vouching for her, they could trust him.

Then again, he’d once vouched for Marissa.

Emma covered for him.

“That’s likely what happened. She was sent in to do a customer, likely a pimp on the stroll for new girls, and she was recruited or hustled by the man who brought her into the life,” Emma stated.

Greyson agreed.

He’d worked enough sex trafficking cases in the FBI to know that the scumbags moved silently after the women. They sent out feelers and reeled in the weak ones—the ones no one would miss.

Sadly, it was common.

Emma had another question. “What do we know about Anthony Delmarco?”

Marissa was silent. “Oh, you’re asking me. I figured you didn’t need me. You know… since I’m not working this.”

Normally, Marissa wouldn’t be as nasty, but it rubbed her the wrong way how Dimitri was sitting so close and refused to look at her.

Why?

She didn’t know.

Marissa was well aware that Emma and Greyson were a tight couple, but Vegas talked, and that bugged her.

At her tone, Emma stood up. “I’ll walk my ass right out of here. Guess who will follow me. The answer is NOT you. Maybe you should lose the attitude, ‘Miss I Stabbed Someone’.”

Marissa got it.

She answered Emma’s question.

“Apparently, she hooked up with him online. He told her she was pretty and wanted her to be his girlfriend. She met him at a bus station, and they were gone from the East Coast. The foster family gave me that information, but that’s all they could tell me.”

Again, that was typical.

Predators found these girls who wanted a way out, and they gave them one.

Yeah, right into their worst nightmare.

They thought they’d found love, acceptance, and someone to take care of them, and instead, they were passed off into a worse situation.

“We saw her at that club, and she already had her pimp. I’m going to guess that was post madam,” Emma stated.

The men agreed.

“So we have to head there and try to figure out who killed him, or who she was passed off to before he died. We know the pattern was Delmarco, Stephanie, the madam, and then Gerald Darden the pimp.”

Greyson scribbled the name of the club and the man’s name down for Emma.

“I get the strip club?” she asked, almost a little too excited about it.

“Yeah, you and Chris are welcome to have it. I took the last three clubs, and remember what the papers said? I was the worst cheating husband on the planet. I think I’ll pass on that again. The rumors of my infidelity have just slowed down.”

She laughed. “Yeah, but I got the prettiest gifts after that. I was very amused.”

Chris rubbed his hands together. “This is my prettiest gift. I’m going to a strip club with Emma.”

Greyson pointed at him. “Stop smiling or else.”

“Let me kill him,” Dimitri offered. “I need something fun in my life.”

“Hey! You got to sleep with her! It’s my turn for some fun.”

Emma snorted.

Marissa’s eyes were huge.

She could only imagine what the woman was thinking. Well, she’d stabbed Dimitri.

Let her wonder.

“I can see I’ll be in good hands,” she teased. “I didn’t know Chris was this fond of strip clubs.”

“I’ll be sure to mention that to Natasha,” Dimitri offered, smiling ferally at the man.

It was his ‘bring it’ smile, and no one doubted he’d really screw with the man.

Chris laughed. “I’m not shocked that you’re getting all territorial. Needless to say, I’ll keep Emma safe from all the strippers.”

Greyson hoped so. “Don’t enjoy this too much, kitten. You know I’m going to want all the details.”

Oh, she could only hope.

That was his code for raunchy stripper sex.

Count her in.

Emma finished her coffee. “We should get going. You know I love a strip club first thing in the morning. All that booze and stale sex smell.”

“Like Dimitri’s condo?” Chris asked, busting the man’s ass. He could tell he was struggling.

The man laughed. “Good one, Chris. Only, you have it mixed up. I have a maid. You have a recycling can and all that porn.”

Chris patted him on the back. “Asshole.”

“Redneck.”

They loved busting each other. This was their normal banter, but that morning, it felt more important.

It was like reassurance to their friend that they had his back no matter what.

Chris was really piling it on, and they knew why. He was a smart man, and he clearly saw Emma catering to Dimitri. He was wounded, and he didn’t think it was only physical.

“Then let’s get this done and meet back at the house. I want to do some research later,” Greyson said, kissing his wife on the mouth. “Be safe and keep my precious cargo safe.”

She knew what he was talking about.

They headed out, and ‘Aquarius’, actually had customers drinking alcohol before nine in the morning.

Only in Vegas.

As Dimitri went to move around a table, a man got up and bumped into him.

“Pardon me,” Dimitri said, glancing over at him. “I didn’t see you. I apologize.”

The man smiled and waved the incident away.

Then he watched him leave. As he did, that evil look appeared in his aqua eyes.

“I know you didn’t see me. That’s the point. Oh, brother, you are a fool,” he said, dropping money onto the table. Then he headed out.

To follow them.

                                    * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Sky Villa

Across Town

Paris was getting ready to head off to work for the day. He had a few consults at the hospital, and one at a local private clinic. Only, he wasn’t thinking about that. He was focused on his marriage.

He and Tessa weren’t doing well.

She was despondent.

And he knew why.

She couldn’t have a baby. He knew he had one shot left. If that didn’t work, he could see his marriage falling apart within weeks. He was losing her, and Paris was afraid.

While she stuck with him as he recovered, she was tougher then. This had broken her.

He really thought she’d leave him.

Paris was smart enough to know that if she did, that would be his breaking point.

“What are you doing today?” he asked, trying to a have pleasant conversation with his wife. He’d plastered on a fake smile, and was doing the dance.

It was total BS.

He was feeling it too.

“I thought I’d read, do some laundry, run to the grocery store, and then vacuum. Same old.”

He knew she was miserable about not working, not being pregnant, and his inadequacies.

“Why don’t you head to Terrace…?”

She cut him off. “No thank you. Kat is there, and that makes me moody. Here is better—where I can be alone.”

He rolled over to her in his wheelchair.

“Tessa.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. We can’t have babies, I’m not going to be a mother, and I’m not a Fed anymore either. Life is what it is.”

“You can go back to work.”

She stared at him. “Gee, I’m sure the new head of the FBI would jump at that chance.”

Paris tried to keep smiling.

Okay, work was clearly a bad topic.

He’d go with option two.

“There are a few ways to have a child, Tessa. We can adopt, or we can get a sperm donor. We can try again and again. I’m the issue, not you.”

She closed her eyes.

“Tessie, don’t shut me out. Say what you’re thinking.”

She stared at him, eyes full of tears. “I don’t want to pick my child’s baby daddy out of a book. That’s…gross. How do I explain that to him or her as they are older? Oh, I liked the bio at the sperm bank and thought he’d be a good choice?”

He got it.

This was on him.

Maybe, if they hadn’t waited so long, some of his sperm would have been viable.

Only, he couldn’t go back and undo the past. He couldn’t save his legs and Tessa, and he couldn’t save his sperm.

Paris was frustrated.

Still, he tried to stay calm.

“Tessa, I’m sorry I can’t give you a baby. Don’t give up on me.”

She touched his cheek. “I don’t plan on it. I’m in a funk. Once I’m out of it, I’ll be okay.”

He didn’t believe her.

The happiness was gone out of her eyes.

Paris was struggling with his secret. He didn’t like keeping things from his wife, but he didn’t know if he should tell her.

“What if I could find you the perfect donor, and it was family?”

“We don’t have siblings. There is no family.”

She looked like she was about to cry, and Paris knew he had to do something.

Anything.

“I went to Greyson and asked him to be a donor.”

She stared at him. “Behind my back? Do you think that was a good choice?”

And this was why he wasn’t going to tell her, but he had to. It was about saving Tessa now. They’d moved past the baby issue, and they were trapped in the reality of having to save their marriage.

“I was just putting out feelers to see if he would be okay with it or not.”

She tried to have hope, but she was beginning to think there was nothing left. Everything else had failed.

Why not this too?

She was braced for it.

“What did he say?”

“That he was okay with it, and he’d talk to Emma about the possibility.”

And there it was.

What woman would let her husband donate sperm to a friend, especially if she was trying to have a baby?

This would be dead in the water, too, much like everything else.

Tessa gave up.

“I see.”

“Would that be acceptable? I know you said you didn’t want a baby daddy out of a book, but what if it was a man I consider my brother? Our child would grow up knowing him, and it wouldn’t be ‘gross’, as you put it.”

She shrugged. “Does it matter? Nothing is working out like it should. I give up.”

And that was his fear.

And his breaking point.

Paris was a patient man, but he’d had about enough. It was like fighting an uphill battle, and he didn’t want to do it anymore. He was exhausted from worrying about losing his wife.

She was already gone.

Tessa checked out on him, and he was fighting this alone. So, he was done.

He slammed his hands down on the arms of his wheelchair. “I’m trying, damn it! Can’t you cut me a break? I already have to live with the knowledge that you are falling out of love with me because I can’t give you a child. I get it, Tessa! I’m a failure. It’s all on me!”

She was shocked at his explosion and that he was taking this out on himself. She wasn’t blaming him. She was venting.

“Paris.”

“Forget it. I’m so over all of this. I’ve done everything I can to make you happy. I’ve catered to your funk, excused your bitchiness, and let go all the times in the last few weeks where you’ve stripped away what is left of my masculinity. I’m trying, and it took every ounce of courage to approach Greyson to beg for help. FOR YOU! I can see me swallowing my ego wasn’t enough. I’m not enough. So, I’m done. I’m going to head to work. I have crazy people to talk to today. Maybe they won’t make me feel like a eunuch and worthless.”

He rolled away.

“Paris, come back,” she called.

“Fuck you, Tessa. I’m done too.”

He never spoke to her like that. She’d really hurt him, and she didn’t mean to. She was feeling so lost.

She heard their door slam.

Tessa began crying.

She’d screwed up.

She’d hurt Paris, and that wasn’t what she wanted to do. This was a mess.

She needed someone.

And Tessa knew who.

She needed to call in the big man for help.

Chapter Six

Dimitri’s Vehicle

H e hadn’t been expecting the call. When Greyson saw the number, and recognized it, he was surprised to hear from her. Tessa had been MIA the last couple of weeks, after they’d finished their last case, and he didn’t know what she could possibly be calling about.

It was a mystery.

“Hey, Tessa, what’s up?” he asked, answering the phone call.

He listened, and Dimitri could hear the crying from the phone. Something wasn’t right.

“Honey, calm down. What’s wrong? Is Paris okay?” Croft asked, trying to understand the woman.

He listened more.

“Okay, I’ll be right there. Just breathe and stop panicking. It’s going to be okay. I’m not busy. I have time to see you this morning. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

He hung up.

“Is she okay?” Dimitri asked in concern.

“No, so we have to head to Sky Villa first. Then we’ll hit up Julie’s apartment. Can you entertain Miss Pierce while I handle Tessa?” he asked.

“Is it about…?”

“Yeah,” he answered, cutting him off so the woman in the back seat wouldn’t get any information. Greyson didn’t trust anyone not in the family. “She and Paris had a fight about that right before work.”

“I’ll entertain her.”

Marissa sat in the back seat, saying nothing. She was too busy trying to find a way to get back in to Dimitri’s good graces. She was worried that he’d hate her.

“I’ll solve this, and we’ll get back to the case.”

“I’ll take Miss Pierce to my place and when you’re done, meet us there.”

“Thank you,” Greyson said, patting him on the arm. “I don’t want any of us outside unattended, if possible.”

He got it.

Dimitri still had that sick feeling that they were being followed, but he couldn’t spot a cop. They were so damn easy to see, driving in their obvious police issued street vehicles.

This time, he only felt the eyes.

It was rattling him.

Or maybe that was because of the woman behind him. He didn’t trust her, and his back was to her. She’d already tried to stab him once.

“Thanks.”

They pulled up to Sky Villa and parked in the underground lot. Dimitri rolled down his window at the check-in point.

“Mr. Gideon, welcome home. You should come home more often,” said the security guard. “Then we won’t be shocked when you’re here two days in a row.”

“I know, but I’ve been staying at Greyson’s home.”

“Our home,” Croft corrected.

Marissa listened, and tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Were they having some sex orgy?

Was this a threesome?

She was confused.

“We’ll see you inside. Please have your guest check-in before you bring her upstairs.”

He pulled through, and parked in his spot. They all got out, and headed to the elevators.

Marissa rode up in silence, between the men.

This was some place.

Dimitri was definitely loaded. She wasn’t surprised. When you had his life of crime, death, and mayhem, you would be.

At the desk, Greyson warmly greeted the guards. He genuinely liked them when they lived there.

“Mrs. Archer is waiting for you,” Tom said. “You can head up, Mr. Croft.”

“Thank you,” he said, and then focused on his friend. “I’ll clear this up as fast as I can,” Greyson stated, patting Dimitri on the shoulder.

“Miss Pierce,” Dimitri stated. “She’s a one-time visitor.”

“You don’t want her on the list for access?” Tom asked, taking her picture to add to the database.

“Absolutely not. Just the family. You should pat her down if she comes here. She’s been known to carry weapons.”

She bristled. “Well, a girl makes one mistake...”

“Stab a person, and they don’t have to like you,” he mumbled beneath his breath.

She rolled her eyes.

“You’re clear,” Tom stated. “Just touch here,” he said, holding out a tablet.

She did.

“Prints match,” Tom said.

“What? You just swiped my prints?” Marissa said, in outrage. “That can’t be right! I know that’s not legal!”

“You can sit your ass down here,” Dimitri offered. “If you’re coming into my home, these are the rules. Sky Villa has a tough security policy for a reason. People who live here don’t want to be shanked in the elevator.”

She said nothing.

He was being an asshole, but she would take it. After all, she had stabbed him, but her patience was wearing thin.

Dimitri headed toward the elevator. Once inside, he hit the number fourteen.

“There’s actually a thirteenth floor,” she said, noticing the button.

“Yes, Tessa and Paris Archer live on that floor. My one sister has a place on eleven.”

He didn’t know why he told her that.

When he was around Marissa, he wanted to do stupid things, even though she stabbed him.

She was wearing a simple skirt and shirt, and he kept checking out her legs.

He was an idiot.

Clearly.

“Are you going to be miserable toward me all day?” she asked.

He glanced over. “Yes.”

“Good to know.”

Dimitri had no choice. He was fighting that attraction. He wanted to touch her, and run his fingers through all that chestnut hair.

He knew one thing.

It was going to be a long ass day.

                                 * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

At Tessa’s door, he knocked.

When she opened, she was red-eyed and crying up a huge storm. Immediately, she went into his arms, and he hugged her.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, Tessa,” he said, letting her cry all over him. She was part of his family, and he hated to see her hurting.

Especially since he knew why.

This was on him.

He’d been in charge of protecting his people, and Paris had taken that bullet on his watch.

“What’s going on, honey?” he asked, leading her to the couch so she could sit.

“Paris and I had a fight, and I don’t know what to do. He told me to fuck off.”

Greyson was shocked.

Were they talking about the same Paris who wore glasses, he read books for a hobby, and his ties matched his pocket squares?

That Paris cursed at his wife?

It had to be ugly if he had uttered those words, and toward Tessa. She was his heart and soul. Anyone who knew them saw how much he loved her.

It was crystal clear.

“Tell me what happened.”

“He started talking about having a baby again. I’m just trying to stop thinking about it, and it’s so hard. Kat and Curtis are having a child, and you’re trying. I feel like I’m staring in a window and can’t participate in the joy.”

He got it.

Again, on him.

“Tessa.”

“I have been miserable toward him, and he thinks I’m blaming him. I’m not. I just can’t handle it. It’s not fair. We played by the rules. We did everything right. I was discarded as a child and grew up knowing I was nothing. Now life hits me with this. I can’t do it. I’ve given up hope. Nothing is working for us. I feel like the universe is trying to stop us.”

He held her.

“Tessa, it’s okay.”

“I want to make him happy, but I can’t. I’m not happy. It hurts to know that I’ll never hold a child of my own. I’ll go to baby showers and know I’ll never feel any of that.”

“Tessa, he’s hurting too. As a man, it’s hard not to be able to provide everything for your wife. Paris is really suffering over this. He came to me.”

“I know. He told me he asked. That’s what started the fight. I wouldn’t have let him go to you. I wouldn’t have let him beg for sperm. Even saying that makes my heart hurt.”

Had this been any other moment, he would have laughed at the entire conversation.

Only, Tessa was hurting.

Paris was hurting.

His family was suffering.

“Why wouldn’t you let him come to me?” Greyson asked. “Why is that an issue?”

“You gave us this home. You give us income when we work for you, and you gave us money for IVF. I feel like we’re using you.”

He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You’re not using me. If anything, I use you and Paris. We can’t help people without you. I’ve called Paris at all hours, asking him to profile. I’ve asked him to help Sam. I didn’t know we were keeping score. Had I, then I wouldn’t have asked for your help.”

He waited for her to process that. Tessa was smart, and she’d been a damn good agent. He knew she’d work through it if he left enough crumbs for her to follow.

“We love helping you.”

“So why is it so odd that it’s reciprocal?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t I want to help two people I consider my family? Because I supply money? Well, that’s bullshit, and you know it.”

She wiped her eyes.

“I just feel horrible.”

“You’re reading into this too much. Paris wanted to give you the one thing he can’t supply himself. It had to hurt him to know that he’s lacking in that department, Tessa. Still, he called me, had me meet him face to face, and asked me for help.”

Tessa listened.

“I can’t ask you to give me a child, Greyson. You and Emma are trying…”

He had to tell her.

It was time.

“We’re pregnant, Tessa. Emma is having my child.”

It hit like a ton of bricks.

Tessa could barely breathe. She stared at him, and her lower lip quivered.

“I see.”

“Tessa.”

She began weeping.

He could see how painful this was to her. Greyson had to make the choice. Emma wasn’t happy about it, simply because this technically would be his child, and they hadn’t really decided one hundred percent.

It looked like he was up to bat, and he only hoped his wife wouldn’t flip her shit.

He was doing this for the Archers. When he left, he’d call his attorney, and have Delilah begin drawing up the legal contracts. He had conditions, and they’d have to agree.

Or it was off.

Greyson held her as she wept. When she finally slowed down, he made his move.

“I want you to come to our house tomorrow. I want you to meet us in the morning. Can you do that?” he asked.

She kept crying.

“Tessa.”

She looked at him and nodded.

“I’m going to give you the donation. I’m going to help give you a child. God help you. The Croft genes are a hot mess. You’re going to have your hands full. If you get some gay baby who comes out in feathers, blame my brother.”

She laughed a little. “I’d still love a feathered baby. He would be mine.”

And that was why he trusted them with something so precious to him. Greyson never slept around, and before his wife, he never went dick diving without a shitload of protection. Before his wife, he didn’t want his sperm out there in the world.

Now he was going to trust two people with something so precious to him.

He wiped her eyes with his thumbs. “You and Paris give us unconditional friendship and love. You are our family. You both mean the world to me. When I was asked to hand in my badge, Paris tanked his recertification. You walked away. FOR ME. Who does that?”

“Family.”

“Exactly. Who do you ask for a sperm donation if your husband can’t provide it?”

“We’d ask a brother.”

He let that sink in.

“Chris is Emma’s brother, and so is Dimitri. Both men are mine also. Why is it so hard to think that Paris is mine too? I love your husband, and I’d do anything for him. If this is what you need, then you have it.”

“But Emma.”

“She loves you too. Ask her.”

Tessa wasn’t sure she would be so magnanimous if her husband was the one being asked. She only hoped he wasn’t lying. If she got her hopes up, and there was another blow, Tessa wasn’t going to survive it.

“Now, I need you to do me one favor.”

“What?” she asked.

“Pull your ass out of this funk. If me jerking off into a cup will give you a long life of happiness, so be it. Fix this with your husband. Tell him you love him, and be at my house tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll tell him…”

“No. I want you to tell him we have work. He came to me once and sacrificed his pride. It’s your turn. Tomorrow, you have to be the one who sacrifices for him.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “We are so blessed to have you as our family.”

Greyson held her hands. “You’re mine, too, Tessa, and you will always be mine. Paris matters, and not because I’m the reason he was shot.”

“You’re not.”

He smiled at her. “That’s my cross to bear, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to help you both, and I’m going to be blessed by watching you build a family. That’s precious to me.”

“Thank you, Grey.”

She hugged him.

“Now clean yourself up, slap on some makeup, and go fix the shit mess you caused. In this family, you own it, you fix it, and you get past it.”

She would. “I love you.”

He grinned. “I am a charmer. If your child gets my slickness, well, you are welcome.”

She snorted. “And Emma is a lucky woman. So am I. I found a sweet man, just like she did.”

Greyson squeezed her hand.

“Now go fix him. He’s hurting, too, and Paris doesn’t deserve it. He’s been handed shit too.”

She got up, felt better, and knew she could do it. It was time to take care of her husband.

She’d been neglecting their marriage.

And that was on her.

                    * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Dimitri unlocked the door and let her in. The second they cleared the doorway, he was waiting for a comment.

There was none.

“Would you like some coffee?” he asked. “I doubt that Greyson will be long.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He didn’t budge. Dimitri didn’t know why she rattled him, but she did. He was trying not to focus on her, but it was so damn hard.

“If I could go back and undo it, I would have. If I could tell the past me to ask you for help, I would.”

He stared at her. “I don’t understand why you lied to me. I tried to help you.”

“You scare me.”

There.

It was out there.

“Why?” he asked. “Why do I scare you? I’ve never been anything but gentle. I’ve never even yelled at you at work. I’m having a hard time understanding why you felt the need to lie and betray me.”

Did he not see it?

She could see the killer in him. Marissa could feel the air around him ripple with his anger and strength. It was terrifying to face him down.

He was dangerous.

“Why?” he asked again.

“You’re Dimitri Gideon. Do I really have to go there? When you carried me up those stairs…?”

He waited.

“You freaked me the fuck out. Okay? My fight or flight kicked in, and I fled. Had I known it would lead to this...?”

“You stabbed me! I should be the one freaked out,” Dimitri stated. “You were aiming for my fucking throat, Marissa! You had no intention of pulling that knife. You wanted to kill me!”

“I know! Like I said, I was scared. I thought you’d hurt my sister, and she had to come first. I’ve let her down, and I had to find her!”

She began pacing, and he made sure to keep her in front of him. Really, he didn’t trust her.

At all.

“How do I fix this?” she finally asked, stopping in front of him.

“I don’t think you can.”

She began crying.

Jesus.

This was NOT what he was expecting. Dimitri didn’t do well with crying women. He’d raised girls, and that he got, but with this one…

He wasn’t sure what she was going to do next. He preferred predictability.

With her…

There was none.

He couldn’t read her. While his gut warned him it was all an act, his heart was breaking for her. He’d had to save his sisters.

He got it.

He did put a knife through his father’s throat. She was living a parallel life with him, only he was good at killing.

She was barely able to plan it out.

“I wish I could go back weeks and stay. I wish I had the courage to tell you about what was going on in my life, but you’re unapproachable. You scare people.”

He thought about it.

Emma seemed to be able to approach him.

Greyson did too.

Hell!

Tessa upstairs even could.

Maybe it had something to do with her childhood. He knew shitty. They’d all lived it.

“Don’t cry,” he offered, pulling the handkerchief from the pocket of his suit.

“I don’t know how many times I can tell you sorry, so maybe if you just stab me, too, we can get past this.”

He was horrified.

“I am NOT going to stab you.”

“It’ll make you feel better.”

“No, it won’t.”

She sat on the couch. “My sister, the ONLY person I have left in the world, is gone. My mother didn’t care about us, we were abused and molested, and now Julie is gone too. I’m afraid of finding her dead. I’m tired of fighting, Mr. Gideon. I have nothing left. I want to give up.”

That he got.

He was about there, himself.

If not for Emma and the previous night, he would have been a nightmare to deal with. She’d bought him some time.

“I wake up each day and wonder why I was put here. I’m desperate at this point to find the truth. Last night, I was furious that you’d touch a young girl. I walked into that room expecting to find some man and there you were. Then I saw you, and I snapped. Here was this man who I thought was decent, and it pissed me off. You weren’t decent. All of the sudden, the only thing I knew to be true was wrong too.”

He had news for her.

“I don’t have sex with children.”

“But you hire hookers.”

“I do. It’s wrong, and I know it, but finding anyone who will see me for me is hard. Look at you. You said you’re afraid of me. Why? I’ve never hurt you.”

He had a point.

“I don’t want to be afraid of you.”

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I want to find my sister alive. I want to have one more day with her, and I want to stop being afraid of you.”

“I will never hurt you. You stabbed me, and I didn’t even fight.”

She pointed at the bump on her head.

“I had to knock you out. I didn’t slice your throat, or kill you. I was defending myself from a crazy woman, wielding a blade.”

She laughed.

“I needed that.”

He did too.

“I’m not dangerous to people who don’t deserve it. I’ve never hurt anyone who didn’t ask for it, and when I hire a girl, and she wants out, I get her out. ‘Aquarius’ is proof of that, and you know it.”

Okay, he had a point.

She did know it.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked. “It’s important.”

He waited, unsure what it could possibly be. “Okay.”

“Are you in a relationship with Emma Croft? Are you some kinky threesome?”

He was a little taken aback.

How to answer that?

“Uh, she’s like my sister, and he’s my best friend. I don’t poach. Why?”

“I needed to know.”

“Again, why?”

“For this.”

She moved toward him, and she kissed him. Her mouth found his, and the kiss was explosive. She climbed onto his body, and her hands moved through his shoulder length black hair.

Now she wasn’t afraid.

Marissa knew she owed him this. When she stabbed him, he hadn’t hurt her, and she had to trust him. If he was going to find her sister, Marissa wanted them on common ground.

What wouldn’t she do to save Julie?

This was nothing.

As the kiss intensified, Dimitri didn’t know what to do. His whole sense of well-being was thrown off balance.

At first, he was shocked.

This woman was hot, and then she was cold, and then she was hot again.

He was off guard.

But her mouth…?

Jesus H. Christ.

Her mouth was doing something so sinful to his, and he desperately wanted to feel. He wanted to experience what everyone else took for granted.

She was touching him.

And he wasn’t paying her.

She was kissing him.

And there was no fear.

In that moment, he was just like every other man in the world, and he got lost in that alone. Dimitri was finally normal.

His arms went around her, and she settled into his body. As they tumbled back and made out on the couch, there was this sense of euphoria. It was as if the cage was being opened.

Dimitri didn’t feel so empty.

Maybe two broken people could make a whole. Maybe what he was looking for had been right under his nose the entire time.

He moaned as she bit his lower lip. Slowly, she pulled away.

“The day you carried me home, that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to run. I wanted that moment.”

He couldn’t think.

“I wish you wouldn’t have run. This was much more pleasant than the other option.”

She laughed. “You’re funny.”

“Oddly, you’re not the first person who told me that. I’m beginning to believe it.”

There was a huge smile, and she batted her eyes at him.

Dimitri was screwed. In that moment, he got lost. Marissa and her charm did him in.

She was beautiful.

He was lost in her brown hair, and how it felt against his fingers. It looked different, like she had recently changed it, but it didn’t matter.

For the first time in his life, there was a woman kissing him who didn’t have an ulterior motive.

He took a chance.

As Dimitri moved closer to her mouth, a part of his internal warning system was going off. It was screaming, but he wanted this one piece of normalcy for once.

Here was a woman he didn’t have to pay.

He didn’t have to have sex and pretend it was just with some woman he picked up in a bar. He could build an attachment, and he didn’t have to be worried.

His heart skipped as his mouth found hers again.

She held on, even as his one hand started at her ankle and slid up her leg.

Slowly.

A chill rushed through her.

“Mr. Gideon,” she whispered.

“Miss Pierce.”

Dimitri knew what he wanted, and he was pretty sure she did too. After all, Marissa was sitting in his lap, and there was no doubt that he was aroused.

Her fingers went to his shirt, and she unbuttoned the top one, and his breath hitched.

His hand slid further up her leg, breaching the hem of her skirt. Marissa’s flesh felt so warm and inviting, that he knew what was coming.

He had to have a piece of forbidden fruit.

Her mouth found his, and the kiss was deeper than he’d ever felt before. She assaulted his senses with her tongue and lips.

He moaned.

God!

It felt so good.

As she shifted, straddling his hips, he let her take control. If she feared him, then so be it. He would show her he could be gentle.

He was human after all.

As she rubbed against him, his brain went on auto-pilot. His hands were now on her thighs. As they slid further up, he had handfuls of glorious ass, and he went back there.

His brain took over, flickering back to that one memory.

Of her.

Of the betrayal.

Of the woman that he killed.

It shut him down.

“Dimitri?” she asked, as he stopped kissing her.

Fortunately for him, there was a knock on the door. Then his friend’s voice.

He wasn’t sure if he should thank him or hate him for the rest of his life.

Dimitri knew this woman was offering herself up, and now he had to regroup.

God!

He needed to figure this out.

The spell was broken. Marissa slid off his lap and fixed her hair.

Dimitri, torn by the turn of events was now even more frustrated than last night. Instead of saying anything, he headed for his door.

The second he opened it, Greyson grinned.

“It’s all handled. Sorry it took so long.”

“Oh, was it a while?”

He lowered his voice. “Want me to give you time?” he asked, as Dimitri fixed his shirt.

‘No,’ he mouthed.

Apparently, Greyson was saving him.

Whatever.

“You have lipstick on your face,” he whispered. “You might want to wipe that off.”

Dimitri did.

“I’ll meet you at the vehicle.”

Dimitri knew he was going to bust his ass, but oddly, he didn’t mind. It was what friends and family did, and he’d come to love it.

“We should go,” Dimitri said, standing as far from her as possible. If he touched her again, he was likely going to scare her. He couldn’t count on that one memory to come back and stop him again.

That was the only reason they weren’t having sex on his couch.

Well, that and Greyson’s timing.

“Okay,” she offered, heading his way.

“Miss Pierce?” he said, needing to know one thing before he continued to think about what could have been.

She stopped. “Yes?”

“Are you still afraid of me?” he asked.

Marissa smiled and gave him her best flirtatious laugh. It seemed all was forgiven. “Absolutely not. It’s like when you turn on the light and come out of the dark. There’s nothing to fear. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

She headed out.

Dimitri watched her, and her words unsettled him.

He was the dark.

And that’s all he could ever be.

But worse, she had no fucking clue what she was doing. If she did, Marissa Pierce would run.

                    * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

Captain’s Office

He was pissed and worried. In fact, truth be told, he was ready to freak the hell out at any second. Thomas Christ was a man on the edge, and he didn’t know if he could keep it under control.

The shit was about to hit the fan.

It was only a matter of time.

Somehow, Greyson Croft knew what he’d done.

He didn’t doubt that the world was going to know too. The man didn’t play games, and this was a dangerous one. It could end badly, for him.

Christ did NOT want to go to jail. He’d sent away too many men he’d framed by planting evidence.

If they sent his ass back to Philadelphia, he was a dead man.

Jail.

Death.

They were the same to him.

He needed help on this one, and since he was screwed, there was only one man who could do the job.

Jeffery Raye.

Once his nerves were settled, he reached for his office phone. He could see his detectives milling around, and it didn’t give him any comfort.

His newly found kingdom was about to be stripped away by some two-bit criminal.

It made him desperate.

When the commissioner answered the phone, he couldn’t wait.

“He knows.”

“He knows exactly what, and who are we talking about?” Commissioner Raye asked, taken aback by the man’s borderline hysteria.

“Croft knows about Gage Starling and how you made the papers disappear.”

There was silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

The man wasn’t even breathing.

“How the hell did he do that?”

“I don’t know. He told me he found the file. He told me that he had it.”

“Well, we have to get it back,” he said.

“How?”

“We need to get into that house. My neck is on the line just as much as yours,” the commissioner said. “I falsified your resume and the testing results. I went to bat for you. What the hell, Tom?”

Oh no.

This man wasn’t hanging this one on him.

No freaking way.

“Well, then you better find a way into that mansion of his because the shit is getting real. If I go down, you’re joining me,” he admitted. “I’ll sing. So get my ass out of this sling. You brought me here, and I’ve done what you asked.”

He was aware.

He needed to think.

This was going to be a delicate matter, and he needed to measure everything they did.

Croft would be watching and waiting.

“Help me.”

“I’ll make a call. The FBI Director owes me. I’m about to call in that chip. We are going to get into that house, and once I do, we’ll find that paper. We can bribe a fed or two. It’ll disappear. If he has the originals…”

Thomas Christ hung up.

He didn’t want to know anything else. If he was going to swing, he was taking down the man who put him in this position. Back East, he wasn’t a cop, but he was living an easy life. Now he was about to go to jail.

No.

NO.

Christ was worried. He didn’t know if he could trust the man.

He didn’t know if he could allow him to run this anymore. Everything the commissioner seemed to touch turned to shit. Instead, he picked up the phone and took the situation into his own hands.

“Do you want revenge?” he asked.

Heath Spencer wanted that and so much more. He was out on bail as he waited for his trial, and he was ostracized. He wanted the Crofts dead, and he had nothing left to lose.

His career was gone.

His life was over.

All that was left now was to take them with him.

“I want blood.”

“Greyson Croft has a file I need. If you can find a way into his house, I’ll make sure a couple of cops grab Emma Croft, and you can take your revenge out on her.”

Heath laughed. “Oh, I will get you whatever you need, but it may take time. That house is hard to enter.”

He was well aware.

“I need something.”

“What?” he asked.

“They took my guns. I need some.”

That he could do.

“I have a friend who deals in guns. Here’s his address. Tell him I sent you. Get into that house, and find me that file, and then disappear.”

Heath could do better than that.

He was going to go out in a blaze of glory.

Fuck the Crofts.

They destroyed his life, and it was his time to begin to destroy theirs.

Chapter Seven

Titty Corral

Strip Club

Sunday

Mid-Morning

E mma was practically bouncing in her seat. She was beside Chris, and she was humming and in a damn good mood. For once, Greyson didn’t try to lock her away for her safety. He was letting her head to the club to do her part on their team.

She was excited.

“You know it’s sick that you’re all hyped up about going to some sleazy strip club,” Chris offered.

“Yeah, but I don’t get to have the fun Greyson has. Normally, he’s wigging out that someone is trying to kill me. I feel stoked that he’s letting me handle this.”

“Uh, for the record, Em, someone is generally trying to kill you. We can review all the times, if you’d like.”

She found that amusing. “No, I recall each and every one, so thanks. I just can’t help it. I know I’m pregnant, but a mind is a terrible thing to waste. This is going to be fun. I haven’t been to a strip club in Vegas before.”

He stared at her.

“Yeah, well, no comment.”

“Come on! I’m going to have fun with this. Life is too short, and once the world finds out I’m carrying the heir to the Croft crazy, I’m done out in the field.”

She was right.

Greyson would put his foot down.

Still…

“I’m glad you’re stoked, but you realize I have to do this with you, right? I hope Natasha won’t be angry.”

He sounded concerned.

“Are you two officially a couple?” she asked. “You know…girlfriend and all?”

He loved that word.

It gave him this sense of comfort. Chris had been single for so long, that it was odd being part of a couple.

He really liked it.

Especially the sex.

He wasn’t getting any younger, and if he had a shot at love, he had to take it. There wouldn’t be that many more women out there interested in a forty plus year old who worked for the mob.

That was a hard sell.

“Yeah, we are. I’m content not moving too fast. I want to enjoy this feeling. Being in a relationship, where I’m not freaked out, is nice.”

“Just don’t knock her up,” she teased. “Dimitri can’t handle it this week.”

“Well, I won’t. I’ll be nice to him.”

She stared at him like he was loco.

“What?”

“You are going to be nice? Do you want to make him paranoid?”

He snorted. “I feel for him. He’s struggling. I can see it.”

Emma didn’t confirm or deny it, and that was more than enough to prove he was right.

“Here’s the facts. He was leaning against you, and Dimitri is more the wall than the leaner, and he reached for your hand. He doesn’t touch anyone. Ever.”

She was aware.

“I can’t discuss why he’s struggling, just like I wouldn’t tell him anything personal you told me. I love you both, and I have to keep everyone’s secrets.”

“So, you’re not playing favorites? Spoken like a true mother.”

She laughed. “Yep.”

“I’ll cut him a break. Your husband, not so much. He’s on my shit list for this assignment.”

Emma glanced over. “Why? What am I missing?”

“We got screwed. I’ve been in the ‘Titty Corral’. It’s gross and vile. He stuck us with the shit job so he didn’t have to come here. This wasn’t about him thinking you could handle it. This was about him saying ‘I am NOT going in there’.”

She stared. “Really?”

He laughed. “We had a bust once in there. I was afraid to get Hep C from breathing. That should tell you everything you need to know.”

She pulled out her cell.

Greyson answered.

“Question?”

“Answer.”

“Did you stick me with the strip joint because you thought I would find something or because you would rather lick a public toilet then spend one second in there?”

He laughed at her analogy. “I love you, honey. You’re the best wife ever. Wear gloves, and don’t drink anything. They don’t wash their glasses. I don’t want anything communicable.”

“Greyson Thaddeus Croft!”

“I’ve been there. Why should I have all the fun? Enjoy,” he said, as he and Dimitri were laughing.

He hung up.

Emma was pissed. “What the…?”

“See? We didn’t get the good job where you get a kick ass interview and find a lead. He’s betting on it being a dead end. They’ve been here before, and Gerald Darden has been dead a couple days. The lead is cold.”

“Son of a bitch! I’ll kick his caveman ass!”

He laughed. “Yeah, he’s going to the girl’s apartment so Mr. Clean doesn’t have to touch sperm coated seats.”

That visual played out in her mind.

“Oh, Jesus. I’m not sitting in there. I’m sitting in your lap. Screw that.”

“Looks like I get my revenge then too,” he teased.

“I can’t believe he played his pregnant wife.”

There would be payback.

“I have to make him suffer. He should know better.”

Chris laughed. “Well, there’s always media following us,” he said, pointing behind them.

Emma looked.

That gave her an idea.

“Want to mess with him?”

He grinned. “Like mess with him AND the media?”

“Yes.”

He was in.

What did he have to lose? It wasn’t like Greyson would hurt him. Emma would kick his ass for that too. He was safe.

He laughed. “I don’t mind. I’m getting the good end of the deal, but you have to clear it with Natasha. I don’t want to be dumped.”

She dialed the woman.

“Yes, Emma?”

“Where are you?”

“At home, why? You wanted me off your tail.”

“Chris and I are going to a strip club.”

“I see.”

She laughed. “Not to see strippers. We have an interview, but your brother and my husband screwed us over. This place is gross.”

“That sounds like them.”

“I’m going to be sitting in Chris’s lap as I mess with Greyson. Are you okay with that?”

She paused. “Uh, why are you asking?”

“Chris didn’t want you to dump him if you saw something questionable on the news. You know how the media is when they make up stories about us. Last week I was screwing your brother, the week before that I was having a secret affair with Liberace.”

She laughed. “Everything is questionable on the news. I didn’t know I could dump him. Is that a thing?”

“Well, you’re his girl. So, yeah, you can dump him if he doesn’t make you happy, or you can make him buy you shit. We’ll go over that part of the deal later.”

Natasha laughed.

Chris slapped her on the leg.

‘Really?’ he mouthed.

“Are you okay with it?” Emma asked.

“Well, tell him I trust him, and that I’ll call him when I plan to sit in some man’s lap.”

Chris pointed at Emma.

Natasha was laughing. “I know he can hear me. I’m watching you on the monitor.”

“Jesus, I hate these cars with their screens,” he muttered.

“I love you, and be safe,” Natasha said, hanging up.

Emma turned off the navigational screen.

“I am outnumbered,” Chris muttered. “You’re going to make her mean like you, aren’t you?” he asked.

She grinned and nodded.

“Well, shit.”

Chris pulled into the parking lot. When Emma saw it, she shook her head.

“Yeah, there it is.”

Yeah, it looked like a dive. The sign had too big breasts behind a horse fence and all in neon.

The nipples flashed, and they were huge.

Klassy.

With a K.

“Jesus. I feel herpes coming on,” Chris muttered. “My dick is itchy right now.”

She laughed. “That I didn’t need to know, but maybe you should see a doctor about that.”

“You know what I mean, smart ass,” he said.

“Yeah, I know. Okay, let’s have some fun,” she said, hopping out of their vehicle. As they did, the media started taking pictures.

Emma was going to make Greyson pay for sticking her with this job. As soon as Chris was by her, she jumped into his arms, and he carried her across the parking lot. The entire time, she was laughing in his ear.

She imagined it looked like she was teasing it with her teeth.

He was laughing too.

It was nice not to have to be so ridiculously serious while working. That’s why he liked watching Emma. He could keep her safe and be entertained all at once.

Plus, it didn’t hurt his ego that the media called him her sidepiece. Emma was beautiful, and he’d take any attention he could get.

At the door, she handed the guy money to get in. The cool, crisp C-note disappeared in seconds.

The man immediately smiled and was nice. Emma knew he recognized her.

“Let’s get a private room for some kinky fun,” she said, kissing Chris on the mouth.

It wasn’t a peck either. There was all kinds of tongue involved, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.

Sue him.

Still, it wasn’t the same as when he was making out with his girlfriend. It was like kissing…his sister.

When she bit his lip, Chris nearly walked them into the door.

Inside, she was laughing, as he dropped her to her feet.

“That should put Greyson over the edge,” she teased.

He was well aware.

“That guy is calling every tabloid in Vegas to sell his story,” Chris said, heading toward the bar. “I’m buying a copy for those lonely nights.”

She laughed. “You don’t have those anymore.”

“Then those lonely moments in between sex with my much younger girlfriend who is bendy.”

“You know we’re going to revisit that comment, and you’re going to regret it.”

He grinned. “We can share stories. I’m in the game now.”

Emma loved him.

He was such a dork, and he truly loved Natasha. He might tease and flirt, but she could see it with each time he said her name or ‘girlfriend’.

Someone was seriously smitten.

Emma was so happy for him, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t bust his ass too.

“Such a pervert.”

“Pain in my ass,” he said. “Don’t drink anything or touch anything!”

“Worried?” she teased.

“Yeah, you just kissed me, and I don’t want ‘the HIV’,” he said, “if by chance you’re doing it again.”

The way he said it was so damn funny.

“Yes, boy toy,” she said, slapping him on the ass.

He snorted. “Harder next time.”

Emma was having too much fun. “We need to work or my husband won’t let me play with you anymore.”

He got it.

The smile was gone, and Chris was back on bodyguard duty. He promptly put himself behind her, and did his thing.

Emma saw someone working, so she headed toward him. At the bar, the guy stared at them.

“We have some questions,” Emma began.

He shook his head.

“Nope. I don’t talk shit with ex-cops. You can head on out of here.”

Yeah, bullshit.

Everyone in Vegas would spill their guts for the right price. So, Emma did what her husband would have done.

She pulled cash out of her pocket and waved two one hundreds at him. “You talk, and I pay.”

He pointed at the stool.

“Have a seat.”

“We’ll stand,” Chris said.

The man didn’t care.

“What’s your name?” Chris asked.

“I’m Mitchel Hanna.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“Forever.”

“We are looking for this girl,” Emma said, holding out her phone with Julie’s picture on it. “Have you seen her?”

“That’s Chastity, and the last time I saw her was a couple of weeks ago with her daddy.”

Emma lifted a brow. “That’s a weird choice in names,” she began.

“Not really. It was ironic. You know as in…”

Chris stopped him. “We know what ironic is, Mitchel. We both have fancy educations where we learned the word. Talk about her, not the English language.”

He shrugged. “Whatever.”

“What about him, Mitchel?”

“She handled Gerald Darden’s specific clients. She didn’t do much stripping.”

“Like what kind of clients are we talking about?” Emma asked, almost afraid to know.

“He pimped her to the older men. Guys like that schoolgirl fantasy. She also handled the bondage guys and the ones who liked anal.”

“She was a minor.”

Again, he shrugged, but he glanced over his shoulder at another man. “Hey, Derk!”

The man headed over.

“What?” he asked.

“Did you know Chastity was a minor?”

“A minor what?” he asked.

Emma and Chris both shook their heads. Was this guy for real?

“A minor as in a child not able to work in places like this, and absolutely shouldn’t be servicing the needs of perverted older men,” Emma stated.

“Oh. Yeah, that was kinda her thing,” Derk said.

“What’s your last name?” Chris asked.

“What did I do?”

Chris was accustomed to idiots. He ran a division. The only thing that kept him from bashing this guy’s face off the bar top was he wasn’t a cop anymore.

“So, I can tell your momma you were checking out a child in a strip club.”

The man stared like he wasn’t sure. Then he gave him his name. “Utz is my last name. I’m the backup bartender.”

“When did you see Chastity last?”

He thought about it. “It was almost two weeks ago. She was going out on a ‘date’, and she got a drink before she headed out.”

Well, at least their stories matched.

“What kind of date?”

“The one that ends with her getting paid, and some man getting off,” he said, laughing.

“Can we make him disappear in the desert?” Emma asked.

The man shut up.

Clearly, he heard the rumors about her husband. Emma was glad that worked to their advantage.

“Listen, she was a cute kid, and I have no idea where she is. Gerald had her going in and out of rooms like there was a revolving door. She didn’t complain. She liked it.”

Yeah, she’d heard enough.

Any more, and she would puke on Derk and Mitchel. They were part of the problem in Vegas.

“Did she hang out with any of the girls?” Emma asked, pointing at the strippers all around them. It must have been normal for girls to be in there because they weren’t paying her any attention.

“Yeah, the one on the stage. That’s Texxxas,” he said, grinning.

They didn’t get it.

Then he spelled it with the triple x’s in the middle of her name.

“Wow! That’s clever. Did she come up with the neon sign outside too?” Chris asked.

The men stared at him blankly as it went over their heads.

Shocking.

“What’s wrong with the sign? Is one of the tits out again?” Derk asked.

Oh, there were a million things wrong with that sign. Emma didn’t know where to even start.

“Focus,” she said, trying to get the two geniuses to focus on her and not if the outside nipples needed new bulbs.

“If you need more information, you’re going to have to talk to Texxxas. Gerald pimped her out too. She’s freelancing now between here and some other club. If you want to talk to her, room four in the back is hers. You can go there. She’ll come in for a private dance. She likes people to watch.”

Well, that sounded creepy to Emma. She couldn’t imagine liking anything about that sentence.

She handed him the money.

And she was glad to escape the two men. One more minute, and she might hurt them.

“What now?” Chris asked, as they headed into the area where all the strippers were shaking what the good Lord gave them.

“We watch and wait. Then we get a lap dance. By we, I mean you.”

He stared at her. “You better be shitting me, or I’m out of here.”

She snorted.

Yeah, they needed to ask Texxxas some questions, and Emma wasn’t climbing up on the stage to do it.

That wouldn’t rile Greyson.

It would freak him the hell right out.

There was a fine line.

When a girl came over, she rubbed her breasts against the back of Chris.

“I like a hard-bodied man.”

“Body armor. I shoot people,” he said.

The woman scurried away.

Emma couldn’t help but snicker. It was fun watching him in action. Most of the cases she’d worked, he’d been riding a desk as captain. He didn’t flinch in there, and that gave her insight into how much time he’d spent on the streets.

“Did you ever go to a place like this for fun?” she asked as Texxxas finished her dance on stage. Some drunk man was trying to stick a bill in her belly button.

“No, this isn’t my kind of place. I’ve been to clubs, but mostly it was for bachelor nonsense.”

“Oh, if you get married, can we…?”

He covered her mouth with his hand. “NO.”

She snickered. “Why not?” she asked when he moved his hand away.

“Because I don’t like women like this. They have to have more than just tits. I like a brain. I like smart women. I did the beauty thing, and Denise was a viper.”

He said her name easier now that he had Natasha. Emma hoped the bitch stayed away. She’d been back, and Emma had yet to tell him.

She didn’t want to hurt him.

Chris was finally happy.

“She’s done,” he said, pointing. “Off to the rabbit hole, Alice,” he said.

“I don’t think you should say hole in here. It draws up yucky pictures.”

He stared at her. “You used to be so sweet. What the hell happened?”

“Vegas.”

Yeah, he got that.

“Uh, reporter at three o’clock,” Chris said.

Emma looked.

The sleazy reporter was taking their picture, and Chris grabbed her ass.

She snorted. “Nice touch.”

“I thought so. You’ve been working out. Squats?” he teased.

She winked him. “Let’s go, perv.”

They entered the room, and there was a faux leather couch, and that’s it.

“I guess we sit there,” she said.

“Ladies first.”

She laughed. “Hell no! I’m sitting in your lap. I’m not touching that.”

“Seriously? You’re going to make me put my body where people have been rubbed off by a stripper who is a hooker in disguise? What did I ever do to you?” he asked.

“I have a baby on board.”

“Are you going to use that the next seven months?”

“If I’m in here in seven months, have me checked for crazy, not syphilis.”

He snorted, and took a seat.

“Come to daddy,” he teased.

She jumped onto his lap and landed against his body. Immediately, he caught her.

“Next time, watch the junk. I need that for later when I see my girl.”

Emma leaned against him. “I’m creeped right out.”

“Don’t be. It’s a natural reaction to when a woman sits in your lap,” Chris tried to rationalize.

She stared at him. “I meant that Julie handled those kinds of clients. Not that you have an erection.”

He snorted. “When you say it like that, it sounds so dirty.”

Normally, Chris would be horrified by the way Emma was tormenting him, but he had a sexy girl at home. He was much calmer now that he was having sex on a regular basis.

She could tease away.

He wasn’t sexually frustrated.

“I think she’s coming,” Emma said.

“Yeah, me too. You’re wiggling,” he teased. “I like it. More to the right.”

Oh, she’d teach him too. Emma kissed him again, and this time she had a hard time not laughing. It was like kissing her brother.

“Freak,” he muttered. “I hope you kiss your husband better than that. I only give you a four for that one.”

She did laugh.

Chris got her. The man knew what to say, and when to say it. She was glad he was her best friend.

They had chemistry.

As soon as the door opened, the woman with pink sparkly hair entered, and she was barely in her outfit.

“Great a happy couple,” Texxxas said, sighing. “Okay, it’s one hundred for me to give him head, and two hundred total if you want me to get you off too, sugar.”

Emma was so not paying for that.

“Actually, how about I renegotiate?” Emma asked.

“What?”

“I’ll give you two hundred if you just sit down, keep your clothes on, and you can take a break from licking anything.”

“Seriously? I don’t have to play for ‘team kitty’ or ‘team stick and balls’?” she asked.

Chris whispered in her ear. “I’m so using that later.”

She elbowed him.

“Yeah, we don’t want to get off. Well, I don’t,” she said, getting a wicked pinch on her ass from Chris.

“Hey, if you don’t want Texxxas making you purr, who am I to argue? He is sexy though. I’d do him for half price.”

Emma opened her mouth, and Chris glared at her.

“I will kick you out of my lap.”

She changed her mind.

Texxxas plopped down beside them and held out her hand.

Emma handed her the cash.

“Okay, ask.”

“Name.”

“Texxas, but I suppose you want my real name. I know who you are.”

“Great. I’m infamous,” Emma said. “Name.”

“Betty Elder.”

“Were you hooking for Gerald?”

“I was, until the douchebag got himself offed by the grill of a car. Now I’m going between our sister club to find some cash or a new daddy.”

“Or you could stop the insanity and get out of here,” Chris said.

“Well, unless my Prince Charming rolls in, don’t bet on it. I’m not hooked up with some mob guy. Isn’t your man going to be pissed you’re making out with some other dude?” she asked.

Emma laughed. “Probably. He won’t kill me. He’ll kill him,” she offered.

“HEY!” Chris said.

“Anyway,” Emma continued, “did you know Chastity?”

“Yeah, she was new. Gerald picked her up from some guy who comes in here.”

“She was just dropped off?”

Betty, or Texxxas, laughed. “No, he’s a mule.”

Chris looked at Emma, and they shared a look. There was no way she was talking about what they thought she was discussing.

“As in the guy who transports women who have been sold?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, his name is…”

They already knew.

“Anthony Delmarco?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, you know him?”

No, but they were going to find him.

“All I know is she was working for a madam, and it didn’t work out. She wasn’t happy there. So, Gerald picked her up, and he was pimping her.”

“Does Delmarco come in often?” Chris asked, hoping they had a lead.

“No. Now that Gerald is dead, I haven’t seen him. He would come, drop a girl off, or he would come and pick one up from Gerald.”

They were onto something.

“And you know for sure that he dropped Chastity off with Gerald?”

She thought about it. “Yeah, a couple weeks ago. He came by, she was left here, and the day he got offed, he mentioned there was a pickup.”

“Has anyone been picked up or gone missing?” Emma asked.

She thought about it.

Then she shook her head.

“No, the only one who isn’t around anymore is Chastity. She was a cute kid, but she was messed up. She had daddy issues and then some.”

Well, that answered a few of their questions, and they really weren’t surprised. Marissa said they were molested by men in the system.

Sadly, this was the life they ended up in once they ran.

“If I showed you pictures of a few girls, could you tell me if they were here?”

She hesitated.

Emma pulled out two more hundreds. “One for your answers, and one to forget I asked.”

She nodded.

Emma pulled out her phone. She hoped she didn’t get him in trouble as she dialed his number.

“Detective Henderson.”

“Riley, It’s me.”

He paused. “Oh, okay, sis, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” he asked.

The noise subsided.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Are you insane?” he asked. “I was sitting right beside Lester!”

“I know, but I have something big. I might be able to help you solve a few of your murders, but I need some photos.”

“Of who?”

“You said you had Jane Does on your desk, right?”

“Yeah, I do. Five of them.”

“Send them my way. I’ll tell you what’s going on later. This is ugly.”

He didn’t doubt it. “They are coming as soon as we hang up.”

She did.

“My associate will send the pictures.”

There was a knock at the door. “Texxxas, your time’s up. Are you okay?”

The woman ripped off her sparkly top. “Kiss him,” she whispered.

The door opened just as Emma began making out with Chris all over again.

The man peeked his head in. “You’re in here a while.”

“They paid for extra time,” she said, putting Chris’s hand on her bare breast.

Emma nearly laughed into the kiss when he shivered.

It wasn’t from lust.

He was touching a hooker’s breast, and he wasn’t enjoying it.

She was.

“Well, after you finish with them, you have two more lined up,” he said.

Chris really wished the man would leave. It was bad enough he was touching a stripper’s tit, but Emma was not making it easy to keep it friendly.

He got she was trying to make it look good, but for his lower anatomy, it didn’t look good.

Jesus.

He was going to Hell.

Thou shall not covet your sister.

It makes you a perv—girlfriend or not.

“Okay, well, keep on schedule. You’re due back on the pole later.”

The door closed.

Chris pulled his hand away. “Seriously?”

Emma was laughing so hard as her phone chimed. She knew that kiss went way too far. Only, what was she supposed to do. She wasn’t going to bust his ass.

That would be mean.

Emma pulled up the pictures and handed the phone to the woman.

There were five young girls.

She only recognized two.

“These two were here,” Texxxas offered. “They were dropped off with Gerald, they were working here about a week, they went to our sister club, and that’s all I know.”

Yeah, something was definitely up.

“Do you know their real names?”

“Those are morgue pictures, aren’t they?” Texxxas asked, her voice hitching.

“Yeah, Betty, they are.”

“That’s China. I can’t pronounce her real name. She was from New York.”

“Can you spell it?” Emma asked.

The woman typed it into her phone.

                 ‘Ah-lam Yao’

“She was just a kid,” Texxxas offered.

“Yeah, we know. You know how dangerous it is for girls here,” Emma stated.

The woman nodded.

Chris finally spoke up, “Who is the other girl?”

“That’s Anastasia. She wasn’t from this country. I think she was…Russian.”

That was curious.

“What was her stripper name?” Emma asked.

“Ava Thing-you Want. She was young too,” Texxxas stated. “I feel horrible. I didn’t know they were dead. Is something bad going on here?” she asked.

“I think so.”

“If you were ever going to retire, this is the time,” Chris stated. “You might want a career change.”

“I can’t. I have to work. I have two kids at home. They’re in school, and I come here to pay the bills. When I don’t strip here, I head to our sister club.”

“What’s it called?” Chris asked.

“It’s called ‘The Pink Kitty’.”

Of course that was the name. What else would you call a sleazy strip club in Vegas?

Emma had an idea. “What if I could help you find a job that pays more than this?” she asked.

Texxxas laughed. “Yeah, right.”

Emma held out her hand. Chris pulled his wallet from his pocket and she dug out one of ‘Aquarius’s’ cards.

“I’m going to write something on the back of this. Tomorrow, you take this to this club, you ask for Dimitri, and you let him read the back. He’s going to get you out.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. He’ll give you an honest job where you won’t have to be blowing men on the side. It’s not safe in Vegas, especially if you’re prey.”

Texxxas took the card, and she didn’t know what to say. Finally, she went with her heart. “Thank you. I don’t want to die.”

“We don’t want you to die either. I’ll have him notified that you’re coming. You can do this, Betty.”

Emma fished the rest of the money out of her pocket, and handed it to the woman. She closed her hands. “Your kids need you. I want you to live to see thirty.”

She began crying.

Emma hugged her.

“You look sick. You should go home,” she said. “There’s a bug going around,” she said, giving the woman a way to escape.

The woman nodded. She slipped off her heels. “I’m going to go pay my rent and take my kids for a pizza when they get home. Thank you.”

She headed out.

Chris didn’t say anything.

“I have hand sanitizer in the ride,” she said, trying to compose herself. It wasn’t easy. The cop in her knew the statistics, and she only prayed Betty could beat the odds.

“You saved someone,” Chris said. “You’re doing good,” he admitted. “This is why I followed you and Greyson.”

Then why did she feel like she was fighting a losing battle that was against the odds?

Chris lifted her chin. “Hey, honey, do you need a hug?” he asked.

She nodded.

In that dirty strip club, Chris held her in his arms, and let her cry.

He got it.

He didn’t need to ask why she wept.

He knew.

They’d saved one, but more would fall through the cracks.

Vegas was hard to save.

It was damn near impossible.

Chapter Eight

Sunday

Afternoon

G reyson was feeling horrible about what he’d done. Maybe he shouldn’t have stuck Emma and Chris with the sleazy strip club. He knew it was a dirty trick, and he should know better, but he was sick of being the bad guy.

Yes, Emma was his wife, and he wanted to protect her, but sticking her with that place was a cheap tactic to get out of it.

Now that he’d had her call, and he thought it through, he felt like shit.

“You’re overthinking it,” Dimitri said, knowing what he was stressing. Whenever Greyson was worked up, he got that look on his face.

“On our way home, I have to stop and get Emma a present.”

Dimitri laughed. “She practically owns a jewelry store. I think you’ve bought her off enough.”

He glanced over. “I just sent them to a strip club. What the hell is wrong with me? Why would I do something like that? I’m supposed to protect her, and I just sent her into an STD hellhole.”

Dimitri tried to calm his nerves.

Really, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t like someone was shooting at them. They were just talking to strippers.

Here was why love was bad.

It twisted you up inside.

“You gave them an interview while you took a home search. It’s not that bad. You didn’t want to be the cheating asshole for once. She gets it.”

“Yeah, but she’s going to look like the cheater.”

Dimitri laughed. “Well, yes, she likely will, but we don’t listen to the media.”

No, but Emma was the only good thing in his life, and he’d just sent her to a strip club, and with another man.

Besides, Dimitri said, “What are the chances anything will go wrong?”

Greyson looked over.

“Seriously?”

He laughed.

“Hey, I’m trying. If you’re looking for a pep talk, you’ve come to the wrong place. I was stabbed last night. I’m having a shit week.”

“I said I was sorry. Are you going to make me relive that for the rest of my life?” Marissa asked from the back seat.

Dimitri grinned into the mirror. “Yes, I plan on rehashing it until I stab you. Then we’re even.”

“Great.”

His phone rang, and Greyson checked it out. A part of him wished it was Emma again, so he could apologize.

It wasn’t.

“It’s that burn number,” Greyson said, right before taking the call.

“Riley? What’s up?” Croft asked.

“Yeah, I did what you asked. I just finished checking out the pictures before I sent them to Emma.”

“Wait. What? Why were you sending pictures to Emma? She’s interviewing strippers,” Greyson asked, putting it on speaker.

“She said she had something huge, and she needed all the Jane Doe photos.”

Dimitri saw the look on Marissa’s face as she listened to the conversation. Immediately, he elbowed Greyson, to give him the heads up.

This was why she couldn’t ride along tomorrow. It was hard to do their job when they couldn’t be open and have a conversation. They didn’t need her thinking that they assumed Julie was dead.

Greyson got it. They had a third set of ears that shouldn’t be privy to their conversations.

“Hold on, Riley. Can you pull over, Dimitri?” he asked, pointing at the side of the street.

Dimitri didn’t hesitate.

When he parked, Greyson hopped out, and he was right behind him. There was no way he was going to let Greyson stand on the street without him watching his back.

“Stay here,” Dimitri told Marissa, giving her a look. It said it all.

“You’re bossy.”

“I am your boss,” he stated. “So I get to be bossy. It’s part of the job.”

She closed her mouth.

Both men met on the curb, and Greyson continued the call with the detective.

“Sorry about that, Riley. We weren’t alone. You are clear now. Go ahead.”

He picked up where he’d left off, explaining about his and Emma’s conversation.

“All I know is she said she had something, and that she’d get back to me. She sounded jazzed.”

Now Greyson was really freaked out.

Dimitri patted him on the back.

What the hell had he been thinking? He’d given his wife the strip club because it was safer, and he didn’t expect her to actually do any sleuthing. He was damn sure that Emma wouldn’t find anything pertinent.

Her safety was always paramount.

The pimp was dead.

All she had to do was question some women.

But shit…

She’d found something.

“She said she’d call me back, but I haven’t heard from her yet. What’s going on?”

“I’ll call her and find out. Are any of the women Julie Pierce?” he asked.

“Nope. They aren’t. I checked.”

Well, that was good and bad news. That meant the hunt continued, and there was a chance that Julie was still alive.

“I’ll call you back.”

When he hung up, Dimitri tried to calm him down. “You have to chill out. You’re making it worse than it is.”

Was he?

His wife was out playing cop, and he wasn’t by her side. Yeah, he trusted Chris, but come on!

He’d screwed this up.

Greyson hit the picture of his wife’s face on his phone. It went right to voicemail, and that didn’t help his freak out. In fact, it only added to it.

He called again.

Nothing.

Here’s where the Croft meltdown began. If he didn’t get a hold of her, he’d let his imagination begin running wild.

Dimitri was just about to pull his phone and call Chris when it began ringing in his pocket.

He pulled it out.

It was Emma.

“Hey! Are you safe?” Dimitri asked as Greyson stopped pacing on the sidewalk.

“Well, I may have rabies from this place, but I’m good. Why?” she asked.

“Is she mad at me?” Greyson asked.

“Are you made at…?” He stopped and handed him the phone. This was too weird for him. There was no way he was playing intermediary in this game.

“Honey!”

“Grey, what’s wrong?”

“Are you okay? I just called you.”

“Yeah, I’m good. I was dialing Dimitri. I figured you’d be side by side. You know, riding off to the nice, clean, happy search while your wife did the dirty job.”

“Uh, yeah, about that.”

“Greyson.”

“I’m sorry.”

She laughed. “I got to make out with Chris, and I sat in his lap. Who’s laughing now?”

Dimitri did.

Chris did too.

“I’m going to hurt him at home.”

She snorted. “No, you won’t. You know how the media is. He’s a good kisser. Not as good as you, but eh, a woman can’t be choosy when her husband screws her over with the grunt work so he looks good in the end.”

Greyson was busted, and he knew it.

Dimitri, on the other hand, was willing to play along. He enjoyed tormenting the man beside him.

It was brotherly.

“If you’re rating kissing, how did I do?” Dimitri asked. “You know, after we slept together.”

Greyson stared at him.

“Really?”

Emma was amused.

“You get an A plus, my Russian stud. I look forward to doing it again.”

Croft got it.

This was his punishment.

It was a lesson learned.

“Are you done busting my ass?” Greyson asked. “It seems you forgot I get bitchy when men are playing ‘Kiss Croft’s wife’.”

“Well, about that. The media kinda caught us getting down and dirty.”

“EMMA!”

She snorted. “I’m sure it’s already on the news. You know how I get when my husband screws me over giving me the shitty interview that he thinks will be a waste of time. How very FBI director of you, Greyson.”

Of course he had to fall in love with a very smart woman who would call him on his shit.

Perfect.

“Tell your ex-bodyguard I’m going to kill him.”

Chris was still laughing. “Tell your sneaky husband I had to cup a stripper’s tit in there, and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.”

Dimitri stopped laughing. “You cheated on my sister with a stripper?” he asked.

“I asked permission first. Well, to make out with Emma, but she was cool. Chill, commie. My bases are covered. I’m not new to this game.”

Dimitri sputtered.

Emma was amused. “Anyway, two things. Dimitri, you have a woman by the name of Betty Elder heading to ‘Aquarius’ tomorrow. She’s selling tricks in the club. She has two kids, and I am getting her out. I need your help.”

He smiled.

Yeah, this was family.

“I’ll handle it. I have a few openings where I can place her. I’ll make sure she’s handled for you.”

“Thank you, Dimitri. I knew I could count on you. She’s doing it to support her kids. Save her.”

Oh, he would.

“If you can’t find one, send her to Dante. He can use another assistant. We run his ragged. She’s street smart, and she won’t put up with his shit. That’s always a plus.”

“Yes, Mom.”

She snorted.

Greyson was listening, and he was proud of his wife. At least something good came out of that interview he’d dumped on her.

And she didn’t seem too mad at him.

“So you were out saving strippers?” he asked.

“Well, and I found something interesting. Guess who tied two dead girls on Riley’s desk to a strip club, a sex smuggling ring, and a missing girl.”

He stared at the phone.

“WHAT?”

“I think we have a sex smuggling ring going on right under your mob-y nose, Greyson. Someone is peddling young girls.”

That horrified him.

While he was running Vegas, he was keeping the criminals at bay. They thought he’d kill them all, and that made them careful with what kind of businesses they ran.

He didn’t tolerate drugs.

He didn’t tolerate sex trafficking.

Clearly, someone didn’t get the memo.

“I’m taking the strip clubs from here on out,” Greyson stated. “Emma, don’t take this the wrong way, but get your ass to Terrace Glen. I don’t need you poking a sex ring with your ex-cop fingers.”

“I’ll use Chris’s.”

“EMMA!”

“Okay, take a pill, cranky. You sent me here. I don’t know why you thought once I was ‘with child’ I’d lose my ability to think like a cop. You were way off base on this one.”

Yes, he had been, and now he was rectifying that little error. His wife was not screwing with a sex ring. It put all kinds of horrible pictures in his head.

“And now I’m sending you home.”

“You may want to rephrase that, or you’ll be sending me over the edge, and there’s only one person who isn’t afraid of you.”

Dimitri raised his hand but said nothing.

“Not you, Dimitri. Don’t be a smart ass,” Emma said.

He looked around.

It’s like she knew, or had eyes on them—which was impossible.

“I’m talking about me. So, I’m going to go home, and I’m going to get the family to start picking this apart. I don’t think we have one girl gone astray. I think we have a sex trafficking ring, and not the reverse one that Dimitri runs. Someone is filtering in young flesh, and pedaling it. We have to find Anthony Delmarco. Lose your baggage.”

They knew who she meant.

Marissa.

“We are going to be playing in some not so nice places. I have the next strip club name.”

Greyson was not amused. “Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Take her home. I don’t care if you have to sit on her. Get her ass back behind the gates!”

Emma objected.

He shut her down, and she could hear it in his voice. Greyson was worried about something, and this was bigger than her playing in a strip club.

“What’s the big freak out?”

He figured he owed her, and it might convince her that they had a huge issue on their hands.

“When I was still with the FBI, we had a mole go missing. She was sold off into the trade. We thought we lost her. She turned up dead, and we couldn’t figure out how it happened. Someone inside the FBI was helping—or that was what I thought. After I left, Director Lee muddied up the investigation. It’s been going nowhere. That rat is in the clear, and it’s still an ongoing Fed investigation. If you poke at the sex trade hive, you may get stung by a bunch of FBI hornets.”

She whistled.

And she got it.

If they investigated, they were dropping themselves right into FBI territory, and that would be like a gift for Robert Lee.

Yeah, they had an issue.

Dimitri was appalled. “You have someone on the inside of the FBI selling women to the highest bidders?” he asked.

“We can’t confirm, but the second we start poking this mess, the Feds are going to be all over me. I have the files at home. They’re not full because I couldn’t get enough to get a sting.”

Emma got it.

It might get dicey, and none of them could risk that. They already had vans outside their home, their attorney filing harassment suits, and every Fed in the city pointed at them.

It was time to regroup until they had a plan.

She was going to follow his order, even if she didn’t like being bossed around.

“Well, then I’ll meet you at home. You might want to head in yourself as soon as you search that apartment. We have to warn the family. If this case is going to lead to screwing with the FBI, we are risking a lot.”

He was aware.

He didn’t want to play with the FBI. They were leaning on him as it was, and that made it hard to do their jobs.

Speaking of jobs…he was regretting taking this one—not because he didn’t want to help the women disappearing, but he had to worry about their family.

His wife.

The men he called brothers.

The baby growing in Emma.

The FBI could get mean, and they were already making their lives uncomfortable.

“I’ll see you at home in an hour. We will make sure we get in, and fast.”

“I love you both. Be safe.”

She hung up.

“I don’t like tangling with the Feds,” Dimitri stated. “It puts us in the spotlight, and that makes me nervous.”

Yeah, him too.

This was going to be bad. He could tell. While he would never have a problem risking himself, he knew the cost was too high.

He needed help.

“I have to make this call.”

Dimitri stood beside him, scanning the area. He was feeling off. There was something not kosher, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.

But what?

As Greyson dialed, he crossed his fingers. He had one shot at getting some help on this one, and it was going to be a risk.

For him, and for the man.

“Deputy Director Blackhawk.”

“Ethan?”

There was a pause the second he recognized his voice. “Hold on.”

It got quiet.

There was the sound of a door closing.

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked. “It’s not like you to call me.”

“I have something hypothetical to ask you.”

“From a mob boss to a Deputy Director of the FBI, or to Ethan Blackhawk.”

“Oh, this is definitely the first one, and that’s why it’s a little tricky.”

Ethan didn’t like the sound of that.

While he really liked Greyson, he knew that any communication with him was dangerous. Technically, they were on different sides.

“Shoot.”

“Does the FBI have any sex trafficking operations going on in Vegas?”

He paused.

“Yes.”

“Are they actively searching for someone?”

“Well, they’ve tried. They keep hitting roadblocks, and they think it’s because they continually get a heads-up when we’re about to move. We keep missing the people by minutes.”

Yeah, he had that issue too.

That freaking FBI mole was back.

“I have something I have to ask, and I need a HUGE favor. Just hear me out.”

“What?”

“My family has just taken on a missing girl case, and it was all done innocently enough.”

“Okay.”

“We just found out that it’s looking like she was a victim in a sex trafficking ring. I think it’s the same one I tried to take down when I was in the FBI, and the same one that’s now stalled for Lee.”

That was NOT good.

They were the good guys, and Croft was the bad guy. The two should never cross, unless one was chasing the other. This meant that two different sides were working the same case, and they would bump into each other.

“What can I do?” Ethan asked.

“I need you to give me some leeway. Is there any way you can pull your teams for a week, max? I’m about to go digging, and if I do, the Feds are going to be all over us.”

Ethan thought about it.

“I can run interference, but you have to let the FBI close it. If you find the person, you need to report it directly to me. I have a rat in that office, and I really don’t like rats.”

He figured as much.

“What about the vans outside my house? Can you call them off?”

That was news to him.

“What vans?” Ethan asked.

“I have four FBI vans outside my house, trying to find out what I’m doing at all times.”

“Are you sure? They can’t be FBI sanctioned. I wouldn’t sign off on something like that. Your lawyer is ready to eat ours for breakfast, and Gabe doesn’t want to make you any richer than you already are. He personally denied the request when he was given it.”

Then they had an issue.

Well, Ethan Blackhawk did.

“So, if you didn’t authorize it, then who did?”

They both knew that answer.

“I’ll handle it. They will be gone by tomorrow. I can give you five days, Greyson. I can call audit, and I can have the teams pulled in. I can’t give you more time than that. If I even get called out on this call…”

He knew.

They were both on the opposite sides of the law.

He was the bad guy.

Supposedly.

“Five days, starting tomorrow morning. After that, I can’t intervene. Get it figured out, and maybe we can find that mole inside the FBI. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Literally. Expect the information coming your way. I’ll get it to you by way of special courier.”

He hung up.

“Can we trust him?” Dimitri asked, hating that they were putting their asses on the line this close to the FBI.

“Yeah, he’s the epitome of straight arrow. He won’t screw me over. Ethan knows how to play the game, and he’ll use me to get the killer handled, and then he’ll dismantle the FBI to get that mole. You don’t screw with him. He takes his career very seriously.”

“We should go. I don’t like how I feel right now. My arm hair is standing up, and I have that feeling in my gut,” Dimitri stated.

Greyson was good with that.

He was feeling way off too.

Something bad was coming.

And soon.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Washington D.C.

Hoover Building

The second Ethan hung up, he knew he had a problem. He sent a text to the one person he trusted to share this new information with, and he hoped she’d help him out.

If there was a mole, he couldn’t risk that the rat was digging around in his DC nest.

Something had to be done.

At the knock on his door, she was standing there. It didn’t take her long to arrive from her own area down the hall.

“You’re free, right?” he asked.

Elizabeth closed his office door. “Are we fornicating or do you have something for me to handle?” she teased.

He laughed. “Maybe both, but the first one will have to be right after my meeting. You wear me down. I have to be focused.”

She grinned. “Good point.”

“I have to take a trip tomorrow morning. I’m leaving the office.”

“Okay, and?”

“I need backup.”

“I’m in.”

As always, he didn’t even have to give her details. Elizabeth would always have his back, and for that bond, he was grateful. After his meltdown, a few months ago, and their separation, they were now stronger than ever.

Their marriage survived, and he had his partner back.

“I’m about to stir the pot, and when I do, there’s only one hell raiser I want by my side.”

She snorted. “Callen’s busy, huh?”

He tugged her into his lap. “He doesn’t kiss as well as you do,” he teased.

“Should I ask why you’re going around making out with your brother without me being able to watch?” she teased.

“Maybe I’m just kissing my gorgeous wife’s ass, as I try to get her to perch herself against me.”

She did just that, getting comfortable.

“Yeah, like that,” he said, giving her a soft kiss. It was good to have his wife back.

“Where are we heading?” she asked, nibbling on his ear. She knew it made him crazy, and that was exactly why she did it. Before he texted, she was planning to stop in for some lunch.

HIM.

“I have to hit Las Vegas.”

“Uh oh.”

He told her what Greyson had told him. She listened, and didn’t bat an eye.

“How about you do the FBI stir-up, and I’ll deliver the information? The second you call them off the Crofts, I’ll get onto their property.”

“Don’t get caught.”

She laughed. “Seriously. Do you know me? I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.”

Her mouth found his, and she stole his breath.

When he pulled away, she had his shirt open.

“Now, about my fee,” she said, whispering in his ear. “You have to pay half now, half later. I think you should be late to your meeting.”

She bit him on the neck and he moaned.

“Did you lock the door?” he asked. “Can you be fast? I have to get back to my…”

He didn’t have time to say the rest.

She rocked his world.

Twice.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

Commissioner’s

Office

When the commissioner called him, he wasn’t too busy that he couldn’t show up for a little visit. Director Lee knew he had some messes to clean up, and he was using the police to help him.

They had to work hand in hand, making sure that the crime in Vegas went down, or he’d be out.

And that wasn’t a good thing.

Robert had worked hard to get this office. When Greyson Croft was asked to resign, he fought tooth and nail to earn the right to head the Las Vegas branch.

It was a power step. It was right below handling the FBI West commission, and he had his eyes on that next.

Robert Lee wanted to move up the ladder, and he wanted to be sitting in the Director’s office at the Hoover building before he turned fifty.

So, he had to do this right.

It wasn’t easy to handle Las Vegas. The last two FBI directors went down to corruption, and he was desperately trying to keep his nose clean.

Deputy Director Blackhawk was a ball buster, and had laid down the law. If you weren’t doing your job, you were out of one. He didn’t want to cross the man.

No one did.

While most thought that Ethan Blackhawk was picked for his position, simply because his wife and Gabe Rothschild went way back, it had become crystal clear that he was no joke.

The man ran it like he owned it.

He didn’t take shit.

He wasn’t above tearing a place apart to rebuild it, and he also didn’t give a shit what anyone said about him.

The chatter about him, his wife, and his brother was notorious, but he didn’t flinch. The last time someone brought up the couple, he found himself missing his hide. Blackhawk chewed ass like a pro. It was clear what he’d learned from Gabriel Rothschild.

So, Robert wasn’t taking any chances.

His office was not up for dismantle. He was doing anything he could to make sure they stayed afloat, and on the boss’s good side.

Robert Lee knew what would happen if his boss audited the place. Heads would roll. It wasn’t to say he was running anything illegal, but he didn’t clear everything with his boss.

Why?

Vegas was a whole other beast. While the rest of the country played by one set of rules, Vegas didn’t. So, he had to use what he had to keep the place from blowing up.

It wasn’t easy.

In fact, he might be getting an ulcer.

That’s why he agreed to show for this meeting. He had the feeling shit was coming, and he didn’t want to take any chances.

So, as he prepared to meet with Commissioner Raye, he hoped the man had cleaned up most of his issues. They had new ones heading their way.

“Thank you for coming,” the commissioner said, as he entered the room.

“You’re welcome, Jeffery. What’s this about?”

“The Crofts.”

He sighed.

That wasn’t what Robert wanted to hear. He was more worried about all the other things going on.

“I already authorized three vans. I can’t give you more. We haven’t found anything that links them to illegal activities. We’ve called in three warrants on their warehouses, offices, and a few businesses, and nothing. You may have to come to grips with them not doing anything illegal.”

“I understand that.”

“I hope so because you guaranteed me that there was something there, and I allowed the vans. My boss will kick my ass if he finds out.”

“I appreciate that you did that for me, Robert. I’m in the same boat as you are. Vegas is bad. Every law bureau is struggling right now. Croft has his hands in everything.”

Robert was getting sick of all of this. It was a dead end, and he was wasting taxpayer resources.

“What’s going on?” he asked, willing to give the man a chance to explain.

“I received a call.”

“From?” he asked.

“Anonymous.”

He sighed again.

Robert should have seen this one coming.

It was a mess.

“What did Croft do now that has you in a tizzy?” he asked.

The commissioner told him.

“There’s word out on the street that they are fabricating documents against my homicide captain.”

He listened.

“They are trying to take him down, and we want it on the record that he’s being framed for something. You know, in case the media is given these fake papers.”

Well, at least he wasn’t asking for anything more. That he could do. He could type up a memo, and make note of it in a file if it ever came to public light.

“I want to be ready for any of his games. He’s planning something, but I don’t know what.”

Lee considered it. “I can open an investigation if you can get me something. I can’t go on anymore witch hunts. I was sent a writ to cease and desist. Their attorney is out for blood and the FBI is their artery. I was told hands off.”

He got it.

It looked like the attorney was going to have some issues. He was going to handle that ASAP. If he could put a dent in Croft’s team, he could slow them down to cover his bases.

She was a pain in his ass anyway.

It was time to handle it.

“If you can get the shark attorney off our backs, we can handle the rest.”

He could do that.

“Robert, thank you.”

“This time, this is it. From here on out, I can’t play in this mess. If Croft isn’t breaking any federal laws, it’s hands off. We aren’t your spy agency. We work for the people of this country, and I have bosses to answer to on a daily basis. This pisses them off.”

He got it.

The commissioner was good for now. It was all going to work in his favor.

He could tell.

When the Fed left, he sat back and tried to figure out what he was going to do.

They had a lawyer who was a pain in the ass, and she needed to go down.

But who?

Heath?

No, he was a loose cannon. No one in their right mind would hire him. He was a few bricks short of a wall.

Then it hit him.

He had a killer right in his pocket. Since the man had killed once before, why not again?

It was time to check-in with Thomas, and hope the man could be swayed to do some dirty work.

They had to keep a unified front.

And they needed a woman to disappear.

When he arrived at the office, there were detectives all over the place. They were doing their thing, and the captain was doing his. He was glad to see the man was holding it together. Their earlier talk worried him.

The last thing they needed was for his inside guy to lose control and do something stupid. In Vegas, you had to play the game carefully.

As his captain looked up, he saw him through his office windows and motioned for him to come in.

Good.

It was time to handle a mess. Hopefully, the man would be up for the job.

Riley was working on his cases, and he saw the man enter the bullpen.

As he headed past him, he was curious.

Riley got a bad vibe from the man, and he could tell something was off. The man had that look on his face.

It made him edgy.

He needed to hear what was going on in that office, and that meant losing his babysitter for a few minutes.

Riley chugged his cold coffee.

“Hey, Lester, can you grab us some coffee?” Riley said, handing him his empty cup. “I want to make copies of this file so we can reorganize our case load. I have these dead women, and I need to figure out how we’re going to handle it. I feel disorganized.”

Lester Lucas laughed. “That’s because you are unorganized, Riley.”

“Yeah, well, we have more dead bodies than time,” he said, picking up the file.

His partner laughed and headed toward the breakroom.

Riley raced for the copier and pretended to be pulling the file together. As he stood there, their voices were easily heard through the wall, and what he heard deeply disturbed him.

In fact, it made him ill.

“You have to take out the attorney. Make it look like a fluke. I don’t care if it’s a random shooting, a drive-by, or she’s raped and strangled in her own home.”

Christ laughed. “I like the last option. I’ve seen her in here,” Christ said. “I could use some pussy. She seems like one of those women who’d make me hot and bothered. I can handle her. She wouldn’t be the first.”

He didn’t care.

This was about buying them some time.

“Good. The Crofts will be distracted if something happens to her. They won’t see us aiming for that bitch. Croft thinks we’ll go for him or his wife. Let’s fuck with them. The FBI is going to cover for you with that file. I told them Croft is fabricating documents to take you down. We’re covered. The FBI will back me up IF they come out.”

Christ relaxed. “I’ll get her tonight. I’ll need an alibi. Make sure you invite me over for a drink. We’re going to have a meeting at your place,” he said.

The commissioner could do that.

As Riley listened to them plot Delilah’s murder, he couldn’t believe it.

Both men were corrupt, and sick. That they could even have a casual conversation about raping and murdering a woman made him want to vomit.

He had to do something.

And fast.

Riley grabbed his file and headed back to his desk. He sat and tried to figure out what to do. He only had until tonight, and there had to be a way to get to Delilah, and then get her somewhere safe.

When Lester returned, he was staring at him.

“Uh, did something happen?” he asked his partner. “You look like shit!” he stated.

“Huh? What?” Riley asked, trying to stay composed. He needed a way out of there, and fast. The commissioner and the captain were out in the bullpen, setting up his alibi.

“You’re pale. Did you see a ghost?” he asked.

“I feel sick all the sudden. Maybe I’m having a reaction to the dentist doing that filling, he said, taking the excuse and running with it.

“Hey, if you’re getting the flu…”

He backed away.

“I do feel like puking all the sudden.”

Ironically.

That wasn’t a lie.

“You should go home. I got this. We’re only working these unknown cases. I can reorganize and get them started for us. I’ll call you if I get anything. Don’t puke on our desks,” Lester said.

Riley pushed away.

“Thanks. I’ll text you later.”

He headed out.

Lester shook his head and couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with his new partner.

Something was up.

Outside, Riley jumped into his ride, and knew right where he had to go.

Delilah’s office.

There was no way he could let that asshole hurt her. She hated cops, but no one deserved to be raped and murdered.

No one.

And shit like that wasn’t going down on his watch.

Especially to her.

Chapter Nine

Julie Pierce’s

Apartment

Sunday

Afternoon

A fter all the distractions, they were finally at Julie’s apartment. Inside the building, she used a key to get in. Both men stared at her. Greyson gave Dimitri the look, so he handled it.

“Uh, where did you get the key?”

“When I found out it was her apartment, I talked the landlord into letting me stay here since Julie was missing. He needed the rent, and I needed a place to lay low.”

“And he just said yes?” Dimitri asked.

“I can be very convincing,” she said, inviting them into the tiny cramped space.

“Well, this is it.”

Both men walked in and looked around.

The place was pretty much what they expected. In fact, they didn’t doubt that the whole building was pretty much the same. This neighborhood was definitely the place someone who was hooking would call home.

They could hear the moaning through the walls.

“Ambiance,” she said, knowing what they were thinking. A part of her wasn’t happy that the two men were there. Marissa felt like they were judging her sister.

They didn’t get it.

Julie had a rough life, and so did she. It was better to live in a dive than on the street.

Dimitri didn’t want to break the news to Marissa, but the place reeked of drugs. Someone had been smoking heroin in there. He’d bet money on it.

Then again, the whole damn place might be doing it for all he knew.

Still, his gut told him there was definitely something there. They just had to find it.

Greyson gave him a look. “El Diablo?” he asked, also picking up the scent.

Dimitri was pretty sure that was it. He could detect the heroin, cocaine, and marijuana smell lingering in the fabrics.”

“What’s El Diablo?” Marissa asked.

They didn’t answer her.

It looked like Julie was not only into prostitution and possibly a sex slave, but she was doing some big-time drugs.

“Search,” Croft said.

Dimitri figured as much. Out of his pocket, he pulled a pair of black leather gloves.

“Uh, are you afraid to leave prints?” Marissa asked.

“No, I don’t want to be poked by a needle and get HIV,” he answered.

She stared at him. “What? A needle?”

“We can smell drugs.”

She laughed. “My sister wouldn’t be doing drugs. I have been staying here, and I haven’t found anything that says she was.”

They figured as much.

Greyson nodded at Dimitri. They now had to look in the places a person wouldn’t look. This was normal for them.

Dimitri flipped the couch.

“Hey!” she objected.

“I’ll put it back,” he said, seeing a cut in the fabric. Pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket, he pointed it in the hole.

Pay dirt.

He found something.

“We were right,” Dimitri stated as he carefully pulled out the packets.

Greyson took them and stared at them. “El Diablo.”

Marissa was getting pissed. “What is that?”

Dimitri explained. “In Vegas, one drug isn’t enough. People are so addicted to heroin, that they become immune to the effects, so they have to up the game.”

Greyson dumped them into the sink. “Yeah, so they make cocktails of other drugs.”

“Like?” she asked.

“Heroin, cocaine, and marijuana,” Dimitri offered. “Or you can call it El Diablo. Once you start that, you’re done. There’s a short period before you turn up dead.”

She gasped. “No! My sister wouldn’t…”

He pulled a used needle from behind some books on the shelf.

“They hide needles with some of the drug still in it in case they need a fast hit. Your sister was using, Marissa.”

She was horrified.

“Oh, Julie, what have you done?” Marissa asked, staring at the needle in his hand.

“Grey, be careful. We don’t need to get stuck. I’d like to live a long time,” Dimitri stated.

Marissa got offended. “I’ll search then if you’re afraid to do it.”

He stared at her. “Your sister was a hooker, and she was using drugs. Who do you think gets HIV? Librarians from books? I’m sorry if that bothers you, but we’re a little late to be living in fantasy land. She was doing shitty things. We protect ourselves.”

“Well, we couldn’t all have pristine lives.”

He snapped.

Dimitri moved toward her and grabbed her by the arms. “You know nothing about my life. All I’ll say is it made this look like a carnival. I didn’t have a choice. Your sister did. So stop being insulted by fact.”

Greyson touched his arm. “Hey, it’s okay. You take the bathroom. I have this room.”

Dimitri dropped her arms like they were coals.

“Good idea.”

He left and slammed the door.

Marissa angrily stared at the bathroom door.

“He’s not the enemy. You should remember that. He’s going out on a limb here as we try to find your sister.”

“I appreciate it. He’s just so…”

“Stubborn? Listen, he’s Russian. It goes with the territory. You two need to be apart.”

Contrary to what he thought, she wanted to be close to him. When she kissed him…

Yeah, she had it bad.

And that pissed her off.

“Back off, okay?” Greyson asked.

She fought her irritation over the entire situation. This was getting them nowhere.

“I didn’t find anything,” Dimitri said, heading out of the bathroom. “It’s all the normal girl things. You know, like makeup and lotion.”

He glanced over at Marissa.

“Before you bitch at me, I’m not saying she was sneaking around and frequenting drug stores because she had a makeup habit too.”

She rolled her eyes.

Greyson knew they were going to explode all over the place. Apparently, the kissing earlier didn’t make him less edgy.

That was going to complicate things later.

“I don’t see anything here that indicates she was forcibly taken from here,” Greyson offered.

“I can ask the neighbors,” Dimitri offered.

They might be taking that route.

“Yeah, birds of a feather,” he said. “They are likely hookers. That might work.”

Marissa stared at Greyson. “How did you know they were all prostitutes?”

“They flock together for a reason. If the cops come, they are alerted, and more will get away than caught. They mix in with regular citizenry.”

“I already talked to them,” she said.

“And?”

“That’s where I got most of my information. I told you about the madam, and that’s why I headed there. If anyone here was working for the pimp, they didn’t bring it up. I heard madam, and started working that angle.”

Dimitri lifted a brow. “Did you now?”

“Yeah, I did. I’m a proactive kind of girl. I can’t sit around and judge people.”

Greyson saw the look on his face, and he stood between them. This woman was pushing Dimitri’s buttons, and she was walking a dangerous line. At some point, he’d snap.

Again.

Greyson had to get him out of there. “We should head out. We have a case to work and from here on out, until we get more, it’s a paper trail.”

She didn’t like that.

He didn’t care.

“Marissa, try and stay out of trouble,” Croft suggested.

“I can help out…”

He cut her off.

“We’ve poked a lot of hives today between Emma at the strip club, and us coming here. Don’t ask questions. Just stay in and use your head. Women are disappearing, and that’s not good for anyone with ovaries.”

She didn’t say anything.

Greyson didn’t do drama. His wife was pretty grounded, so he was leaving any further commentary to Dimitri. He’d worked with her, and hopefully, he could handle her.

Greyson left.

Dimitri didn’t hesitate. “He’s right. Stay in, be smart, and maybe look around in here for a clue. We found drugs in two minutes.”

“I looked.”

“Again, we found drugs in two minutes. Maybe you should look again.”

She crossed her arms.

As he approached the door, he stopped.

“Be at Aquarius tomorrow morning. You’re back on hostessing duties.”

“You’re pissed again.”

“You have that effect on me. I have to go. I need to get back to the house. Emma and Greyson need me.”

She got it.

He had family.

“If you need me,” he said, scribbling his number on a card, “You can reach me on my private line.”

“Are you sure there’s not something between you and Emma?” she asked. “You’re really close.”

He lifted a brow. “I’m pretty sure I’d know if there was something going on. I don’t sleep walk. Why?”

“Just an observation.”

He didn’t get where she was taking that. Dimitri didn’t see what his relationship with Emma had to do with anything. She was simply someone he loved.

She was family.

Marissa figured she should offer up the olive branch. They were working this case, and she didn’t have to pay them. It was time to use some charm.

“Thank you for today. Even if I made you mad.”

He sighed.

Dimitri didn’t want to be frustrated with her, but he was. He also didn’t want to be angry, but she pissed him off and made him incredibly horny at the same time.

He was irritated with his lack of control.

“I’ll be there tomorrow for work,” she said, following him to the door.

When he turned around, she practically walked into him, and Dimitri didn’t think it was accidental.

She stared up at him as he caught her.

His eyes dilated at the contact.

Dimitri tried not to let it affect him. It was so damn hard since he was thinking about what happened earlier. There was no woman who turned him on, pissed him off, and made him insane quite like her.

There was a spark there, and he didn’t doubt it would lead to a nuclear explosion.

Marissa took a chance and touched his cheek. “Thank you for everything. I don’t mean to be a bitch. I’m worried about Julie, and it’s consuming me. You have to understand that.”

Oh, he got it. She was leaning against him, and her mouth was inches from his. Earlier, she’d kissed him first, so he wanted to show her what lived in him.

Marissa needed to see the darker side of him, if she was going to play these games.

So, he took her mouth.

It was heated, wild, and filled with driving need. He left nothing to the imagination as he nearly lit them a flame with lust.

This was who he was.

Marissa fell into the kiss, and she held on for the ride. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. The man was intense, and she wondered what it would be like to get beneath that veneer.

He was so careful.

Protected.

Guarded.

She was curious. It made her want to pick his defenses apart to see the man beneath. She was no stranger to sex, and this man made her want to roll around and have fun.

It had been a while since she’d actually enjoyed that kind of intimacy.

When he was finished, he set her free.

“Listen to what we say. We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, fighting the need to throw her down and take her. It wasn’t easy, but somehow, Dimitri found control.

It helped that Greyson was outside.

Alone.

He wanted to protect his family.

“Stay.”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

What he wanted to say was he wasn’t ready. She twisted him up inside, going from angry to gentle, sweet to vicious, in a heartbeat. He couldn’t pinpoint her moods, and that made it increasingly hard for him to be careful. He didn’t know which personality was the real one.

He was worried.

“See you tomorrow.”

Then he escaped.

When he was gone, Marissa locked the door and leaned against it. He was a tough nut to crack, but now she wanted to do it even more.

Dimitri Gideon was a mystery, and she was going to figure him out.

No matter what.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Town

Delilah Fleur’s

Office

He knew he was screwed seven ways to Sunday, so he didn’t call her. Instead, Riley rushed into the woman’s office, and was stopped by some male secretary who didn’t plan to let him anywhere near Delilah.

It pissed him off—not that he was doing his job, but that he looked like a model.

Of course he did.

“I need to see Miss Fleur, and I need to see her right now,” he said, getting impatient. Soon, he was going to flash his badge and do something drastic.

“She’s in with a client, and you can’t just come in here and demand to see her!”

He pulled his jacket back, and his gold badge and gun did nothing to persuade him.

“Do you have an appointment?” he asked. “If not, I can make one…”

“Which room?” he asked, pointing at the three doors in the plush office.

“Sir.”

“I’m going to kick them in and find her anyway, so you either point or I punch you in the face, too, and you’re going to be hideous.”

That seemed to work.

He was appalled, but he pointed at the one door.

Riley stormed toward it, and he didn’t even pause to knock. As soon as it was open, Delilah stood in shock.

“What are you doing, Detective?”

“I need to see you ASAP!”

She defiantly stood there and pointed at the man sitting in the chair. He was wearing a pricey suit, and there was no doubt that he was going to be paying her a shitload of cash to defend him.

Well, he was out of luck.

“Delilah! Now!” he stated.

This wasn’t going the way he planned. Riley didn’t know how much time they had. He kept thinking about how the captain and commissioner were laying out the man’s alibi for later.

They were going to kill her.

“I’m busy, Detective, and I don’t really appreciate you coming in here like this. I have a meeting with a client!”

“Well, say goodbye to him, and grab your things. We have to go!”

“Are you insane? I’m not going anywhere! I have to work! I have back to back meetings! Get out, Detective, or you’re going to need a lawyer.”

Well, that was it.

It was going to take some desperate measures to handle this, and Riley had to get it done. He moved toward her, and she stepped back.

“Delilah, I’ll explain. Trust me!”

She tried to get away from him, even trying to run around the desk, but he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out into the entryway of her office.

“We need to talk!”

She pulled, trying to get away from him. Yeah, she’d flirted earlier, but this wasn’t what she was expecting. The man was clearly insane.

“Let go of me!” she said, trying to get away.

Her secretary headed toward her. Riley growled at the secretary, and the man hustled out of reach.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she hissed. “Have you lost your mind?”

“You have to leave with me now. I have to get you somewhere safe.”

She stared at him like he was insane.

“Uh, no. That’s called kidnapping, and I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Delilah, you have to come with me. I’m going to get you somewhere safe.”

“If this is some kinky pick-up attempt, I liked you better before you went all crazy,” she said, pulling away from him.

She tried to get away from him, but she was in four inch heels, and he was bigger than her.

He blocked her way.

“If you don’t move, I’ll kick your ass and own your badge. You’re making a spectacle in my office, and I need to work here. My partner will flip his shit if he sees this.”

Riley didn’t give a damn. This was about saving her, and if she’d just listen…

“Delilah, I’m being serious. You have to come with me! I’m not kidding! You’re in danger!”

“Yeah, from you, Detective Crazy!”

She tried to get past him, and he blocked her. She shoved him, and he stood his ground. The secretary stared at him.

“Should I call the police, Miss Fleur?” he asked from his safe spot behind the lobby desk.

“He held up his badge. “I am the freaking police! Now, Delilah!”

“Move or I’ll hurt you, Detective!”

“We’re leaving,” he said, moving toward her. “I’ll get you to my place, and we’ll…”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

He grabbed her arm again, and she pulled back her arm and slapped him across the face.

Her administrative assistant gasped.

“What the hell?” Riley stated. “You just hit a cop!”

“And I’m going to kick you in the balls next,” she said, trying for it.

Well, this had escalated. The problem with the woman was she was too damn stubborn.

He had a solution.

Riley pulled out his cuffs, spun Delilah around, and had the perfect excuse to get her out of there.

“You’re under arrest for assault on a police officer!”

She couldn’t believe that.

“You are insane! You come into my office, disrupt my meeting, you provoke me into hitting you, and then you arrest me? This won’t stand up in court! I’m going to own your badge!”

As he tried to walk her out, she was stumbling in her heels. He had enough.

Turning her around, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her out like that.

People were staring.

She was cursing and struggling to get off his shoulder. The entire time, she shouted for help, and he held out his badge to reassure the people he was a cop.

“She’s going to jail! Nothing to see!”

That pissed her off even more.

As Riley walked her out like that, her long legs flapping in the breeze, he kept his hand on her ass so she didn’t fall, she cursed his name and promised to rip him to shreds.

In the car, he dropped her into his front seat and buckled her in.

“I am going to own your job, your house, and your balls when we are done,” she hissed as he closed the door.

As soon as he got in, he took her face into his hands. “Listen to me for one goddamned second. If you’d stop arguing, and just focus on what I’m saying, you might live to see tomorrow!”

She stopped.

“Oh my god! You’re a serial killer, aren’t you?” she said, trying to get away.

“Delilah! Shut up! I’m not a serial killer! I’m trying to save your vicious, cop-hating ass! Now stop and listen!”

She did.

“I was at work, and I heard the police commissioner putting a hit out on you. Thomas Christ is coming to your house to murder and rape you. You’re coming with me, and you can have my fucking job. I can’t let that happen to you.”

She stared at him.

“What?”

“They’re going to try and slow the Crofts down! Something about a document.”

That was all she had to hear. Delilah thought about the file Greyson had given her.

She knew he wasn’t kidding. That file was not something Greyson would spread around. It had the potential to blow up and take the LVPD down.

“Riley, are you serious?”

He set her face free. “I’m not abducting you. I need to get you someplace safe before Christ gets you. I’m trying to save your freaking life.”

Now she felt bad that she hit him.

He started his engine. “The shit is about to hit the fan, and you’re on the list. Let’s hope your secretary doesn’t call the damn police.”

She turned. “Let me out, and I’ll call him.”

“Not if you’re going to try and spear me with those claws of yours. They’re wicked.”

“Riley, I’m sorry. I won’t hit you. Just let me free.”

He unlocked the handcuffs, and handed her his phone. Hers was still in her office.

Delilah called her office.

“Peter, I’m okay,” she said, as he frantically shouted into the phone. “I’m taking today off. Reschedule my appointments.”

She listened. “No, he’s not a crazy. I know him. Yes, I’m in a relationship with him. The detective gets a little lonely during the day and likes weird sex games.”

He stared at her.

“Really?” he said. “I save you and I get to be some perverted woman abductor?”

She tried no to laugh. “Yeah, it was some sick fantasy game of his. I’m safe. Just reschedule.”

Delilah hung up. “Okay, that’s done.”

“You told him I was a serial sex fiend!”

“Well, in my defense, I didn’t really have a choice, now did I? Had you called me, and calmly told me over the phone, I would have walked out of there. You carried me over your shoulder, Tarzan. Don’t blame Jane.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“YOU?” she asked. “Really? You just toted a well-known attorney who devours cops out of her office—during the day—and over your shoulder. You have more issues than people thinking you’re habitually horny.”

He was horrified.

“Let’s just get you somewhere safe. I need to figure out what the hell to do next. I just listened to my bosses talk about raping and killing you. I’m at a loss.”

So was she, but not for the same reason. It didn’t shock her that crooked cops wanted her dead. What shocked her was that this man, who didn’t owe her anything, was willing to save her.

He was her hero.

“Riley?”

“What?” he asked, before pulling away from the curb.

Delilah took a chance. She pulled him toward her with his tie and kissed him silly.

When he was set free, his eyes were big. He now knew where the habitually horny part came into play.

“Thank you. I owe you big time!”

He didn’t care about the debt.

It was the right thing to do.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

“Where?” she asked.

There was only one place he could think that would keep the cops at bay.

“Terrace Glen.”

Delilah was good with that. When she picked up his handcuffs and dangled them from her finger, she saw him blush.

Yeah, she’d be safe.

As long as Riley was near.

She had a hero, and for once, Delilah was good with that.

They weren’t alone.

As he pulled away, it was too late. There was a car behind him.

They’d been seen.

His partner had suspected something, and he’d been proven right. There definitely was something going on with his new partner.

And he’d found out his big secret.

“Well, well,” Lester said, pulling out. “Someone wasn’t sick at all. Looks like the gig is up. Riley has a girlfriend.”

Someone was screwed.

Big time.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

In the vehicle, Greyson said nothing. It was odd. Normally, the man was talkative.

“What?” Dimitri asked.

“What what?” he replied.

“I can hear the hamster running in the wheel. Just say it, okay? I know I shouldn’t have grabbed her like that. She just pisses me off and makes me insane.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” he said, as the man drove.

“What were you thinking?”

“When you’re going to have sex with her because there is a shitload of sexual tension there, and it’s going to cause a boatload of issues while we work this case.”

He glanced over.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Croft laughed.

“Dimitri, you had her lipstick all over your mouth. So, unless you’ve decided to try out women’s things, or you fell face first onto her mouth, you can’t bullshit me here.”

“Fine. I want to have sex with her.”

“But?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Oh, okay, well, I’m clearly too stupid to get the dynamics of a relationship between men and women. I mean, I am the married one.”

Dimitri thought back to the previous night when he needed them. He made one call, and two people came to his rescue. If they would be there for him then, why not now?

“I have a conundrum.”

“We call it a hard on for the girl, son.”

He laughed.

Greyson wasn’t saying anything he didn’t already know. Dimitri was edgy, stirred up, and off his game.

Why?

Marissa Pierce was an enigma, and not a good one.

“She makes me want to be angry and horny at once, okay? As I’m yelling at her, I want to throw her on the couch and…”

“So do it.”

“What?”

“It’s sex. What’s the hang up? You can buy it from a madam, but you can’t just dive in with a normal girl?” he asked. “This is far easier.”

He doubted that. This screamed of entanglement, and he didn’t know if that was the route he wanted to take. Yes, Marissa was gorgeous, and he was obsessed with her legs, but sex…it wasn’t always just sex. That was why he used hookers. He didn’t have to be anyone but some nameless man buying a night of pleasure.

“You’re over thinking it.”

He didn’t know.

“I feel off.”

“Like you’re having a heart attack off?”

“I’ll have you know, despite the eggs and bacon Emma made me, my cholesterol is excellent. I take a vitamin.”

“Pussy. Real men don’t take vitamins. I’m ashamed of you.”

“You take vitamins.”

“I’m FORCED to take them, or the kitten won’t let me pet her. I like when she purrs. I have no choice. You, on the other hand, have a choice.”

He snorted.

“I don’t know if I can do intimacy.”

“You have sex twice a week. Saturday and Wednesday. You can do intimacy.”

“You’re tracking my sex life? Isn’t that weird?”

“You don’t exactly hide it. You leave stressed, and you come back calm. I’m a man. I get it. You’re either out getting laid, or you’re out jerking off—and that you don’t have to leave the house to do.”

“I don’t…”

Greyson stopped him. “Don’t. I already have a wife who smells like your cologne, and those pictures in my head.”

“We cuddled.”

“Dimitri.”

“I spooned her.”

He pointed at him. “I will stop being your friend.”

That made him laugh even more.

“It’s different, and it freaks me out,” Dimitri admitted. “Like with an escort, it’s sex, and I’m done. This has the possibilities of entanglement. Our lives are a mess right now. Do I want that kind of thing looming over me?”

“Entanglement is a good thing.”

He wasn’t so sure.

“Emma made me insane when I first met her. She was defiant, she made me shout—a lot—and she pissed me off to the point I think I chugged wine right from the bottle during our first fight.”

He snorted. “Who’s the pussy now?”

Oh, he knew who was the boss.

“Seriously. What’s the worst that can happen? You can lose some of that sexual frustration. You’re a mess. Have sex, and don’t worry if you get attached.”

He had a point.

It wasn’t like he wanted to marry her. He was just obsessed with her legs.

And breasts.

And those kisses…

“Can I say something?” he asked.

“What?”

“You’re a bigger man than I am.”

Greyson laughed. “I’m aware. I outweigh you, and I pray to God you’re not comparing our junk. That’s awkward.”

He laughed even more.

He needed this.

Dimitri loved this man because he cheered him up. He made him feel human. Emma too. That was missing from his life.

“I mean that I don’t think I could let my wife sleep in another man’s bed. I’d be sick over it.”

“Then you’re not with the right woman. I know my wife. She’d never hurt me. She may bust my ass, or kiss you and Chris, but she also kisses two gay men, a man in a wheelchair, and she creatively tells the chef to kiss certain parts of her. When you love someone, you’d never hurt them. Always remember that.”

He thought about it.

“I was in a bad place last night. Letting her near me was dangerous. Why did you do it?”

Greyson touched his arm. “I trust you with my life. Why wouldn’t I trust you with hers? I know you’d never hurt Emma. She loves you so much. You and Chris, you’re both pieces of her brother. She’s told me about him.”

“What was he like?”

“Their parents died together. It was just them for a while. They’d celebrate everything together. The day he died, it was a blow to her. You resemble him. She was the redhead, but he wasn’t. She has green eyes, but his were closer to yours. You’re about his size. I think she sees him in you, and she wants that piece that’s missing. She couldn’t save Gage, but she can save you.”

“Tonight is going to hurt her.”

“Yes, it is. She’s going to need you and Chris. She’s going to ache from this for a long time.”

He’d let Emma lean on him anytime.

“I get what she sees in me, but what’s with the Captain? He’s…insane.”

Greyson laughed. “He’s funny like Gage used to be. He’d pull insane pranks, and they’d laugh for hours. He also hovered over her. He’s the one that told her to dump Christ, and his gut had to know.”

“Or he saw something he shouldn’t have,” he offered. “That might be why he took him out.”

“Yeah, I know. Tonight, if she crumbles, it won’t only be me that has to put her back together. I’m her husband, but she’s going to need her family.”

He got it.

“She slept beside me last night and hovered over me. She watched me while I slept. I assume that’s what a mother would do. I can’t ever repay her for that.”

“Family doesn’t keep score, Dimitri. You know that. She would watch over you or Chris. That’s her protecting Gage. In a way, she’s paying penance, just like you.”

Dimitri glanced over.

“Son, I was a soldier, too, and I know what I did. I know what you’re living, feeling, and experiencing.”

“The nightmares.”

“I once had to kill a whole family,” Greyson said. He didn’t talk to anyone about this, but he felt Dimitri needed it. “I was sitting up in my sniper’s nest, and I waited for three days. I was tired, I was so hungry, but I had to do it. This man was evil, but his kids…”

Dimitri got it.

“I took the bastard out first. Then his wife. Then, as I took out the daughter, the son, who had to be five, came out. I had to watch him lose it as his family bled out on that floor. Then, as if he knew, he looked right up at me.”

“And?” Dimitri asked.

“I took the shot. I wiped out that whole family because the government told me I had to do it. I had nightmares until about… right before Emma. She soothed the demons.”

Dimitri got it.

He wasn’t alone.

“I’m ashamed of what I’ve done.”

“Me, too, and that’s why we’re living this now. That’s why we’re fighting for a girl who is missing, and if we have a sex trafficking ring, we’ll get it for the FBI.”

He had to believe that.

As they pulled through the gates, Chris and Emma were already there.

“This is why we do it,” he said, as Emma smiled brightly. “We do it for family,” Greyson said, heading toward his wife.

She went into his arms, and kissed him.

Dimitri hopped out.

As soon as Emma finished kissing her husband, she was moving toward him. She went into his body, and hugged him.

“I’m glad we’re all safe, and home.”

Greyson said nothing.

But Dimitri did.

“Yeah, it’s good to be home.”

And that was the truth.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Delilah’s Home

He couldn’t believe she talked him into swinging by her place. Riley must be one hell of a moron for falling for her big green eyes and that kiss.

He’d fought.

She’d insisted.

He argued.

At the stoplight, she kissed him.

He agreed.

Riley was a fool.

As they pulled up, he checked her place out because he couldn’t help himself. Delilah was a mystery to him, and he desperately wanted to solve it.

And her home?

It was NOTHING like he expected. She was the top earning shark in Vegas, and she lived in a normal place outside the hustle and bustle of the strip.

What was with that?

“What?” Delilah asked, as he sat there silently.

“You are one continual surprise after another. Here, I pictured you in some mountain like castle with a bell tower, some trolls, and gargoyles.”

She laughed. “Seriously? In Vegas? Maybe California where all the cuckoo’s live.”

“Hey! I grew up there,” he said. “Avocados are your friends.”

“I like meat.”

He stared blankly at her.

“Jesus. You’re one of those vegetarians, aren’t you?” she asked.

“As a matter of…”

“Stop. You’re ruining my fantasy,” she said, tapping her head. “I thought man saves the girl, and then we have a steak.”

“I like salad.”

She laughed as they got out. “Said no sane heterosexual man ever—especially to a woman.”

He didn’t laugh and Delilah hoped she didn’t offend him. She tended to be the kind of person who spoke first and then dealt with the ramifications after.

It was part of her lawyer persona.

“Are you okay, Riley? You look freaked.”

He glanced over at her. “Something isn’t right, but I don’t know what, so you need to be fast,” he said, walking with her up to the door. “I feel off.”

“You’re a cop. You always feel off.”

He smiled at her. “It’s part of the job.”

She totally got that.

“I do have one question, since we’re discussing things that don’t line up and make sense.”

“What?”

“Why don’t you tell me why this house doesn’t match your viper persona, Ice Queen?”

She looked at her house.

She loved it.

“If you’re asking why I don’t live in a massive monstrosity like the Crofts, that’s simple. I don’t keep all of the money I make fighting the corruption in Vegas.”

That surprised him.

“Are you using it to buy off minions?”

Delilah unlocked the door and let them both in as she tried to figure out what exactly she was going to tell him. She didn’t trust cops, but this one…

Yeah, he tied her up inside.

Once inside the Tudor-style home, he looked around. It matched better than the outside. It was all white and pristine.

Now this was her.

Orderly.

Neat.

Lawyer.

“Well?” he asked, not letting her off the hook. If he was going to risk his life and career, he deserved to know everything about her.

“It’s a long story,” she said.

“We have some time,” he offered.

Delilah shrugged.

“My brother was a soldier and when he came back from fighting the war, he had PTSD. When he committed suicide, I began fighting for soldiers like him. I give away almost all of my earnings. I keep enough to buy shoes, steak, and pay for my home.”

He didn’t know what to say. That rattled him to his core, and he didn’t know what to say.

“I’m fighting for him and all the other soldiers like him who have been killed.”

He let that go.

“So why do you hate cops? It’s hard not to notice that they are public enemy number one for you.”

If he wanted to know, she would tell him.

“My brother was about to take his life, and they didn’t save him. He called for help, he had a gun, and he was going to end it. When he came out of his house, he was holding that gun, and instead of saving him, the cops killed him.”

“Suicide by cop,” he muttered in horror.

“They were all carrying Tasers. They chose to shoot and instead of hearing him, they just kept screaming ‘put down your gun’! He was in the middle of a flashback. He thought he was back in the desert. They chose to shoot before protecting.”

Riley heard the pain, and he understood it.

God!

He really did.

She walked him to a picture on her mantle. “That was Samson.”

He looked at her. “Seriously? His name was Samson and your name is Delilah?”

“Yeah, my mother was jacked up. She was a bible junkie, but for all the wrong reasons. Don’t judge. We both had to live with her crazy all of our lives.”

He wouldn’t.

Then he remembered this wasn’t a social call. They had to get to Terrace Glen.

“You should grab your things. We should get you somewhere safe.”

She kicked off her heels and raced toward the stairs. “Look around. I’ll hurry.”

He did just that. Riley was curious by nature, and he was definitely going to entertain himself while she was upstairs. This woman was definitely more than she seemed.

She had awards out the wazoo. From the diploma’s, he could tell a few things.

She’d graduated top of her class at Harvard Law.

And Delilah was smart—wicked smart.

No wonder she was able to chew through cops without batting an eyelash. She had a degree in law, and some forensic ones thrown in too.

He looked at his watch as he began to get nervous and edgy.

“Are you okay?” he asked, calling up the stairs.

There was no answer.

He called again, and he got worried when there was still no reply.

What if someone grabbed her in her room?

What if they moved the timeline up, and she was in danger?

There was only one thing to do. Riley pulled his gun, and headed up the stairs, listening for anything. Riley didn’t even hear a peep.

At the one door, he yanked it open.

She was standing there, a tiny pair of panties, a bra that left nothing concealed, and garters.

Holy fuck.

She was wearing garters.

“Um…”

He immediately turned around. “I called to you twice. I got worried.”

She was enamored by how he’d blushed and had the decency to turn around. She’d been right about him. This guy…he was different.

Instead of freaking out, she let her guard down—as in all the way down.

Moving toward him, she listened to him babble. It was amusing and sweet all at the same time.

Riley Henderson was a gentleman to his core.

“I am so sorry. That was NOT intentional. I didn’t see anything.”

“So, what you’re saying is you didn’t notice my bra was blue.”

He hesitated.

“It was black with red trim.”

She wanted to laugh. He couldn’t even lie. This was wholesome at its finest.

It was…refreshing.

“What color were the garters, Detective Henderson?” she asked.

“Black. I didn’t know women wore them anymore, but they should.”

She was suddenly very turned on. “I wear them all the time when I’m at work.”

He swallowed.

Moving to stand in front of him, she stared up at him. Barefoot, she was considerably shorter. He appealed to her on some feminine level.

He was handsome.

He was a hero.

And he made her all hot and bothered.

“Exactly how much time do we have here?” she asked, running her hand down his chest.

She watched his carotid artery tick in response as his pulse jumped. It was one of the tricks she used in the courthouse as she was chasing down her prey.

He didn’t look down.

“Not much.”

“Well, then I hope you can be fast,” she said, jumping up to wrap her arms and legs around him.

It was clear she took him by surprise.

Her lips found his, and there was this explosion of fire. It tore through them, nearly taking Riley to his knees.

“Delilah!” he muttered, as she practically climbed into his body by way of his mouth. She was all over him, and he couldn’t think at all.

He was holding her.

Kissing her.

“Hurry, Riley!” she responded, getting his shirt open.

He couldn’t believe he was going to have sex with this woman. They were total opposites, but Jesus, did she make him insane.

She began pulling his clothes off his body, tugging his blazer off, and then his shirt.

When he was topless, they tumbled onto the bed. It was a battle to get him free of his things.

Riley, somehow, managed to unclip his badge and gun and they were pulled to the floor in the tangle of his shirt.

She bit him on the neck.

He moaned.

“I really want you naked, but I really want you wearing that,” he muttered, nibbling his way down her throat.

“Then it stays,” she said, as he caged a nipple through the lace of her bra.

Holy shit!

She nearly came from that alone. His hands were everywhere, and the man knew how to work his way around a body.

Maybe that should have alarmed her, but it only made her crazier. He looked like some sweet innocent guy, but this was hot.

Hotter than anything she’d ever experienced before.

His hand found his belt, and he tugged it off. Her fingers found the button on his dress pants, and she rubbed him through his pants.

“Delilah,” he muttered, as she pulled him free.

“We have to hurry. Your words, not mine.”

She had a point.

“Next time, I’ll go slow,” he promised, as he reached down, grabbed her panties, and ripped them off.

She gasped as the fabric rendered. It was so shocking to see him do it. Delilah realized she’d found some sexy cop enigma that she really wanted to solve.

Then he stroked her with his fingers, and she shivered at his touch.

“Good. You’re wet.”

He didn’t stop.

His erection nudged her, and he slid home, burying himself to the base of his dick.

Bare.

She took all of him, and they couldn’t breathe. It was her moan that broke the silence and forced him to focus on her beneath him.

“Do your worst, Detective,” she said, running her nails down his chest.

His muscles rippled at her touch, and it turned her on. She couldn’t wait to see this man in action.

Riley could barely think. There was a sexy woman beneath him, he was buried in her body, and the freaking bra and garters were making him insane.

It was like jumping some sexy pin up girl.

He was a sucker for it.

“So tight,” he whispered, bracing himself above her. “You feel so perfect,” he said, and then he began moving.

She’d never felt anything like this in her life. She was caged between him and the bed, and she couldn’t move. Delilah was his captive during this, and she was out of her mind with need.

Who would have seen this coming?

The detective’s hair was messed up from her hands, his eyes were sparkling with wickedness, and his body was rippling with lust.

He was driving her insane.

Delilah held on, as the detective fucked her. He held nothing back as his body invaded hers. He didn’t pretend to want to be shy. He didn’t stop the assault on her body.

Riley gave her as much pleasure as he was taking, and Delilah loved every second of it.

Their moans were the only sound in the room, and then it was the hitch of their breathing as he took them on the climb.

Riley shifted and lifted her, so his arms did all the work. He lifted her up, and then dropped her, so she was impaled on his rock-hard erection.

She whimpered as he kept hitting that one spot over and over again. Delilah had never had sex quite like this. The detective could barge into her bedroom anytime.

There would be an open invitation.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, staring into her eyes as he fought to control his need.

“No. I want more.”

He dropped her onto the bed, and he stayed on his knees. “It’s got to be this,” he said, flicking a garter. “So fucking hot,” he said, grabbing her pale thighs and spreading her open as far as she could go.

Then the assault continued.

He drove himself into her, and she came riding his dick. It was the slow deliberate strokes that filled her and left room for nothing more.

Riley didn’t stop even as her body tried to milk his to release.

He couldn’t.

This wicked witch put one hell of a spell on him. As she came, he wanted her more. As she shouted his name, Riley didn’t let up.

He worked her hard, taking her back up that climb, and then to the edge. Then he slowed down. He slid in, and then out, watching her eyes dilate in pleasure.

“Riley,” she begged. “Please.”

All he was waiting for was to hear his name on her lips.

He shifted, and hit that one spot with all of his might, throwing her off the edge.

He gave her what she wanted.

She exploded, and that orgasm took him for a ride too. He tumbled with her, collapsing onto her body.

Neither spoke.

When he lifted his head, she was watching him.

“I did NOT expect that,” she admitted. Honestly, he looked wholesome, like some do-gooder.

“Yeah, me either,” he said, resting his head against hers. He felt like he’d run a marathon. “Like I said, it had to be the garters. You don’t see those often.”

Well, she was keeping them until the day she died.

“I’ll help you get cleaned up. It’s the least I can do,” he offered.

There was concern in his voice.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“We didn’t use protection. I’m sorry. I should have protected you.”

Her heart skipped.

God!

She found the one good guy left in Vegas.

“I’m on the pill.”

His body relaxed. “Good, because I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

For some reason, that one sentence speared right through her and made her go soft and mushy for this man. He’d found his way through her barriers.

He was the first one ever. He was sweet and gentle, and that was something she appreciated.

Then she thought about this frenetic fornication, how strong and dominant he’d been in bed, and what he’d risked for her.

In that moment, she knew one thing.

Detective Riley Henderson was one hell of a man.

And she was intrigued.

This was a first.

Chapter Ten

Terrace Glen

W hen they arrived home, everyone came out to see them. Both cars pulled into the driveway at the same time, and there was that sense of relief that they were all safely behind the gates of their sanctuary.

Immediately, Emma was out and heading for Curtis and Katerina. She’d missed them the last few weeks as they were on their honeymoon.

He was smiling, and she was starting to waddle a little more. It was the sweetest thing they’d ever seen.

Emma hugged Curtis, and then she went straight for Katerina to share her affection. The woman was glowing, and she looked amazing. Pregnancy was definitely working for her.

“You’re home!” Greyson said, hugging Curtis. As he did that, Curtis whispered in his ear.

“Does she know?”

“No. Later.”

He let it go.

“MOM!” Curtis picked her up and swung her around. “I have something for you.”

He reached into his bag, and pulled out his phone. On it, he clicked on his photos.

It was a shitload of pictures of the place she’d run to find herself. He’d documented Celestia.

Tears filled her eyes as he scrolled through them. This was the best gift ever. After all, that was the place that started it all.

“It’s the same. It’s like it hasn’t changed at all.”

They all looked over her shoulder as she narrated the pictures for the part of the family that hadn’t seen it.

“That’s the cabin I lived in,” she said.

“And the one I caught me a babe in,” Greyson offered, wiggling his eyebrows.

She snorted. “Yeah, you were a sexy caveman back then too,” she added.

Curtis wasn’t done.

“There’s more. Here, Mom. Here’s a video just for you,” he said, grinning at her.

Curtis pushed the button. A face came onto the screen, and her heart skipped.

It was Reece.

‘Emma,

We miss you. I hope one day you and that husband of yours can visit us. As you can see, time stopped. I’m good, and so are the kids. The wife says hello. But we wanted you to get a piece of home. I miss you and love you.’

Curtis pulled a baseball cap out of his bag. “He sent this. He said you’d get it.”

She held it in her hands, and it moved her. It took a lot to make Emma break, but that one token was all it took. The familiarity hit her, and it made her remember.

The good.

The bad.

“An old hat?” Dimitri said.

Oh, it was so much more than that.

“It was my brother’s hat. He wore it in Vice when they were taking down criminals.”

Tears filled her eyes.

Turning it inside out, she found what she was looking for in the inside lining.

There was a picture of him and her.

It tumbled out into her hand.

“When they were going into a building, or a raid, he’d wear this backward,” she said, staring down at the picture. “I was his good luck charm,” she said.

The irony of that wasn’t lost on her. She wasn’t so lucky the day he was slaughtered in his own apartment.

Emma was overwhelmed.

She needed a minute.

It still broke her.

“I’m going to go make dinner,” she said, tucking the picture away, and then dropping his hat onto her head. “I’ll be back,” she offered, walking away.

Greyson felt helpless.

“Jesus. This is going to suck,” Curtis said.

“I need you guys to find something to do,” Greyson said. “I need to tell Emma, and this is going to be brutal.” He took that moment to fill in everyone with what was going on. The family would be her support when she needed it most.

They’d wrap around her and help her through this.

It was all they had at the moment. A part of Greyson wished he’d never asked Curtis to find that file. This was on him, and he knew he wouldn’t be enough to make it better.

He could only do so much.

Croft was going to trust his family to help him heal their core.

Dante took Steele’s hand in his. “We have wedding shit to handle. How about we head out for a couple hours so you guys can do this without an audience? Emma wouldn’t want to be a spectacle,” he admitted.

He hugged his brother. “Thank you. You’re right.”

Greyson appreciated that they got it.

“When we get back, we’ll help her through it,” Steele said. “Emma is tough. She’ll digest it, and then we’ll take care of her.”

Greyson prayed it went that easily. He felt off, and he knew what was likely going to happen.

He loathed hurting his wife.

Curtis patted Greyson’s shoulder. They would give them space too. “Kat and I are exhausted. I’ll order us a pizza, and we’ll head to our room.”

Greyson hugged them both. “Thank you.”

“If you need us,” Kat said, “just call us. We’ll come help with mom. I couldn’t imagine losing Dimitri. I can only hurt thinking about what she had to live through that night.”

Yeah, he’d seen the crime scene photos, and he knew what Hell looked like. Emma had lived it.

Chris figured they had this.

“Nat and I can…,” he began, only to be cut off.

He stopped him. “She’s going to need stability, and that means her brothers. She sees you and Dimitri as them now. It’s going to be hard, but we each bring something to the table on this one.”

Chris got it. “I’m in. Natasha, do you mind?” he asked.

She gently gave him a kiss on the lips. “How could I? Emma has healed all of us. I can’t do what you can for her, so I get it. Give her my love and hold her for me if she needs it.”

Greyson appreciated all of their help.

“Thank you. She’ll be okay, but the shock is going to be the bad part. This is going to blindside her.”

Dimitri was in.

After what she’d done for him, he’d do anything he could to help Emma. She was just as valuable and important to him as his sisters.

She was loved.

They’d carry her if she was too weak. That’s what family did, and she was their center. It was time to give that strength back.

Before they could separate and go their own ways to give Greyson, Chris, and Dimitri space to talk to Emma, the gates—not far behind them—beeped.

“It’s Riley, and he’s using the front gate,” Dimitri stated. “That can’t be good. He doesn’t come here this time of the day, and right through the reporters.”

Well, so much for telling Emma. It looked like she was going to have some time yet before they broke her heart.

Thank God.

Dimitri let him in by accessing the security on his phone. When the large iron gates opened, the man’s ride rolled through and headed right toward them.

He wasn’t alone.

As he hopped out of his vehicle, so did Delilah.

No one saw that coming.

“What’s wrong?” Greyson asked, taking in the scene.

“We have a huge problem!”

Yeah, well, that seemed to be what they faced every day of the week. When didn’t they?

Vegas was one big mess after another, and they were barely staying afloat in the sea of shit.

“What’s going on?” Dimitri asked.

Riley told them what he heard while he was at the office, and then he told them what he’d done to get her out.

“They are going to hurt her. I needed a safe place to stash her until we figure out something to do.”

“Until tomorrow,” she said, “when I have to be the courthouse to do my job.”

He didn’t look amused.

“I can’t hide forever,” she stated, holding his hand in hers. She gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Delilah,” he stated.

“I have court. What are they going to do to me in the middle of a court room?” she asked. “I have a huge case. I have to be there, or my client is going to jail.”

Riley let out a pent-up sigh. This was frustrating the hell out of him.

Greyson through about it.

“Natasha,” he said, focusing on the woman.

“Yes?”

“Can you get dressed up, and sit in the courtroom with Delilah all day? When she’s done with court, bring her here. Is that okay, Dimitri?”

He didn’t mind. “She’s available.”

Natasha smiled. “I’ll be blonde. You’ll see me, but no one else will,” she offered.

Delilah was pretty sure they were taking this way too seriously. The courthouse was secure.

She’d be fine.

“I think all of this might be…”

Greyson stopped her. “It’s not. We have a storm coming. We’re about to dive into a case where there’s sex trafficking. It’s going to get ugly.”

“She can stay at my place,” Riley offered.

He had a hickey on his neck, and Delilah wasn’t trying to peel his skin from his body, so Greyson was pretty sure he knew what that meant.

“You can stay here in the pool house. Chris and Nat are coming back inside for a couple nights, until we have this under control,” he stated. “You’ll have more freedom.”

Riley didn’t understand.

“So you can jump me again,” she teased. “He was trying to be low key and not embarrass you.”

Riley blushed.

“Uh?”

Greyson pointed at his neck.

“Shit.”

“Tomorrow, she’ll go back to work, and you’ll head back to the job. You weren’t seen, were you?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow,” he offered.

Riley prayed they didn’t.

If they did…

“I want to GPS tag our attorney,” stated Dimitri. “We should get the detective too. Remember when Steele was taken?”

It had been Greyson’s watch that had saved him. That little tracker had made all the difference in the world.

“Good idea.”

“I’ll come to the pool house and hook you up later,” he offered. “I’ll knock first.”

Again, Riley blushed three more shades of red.

“Thanks,” Delilah offered.

Emma came outside, and she looked a little better. She’d composed herself and was back to her normal self.

Great.

And they were going to stir her up all over again.

“Are we having a party?” she asked as she noticed the attorney. “Hey, Riley,” Emma said, turning his head. “You have a shark bite. You went swimming in Lake Delilah.”

He stared at them.

“Am I wearing a sign?” he asked.

Greyson laughed.

Emma gave Delilah a high five. “Nice one.”

Their attorney grinned.

“You always were my favorite,” Delilah said to Emma. “Now I know why.”

Emma knew Delilah didn’t play favorites. She genuinely liked all of the Crofts, and not because of their money. She was a good person.

“Well, we have lots of food, so head in and have some dinner,” she offered.

Curtis kissed Emma. “Mom, we’re beat. I’m going to order a pizza, and we’re crashing early. Raincheck on the meal. How about tomorrow?”

She was surprised that Curtis was passing up immediate food. That wasn’t like him.

“Okay, that’s fine. See you tomorrow,” she said, as they headed away.

Dante kissed her and so did Steele.

“We have wedding shit to handle, so we’re going to opt out for tonight. We’ll check-in later when we get back from the strip.”

“You know, you could have told me before I cooked,” she said, laughing as they walked away.

“I have patrol,” Nat said, hugging her. “Can you put something aside for me? I’ll eat later.”

“Sure, I can, but…”

It was too late.

She disappeared too.

“Wow. Now we’re down to six.”

Delilah, ever the perceptive one, knew the three men before her were tense. “I was thinking wine and swimming pool. Are you in, Detective?”

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

She grinned. “Oh, really? That’s too bad. Unfortunately for you, I did.”

He stared at her.

Riley had a feeling she was trying to get him away from the people, and he let her lead the way.

“That doesn’t seem fair. You could have warned me,” he offered.

“Yeah, I know.”

They headed inside to grab some wine, and then to the pool. Terrace Glen was one of her favorite places, and the pool was why.

When they were gone, Emma looked over at the three men.

“What are they doing here?”

Greyson let her in on what had happened, and she looked absolutely horrified.

“Oh, shit! That’s bad. Thomas Christ definitely would rape a woman, that sick bastard.”

Chris, Greyson, and Dimitri knew it was time.

“We need to talk,” Greyson said. Taking her hand in his as they led her to the front patio. Once there, they sat her down.

“Uh, is this an intervention?” she asked, immediately sensing the shit was about to go down.

Dimitri was looking at her with concern.

Chris looked worried, and Greyson…

He was hesitating.

That was not normal.

“I know I’m not going to like this. What happened? Who died? Are we in trouble?” she asked. “Has something bad happened?”

A million things were going through her mind, and none of them were good.

To say she was freaked out would be an understatement.

Greyson knew he was up.

“I have to tell you something. I wasn’t going to, and we were going to handle it, but we needed to do this right. Since it involves you, you have every right to know what we’re dealing with. I don’t want to lie to my wife.”

Oh, holy shit!

This was going to be bad.

She began feeling sick to her stomach, and her palms began to sweat. Nothing rattled Greyson, and he looked out of sorts.

They all did.

Emma tugged off the hat Curtis had brought her and began nervously playing with the brim.

“What? Just do it. I can handle it.”

“It’s about your brother.”

She marginally relaxed.

Gage was dead. What could they possibly tell her that would be upsetting? There was nothing worse than what had already happened.

“What, Greyson?”

He pulled the photocopies of the absconded file out of his back pocket and handed them to her. The whole time, he held his breath.

She didn’t understand what he was giving her.

“I’m sorry.”

Then she read them.

All three men watched her face. It went from confused, to really confused, to freaked out, and then to angry.

“What the fuck?” she asked. “How did you get this?” she asked.

“I had Curtis and Kat dig into Thomas Christ’s life back East. I needed to know what we were up against. I didn’t expect this, but someone had the original file. The commissioner tried to hide it. We found it. These are copies. Delilah has the originals locked in a safe with our other legal papers.”

She stood.

She wanted to be sick.

There were a million things going through her mind. Each one was turbulent, and made her want to puke.

“Emma?” Greyson asked, putting his hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

Was she okay?

How could she be?

They’d just found proof that Thomas Christ had hired the druggie not to rob Gage but to actually kill him. A man she’d dated and had sex with had murdered her brother.

How was she supposed to ever be okay with that?

Emma wanted to be ill.

“When I dug into this, I wasn’t expecting it,” Greyson admitted.

“Kiddo, are you okay?” Chris asked.

No, she was the opposite of okay.

When she was finally able to speak, she glanced up at him. Here was her husband, and he was supposed to protect her.

Instead, she’d been blindsided by all three men.

“Why did you have to dig?” she asked. “Why did you tell me?” Emma said, backing away from him.

“Emma.”

He didn’t get it.

How could he?

“I would have rather you not have told me. I didn’t need this, Greyson. I’ve suffered enough. I’ve had to live with his death for years. I could have lived without knowing this.”

Dimitri saw this coming.

He’d like to say he was surprised, but he wouldn’t have wanted to know either. Some things are best left unsaid. He knew Emma had to feel responsible.

That Thomas Christ did this, because she told him to pound sand, was crushing.

Here was his fear.

Dimitri wished they would have listened to him, and then maybe, Emma wouldn’t be hurting like this.

Chris, on the other hand, was shocked. Emma had been a cop, and she was accustomed to there always being more to a story than what met the eye.

“Honey,” he said, trying to soothe her. She didn’t look well at all, and she was pregnant. Chris didn’t want her making herself sick.

She ignored him.

Greyson was up. He always forced her to be honest with him because lies only hurt a marriage.

He’d had no choice but to follow his own rules.

“Emma, I had to be honest. Lying isn’t how we do our marriage. You know I don’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t bury this and still have you respect me.”

He reached for her.

She pulled her arm away as if his touch burned her skin.

“Then you don’t know me at all, Greyson. If you did, you wouldn’t have told me any of this. You should have known better. All these years, I’ve been fighting this!” she said, shaking the papers. “I was left behind by all of them, and this is the one thing that will break me every time.”

He was aware.

He’d only been trying to be a good husband. Since coming to Vegas, he’d been anything but.

He’d forced her back.

She’d lost her badge.

Emma was looked down upon as pariah.

Croft knew he’d fucked this up.

Immediately, she began her retreat. “I need to be alone. I want to be alone,” she said, putting space between them.

“Emma. Honey.”

“NO!”

With that, she was gone. Emma headed back toward the house to escape the three men.

Chris followed. “I’ll take the first watch,” he said, hoping he could help her. “Grey, I’m sorry. I told you to tell her. I was wrong. I’ll own it.”

He knew it wasn’t his fault. “This isn’t on you, Chris. I’m the one who couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie. I’m the one who had Curtis dig around and find it. I suspected because I saw the police record on Gage’s death. It didn’t fit. Someone had to let that guy into Gage’s apartment. There was no way some strung out crack head planned his death.”

Dimitri saw it too.

Still, this was bad.

Chris headed across the driveway and into the house. When he was gone, the two men knew they needed to figure this out.

“What do you want me to do?” Dimitri offered.

What choice did he have? Greyson had hurt his wife, and now he had to do the right thing and make it better. He had to help her heal.

That meant only one thing.

There was only one option left.

“I want you to watch her, Dimitri. I need to head out to handle some business.”

Oh, he knew exactly what kind of business he was talking about, and that made him nervous.

Really nervous.

Dimitri had no choice. He stopped him. “Greyson, I’ll do it. Let me handle it. This is not something you should be focusing on right now. Go heal your wife. Let me handle Christ.”

Croft couldn’t do that. He’d done this, and it was on him. Greyson wouldn’t blame his wife if she hated him. He’d ripped open a festering wound and ground salt into it.

He would own it.

Instead of taking the man’s out, he handed him his phone. They could be traced. He would need an alibi.

Sadly, Greyson knew what needed to be done.

“Get me his personal information. I have to go kill a man for what he’s done.”

Dimitri watched him walk away.

Yeah, this was bad.

And he suspected that it was only going to get worse.

Chris found her in her bathroom, and she was throwing up. He knelt beside her, and when she was done, he picked her up and carried her to her bed.

She sobbed the entire way as she clung to his body like a scared, broken child. He could only imagine what that day had done to her. Then all the other days where she had to relive it in her heart and mind.

“Emma.”

She curled into a ball, and wept until she shook. “It’s like losing him all over again. It’s like having that wound ripped open all over again. How do I heal from this?” she asked, as she was wracked with sobs.

Chris hated that he’d been part of this.

He had to come clean.

“I told him to tell you. I told him that lying and killing Thomas Christ behind your back would be shitty for a marriage. It’s on me, not him. I was the one who told him this was best, and I’m so sorry. Dimitri wanted to just kill him.”

That broke her heart. They’d all had a hand in this, and they should have protected her. What Emma needed most was one person in her life to know better.

To see what this would do to her.

Now, she wanted to be left alone. The anger was there, and she wanted to rage.

“Emma,” he said, as she pulled away from him.

“Leave me alone.”

That stopped him in his tracks. Chris never once thought that his advice would cause a wedge between them. He’d never hurt Emma.

He loved her too damn much.

“I want to die inside. This is too much for me to handle. My poor brother was set up. It was hard enough thinking it was random, but I was able to accept that. Fate was a bitch. He wasn’t meant to live, but now? Now I know he could have been here still. I could have had that one person I was tied to. Instead, I watched blood gurgle from his throat as he bled to death. I was forced to see him sliced apart.”

“Emma, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” she asked, getting angry. “I was nearly raped, I watched him die in my arms, and now I hear it wasn’t a drugged-up nut? That instead, it was Thomas Christ’s handiwork?”

“Emma.”

“Chris, just go. Okay? I can’t right now. I want to be alone.”

He got that, but he knew she shouldn’t be alone. That was the opposite of what she needed.

“Emma, don’t hate us. We wanted to protect you.”

She opened her eyes. “Then you should have protected me. When Denise came back last month, looking for you, I headed her off. I wouldn’t let her near you.”

“What?” he asked. “What do you mean? She came back?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“See? I didn’t tell you to protect you. Why? Because you are mine! I would die before I’d let anyone hurt any of you!”

Well, this sucked.

He stared at her.

“I get that you’re mad. I would be, too, but Emma…” He was cut off.

“Please leave. I need you to leave me alone. I can’t right now.”

He got it.

Chris had to admit that a part of his heart broke. Emma didn’t want him near her, and that stung. Then again, he’d let her get hurt, while she’d kept him safe.

Again.

“I’ll leave you alone.”

As he closed the door to her room, she was sobbing, and it killed him.

Outside the room, he found Dimitri standing there against the wall. It looked like the second string was up.

“Bad?” he asked.

Oh, yeah, this was ugly.

“She kicked me out of her room. I owned my part in this, and that’s all I can do. You’re likely safe. I’m the bad guy on this one, and she hates me. It looks like you’re up.”

He figured as much.

Dimitri would handle it.

Only, they had a bigger issue to worry about at that moment, and it was going to blow up in their faces.

Greyson could NOT kill Thomas Christ.

By going at him while he was pissed, he’d make mistakes and risk being caught. They didn’t need that.

What they needed was a well-organized plan. He led the man down the hall and around the corner so they could talk in private before he went to handle Emma.

She didn’t need to hear this.

“Do me a favor. Don’t let Greyson leave. I don’t care if you have to knock him out and tie him up. He’s going to try and kill the man. I have a really bad feeling about all of this, and I always trust my gut. It’s going to get him caught or killed.”

Chris got it.

That was all he had to hear.

“I’ll handle him.”

He patted him on the back.

“Then I’ll handle this.”

The two men split up, and they headed off to each handle a Croft. When he knocked on her door, Emma didn’t answer.

“Emma?”

Nothing.

When Dimitri went inside, he looked for her, but she wasn’t in her room.

He really hoped she didn’t sneak out. As he thought about it, he was pretty sure he knew where she’d be. It was reminiscent of what he’d done. He’d been wounded, and he went to the one place he felt safe.

Emma would go to the one place she felt safe. To her, Greyson and Chris had betrayed her.

He hadn’t.

Leaving her room, he headed down the hall toward his bedroom. When he opened the door, she was sitting on his bed, and she looked beat down.

Broken.

Horrible.

“Emma.”

“I need a favor,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I need your help.”

He suspected what she was going to ask, and like he’d told Greyson, he would kill the man. That had been his plan from the start.

“What?” he asked, sitting beside her.

“I need you to teach me how to kill him. I need you to show me so I can do it. I have to kill him for my brother. He’s spilled blood, and I’m going to pay him back.”

Okay, that was NOT what he was expecting, and it horrified him that she thought he’d ever let her do that.

Emma wasn’t going to cross that line—not while he was alive, and certainly not while her husband was either.

He sighed. “Emma.”

“Just show me. I’ll pull the trigger. I’ll do it. He deserves to die.”

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms to her.

Emma didn’t hesitate. She went to him, and Dimitri simply held her. The tears came again, and he tried to comfort her as she wept. Her whole body shook.

“I have you.”

She sobbed even harder.

Dimitri rested on the bed and took Emma with him. She immediately curled into his body, and he protected her with his own.

It reminded him of what she’d done for him. When the storm hit, she held it back.

It was the least he could do.

She buried her face in his throat and sobbed as the storm raged around her.

Dimitri did what he always did when his sisters woke from a nightmare, or they were hurt. He let them feel. He knew she’d stop crying at some point, and that’s when he’d help her.

“It’s okay. This will be okay,” Dimitri said, holding her against him.

“He had a hit put out on my brother. I have no one because of him.”

He knew how to get her to focus.

Dimitri lifted her chin so she was staring into his eyes. “So everything you said to me last night was lies? I’m no one to you? I’m just someone to teach you to kill?”

She sniffled.

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t. You have three men who would go kill him for you, and then we don’t because we respect you and your choices, and you get mad at us.”

Here came his version of tough love. There was no doubt in his mind that it would work.

“I’m not mad at you.”

He stared into her eyes.

“I just hurt.”

He got that.

She tucked her face back into his neck, and she held onto him. While she did, she felt better.

“You smell like him.”

“Who?” he asked.

“My brother.”

He let her talk. Emma was a rational, smart woman. She’d work her way through it using logic. Dimitri would always bet on her to pull through.

“I remember when I would have days so hard I didn’t think I could pull it off, and he’d hold me like this. He’d tell me he loved me, and it would be okay. You wear the same cologne, and when I close my eyes, I can still hold onto him. I know it’s silly, but it’s all I have left of him—memories.”

He knew it wasn’t silly at all.

Dimitri knew that sometimes, you needed anything to get you through the moment. That’s exactly why he gravitated toward her. She got him through his pain.

So, he offered her some of the peace she’d given him.

“Out of the millions of colognes in the world, that’s a wonderful thing. Maybe, if there is something past this, Emma, he’s trying to give you a sign. He’s offering you that connection to him through me.”

She held onto him for dear life.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she whispered. “It’s so damn hard. Vegas is overwhelming me.”

He was well aware. The place was a sucking mire that could pull you under at any second.

Still…

“If you leave, I’ll follow. You’re mine, too, Emma. It’s a two-way street. You said a lot of things last night, and now it’s my turn. I love you. There are days when you’re the mother I never had, and then there are days when you’re the sister who takes the time to protect me. When I was hurt, or sick, or bleeding, there was no one. I watch you hold my sisters, telling them it’s okay as you shield them from the harshness of the world. No one has ever protected me, but then there was you. You’re loved. If you leave, we’ll follow. All you have to do is decide.”

She sobbed.

Dimitri held her tighter, and she went with him. Her hand went beneath his shirt to his abs.

It gave them both peace.

That little touch of skin to skin was calming. There was nothing sexual about the way she ran her hand up and down his flesh. It was more a way to connect.

This was the deepest essence of love between them, and it felt perfect.

“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll watch over you tonight.”

She didn’t fight.

She trusted him enough to listen.

As she slipped into sleep, he did something he’d never done for any woman before. He slipped away, took off his shirt, tucked it over her, and then wrapped her in blankets so she’d have comfort.

He grabbed a new shirt, and headed out.

He had to stop a murder.

For her.

For a woman he loved.

              * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Sky Villa

Late-Afternoon

She was ready for his return. She had planned everything out, and it was going to be perfect. She owed Paris a nice evening, since he’d worked all day.

He’d also tried so hard the last few weeks, and she’d been difficult every step of the way.

Tessa regretted that.

So now, she was going to repay him for his kindness, patience, and love.

As Tessa set everything up, she waited for him. When security called her, like she’d planned, it was time to light the candles on the roof.

She was going to have a romantic date for them.

Just them.

And it was a long time coming.

When Paris rolled into their home, she wasn’t there. There was no trace of Tessa to be found.

Immediately, his heart began pounding in his chest. He’d lost his temper with her, and he shouldn’t have. They were both under a huge amount of stress.

She was struggling, and instead of being kind, he’d flipped out and told her to ‘fuck off’.

That was bad.

What the hell kind of husband was he?

Who did that?

He was going to find her, apologize, and see if they could re-approach this issue with calmer heads prevailing.

If she wanted a baby, he’d do anything. Maybe there was some Chinese medicine to increase sperm counts. All he knew was that all day, he was sorry that he’d talked to her that way. It wasn’t the man he was or the one he wanted to be. Paris was writing it off as a simple crack in his resolve, and it wouldn’t happen again.

As he rolled around, he became more worried with each passing minute.

Tessa wasn’t home, and there was nothing done. Maybe she had left him.

That scared him to the point he began calling her on her cell, but they went to voicemail.

Then he saw it.

Her phone.

It was on their bed beside his pool towel and swim trunks.

No note.

Just that.

He assumed his wife was leaving him a message, and he prayed that was the case. Maybe she’d gone to the roof to relax, and wanted company.

He could only hope.

So, trying to give his wife what she wanted, Paris stripped out of his clothes, and he pulled on the swim trunks.

As he looked at his cane, he figured he could pull it off. He’d sat all day, and he could use the exercise.

Standing up, he slowly walked to the door, and then the elevator. He prayed when he got upstairs it wouldn’t be a fight.

He couldn’t do it anymore.

He was losing her, and Paris needed Tessa to live.

As the door to the upper deck opened, he stepped out. There was only one cabana being used.

“Tessa?” he called, but there was no reply. As the sun was setting across Vegas, he had to hope his wife was okay.

He moved closer.

Maybe she was sleeping.

She wouldn’t hurt herself, would she?

All these questions were racing through his mind.

When he was in front of the bright and sunny cabana, he opened the curtain. There, on the large cushion were rose petals in a heart with their initials in it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, stepping out from behind it. “I thought that we could have a picnic,” she offered.

They’d done this once before.

He’d blown it.

“Tessie, I’m sorry I spoke to you that way. I lost my cool. Please forgive me.”

“If you forgive me for being miserable. I’m sorry I’ve dumped this on you.”

He sat down. “I love you.”

She sat beside him. “I called Greyson and took him up on his offer of donating. He wants to see us tomorrow to discuss it.”

He stared at her.

Was she serious?

“It was kind of him to do that, and it was really special for you to do it. Only, I was only thinking about me. I didn’t think how all of this would make you feel. You would have to live with knowing he donated. I want you to decide if this is something you can handle.”

The complete turnaround surprised him.

“Tessa, I can’t have a baby with you, and that kills me. I would give my life to give you my child. I would die for that one moment to see you happy.”

“And I am happy. I know you’d do that for me. I want this to be about us. Can we live with what might happen?”

He moved back on the big seat, and she followed. When he tucked his legs beneath him, she handed him a sandwich.

“Are you asking if I would love this child less because I didn’t supply the DNA?”

“Yes. I don’t want to have a baby if you can’t honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you will be this child’s father in every possible way.”

He loved his wife so much.

Why had he doubted she’d turn this around? Here was that tough woman he fell in love with as his partner.

“I can love this child with all of me, Tessie.”

She prayed he meant it.

“I dream of holding a little girl with your smile, or having a little boy climb into my lap. I’m not able to make our child, but I get the blessing of picking a man I respect to give my child the traits I respect most. Children are products of our environment. So, no, the baby wouldn’t look like me, but he or she would be mine. You aren’t biologically part of me, but you’re mine.”

She kissed him.

“I think we should do it. I wouldn’t have gone to him had I not wanted a child with you, Tessa. It’s not like he’s going to have sex with you. He isn’t, right?” he teased.

She laughed. “He’s not my type.”

“What is your type?” he asked.

“Men who are sweet, gentle, smart, and who would die to protect me and my heart.”

He slid his hand into her hair and tugged her mouth to his.

“I love you, Tessie. Let’s have a baby. I want to be a father. I want you to be a mother.”

“Then we’ll have to see him tomorrow. It’s probably to be sure that we’re okay. He’s compassionate like that.”

Paris smiled. “And that’s why I went to him. He’s a good man, and if our kid ends up like him, we didn’t lose.”

He was right.

They’d certainly won.

Chapter Eleven

LVPD

Sunday

Evening

W hen he called his captain, they immediately wanted to see him. He rushed back to the precinct and waited in the man’s office. It didn’t take long before Thomas Christ came in, along with the commissioner. As they sat, Lester began feeling guilty for what he’d done.

They looked like wolves hunting prey. Lester began thinking he’d made a huge mistake when he called him to report his partner.

“What did you see?” Christ asked. “We need every detail, so leave nothing out.”

“My partner didn’t feel well, and he rushed out. I suggested he go home, and then I began wondering.”

“About?”

“He’s been getting sick a lot lately, or a dentist, or…”

Christ glanced over at Commissioner Raye. They were hunting for a rat in the ranks for the last month, and they may have just found who Croft had on the inside.

Perfect.

“You followed him?”

“Yes.”

“Where did he go?” the Commissioner asked.

“He drove straight to that attorney’s office. The one who represents the Crofts.”

What a coincidence.

They’d been talking about her at the same time. Someone was eavesdropping and spilling his guts to the mob man.

“Then what?”

“He carried her out over her shoulder, like some caveman, and then drove to her home. They were inside, and I could see them through the window, sir.”

“And?”

“They were having an intimate moment.”

“An intimate moment?” Thomas Christ asked.

“They were having sex, sir.”

Yeah, he felt bad about the whole thing. He’d just ratted his partner out.

“What then?” Commissioner Raye asked.

“I followed him to the Croft’s home, and I left. There are all those vans there, and I figured the FBI had it under control.”

They were aware.

“Thank you. You should head home for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll discipline him for taking leave when he wasn’t sick.”

The man relaxed. “Okay. He’s not fired, right? I mean, I know with all the shit going on with Heath, I don’t want him to get in trouble for dating a woman. It’s not his fault he’s seeing the Croft’s attorney. For all I know, he could have been with her for a long time, right?”

His boss smiled.

Was this guy clueless?

“Oh, no worries. You know what?” Thomas said. “I’m not even going to put this in his record. I’m going to approach him quietly. Your name won’t even come up. I’ll tell him I saw him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, forget you saw it. I know you were just looking out for your partner. I’m not mad he’s dating that woman. We’ll let that go. She’s hot. I can’t blame him. I’d hit that too,” Christ said.

During the conversation, he realized something. This man didn’t know what they’d talked about in his office. He really was just ratting his partner out for leaving work.

This could work for them.

“I’d appreciate that, sir. I like Riley. He’s smart, and he’s good at his job.”

Yeah, they were aware. They’d never even suspected that he could be the asshole Croft had on the inside.

He was a straight arrow, and their last possible suspect. 

Now they knew he was too good at his job. Detective Riley Henderson was on to them, and that was an issue.

The man headed out, closing the door behind them. They’d just learned a valuable lesson.

Thomas Christ scribbled a note on the note pad, just in case their office was bugged.

‘He has to die. I’m going to go to Lester’s home and kill him. We can frame his partner. Get some guy to say he saw him leaving.’

The commissioner read it.

‘Perfect. I don’t care how you handle it, but get it done. I don’t want a rat in my house. This is it. We are cutting the head off this snake.’

Christ read it.

‘Meanwhile, we can have something unfortunate happen to Henderson. If he turns up dead, that will be even better. Someone is going to wish he never messed with us.’

The commissioner grinned.

Now, this was why he hired this man. He was ruthless.

‘Handle it!’

He gave his boss the thumbs up. Well, he wasn’t going to be heading to the house of the smoking hot babe to rape and kill her, but he’d take out a stupid cop.

It wasn’t like it would be the first time.

Or his last.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

Greyson was getting ready in his room. He was preparing for his little side mission when he noticed that Chris was standing in his doorway.

“What do you want?”

“You’re not doing this.”

“Yes, I am. I was going to handle it before, but someone talked me out of it. I should have gone with Dimitri and my gut. The man has to die for what he did to my wife and her brother. I have to protect her heart.”

“Grey.”

“Chris, he hurt my wife. That’s a shot at our family. If he’s willing to set up a cop, do you know what he’s capable of?” he asked.

Oh, he had an idea, but that wasn’t the point. Dimitri gave him a job, and he was going to do it.

Chris entered the room and tried to talk some sense into the man. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Listen, I’m with you on almost everything, but think this through. If you do something hastily, what do you think is going to happen?”

He knew the risks.

They didn’t matter.

This was about healing his wife. She deserved the knowledge that he’d fixed this. She deserved to know that someone had her back.

“I’m going, and that’s it. My mind is made up. If you want to help me, you’ll stop being my Mom and give me an alibi.”

Chris sighed. “Then I’m sorry.”

Greyson didn’t turn around. “Sorry for what?” he asked, buckling the belt on his cargo pants.

Chris didn’t hesitate.

He tackled his friend, doing what Dimitri had told him to do. After all, technically, he was his boss, and he had to listen to the man.

Greyson was caught off guard, as he was thrown to the ground. Unfortunately for him, Chris had been working out, and training with Dimitri.

He had gotten stronger, bulkier, and apparently, sneakier.

He got the jump on him as they rolled around.

“Are you out of your mind?” Greyson hissed, as they rolled around on the floor.

Greyson almost got away, but Chris sucker punched him, and he saw stars.

Finally, Chris got him pinned. Before Greyson could get up, he zip-tied his hands behind his back, and then pushed off of him to get to his feet.

“I said you’re not going anywhere,” Chris said, wiping the blood from his mouth. It wasn’t easy to get the jump on Greyson Croft.

The man was slippery like an eel.

“I’m going to fucking kill you when I get free. Cut these zip-ties!” Croft ordered, as the bigger man held him down with his foot on his gut.

Chris wasn’t having it.

This was a matter of life or death. If Greyson died, or was arrested, Emma would be crushed.

He was doing this for both of them—despite the consequences.

“CHRIS!”

He ignored him, and patted Greyson down, removing a gun, two knives, and a set of brass knuckles.

“Are you insane? This would have left DNA. You can’t go to his house, kick his ass, put a bullet through his brain, and end him. Are you fucking out of your gourd? You know better than this!”

“If you don’t let me up, you’re fired. You will be leaving this house.”

Chris crouched down, ignoring the threat.

“I don’t work for you. I work for Dimitri.”

Greyson growled and tried to reach him with his hands behind his back.

Chris wasn’t done.

“I’m sorry if you can’t see this is for your own good. If we don’t protect you, we fail at all of our missions. You have to live to see your child born and not behind bars. Emma will die if she loses you. I get that you’re angry, but enough. She will come to her senses, and so will you.”

“Chris, set me free!”

He pulled tape out of his own cargo pants pocket.

“Sorry, my friend, but this is for your own good. You need to be quiet.”

“I will kill….”

The rest was muffled.

Chris looked around. He couldn’t leave him there. He’d crawl out, and someone would set him free. They needed him to calm down.

Detention was going to be the only way to do that. Greyson Croft was going into lockdown.

But where?

Chris looked around. He’d heard about the sexy secret room, and someone was going there.

Dragging him under the arms, he pulled him toward the closet. Luckily for him, Dimitri happened to walk in.

“Are you abducting him or saving him?” he asked.

“I’m saving him from himself,” Chris stated. Then he glanced down at Greyson. “One eighty-five my ass. Someone needs to lay off the bacon.”

Greyson started bitching into the duct tape.

Dimitri shook his head. “You couldn’t just drug him? Seriously? You need retraining,” he teased.

Dimitri grabbed him by the ankles and they carried him into the closet.

“You’re right about the bacon.”

Greyson glared at him too.

They hit the lock on the door, and they headed in. The room was done up in jewel colors and the bed was huge. They could only imagine the kink that went on in there.

Someone was a lucky man.

“Well, someone has a sexy little playpen,” Chris teased, trying to lighten the mood. “Bum chicka bum bum.”

“I have audio. It’s a kink fest in here.”

Greyson began fighting. He was going to hurt them as soon as he was free.

“Don’t piss him off even more. With him, he’s tricky,” Chris said. “If he gets free, before he calms down, we are screwed. The mob man might make us swim with the fishes,” he teased.

Dimitri wasn’t worried, and clearly, neither was Chris. Greyson couldn’t help but want to show them how wrong they were.

“Once Emma finds him, he’ll be good.”

Chris propped him up against the headboard. “Oh look, there are eye-screws. I don’t want to even think about what they get used for in here.”

Greyson struggled to try and kick Chris off him.

He failed.

“Zip-tie him to it. He’s smart and was a soldier. He’ll be out if we don’t secure him.”

When they were done, Greyson was sitting on his bed, arms behind him, and his legs in front of him. He was completely restrained.

“You’ll thank us for this. We’re locking you in.”

His eyes went huge.

He began cursing.

“And that would be why. I think he said he’s going to cut off someone’s balls.”

Chris shook his head. “All this violence.”

They headed out. Chris picked up the remote and turned on the TV that was on the wall. “You know…in case you get bored. Watch some TV and take a break.”

The door closed.

Greyson fumed. He was going to kick both of their asses as soon as he got his hands on them.

He wasn’t done.

Not by a long shot.

Outside, Dimitri locked the room, making sure someone wouldn’t be escaping.

“That son of a bitch has a sex room. It’s good to be king,” Chris teased, but the humor was gone.

Dimitri heard the difference.

“Are you going to be okay?” Dimitri asked. It couldn’t have been easy on Chris to do what he had to do. He worked for him, but everyone knew how close he and Emma were. While Dimitri might smell like her brother, Chris was that proxy.

This had to bother him on some deep level.

“I’m fine, but I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day. Tell Natasha to bunk elsewhere. I want to be alone. Tell her not to read into it. I pissed off my sister, and likely lost her, and I just abducted one of my best friends and locked him in a room. He’s going to kill me in the morning. I need quiet to regroup my thoughts.”

He got it.

Sometimes, you just needed to be alone.

“She’s on patrol tonight. I’ll tell her you had a rough one.”

“Thanks,” he said, patting his boss on the back. “See you in the morning for Croft-aggedon.”

“Chris, thank you for doing your job. I know it wasn’t easy. I appreciate it.”

“It’s fine,” he said, heading away. He didn’t do it for Dimitri. He did it for Emma.

He did it because he loved her.

Dimitri knew it wasn’t okay in the least. While he’d come a long way, Chris was still the one with the emotional ties to his past life. A cop was a cop until the end, and he and Emma struggled more than Greyson.

More than him.

In fact, he knew this was bad. Tonight, they’d regroup. Tomorrow, Thomas Christ was dead. Only, they would handle it a different way.

The smart way.

When they were all calm, this would be better.

But first…

He had to fix something else.

When Emma woke, Dimitri was back against her. She was tucked to his side, and he was watching her.

“Feel better after your nap?”

“A little.”

He sat her up. “Good, here’s your come to Jesus talk like I needed last night.”

“You don’t believe in Jesus,” she replied.

“Pick a deity. That’s not the point. Here is the point. The shit is coming. I can feel it. What’s worse is this family is falling apart. Greyson was going to head out, and Chris had to neutralize the situation.”

She gasped. “Neutralize? I hate that word. What do you mean…?”

“Stop. We’d never hurt him. He’s tied up in your sex room, which is ironic if you think about it.”

“DIMITRI!”

He’d tease them both later. For now, he had work to do. “He was so pissed, he was going off halfcocked to kill that man. FOR YOU.”

Emma listened.

“We love you so much that if he didn’t, I would have done it.”

“Dimitri.”

He covered her mouth with his hand.

“Right now, we have three Fed vans outside watching our every move. We have a case that’s about to blow apart tomorrow when we start digging. What you don’t know is today, he had to call the FBI for help.”

She listened.

“Greyson had to contact Ethan Blackhawk because what’s coming is bad. This isn’t just a missing girl case. This is a clusterfuck of epic proportions. We are about to wear a target not only against the cops and Feds, but now against whoever is running this ring. It’s huge too.”

She was scared.

Dimitri kissed her on the forehead. “We will be fine, but we can’t do things crazily, Emma.”

“I know.”

“The weight of this is on all of us. If we do anything suspicious, they will nail our asses to the wall. Not to mention, Delilah has been pulled into it.”

He rehashed Thomas Christ’s plan.

“Jesus! He’s a sicko.”

Oh, they were well aware.

“I need you to think, do the right thing, and be patient. If you want him dead, I’ll handle it. I can call someone to take him out without us getting our hands dirty. That’s your right, but this family…it has to stay intact. I just found this happiness, and I’m going to ensure we keep it.”

He was right.

Dimitri Gideon was a gentle and sweet man beneath all the scary Russian wrappings.

In fact, he deserved all of their gratitude.

She kissed him on the mouth, and it was a big, wet kiss.

When she set him free, he stared at her. “Wow! You do like bossy men.”

“Well, yes, but I really like the brothers who have my back. You are right. I owe them both an apology.”

He licked his lips. “Well, I like this conversation so far.”

She went into his body and sat in his lap. Dimitri held her against him. Again, she reminded him of one of his sisters.

“I love you. Thank you for this. I needed a nap and to calm down. I appreciate you having my back. I’m awash in pregnancy hormones and stress. It’s not a good combination.”

“Do you want him dead?” he asked. “Tell me, and I’ll handle it.”

She touched his face, and they were eye to eye. “No. I still believe in justice. Karma is a bitch. We prepare for poking into FBI territory, and we buckle down as a family. Get everyone home, and inside.”

He nodded. “Yes, Mom.”

She hopped off the bed and then stopped. “Our lives were not complete until you, Dimitri. You will forever be my friend, my brother, and so much more. While I already have a husband, know that I love you as much. You’re a good man.”

His heart skipped.

The fact that someone loved him like that…

It helped.

“I love you, too, Emma.”

She ran back at him and hugged him again. He gave her a kiss this time. Gentle, lovingly, and with tenderness. He said something in Russian.”

“What did that mean?” she asked.

“I guess you’ll have to learn more Russian to find out,” he teased.

Well, she had news for him. She squeezed his hand, and then she said something back.

She answered his question.

His heart skipped.

“I know plenty of Russian, Maximillian. Maybe one day you’ll get your wish.”

With that, she headed out.

He sat there, and took a moment to compose himself.

It wasn’t easy.

Emma Croft had easily taken him to his knees.

                                 * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Out by the pool, she was lounging in a chair, and there was a bottle of wine beside her. Every now and then, she’d take a sip right from the bottle.

Riley was watching her, and he couldn’t help but stare. Delilah was a sight to behold.

Just a couple hours ago, he’d had sex with her.

WITH HER.

Holy shit.

Now here she was lounging there in the tiniest bikini he’d ever seen. It was wet, from where she’d been in the pool. What made it so scandalous was it was now see through. He could see the outline of her nipples, and he could see…

Jesus.

She was trying to kill him.

“How long are you going to stay in your jeans?” she asked, not even looking at him.

“I don’t know.”

Riley knew what he wanted, and it involved a bed and a second round of really wild sex.

“Detective, whether you know it or not, it’s chilly in this bikini. I’m waiting for you.”

He measured his words carefully.

“I can tell you’re chilly, and I think that was the point, wasn’t it?”

Delilah laughed. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

Were they?

Riley was as confused as a man could be.

“What are you doing, Miss Fleur?” he finally asked, getting her attention. “Is this a game?”

She lifted her head and glanced over at him. “I don’t play games.”

Still, he didn’t understand what was going on. Yes, he’d barged into her room, and they’d had the hottest sex he’d ever had in his life, but the rest of this…

He was lost.

“If something is on your mind, Detective, you should just say it and get it off your chest.”

“Okay, I have to be honest about something.”

She sat up, and he watched her breasts, and then he tried not to be a perv, so he looked away.

It wasn’t easy.

Delilah had an effect on him. He wanted her so much that his body was reacting to her five feet away.

“What?”

“Why did you have sex with me?”

“Because you’re sexy.”

He stared at her.

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“Okay, maybe I’m not asking the right question. Let me try a different one. Is this some joke that you’re playing on me to screw with me?”

She didn’t get it.

Had he just implied…?

“Joke? You think I’d have sex as a joke and that I’d degrade myself by using my body to mess with you? Is that the kind of person you see me as?”

She was getting angry.

Riley could see this exploding.

“I just don’t get it. You’re drop dead gorgeous, you’re a freaking attorney who hates cops, and I saw your diploma. You’re super smart. So, why is it that you,” he said, waving his hand down her body, “Wanted to fornicate with me? I’m not your type. I can’t possibly be your type.”

There.

He said it.

“How do you know you’re not my type?”

“Well, maybe because you said you hate cops, and you were overheard saying that you would rather fuck a chainsaw then let a cop breathe on you. I believe that comment was made at the courthouse.”

She laughed.

Yeah, she’d said it, but that was before she got to know him.

“I work off clues and information. You’re laying down one set of clues, and the information isn’t jiving. So, calm down before you jump to conclusions. I’m really confused.”

She realized he was being honest. Maybe she had given him the wrong impression.

“Okay, here’s the deal.”

He leaned forward.

Riley couldn’t wait to hear this.

“I think you’re sexy. When I look at you, you’re always polite, gentlemanly, and kind. You heard something about me today, and you risked your career for me—a woman who said that about cops. Why?”

“Because it my job to protect and serve. I can’t let a man rape a woman and kill her because he wants to do it. That’s everything I grew up fighting against. My father was a cop, and we don’t play with right and wrong. We protect.”

She could see he had a deep moral code.

It was attractive to her.

Honestly, they weren’t that different. She fought for the underdog too. Only, on the outside, she looked like a money grubbing defense attorney.

It was just her cover.

“When men look at me, they see this,” she said, pointing at her face and body. “While that’s nice, I don’t always want to be someone’s wet dream. I need more. You gave that to me today. I’ve never been rescued, defended, or treated like that. You caught me in my girly things, and you didn’t try to molest me. You were a gentleman. That’s rare—especially in this shithole town.”

He listened to her.

“For the record. I heard you calling me. I also got out of my clothes for a reason.”

“To test me?”

“Nope. I think you’re sexy, Detective. When you smile, your blue eyes light up, and when you’re nervous, you blush. I think your freckles are adorable, and you know how to push my buttons. NO ONE would cuff me, toss me over their shoulder, and carry me out of my office. That takes a brass set, and I like that in a man. What I portray inside that office, it’s an act. That’s my job. I’m not Attorney Fleur twenty-four-seven. Sometimes, I just want to be Delilah, and she’s just as human as the next person. What you saw, it’s me. I like being me.”

He got it.

She was being genuine.

“So this wasn’t a set up, and you do always wear garters under your clothes?”

“At work, yes, at home, I wear sweats. I sleep naked, and I like a man who isn’t afraid to make me as crazy as I can make him. You’re different in bed than you are at work.”

“Am I?” he asked.

“Yes, you are. It was sexy. You, as a package, are very appealing to me.”

He laughed.

“What?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” he said, shaking his head.

“What?”

He moved toward her, yanked her out of her chair, and tossed her back over his shoulder.

Then, he headed toward the pool house. Before he got there, his hand landed sharply on her half-naked ass.

Delilah gasped in shock and outrage.

And then she got wet.

Yeah, she couldn’t believe it.

She’d fallen for a freaking cop, and he could read her like a book.

                   * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

When Emma found him, he was in his room. She knocked and was told to go away.

Yeah, that sounded like Chris. When he was stirred up, he liked to think things through. Of course he’d retreat to his room to mull over everything he’d done, or should have done.

She loved him for that.

Ignoring him, she headed into his room.

Chris was standing there in his boxers. He spun, ready to bitch, when he saw her.

“Emma.”

She raced toward him, and threw herself at him. He caught her and held her while she cried. There would be no need for words with him. He’d get it.

Chris always understood.

“I have you, sweetheart. I have you, Emma, and I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’m sorry.”

As the storm raged on, he soothed her. Since he’d let her get hurt, he had to take the time to ease that pain.

Finally, she was able to speak.

“I’m sorry I said those things to you,” she admitted. “I was hurt, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“I forgive you,” he said, still hugging her. “I would never hurt you intentionally, had I thought you wanted him to pay.”

She set him free.

“I didn’t. You were right. I was just mad.”

She took his hand and led him to his bed. When she sat, he dropped down beside her.

“I don’t deserve you or Dimitri in my life. I lashed out, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

He could do better than that.

“When we were pinned in that building, and I had been shot in the chest, we shared something.”

She listened.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“Well, you did twice in the ambulance. You made me age about twenty years. It was the longest day of my life.”

“I said a lot of things to you.”

“Yes, you did.”

“You’ve never told Greyson any of it, have you?” he asked, needing the truth.

Here was a fine line.

She wasn’t really lying to her husband. Chris had told her things, thinking he was dying. They deserved to stay between them.

As friends.

As Cops.

As family.

“No. You told me your feelings, and they were personal between us. I told you mine. That was our moment, and had you died, I wanted you to know that I felt the same.”

He tucked some red hair behind her ear.

“Sometimes, life throws things at you to mix it up. I never wanted to love some bossy redhead who was possibly the best cop I’ve ever met, but I fell for you. What I feel for you…it’s mine. I’ll carry it forever in my heart. We can’t change it, but it’s still there.”

She was aware.

Had she not been married to Greyson, she would have married Chris in a heartbeat.

He was…special.

While Dimitri had part of her heart, Chris did, too, but for very different reasons. There was that connection.

“When I told Greyson to tell you, I had to make the choice I made knowing your soul. You’re good, kind, and peaceful. The Emma I fell in love with wouldn’t be a vengeful killer. I had to believe in that woman. If not, then everything I’d ever believed about you, and what I felt for you…”

He stared into her eyes.

She continued for him, “It would be a lie. I get it now.”

“If you went out and took his life, I’d lose respect for you. I’d know that I was wrong about you. When you were keeping the blood in my body with your shirt and bare hands, you kissed me. That was the Emma I wanted to remember. She’s the one I wanted to die with on my mind. The last woman I ever kissed.”

She wiped her eyes.

Emma understood now. He was preserving his own heart by protecting hers. He had to know the truth.

“I accept what was done, but I have a hole in my heart.”

He believed it.

“We will work at healing that, but with time—not vengeance. Not you, Emma. Not the woman that I believed was above that.”

He was right.

They’d both been cops. There was a different set of rules for them.

“Tomorrow, we start working on who is taking women and selling them. We have to fight against something so big, and it’s going to be brutal. We can’t be angry, divided, or out for blood.”

“You’re right, Christopher. I see it from your perspective, and I agree.”

He relaxed.

“Thank you.”

He kissed her knuckles.

“Thank you for restraining him. That was either brave or stupid. I’m not sure which.”

He laughed. “Oh, the latter. He’s going to kick my ass as soon as he’s free.”

“No, he’s not. He’s a good man. He’s like you. He just has the weight of Vegas on his shoulders. He wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“And that’s why I tied him to your bed.”

She laughed.

“You’re welcome, and I will say I’m jealous of only two things he has, and that sex room is one. It may even be the winner.”

Emma stood.

She understood what he was saying. She was the other.

“I’m glad you found Natasha.”

He touched her face. “I am too. She heals most of me. I just need you to know…”

He struggled.

She understood.

Emma kissed him softly on the lips. She shared with him her heart. “I love you, Christopher. We’ll always have that moment when you thought you were dying. That’s ours. It will live as long as we do. The truth doesn’t die. It stays there until it’s no longer needed.”

He grinned.

“Yeah, we will always have that.” He clenched his fist and held it to his heart.

She blew him a kiss.

Then she left.

Emma had one last man to thank, and he was the most important one.

Because he was her heart.

Chapter Twelve

G reyson was not amused by any of what had happened. In fact, he was going to make sure the men realized this was a huge mistake. He would get even if it was the last thing he did. Heads would roll. When he finally got himself free, he was going to make someone bleed.

He was the head of this family, and here he was, restrained in his own love nest with no hope of getting out.

Yeah, he was not amused.

On the other hand, at least he was relatively comfortable. At some point, he’d be free, and until then, he would have to keep himself busy.

That’s where the TV came in. At least there was that.

Well, that’s what he thought until he began watching the news, and it was the same story over and over again.

It was about Emma.

And her infidelity.

As Croft sat there, a prisoner in the room he’d created for them, he was forced to watch Emma laughing and kissing Chris. He was forced to watch her in his arms as they headed into a strip club.

Rational Greyson knew the truth.

She’d never cheat.

Irrational, bound, and pissed off Greyson…

He was harder to convince.

As he sat there, he wanted his wife more and more. He needed her. Only she could help him through this. His heart was aching, his mind was racing, and the thoughts…they weren’t puritanical.

He was horny.

Maybe it was adrenaline.

Maybe it was the fact that she was in another man’s arms, but he wanted her against his body like that.

He was throbbing.

Rock hard, and he needed relief.

Greyson glanced over at the door, as it began opening. In the entrance, he saw his wife. She was watching him, as if he were some crazed maniac, waiting to attack.

God!

He was.

The second she set him free, she was screwed.

Literally.

Emma saw him, and her heart skipped. He was dressed in Cargo pants, and looked wicked. Her husband reminded her of some mercenary gone rogue.

She wanted him, and there was no doubt in her mind what he needed to come down off this. If she didn’t want him out killing, she needed to satiate that other beast.

It was time.

As she closed the door and locked it from inside, he still watched her. Clicking off the TV, she headed his way.

“Greyson.”

He tracked her with his silver eyes.

But he said nothing through the tape.

“I’m sorry I dumped all my emotional baggage all over you. It wasn’t right. Chris was right, and so was Dimitri. Thomas Christ needs to be taken care of, but not by you, not by me, and not by this family. Justice will prevail.”

He couldn’t think.

Greyson could smell the scent of her perfume, and it made his heart thump. It was the call of mate to mate, and he was helpless to it. She was his, and Croft wanted her.

As she climbed onto the bed, his heart became erratic. Greyson dropped his legs so they were flat, and she moved toward him.

Emma could see the bulge in his cargo pants, and she knew what he was thinking about.

He wanted her.

Still.

It was a relief.

Pulling a knife out of her pocket, she cut through the zip ties at his ankles.

His legs moved apart.

Then she reached for his hands.

And stopped.

Intently, he watched her, and for his kitten, it was almost judgment time. The second he was free, Greyson was going to be on her and unmerciful.

Croft had the overwhelming need to take her.

He’d been tied up, humiliated, and forced to watch her frolic with another man. His control was frayed, and he was on the verge of murder.

Emma would pay. Her body would be his, and there would be no stopping him.

Emma hesitated, and still he said nothing. The way he was watching her worried Emma.

Maybe she didn’t want to set him free.

What if he left?

What if he raced out of the house to kill that asshole?

Well, her mind was made up.

She removed the tape.

“Set me free, Emma,” he said.

She’d heard that tone before. It was icy cold and it scared the bejeezus out of her.

“No.”

He blinked, unable to believe what he’d just heard her say. Did his kitten just tell him no?

It added to the fuel. This was just one more thing that blazed in him.

“Emma, if you know what’s best for yourself, you’re going to set me free.”

Instead of being afraid of his words, she reached for him. Flicking open him cargo pants, he stared down at her hand.

She stroked him.

She ran her fingers over the bump in his boxers.

“Set me…”

Emma slapped the tape back over his mouth, and he stared at her with wide eyes.

“When am I ever going to get this gift again?” she asked, popping the knife back out.

She grabbed him by the shirt, and cut it up his body, revealing his chest.

He leaned back, watching her.

In his mind, he was begging her to continue. He needed her. While she thought that he was going to be angry, he wasn’t.

He was simply going to take.

At that moment in his life, he’d never needed her more. Beneath that scary exterior, all the hype about him being lawless, there was still that man who worried he’d lose the one good thing he had.

Her.

Greyson was scared shitless. He couldn’t lose Emma. If he did, he’d be forced to be alone in life.

He wouldn’t make it.

Emma bared his chest, and dropped the knife. She wanted to feel. She needed him so badly, that she couldn’t help herself.

Straddling his lap, she ran her hands up the light spattering of hair on his torso.

It was the best feeling in the world.

With her mouth, she left kisses all over his big strong chest. He moaned beneath the tape and didn’t struggle anymore. Emma moved to his neck, and began teasing him with her teeth. His throat, his earlobe, and finally, with words whispered into his ear.

“I am going to really enjoy this. You’re mine, Captain Croft, and I’m going to use you.”

His body vibrated in need.

As he listened to her words, he couldn’t help but focus on her hands. They were going lower and lower, and finally were in his boxers on the prize.

He wanted to weep in gratitude.

This was exactly what he needed.

Emma hopped off the bed, and he protested. Then he stopped, when she slowly stripped out of her clothes. First she tossed the pants, and then the shirt. Next to go was the bra, and she dropped the little pair of panties.

Picking them up, she crawled back across the bed to her husband.

“Remind me to thank Chris and Dimitri for this. I’ve always wondered if I’d ever get a chance to do this,” she whispered, pulling the tape off his mouth.

When he opened to speak, she shoved her panties in to shut him up. Emma wanted to live in fantasy land for a while. She didn’t want to think about what waited tomorrow morning.

She wanted him.

Only this man would chase away the shadows. He was her soulmate, and he mattered more than anyone else in her life. With Greyson, she could live, and she didn’t thank him nearly enough.

Well, that ended now.

Today.

Here.

She was going to thank him the only way she could—by offering herself up to him.

“This is a long time coming,” she whispered, his body rippling beneath her fingers.

Greyson was surprised, but her aggressiveness did what he needed. It calmed him down, so he could just relax, forget about his worries, and let her drive the bus.

When Emma rubbed against him, he moaned, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back.

“It looks like you’re my prisoner,” she whispered. “I think I should let the torture begin.”

Without warning, she grabbed the knife and cut his boxers apart like wrapping paper on a present.

He was her gift.

He was the most precious of treasures to her.

He watched, unable to look away. When she ran the backside of the cold blade against his erection, it sent shivers across his body.

He was ready.

Maybe.

Then again, he was never ready for what this one woman could do to him. From the second their eyes met in Celestia, she’d had all the power.

His wife could save or destroy him a million times over. With one action, one word, or one deed, he could be broken. His life was in her hands.

Emma dropped the blade, and her head went into Greyson’s lap. Once there, she began devouring him.

She wasn’t gentle either.

That wasn’t her mood.

She was still hurting, angry, and anxious, and she let him carry the brunt of that on his shoulders. Emma worked him hard, as if she was trying to consume him in little greedy bites.

Greyson moaned. He fought to get relief as his hips began moving. As soon as he did that, she stopped.

He was breathing heavily through her panties.

“I like having you helpless, Captain Croft. For once, it’s nice being on the other side,” she whispered into his ear.

Oh, he wasn’t complaining, especially after the start of that blowjob.

It was hot.

Greyson was thinking of implementing this fantasy a little more often. He’d play her prisoner of war any damn day.

Emma slid up his body, finding him so hard it had to be painful. Instead of making him suffer too much, she teased him by sliding him through her wetness.

“You do this to me,” she whispered into his ear. “Only you, Greyson,” she vowed.

It helped his fears.

“I can’t wait to have this child, and see you hold a little one with those same amazing eyes.”

He tipped his head, and she bit him, simultaneously sliding down to fill her own body with his.

He bucked from the sensation.

Jesus!

His wife was pulling out all the stops.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” she whispered, as she began to ride.

Greyson was being tortured. He was watching breasts bounce, feeling her sliding up and down his dick, and her face!

Christ Almighty!

Her face said it all. There was nothing but adoration and love there for him. He’d been worried for nothing. She was still his. At the core of this family, they were still strong and madly in love.

His fortune and luck staggered him.

He fought to hold on.

“Don’t you dare cum, or you’re staying like this until I can get you hard again!” she ordered.

He’d give her this.

Greyson fought. Meanwhile, the knife slid right next to his fingers. It gave him something to focus on—to keep from exploding.

Emma worked him hard—harder than he could ever remember her doing before. She was making it damn hard to concentrate on anything but her body against his.

She bounced, rode, and torment the hell out of him. When she came, she slid him free of her body as she rode out the orgasm braced on his chest.

“I like you all tied up. I know why you do it,” she said, touching his cheek.

He watched her, saying nothing.

That’s when she said it.

“I love you. Please don’t kill Thomas Christ. I need you to do this for me. Please don’t let him win. I’m losing you. I watch every day as you fight this battle against yourself, and I’m losing you.”

His face softened.

Emma pulled the panties from his mouth. “I can’t do this without you. If you die, or go to jail, I can’t raise our son without you.”

He looked at her.

“Son?”

“I just know,” she said. “Before, when people said they just knew, I thought they were insane. Now…I get it. I’m going to have your son, Greyson, and I can’t lose you. Don’t let them win. He needs his father. Please,” she whispered, staring into his eyes.

He was overwhelmed.

Tears filled his eyes.

“For us. Don’t stoop to his level. If not for me, Grey, for your son. He needs you to show him what is wrong and right. They will say he’s dirty, like you. Help me raise him to be the man you really are—not who they think.”

Those words.

They rocked him.

She was right. He touched her belly.

Emma gasped.

He’d gotten free.

“I get it, Emma. I get it. I won’t stoop to their level. I won’t allow our son to be that monster. I’ll be who you married—for him, for you, and also for me.”

“My heart hurts, Grey,” she whispered. “My soul, it’s been ripped to shreds. I need you. God! I’ve never needed you more,” she said.

He rolled with her, placing Emma on her back. He quickly stripped out of his tattered clothes. Then, he did what he knew was right.

He treated her like glass.

He was gentle.

Greyson made soft, sweet love to his wife.

Sliding back home, he began moving, as tears slipped from her eyes, down her cheeks, and into her hair.

He kissed them away.

“I won’t let anything happen to him or you,” he vowed. “I will see my son grow up, and I’ll show him what it means to be a man. He’ll be a caveman, but he’ll have integrity.”

She held on, as he took her for a slow, smooth ride. They stared into each other’s eyes, not breaking that gaze.

As they moved to the edge, he brought his mouth to hers, and they kissed through the fall.

It was perfect.

It was love.

As they cascaded and tumbled into the orgasm, Greyson protected his wife with the frame of his body.

He protected his son.

“I love you,” he whispered, as she held onto him.

“I will never love a man more than I love you,” she vowed, when she was able to speak. “You were meant to be mine.”

Greyson picked her up, and then tucked them into the big bed. Tonight, they’d hide there, cuddling.

There was a storm coming, and Greyson knew what was at stake.

His soul.

Her heart.

And their family.

And he was, unfortunately, the only one who was going to be able to hold it back.

It was his price to pay for owning a town as dirty as Vegas.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Town

Lester Lucas’s

Home

As he sat there watching the nightly news, he heard it. He heard someone breaking into his home. Besides being a cop, he knew his house, and he knew each and every creak.

It was his place to go when he was sick of the world and crime.

Truth be told, on any other day, he would have been asleep had he not been up worried about what he’d done. He betrayed his partner, and that was weighing heavily on him.

As the stairs creaked, he got out of bed. As he was about to grab his gun, his door flew open, and a shot rang out.

Lester remembered very little about it, other than how much it hurt as he fell to the floor.

He stared up at the man, and then closed his eyes.

He heard the faint footsteps as the person left.

Opening his eyes, he reached for his phone. With bloody fingers, he left one last typed line, ready to be sent. Then, he slid it under his bed, in case the person came back.

It was too late to save himself, but he could save the one person he’d betrayed.

He could solve his own murder, instead of being one more statistic.

Then, Lester took his last breath as blood oozed from his mouth, his nose, and hole in his heart.

He’d been a fool, and in those last minutes, he regretted it. Karma was a bitch, and he’d fallen for their game.

He, too, had been betrayed.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Monday

Morning

Airport

Their private jet arrived right on schedule, and touched down with ease. It had been a quick flight, and the time zone difference had been on their side. They’d landed right when they needed to be in Vegas to get this mess handled.

As Ethan and Elizabeth exited, he stood on the tarmac with his wife. She was quiet, and that didn’t make him happy. Since coming back from Salem, and the case that cost them so much, she’d been aloof.

She’d changed.

Gone was the laughter, the amusement, and the softness they’d come to find beneath that tough exterior. Instead, she was angry, and he could see it.

Ethan didn’t know how to fix that.

Elizabeth was still hurting, and he didn’t think it was ever going to stop. Her heart was a mess, and she was taking the blame for everything that went down.

Bonnie came.

She saw.

And she conquered.

Then the bitch snuck off, leaving them to pick up the pieces of their life. The death of their family had been devastating. It left a huge hole in their lives.

They were playing catch-up, and they were lagging behind. At home, with a team of nannies in place, they’d all gone back to work.

Wyler was still missing, and Elizabeth’s heart…?

It hadn’t been the same.

Ethan knew something was coming, and that’s why he wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to keep an eye on his wife before she headed out to Boston with Callen for his book thing.

He was worried.

“Hey,” he said, touching her hand.

She looked over at him, and the smile wasn’t genuine. He knew the difference, and she wasn’t fooling anyone—let alone him.

Ethan knew her better than anyone on the planet, and he could see the charade.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He took her face in his hands. “I need you to stop lying to me. I need my wife…”

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you.”

It was all she could say.

Everything else, all the emotions were locked in her as if someone broke her. Elizabeth wanted to be happy, but every time she looked at that baby…

She saw her failure and heard the words that Maeve had said before offering her up to Bonnie.

That betrayal stung.

Yes, she’d failed, but she’d had the deck stacked against her from the start. She’d been betrayed by an employee, by the daughter of her friends, and a killer.

Elizabeth was at her max for people not having the ethics to stand by the people they swore to protect.

Then there was Ethan.

God!

She loved him so damn much. She knew he wasn’t fooled, but bless him, he was giving her some time and space.

She needed that.

Now, as he held her close, she was able to speak to him without saying a single word.

As he held her, they didn’t need to say anything. He got her, and that mattered.

“I love you,” he said softly into her ear as he stood on that hot tarmac in his impeccably made suit. He looked powerful, dangerous, and lethal. His hair was loose, and it blew in the warm breeze, tickling her nose with the glossy Native strands and the warm shampoo scent.

It was home.

In that moment, she simply leaned.

They had to look silly. Here she was, dressed the opposite of him. Elizabeth was wearing all black, she had a few guns strategically located, and she looked like she was going off to war.

And she was.

“If you don’t want to do this,” he began.

Elizabeth stopped him. “I’m fine. I can handle this,” she said, knowing he was worried.

They all were stressed to the max by what happened. No one was immune from it. They were worried about everything.

Worried about Wyler.

Worried about baby TJ.

Worried about her.

Still, life went on, and she couldn’t stop being everything to everyone. It was time to do her damn job.

She was a killer.

This was easy.

“I’ll hit up their home, drop the files, give them an update, and get back to the jet. I won’t go in until you get the vans away from that place.”

He kissed her.

“I’m worried about you.”

She smiled. “Don’t be. It’s just another day in my world. Why should today be any more mundane than yesterday?”

He wouldn’t let her move.

Instead, he stared into her eyes. “We’ll talk when I get back here.”

She rested her forehead against his.

“Okay, handsome. Go rile up some Feds, and if they give you a hard time…”

“I will NOT call you to come kick their asses,” he said. “That’s my job when I roll into their domain. You just make sure you don’t put any dents in my wife. I happen to like this one, and I can’t replace her.”

Thank God for that.

Ethan and Callen were the only two people she trusted anymore. They were the only ones who loved her for her.

She winked at him. “Knock them dead, Deputy Director Blackhawk. I’ve got the Russian and Greyson’s people.”

“Elizabeth,” he said, taking her hand.

“Yes?”

“Don’t hurt them. We aren’t supposed to be here, and we aren’t going to be able to do paperwork.”

She laughed all the way to the non-descript ride he had waiting for her. Ethan still had the ability to make her smile, so she must not be too far gone.

Yet.

“I’ll try, but you know me.”

Yeah, lately, he didn’t.

That’s what worried him.

                 * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

Greyson opened his eyes, and his wife was still beside him. She was watching him with the gentle gaze he’d come to love so damn much. There was love in it, and he was grateful. After they had made love, they fell into a deep sleep.

It was needed.

Yesterday had been a long one—almost a marathon. Croft was glad it was over. Now they could begin to focus on the problem at hand.

The sex ring.

“Are you ready for today?” Emma asked, as she ran her fingers across his chest.

Yeah, he was, but first, they needed to have a little talk. While locked away in there, they’d have privacy. Greyson needed to know.

“I saw the news footage.”

“Of?”

“You and Chris. I need to ask something.”

Emma moved closer, and he opened his arms for her. His scent always made her feel calm.

“If you never met me, and you’d met Chris, would you have…?”

She stopped him.

“Greyson.”

“I need to know. I need to see the reality of it all. It’s how my mind works.”

Emma got that, but still…

“If I never met you?”

He nodded.

“I would have dated him, and I would have had a good time.”

He stared at the wall as if measuring her response against the storm brewing in his gut.

“I see.”

Emma rolled over, and found his body tense. She sat on his lap and stared down at him. “But he wouldn’t have been my soulmate. That’s the difference. Do I love him? Yes. Could I have had a relationship with him? Yes. Chris is easy for me to love. He reminds me of you, but you don’t remind me of him.”

“I see.”

“I don’t think you do. While he can be similar there is no one quite like you, Greyson. You’re bossy, and gentle. You’re stubborn but you get me. The day I saw you in Celestia, I knew.”

“If we were side by side...”

She knew why he needed to know.

It wasn’t jealousy.

It was fear.

“I would have picked you each and every time. Those eyes. God! They stare into my soul and see everything. I wouldn’t pick Chris over you. If there was no you, he would be my next choice, but that never would have happened.”

“Why?”

“You brought us here. You started this, and without you, I would still be in Celestia hiding. You’re the catalyst that kicked this all off, Greyson Croft.”

“Would you ever cheat on me?”

“Oh, Greyson.”

He needed to hear her say it.

“Would you, Emma?”

“No, and if me being affectionate and joking around upsets you, I can dial it back. Chris and I have this comradery. I nearly died, and so did he. We have a connection, and if it bothers you...”

He stopped her.

“It doesn’t. I just needed to hear it.”

“I love you. I won’t lie and say I don’t think he’s attractive, funny, and someone I could have been with, but I’m with you for a reason. You’re my other half.”

“And Dimitri?”

She thought about it.

“He’s so broken. I want to patch him back up. I feel this overwhelming need to kiss his boo boos, and love him because no one ever has. He’s strong on the outside, but inside…”

He got it.

She was simply mothering him.

“I don’t blame them for loving you. You’re pretty amazing,” Greyson stated. “I want to say one thing. Don’t read into it.”

“Okay.”

“If something happens to me, and one of them is available, get remarried, fall in love, and make sure my child is protected.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“No. There will be no one but you. I’ll die a spinster with a child.”

He laughed as all the weight came off his chest. That was his test, and she’d passed.

Croft could relax.

“Uh, me being a spinster and you dying is amusing?” she asked. “Are you insane?”

Yeah, he was.

Insanely in love with this redhead.

“That’s the answer I needed to hear. Had you had anything more for them in your heart, you would have said okay. To me, I know all I need to know. You won’t ever betray me.”

She kissed him.

“You’re mine. I will die loving you, Greyson. What could have been is not what SHOULD be.”

He got it.

“I need a shower, and then I need to find Chris and Dimitri. I’m going to kick both of their asses,” he said, grinning wickedly.

“Greyson!”

He laughed, as he headed to the door.

“Kitten, that wasn’t me telling you my plans. That was a formal invitation from me to you. WE need a shower. Shake that ass of yours and get moving. I think I need my wife.”

“Only think?”

He turned and his body was taut with need.

“Oh, no, I know.”

That made her laugh.

“Well, in that case,” she said, walking past him. He slapped her on the bare ass, and Emma knew one thing.

Her caveman was okay.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Curtis and Katerina were sitting at the table having breakfast when Natasha strolled into the room. She looked off.

“What’s going on?” Kat asked, when her sister sat down.

She started talking in rapid Russian. Her arms were going, and she looked like she was upset.

Curtis had NO idea what she was saying.

He only picked up two words.

Emma.

Christopher.

Uh oh.

Kat began talking to her, trying to calm her down. When she got up, Kat called after her.

When she was gone, Curtis touched his wife’s cheek. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

He stared at her. “Two Russian women talking with emotion, and you say nothing? Seriously? Do I look that stupid not to see that there’s an issue, Anfisa?”

She laughed.

He picked up his phone and hit play. It was their conversation.

“You can tell me, or I can send it through the translator. You decide.”

“You’re bossy,” she said, staring at him.

He grinned. “I am my father’s son. Have you met him? He’s a tad bit caveman-y.”

It made her laugh.

“Okay, Mr. Nosey,” she said. “Nat is upset. Chris didn’t want company last night, but she was outside his room. Emma was in there with him.”

“And?”

“She’s worried.”

“About?”

“The two of them. She feels like she might be losing him, and she’s scared.”

He began laughing.

Then he laughed more.

Really?

“Oh, honey, there’s nothing to worry about. Emma loves Greyson. She’s pregnant, and she needed a shoulder to lean on. Natasha is reading into it. Emma would never betray Greyson, and Chris would never give up Natasha. They’re both happy.”

“So, you think it’s nothing?”

“I guarantee it. Your sister should just ask Chris. I’ve learned a lot from my past when it comes to assuming.” He was thinking about Brynn. “If you assume, it’s generally worse. It’s best to ask.”

She understood.

“Natasha doesn’t know where she stands with Chris. She saw the news reports.”

“She’s his. We all know that. The news makes up stories. I saw it too. It looked like Emma trying to screw with the reporters. She had that look on her face.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’d bet my life on it.”

Kat relaxed. “If you say so.”

He handed her a fork. “Feed Sadie. I need to make sure my girls are good.”

She did what he said, and then cuddled against him. Katerina couldn’t imagine her life without this man.

She got what her sister was upset about, but she tended to want to believe her husband.

He knew them all.

He wouldn’t lie.

The Crofts loved them, and they’d do anything to protect them.

The family took care of its own.

Chapter Thirteen

FBI Las Vegas

Monday

Early

W hen he showed up, no one was expecting it, and that was exactly what Ethan Blackhawk had wanted. He wanted to catch them all off guard so he could do his thing. This office had been a pain in the ass for years. It started with corruption under Director Green, and it had been cleaned up with Greyson Croft, only to be a mess again with Robert Lee.

This was taking time from his busy life, and that made him cranky. Plus, he knew that the FBI was only as good as the law enforcement agencies around it.

That was an issue in Vegas.

The police there…

Yeah, a mess.

So, as he walked up the stairs, his security in tow, there were stares. Then phones came out, and the call went out. He wanted to laugh.

They were warning the minions.

Well, he could deal with that.

Once inside the building, he cleared security without even having to go through the detectors. His team walked him toward the elevators, and the man he was looking for magically appeared.

Perfect.

“Your office,” Ethan said, not mincing any words. He was over this, and he’d promised to buy Greyson some time. If he wanted the FBI to be cleaned up, he needed the cops policed, and there was no way to do that without a little good old vigilantism from the friendly neighborhood mob.

He trusted the Crofts to handle their city or he was going to be coming back, and that didn’t entertain him at all.

It was time for the fun to begin.

Robert Lee took him upstairs, and all the while, he was watching him. Ethan Blackhawk was known to catch people off guard, and this surprised him.

He was doing his job, hitting up meetings, and making sure that they were above the rules. Robert was doing his best in a city that didn’t stop oozing trouble from every single entity.

Before now, he thought he was doing a good job, and Robert didn’t get why he was here.

He was just about to ask him.

“We have a problem,” Ethan said, as the elevator opened.

There were stares as agents stood and peeked over their cubicles to get a look at him. Ethan knew he was an enigma to them all, and that was amusing in itself.

He was simply a Fed doing his job—the job of policing his and Gabe’s minions.

When he turned his head to glance at them, they sat to avoid his gaze. His reputation had preceded him, and he was glad. This place was a mess, and he was going to fix it.

Las Vegas was becoming his pet project.

Lucky them.

When they found out, there’d be a lot of unhappy Feds running around.

He wanted to laugh.

“What kind of issues are you talking about, sir?”

They headed into his office, and Ethan didn’t sit on the couch, or the guest chair.

He sat behind the desk.

It was a power play, and he’d had Gabe do it to him while he was running FBI West. The higher man on the totem pole got the leather seat at the big boy desk.

That’s how they rolled.

“Why the bloody hell are there three undercover units assigned to sit outside Greyson Croft’s home?” he asked, calling Robert Lee out on his shit.

Ethan didn’t like to waste time.

The man’s mouth opened.

Then closed.

“It had better not have anything to do with the police in this town requesting surveillance on them because that request was denied.”

Director Lee opened his mouth again.

“Don’t.”

He closed it.

“I already know my answer, and I’m not happy. You can say that’s why I’m here.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you out of your mind, Director Lee?” Ethan asked. When he opened his mouth again, Ethan stopped him. “That was rhetorical.”

The man began sweating.

Ethan continued, “We have a lawyer breathing down our necks, and I don’t have paperwork that correlates with any valid surveillance requests. Here’s where you talk and you had better pray I like the answers or someone’s head is rolling out of here, and it won’t be mine.”

Director Lee was NOT going down for anyone outside the FBI. The commissioner was on his own from this point out. Director Lee wanted to keep his job, and lying to this man was a bad idea.

Once you did that, and he found out…

DEAD career.

“Sir, the commissioner asked for assistance. The Crofts have been…”

He stopped him.

“The Crofts have been cleared of everything the police have thrown at them, correct?”

“Yes, sir, but they just came to me yesterday with intel that Greyson is forging police documentation in an attempt to frame the homicide captain.”

He stared at him. “Proof.”

He didn’t have it.

That was the issue.

“Sir.”

“I want the proof, or I want those vans pulled out of there in the next five minutes. I get that you’re trying to corral a whole lot of crazy, Robert, but we answer to the taxpayers. I, personally, answer to Gabe Rothschild and the President of the United States, and you don’t want to be on that call, now do you?”

He shook his head.

“We cannot afford a million-dollar lawsuit or bad press at this point. Vegas is a mess, and do you know who goes down for that one? The answer is not ME.”

He got it.

“Call them off.”

Robert grabbed the phone and made the call. While he did, Ethan sat there trying not to smile.

That was easier than it should have been.

As the man got the person he needed on the phone, he rattled off his order, “Authorization on ‘Operation Grey Menace’ is cancelled. Everyone back to the office.”

Ethan wanted to laugh.

That was the lamest code name…but at least he’d bought Croft some time. Greyson had been his choice to run FBI West at his departure, but his choice to kill Dominic Marianna ended that. Now he was dealing with Miles Lane, and this jackassery as Greyson took the heat.

Robert Lee hung up the phone.

“All done, sir. How’s your lovely wife?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

Ethan didn’t bat an eyelash. Instead, he stared the man down, daring him to say something stupid.

“Elizabeth is good, but if you see her here, be afraid,” he said, leaning back in the chair.

Oh, Robert was aware.

There were rumors going through the FBI that she’d been tasked to handle a few of the issues that were not quite in or out of the scope of the FBI. She was taking down some people who’d crossed the line as the President’s ax woman.

Robert didn’t want to see her in Vegas.

Ever.

“Since we’re talking about bad shit being mismanaged,” Ethan said, “I want to direct your attention to a case you’re handling.”

“Yes, sir, which one?”

“The sex trafficking issue that the FBI has been working on for the last six months.”

Ethan waited for the whining and belly aching over it. He knew it was coming.

Three.

Two.

One…

“Sir, that wasn’t my mess. Greyson Croft…”

He cut him off.

“He started the investigation, and you were to finish it. What’s going on?”

“We can’t find anything. We have that one name, and that’s it.”

“Refresh my memory. What’s the name?”

“Anthony Delmarco. We’ve been tracking him, and he went off the grid about two weeks ago. We think he’s lying low in Vegas until we back off.”

Perfect.

If they pulled the Feds, that would spread like wildfire, and it might draw the man to the surface.

Here was one more gift to Croft.

“I need you to call off the operations for about a week. If they see the FBI backing off, maybe they will come out of the woodwork.”

“Yes, sir, that’s an excellent idea, sir. I should have thought to do that, sir.”

Ethan fought not to laugh.

“I mean, it’s your office, but that’s what I’d do in a stalled case that’s been picking up cobwebs the last year.”

He picked up the phone and dialed.

Ethan smiled.

Well, his work here was done.

It was up to Greyson to do his job, and find him a sex trafficker. He trusted him to do it.

Ethan pulled out his cell, and texted his wife.

‘The raven is clear. Eagle has pulled out the hunters. Head in and do your thing.’

He waited a reply.

‘Copy. Raven heading in. See you at the bird, Eagle. Pick me up some breakfast. I’m always hungry after a game, and it better have real freaking butter!’

Ethan smiled to himself.

Well, some things didn’t change.

“Now, since that’s done,” Ethan said, standing from Robert’s desk, “how about you show me around? I haven’t been to this building before.”

The man scurried to the door.

“Yes, sir! Let’s grab a coffee, and I’ll show you what Vegas has to offer in law enforcement.”

He grinned.

Yeah, show him.

Ethan had a feeling this was far from over, and he would be coming back.

Only, it wouldn’t be alone.

And that was a problem.

For Robert Lee.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

Greyson was searching for the two men, and he had a sneaking suspicion where they would be. It was training time in the gym before work, and he knew Dimitri and Chris would be working out to get ready for their day.

Awesome.

They had to have a little conversation, and by that, he meant someone had to have their ass handed to them for the stunt they’d pulled last night.

Yes, it ended well.

Yes, he’d had the hottest sex with his wife.

No, it wasn’t forgiven. He wasn’t mad, but sometimes, you had to teach an important lesson to people you loved.

Heading in, he could see the two men sparing in the corner. They were both getting sweaty, and Greyson was going to bide his time. As soon as they both turned around, so they weren’t facing him, he crossed the mat, right for the bigger threat. He grabbed Dimitri’s wrist, twisted, and took him to the ground, only to lock a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

Then he face-planted him on the mat.

Dimitri looked surprised.

Then he went for Chris, and the two of them began fighting, Chris was trying to block each swing, but Greyson wasn’t exhausted from an hour of working out.

Chris was backed into the corner, and he took a shot to the chest, taking him to his knees. He just happened to see Dimitri trying to sneak up behind him and moved just in time.

The men went down in a sweaty pile of limbs and grunts.

Greyson stood over them, his hands on his hips.

“Now, was that a fair fight?” he asked, staring down at the two men.

“Well, you skipped training,” Dimitri began, only to take a shot to the gut from Greyson’s booted foot.

“Someone’s cranky,” he muttered, lying on his back, arms pinned behind him.

“Get up, Captain Ford,” Greyson said, glaring at him.

The man knew he couldn’t take him. His body was sore from Dimitri beating on him.

All he could hope was Greyson wouldn’t make him bleed too much.

Chris stood.

Greyson moved toward him and hugged him.

It caught him off guard.

“Thank you for having the courage to face me when I was in a bad place. Thank you for always putting my wife’s heart first, even if it meant me being pissy. I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he said, holding him.

“Um…”

“And if you ever do that again, I’m going to break your freaking fingers, and then shove them down your throat.”

He laughed.

Now that was what he was expecting.

“It’s no problem,” he said, still picturing himself swallowing a fist full of fingers.

“Seriously, thank you.”

Chris stared at him. “I love your wife, and I’d do anything for you. You’re my brother.”

“If died tomorrow?” he asked.

“I’d have her ass at that little chapel on the strip,” he teased.

Only Greyson got it.

The man was being honest. Whether they liked it or not, Chris had feelings for Emma, and they were reciprocated. Greyson wouldn’t let it bother him.

It mattered.

“I’m not shocked.”

Chris didn’t look away.

They shared a look.

“Um, you seem to be forgetting my sister,” Dimitri said, kicking his leg out and sweeping Chris to the floor. “She’s attached to you.”

Chris landed with a thud.

“Commie bastard,” Chris muttered, back on his ass. “You are a total asshole.”

“Get up, Dimitri,” Greyson said, making a key appear.

“If I died tomorrow,” he began.

“I’d kill Chris so I could have Emma and her piano playing all to myself.”

“HEY!” Chris said from the floor.

“You’re in a relationship. Let’s be realistic. She’d be mine,” Dimitri teased. “Who are you kidding?”

He had a point.

As soon as Dimitri was free, Greyson hugged him.

“I know that you’re not big on affection, but here it is. You’re the second person in charge of this family. If I go down, it’s on you. I want you to watch my back from the most dangerous person.”

“Dimitri?” Chris muttered.

Greyson laughed. “No, I meant…”

“Himself,” Dimitri stated. “We are all our own worst enemies.”

And it was true. Greyson’s anger sometimes got the best of him. Chris let his heart get him into trouble, and Dimitri…his past haunted him.

“Exactly,” Croft said. “Sometimes, I forget that I have to follow the rules.”

“Greyson.”

“I have to be a better man than they give me credit, for my wife and for my son.”

They stared at him.

“Yes, Emma thinks it’s going to be a boy. I don’t want them calling him crooked or bad. I have to do this the right way, but when I go over, I need you to reel me in—if not for me, then for Emma. I know you both love her, and you will both make sure I do right by her. You’re both my best friends, and my accountability.”

They were both touched because the feeling was mutual. Somehow, an ex-Fed, a retired cop, and a criminal had become as thick as thieves. They were strong because of their friendship.

They were unbreakable because of love.

Dimitri patted him on the arm. “I will.”

Greyson relaxed.

Dimitri helped Chris up.

“I’m in, but I still get Emma, right?” Chris stated, taking an elbow to the gut.

“That was for my sister,” Dimitri said, knowing the man was only trying to lighten the mood.

“You’re an asshole,” Chris said, nearly puking.

“Ah, if I only had a dollar…”

Greyson dropped his arms over their shoulders. “Let’s grab breakfast, get the family ready, and then head out. We have another club to hit.”

“I’ll go with Emma,” Chris offered, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Dimitri?”

He slugged him again.

“You suck,” Chris said, this time blocking the shot.

Greyson laughed. “I like having someone to do my dirty work,” he teased.

Chris…

Not so much.

In the kitchen, the family was convening to get the game plan for the day. Every morning, they had breakfast together before heading out.

Kat was there with Curtis, ready for their first Lamaze class.

Nat was having a yogurt, leaning against the counter. Dante was sitting with Steele in his lap as they talked about the wedding in less than a week.

Then Emma came in.

She was dressed, and looked a bit frazzled.

“Has anyone seen Greyson?” she asked.

“He was looking for Chris and Dimitri a few moments ago,” Curtis said, giving her a hug. Then it hit him. “Are you wearing body armor?” he asked.

“Yeah, Dimitri has insisted, and the men ganged up on me. We should all be wearing it,” she stated.

Curtis laughed. “You lost your boobs in it, Mom.”

She pointed at him. “You’re going to lose your tongue when I yank it out for saying that in mixed company. You know better.”

“Someone is cranky today,” he teased, when she winked at him. “No one likes Mondays.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I am.”

“Morning,” Natasha said, as Emma poured her coffee. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m good, Nat.”

The woman said nothing else.

What was there to say?

Kat had sworn there was nothing going on between Emma and Chris, but she was afraid. She didn’t want to lose him. A part of her wanted to ask Emma, but the family was growing closer, and she didn’t want to damage that.

They all heard the men coming.

When Greyson walked in, his arm was over Chris and Dimitri’s shoulders.

Emma lit up when she saw her husband.

Chris did the same when he saw Natasha. He went to her, and gave her a big kiss.

“God! I missed you,” he said, as she went into his arms. “I don’t want another night away from you.”

Immediately, she felt better. All the worries were gone, and she felt silly. It was clear that Chris cared about her.

“Tonight, want to cuddle in bed?” he whispered in her ear. “By cuddle, I mean sex. Just to be clear.”

She giggled.

Dimitri made gagging sounds. “Jesus, it never ends. I have to watch my sisters being mauled.”

Greyson gave his wife a huge kiss, just to egg the man on for his stunt the previous night.

Dimitri pointed at him.

“Et tu, Brutus?”

That made Croft laugh. “I’m more Caesar, and you know it,” he teased.

Before he could say anything, Sam came running in, and he headed right for Dimitri. “Hey, Dad!” he said, giving him a big hug. Then he tried to pick his pocket.

“Hands off my wallet, or I’m going to take away your video games,” Dimitri stated.

“AW! Come on! I’m practicing, Dad!”

Over the last few weeks, Sam was really bonding with all of them, but especially Dimitri. It was clear to see that the man was good with kids, and the kid…he wanted to be part of the man.

Dimitri smiled at him. “Yes, I will be soon, won’t I?” he asked.

Sam grinned.

“When you get your cast off, you’ll be better at pick pocketing,” Dimitri said, “but that was a good try. You get a B plus.”

That made him happy.

The boy grabbed a donut.

Emma grabbed it back. “Not happening, kiddo. He may not tell you no, but if I don’t let Greyson eat crap, I’m not letting a growing boy eat it,” she said. “Fruit, yogurt, or oatmeal.”

Greyson laughed.

At least he wasn’t alone in that shit fest.

“I feel for you Sam,” he offered.

“Babe, you’re cramping my style,” he said, grinning at her. “What if I promised to have fruit for a snack?” he asked. “You know, maybe you and I can get together and negotiate.”

She found him endearing and amusing.

Emma sighed and handed him the donut. “There had better be a glass of milk to go with that fruit snack, Sam!”

“I swear.”

She believed him. Sam was fitting in with the family, and he hadn’t tried to run away again, especially after the coyote fiasco.

“School!” Dimitri said.

“I’m on it. I am heading to my tutoring, but I promise there will be chocolate milk and a banana split later!” he said, racing out of the room.

Then he was gone.

“Dimitri!”

He laughed. “He likes to rile you up. I know for a fact that he eats better during the day when you’re not hovering because I’m hovering.”

Greyson snorted.

She pointed at him. “I will make you eat kale.”

He shut up and changed the topic of discussion. “Where are you two heading?” he asked Curtis and Kat.

“We are going to pick out baby furniture, and then we have Lamaze class later this morning. Kat wants to do natural childbirth, and I want to support her in any way I can.”

Emma gave him a kiss on the top of his head. “You always were my favorite.”

Dante snorted. “Yeah, yeah, no fair. I can’t make you a baby, but I’m giving you Steele. Shouldn’t that count?” he asked, grinning like a fool.

She laughed. “Well, I do love me some Steele,” she said, kissing them both on the cheek. “He actually is my favorite. Who am I kidding?”

Curtis sputtered. “Seriously. You get your token gay, and I’m out. That hurts.”

Greyson smacked him in the head before continuing, “Natasha was supposed to follow Delilah today to court, but I think she’ll be okay,” Greyson offered. “Instead, she’s going to be following you,” he said. “We have some shit coming, and I don’t like it,” he stated.

Anyone in the family might be in trouble once they started digging. Since Delilah was still alive, and Thomas Christ’s plans had been thwarted, she would be safer at work.

The detective too.

“What’s going on?” Curtis asked. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Oh, you could say that.

Greyson told everyone what was going on.

As he did, the patio door opened and Delilah strolled in with the detective behind her. It was clear why he was behind her. Someone was checking out her ass.

Curtis whistled. “The FBI still hasn’t closed it down?” he asked.

“No, so we’re going to do it. We think that Marissa Pierce’s sister was a victim of it, and if we’re right, we’re trudging into a storm.”

No one like the sound of that.

Emma noticed their guests.

“Hello, Riley and Delilah,” she said.

“Morning! It’s a wonderful day,” the woman said, hugging Emma.

“Who broke our man hating attorney?” Emma asked, looking at the detective. “She was freaking perfect, and now she’s smiling and looks like Snow White!”

He laughed. “She broke me. Why is it always the man’s fault?” he asked.

Curtis was slapped by Emma in the back of the head before he could even say it.

“Come on!”

Delilah poured both herself and the detective a mug of coffee. It was obvious that she was attached to him. When he sat, she dropped herself in his lap.

Someone was staking her claim.

“Do you have anything to work with?” Delilah asked, discussing what they had been talking about before they had walked in on them.

“Very little,” Greyson admitted.

Riley could help. “I can ask around.”

Delilah looked worried. “Be careful, Riley.”

Croft agreed. “Do it on the DL. We don’t need this blowing up and sucking you two into it too.”

Riley would be careful. As long as Delilah was safe, he could do his job and watch his back.

“Anyway, back to today,” Greyson said, “Emma found some leads while she and Chris were out at the strip club.”

Dante laughed. “Chris found some lips,” he teased.

“Son, don’t be a hater. The ladies love me.”

Natasha lifted a brow.

Emma stared at him.

Chris swallowed his coffee. “Apparently, less and less each day.”

Dante laughed.

“As I was saying, we have to head out today to handle this case that I took on. In hind sight, it was a bad idea,” Greyson said, telling them about the sex trafficking and Marissa being back.

“Do you need my help?” Curtis asked.

“Later, after you get back, you’re on tech searches. Paris and Tessa are heading here shortly, and I’m going to have them help if they aren’t busy.”

“Works for me,” Curtis said, getting up. “We have to be at the boutique for our appointment,” Curtis offered. “You have to make appointments to view baby things. How weird is that?”

Emma stopped Kat. “You buy whatever you want for my grandchild. It’s on me. I want you to have everything you need.”

Kat kissed her. “Thanks, Mom. If you’re free, before the wedding, can we have lunch? I want to show you some ideas for the baby’s room.”

Greyson laughed. “Thank God this place has as many bedrooms as it does. We’re going to fill it up fast.”

“We can get our own place,” Kat said.

Dimitri shut that down. There was no way in hell that was a good idea. The family needed to be kept in one location where they could be watched. They were already down one person with Katerina being with child.

“You have two choices, Katerina,” he said. “You can stay at Sky Villa, in my place, or here. If we poke this sex ring, we are in danger. I will not have my sister hurt because of a case.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, Dimitri,” she said. “We can stay here. Now that the pool is far enough away, Curtis won’t worry about the baby being safe.”

“We have to baby proof the house,” Curtis said. “No cigars, no alcohol, no weapons. Oh, and Chris, no porn,” he teased.

“HA. HA. HA. You’re funny. Let’s see how you feel when you’re wearing baby vomit and poop. I’ll be lurking with the camera.”

Emma laughed. “Go shopping.”

Natasha gave Chris a kiss. “Later,” she said.

He wiggled his eyebrows lecherously. “Oh, you had better believe it, gorgeous.”

He watched her leave. When he turned around, Dimitri was right there.

He jumped.

“Jesus.”

Dimitri laughed. While he really liked Chris, that was still his sister. He wasn’t letting him get away with anything. That wouldn’t be responsible of him.

He still had to watch over her.

“What are you two doing today?” Greyson asked his brother.

“We have to meet with the officiant for the wedding, we have to do our final fittings for our suits, and I have to get me some kinkery for the honeymoon.”

Steele didn’t say anything.

It was mildly uncomfortable for everyone who knew what Steele was overcoming.

“I was kidding on the last part,” Dante said, feeling the tension. They were both worried about the wedding night.

The whole sex issue was looming, and Dante might need to call in backup on this one. He hoped his big brother was ready—since he was also the best man.

Steele continued for his fiancé, “We have to pick up the marriage license,” he offered. “That’s really important.”

Dante agreed, giving his fiancé a kiss. He could feel the tension in him, and he didn’t know how to handle it. Sex had never been a problem until after his abduction.

Now it was the core of their issues.

For Steele.

For him.

“Well, take the limo,” Greyson offered. “I don’t want you out wandering around either. This city is on the verge of blowing up, and we can’t risk anyone.”

They understood that.

AND…

Dante had already had to deal with Steele being hurt once. He didn’t want to go there again.

Ever.

“We’re going to do all that stuff, and Steele is going to head to the office with me. Is there anything you need done?” he asked his brother.

“Yeah, contact that judge. I want Sam’s adoption pushed through. Pay him off, but the kid is going to be Dimitri’s by the day you leave for your honeymoon.”

That worked for him.

“I can grease some palms at the courthouse. I’ll be there. I’ll take care of it.”

“If you’re heading there, can you give me a lift?” Delilah asked.

Riley touched her arm. “I’ll take you.”

“Then you’ll be seen with me.”

“So?” he asked.

She didn’t know what to say, but staring into his blue eyes, she couldn’t say no.

“Okay, Detective. You can give me a ride to work any day.”

Dante laughed at the innuendo behind that one. No one had ever seen their attorney attached to anyone, but especially a cop?

Yeah, that was new.

Emma pointed at him in warning.

It shut him up.

“Come on, Steele. Emma is cranky. Someone had better take better care of his wife’s needs. She needs to get laid.”

They all laughed.

No one there doubted that Greyson was definitely taking care of her sexual needs. Last night, he’d been pissed, and today, he was smiling.

That meant one thing.

As far as they were concerned, she was the ONLY one who could soothe the savage Croft beast.

“Get out of here,” Greyson said, growling.

When he was gone, Emma kissed him. “Your kitten is just fine,” she said, leaning against him.

Dimitri heard the beep for the gate, and reset the alarm as soon as Katerina and Curtis were gone.

“I need to check on ‘Aquarius’ today,” he admitted. “With Marissa back, I want to make sure she’s acclimating well. Plus, you have the stripper coming in for a start on a new life.”

Chris snickered, and then sipped his coffee as he tried to hide his amusement. He heard it in the man’s voice. There was definitely something Dimitri wanted to check out, and he was sure it wasn’t the business or a new employee.

Emma faced him. “You’re not busting his ass, are you?” she asked.

“Hell no. Why would I ever do that?”

“I didn’t think so, Christopher. That would make me want to bust your ass, and you won’t like that.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “You win.”

Dimitri winked at her. “Thank you, Emma. It seems I might be your favorite.”

Chris whipped an apple at him.

Hard.

Still, he caught it.

“Thank you. Breakfast. I’m in a hurry to shower and get ready for our trip to the strip. You should do the same, Captain.”

Emma tossed him an apple too.

“Thanks, Mom,” he said, as he finished his coffee. “Can I have a donut too since your husband kicked my ass this morning?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have that donut since he could,” she teased, but handed him one anyway.

Greyson heard the alarm on the gate and he checked the monitor. The vehicle was familiar, so he hit the code to unlock it for them.

“That’s going to be Paris and Tessa,” he said. Then he’d realized what he’d forgotten. “I probably should have told you, but I called and had Delilah draw up legal papers for them,” he said.

Emma knew why.

“Are you suing them?” Chris teased.

“No. They want to have a baby, and I’m donating.”

Emma didn’t flinch. She figured as much.

Chris opened his mouth and just stared.

“Say it,” Emma stated. She trusted his opinion, and the family would put two and two together once Tessa showed up pregnant.

“Jesus Holy Christ,” he said.

“What?” Greyson asked, lifting a brow.

“That’s your plan to take over the world, isn’t it? You’re going to make an army of little Crofts.”

“The baby won’t be a Croft,” Greyson said, watching his wife. He could see the tension, but she was holding up. Greyson wished there was an easier way of doing this.

Only, there wasn’t.

“Technically,” Chris began.

“Chris, drop it,” Greyson ordered, and this time, there was no humor in his voice.

Chris glanced over at the man, and then at Emma. It didn’t take him long to get it.

She was struggling with it.

“I think it’s a beautiful, selfless gift,” he said.

Emma simply drank her coffee, and Greyson had to wonder.

Was this a huge mistake?

Chapter Fourteen

W hen Paris and Tessa rolled in, she was in his lap, and she was smiling. Greyson couldn’t help but notice that they seemed to have worked through some of their issues. It helped him decide that donating was a good thing to do.

Only, he had stipulations.

If they agreed, he was good to go.

When Tessa saw Emma, she went right to her. She hugged her, and began crying.

“Thank you for this. I know had I been in your place, I wouldn’t have been so kind. I will never be able to thank you.”

Emma wasn’t thrilled, but she also knew that Greyson was carrying the horrible burden of Paris’s injuries on his shoulders. By doing this, he was going to help take away some of the pain.

Hopefully.

“It’s okay, Tessa. You need this, and we’re a family.”

Paris pushed out of his chair and slowly approached Emma. “I hear you’re having a baby. Maybe our children can be best friends, and they’ll always have each other.”

She saw the hope.

The fear.

The pain.

The anguish.

They were expecting her to stop it. She could tell that they really believed she’d tell her husband not to do it, but she couldn’t. No one told Greyson what to do, and she also felt horrible for them.

“I think that would be an amazing thing. I can’t wait to throw you a baby shower,” she said with no animosity in her voice.

How could she have any?

They would love this child, and technically, it would be her child’s half-sibling.

“Before we start planning anything,” Delilah said, pulling out her papers. “We have to talk the legality of it.”

That surprised both Paris and Tessa.

Greyson sat, and Emma moved into his lap so her husband would understand that she supported his decision.

“I hope you understand,” Greyson said, “but I want to make sure that all of this is handled now.”

Paris and Tessa sat.

“Okay,” Paris said, watching them with wariness.

Delilah began. “As the legal representation for my client, I’ve been asked to draw up a contract. Here’s the gist of it. You, the receiving party of Greyson’s donation, will have only one legal obligation.”

Paris could feel his heart thump.

“And that would be?”

“That if anything were to happen to you or Tessa, the child would then be offered for legal guardianship to Greyson and Emma.”

They were surprised.

“Oh,” Paris said.

“It’s technically my child,” Greyson stated. “I would need to know that he or she was okay, say if you were to leave us, or move across the country.”

Paris got it.

“I agree to that. Tessa?” he asked.

“I’m good with that. I don’t have any family other than you guys,” Tessa said.

Delilah moved down the contract to the next part.

“Okay, and for the party donating the sperm, here’s what he’s agreed to,” she said, pulling out the paper.

It was handed to Paris and Tessa.

They read it.

And looked up.

“Greyson.”

He stopped them from saying anything. “I will make one donation. You are welcome to have your doctor freeze any sperm not used for this round. If you want more than one child, I’m okay with that, Paris and Tessa, but I’m doing this once. This isn’t easy for Emma. I have to take her heart into consideration too.”

They were all surprised.

“Emma, if you can’t…”

She stopped Tessa. “I can, and we will. Just let him continue.”

“You’ll have to agree to me setting up a trust fund for each child, as it’s born. As our gift to you, I want to ensure that any children you have will be able to have the same education, same opportunity, and same life as our child.”

“That’s insane,” Paris said. “Grey, you don’t have to…”

He stopped him again.

This mattered to him, and he wanted to protect his wife as much as possible.

“All of this is to be kept silent. Again, it’s not about you, or about me. This is about Emma.”

They looked at her.

“I love you both, but I’m sharing my husband with you both,” she said, wiping her eyes. “We want to help you, but I don’t think I could handle it if word spread.”

Greyson held her. “If the media were to get wind of this, they’d torment her. Every day, you’d see stories about how I’m populating the world and how I’m cheating.”

Tessa gasped.

She’d never thought about that.

“I’m happy to help you both and share this with you, but I have to worry about the woman I love too.”

They got it.

“Emma, thank you.”

She nodded.

“Once my sperm hits that sample cup, you’re the father, Paris. I know you’ll be an amazing dad, and I wouldn’t do this for many people. That should tell you how much faith I have in you both.”

Tessa began crying.

“That’s it. That’s all I want.”

Delilah handed them a pen.

They knew they were getting the better deal. They were getting the family’s protection, their child or children would have a chance, and they would forever be part of the people they loved.

They both signed.

“I’ll be accompanying you to the IVF, and paying for it,” Greyson stated.

Paris went to object.

“You didn’t read the fine print,” he said. “After the wedding, I’ll be there to make my donation.”

Paris got up, and he headed toward his friend. “You are my brother. This just proves it.”

Greyson hugged him back.

“This family will grow and be full of love,” Emma said, hugging Tessa. “That’s a beautiful gift, and I hope everything works for you.”

“If you can’t do this, Emma,” Tessa began, “I can get an anonymous donor. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She hugged her. “I’m on board. Greyson needs to do this, and you need this child. I understand.”

Greyson opened his arms and held his wife.

No one missed how he crooned, privately, into her ear. She clung to him, and his hand went gently to her midsection and the life they’d created.

“Now that everything is legal, I’ll make sure you both get copies. Greyson’s name will be redacted in case they were to get out,” she said.

“We understand,” Paris said.

Delilah took the papers. Before she could put them away, the alarms all around the house began going off.

Greyson glanced at Emma. “Stay here. Someone has breached the gate.”

With that, he took off.

Elizabeth was ready.

Her spiffy husband had called off the guards, and all she needed was to clear the massive gate.

She was going to go over and hopefully, there were no dogs. She’d studied Greyson’s layout, since the FBI had been gracious enough to enter it into the database.

She knew where she was going, and that meant one thing.

It was time.

As she reached the gate, on the desert side of the property, she began her climb. It didn’t take much effort to climb it. As soon as she crossed over, dropping to the ground, the alarms went off.

Perfect.

She knew what was coming.

As she walked toward the back of the house, near the pool, two men came running out, and she recognized them.

Dimitri Gideon, AKA Maximillian Marchenko and Captain Christopher Ford, the ex-homicide captain.

Again, she’d studied them.

Perfect.

She must have caught them off guard because the second she saw them, there was that look on their face. Then Dimitri saw she was armed, and he wasn’t taking any chances.

He rushed her, and she kicked his ass. He didn’t see it coming, but he was milking his right shoulder. That gave her the advantage in the fight.

Elizabeth was no stranger to hand-to-hand combat, and she’d been training the last couple weeks since the Bonnie debacle.

She was in the best shape of her life, and she was angry enough to enjoy it.

When he kept going at her with his weaker left arm, she took that opportunity.

She hit him right in the sweet spot.

Blood formed on his shirt, and he went to his knees before she grabbed his one gun out of the back of his pants and kicked him into the pool.

Then she was up and moving toward the second man as she tucked away Dimitri’s sidearm.

Chris got into position, and he wasn’t going to let the woman past him.

He pulled his gun.

His hesitation was a huge mistake. Before he could even aim it, she pulled out her Taser and zapped him in the torso. His body reacted, and he was down.

Behind her, she saw Dimitri coming at her again. He went in low, and they rolled. She came up on top.

She hit him in the neck, and he was out.

More people came running out of the house at the ruckus.

Greyson stopped in his tracks.

“What the…?”

He looked around. Chris was struggling to get up, and Dimitri was out cold.

Emma raced toward the two men.

“Howdy,” she said, smiling at them.

Croft couldn’t believe it. There stood Elizabeth Blackhawk and she was there dressed in all black.

Yeah, and two of their security had been neutralized.

Jesus.

They had issues.

She pulled off her sunglasses and didn’t have a scratch on her. “Get them inside. This is a special, classified delivery from the big guy. You needed a briefing, and I’m your special delivery service.”

Emma helped Chris to his feet, and the detective and Tessa dragged Dimitri.

“He’ll be awake in about two minutes. Got coffee?” she asked, walking past Croft.

He couldn’t believe it.

He followed her inside.

“Ethan said someone was going to be dropping off stuff, but he didn’t mention you’d be breaking in, kicking my security’s ass, and…”

And what?

Why was he surprised?

Ethan used this woman as his muscle more than once. That was no shock. What was surprising was Dimitri and Chris couldn’t take her.

She knew what he was thinking.

“His arm is injured, and he doesn’t like to hit women. I’ve studied him. He was taking it easy on me. Big mistake.”

Yeah, he could see that.

“Plus, add in that he was overcompensating with his left arm, and it left him open. The other one…he should have been wearing body armor. You have a shit mess, and he’s not protected.”

She tapped her chest as Emma handed her a mug of coffee.

“Thank you, Mrs. Croft. I’m surprised you weren’t out there trying to kick my ass too.”

Emma didn’t know what to say. She’d heard about Elizabeth, and she’d seen her on TV, but she’d never actually met her other than when Greyson handed in his badge.

“He’s going to be pissed,” she said, pointing at Dimitri.

Elizabeth smiled. “Yeah, well, like I said, I wouldn’t have been able to take him if he didn’t see tits and think I needed to be handled with care. That’s on him, not me.”

Dimitri moaned.

“Wake up, my favorite Russian in the whole world.”

He opened his eyes and glared at her. “I don’t like her,” he muttered.

Chris was with him.

“Well, if you’re going to get all bitchy about it, I can take my FBI briefing and go home.”

“NO!” Greyson said. “Ignore them. They don’t like being beat up by girls.”

Dimitri began cursing in Russian.

She gave it right back and that surprised him.

“Nice, but I speak a few languages. Try Finnish. I haven’t learned that one yet, pretty boy.”

He blotted his split lip with his wet sleeve.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked.

“Well, to put it delicately,” she said, hopping up onto the counter, “you’ve got trouble, and I don’t mean me.”

Greyson respected this woman, simply because he knew she was a damn good investigator. The fact that she could handle his security also impressed him.

“We know. That’s why I called Ethan and asked for his assistance.”

She got down to business.

“If you look out front, half your issue is handled, but the worst is yet to come. Ethan got the eavesdroppers off your ass for the next few days.”

“Are we going to ignore that she broke in here?” Dimitri asked.

Elizabeth focused her icy blue gaze at him. “I didn’t sneak in. I vaulted your fence. You need better security,” she said.

Dimitri moved toward her.

She smiled. “I have your gun, ace. You have a bad arm, and are off your game. You used to be so much more effective.”

Greyson stopped her. “Don’t provoke.”

She shrugged. “Sure thing. Anyway, you’ve decided to poke a sex ring—one that the Feds haven’t been able to uncover.”

“Is it bad?” Greyson asked.

“We have one name. Anthony…”

He finished for her. “Delmarco.”

“Yep. You really fell into something this time. Whoever picked this case…?”

Greyson raised his hand. “I guarantee it’s the last one I will ever pick. This is Dimitri’s job anymore.”

He was glad to hear that.

Reaching around her back, Dimitri placed his body in front of Greyson and Emma.

“Calm down. I like Greyson. I’m not going to hurt him,” she said laughing. “Will you tell your muscle to have a seat, and to start wearing body armor and more than one gun?” she said, pulling his.

She popped the clip and discharged the one bullet.

Then she tossed him the empty gun.

“I swear to God, I really don’t like her.”

Emma pulled out the chair beside her so she could look at his shoulder. There was a circle of blood on his wet shirt. “Dimitri, sit. She’s doing us a favor.”

Greyson agreed. “Ethan and Elizabeth are my inside in the FBI. She won’t hurt me.”

She opened a folder that she pulled out of the back of her pants.

“Here’s a second name for you. We picked up on a Louis Mateo. He has a partner, and I don’t mean Delmarco. The FBI hasn’t moved on him, simply because we want BOTH people, and we didn’t have a visual on either man.”

Greyson took the paper.

“Ethan believes that the reason the FBI can’t help is the mole, and also that they are waiting us out. I wouldn’t be shocked if they are watching until they can get some breathing room. Before, they were moving more women. Now, they are moving one at a time, and mostly to sexual predators in this area.”

Greyson scanned the intel.

Some of it was blacked out.

That meant it was classified.

Well, shit.

It made him sick that Julie likely had been passed off to a person who was going to rape and kill her.

“It’s not looking good,” he admitted.

Immediately, Dimitri knew what he was talking about. The chances were that Marissa’s sister was already out of their reach and dead.

“If you’re looking for this girl, you won’t get her back alive. I hate to be the one to ruin your day, but she’s gone.”

They figured.

“The girls have been showing up, but in morgues all over the country. New York, Houston, and here.”

She sipped her coffee as Dimitri eyed her up. “What?” she asked.

“I don’t like you.”

“Aww, pumpkin, now you hurt my feelings. Do you dislike me because I kicked your ass into the pool or because you like being the only killer in the room?”

No one said anything.

“Yeah, I know everything about you.”

Dimitri didn’t move. He was watching her like she was going to strike.

“Back to who is running this…” Greyson said, trying to protect his friend.

“No clue. Your job, according to my hubby, is to find Delmarco, Mateo, and the mystery third person. What we do know is someone is taking women from everywhere and selling them. Detective Henderson, your dead nameless girls are part of it.”

“Uh, how do you know?”

She smiled.

“It’s my job to know. Yours is to take what I know and run with it. We’re on the same page, and hopefully, Greyson has enough clout on the dark side to figure this out.”

“And Ethan?”

“We held up our half of the bargain. The FBI vans are gone, and the teams are backing off the sex ring—in hopes someone will come out of hiding. He’s bought you a week at the most. I’d use it well.”

Emma offered her a danish.

“Thank you, Emma, but I’ll grab a bite on the jet home, oh, and some breakfast.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I don’t blame you,” Emma said.
Greyson looked at her. “Well, she knows her husband is attractive. I hardly doubt I’m the first person to make that observation.”

He rolled his eyes.

“For the record, I’m fond of both of them,” Elizabeth stated. “I’m a Native chasing hussy. Sue me.”

Detective Riley Henderson was curious. “How bad is this going to be?” he asked. “I’ve got a mess of my own.”

“Yeah, I heard about it. Your boss is a douchebag. Get used to it. I work for one, too, and I don’t mean Gabe or my husband.”

Greyson got it.

The President of the United States was a nightmare to anyone who had to work with him.

He knew that first hand.

“Vegas is a mess,” Riley stated.

“Oh, darlin’, you have no idea. That’s why I’m here. I get to give you the info. You have some things heading this way, and y’all need to be careful.”

“I can legally slow them down,” Delilah offered.

Elizabeth laughed. “Oh, princess, that’s amusing. You can’t slow this down.”

Dimitri had enough of her attitude.

“Cops suck.”

“Yeah, crazies suck more. Trust me. I just had to cut a baby out of a woman who was killed. The baby lived. The woman not so much. This is my side gig, thanks to my previously mentioned sucky boss.”

“Okay, brief us,” Greyson stated.

“Ethan wants you to handle this quietly. He’s giving you everything he has, which isn’t much. We know there’s a buyer who is collecting women and taking them out. If you find him, he’s mine. I’m the serial killer hunter. You get the garbage out, and I take down the killer. I’ll likely be back to clean up the mess.”

“How is he killing them?” Riley asked.

He was testing her. She could tell. Cops and Feds didn’t always get along.

“Your first victim, she was Asian, right?”

“Yes.”

She slid him a paper.

“That’s her name?” Riley asked.

Emma thought back to her and Chris’s talk with the stripper. She’d nailed it.

“Yes, that’s Ah-lam Yao. She was a child on the street because she was tired of her parents’ rules. A sexy man came along, by the name of Anthony Delmarco, and he wooed her to a ‘better’ life.”

That’s generally how it happened.

“She was raped, sodomized, and strangled.”

“How do you know?” Riley asked, looking at the paper.

“He’s killed ten girls. She’s not his first. He’s killing them all the same way. They have abrasions on their arms and legs. He likes chains, whips, and to break them.”

They all let that sink in.

She continued, “Your second victim isn’t native to this country. She’s from Mother Russia, and her name is Anastasia Popov. She was taken forcefully by some man, thrown into a van, and then put on a flight. We have her coming into the states, and then she’s gone. They sold her immediately.”

“How was she killed? Same?”

“Yes. Are you done testing me?” she asked. “I can give you more, or we can cut to the profile.”

Greyson jumped in. “Let’s do that.”

“My husband believes you have a white male. European descent. He’s a sexual sadist. He’s buying women because he can’t get them otherwise. He likes to abuse. He hates for a reason. It’s likely because he’s cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”

Emma laughed.

“You think?”

“There will be more. Don’t be surprised. He’s a sexual sadist who’s leaving a trail.”

Oh, Greyson wouldn’t be.

“Do you have intel on Julie Pierce?”

She nodded. “He bought her a couple weeks ago.”

“If you know this, why can’t you tell us where she is?” Dimitri asked. “Why is the government waiting on this? You’re doing nothing!”

She let him bitch.

“Hey, I’ve got news for you, Mr. Gideon, this is one sex ring in three cities. Do you know how many cities there are here in the good ole’ US of A? We only have so many agents, and if we could wrangle him, we would. You’re going to have a better shot at this maniac.”

“Why?” he asked. “Why are you looking at me like you know something you’re not saying?”

“We know one thing,” she said, hopping off the counter. “One hooker had one conversation with this killer, and she walked away because she wasn’t what he wanted.”

“What?” Greyson asked.

“He’s Russian.”

Chris was staring at her. “You don’t think it’s him, right? I’ll vouch for my friend. Dimitri wouldn’t hurt a woman, let alone an underage one.”

She smiled. “Oh, I know more about your friend than he knows. I am aware he’s not involved. Like I said, we can’t find the ring leader, but we have a few clues about the man buying up these girls like cookies on a Sunday morning.”

Elizabeth headed toward the door.

“Well? Are you going to tell us?” Chris asked.

She stopped at the door and turned. “Does the name Viktor mean anything to you?” she asked.

“Because I’m Russian? So I must know every Russian in Vegas?” he asked sarcastically.

“You have a nice smile, Maximillian Marchenko.”

He didn’t flinch.

“Who?”

She shook her head and laughed. “Listen, I don’t give a shit about what you’ve done in your past. We all have one. What I do know is I have your dossier, and a file that Commissioner Raye was putting together.”

They all held their breath.

“Yeah, he’s got a big ol’ hard on for you. Don’t be shocked.”

He wasn’t.

This wouldn’t be the first time the law tried to nail him with something.

Elizabeth continued, “The man you’re going to want to take down, or avoid like the plague is a man by the name of Viktor Marchenko.”

Dimitri stared. “I don’t know him.”

She laughed. “Do some research. Viktor Marchenko, he’s in town, and he makes you look like an altar boy,” she warned.

Greyson stared at his friend. Somehow, he didn’t think it was a coincidence that they had the same last name.

She rattled something off in Russian, and then smiled at Dimitri.

“You didn’t hear that from me.”

Then she walked through the doors.

When she was gone, Greyson glanced over at him. “What did she say?” he asked.

He didn’t speak, but instead, he looked pale, and not from his shoulder being targeted earlier.

Emma understood most of it. She moved toward Dimitri and touched his arm. “She said he’s your relative.”

He looked down at her, and there was worry in his eyes, and hers.

Greyson had to know.

“Are you related to a man by that name?”

He tried desperately to brush it off, but now he was worried. “That name is like Smith in Russia. There’s a million of them.”

Still, he felt off. The Fed who left seemed so sure of herself, and he was very unsure.

Emma read the paper in the file. “There’s nothing about a Viktor Marchenko in this file.”

“It would be redacted,” Greyson stated. “Ethan would have blocked out anything that was classified.”

Chris didn’t get it. “Then why tell us?”

Greyson knew.

“So, it’s off the record. He’s giving me a heads up on this. We’re going to be looking for a sex ring, and he wants us to find the man who’s buying the girls too.”

Emma was good with that.

Still, her husband was staring at their head of security, and it was making her nervous.

“Really, Grey,” Dimitri offered, seeing the look. “I don’t know that name.”

Chris pointed. “Uh, our pretty Fed left something on the counter where she was perched.”

They all looked over.

“Elizabeth left a tablet?” Emma asked. “She should…”

Greyson stopped her. “She’s giving me a way to look into the FBI files. She’s telling me that this file doesn’t have everything, and if I want to know, I have to break into the database. She’s covering us, and she’s covering Ethan. That tablet will come back stolen. We won’t have much time.”

Chris laughed. “I don’t know if I should hate her or if I should applaud her creativity. She exited without setting off the alarms.”

That had their head of security’s attention.

Dimitri was way off his game. He didn’t even realize that Chris was right. Normally, he’d be all over her until she was off the property. He rushed to the screen on the wall and rewound it. Elizabeth was on the recording. She walked over to the gate, she pushed in a code, and turned to blow him a kiss.

Then she was gone.

“I don’t get her.”

Greyson didn’t care. This was their way into the database. “I’ll do it since Curtis isn’t here.”

He took it and flipped the case open.

There was a note.

‘Roses are pink, geraniums are red. You didn’t find this tablet, or I am dead.’

Despite how serious the situation was, it made Emma laugh. When all the men looked at her, she couldn’t help it.

“You’re just all pissed because she kicked ass, took names, and owned all the cavemen in this castle. I’m impressed.”

Greyson didn’t have to be. He knew her street cred, and it was legit.

He peeled the Post-It note off the tablet, and on the back, there was a code scribbled onto it.

“She gave you the way in,” Emma said.

Yeah, and he was going to use it.

Greyson went in, entered the code, and the file started loading. “I’ll send it to the screen.”

They all watched the large kitchen screen as lots of information flashed there, and then the one damning piece of evidence.

 “Uh oh,” Paris said, the second he saw it.

Tessa agreed. “He’s a bad dude, and according to the FBI. They have one picture.”

It opened.

Dimitri gasped.

They all stared at him, then the picture, and then back at him again.

Chris was the first to speak. “I’m going to take a long shot at this one, family. I’m going to bet that Dimitri’s father spread his sperm around even more. He looks like you, Dimitri.”

Emma saw it. “He has your eyes, and Kat and Nat’s too.”

Yeah, he saw it.

It made him ill, but not because his vile father had procreated with yet one more woman. That he expected. This was so much more.

“I take it back. I do know him.”

“What?” Greyson said. “How?”

“When we were leaving ‘Aquarius’ yesterday, I saw him. He was there. Inside.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“We have a huge problem,” Emma stated. “He might be your brother, and if he is, and he’s the buyer?”

Dimitri glanced over.

To him, it wasn’t a problem. It was simple.

“Then he’s dead.”

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He met him in the park. They were heading out to do their thing, and he was their drop off. “Is she in the trunk?” he asked, passing the man the money.

“Yes, and the other one?”

“I dumped her. No one will know she was mine. While I enjoyed her, you really need better stock. She didn’t last nearly as long as you promised. I need someone who will be able to handle my…urges.”

The man stared at him in disgust. He didn’t like him at all. In fact, he was someone he wished they never began doing business with in the first place.

He was a deviant.

And that was saying a lot since perverts were their specialty.

“You realize they might connect her to us, right?” he asked. “This makes our lives very difficult.”

He laughed. “That’s not my problem,” he said, holding out his hand for the keys.

He palmed them.

Viktor didn’t like that this man wanted a face to face meeting. He normally wouldn’t have done it, but he wanted to tie up some loose ends.

The man being the biggest one.

No one had seen him yet, and he’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

He knew his brother.

His reputation preceded him.

“Thank you, and I’ll be going, but first…”

He shoved the shiv through the man’s ribs, puncturing his heart. There was that gasp of surprise as he was lowered to the bench, and then he died within seconds.

Viktor pocketed the blade, and wiped his hands on his handkerchief.

“We are done doing business, for now. I need to move along after I handle some family business. No offense, but you’re running a sloppy business, and I don’t like sloppy.”

He began walking away, and he was all smiles as he waved at the women in the park, and grinned at the little kids.

He had a new girl, and he was going to have some fun.

Well, later.

Now it was time to handle his brother, and the two girls he tried to save.

Only, their luck was running out.

And soon.

Chapter Fifteen

Courthouse

Monday

Nine A.M.

A s he pulled up in his truck, he held her coffee cup and briefcase as she unbuckled her seatbelt. The entire time, he couldn’t help but watch the transformation. Delilah was like a chameleon.

When they woke up, she hadn’t had any clothes or makeup on, and she’d been drop dead gorgeous in the girl next door kind of way. Now she was primped, primed, and ready to take on the world for her clients. She had her hair coifed, her red lipstick on, and even her glasses.

She was so freaking hot that Riley was having a hard time thinking about anything else but her body and the sexy girly things beneath her suit.

Truth be told, he wasn’t sure which side of her he liked more. The feisty attorney, who chewed asses, or the fresh-faced woman, who smiled at him when she woke. Riley wouldn’t mind having both of those women in his world.

Only, he knew there was going to be an issue. He could see it coming.

He must have been staring because she touched his arm and got his attention.

“Uh, are you okay?” she asked in concern. “Is it about dropping me off here? You can take me to my office, and I can drive here.”

He lovingly placed his palm against her cheek.

“It has nothing to do with that, Delilah. I was just thinking about you. Have a good day at work, and don’t leave, okay?”

“Where would I go? I have some maniac who wants me dead, and a client who will be dead if I don’t do my job. I’m going to be crazy busy,” she teased. “A woman-lawyer’s work is never done.”

He leaned in to kiss her, and she moved away.

It caught him off guard.

“I’m sorry,” he said, moving back. “I figured after four rounds of sex, sleeping together, literally, and today, I could kiss you goodbye. I didn’t mean to…”

She stopped him.

“There are cops all over the place. Once I get out, they’ll see you. I don’t want them to give you shit because you’re seen with me, but kissing the enemy?”

He stared into her green cat eyes.

“I don’t care if they find out.”

“But your boss…”

Riley had to make a choice. He could sneak around with Delilah and pretend they weren’t an item, or he could face the facts. He wanted to be with her, and he didn’t care if anyone connected him to the Crofts.

They’d make shit up anyway, and he didn’t want to be away from her. Besides, if Thomas Christ saw her with a cop, one he couldn’t bribe or buy, he might leave her alone.

The commissioner too.

This was his way of protecting her even when he couldn’t be by her side. Delilah mattered, and he wanted something a little more permanent.

Maybe if he did a good job of this, she’d understand later when he told her what they might be up against in a relationship.

IF she even wanted one of those.

He could only hope.

“They will make your life hell, Riley. Thomas Christ will ride you.”

He still didn’t care. He could ride him all he wanted, but when it came down to it, he wasn’t going to let her get hurt. The other cops would leave her alone.

Maybe a few good ones would watch her back.

Delilah wasn’t the job. She was a human being who deserved to be safe.

To prove he didn’t care, he rolled his window down, and waved to a cop he knew. Then he stared at her.

“Riley! Put that up!”

He wouldn’t let her stop him.

“So you just used me for sex?”

“What?” she asked. “How did you come up with that conclusion, Detective?”

“I think you’re embarrassed to be seen with me. I’m the one beneath you.”

“Riley.”

“It’s okay, Delilah. I get it. Have a good day.”

She saw how she’d hurt him, and it broke her heart. Riley Henderson was a decent, kind, good man, and she didn’t want him upset.

So, she gave in.

She grabbed him by the tie and tugged his mouth to hers. “You’re not beneath me,” she said, giving him a kiss, “but you can be later, if you like,” she offered, letting her mouth run deliciously over his.

Riley enjoyed the kiss, and the way Delilah smelled. It was a mix of her perfume, and his cologne.

That said it all, but in case she didn’t get it…

“You’re not the enemy,” he said. “I can still do my job without you interfering.”

She laughed. “Until I have you on the stand and I have to tear you apart,” she said.

“Then I’ll just have to take it out on you later,” he muttered, her lips doing insane things to his. “Like last night.”

He gave her chills.

“I don’t know what to do with you,” she admitted. “I hate cops, but this one…”

He waited.

“Are we really going to see if this works?” she asked. “Is this going somewhere?”

He laughed. “Are you wearing garters?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, then I know exactly where it’s going. I like that place too,” he said.

She laughed. “Me too.”

He handed her the disposable coffee cup. “Say you’ll call me if there’s trouble?” he asked.

She touched his cheek. “You can rescue me any day, Detective.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for later.”

She closed his truck door, and he wanted to make sure she got inside and to safety.

Riley got out, and he watched her.

He took it all in. Her walk away, men staring at her in lust and disdain, and the sway of her ass as she crossed the quad. At the door of the courthouse, she blew him a kiss.

Yeah, he’d rescue her.

In a heartbeat.

But for now, it was time to get his ass to work.

He had a feeling there were other people who needed him too. Word would be traveling back, and he was likely going to have a shitty day.

He could feel it brewing.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

Thomas Christ got the call. As he was sitting in his office, he heard from the man who wanted the mess cleaned up.

“Is it done?” Commissioner Raye asked, whispering into the phone.

“Yep. When he comes in, I’ll break the news. Then, we’ll wait until the techs clear the scene, and find that one piece of evidence.”

“Where did you leave it?” he asked.

“On the floor by the door. I pulled it from his garbage can. Everyone here knows Detective Henderson loves that gum. He chews it all day long. That wadded up piece will be enough to frame him. It puts him at the scene.”

“Perfect.”

“I know. I came up with it myself.”

“Well, good work. I’ll be in later. I want to watch it all go down,” he said, laughing.

“Sure thing.”

Commissioner Raye hung up.

It was going to be priceless. He couldn’t wait to see it happen. That’s what the rat deserved.

And he would pay in lock up.

That was for sure.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Greyson was worried.

They were heading out while Paris and Tessa were going to start doing some research on the names Elizabeth had given them. They would try to crosscheck them with anything they could find on Anthony Delmarco and Viktor Marchenko.

While they were glad for the FBI’s intel, there was still holes in the whole thing. Greyson knew they needed to fill them in or they risked screwing this up.

They couldn’t do that.

The FBI was pulling out of the sex ring investigation, and that meant he was on deck. He had a job to do in his city.

Still…

This was going to be damn hard.

They weren’t hoping to find much, but they had to try. Maybe something would turn up.

Now came the hard part.

They were dividing up.

“Emma,” he said, as she gave him a hug.

He didn’t have to say anything more. His wife saw the concern in his eyes.

“You’re the one I’m worried about,” she admitted. “Dimitri saw that pervert in his club. He felt like he was being tailed, and this man is bad news. You two are in more danger than us.”

No one was saying the ‘B’ word—for Dimitri’s sake. They knew what he was thinking.

Had he left one of his siblings behind?

Was this on him?

Was his brother this big of a sicko?

“We’ll be fine,” Greyson admitted, hoping his wife wouldn’t worry too much. He knew that was a lie, but what was he supposed to do? Take the easy assignment and leave her in danger?

No, they had to do their perspective jobs.

Greyson was expecting the worst, and so was Dimitri. Thank God, his wife was paired up with Chris.

“I think you should let us handle the ‘The Pink Kitty’,” Chris said. “It’s more in the open, and we don’t know anything yet.”

“And what should we do?” Dimitri asked. “Twiddle our thumbs?”

Yeah, someone was cranky.

Then again, he’d just been told his ‘brother’ was running amuck in the city, and possibly the person buying and killing underage women.

That had to sting.

“You should head to ‘Aquarius’ to see if anyone saw that man coming or going,” Chris offered. “Maybe your security cameras caught something.”

Dimitri relaxed.

Chris had a point.

If he wasn’t so rattled, he might have thought about that himself. This was proof that he was NOT on his game.

“If we can get a license plate, or anything more, we can track him.”

Emma agreed.

That wasn’t enough for Greyson.

“Will you both be okay?” he asked.

Emma tapped her chest. “I’m wearing body armor, and I know Chris is, too, after being Tasered by Elizabeth.”

Well, that made Greyson feel better. At least she was trying to be proactive.

He tapped his chest.

Dimitri followed suit.

“Okay, but take pictures of him,” Greyson said, holding up the picture of the man. “If you see him, Chris,” he began.

“I can handle him.”

He read his rap sheet to his overeager friend. It was the one that was in the file.

“Murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, rape, theft, grand theft auto, vehicular manslaughter, treason…”

“I get it. I’ll let Emma handle him.”

She laughed.

Greyson and Dimitri, not so much.

“Come on! He was kidding. Just stay safe,” she said, kissing Greyson, and then Dimitri on the cheek.

They walked out of the house and got into their perspective rides.

“If I ever say that I’m picking a case again,” Greyson began.

Oh, Dimitri got it.

“I’ll shoot you myself.”

“Thank you.”

Then, one by one, they headed out of the gates to really dig into this case.

And hopefully, at the end of the night, they would all be coming back.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

When Riley got to work, he didn’t see his partner. That was odd, but maybe the man was taking some time off.

The sergeant at the desk called him over and handed him a paper before he could even get into the precinct.

On it, was his next case.

Great.

“Has Lester shown up yet?” he asked the man.

“Nah, not yet. Want me to send him to the scene when he shows?” the desk sergeant asked.

“Yeah, I’ll head out.”

This was the last thing Riley wanted. He had wanted to start working on those victims tied to Greyson’s case, and instead, he was going to check out a victim, who was likely a vagrant, on a park bench.

Turning around, he headed out of the building, and to be sure, he sent his partner a text.

No reply.

Maybe the man was taking some down time. He’d done it, so why not him? It wasn’t like they were getting anywhere on the cases on their desk.

Outside, he hopped into his truck since his partner had their work ride. He put the address into the navigational screen and headed out of the parking lot.

The whole time, Riley wasn’t thinking about work, the case he’d just been handed, or his partner.

He was thinking about Delilah, and worrying.

All he wanted was for her to be all right.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

The Pink Kitty

Across Town

Emma laughed, despite the entire situation. What else could she do? Yes, they were heading into one more strip club. For a rich lady, she was certainly hanging out in a lot of dives.

Oh, and this one was just that.

The place was nasty, and she could tell by the neon on the sign. The Y kept falling over, and a yellow glowing cat was licking the vee of the Y.

She got it.

Yeah, this place was going to be raunchy with a capital R. She definitely would be careful where she touched.

“Are we going to mess with the media?” Chris asked, as they pulled in and he parked their ride.

She hesitated.

“What?” he asked.

“I can’t.”

He looked over. “Greyson? Did he get angry about what the news showed?”

How to put this delicately?

“No, he didn’t get angry, but I can tell it bothered him.” Emma wasn’t going to mention they had a whole conversation. That was private.

“You can?”

“Yeah, and I think we should knock it off. It’s more about Natasha. She was looking at me like I was trying to steal her man. I’ve seen that look before.”

He laughed.

Then Chris noticed she wasn’t.

“Wait! You’re being serious?”

“Yeah, maybe you should spend some time with her tonight, reassuring her, and we should stop with the busting ass. It’s making her uncomfortable.”

He hadn’t realized. “You and I haven’t done…”

She glanced over and lifted a brow.

Her mouth had been on his. She’d been in his arms, and they went into a strip club together.

THAT said it all.

“Yeah, I can’t even refute this one. You’re right. It could give someone the wrong idea. I’m just not accustomed to being a couple. I used to tease your husband all the time.”

She got it, and their teasing was being misconstrued by his current love interest. While Greyson might tolerate it, Natasha had been hurt enough in her life, and Emma didn’t want to do that to her.

She loved Natasha.

“Plus, think how you’d feel if she was flirting with a man, and not worried about your heart.”

Emma went to get out.

“Wait.”

“What?” she asked.

“I have to ask you something.”

“What?”

“You said last night that you’d run into Denise. Did you really or were you trying to screw with me?”

She’d forgotten she’d even brought it up.

“Yeah, she’s in town. She saw you on the media, and she was looking for you.”

“Jesus. I’d rather have coffee with Satan, naked, and on fire.”

Emma figured.

“Well, I told her pound sand. She actually approached me for your new number.”

“Please tell me you didn’t give it to her.”

She laughed. “Shit! I wasn’t supposed to?” she asked. “Really?”

“Har har. I get it.”

“She mentioned swinging by your place and asking if you moved.”

“Wait, where was I?” he asked. “You and I are together non-freaking stop.”

“I was trying on dresses for the wedding. I was in the dressing room, and she approached me.”

He swallowed.

Thank GOD she’d missed him. Chris didn’t want to deal with that harpy. He was free.

“She asked, and I told her beat it.”

He began laughing. “I know her. That couldn’t have gone over too well.”

“She wasn’t thrilled, but she’s going to have to suck it up. She cheated on you, she broke your heart, and she got fat.”

“Did she?” he asked hopefully.

Emma started laughing. “No, but I figured you’d want me to say that.”

He snorted. “You know me so well.”

“I figured it was a bad sign when she started with ‘I’m in town and divorcing man number three’,” Emma stated.

“God bless him. I don’t have to pay alimony. I feel bad for sucker number three. She’s going to drink him dry until man four comes along.”

“Lucky you to have escaped.”

“How did you scare her away?” he asked.

“I told her you were my side dick, and if she came near you, I’d make sure she was neck deep in the desert.”

He stared at her. “You could have said I was in a …”

She stopped him. “You weren’t at the time. It’s what I could go with, so don’t judge. I was trying anything to keep the harpy at bay.”

He didn’t mind.

It kept the shrew away.

“I’m good now.”

He leaned in to give her a kiss, and she pulled away. “I think a handshake will suffice.”

Chris stared at her.

She burst out laughing.

“Really? You’re going to be mean? I was Tasered this morning.”

Emma accepted his kiss.

Then she screwed with him.

“Can you tie my husband up again?” she asked.

He got out and flanked her. “You rocked his world, huh?” he asked. “Are you gonna share?”

“How’s the sex with Miss Bendy McBenderson?”

Chris liked their relationship. With Emma, he could be himself, and she was like one of the guys. Except he occasionally checked out her ass.

He couldn’t help himself.

“Let’s just say I’m a very happy man. I may propose to her.”

She stopped. “What? What happened to ‘I’m happy as a boyfriend for now’?”

He was aware.

“I think I’m going to do the ring, and propose. I know I said I needed time, but after our talk last night, it’s time I move on from…well, you know.”

She smiled at him.

Emma understood what he was saying. She always would. They shared that bond.

“Plus, with Denise in town, I better put a ring on my girl. That will be better than Denise getting fat. I’m dating a younger, sexier woman.”

Emma laughed. “Score, Captain.”

He gave her a high five, and then went right back into guard mode. He scanned the area, making sure any media kept their distance.

“We may have some time after this interview. Want to maybe sneak over to the jewelry shop? I can help you pick out a pretty ring for your girl.”

He stared at her in horror.

“What?” she asked. “I’ll let you pay!”

“Uh, I said I may propose, but I need a month to think that out.”

She laughed.

Emma wasn’t surprised. “I’ll clear next Christmas for ring shopping,” she said, as they headed into the club.

Chris found that amusing.

Once at the door, Emma pointed at him. “Babe, I paid for the last club. You’re up,” she teased.

He stared at her.

“Okay, I’ll pay for the lap dance.”

She said she was going to be more cognizant of Natasha’s feelings. Emma didn’t say she was backing off and not tormenting him at all.

Chris paid, and they headed inside. At the bar, there was a blonde woman who looked like she was shy of being ridden hard and put away wet.

If she was stripping…

Yikes.

“Can I help you?” she asked, as they both stopped at the bar.

“Yeah, I need to ask some questions,” she said, pulling out her phone.

“Okay, ask.”

“What’s your name, and please don’t give me some stripper name?” she asked.

The woman looked at her like she was insane. “I don’t strip. I’ve been tending bar here for almost twenty years.”

Well, thank God.

Chris was trying hard not to snicker beside her.

“Name?”

“Why do you need to know that?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“We have some questions…”

The woman cut her off.

“I know who you are, and you’re not a cop, so maybe you should head on out.”

Emma shrugged. “Okay. Since you know who I am, you know that a pack of media mongrels follow me everywhere. So. I’ll go outside and begin talking about strippers going missing, you serving people under age, and some health violations.”

She stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Emma and Chris pointed to the three young men at the table with strippers in their laps. “They aren’t going to be twenty-one. I guess I have to call some friends.”

“Wait.”

Emma figured as much.

“We got off on the wrong foot. My name is Rosemary Harrington. Now, what do you need to know?”

They figured Julie was going to be the best lead, so they showed the woman her picture. Marissa, while getting lost in all this, was still their client. They’d promised to find Julie, and they were going to try their best.

“Do you know her?”

She took the phone and stared at it.

“Well, when I saw her, she looked a little less wholesome, and she was blowing a bunch of men, including some of our bouncers.”

They looked over at the man.

“When did you see her?”

“A month ago? Maybe a little less. She was in here with her pimp. She did a little stripping, and that’s it.”

“Are you sure she didn’t do anything else but strip?” Emma asked. “You just said she was blowing men left and right.”

“Yeah, on that day, but before that, she was on the stage dancing.”

Emma wasn’t sure what to buy anymore.

“And she worked here and the ‘Titty Corral’?”

The woman shrugged. “Honey, I can’t answer to what goes on over there. We have some dancers here that work there, and you can ask them if you like.”

“Where are these bouncers and strippers?”

She looked around.

“It looks like they aren’t in yet. I guess they won’t be in until later. You’ll have to come back to talk to them.”

Yeah, Emma didn’t doubt that Rosemary was protecting her people.

As for coming back, she didn’t really want to do that.

“Was anyone bugging her?” Chris asked.

“No, she was a favorite. I think she was into drugs though. She seemed a little wacked out last time I saw her.”

That explained what Dimitri found in her apartment. They really weren’t shocked.

“Thank you, Rosemary.”

“Hey, no problem. You’re that woman married to that big mob guy, right?” she asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“If you come in with him, I’ll give you free drinks. We could use some big shots to boost business. It’s been slow lately, and I work on tips too.”

Emma smiled and walked away without saying a word. THAT was NEVER happening.

As in over her dead body.

“Yeah, you should get Greyson in here. What could possibly go wrong?” he asked.

Oh, the list was endless.

“Yeah, and this place will give us both herpes. I think we’ll pass.”

Chris laughed, as they headed toward the bouncer.

“Hey! Can I ask you a question?” she inquired, smiling at the man. Hopefully, that would get them somewhere.

“Sure, sugar. You’re a hot one. Need a job shaking that money maker?” he asked, physically turning her around to look at her ass.

Chris didn’t tolerate it. He slammed the man against the wall and pressed his forearm against his trachea.

“Now, tell me why I shouldn’t stop you from breathing for touching her?”

“I was just checking out her goods.”

Chris wanted to take his face off and then put it back on upside down.

Emma knew how to shut the man up, and keep Chris from going to jail for manhandling a bouncer. The woman behind the bar looked seconds away from calling the cops.

They didn’t need that.

“I’m Emma CROFT.”

He closed his mouth.

“Oh, I stand corrected. The queen of Vegas can’t be shaking her ass without a crown.”

Chris pressed.

The man stopped smirking.

“Yeah, newsflash. I wouldn’t shake my ass in this shithole if I was starving, dying, destitute, and it was the only way to survive.”

He looked offended.

“It’s not that bad.”

“There’s a roach beside your head,” Emma stated.

The man practically crawled over Chris to get away from it. That said it all.

“Let’s focus,” Emma stated.

She held up a picture.

“Did you get your dick fondled by her? Now think long and hard. I’m sure it’s been a while since a woman wanted to touch you.”

He stared at her. “You’re actually a bitch. How did you get a man?” he asked.

Chris stared at him.

“I mean, no, I didn’t even though her pimp was sharing her. She gave about twenty blowjobs that day but none to me. He said he was training her. She seemed okay with it.”

“Let me go on the record…” She waited for his name.

“It’s Roscoe McKinney.”

“Okay, Roscoe. Here’s the truth in the matter. No woman wants to give twenty blowjobs in a day. One, yeah, we like it. Three, to the same man, and hey, we’ll play the game. By number five, we want to cut the dick off and smack you with it. There was no freaking way she was enjoying a twenty-blowjob day!”

Chris stared at her, and Emma could tell he was trying not to laugh or pee his pants.

“Is that for real?” he asked her.

Emma rolled his eyes.

“Never mind that part, Roscoe. You have other issues.”

“Like?” he asked.

“You let a minor give you head. You know that’s illegal, right?”

His eyes went wide.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, getting a lecture from you was on my bucket list. I can cross it off,” he said, sarcastically. Then he began laughing.

Emma glared at him.  

“Listen, lady, I stare at titties all day long. Black ones, white ones, jiggly ones, and saggy ones. If a girl is going to take my dick out of my pants, and I don’t have to pay her, so be it. Let’s call it a job perk.”

Chris took over.

Emma looked like she was ready to blow—not him.

“You basically just confessed to getting one,” he stated. “You may say you didn’t, but I’m willing to bet you jerk off a lot here.”

He didn’t answer him.

“Did you touch the girl. If you lie, I’m going to drag you outside and tell the media you like children,” he hissed in the man’s ear.

“Okay! Chill! I don’t do kids. I swore she just looked young. Her pimp said she was eighteen! It was one blowjob. What did it hurt?”

Emma wanted to show him what it would hurt by ripping his dick off for touching a kid. Only, she let Chris handle this. He was doing better than she was. Clearly, the man didn’t fear her.

Asshole.

“Did you hear her pimp say anything?” Chris asked.

He thought about it. “Nope.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Positive.”

Chris pulled a hundred out of his pocket. “This will buy you two more blow jobs from the disease of your choice.”

He shrugged. “I can’t tell you anything. Sorry. Now, if you’re done harassing me, I have a job to do.”

The man walked away.

“Well, that wasn’t helpful,” Emma said. “What next?” she asked.

“We should probably talk to some strippers.”

Yeah, she was aware.

“Want to split up?” she asked.

“Not particularly. I feel like my junk is going to be felt up, and I prefer it to be by you not them.”

She snorted. “You wish, my friend. You wish.”

He pointed. “There’s a guy cleaning up and he is desperately trying not to look at us. He reminds me of report day at the precinct when my detectives would try and hide so they didn’t have to give me a report.”

“Come on! I did it once.”

He grinned. “Let’s start there.”

They crossed the club, and Chris had been right. He’d had his junk grabbed more times than should be allowed. By the time they caught the man, he was trying to hide back by the bathrooms.

“Stop,” Chris said, grabbing the skinny guy by the arm. “Where are you going?”

“I have bathrooms to clean.”

Emma held up a one-hundred-dollar bill. “If you can tell me about this girl and everything you know in the next five minutes, it’s yours.”

“Are you serious?”

“Name.”

“Tony Chesterfield.”

“Do you work here full time?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

Emma was still holding the picture.

“That’s Chastity, but I liked her real name better,” he said, not looking directly at Emma.

“And you knew it?”

“Julie. She was a sweet girl.”

“I hear she was being used up for free by her pimp.”

He looked sad.

“He said he was training her. I wanted to take her home and fix her. She was broken really bad.”

It was clear that this guy had some developmental issues. He had a weird facial tick, and he was struggling with his speech.

“Did you hear her pimp say anything?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, he ran his mouth a lot. He was mean to Julie. He hit her a lot and he was cruel.”

Emma was glad Gerald had died a painful, or she hoped painful, death.

“Anything else he said that you might have found to be weird?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, he said something about a training stable, but Julie told me she didn’t like horses.”

They both knew what the pimp was talking about. He was referring to a place pimps took their girls to get them prepped for the streets. He’d want to make sure Julie was so beaten down that she couldn’t say no.

He was an asshole.

“Where, Tony?” Chris asked.

He tried to think about it.

“I think he said Vine.”

“That’s a big street.”

He was getting fidgety. “I needed a place to live, and he told me about a place he rented.”

“Okay, what did he tell you?”

“That he had a place on Vine in the basement, and there were a few units not being used by hookers.”

They listened.

“I think it was close to where Julie lived. He would bring her to work every day. She was like a prisoner to him.”

Well, that gave them something.

“Have you ever heard of someone by the name of Anthony Delmarco?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, but I’m bad with names. I only went to school until fifth grade. You can ask Rosemary. She’s really nice to me. She keeps me working here.”

Yeah, Rosemary seemed like a real gem.

“Did I do okay?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, here,” she said, handing him the money.

“I’ll give it to one of the girls. If they don’t make their tips, they can’t feed their kids.”

He hustled away.

“Well, that was something,” Chris said.

Yeah, she was thinking the same thing.

“Let’s get out of here. I’m starting to feel sick.”

He looked concerned. “The baby?”

“Yeah, and the stench of old booze. It’s nasty,” she said, linking her arm through his.

Chris led her outside and into the fresh air. Once there, she leaned against the building.

Emma took a breath of deep air.

“You okay?”

“I hate men.”

He laughed. “Well, you got a huge problem. You’re surrounded by them.”

“I think I’m having one.”

He smiled. “I heard. Greyson mentioned. I can’t wait to see you hold your child. You’re going to be a good mom.”

“How do you know?” she asked, rubbing her stomach. She worried she’d screw this up and get a kid who ended up working in a strip club.

Then again, she may get a mobster out of it too.

It was all about the perspective.

“I know you will because you nearly bitch slapped a bouncer in a strip joint for joking around about getting head from a kid.”

“Yeah, well, he was gross and made me angry,” Emma admitted.

Chris knew she needed to cheer up.

“Now think about that powerful mom moment and say, ‘clean your damn room’ and mean it!”

She laughed.

“Thank you, Christopher.”

He glanced around and didn’t see any media, so he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It feels ever dirtier sneaking around and kissing you.”

Emma punched him in the side.

“You are a bad influence.”

“You think? I hope you let me babysit.”

She held his hand. “Any day, Uncle Christopher. Any day.”

That made him smile.

“Next?” he asked.

“Let’s head to ‘Aquarius’. We’ll tell them what we found. They aren’t going to let me head to Vine to search that apartment.”

Chris was aware.

He already knew who was going.

It looked like a boy’s night out after all.

                             * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Detective Poppy Wayne and her partner, Hunter Dietrich, were dispatched to the house based on an anonymous tip from a neighbor.

There were shots fired, and the neighbor saw a body through the window.

So, they headed there.

Pulling up to the house, they both got out with guns in hand. There were no houses next to it, and something felt off.

“What’s wrong with this scene?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe that there are no neighbors, and no possibility of hearing gunshots?” Hunter said, watching their backs.

Yeah, that nine-one-one call was feeling a tad bit bogus.

Poppy headed for the porch, and she stared in the two windows that would give her a look into the building.

“Yeah, and I don’t see a body hanging in them, so I’m not feeling this call.”

Her partner was in the same boat.

“Yeah, it’s like someone knew we would go inside and investigate.”

She didn’t like this.

At all.

Vegas was a shit mess. She’d been on the force for fifteen years, and something about this stunk to high-freaking-heaven.

“Name on the mailbox is Lucas.”

Poppy tapped on the door.

Nothing.

She opened the door and called.

“Hello?” she called, trying to see if anyone was home.

Nothing.

“Let’s go. This screams ambush!” Hunter hissed, pulling on her arm as he was getting that feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Her too, until Poppy looked up.

On the ceiling of the house, there was a vicious red stain growing.

And there they had it.

She knew where the body was going to be found.

Poppy pointed up.

Detective Hunter Dietrich stopped.

He got it too.

“Looks like you and I are going to clear a house for old time’s sake,” she said, pointing for her partner.

That never ended well.

Well, shit.

This sucked.

“You go high, and I’ll go low,” she said, stepping inside and holding the door for her partner.

He was right behind her.

As they cleared the lower level, nothing looked out of place. They were both extremely careful not to touch anything. This was likely going to be a crime scene, and they needed to preserve it.

At the stairs, she took the lead, giving her partner her back. Together, they crept up the stairs, trying to ascertain where the blood stain was coming from.

 Poppy was willing to bet the body was on the floor in the last room.

At the door, she pushed it open with her toe. As it creaked, they moved into position.

That’s when they saw him.

He was gray.

He was lying in a pool of blood.

And he was a LVPD detective.

Holy shit!

“That’s Lester,” she hissed, moving into the room. Carefully, she crouched down and touched his neck.

He was cold, and they were too late.

Hunter holstered his sidearm, and shook his head. “Another cop down. This city is a mess.”

She didn’t disagree.

Poppy was looking around the room. There was beeping going on, and she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It sounds like his alarm on his phone.”

She looked around.

His gun was there.

His badge was coated in blood.

His phone…

Nowhere.

Then she moved around the bed and could see a flashing light coming from beneath the dust ruffle.

It looked like she found it.

Pulling a glove from her pocket, she picked it up. Pushing the button, she turned off the alarm. When she did, it went to the screen where there was a text message.

It was to his partner.

It appeared that the man was going to be instrumental in solving his own murder.

Holy shit!

Thank you, Lester Lucas.

“You have to see this.”

 Hunter moved closer.

His face said it all.

“WOW!”

Yeah, it was a message from the dead.

And most importantly, it told them who did the crime. If this was right, they’d gotten lucky, but the whole LVPD was about to have the opposite luck.

Lester Lucas was accusing one of their own of his demise, and that was huge.

She pulled out her phone, and called it in. Only, she didn’t call her boss, and for good reason.

She called her boss’s boss.

This was huge.

And a big problem.

For everyone with a badge.

Chapter Sixteen

Park

Mid-Morning

W hen Riley arrived, the team was already there, and they were beginning to pull evidence and snap pictures of the man on the bench. The ME was already on his knees, beside the body. The only person who wasn’t there was Riley’s partner.

Clearly, he was taking the day off.

The slacker.

“Doctor Stone, what do we have?” Riley asked, pulling on his gloves so he could help dig through the man’s pockets to find anything to help them.

“Our victim took one to the heart via ribcage. It looks like a shank, and it was a one-shot kill. That takes skill. He knew what he was doing.

“Well, that’s just great. Have you heard from my partner?” he asked.

Doctor Jameson Stone glanced over. “No, Detective. You’re first on scene. I haven’t seen Lester in a couple days.”

For some reason, this wasn’t sitting right with him. Lester was the kind of guy who came to work with the flu, and then promptly infected everyone around him.

He didn’t do sick days.

Riley was getting worried, so he sent his partner a text, asking where he was.

Nothing.

Well, it looked like he was doing this one on his own.

Riley slipped his phone back into his pocket and got down to business. “Do we have any ID on this one?” he asked.

“Getting there, Detective. I’m just about to check his body as soon as the techs finish pictures.”

That worked for him. While the man was working, he opted to ask about the other ‘unofficial’ case.

“Hey, Doc, did we have any more Jane Does come in?”

The man looked over.

“Actually, yeah, we did. How did you know?” he asked.

Riley laughed. “It’s Vegas. I figured it was a given. Do you have any details on her?”

The man worked on the dead man’s liver temperature, but still pulled his phone out. “You can find her picture on there. I was about to send it over to the precinct when I got the call.”

He flipped through the files.

That’s when he saw her.

Well, shit!

“Can you send me this picture?” he asked.

“Do you know her ID?”

“Yeah, I know who she is. She’s tied to a case I’m working,” he said. “Her name is Julie Pierce. She’s a minor,” he offered.

“That’s horrible,” Stone stated. “As for the picture, I can do that as soon as I’m done,” he said, slipping the dead man’s wallet out of his pocket when they laid him flat.

He was still flexible. Rigor hadn’t set in, so the man hadn’t been dead too long.

“He’s got ID on him,” Doctor Stone said, holding the driver’s license between his fingers.

“Name?” Riley asked, pulling out his phone to make note of it so he could do research for next of kin.

“We have an Anthony John Delmarco, age forty. It looks like it could be a fake, but that’s a start.”

At the name, he had Riley’s full attention.

“What?”

He repeated it.

Riley just stared at him.

“Uh, are you okay, Detective?” the city ME asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

But he wasn’t. This was going to be interesting.

They had Julie’s body, and now Anthony Delmarco had turned up dead too.

That posed one HUGE question.

Was the killer, the Crofts were chasing, cleaning up any loose ends?

He didn’t think this was a coincidence. Julie turned up last night, and now the sex trafficking mule is sitting on a park bench from a shank wound.

Yeah, definitely not a coincidence.

“I have to go,” Riley said, taking a picture of the man’s ID. I’m going to need everything you have on this case ASAP,” he said, as he was backing away.

“Sure thing, Detective,” he offered, watching him leave.

The whole team watched him tear out of there in a hurry.

Stone focused on the dead.

“Let’s bag him up. Our cooler is going to be full,” he said, pulling off his gloves.

It was just another day in Vegas.

Unfortunately.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Aquarius

When they walked in, the place already had a good deal of customers, enjoying their day.

Marissa was also there, doing her thing. For a moment, Dimitri just watched her. He’d had a rough night, thinking about the kiss they’d shared on his couch.

The entire time, he wanted to head to that tiny apartment, wake her up, and spend time with her.

He wanted to forget, and he figured she could help him.

Then he stopped himself.

Dimitri was out of control.

He was hoping for things that he couldn’t have, and he was daydreaming about thing that could never be.

Her.

Him.

Together.

Still…

He desperately craved that connection, and she seemed to get past his walls. He was still reeling from that kiss, and he didn’t know what the hell to do about it.

As he leaned against the wall, he could see her handling some of the customers.

She was a natural.

Maybe that was what he loved best about her.

Marissa knew how to work a room. She was wearing a short skirt, high heels, and a smile. The patrons responded to that.

And so did he.

His heart thumped in his chest the second he saw her turn. She smiled at him, and the world went all screwy around him.

“You have it bad,” Greyson said, coming up next to him. “Just have sex with her already.”

“Oh, okay, give me ten minutes. I’ll clear this table.”

Croft laughed.

“I can’t just walk up to her, throw her over my shoulder, and take her in the back room. I’m not you.”

Greyson gave him a fist bump. “Good one. That is my style. Don’t knock it. My kitten likes me this way.”

Dimitri wanted that. Not Emma, per say, but a woman who liked him the way he was.

Dark.

Damaged.

Broken.

Yeah, that was a tough mix, and he knew it.

“Just make a move and see how she reacts. You already spent some lip time, see what else she’s up for and go from there,” Greyson said.

“It’s weird getting sex advice from you.”

Greyson shrugged. “Why? I’m married and have a pretty eventful sex life. I should be the first person you ask. Think of me like that idolized big brother. I am older.”

He had a point.

Dimitri would have to think about it.

Before he could mull it around in his head more, she was heading their way.

“Mr. Gideon, Mr. Croft, can I get you something?” Marissa asked, as she smiled at a patron.

“Yeah, coffee, and we’ll be in the security room. We want to run yesterday’s security discs.”

She smiled. “I’ll bring it right back for you.”

Then, she lowered her voice.

“Did you find Julie?” she asked.

They both shook their heads.

The smile disappeared, and Marissa looked like she was going to cry.

“We’re still working it. It’s been less than three days, Marissa. Have hope,” Greyson offered, trying to help the girl out.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll do my job, and you do yours,” she stated.

Then she headed away.

Dimitri knew one thing.

She belonged there. When she walked around, the whole place came alive. The customers loved her, the staff respected her, and he wanted her based on her legs and how freaking long they were.

Dimitri wanted them around his hips in the worst way. Immediately, the fantasy played out, and his body reacted.

God!

He was so damn hard.

“You’re staring. It’s creepy.”

He snapped out of it.

“Yeah, I have to do something about this tension,” he muttered. It was true. Dimitri was stirred up, and if he didn’t alleviate the stress, bad things would happen.

He’d be crankier than he already was.

As they were walking back to the private office, Greyson’s phone rang.

“Yes?” he asked, recognizing the number. “What’s up?”

“Greyson, It’s Riley. I need to see you ASAP. We have an issue that you’re going to want to know about,” he stated.

He could hear it in his voice.

“Okay, Riley, we’re at ‘Aquarius’. Have Marissa bring you to security.”

The phone went dead.

Greyson simply stared at it.

“What was that?” Dimitri asked.

“The detective is stirred up about something, and that makes me nervous.”

Dimitri got that.

If it pertained to a cop, it was never good. Vegas, if anything, was predictable.

“I can’t wait to see about what,” Dimitri stated, as they headed back to the private room and then the door inside that was rarely accessed.

Once Dimitri entered the code, Greyson whistled.

“You have some security here.”

He was aware.

When you did business out of a place, you had to make sure you weren’t going to have anyone interfere with it. You also had to make sure that the cops couldn’t get you trapped with any kind of electronic listening devices.

‘Aquarius’ wasn’t just secured, it was Pentagon secured—or so he hoped. 

“Let’s see what we have,” Dimitri said, rewinding the DVR to the point where they arrived the day before. Both men sat side by side, as the footage was brought up on the screens.

“Here we go,” Dimitri stated.

On one of the screens, they saw themselves entering the bar, and walking past the tables.

The man hadn’t been there.

Then they entered Dimitri’s ‘office’ space and it went black.

It wasn’t recorded.

“I don’t have a camera back there,” he said, as if reading his mind. “There is audio on a separate system.”

Instead of focusing on that camera, they watched the ones outside of the bar and the main room.

Sure enough, not long after they disappeared into that room, they had company.

As they went through the door, the man in question entered the building. He flirted with Marie, and then took a seat with his back to the wall so he could face the room.

“He’s watching,” Croft said.

Yeah, he was, and that pissed Dimitri off.

They kept watching the footage. The man ordered coffee, and then drank it wearing leather gloves.

“He knew you might run this footage,” Greyson said. “He didn’t want to be tagged here. We can’t see his face, and he’s leaving no fingerprints.”

Yeah, he was sneaky.

Just like him…

They continued to watch. It seemed so innocent. He talked to Marie, and laughed along with her.

“Is she working?” Greyson asked.

“Yes, she’s on the floor waitressing today. I bumped her off hostess for Marissa.”

“We need to talk to her. Maybe he said something that will stick out in her mind, and we will have a lead.”

Dimitri knew if it were him, he would only tell the woman what he wanted her to hear. He clearly was expecting them to seek him out. His back was turned, and he wasn’t leaving prints.

No.

This man, likely his brother, would play it safe.

Still, they had to give it a shot, and Marie was their best chance at this point.

They needed something. If his brother was buying women, and he was connected to the people running the sex traffic ring, he had to get to him.

And fast.

He called out to the hostess stand. “Send Marie to my office,” he asked.

Then he hung up.

They continued watching him, and as soon as Dimitri walked out of the back room, on the recording, the man stood, and bumped into him.

Immediately, Dimitri stood up.

Shit!

He saw it.

Dimitri knew what the hell had just happened. He was wearing the same suit jacket that he had been the day before. Looking down, he ran his hands over every part of the fabric.

That’s when he found it.

Greyson stared at the tiny little chip.

‘It’s a tracker,’ he mouthed. ‘He bugged you.’

Oh, he was aware, and not happy at all.

Now he had to worry about what he’d possibly compromised. Normally, he didn’t wear his suit jacket in the house, but he did leave it over a chair.

Had he blown this?

Had he compromised his own family?

He was pissed.

Dimitri dropped the little bug onto the desk. He wasn’t sure if it had audio capabilities. Looking around, he saw a way to contain it. He grabbed the glass holding pencils, dumped it out, and then covered it.

“He placed that on me.”

“He’s following you,” Greyson stated, “and he’s apparently good at his job.”

“I didn’t expect the bug, so I never looked for it,” Dimitri stated. “I’m sorry.”

Greyson patted him on the back. “Hey! You didn’t know. This isn’t on you.”

Wasn’t it?

He’d been so tied up in knots over the woman working there, that he’d missed being bugged. That wasn’t like him.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to leave it here. He can think I’m working all day.”

Marissa knocked, and came in, carrying two coffees. “Marie is in there waiting for you. Can I get you anything else?” she asked. “Maybe something to eat?”

Greyson noticed she wasn’t talking about food, and she was trying extra hard to rub against his friend.

Dimitri didn’t seem to notice.

“No, thank you,” Dimitri said. “I’m not hungry.”

“Okay, sorry.”

Marissa headed out, and Greyson stared at him.

“Dude, you realize the WORST way to get into a lady’s panties is by getting cranky and missing the obvious.”

He looked over. “What are you talking about?”

“She wasn’t talking about food, and she leaned over and gave you a clear shot down her shirt. Meanwhile, you’re staring at a bug.”

“Did she?” he asked.

That only made him angrier.

“What’s wrong now?” Greyson asked. “You’re red.”

“She rubs me the wrong way,” he muttered. “When she’s around, I’m off my damn game.”

Yeah, he was aware.

How could a man, who hired hookers to get laid, miss that a gorgeous woman was willing to fill that gap every time she saw him?

His friend needed to chill out.

“If you smiled at her, she’d probably just rub you—again,” he teased.

He stared at him. “Gee, thanks, Dad. On your way home from work, can you stop and buy me condoms too? Go with extra-large.”

Greyson laughed and sipped his coffee. “That’s my boy.”

Now Dimitri laughed, and he needed it.

“I can’t focus on her right now. I was bugged in my own business, and by a man the FBI thinks is my brother.”

Greyson got it.

Only, he knew the truth. Dimitri was hiding. He was afraid to just admit he really felt something for Marissa, but this was his life, and Greyson wouldn’t push him.

“Do you have him on security leaving?”

He hit a few keys to change the angle of the cameras. On them, they saw him.

“That’s about it. I can tag him out of the building and just out the front door. He disappeared into the people staying at this hotel.”

That made Greyson think. He needed to make a call.

“What if he’s staying here?” he suddenly asked.

Dimitri wasn’t sure. “If he’s staying here, how is he killing the women? There’s no way he could carry one inside and not be noticed.”

Still, that worried him.

Greyson pulled out his phone and called his hotel’s front desk.

“François, this is Greyson Croft.”

There was a pause, and then the man realized no one was playing a joke on him.

“Sir! What can I do for you?” he asked. “Your brother and his fiancé have arrived at the penthouse. Do you need them?” he asked.

Greyson genuinely liked this man. He was an excellent manager.

“I have an odd question.”

Dimitri didn’t speak as he listened.

“Yes, sir?”

“Has anyone who looks like Mr. Gideon tried to stay at the hotel, or maybe booked a room?”

“I can ask, sir.”

“He’d also have a Russian accent.”

“I don’t have one,” Dimitri stated.

Greyson stared at him. “Yes, check, please, I’ll hold,” he stated, waiting for the man to come back.

“You absolutely do.”

“I don’t.”

“Say ‘I hate moose and squirrel’.”

He said it.

Greyson laughed his ass off.

Dimitri didn’t get it.

“You’re right. No accent,” Croft said, wiping his eyes. He couldn’t believe the man didn’t get the Rocky and Bullwinkle reference. He’d been waiting to use that one for the longest time.

“Are you feeling okay?” Dimitri asked.

“Yeah, sorry, I was having a moment,” he said, laughing even more.

“Do I have to Google Moose and Squirrel?” he asked.

Greyson was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. “I’ll explain later,” he offered, almost unable to speak.

At that moment. François came back on the line.

Dimitri handled it.

“Mr. Croft, we don’t have anyone who matches that description, or with a Russian accent.”

“Thank you, François,” Dimitri offered. “Mr. Croft was detained. Keep an eye out for anyone who looks similar to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dimitri hung up. “Okay, so the hotel is safe.”

Greyson nodded. “We covered our bases, and that’s going to matter. We can’t risk anything. This is going to suck,” Croft said.

At least they were on the same page.

“Let’s talk to Marie,” Dimitri offered.

Together, they headed into the room to talk to the woman who might be able to give them something on Viktor Marchenko.

As they sat, she looked nervous.

“What did I do?”

Dimitri patted her on the arm. “Nothing. We just need to talk to you about a customer yesterday.”

She swallowed. “Okay, who?”

He pulled up the security footage on his phone.

“Do you recall him being in?”

She nodded. “Yes, he said his name was…Viktor. He was Russian. I asked if he knew you, you know…since you are too.”

“And he said?”

“He said you two went way back. That you and he were from the same town.”

“Did he say where?”

“Dirbent?”

Dimitri sat back. To his knowledge, no one knew where he was from. No one. The KGB, when they recruited his father, and took him into the military for his tour, didn’t disclose locations. If he knew where he was from, that only reason would be because he was from there too.

Shit!

This probably was his brother, and Dimitri had to face the cold hard facts. His father had more kids out there.

“Tell us everything he said,” Greyson offered.

Marie could do that.

“He said you both grew up on the coast, and that he and his mother would wait for your father to come home, but he never did. Then he’d learned the truth. Someone killed him. He said that broke his mother’s heart and his. He loved his father a lot as a boy.”

Dimitri’s cheek ticked.

Yeah, he’d killed him after he caught him raping Katerina. His father was a monster, and if Viktor loved him, then chances were he was a monster too.

This was on him.

“What else did he say?” Greyson asked.

“That he was in town to catch a few sights, handle some business, and maybe pick up a sexy woman or three.”

Dimitri wanted to warn her, but he couldn’t. If he did, and Marie freaked if he came back in, Viktor might kill her.

Dimitri had to protect his people.

‘Aquarius’ was their home too.

“Did he say anything else?” Dimitri asked.

“Yeah, that he was looking forward to your reunion. That you both had some things to settle, and that going back home would be that much sweeter.”

“Is that all?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry you missed him. He has your eyes.”

Yeah, he was aware.

“Thank you, Marie.”

She headed out.

For a full minute, Dimitri said nothing as he weighed all of his options.

That’s when he dropped the bomb.

“He’s gunning for me,” Dimitri stated. “I have to pull my sisters and get out of here.”

Greyson stopped him. “Then we’re all going.”

He was horrified.

“No. You don’t get it, Greyson. If he knew my father, and he’s so enamored by the man, he’ll be just like him. I don’t doubt that the FBI is right. He’s the one buying women, raping and killing them. That was my father’s style and it’s now his.”

Greyson didn’t care.

“If you leave, we all leave. You’re our family. We can’t let you just run, Dimitri. Not alone. We stand together.”

He felt panicky.

Sick.

Ill.

There was so much on the line, and he didn’t even know where to start. In the back of his mind, he knew he could go back to his roots, digging among the seedier side of Vegas for answers, but it would cost him.

He knew the price.

“We can do this together,” Croft promised. “We can find and fight him.”

Dimitri didn’t know if he bought that or not. If he was like him, like their father, he’d been trained to be a ghost.

The same skills Dimitri taught Natasha to blend in and disappear were going to be their biggest issue. He’d hide in plain sight.

Dimitri weighed his options.

Run.

Buy some help.

Stay and fight.

NONE of them sounded good to him.

Still, he wanted to trust the people he’d come to love. They were his family, and he wanted Greyson to be right.

“If he tagged you with a tracker, chances are he can’t keep his eyes on you long term. We all know you’re good at evading, and he’s struggling. So, you go out the back, and head home. You’re safe there.”

“My sisters…”

Greyson stopped him.

“We’ll get them home.”

At that moment, Riley walked in and he was all kinds of stirred up.

“We have a problem.”

Yeah, of course they had another one. Why not pile on the shit right as the storm began?

He dropped his phone onto the table for them to see the pictures. “Julie turned up, and I also found Anthony Delmarco.”

“Where?”

“Our morgue.”

He told them about the killings, and Riley showed him the pictures. It was definitely Julie.

“She’s going to need someone.”

Greyson had an idea.

This might actually work. He needed Dimitri to go under for a bit, and Marissa was going to need someone to comfort her.

Perfect.

“This is what I want you to do, Dimitri. Cut out of here with Marissa, and take her home. It will get you out of the scope of your brother, and we can work this.”

“Grey.”

“Dimitri, please. I’m fine. I don’t have anyone gunning for me like you do right now. This is huge. If you go down, we all go down. This asshole brother of yours could destroy us all. In order to be safe, we have to keep you safe. If the commissioner or Christ see you fall, they will come right at me and Emma. They’re afraid of you.”

He had a point.

“What’s going on?” Riley asked.

They trusted him enough and told him everything. They explained that the man was definitely his brother and what he’d told Marie. While the FBI suspected, they pretty much had confirmation directly from the man.

Riley offered to help them.

“Greyson is right. Get undercover. I’ll go get Kat and Natasha. I’ll bring them home. If a cop does it, he might be caught off guard.”

Dimitri relaxed. “I want them in the house and not leaving. We’ll have to run security with me alone.”

Greyson had news for him.

“Once Emma finds this out, you’re not going out. I can guarantee it. You’re on lockdown, too, until we catch this asshole.”

Dimitri wanted to weep and rage.

“Take her home, tell her, and help her,” Greyson stated.

Riley sent him the picture. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll go get Kat and Natasha.”

“I can call them.”

“Don’t,” Greyson stated. “We need him to be caught off guard. If he sees them bailing, he might suspect something.”

He got it.

“What’s the address?” Riley asked.

Greyson told him where the Lamaze center was. “As soon as Natasha sees you, she’ll follow you home. She’s going to blend in, and he probably won’t see her.”

That worked for Riley.

Now it was Dimitri’s turn to disappear.

“Head out. I have your back,” he said.

Dimitri was going to trust his family. He had to. They were all he had. For his sisters, he’d do anything.

“Okay. I’ll take her home.”

That was exactly what Greyson needed to hear.

“Stay under. Emma is on her way here with Chris. We’ll regroup, and I’ll call you to update you.”

He put his hand on Greyson’s shoulder. “I don’t know what I’d do…”

He got it.

“No need, brother. No need.”

Dimitri hugged him.

Greyson was shocked. The man didn’t do sentiment and this was beyond moving. He held him.

“We will be okay,” he whispered.

Dimitri prayed he was right.

“I’ll grab her, and I’ll get her back to that apartment,” Dimitri offered.

“Be safe, and if you need me…”

“I know.”

Dimitri pulled off his suit jacket, and left it there. He wasn’t taking any chances. They found one bug, but that jacket could be compromised further. He didn’t have time to pull it apart to find out.

“Greyson, if anything happens to me…” He stopped at the door, unsure how to ask this. “If I go down, please take care of my sisters.”

“OUR sisters.”

Dimitri stared into his eyes. “Thank you, my friend.”

And with that, Dimitri headed out.

Riley whistled when he was gone. “Vegas is about to go nuclear,” he warned.

Yeah, Croft was well aware.

“We have a mess,” he said to Riley. “You may want to distance yourself from us. If he goes down, we all go down,” he stated.

Riley shook his head. “I’m in, Greyson. I have dead women who shouldn’t be, and a shanked scumbag. I’m not backing down. We’ll get through this. I signed on to fight this kind of bullshit, and I’m not giving up. Not now.”

Croft knew how lucky they’d been getting Riley on their side.

“Get to Kat and Nat,” he said, rolling his neck. The popping of bones showed how tense he was.

“On it. I’ll call you.”

Greyson watched him leave.

In the meantime, he got down to work. He was going to study the enemy.

Like he used to...

When he killed for a living.

Dimitri took Marissa out the back door of the club, through the hotel, and to the owner’s parking lot. He got her into the spare ride he kept there, and they were on their way.

The entire time, she was asking a million questions, and he refused to answer them.

Finally, in the car, he pulled a spare gun from beneath the seat and tucked it into the back of his pants.

Just in case.

It freaked Marissa out.

“What’s going on, Mr. Gideon?”

“I have news. I’ll tell you when I get you home,” he stated, heading out in the sunlight.

“Is it bad?” she asked.

He glanced over and weighed his options. Did he pretend or did he lie?

Then he thought about the mess he was facing. Lies wouldn’t make it better. She deserved the truth.

“Yes, Marissa, it’s bad.”

She stared at him with tears in her eyes.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, reaching over to take her hand. “We have you. I have you. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

In her heart, she knew what was coming.

Still, she closed her eyes, and prayed.

For her sister.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Vegas

Sitting in the sunlight, he enjoyed the breeze on his face. Honestly, Viktor enjoyed his life. He could come and go as he pleased, he could buy women to use their bodies as he wanted, and he could kill.

That was his favorite part.

As he sat in the empty office across from his intended target, his scope in hand, he began constructing his gun.

It was his favorite.

Why?

It was said his brother used the same, and so did his father when he’d worked for the KGB.

So, he cherished it, the last tie to the man who created him out of love with his mother. He cleaned it meticulously, just like he imagined his father would do with his weapons.

He polished it.

He loved it.

He used it as an extension of himself.

Like this gun, he was a weapon, and he was ready to begin his revenge.

It had been a long time coming, and once he found his target, his voyage to retribution and peace would begin.

He craved that, and Viktor would have it. 

Now, it was about waiting to take that perfect shot. Oh, this was going to be the best day in his life. From the moment that he knew his father was murdered by his own son, his brother, he’d begun plotting, training, and implementing his plan.

He was going to make Maximillian pay.

He was going to make him bleed.

He was going to take the killer down with a well-placed shot.

This revenge was going to be served by his hand, for their father. He’d given them life, and he deserved the honor, glory, and revenge.

This was about Cain and Abel, and he was going to smite his brother in the field of battle.

Killer versus killer.

Man versus man.

Blood versus blood.

In the end, he would be the only one standing, and he would prove to the world who had been the best son.

As he got into position, he placed the gun on the stand, and he stared through the scope.

He was going to make it count.

“Well, Brother. It looks like it’s about time. Welcome to Hell. I’ve been expecting you.”

And with that, he got ready to take the shot.

Chapter Seventeen

LVPD

I t was one of those moments that he could have lived without. In fact, he would have given up just about anything to avoid this mess. It was blowing up around him. None of this could be happening. It was impossible.

What the hell was going on?

It all started with one phone call, and it should have been simple enough. Now, Jeffery Raye was on the edge of his seat as his detective in homicide reported in, skipping her boss.

One of their own was dead.

Yeah, he knew, but it wasn’t supposed to go down like this. In fact, it was supposed to be better planed. Clearly, that was not the case.

This was bad.

Very.

Very.

Bad.

And at the center of it?

Unfortunately, it was him and Thomas Christ. Well, when it came down to it, he knew what he had to do.

He was going to have to take one for the team. As in take a life—Thomas Christ’s.

The man had flubbed this, and what was going to happen now was called clean up in aisle Homicide. It looked like more blood was going to be shed.

But how to do it?

This wasn’t easy.

Then it hit him like a divine intervention.

He knew how to make it all go down.

On the phone, Commissioner Raye set the scene. Hopefully, he could pull this off.

“I’ll call him to my office, Detective Wayne, and you and your partner can pick him up once I get his gun away from him. If you try something in the squad room, it might be ugly.”

He painted the shoot out that had happened there not that long ago. The whole time, his fingers were crossed. He needed this woman to go for it. If she went at Thomas Christ before he could talk to him, it would be a disaster.

“Good idea, sir.”

He released the breath he was holding.

“We don’t want anyone hurt. He’s clearly crazy if he could kill one of his own detectives. Was there any evidence left there?” he asked, hoping for a miracle.

“The techs found some chewed gum at the door. We’re testing it now. We’ll have it in an hour or so.”

He knew he needed to move fast. Commissioner Raye wasn’t sure what Riley Henderson had overheard or if he was going to be implicated in anything. Yes, they’d planned on taking out the attorney, but they only hoped he didn’t open his mouth.

Or he’d have someone else to take out.

“Give me some time. I’ll get him into my office, get him to hand me his gun, and then I’ll let you take over for questioning. I only hope he’s not dangerous.”

Poppy understood. “I can stand in there with you, sir,” she offered.

HELL NO!

“Oh, Detective, thank you for that. I will use the weapon of diplomacy on him. That’s what I’m really good at.”

She seemed to have bought it.

“Okay, sir.”

After he hung up, Raye pulled his gun from his desk, and slipped it into his holster. He didn’t often carry, but today…he’d make an exception.

It was time to clean up this mess and loose ends.

Once and for all.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Julie Pierce’s

Apartment

She was dreading this.

The entire time there, the Russian man said nothing to her, and that made her a nervous wreck. He simply held her hand, trying to reassure her.

Yeah, something bad was coming.

She could tell.

As they walked up to her sister’s apartment, Marissa tried to stay calm, but it wasn’t easy. The tension around them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

She tried to breathe.

At the door, he took her keys and opened the apartment for her. Again, she wanted to freak out, but she would try and stay calm.

Inside, he sat her down.

“Marissa,” he said, trying not to let any emotion show on his face. He knew what was coming was going to be bad.

“Dimitri, just do it. Don’t make it pretty, or give me hope. If it’s bad, just rip the fucking bandage off and get it over with. I can handle it.”

She was a woman after his own heart. That’s how he’d want it to go down if it were up to him. Pity patting around it wasn’t going to help anyone.

So, he did the deed.

“I’m sorry, but your sister…she’s dead. The Las Vegas police have her body at the morgue. They found her sometime last night.”

She couldn’t breathe.

It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out in one hell of a vacuum. She was struggling to get that knot from her chest.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Was she?

Would she ever be again?

Marissa wasn’t sure. She’d expected this, but she’d hoped and prayed it wouldn’t come.

Marissa sat back, and she stared at the ceiling as she tried to compose herself.

Dimitri moved closer, wanting to soothe her. He could only imagine how she was feeling. Losing one of his sisters would have killed him.

“Honey, are you okay? Do you need water?” he asked, hating he’d been that brutal. Maybe he should have sugar coated it after all.

“How do you go on when you know you’ve let someone you loved down? I was supposed to protect her. I was her big sister, and I let her fall. How do I wake up tomorrow, and continue on?” she asked, staring at him with tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know. The weight on the shoulders of the oldest sibling is always heavy.”

He knew.

He spoke from experience.

She had to make sure he was right. Imploringly, she asked him, “Are you one hundred percent sure it’s Julie? Are there pictures?” she asked.

He pulled out his phone and hesitated. Julie was covered in bruises, marks, and the destruction of a vicious killer.

“Are you sure you want to see this? You can’t forget it once you do, and it’s not like it is in movies.”

She nodded. “I have to. Wouldn’t you to say goodbye?” she asked, tears falling down her cheeks.

He handed her the phone.

She gasped when she saw her sister. Her hand went to her mouth and she began shaking.

Dimitri held her as she dropped the phone.

“It’s her,” she finally admitted. “Oh, God! It’s definitely her.”

Dimitri let her mourn.

“What did he do to her?” she asked softly. “It was some pervert, wasn’t it?”

Yeah, she could say that again.

Dimitri didn’t want to give her the details. In that moment, as she was in his arms, he wanted to kiss her pain away, give her peace, and make it better.

He wanted to protect her.

“I don’t think...”

“Please tell me.”

She stared up into his eyes, and she took his face in the palms of her hand so he had to focus on her.

“Just tell me.”

“The killer dumped her. She was sexually assaulted, she was abused, and she was broken.” Did he know this for sure? Well, Riley hadn’t told him, but he knew in his heart what had been done to her. After everything they’d learned the last couple of days, he could guess. Maybe it was best he wasn’t one hundred percent sure.

Then he could protect her.

She began crying.

Dimitri pulled her into his lap and held her. All the while, he didn’t tell her who did this to her sister. Thankfully, she didn’t ask. As long as she kept thinking it was some faceless, nameless pervert, he was safe.

Once she asked…

How was he supposed to tell her that her sister was likely tortured and slaughtered by his blood?

His brother did this to her sister.

He only hoped once the truth came out that she’d forgive him for all of it.

While he was responsible for his sisters, he was also responsible for the man doing this. If he was, indeed, his sibling, Dimitri knew he had to carry that burden too.

He’d left him behind.

Dimitri couldn’t help but wonder if he’d come and taken him, too—might this be different?

It weighed on him.

Then again, that worry could wait. He needed to think about this woman. She needed him. Later, if he got lucky, when she found out, she’d protect him back.

Maybe they could heal each other.

Marissa held onto him, and he kept crooning to her as he tried to soothe the hurt. As he cradled her in his arms, she at least had this.

She had him.

What she needed was more than just his gentle touch. Marissa needed to forget. She needed something to chase away the fear, and he was good at playing protector.

That was what she needed from him.

“Please stay with me,” she whispered. “I can’t be alone. I can’t get through this alone, and I’m by myself now in the world.”

He got it.

In the back of his mind, he was worried about telling her about his connection to this. Still, she was pressed against him, and his hand was stroking her long pale leg.

His body was fighting the urge to come to life, even as she moved in his lap.

This was penance.

Right here, he was in freaking Hell.

As she sobbed and cried, he began saying prayers, novenas, and anything else he could think of to distract himself. He wasn’t a huge believer in religion, but if God could keep his dick in check, just until she was out of his lap, he’d go to church.

Then, she stared at him.

“I’m all alone and afraid.”

He did the stupidest thing ever. “You have me. I’ll take care of you.”

Why he said it, Dimitri wouldn’t know, but the second the words were out of his mouth, he let that wall down.

It crashed.

He let the protective barrier fall, and he gave in to all the things he knew he shouldn’t succumb to in his life.

Only, he was desperate to feel.

He was desperate to be loved and protected in return, and he was willing to risk it.

Maybe, she’d want him, too, and that emptiness would cease for him.

When she pulled away, Marissa was still shaking. The tremor rolled through her and reverberated through him. She didn’t speak, instead she stared into his aqua eyes.

There was pain there and misery just like she was sure he found in hers.

“You have me, Marissa. I’ll be here for you.”

That was kind.

In that moment, she needed that. As she stared into his handsome, Russian face, she needed something else that was there between them.

Marissa wanted to forget, and she was willing to use his body to get past the pain.

Since he was offering…

Her mouth found his, and they fell into the kiss.

There was that battle of tongues as they both came to life. Gone was that mourning, and instead, there was need. They were both so empty.

So broken.

“Dimitri?” she whispered, as she pulled away.

His body tensed. “Yes?”

“I need to feel something other than pain. Make me feel,” she whispered. “Please. I need someone to understand.”

He did understand.

He wanted that one single emotion every day of his miserable life. It sucked not to be able to feel a connection with anyone.

“I want to be with you.”

His heart thundered at what her words meant. He really wanted to be with her too.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you. I don’t want you to do something you aren’t ready for, Marissa.”

She moved off his lap to straddled his hips.

“I’m ready.”

And she was.

That’s when she yanked his shirt open, sending buttons flying all over the place.

Her mouth found his throat, and she left bites and kisses across his flesh.

He was euphoric.

Then the words came out, and Dimitri couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I want you.”

“Then have me,” she finally said, going back against his body to feel the warmth.

Marissa was so chilly inside. It was as if her heart was cold.

“Make me warm. Fill my body with yours.”

Dimitri almost erupted right there.

He’d had sex with a lot of women, and he’d even loved once before but been betrayed. This feeling of hope filled him.

She might heal him.

Maybe she could fill that emptiness too.

Standing, he wanted to get her naked.

He pushed her skirt from her body, and it fell to the floor. Marissa kicked it out of the way as he stood to face her.

Marissa ran her hands down his chest, and she wanted to do truly wild and wicked things with him to forget.

In that lust, she might find calm.

“Put your hands on me,” he said, biting her ear. “Show me what you need.”

She could do that.

Marissa, flicked open his pants and pushed them down his hips. They both stood face to face, bottomless, and breathless.

“I need more, moya babochka.”

She stopped moving. “What’s that mean?” she asked, kissing him on the lips.

He didn’t even realize he’d used Russian. That’s how distracted he’d been.

“It means my butterfly.”

She turned and lifted her shirt from her body, showing him her back. On it, there was a butterfly.

“From something ugly, broken, and battered always comes something new,” she said, thinking about her childhood and how she’d never let herself be hurt like that again. Marissa would always put herself first, protecting her own heart. Men couldn’t be trusted.

At her words, his pulse skipped.

Then, he left a kiss on the blue and green tattoo.

Once more, he took her into his arms, and they fell backward onto the couch. She was above him, straddling his body, as he worked his way across her throat.

“I feel better,” she said, staring down at him.

He felt amazing.

In fact, Dimitri had never felt anything so amazing in his life. This woman had him enraptured. Her skin was creamy and so silky, he just couldn’t get enough of touching her. Most importantly, she wanted him without him having to pay for that connection.

He stopped being bad blood, and a killer, and he was now simply Dimitri Gideon.

As his hand slid lower, moving past the very sexy lace panties, he found the ultimate prize.

She was wet.

For him.

Dimitri couldn’t remember the last time that happened. When you paid for sex, you just did it. They were the vessel for his need, but this woman… she genuinely wanted him.

She moaned as he touched her.

“Dimitri,” she gasped, as his fingers did incredibly wild things to tease and torment her.

He wanted to watch her fall. With his fingers, he drove her wild, took her to the edge, and then let her tumble into a beautiful orgasm.

That was the first in a long time too.

He was actually worried about her pleasure, and he couldn’t remember the last time he did.

Oh wait.

It had been with that one woman he’d once loved. The one who tore his heart out at the tender age of twenty.

Now it was different.

He could hope again.

His hands found her hair, and he kissed her through that first orgasm.

Moving forward, he pressed her to the cushions beneath them.

“Dimitri.”

“Marissa,” he said, teasing her with his mouth.

She opened for him, and he tore her panties from her body with a gasp. The rendering of fabric caught them both off guard.

He waited, expecting her to push him away.

Instead, she did the opposite.

“Yes, please,” she begged. “More!”

He reached for his wallet and pulled out protection. He wanted them both to be safe.

“I’m on birth control.”

He still slid the condom on, out of second nature. Then, he grabbed her hips and slid home.

“I want to feel you explode around me. I want you to feel so much,” he whispered, right before he began moving.

With his hands on her hips, she let him control the ride.

Then, as he rode her body, giving them both so much pleasure, she came again.

Once more, it washed away the pain, and she couldn’t wait for it to disappear beneath more pleasure.

Dimitri held on as she moved, forcing him beneath her.

When he stared up at her, and she was batting her eyes, he was lost.

Damn!

He was so lost.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, as she stopped moving.

“That when I’m in you, I feel like I’m home,” he admitted. “I can stop worrying and just feel.”

“Welcome home then.”

That pushed him over the edge.

He had to have her. While he wanted to let her ride, he needed more.

He needed to be in control during this tug-o-war of pleasure.

Rolling, he placed Marissa beneath him on the cushions, so he could find more solace in her body.

As he began driving in and out of her, he didn’t want the feeling ever to end. She was beneath him, writhing in pleasure, and he needed to fall.

God!

Dimitri needed this one moment of happiness in his life. There was so much shit falling his way, and this woman…

He could forget.

He could have peace.

“Dimitri!” she gasped, as he changed the angle, driving himself into her body.

“I need you, Marissa!”

He kept up the pace and there were beads of sweat on his brow. While he wanted to cum in the worst way, he didn’t want to lose this one feeling.

When she whispered his name, over and over, it took everything he had not to lose it right there.

“God, Marissa! You feel so right,” he admitted, working them both into a frenzy.

There was silence in the small apartment, and he worked her body hard. He’d never wanted something this much before.

She came so many times, she knew she was going to be sore, but still…

Dimitri freaking Gideon was taking her on one hell of a ride. How could you complain about that? He was chasing back the demons, and she could have peace.

She came again, and her nails scraped down his shoulders drawing blood.

He flinched, but didn’t stop. The pain, the blood, the need, and the lust fueled him on. Dimitri refused to let this beautiful sensation go.

He was so close.

He was on the edge.

“Make me cum,” he hissed, pounding himself into her body. “Give me all your pain.”

She was teetering on the edge, and could barely hear him. It didn’t matter. She was lost in the pleasure.

Again, as her nails dug into his shoulders, that kiss of pain sent electricity through his body. He knew it was time.

He exploded.

It was cataclysmic.

Her shout of his name.

His guttural growl of ecstasy as he exploded.

It was unbelievable.

Then the silence fell over the room. There was no talking, no sound of flesh slapping flesh, or the grunts of heated sex.

Only quiet.

Marissa was acutely aware of him over her. She was acutely cognizant that the anger was returning, and trying to pull her back under.

She hated this cesspool of a town.

Dimitri rested on her body, and he laughed. They must look incredibly silly. He had his shirt on, open down his chest, and she was wearing hers, too, but it was pulled up over her breasts so he could admire them.

When he lifted his head, he stared right into her eyes.

They were bright.

They were brilliant.

They were watching him.

Finally, she spoke, “That was…something.”

Marissa couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Still, it was clear she wasn’t the only one who wanted to escape in the sex. It was heated, wild, and fucking.

It was nothing more. There never was more.

He laughed. “Is that a good something, or a bad something?” he asked.

“It was a ‘you made me forget’ something. So, it was very good.”

“Well, I’m glad to have helped.”

He didn’t move.

Dimitri didn’t want to give up that feeling. Normally, it was fuck and run, but now…

He wanted desperately to cuddle.

Marissa hated that the pain was coming back. While he used her body, and she used his, there was silence. She needed more of that. He was a way to get past the loss, and she wanted to do just that.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, gently leaving a kiss on the top of her nose.

“That I’d like to do that again.”

Oh, so would he. For the first time, in ever, he was craving more from one person. Forget that she nearly killed him when she stabbed him, or that his brother had killed her sister.

He wanted to build something to keep her around.

“Will you stay with me a little longer?” she asked, touching his face. “Will you make me forget for a little while? Maybe we can forget together.”

He kissed her on the lips, grateful that she wanted him to stick close. “If that’s what you need.”

“What do you want?” she asked.

He stared at this woman and a million desires rushed through his mind. Normally, he’d do a hooker, pay her, and walk away.

This time…

He needed more.

His cardinal rule was never to have sex with a woman more than once.

Yet…

Maybe he could make her stay with him if he wrapped himself around her. Maybe she would find out the truth and he would still matter.

He believed in her.

Dimitri wanted to take that elusive chance and share himself.

“Want to go cuddle in bed? I have a couple more condoms, and I’m up for a few more rounds.”

That sounded perfect.

She pulled his mouth to hers.

When he broke free, he picked her up. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Yes, Dimitri. It’s a yes. Let’s go hide from everything that chases us.”

Little did she know, he’d done that the last ten years of his life, and it had brought him to this point.

Only, it didn’t matter.

He now knew what everyone else felt when they let themselves give love a chance.

This partnership.

This feeling of peace.

This joy.

And with that, Dimitri Gideon fell for a woman who didn’t know that truth.

All he could hope was it didn’t go bad.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Downtown Vegas

Happy Child Birthing

Center

Curtis had the best day of his life. As he sat there, while Katerina learned to breathe through labor pains, he couldn’t help but smile.

She was having his baby.

What made it amazing?

That for weeks he’d been trying to feel his daughter move, and for the first time, it happened! His hand was over Katerina’s belly, and in that moment, he felt her.

She kicked.

Then she kicked again.

Sadie Emma Croft kicked so hard, he started to laugh. Everyone looked at him, at first, like he was crazy, but then all the men got it.

That was a miracle.

It was a beautiful thing, and he couldn’t forget it.

So, as he was walking out of the birthing suit, a smile on his face, he couldn’t help but think it was the best day of his whole life.

This was perfection.

“Are you happy, my love?” Katerina asked, holding his hand.

He grinned. “Today was the best day of my life. I got to shop with my girls, I got to feel one swimming in the goo, and I’m going to go home and molest the other one,” he said, biting her on the neck.

She giggled.

Katerina never thought she’d be this happy. This was her blessing in life. She was finally someone’s special love.

She was finally important.

“She was going crazy,” Kat said, patting her belly. “I think she liked the Lamaze.”

“Well, I liked watching you. It got me all hot and bothered. Thus the molesting of my sexy wife when we get home.”

She squeezed his hand.

“Curtis?”

He looked over.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Promise you’ll always look at me just like you did in there. Promise me that no matter what, we’ll have fifty more years to be like this.”

“I will love you for seventy-five more years. I’m going to live to be one hundred, see all forty of my grandkids and great-grandkids, and still chase my wife around in the nursing home.”

She laughed.

“That’s perfect, but…”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, kissing her knuckles.

“Can we grab something to eat? This kid…she’s bottomless.”

He laughed, and it sounded so beautiful to her ears. “I’ll take my girls out for food. What do you want?”

“A salad.”

He looked at her skeptically. “You want a salad? No one has ever said that and actually meant it.”

“Well, I want a burger, but I don’t want a big ass.”

He looked behind her.

“Well, I like your ass, and I really like it naked. So, how about we compromise?”

“How?”

“You get a salad, and I’ll get a burger, and we’ll share. Then we each have half a big ass.”

She snorted. “I love you so much.”

He kissed her. “Oh, Anfisa, I never knew love until you. I’m so damn lucky.”

Her heart melted.

As they were heading to their car, they heard tires and a car door slam.

Curtis turned, and it was the detective.

“HEY!”

Curtis focused on him, and just above the cop’s head, he saw it. There was a flash from a window in the distance.

FBI training kicked in.

Preservation took over.

He knew he had a second and that if he didn’t move, someone was going to die. His instinct took over, and he shoved Katerina, his frame covered her body as he shouted in warning to the detective.

The sound of the bullet was heard, and then the searing pain of it tearing through his body as they fell to the ground.

When they hit, Curtis had the fortitude to make sure he braced his fall from crushing his child.

“CURTIS!” Katerina screamed, as she was splattered with his blood. They rolled, and her hands went to his chest to cover the wound.

Kat screamed for help.

She shouted for the detective as he ran their way.

All the while, she stared down into his face as his life bubbled through her fingers.

“Anfisa,” he whispered, trying to hold on. The edges of his vision were going gray.

Riley hit his knees beside them, and he blocked them both with his body.

Curtis grabbed him by the tie.

“Shooter. Fourth floor. Third window,” he muttered to the detective.

All around them, there was pandemonium.

Screams.

Reporters filming.

Katerina’s weeping.

Curtis stared up into her eyes, and he prayed today wasn’t the last day he’d have.

He’d jinxed himself.

“Curtis, stay with me!” Katerina begged, blood covering her hands and pants. “You can’t go. We have a life ahead of us.”

“I love you,” he said, trying to focus. “Call Greyson,” he whispered to the detective. “Keep my wife safe!”

And then, like that, as the sirens could be heard in the distance, and Katerina kept reminding him of his promise of seventy-five more years, Curtis Croft closed his eyes and prayed for his life.

He prayed with everything he had.

He didn’t want to die.

Chapter Eighteen

Aquarius

Monday

Noon

W hen they headed into ‘Aquarius’, Greyson was in the private room doing searches on one of Dimitri’s ‘special’ laptops. His suit jacket was off, his shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, and Emma could see his tattoo of her name on his wrist.

It got her all hot and bothered.

There was nothing like her sexy caveman at work. She couldn’t help herself.

“Mr. Croft, you look sexy sitting there.”

He looked up and grinned. “Oh, it’s my kitten. Want to come sit in my lap?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Uh, yeah!” she said, dropping into his lap to give him a kiss. As she cuddled into his body, there was that sense of peace when they touched.

It was like coming home after a long day.

Chris took a seat across from them and poached Greyson’s bourbon. Screw it. It was five o’clock somewhere.

As his wife pulled away from the kiss, Greyson eyed up the man across from him.

“Why is your mouth on my glass?” he asked.

“Would you rather my mouth on your wife?”

Emma laughed.

“Carry on.”

Chris figured as much.

“Don’t let me stop you two from making out. I can wait,” he said, leaning back in the seat as he shifted his body armor. “We’re safe in here.”

Croft lifted a brow. “What? You want to watch me kiss my kitten? Normally, you are pretty much irritated by it.”

He laughed.

Yeah, he was aware.

Only, the times, they were a changin’.

“I’m getting laid on a regular basis. Molest away. I don’t mind. Want me to take the pictures for you?”

Emma snorted. “And you’re cut off from the bourbon if you’re even willing to offer that.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I said I was getting laid. I didn’t say I didn’t have time to make porn,” he teased.

Greyson pointed at him.

“Gee! Someone is cranky.”

Well, yeah, and he had the right to be, but first, Croft wanted to hear about what his wife had found out.

Then he’d tell her his shit fest.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but how was the strip club, dear?”

Chris laughed.

Emma shrugged. “Another dive, but we found some good stuff that you might find interesting.”

“Like?”

Emma told him what they’d learned. “Bouncers, blowjobs, abuse of a minor, yada, yada. Just another day in our life in the shitty dives of Las Vegas.”

“That good, huh?”

“Yeah, we talked to a bartender, a bouncer, and the lucky man who gets to clean up after all the men jerking off,” Chris said.

“That there should be on a ‘stay in school’ poster.”

Chris laughed. “Tell me about it.”

“And what did you learn?” he asked.

“That all three of them confirmed that Julie has been used and abused by her pimp. He was passing her around like Tic Tacs on garlic breath night.”

“So gross,” he said.

“Yeah, tell me about it. My heart breaks for that child and what those men did to her.”

Greyson got it.

“The bouncer was less than helpful,” Chris said. “In fact, he thought your wife should shake her ass.”

Greyson lifted a brow. “Pardon.”

“You know, shake what the good Lord gave her for money in her tiny little g-string.”

“Well, now I have to kill him. Thanks a lot.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, well, Chris handled him. He was a pervert who denied using Julie, but he was lying.”

“How do you know?”

“His lips were moving and he was rock hard thinking about it. Men have that built-in barometer,” she said, wiggling in his lap.

He bit her on the neck. “I don’t know if I should be appalled that you were checking out another man’s junk.”

She opened her mouth.

Chris pointed at her. “You don’t want to bust my ass. I swear to God I’ll superglue you to the car seat.”

She laughed.

Greyson let it go. The two of them were always trying to one up each other in pranks. The less he knew, the better. His kitten was in HIS lap, and that worked for him.

“What about the guy who cleaned up?” Croft asked.

“He told us about overhearing Gerald Darden.”

“And?”

She told him everything.

“Interesting. You think he had a little pad of his own on Vine?” Greyson inquired.

“Yeah, but where?”

He wasn’t sure. 

“How were things going here on your side of it?” she asked, teasing his ear with her teeth.

He shivered.

Chris still said nothing.

“Well, we pulled the files, we talked to Marie, and she pretty much told us everything we needed to know.”

“Abridged version?” Emma stated. She had a feeling it was going to be huge. From the look on Greyson’s face, it said it all.

“The guy is definitely Dimitri’s brother. How’s that for shits and giggles? He knew all the private stuff that not even the government knew about him.”

“Crap!” Emma said.

“Yeah, tell me about it. We have two Russian killers, and I can’t help but think this city is going to pay for it.”

Emma’s heart broke. “This has to be killing him.”

Chris didn’t get it. “Why is that?”

“He saved his two sisters. Dimitri has to wonder if this would be different if he saved his brother too.”

Greyson stared at her. “You get him.”

“Yeah, I do. This is going to eat away at him. I hope he doesn’t try to run.”

As a matter of fact…

“He suggested it. He wanted to take his sisters and bail, but I told him we’d follow. I think that stopped that idea.”

She hoped so.

He wasn’t going anywhere.

He was their family.

“Oh boy,” Chris said. “If he runs, we’re down to me doing security. I can’t protect Emma and you at the same time. We have some issues heading our way. I can’t believe something spooked him. Dimitri is…Dimitri.”

“Yeah, he’s rattled. You can tell by looking at him. I know him well enough to see that he’s not thrilled about any of this.”

How could he be?

Emma looked around. “Speaking of our Russian, where is he?”

He told her about Riley showing up and not only Julie turning up, but Delmarco too.

“Well, holy Christ on a cracker,” Chris said. “That’s not good. They were dumped?”

Greyson nodded. “Loose ends, anyone?” he said.

Emma got it. The killer, or a partner, was cleaning up. Hopefully, if this was Viktor Marchenko, he didn’t run. They would have an even bigger mess.”

“Is he telling her?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, he took Marissa to her place to give her the news. He’s going to be lying low there. I didn’t want him with us—not because I’m afraid for us, but I’m worried about him.”

Greyson knew they had enough going on. Thomas Christ wanted to kill Delilah to get to them, and who knew what Commissioner Raye was up to. They were still digging through his past to find something to take the man down.

It hadn’t been easy.

The dude was a slippery eel.

“That’s going to be a shitty conversation for him and her,” Emma stated. “That’s the one thing I do not miss about being a cop. I hated notifies.”

Both men agreed there.

“I can only imagine how that’s going,” Greyson stated. In the back of his mind, he knew it was going to end up in sex. The tension between the two of them was insane.

He could feel it when they were side by side. Hopefully, fornicating would make this easier, not more difficult.

With Dimitri, one never knew. He was an enigma wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a puzzle. The only person he’d really let all the way in was Emma.

Chris sympathized with his friend. “Well, as long as she doesn’t ask who killed her sister, he should be fine. We all know Dimitri isn’t a fan of lying. If he tells the truth, that’s going to blow seven ways to Sunday.”

Greyson and Emma looked at each other.

It was clear that they’d never even thought about that possibility happening.

“Uh oh,” Emma said.

“Oh, this is bad.”

Now that they were dwelling on it, they knew how bad it could be. Dimitri’s brother had likely killed Marissa’s sister. That was NOT going to be good.

That would be a hard pill to swallow for Marissa, and for Dimitri.

“I don’t like this,” Emma stated.

“Yeah, well, what else could happen?” Greyson asked. “We are already screwed.”

“I know I’m probably jumping the gun here, but maybe, we should really hire some more security,” Chris said. “If this Viktor dude is after the whole Gideon family, that’s three more people who need tails.”

Greyson was aware.

His only issue was who did he trust to do it?

Chris wasn’t done sharing the bad news.

“Plus, them aside, we can’t really afford to be out in the open with the local law and every mob wannabe gunning for a Croft.”

He pointed at Emma’s belly.

That was enough to put Greyson in a tizzy. This was one more issue he had to add to the growing list of clusterfucks on the horizon.

Emma had a solution.

“Dimitri knows people. Maybe he can borrow from that pool and get us some help.”

“But can we trust them?” Chris asked. “Let’s face it. You got lucky with the Gideons. They turned out to be assets. Kat would die for Curtis, but she’s out of play. Natasha would cover any of us out of allegiance to the family, but I’d prefer my girlfriend not to take a bullet for me, and Dimitri…he loves Emma like she’s one of his sisters, and you’re one of his brothers,” Chris offered. “They have ties, and that makes them loyal. What will keep some other killer at bay?”

“Money.”

Chris wasn’t sure he liked any of that.

Still, they might have to take that route.

When his phone began ringing, Greyson glanced down at the ID. It was the detective.

“Hey, Riley, do you have Curtis and Kat?”

There was a pause, and Croft could hear sirens, shouting, and basic Armageddon going on somewhere behind Riley.

“Greyson, there’s been an issue. Someone took a shot at them, and Curtis has been hit.”

Greyson looked at Emma.

Croft tried to remain calm for her sake. He didn’t want to freak her out. She was pregnant, and he’d read somewhere that women could have a miscarriage.

“How bad?”

“He’s en route to the hospital. I have Kat with me and Natasha is following. Her cover is blown though. I’m trying to get us all inside as fast as possible.”

Greyson wanted to puke.

“Damage?” he asked, as Emma stared at him.

“He took a round to his upper body. They are going to have to do surgery ASAP.”

His body went tense.

“What happened?”

Now, Emma was getting suspicious. He could see it in her eyes. The only thing saving Greyson was that she wasn’t aware he’d sent Riley to get Curtis and Kat back to the house.

“They were coming out of the Lamaze, Curtis saw the flash of a scope, and he dove onto Kat. I think she was the target. The shot was off. I watched it happen.”

That pissed him off.

It made Greyson want to kill.

It looked like Chris had been right. War had started against the Gideons and it was time to join the fray.

“Okay, we’re coming. Stay with her until we can get there. It won’t take long. We’re five minutes away.”

He hung up.

“What?” she asked.

“First and foremost, I need you to be calm,” Greyson stated, as he stood up.

Immediately, she began to get panicky. “What happened, Greyson? Who is hurt?”

He slipped into his jacket, trying to figure out the best way to tell her. Sugar coat it? Or just drop the bomb?

He knew his wife.

“Curtis was shot leaving the Lamaze class with Katerina.”

“WHAT?” she blurted.

He told her what he knew.

“We have to get there! I can’t believe this! Jesus! Curtis is hurt!”

He stopped her from losing it.

He had to.

“Listen to me. If this is Viktor Marchenko, he’s gunning for the Gideon’s. He’s going to want Dimitri to bleed. We have to keep this calm.”

She stared at him. “My son is bleeding and you want me to be…?”

Greyson knew how to play it.

“He’ll take the blame and carry it. If you freak out, and cry, it’ll pile on the guilt once he finds out. You need to be chill and not only for Kat, who is worried about her husband, but for Dimitri, who will try to own this.”

Then, he glanced over at Chris.

“I know what you’re thinking. Natasha is safe, and she’s with him too. Breathe.”

Chris did.

Emma did.

Greyson had it under control.

“I’m fine,” Emma stated. “Curtis is strong.” Emma knew that phone call was going to be hard, but she got it.

Now, she had to focus on what he’d said.

Poor Dimitri.

This asshole was trying to destroy his life, one person at a time. Well, she wouldn’t betray him. How many times had he stood for them? They were going to have his back, and do whatever it took to help them.

It looked like the case was going to have to take a back burner. Family came first.

The Gideons were theirs.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“I need you to call him so he doesn’t panic. If I call, he’s going to be worried that YOUR son is hurt. You have to do this.”

She got it.

“Chris, you drive, Emma, in the back, and I’ll call my brother. The family has to know. We need to get everyone together. We have to have hope.”

Chris was worried. “We need backup, Grey. You really might have to bench Dimitri. We are out in the open. If Thomas Christ and Commissioner Raye take a shot…”

He was well aware.

It was going to be bad.

Very.

Very.

Bad.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Julie/Marissa’s

Apartment

Dimitri was exhausted.

They’d had sex at least three more times, since neither of them could get enough of each other. Once that fire started, it exploded around them.

It was heated.

Frenetic.

Wild.

Dimitri couldn’t get enough of her. In fact, he’d knew this was something so special. He could be himself. As he rested there, exhausted, his body still buried in hers, she was running her fingers over his back.

Normally, Dimitri didn’t let anyone touch his back. The scars were there, and they told a tale of what had made him who he was today.

It was a hideous story, and he didn’t want to ever go back there. The nightmares were horrible.

“I’m sorry I stabbed you,” she said, running her fingers over the raw wound.”

He laughed.

“You made up for it the last hour in bed.”

She snorted. “I’m glad. I think I got off too easy. You’ll have to keep punishing me.”

That made him grin.

“I’m horrible at disciplining. Ask my sisters.”

“Where are your parents?”

His first instinct was to shut down, but her hand was soothing him so much, that he couldn’t help it. Dimitri wanted something with her, and he was willing to trust her.

Wasn’t that what you did when you were in a relationship?

“My father is dead. My mother left us, and I raised my sisters,” he offered, keeping it to the point.

She felt sadness filled her. “I wanted to raise Julie. I was just too young to take care of her. I wish things could have been different.”

He lifted his head. “This isn’t your fault.”

Wasn’t it?

What she wanted was the person who hurt her sister to pay. She wouldn’t rest until that scumbag was broken like her sister.

Julie didn’t deserve this.

“You’ll find who did this to her, right?” she asked. “You’ll get him for this?”

Oh, and here was the slippery part.

“Yeah, I’ll get him.”

Dimitri didn’t offer up anything more. He couldn’t. His gut was warning him not to go there, and he wouldn’t.

“Thank you for that, Dimitri. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s no problem.”

But it was.

“Deep down, I knew I was never getting her back,” Marissa said. “I’ve been searching a good year. I knew she was lost. Still, I had a little hope that we could have a decent life.”

“What will you do now?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I had these well thought out plans of what I’d do when I found her. I’d take her away from here, we’d have a cute little house with flowers and a cat, and she’d finish school.”

He listened.

It was a pretty fantasy.

They’d all had it at one time when they were searching for happiness. Dimitri had even fantasized about a life outside of this mess.

He’d kill for it.

Only, reality set in.

Some people didn’t get that picture-perfect outcome. His family was one of them. He was born to the Devil, and he’d slave away every day fighting him.

“I’ll find somewhere quiet where I can heal.”

Dimitri wanted to suggest she stay here. If she did, he might be able to hold onto this feeling.

He might be able to hold onto her.

She pushed him off her body and rolled with him so she could rest on his chest.

“Do you like Vegas?” he asked.

“It’s okay. There are some good things here,” she said, running her fingers over his abs.

He was hyper aware of her doing it, and it reminded him of when Emma had two days ago.

Only, he wasn’t calm.

He wasn’t at peace.

Dimitri was scared.

Before he could ask her more, his phone began ringing. He recognized the tone. It was Emma.

He sat up in bed, trying to free himself from the woman.

“I have to get this, hold on,” he said, grabbing his phone. “It’s important.”

She watched him.

“Emma, what’s up?” he asked.

“We have a situation. I need you,” she said, trying to do what Greyson had suggested. She was staying as calm as humanly possible as Chris drove them to the hospital.

He was out of bed and pulling his pants on before she said anything else.

“What happened?”

“Curtis was heading out of Lamaze...”

He cut her off.

His heart began pounding in his chest. This was his worst fear. The last two hours disappeared, and he went back into security mode.

“Katerina? Is she safe?”

Emma tried to phrase it as neutrally as possible to save this man’s heart.

“She’s fine. Curtis took the bullet for her. He protected her and his child.”

That hung there.

“Emma. Jesus.”

She couldn’t let him start the blame game. Emma needed to give him a task. If Dimitri was focused, he would be okay.

“I need you to come, Dimitri. I need you. We all do,” she said, trying to keep it calm. “I really could use my brother.”

He could hear it in her voice.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said. What wouldn’t he do for Emma—now especially.

He hung up.

“Leaving?” she asked. “So soon? I don’t feel used or cheap,” Marissa stated.

Dimitri pulled on his shoes and continued to get dressed. He heard it in her voice, but this was a no brainer. He had to be with the people who loved him.

“Yes, I’m sorry, but I have to go. My family needs me.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I could use…”

He cut her off.

“I said I can’t. Stay in. I’ll check on you later,” he said, grabbing his ruined shirt. He had spare clothes in the car. He’d pull on a fresh one there.

Marissa watched as he forgot she was even there.

“Okay.”

He rushed out of the room, leaving Marissa naked in bed. She was trying not to feel hurt, but he’d just raced out of there like there was something more important.

Marissa laid back in a bed that smelled like Dimitri and sex. “Well, so much for having his attention,” she said, closing her eyes.

Now she would have to battle the demons.

Alone.

Again.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

When Thomas Christ got the call, he was working in his office. He’d recently spoken to the commissioner, so he wasn’t sure what this was all about.

For some reason, the man needed to see him, and urgently. That made him a little off balance.

He hoped nothing else had gone wrong.

Heading out, Christ arrived at the courthouse to go to the commissioner’s office for their impromptu meeting.

He grabbed a coffee and headed in.

Upstairs, he found no one, and didn’t know what was going on. The man’s secretary wasn’t there, and the whole place was empty.

It was deserted.

Yeah, something bad was happening. He could feel it.

Knocking on the door, Jeffrey Raye smiled and welcomed him into his office. He even headed toward the door to greet him.

“Lock the door, son, we have to talk.”

Thomas Christ did just that.

Commissioner Raye knew he had very little time. He’d told his secretary to call the detectives ten minutes after the man arrived, and then he had her wait outside the office to be safe.

The commissioner needed to work fast.

Thomas sat and sipped his coffee like nothing was happening.

“What’s this about?” he asked. “I was busy with today’s reports.”

“It’s about you killing Detective Lester.”

He lifted a brow in curiosity.

“What about it?”

“You left evidence behind.”

“I know. I dropped gum to frame the detective. I wanted him to go down. He’s a snake and pain in my ass.”

The man sighed.

He also turned off the recorder in his breast pocket.

“That’s all I needed.”

Thomas Christ looked confused.

“What’s going on here?”

“Your one shot to the detective didn’t kill him immediately, you asshole. You screwed it up. He lived for thirty more seconds, and guess what he did?” he asked angrily.

“What?”

Now he was getting that sick feeling.

“He managed to type out a text message to his partner. He told him you killed him. The investigating detectives found the phone, and they called me.”

He was shocked.

“WHAT?” he blurted, standing up.

Jeffrey Raye turned on his recorder that he’d left in his lap.

“Son, I need you to give me your gun. You’re under arrest for the murder of Detective Lucas.”

Thomas stood and backed up. His gut was screaming, and something was about to go down. His fight or flight was kicking in, and he wanted out of there.

That’s when it happened.

“Son, don’t pull your gun! Stop! Don’t!” Commissioner Raye shouted.

Then he pulled the trigger.

The shot hit the man right in the forehead.

He stopped the recorder, and he raced around the desk. Placing Thomas Christ’s gun in his limp hand, he made sure his finger was on the trigger.

Then he turned on the recorder and then shot the man’s gun into the ceiling.

“SOMEONE CALL FOR BACKUP!” he shouted. “He tried to kill me!”

He could hear people coming.

The two detectives were heading his way.

Outside the office, he ran toward them in panic.

“Jesus! I told him he was under arrest, and he pulled his gun. He was going to kill me! I shot him and his shot hit the ceiling!”

Detective Wayne couldn’t believe this. This was exactly what they didn’t want to go down.

“I was recording it,” he said, handing her the recorder with his shanking hand. It was still going.

She stopped it, and took him somewhere away from his office.

“Hunter, call in the techs,” she said over her shoulder.

Her partner did just that.

Poppy sat him down, she pushed rewind, and then play.

As she listened to the recording, it all fit. The commissioner had done his job.

“Sir.”

His hand was shaking. “I’ve never had to…I didn’t think…” he looked pale.

“Have a seat, sir. Do you need a medic?” she asked.

“Water. I feel faint. All that blood. How do you homicide cops do it?”

She got him water.

He gulped it down, sloshing it everywhere.

“It’s okay, sir. It was smart to record it. You made our jobs easier. We won’t need to investigate and question you. I’m glad you weren’t killed.”

“Go take care of that man. He was insane, but he was still a cop. I’ll be okay. I’m fine,” he said, patting her hand.

“Okay, sir.”

She headed into the office, and he smiled into his water cup.

One more mess handled.

It looked like things were looking up.

Goodbye, Thomas Christ.

He was more trouble than he was worth.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Curtis was in and out of consciousness.

He could hear the men around him as they hooked him up to IVs, and as they kept shouting out his vitals.

He could feel the life leaching away as it was so damn hard to breathe.

Grabbing the one EMT by the hand, he pulled him closer. He needed to say one thing.

“Mr. Croft, what do you need?” he asked.

Curtis stared into his eyes. “I need to see my child born. I can’t go yet.”

He patted his hand.

“The wound is through and through. It’s your right shoulder, and you’re going to live. You just need to hang in there until we can get you to the hospital. You’re going to need surgery to stop the bleeding.”

“Tell my wife seventy-five. She’ll get it.”

He nodded. “Sure thing, sir. Hang in there. We’ve slowed the bleeding, and you’ll be fine.”

Curtis stared at the ceiling of the ambulance, and he wasn’t angry.

He got it.

The war was coming, and this, unfortunately, was only the beginning.

It was far from over. This wouldn’t go unpunished.

Greyson would make sure of it.

Chapter Nineteen

Las Vegas

Hospital

A ll the way there, Dimitri was sick to his stomach. He was so scared for his family, and he didn’t know what to do. His own flesh and blood had wounded Emma and Greyson’s heir as he got caught in the crossfire. How was he going to face them? Why wouldn’t they kick him, and his sisters out of their lives?

He would.

If someone had hurt his family, he would be furious and shove the offensive party away. Actions had repercussions, or at least that was what he had believed.

So, he knew what was coming, and he feared it.

As of late, they were the only people who had ever cared about any of them. His allegiance was with them, but now…

God!

Curtis was his brother-in-law, and he felt horrible that something from their past had hurt him.

As he raced into the hospital, he was directed to a waiting area that the family was using to wait for news.

When he ran in, everyone was there.

Kat was sitting in a chair, and Greyson had his arm around her, holding her. Emma was crouched in front of the woman, trying to calm her down.

When he walked in, they all looked over at him.

Kat rushed toward him, Natasha right behind her. It was clear they were all thinking the same thing.

What was next?

“It was meant for me,” Kat whispered, as Dimitri held her. “He was trying to kill me and Curtis saved me.”

He tried to soothe both of his sisters as best he could in the situation. They all knew it was bad.

“It’s okay. We will be okay. If this goes South, you have me. You will always have me, and I will always love you.”

Both girls wept as they understood the ramifications of what had gone down. They were technically security, and they’d failed. Natasha was supposed to have their back, but she’d missed seeing anything as she followed them around.

Kat felt horrible too. She’d been so wrapped up in her pregnancy and the Lamaze class, she hadn’t seen anything either. Dimitri always told them to be alert.

She’d failed.

Greyson headed his way, and he watched him with wary eyes.

“How is he?” Dimitri asked.

“He’ll be okay. Curtis is tough.”

Greyson took Natasha from him and held her to help Dimitri calm them down.

“Detective Riley and a few cops went to check the area where Curtis saw the flash. He went up there, and he found this.”

Greyson pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and it wasn’t lost on him that there was no evidence bag.

That meant one thing.

The police wouldn’t be handling this. Instead, this was going to be a personal matter, dealt with by them.

Dimitri, with hesitation, opened the note.

‘Brother, we finally meet. Years ago, you killed my father. He mattered to me and my mother. Because of that, you will suffer that same fear. Today, I missed our sister. Tomorrow, I won’t. Kiss her and that baby goodbye.’

The fury rushed through him as all he wanted was to find that man and destroy him. No one was taking Katerina from them.

No one.

As he finished reading the message, Dimitri crumbled the note in his hand.

Greyson was watching him, and he knew it was going to be bad. Dimitri was a man on the edge, and this might have just been the catalyst to push him over.

“I will handle him.”

Emma heard his vow, and she headed his way. As she stood in front of him, she pointed.

“Greyson, take the girls. I need to talk to Mr. Gideon about the situation.”

“Emma.”

She glanced over at her husband. “I need you to watch the girls for a few minutes. Dimitri and I need to have a conversation—in private.”

The tone in her voice said it all.

Greyson, normally the bossy one, let it slide. Emma was holding it together, and that’s all that mattered.

“Follow me,” she said.

Both girls watched as their brother headed away, following behind Emma.

They began talking in Russian, and Greyson didn’t doubt they were scared they were going to be asked to leave the family.

It was silly.

“Shhh, Katerina and Natasha, you’re safe,” he offered, with one girl tucked beneath each arm. “Let’s wait.”

What choice did they have?

Their lives, especially Katerina’s, hung in the balance.

All they could do was wait.

And pray.

Emma headed toward the little chapel attached to the waiting room, and Dimitri followed her inside. Once there, he didn’t give her a chance to say anything.

Why should he?

He knew what was coming.

“I will take my sisters, and we will get as far from you as possible. Your family suffered because of something I did in my past. I understand, and I will go.”

She spun around, and she was furious.

“Just like that? You’ll tuck your fucking tail between your legs and leave us?” she asked.

He was so shocked he actually took a step back.

He’d never seen her this angry at him. Emma was three days past pissed.

“What choice do I have? He’s our brother. My blood nearly killed Curtis.”

She stopped him.

While she wasn’t surprised, she was irritated.

“You know what, Dimitri, you probably should go. It’s fine. Why worry about your family or the people who love you? Forget us. It’s easier that way. You can run, and you don’t have to look back to see what you’re leaving behind. I’ll find him, and Greyson will handle him. Just don’t let him know you’ve bailed. It’ll make our jobs harder. You know, the job of cleaning up the mess.”

“Why would you care?” he asked, getting just as angry. “He hurt Curtis. That’s on me. We are your damn security team, and we’re a mess. My one sister married into the family, and she is pregnant. The other one is so besotted, she didn’t catch this, and then there’s me. I should have suspected! I should have known!”

Yeah, he should have been there instead of off having sex with Marissa.

Emma got it, but life wasn’t always so cut and dry.

Things happened, and this was one of those cases. They could worry about the what ifs, or they could focus on the what is to come.

She chose the latter.

Emma moved closer and shoved her finger into his chest. “That’s on HIM. You didn’t make his choices. You make your own. Only, you’ll have to wait for Curtis. He’s going to want to go with his wife and child. He’s not going to stay here while his wife disappears. If you take her before he’s able to move, you might as well go into that operating room and tell them let him die. You’ll kill him if you steal Katerina away. You’ll end him.”

He was frustrated.

“I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want to make you mad, or hurt anyone else. I don’t have choices. I can’t make the whole family disappear. I can make us three invisible.”

And that was what pissed her off.

His willingness to leave them all behind like they didn’t matter.

She moved closer. They were toe to toe, and she stared up into his eyes.

“You bailing makes me mad. When people are gunning for us, what do we do? We put our trust in family. We stand there, knowing you and your sisters had our back. Before we can do the same for you, you’re running. You can’t hide forever, Maximillian. At some point, you have to accept what you did, learn from it, and stand your ground.” She backed away. “Or we just didn’t mean as much to you as you three meant to us.”

Now there was hurt.

“You mean everything,” he said. “I’m scared.”

She didn’t move.

“He’s making his choices. You have to make yours. Do we stand and fight, Dimitri, or do we run? We do it as one. If you leave, we follow. When the shit hit the fan, you three opted to stay. We wove our families together. We made them one, and now you want to pull them apart. That’s not family. Apparently, we weren’t permanent. We were temporary, and to find that out now sucks.”

“No, you weren’t. I’ve never loved anyone but my sisters. I’ve never had this. I can’t let my past destroy it. I’m trying to protect you. Why can’t you see that?”

“Tomorrow, this will be considered your past, and it will destroy us. While you’re hunted, you can hide. We can’t, so we are still wearing the bull’s-eye. I’ll let you go because I love you three with all my heart. I’ll stay and fight to buy you some time. Hopefully, you and your sisters survive. We won’t.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

He watched her.

“Go, if that’s your plan. Run. It’s easier. You’re a coward, Mr. Gideon. I’ve never judged you until this moment. I could forgive you anything, but this. You abandoned us when we needed you the most. That’s not family.”

She turned around and headed toward the door.

She heard him walking toward the altar and candles in the front of the chapel.

Curiosity got the best of her.

She watched him light a candle, make the sign of the cross, and kneel.

Then, she could hear him praying.

It was shocking. Out of all the things she suspected in life, it was never this.

Dimitri believed in God.

Then, she could hear him crying. It was soft and it tugged at her heartstrings.

As someone who loved him, it was hard to ignore.

Quietly, she moved closer. She could pick up a few words—not many. Dimitri was offering himself up if his sisters would live.

She knelt beside him, and he looked over.

Emma waited.

“I don’t want to lose my family.”

“We’ll protect them.”

He stopped her. “No, I don’t want you lose all of you. I’ll fight. If anything happens to me…”

Emma took his hand in hers. “We fight side by side, Dimitri. We will make sure we catch him. This won’t be uncontested. Greyson will make sure of it.”

He stared at the giant cross.

“I’m sorry about Curtis.”

“He was protecting his wife and child. I’m proud of him. He did what a man is supposed to do. He learned from Greyson. He did the job, and if he is to die, at least he protected the people he loved most. She gave him happiness that I’ve never seen him have before. Katerina is his soulmate. That matters.”

He listened to her as she knelt with him in that chapel.

“If he hurts someone else…”

“We will not blame you. We will not push you away because of his actions. You’re not a Gideon. Today, you’re a Croft. We protect our own, and you are ours.”

He didn’t know what to say.

Emma tucked his shoulder length hair behind his ears, and wiped the wetness from his cheeks.

“I love you, and I’ll fight for you.”

Dimitri didn’t know how to accept that. No one in his life had ever offered him that. No one had ever valued him enough to make sure he was safe.

Now he had it, and he was afraid to lose it.

“You need to make a choice, and I’ll accept it. If you have to leave, then we all do. We’ll close the house down, sell it, and go under with you. We’ll let Vegas fall to stay with our family.”

“I don’t understand why.”

Emma leaned against him, resting her forehead against his. In Russian, she told him. It was choppy, didn’t flow as well as she would have liked it, but he got the point.

More tears came.

“You are mine, too,” he said, letting go of some of the pain so Emma could carry it. Dimitri gave her something he never shared with anyone.

His faith.

He wrapped his arms around her.

And together…

They prayed.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Courthouse

There was chaos going on all around her. Delilah had been in the middle of the court trial to defend her client, and the shit had apparently hit the fan.

People were running around like maniacs, trying to get out of the courthouse as if their lives depended on it.

Then she heard the two bailiffs talking about the shooting in the upstairs office.

It shocked her.

Thomas Christ, the man who Riley had overheard threatening to hurt her, was dead.

She didn’t know what to think.

There were cops running around, news crews, and even the commissioner. He was lurking, and that freaked her out.

Her first instinct was to call Riley to see if everything was okay, and maybe to get some reassurance. She was nervous, and she didn’t know what to think.

Pulling out her phone, she dialed his number with shaky fingers.

It didn’t take him long to answer.

“Delilah, honey, are you okay?” he asked, the second he answered.

“I’m good. Are you okay?” she asked, praying he was somewhere safe.

“I’m good, but Curtis is in surgery. The Crofts have a giant mess on their hands.”

She paused.

What?

“Why is he in surgery?” she asked.

Riley gave her the abridged version.

There were shouts from behind her, and she could barely hear anything he was saying.

“What’s going on there?” Riley asked.

She told him.

“Commissioner Raye went to arrest Thomas Christ for his involvement in the murdered of your partner. That’s why I called to see if you were okay.”

“WHAT?”

“You didn’t hear?” she asked, nearly getting run over by three cops with guns.

“NO! What the hell happened?”

She told him what she knew, and there wasn’t much. It was just word traveling around the courthouse.

Riley couldn’t believe it.

Well, he could believe it because Thomas Christ was a psychopathic lunatic, but his partner? He was shocked the man hadn’t come after him.

“And he’s dead too?”

“Yeah, apparently, the commissioner was trying to get his gun so they could arrest him.”

Riley felt like he was in some weird soap opera.

Vegas was losing its mind.

“Then there were shots fired. They are closing down the courthouse. It’s a crime scene, so I’m heading home.”

“WAIT! I’ll come get you, Delilah! Don’t go anywhere that there are no people! Stay in the thick of it until I get there!”

“Riley.”

“Honey, Thomas Christ had been planning your murder with the commissioner. This doesn’t make sense. He wouldn’t be trying to arrest him.”

Her eyes went big.

“You think…?”

Yeah, he did. He was going to call Greyson to discuss this with him as soon as he hung up.

“Loose end, honey.  Christ may be dead, but we don’t know if they had other plans to move on you. You’re still not safe, Delilah. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay, Riley. Be careful. This whole town is going to Hell in a hand basket.”

Oh, she had no idea.

The corruption was everywhere.

                   * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Back at his hole, Viktor was happy. He’d taken a shot at his sister, and granted, he missed, but that was fine. He’d studied the Croft family, and he knew what made them tick.

If they tried to stop him, he’d start to take them apart too. He was going to enact his vengeance on his brother, whether they liked it or not.

In fact, he might just kill them off for shits and giggles.

He liked Vegas.

It was his kind of town.

Maybe, when he’d cleaned up his family issues, he’d stick around. With the Crofts dead and the Gideons gone, the city would need new mob.

Maybe Mother Russia would have to represent.

Meaning him.

He could be happy here. There were all the women, the crime, and the opportunity to make big money.

Yeah, ‘Sin City’ was full of murder, death, and corruption.

It was his kind of town.

And shortly, he would own it.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Hospital

Waiting Room

It was all over the news.

As Greyson stood there, he watched the media replay the shot over and over again.

It pissed him off.

It also taught him a lot about the shooter.

As someone who did what he did, he could spot a pro or a wannabe sniper.

There were tells. The man was NOT a pro, and that might work to their advantage.

He was just about to head into the chapel to get Emma when his phone rang. Greyson stared down and saw Riley’s number.

Maybe he’d found something new.

“Yes, Detective?”

Riley told him about Thomas Christ and his death. He told him about the commissioner being the one who took him down, and then he told him about his partner.

“He’s cleaning up loose ends,” Croft said into the phone.

“What do you want me to do?” Riley asked. “I heard him and Christ plotting to hurt Delilah. I can take this to the media, the investigating officer, or let Delilah handle it.”

Greyson mulled it over.

“Don’t do anything.”

“What?”

“We can use this as leverage, Riley. He killed Christ for a reason. Let’s watch it play out, and see what happens. He’s going to be running scared now. He likely set Christ up to save his own ass.”

Riley agreed.

“This isn’t a race. It’s a marathon. We’ll keep this information to ourselves, and at some point, we may need to whip it out for protection. Vegas is exploding.”

Yeah, he’d noticed.

“Where are you?” Greyson asked.

“I was out in the field trying to contain Curtis’s shooting. Now I’m heading over to the courthouse to get Delilah.”

“She’s going to be safe,” Greyson offered. “He won’t do anything high profile.”

He hoped not.

“I’m still going to get her somewhere safe. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

Greyson figured. There was something blooming there.

“If you need us, call,” Croft said. “Just try and stay out of the commissioner’s way, and keep your ass out of the sling.”

Oh, that was his plan.

“How’s Curtis?” he asked.

“Still in surgery.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s tough.”

Greyson was aware. For now, that wasn’t his concern. Emma and Dimitri were. They were still talking, and he didn’t doubt it might be getting ugly.

“Be safe, Riley. Head to Terrace Glen if you need to. You can hide out there with Delilah.”

“Thanks. I may do that.”

He hung up.

Greyson was pacing as he prayed they were doing the right thing. Hang the commissioner now, or wait to really put the screws to him?

He and Dimitri had been digging into the man’s past, trying to find something to bury him.

This was huge.

It was also going to be hard to prove. It was hearsay, and he knew it. A lawyer, like Delilah, could tear it apart in seconds.

Yeah, they’d hold this one.

Greyson stared up at the TV, and they were running side by side stories. Curtis’s shooting, and the dead homicide captain.

The city was stirred up.

Speaking of which…

As Emma and Dimitri came out of the chapel, the Russian went to his side.

“Greyson…”

He wasn’t going to let the man apologize for something that wasn’t his fault. Dimitri didn’t do this. This was on his brother, and they all knew it.

“I need you to focus.”

He stared at him. “Okay, on what?”

He pointed at the screen and told him what Riley had told him.

“Holy shit!” Emma muttered. “He’s taking out loose ends. We need to hold onto this. We can use it.”

Croft kissed her.

She was thinking like a mob boss’s wife.

“That’s what I told Riley. We can shelf that, for now, but look at the shooting footage. Tell me what you see, Dimitri,” Greyson asked.

He watched it, and it pissed him off. Still, he saw what Greyson was talking about.

“He’s an amateur.”

Greyson agreed.

“How do you know?” Emma asked.

“Watch this part right…here.”

Emma did.

There was an angle from one of the cameras that had been ahead of Curtis and Kat. When Curtis turned, to talk to the detective, Emma saw it.

There was that flash.

“Fourth floor, third window,” she said.

Dimitri agreed.

“Okay, and that means?” she asked.

“When you snipe, where do you do it from Dimitri?” Greyson asked.

That was easy.

“You wanted to be the furthest away from the scene. The recovery time isn’t the same. You take the shot there, and you have minutes to escape. Plus, you’re heading out into the mess,” he offered.

Exactly.

“If it were me, I would have picked that building.” Greyson pointed to one in the distance on the Vegas strip. “I would have used the roof. It’s an easier shot. Further can be better if you’re a pro.”

She got it.

“I would have gone with further away,” Dimitri said, agreeing with him. “I would have had more time to break my gun down, pack it up, and get away. That close is dangerous. You’re in the epicenter, and the cops will be shutting everything down as fast as possible.”

Emma understood.

Greyson wasn’t done. “Ditto. This man is self-taught. He also didn’t use the right bullets for the job. He used one that would go right through his target.”

Emma hated this conversation, but she was learning something huge. Her husband and Dimitri Gideon had a lot in common.

“What would you have used?” Greyson asked him.

“I have a collection of Black Talons. I got my hands on them on their way to being destroyed a few years back.”

“Why?” Greyson asked, keeping the man focused on the details so he wasn’t thinking about Curtis or anything else.

“They curl on impact, and they make a mess of the human body. They would have torn the victim to pieces, and they wouldn’t have been fixable.”

While morbid, it was true.

“Agreed. I would have used a hollow point too. Our killer isn’t trained.”

Emma had been listening. “What does that tell us?”

“That we can catch him. If it were Dimitri, we wouldn’t have a shot. Viktor Marchenko has left his mess all over Vegas. He’s going to have flaws, and we can pick them apart and catch him.”

Dimitri got it.

“And this case?” Emma asked. “We really haven’t given it one hundred percent. We’re chasing too many details.”

He agreed.

“We are only going to have this one shot with the FBI being off our asses. So, we work the sex ring, we find the persons behind it, and we end them. IF your brother is raping women and part of this, we’ll catch him. He’s sloppy.”

Dimitri could deal with that.

“We may not catch him immediately, but let’s cut off his fun, and he might do something to come out of his hide-y hole.”

They all knew how dangerous that was, but they didn’t have a choice. He was shooting at people. One head shot, and they were down family.

“There has to be a trail. We only have to find it,” Greyson offered. “I say we start looking for it.”

Emma got it.

“Then let’s work.”

The whole family pushed the chairs away and settled down on the floor to do what they knew.

They were comparing notes to begin the chase. Up first, they wanted the sex ring. Since Julie was found, they could free up time from looking for her. Now they would find the people who set her up to die at Viktor’s hands.

“What do we know?” Greyson asked, as he sat beside his wife and Dimitri.

Emma shared what they had found out from the janitor of the strip club. “There’s an apartment on Vine. Apparently, Gerald had a flop there.”

Tessa made notes.

Dimitri lifted a brow. “Wait. Marissa’s sister lived on Vine. She’s there now. That building is full of hookers.”

Greyson jut realized he was right.

“She does. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. If you’re going to be dragging your ‘merchandise’ around, you want the place to be close. He would want to watch over his prime goods.”

Emma knew he was right.

They were going to have to check that place out.

“It could be the same. He wasn’t really specific,” Chris said, as Natasha sat beside him. He was holding her hand, and they all knew why.

He was worried that she was going to disappear with her brother if he ran.

That would break his heart.

“That’s going to be a good place to start, and I AM going, so if you were planning to tell me no, don’t,” Emma stated.

Her husband stared at her.

“Not today, Greyson. Put the caveman back in his cave.”

Croft laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Dimitri offered a suggestion, “I’m fine with Emma going, but maybe we should do it after dark,” Dimitri offered. “Then I can help.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, no. You, your sisters, and Curtis are out of the game. He’s going to stay here…”

Kat spoke up, “I’ll stay with him. I’m pregnant, but I can handle a gun. As long as he’s not by a window, I’m safe.”

Greyson looked at Dimitri.

“Okay.”

He knew how hard that was for him.

“I can disappear until this is under control,” Natasha offered.

Chris glanced over at her. Even though he was afraid she’d not come back, he’d take his chances. He would rather she live.

“Please do. I don’t know when you’re around half the time. This is going to be a good time for you to vanish in plain sight. Just make sure you come back to me.”

Natasha’s heart skipped.

That was love.

She kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, Captain.”

Greyson thought that was a good idea.

“And me?” Dimitri asked.

“The house it is.”

“I’m not hiding from him,” Dimitri said. “He called me out, and we are going to keep working this case. You told me to decide my own fate, Emma, and I will. I’ll take precautions, but I’m not hiding from him. That’s not the man I am.”

Well, had she known before hand, she might have not used that as her defense.

She took his hand in hers. “I stand by your choice.”

They were all on the same page.

Greyson continued with the update, now that everything was under control.

“The only thing that’s left is an update I got from Riley a few minutes ago.”

“What?” Dante asked.

He shared the information, again, with the rest of them.

“Thomas Christ was killed.”

They all stared.

Greyson flipped the channel to another station, and they watched the chaos at the courthouse. No one said a word, until after it began looping from the beginning again.

“Well, I didn’t see that one coming,” Dante stated.

“Does anyone here actually believe that Commissioner Raye was trying to bring the man in for justice?” Katerina asked.

Emma, Greyson, and Dimitri started laughing.

There was their answer.

“So, Thomas Christ played fast and loose with another cop’s life, and he was busted. That seems like poetic justice. He killed my brother the same way, so I’m glad he got his ‘just desserts’. I would have rather been the one who pulled the trigger, but we can’t always get what we want.”

She left that there for Dimitri.

He didn’t miss what she was talking about. It was a Mom moment if he ever heard one.

“The commissioner likely did it because Thomas Christ was a runaway train,” Greyson offered. “He brought him here, and he couldn’t control the crazy.”

Yeah, he was definitely cleaning up a mess.

“So now we know that the Commissioner is as dirty as the day is long, what are we going to do about it?” Tessa asked.

Her husband was curious too.

“We handle it later. Right now, we have a shit mess. We have dead underage girls, and we have Viktor Marchenko. From the second I took this case, we were focused on too much. With our attention scattered, we may have missed something. I think we need to find this sex ring, and that might bring us closer to Viktor.”

“And the commissioner?” Dante asked.

“Like I told Emma and Dimitri. He’s going to hide out for a while. We’re presently trying to dig up more on him. I want to take him down with things he can’t explain away. Riley heard him put a hit out on Delilah, but we don’t have proof. We know that he was likely behind a cleanup effort, but we can’t prove it. It’s his word against ours. We keep digging until we find substantiated evidence.”

They all agreed.

“I think we should focus on what we know,” Greyson stated.

“We know that Julie was at the strip club with her pimp and then went missing,” Emma stated. “Then he was killed.”

Tessa made notes.

“We know that Julie lived on Vine, and we have a pimp flop on Vine.”

Greyson brought up one other thing. “We also know that Anthony Delmarco was murdered by someone, and he was left in a park. Again, more loose ends.”

Paris thought about it. “What park?”

He wasn’t sure.

“You know there’s a big one over on Vine, right?” he asked.

That was more proof that they had an area to focus on to find the sex ring.

“I wouldn’t be shocked if it were that one,” Greyson stated. “Let’s aim our focus there.”

Dimitri agreed.

Tessa and Paris knew what he was asking. They knew exactly how the man thought.

“You want us to pull Vine Street apart?” Tessa asked in clarification.

“Yeah, let’s go with that. If it smells like smoke, chances are there’s a fire.”

They had to start somewhere. There was so much going on in Vegas, and their lives, that they needed to focus.

“Can I task you guys with that?” he asked the Archers.

“We’re on it.”

They grabbed a tablet and headed to a corner to work.

Okay, that took care of that.

Emma pointed at Natasha. “Go under for the time being. Then we don’t have to worry about you.”

“I have a change of gear in the car. I’m going to be the nun.”

Chris laughed.

Dimitri pointed at him. “Don’t be a pervert. We are Catholic.”

He laughed even more. Not that the man would be offended if he made a sex joke, but that Dimitri was religious.

Who saw that coming?

“Say your goodbye,” Greyson said.

Natasha crawled into her boyfriend’s lap, and she slowly kissed him. When she was finished, she pulled away, Chris’s lower lip between her teeth.

Emma put her hand over Dimitri’s mouth.

“I’ll see you later,” Natasha stated. “Miss me a little bit.”

He would miss her a whole lot. When she got out of his lap and headed out, he stood to watch her.

When he turned back around, and they were all staring at him.

“What?”

Emma laughed.

“Someone is madly in love, and I think I hear wedding bells.”

He yanked on her hair. “Brat.”

That one comment, actually calmed Dimitri. Natasha would be safe. He didn’t doubt the family would protect her.

In fact, he was going to ensure the whole family was safe. He didn’t like what he was planning, but Dimitri had a backup plan to save them all.

He only needed time to slip away.

Kat broke the silence. “Can you give me something to do?” she asked, worrying her hands. “I need to do something to keep from going crazy,” she said to Greyson. “Please, Dad.”

His heart flipped.

Katerina was like his child. If anything happened to Curtis, he’d protect her.

“Why don’t you work on Anthony Delmarco? We still have the FBI’s tablet. Maybe you can find a way to connect him to someone.”

She was grateful.

She took the tablet from Emma.

“Thank you, for this.”

Katerina went to a quiet corner and began working to keep her mind off her husband.

Emma, Greyson, Chris, and Dimitri would handle the apartment search that the janitor had brought up.

Until that moment, Dante and Steele had been relatively quiet. Investigating wasn’t really their thing, but they would jump in and help where they could.

“If you can get the autopsies,” Steele offered, “I can go over them to make sure nothing was missed.”

Emma gave him a kiss.

She knew how hard that was on him.

Steele, after his abduction, had a hard time dealing with the dead, since he was almost one of them.

“I think that would be great,” Greyson offered. “I’ll contact Riley and see what he can do.”

Before he could, a nurse walked in.

They all stood and waited with baited breath. Kat rushed over, and she took Emma’s hand when she offered it.

 “Mr. Croft is out of surgery, and he’s doing fine. He’s going to be in the recovery room a little while longer. Then, you can all see him.”

Kat started crying.

Emma pulled her against her body and held her through the storm. She let her weep it out so she’d feel better.

“How bad is he?” Emma asked. “His arm…”

“He’s going to need therapy, but he’s going to be fine. He got lucky. It went straight through.”

They all relaxed.

Viktor’s error had worked out in their favor.

“We’ll wait to see him,” Greyson offered.

“Yes, Mr. Croft. I’ll come back for you.”

When she left, he was only thinking one thing. It wasn’t about Curtis’s recovery, or how close they’d come.

It was all about revenge.

Viktor Marchenko was going to pay.

With his life.

                   * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He’d spent most of the day touring the FBI building in Las Vegas, and Ethan Blackhawk knew one thing.

It was one hot mess.

No wonder the OT was off the charts, the budget was way off, and absenteeism was running rampant.

Robert Lee had no idea how to run the place. To make it even worse, he didn’t answer directly to him. He answered to Miles Lane out of FBI West.

Well, that was about to change.

Ethan was going to whip both buildings back into shape, whether they liked it or not. While Greyson ran it, the place was doing well. Crime was down, and he’d managed to scare his employees into doing their job.

Much like he did.

What Ethan had learned from visiting the FBI building was no one liked Lee, and no one was worried about their job.

When you could lose your career and paycheck, you stayed hungry for work.

It made you a better employee.

It made you do your damn job.

What Ethan had now was a clusterfuck. He hated to admit it, but he was going to have to come back.

There was no way he could let that place run the way it was going. When he asked for reports, Lee stared at him like he was crazy.

Apparently, his secretary was keeping him afloat.

It was as if the man had never heard those words before.

Then, as he toured the place, the employees were afraid to talk in front of Lee.

Ethan knew intimidation when he saw it, so he did what he had to, and lost the man. The second he was gone, the dirt came out.

The man had been fraternizing with the police commissioner. That didn’t bode well for Ethan, considering what he knew was going on in Las Vegas. So, Ethan could only do one thing.

He was going to watch.

Wait.

Bide his time.

And then handle it.

If Robert Lee thought this was going to be Ethan’s only visit to Vegas, the man had another thing coming.

This was only the beginning.

As he walked onto the jet, the pilot was waiting for him.

“She’s in the last seat, and I think she’s sleeping. She got here about an hour ago. She was quiet.”

That said it all.

Elizabeth wasn’t normally described with that one word. She was chaos, active, crazy, and boisterous.

He was worried about her, and this was just more proof that Bonnie had turned their lives upside down.

Heading to the back of the jet, he touched her leg, and she sat up, a gun in her hand.

He stared down the nose of her Glock, and her finger was on the trigger.

His heart thumped.

“Hey! I missed you too. Well, not enough to pull a gun on you when I saw you, but I still missed my wife.”

She lowered her arm.

“Sorry. I was napping.”

Yeah, she did that a lot lately instead of sleeping. When Elizabeth went deep, the nightmares began.

“The pilot said you just got back an hour ago. Were you out exploring Vegas?”

“Yeah, I was.”

“Doing what?”

She glanced over. “Tracking Bonnie.”

Of course she was.

“Elizabeth.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it, Ethan. Let it go.”

He gave her some emotional space, like she had always given him. Something was eating away at her, and he didn’t think it was only because of what had happened.

“Okay, baby. I grabbed you something to eat,” he said, handing her a takeout container.

“Thank you.”

“Was it nice?” he asked.

“What?”

“Vegas.”

“Yeah, in a tacky, ‘I love Elvis’ kind of way. I did like all the lights. Those I don’t mind. How was the FBI building?” she asked, changing the subject so he wouldn’t dig back into her day. What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas.

“Good. Greyson has some wiggle room. You didn’t tell him about Viktor Marchenko, right?”

She smiled.

“No, I would never do that. That’s classified intel that I shouldn’t have heard about when you were talking to yourself on your way here. I know the rules.”

He kissed her on the cheek.

“I figured as much,” he said, knowing she absolutely gave them the heads up. He’d cover them all if it came to that.

“Oh, and I lost my tablet somewhere. I’m so damn forgetful. Maybe you can forget to cancel my password for a couple of days. You know…I may find it again.”

He laughed.

“I can do that.”

She began eating.

“Baby?”

She looked over.

“I love you.”

That made her smile. “There’s no one I love more than you,” she said.

“Uh, Callen.”

“Okay, well him.”

“Our kids.”

“Yeah, and them.”

“Wyler.”

She didn’t say anything.

That silence spoke volumes.

“Elizabeth.”

“He left, Ethan. That’s on him. Don’t bring him up. I can’t fight his wars too. I have enough on my plate with explaining to our kids why Grandpa is gone.”

Ethan wished he could heal them all. When Wyler bailed, it created a huge hole in all of their lives, and Elizabeth was picking up the slack while chasing Bonnie, and doing her job.

Then there was little TJ.

They all were taking turns loving that baby as much as they could to make up for his father leaving him the day he was brought into the world.

He dropped his arm around her shoulders, and she shared her food. It was peaceful and calm.

Yet, she was anything but.

“We’re ready to go,” he said, signaling the pilot when the man stuck his head out of the cockpit.

They closed the doors.

The FBI jet began its taxing down the runway, and before long, they’d be back in DC.

And Ethan had to prepare.

For what was coming.

Chapter Twenty

Two Hours Later

Riley’s House

S he didn’t mind spending time with him, but she was pretty sure she was safe. Now that Thomas Christ was dead, Delilah really thought that Riley was over reacting. She was finally safe, and that was a relief.

“I’m sorry you had to fight through the chaos to get to me at the courthouse,” she said.

He smiled over at her. “I don’t mind at all. I like spending time with you.”

“Do you think it’s over?” she asked.

Riley wasn’t sure, but as long as he was there, she was safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, so he went with that.

“I think it is. The man will back off for a bit. He’s not going to risk anything major pointing his way. Besides, the Crofts know, and they’ll handle it.”

She wasn’t sure how they’d handle it, but what did she know?

What bothered her the most was how corrupt the whole city appeared to be. It horrified her. The commissioner controlled all of the divisions in the police department.

If he set up a cop to die, and then killed another…

Jesus.

What else was he capable of?

This was why she defended people. A lot of cops tended to be corrupt. Well, most of them. Riley was different.

“Why don’t you just report it? There will be an internal investigation…”

“Greyson asked I not do it. He thinks he’s in the clear, and they want to give him some rope to hang himself.”

She laughed. “That sounds like Greyson Croft to a T. The man is always thinking.”

Yeah, it did.

“So, where are we going?” she asked, looking around the neighborhood. It wasn’t far from hers, and it was nice.

“I’m going to stop by my place, so I can get some things. Greyson offered up his home, and I figured we should head there. I didn’t want to be without swim trunks this time.”

She laughed. “You could have dove in naked. I wouldn’t have told anyone.”

“I may not want to swim with a sexy man-eating shark naked. You’re dangerous,” he teased.

Delilah leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You have no idea. When I chum the water with a do-gooder cop who’s sexy, I can’t help myself.”

His body reacted.

Delilah drove him insane.

“I hope you don’t mind that we’re playing sleepover,” she said. “I know you have a life outside of me.”

Did he?

It was funny. Since falling for Delilah, he could barely remember what he did before her. She was a force to reckon with, and being a masochist, he liked it.

He laughed.

“I don’t mind spending time with you. I enjoy it,” he offered. “Do you mind?”

Uh, hell no!

Riley made her crazy when they rolled around naked. He was dominant in bed, and she could just feel. It was hotter than the desert heat.

“No, I don’t. I’m actually off the next few days. With Dante and Steele’s wedding coming up, I was going to get my hair and nails done.”

“Well, that’ll be fun.”

“Are you going to the wedding?” she asked.

“Are you inviting?”

She smiled. “I do believe I am.”

“Then I do believe I’m going as your date.”

It made her giddy.

She really liked this guy. He was genuine, sweet, and a gentleman. Plus, he held nothing back. Maybe it was her past, or it was the fact that she dealt in bending the truth that made her paranoid of men who kept secrets.

That was her big no-no, and a red flag. Nothing made her want to run faster than a man hiding shit.

It was never good.

“Here we are,” he said, pulling into his driveway.

It was a simple house, but it was nice. There was a swing on the porch, and the lawn was tidy.

“It’s not much, but it’s mine.”

She glanced over.

“If you’re worried about impressing me, you can stop. You already impress me, and that is hard to do.”

He lifted a brow.

Had he been trying?

Yeah, he was. There was something about being near her that gave him such joy. Riley could be himself. Still, he knew there were issues coming.

He was a cop.

He was good at seeing oncoming trouble.

“Besides, you had me at porch swing. It reminds me of the house I grew up in. In fact, if you go two blocks over, there it is. I rode my bike up and down this street.”

That intrigued him. He didn’t know too much about her past, other than her brother’s death.

Delilah waited for him as he headed around the truck, and together, they took the stairs to the porch. She picked up his paper and sat on the swing.

He was cautiously optimistic as he unlocked his door. “Do you want to come in?” he asked. “Or are you sitting out here and using me for my swing?”

She laughed. Yeah, that was definitely not what she wanted to use him for.

Not even close.

“Are you kidding? Of course I do. You got to see my place. I think it’s only fair.”

He smiled and held the beautiful wooden door open for her. “Welcome to my home.”

When they went inside, he immediately went to his fish tank and fed them.

That amused her.

“Fish?”

He laughed. “I’m a cop. I barely feed me. I can’t have a cat or dog.”

She grinned. “I understand. I don’t have pets because that would make me seem approachable, and that ruins my street cred. ‘Hi, I’m getting this killer off. Can you hold my cat’?”

That amused him.

What he loved most about her was Delilah was funny and approachable when she wasn’t playing attorney.

She was the girl next door.

Suddenly, he wished she lived next to him. Then they could sit on his swing every day.

“I’ll go grab my bag. Feel free to wander.”

She laughed. She’d said the same thing, and they ended up naked.

That worked for her.

“Make my life easier. That’s a lot of stairs for these heels. If you get naked, shout down. I’ll run up and pretend I’m worried about you.”

He laughed as he bounded up the stairs, and she headed toward the big fireplace mantel.

She could tell he used the fireplace, and that amused her. Vegas was hot most of the year.

“When do you use the fireplace in this city? Do you like roasting your chestnuts on an open fire?” she yelled up.

There was the masculine laughter she’d fallen for the last couple of days.

“You’re close. I use it for Christmas. I open the windows and live in my own little fantasy land. I like my chestnuts intact.”

She snorted in amusement.

At the mantle, she saw something.

It was a photograph, and it was of Riley and two other people. Coincidently, they all looked alike.

It hit her.

He was a triplet.

There was a second Riley, and a Riley-ette running around somewhere?

Wow.

Shocking.

He headed down the stairs. Riley could see her looking at the picture.

“Yes, there’s three of us. I’m the middle kid in the family. My mom couldn’t have kids naturally, so she and my dad did IVF a long time ago. We weren’t the first IVF, but we were pretty close.”

She turned around. “You and your brother are identical.”

He nodded. “We are.”

“And what about her?”

“That’s Kiley, she’s the baby. Miles, or Miley as we called him, was the first born. He and I are identical, and she’s fraternal. We were each born three minutes apart, and my parents were troopers. Three babies at once…brave.”

She could only imagine.

“Are you close?”

His face changed slightly. It was subtle, but Delilah was accustomed to reading those subtle clues.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded.

“Miles is dead. Kiley and I have a strained relationship. I wish I could say we talk weekly, but we don’t. I haven’t heard from her in a few months.”

That’s when it happened.

He shut down.

Delilah could see it.

That made her even more curious about it. “What happened?”

He touched the picture. “I don’t want to talk about it. We should go. I need to get you back to Terrace Glen.”

Riley practically yanked the picture out of her hand. Then he placed it back on his mantle.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t…”

He cut her off.

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Delilah was the queen of throwing up barriers. She knew one when she saw one. She didn’t like the way his whole demeanor had changed.

It was as if he were a different person. The calm, kind energy was replaced with tension.

It set off a warning bell.

“Riley…”

He ignored her.

That was the one surefire way to get her curiosity piqued even more.

She dug her heels in.

Delilah didn’t like how he was closing down with her. It upset her to know he was hiding something from her. If he couldn’t answer that simple question, what else would he evade about?

“I really think...”

He faced her. “NO.”

That one word said it all. He was not discussing it with her, and he had no intention to do it either.

That really pissed her off. She went into attorney mode, and her walls went up.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure, but I see how it is. We can have sex, but your personal life is out of the question, right?” she asked.

He refused to speak.

Riley knew that discussing it was a bad idea. He could tell that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“What do you want from me?” he asked. “I didn’t force you to share your personal life. Some people like personal space and for good reasons.”

Personal space?

He didn’t seem to mind physical space being compromised when they were naked and in bed, but anything past that was off limits?

Yeah, no.

Just no.

She stared at him.

“What do I want? How about equality, Riley? I shared all of me. Clearly, you aren’t willing to share the same with me. We’re done.”

“Delilah.”

She pulled her arm away.

She was finished.

“Forget it, Detective. I’m going home. Thomas Christ is dead, and odds are I’m safe. You can head off into the sunset. Your saving of this damsel is over.”

Riley wanted to panic. This was NOT how he wanted this to go down. Only, if he was honest with her, she might bail anyway.

They were from two different worlds, and they saw things from different perspectives.

“He might have someone…”

She cut him off.

“No. I don’t need to be saved. I was wrong about you, Detective Henderson. I really thought…”

She stopped.

There was no point.

Lesson learned.

There were no good ones left. She’d been tricked by one more man who didn’t want to have that connection based in honesty, trust, and love. He was more than happy to use her body, but he wouldn’t let her get to know his heart.

Deal.

Breaker.

She was done.

“Delilah!”

She ignored him and headed out. On her phone, she hit an app and ordered up a car. Fortunately, there was one right around the corner.

It was time to leave this mess behind.

Riley followed her out, trying to figure out how this had gone so damn wrong.

Oh yeah, he fell for a woman he shouldn’t even be with.

The car pulled up to the curb, and Delilah got in without even looking back.

When she said over, she meant over.

“Delilah!” he shouted. “Wait!”

She didn’t even turn around. Instead, the woman he’d really fallen for drove away.

Out of his life.

Back into hers.

“Well, shit!” he said, heading back into his place to regroup. Riley had to wonder why he set himself up for this mess.

He knew better.

The second he saw her, he should have known that they wouldn’t work.

Here was the proof. She didn’t even give him a chance to explain, and at his pace.

Why did life had to be so damn hard?

Why did he have to fall in love with a woman he couldn’t have?

Again…

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Hospital

Curtis’s Room

When he opened his eyes, they were all staring down at him. Immediately, he pulled Katerina’s hand to his lips to give her a kiss. He could feel her hand in his, and she was shaking.

“Curtis!” she said, tears filling her eyes.

“What the hell?” he muttered. “Did I get hit by a train or a bus?”

“Neither. It was Viktor Marchenko,” Greyson stated.

Curtis focused on his family.

“I really hope someone is going to put a hole in him for trying to kill my wife.”

Greyson laughed. “That was the plan.”

He stared up into Katerina’s eyes. “I’m okay. Seventy-five more.”

She burst into tears.

“Dad, help me,” he said, trying to slide over.

Greyson and Dimitri slid their arms beneath him and pulled him over on the bed. Katerina crawled onto the bed and curled against him.

“Shhhhh, I’m here. I couldn’t let my best girl get shot, now could I?” he asked. “You have a baby hanging out in you. It was worth it.”

She kissed him.

The heart monitor went off.

A nurse ran in.

“Uh, sir,” she said, staring at the woman in bed with him with her lips pressed to his.

Greyson cleared his throat. “He’s fine. We have him.”

The nurse didn’t argue. It was likely because his wife was on the board of trustees at this hospital, or that a wing was being named after them from donations. Either way, they’d take it as a win.

“When can we move him?” Greyson asked.

“He’ll be in here for the next day or so,” she said. “Then he’ll get moved for rehab.”

Greyson looked around.

That didn’t work for him.

“I need him in a private room with security,” he stated, pointing at the windows all over the place.

“Sir, there are no rooms.”

Well, then that left one option.

“Get his papers ready. He’s coming home with us,” he said, not messing around. “I’ll have a nurse come stay at our home.”

“Sir,” she began.

Emma stepped forward.

“I think what my husband means is if you want us to keep donating money, you’ll get his doctor in here to discharge him. I think that’s about right, isn’t it, Greyson?” she asked.

The woman headed out before he could even answer.

Greyson was amused. She used to be the nicer one. Clearly, he was wearing off on her.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re going home, you’ll stay where we can watch over Kat, and that will make our lives easier. If we have to keep heading here, that puts all of us out in the open.”

“Sam will play video games with you,” Greyson stated. “I’m sure he would love to kick your ass now that you’re down a limb,” he teased.

He laughed. “Will I be getting this arm’s use back again?” he asked.

“Yeah, you’ll have PT. You’ll be on your feet and in a sling by Dante and Steele’s wedding. You’re going to be fine.”

“I need a nurse.”

“I’ll take care of you,” Kat offered.

“Will you wear a sexy outfit?” he asked, leaving a kiss on her lips. “That will make me better, and fast.”

“Curtis will live,” Emma said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “For that, we are so happy.”

“What happened?” Greyson asked, touching the top of his head with affection.

“I turned, and I saw it. Then I knew in my gut that it was going to be her or me. I couldn’t let her die. I had to make that choice.”

Dimitri had to say something. “I know I’ve ridden your ass for the entire time you’ve been with my sister, but you are officially my favorite.”

“Score!”

Chris laughed. “I’m not getting shot to be number one. It sucks. Been there, and done that. You can have that position. I’ll take number two.”

Curtis laughed, and it hurt.

“Jesus!”

Kat kissed him.

“So much better,” he admitted. Then he realized something, and it scared him to death.

He sat up in his bed.

“She’s in danger. If he took one shot at her, he’ll take another. I need you to get Kat out of here!”

Then he moaned in pain as the monitor went off again.

The nurse was back. “If you’re going to make his monitor go off, you have to leave. I don’t care if you are the mob. His life comes first.”

Emma moved toward her, and she scurried away.

“Liar.”

Greyson laughed.

“I’m safe with Mom around,” Curtis teased.

“As for Kat, we already talked it out. You lie there and get better until we can transport you too.”

That seemed to help him relax.

“She and Sadie will be okay, right?” he asked.

Kat stared at him. “You just told them the baby’s name!” she said.

“Pain meds. Shit! Sorry!”

Dimitri was intrigued. “You’re having a little girl?” he asked.

Kat nodded.

He gave his sister a big hug. “I am so happy. I can’t wait to hold your daughter.”

Yeah, if that were to happen, he had to live. That was part B of their plan.

“Dimitri is going to take you, Kat, Nat, and himself home,” Greyson said. “He will watch you all there while we work.”

The Russian didn’t look happy.

“I’m not…”

He knew how to shut him up.

“Do it for Sam. He’s finally happy that someone wants him, and he made his choice. If that’s not enough, then how about the fact that your sisters and Curtis will be unguarded.”

He didn’t say anything because this was a precarious position.

If he went with them, they might get caught in the crossfire. If he didn’t go with them, they might be targets by the law in town.

Sam needed him.

Kat needed him.

Nat needed him.

“Fine.”

Greyson was relieved.

“If all of this mess is going on around Vine, maybe we should think twice about Marissa staying in her sister’s place. I mean, it could be bad,” Emma said.

Dimitri looked worried.

“We can bring her back with us,” Croft offered.

“Please?” Dimitri stated.

“No problem,” Greyson offered. “I have to admit, I’m curious about what’s going on at that basement apartment.”

Emma was too.

“One thing,” Dimitri stated.

“What?”

He didn’t know how to tell them. It looked like he was going to just have to say it, and let the chips fall where they may.

“I didn’t tell her that my brother was the one who killed her sister.”

They all got it.

“She won’t hear it from us,” Emma said, willing to cover for him. “His name is Marchenko. You’re a Gideon.”

He stopped her. “I’m going to tell her. I just need some time. When we catch the people, who hurt her sister, I’ll tell her.”

Yeah, time to get her to want to stay. He needed to make her fall for him—enough that she’d want to be there in Vegas. He couldn’t offer her that fantasy life.

His only hope was that she’d settle for him because he was smitten. He was thinking about her, and what they shared.

“Should we call Riley? He is a cop.”

Greyson thought about it. “You know, let’s keep him at a distance. I’m sure he doesn’t need our mess on his shoulders. We’re going to illegally enter, so…”

She got it.

This was technically a burglary.

Yeah, their lives had changed.

“Wear gloves, make sure you…” Dimitri stopped when they all stared at him.

“Seriously?” Chris asked. “We were all cops. We know how to not be detected.”

Dimitri didn’t know.

He had this bad feeling.

It was brewing in his gut, and he only hoped they didn’t get hurt.

Chris, Emma, and Greyson headed out. They left him in charge, and Dimitri couldn’t let them down. He had to get Curtis and Kat back to the house, and before anyone took another shot.

This mattered.

He couldn’t fail.

He’d already done that once.

He wouldn’t be guilty of it twice.

                                * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Monday Late

Afternoon

LVPD

As Poppy Wayne sat there, she was going over her notes. Something didn’t feel right, but she wasn’t sure. They’d found the message on the detective’s phone, but they’d also found a piece of gum that looked oddly familiar.

She hadn’t figured it out until they searched Lester Lucas’s desk. There, sitting on Riley Henderson’s was the same gum. It was a kid’s gum with fruity stripes on it. They busted his ass since he was from California.

Now that gum, in the tell-tale wrapper, had ended up on the crime scene.

How?

Had Captain Thomas Christ had a partner?

Was the detective in on it too?

She needed to tie up all the loose ends, and that meant taking it to the only source that was left—Detective Henderson.

So, as much as they wanted to believe this was a closed case, getting the confession from Thomas Christ on record, she still had that one niggling detail.

So, she was going to do her job.

As she pulled out her phone, she called him. Poppy really hoped and prayed that the man could explain it. If not, there was going to have to be an internal investigation, and that would be bad.

Very bad.

Internal Affairs could destroy a career just by standing by your desk. Actually interviewing?

Yeah, it would be over for Riley.

On the third ring, he answered his cell. “Detective Henderson.”

“Hey, Riley, it’s Poppy.”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, especially since your partner just died, but we may have found your DNA on the scene.”

There was a pause as he took that in.

“WHAT?”

“You heard me, Riley. We found your chewed gum. They are processing it first, and if it comes back…”

He cut her off.

“Where?”

“I can’t tell you that. I need you to come in for questioning. Don’t make me drag you in. Just do it quietly, okay? I want to believe you didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Poppy, I didn’t kill Lester. I wasn’t at his home. I’ve only been his partner for two weeks. I haven’t even had a beer with the man outside of work.”

She gave him a gift.

“Bring a lawyer, okay? We have a shit mess. I’ll see you in interrogation room three in thirty minutes.”

He didn’t know what to say.

Shit!

This sucked.

As soon as she hung up, he made a call.

“Croft.”

“I have a problem,” he said, sitting on his porch swing in a pair of sweats.

“What?” Greyson asked, as they were in his car.

“It’s about Lester Lucas’s killing. One of the detectives just called me,” he said.

Emma listened on speakerphone. “And?”

“They think my DNA was found at his place. I haven’t been there. I think I’m in trouble. What if they are setting me up? I may have to blow the lid on the commissioner.”

They couldn’t let that happen.

They needed to keep that quiet, so they could use it against him at some point. They were still working on the ‘skeletons’ that Elizabeth said were in his closet.

Then again, they didn’t doubt that Thomas Christ did the killing in order to frame Riley. It made perfect sense.

Greyson explained his theory of what happened and what got the man killed.

“You overheard them talking about Delilah, and they must have figured it out. They were going to discredit you,” Greyson stated.

Emma was appalled.

“That sounds about like something the commissioner would do,” Chris admitted.

“Jesus! I worked hard for this badge. My whole family lived by this code.”

They knew what they needed to do.

He’d protected them, and they were going to return the favor.

“What do I do?”

Greyson had one shot. “Hang in there. I have this under control. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

That was all he had to hear.

“Backup is on the way. Say nothing. Okay? Just maintain your innocence until I can get you some help.”

He could do that.

What choice did he have?

“I don’t want to lose my job,” he said. “Help me.”

Oh, Greyson was going to save his life first, and then he was going to try and save his career.

The latter…

That was going to be a tough one.

“We have your back.”

Riley trusted them.

He had no one else.

Greyson made the call.

When he did, she didn’t sound like herself.

“Delilah, I need an attorney,” he said, willing to pay anything to get the man off.

“What did you do now?” she asked, standing in her kitchen barefoot. She was upset about what happened with Riley. She was as mad as hell too.

“Riley is in trouble. He’s keeping his mouth shut on overhearing the commissioner and Christ planning your assault, and he’s likely the loose end. They claim they found his DNA there, and I don’t doubt that Christ planted it. I need you to get him out of interrogation without him saying anything.”

“When’s he going in?”

“Now.”

She ran up her stairs. “I can be there in thirty minutes. Does he know not to say a word?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get him off, and then I’ll tell him to get to your place,” she said, pulling on a skirt.

“Thank you, Delilah. I’ll pay the fee.”

“This one is on me.”

Despite being mad, her client was being protected by the cop. Riley was trying to buy them time. So, she’d do the right thing.

She’d save his ass.

Then she’d never speak to him again.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

Interview Three

Five P.M.

Riley sat there, and he hated every second of it. He was going to get screwed, he could tell.

The two detectives were going to make his life a living hell, and he didn’t do anything.

Shit!

This was a nightmare.

As Poppy and Hunter stared at him, he knew what they were doing. They were waiting for him to crack.

SO…

He wouldn’t.

Finally, she spoke, breaking their silence. “Do you know why you’re in here?” Poppy asked.

He stared at his gun and badge that they’d ask he place on the table. In light of Thomas Christ trying to kill the commissioner, they weren’t taking any chances.

On top of that, he could see the red light blinking on the camera in the corner. They were recording this.

The shit had just gotten real, and he was putting his faith in Greyson Croft.

He really prayed he wasn’t screwed.

“No, I don’t. All I know is what you’ve told me, Poppy.”

“We found a piece of your gum at the crime scene. How?”

He shrugged. “You tell me.”

“We found it wadded up and in the wrapper.”

“You realize I chew gum in the office, and Thomas Christ could have pulled it from my trash can? He admitted to killing the man, right?”

She stared at him.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to think.

“Or you worked with him, and you both planned on killing him,” Hunter Dietrich offered. “Did Lester have something on you two?”

Wow.

They had this backward.

Still, he said nothing.

“Do yourself a favor, Riley. Just own up to it, and we can help you out. You won’t get the chair for killing a cop.”

“What? Are you serious?” Riley stated. “I didn’t kill anyone. I have an alibi.”

That piqued their interest.

“Who? We’ll contact them, and if they’re giving a credible statement, we can let you go.”

Well, shit.

Delilah was his alibi, and she’d basically told him to pound sand two hours ago.

This was bad.

“I was with a woman.”

“Name.”

He hesitated.

Then he lawyered up. It was the best he could do. Greyson Croft hadn’t come through. Riley didn’t know what he had been expecting.

 “I want my union rep,” he said, crossing his arms.

That was the last thing they wanted to hear from him.

“Riley, tell us what you’re under here. You get a new partner, and he’s dead. Your DNA is likely at the scene. What’s going on?”

Oh, he knew.

“Rep please.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

As she entered, both cops facing Detective Henderson had that look on their faces. She knew what it meant. Riley, while saved, was screwed. He now was going to be stuck with everyone thinking he was crooked and in the Croft’s pocket.

It sucked.

That had to be stopped for his career sake.

She felt bad for him even if their little fling went nowhere fast.

“I’m here to talk to my client,” she said.

Poppy stood. “How does a cop afford a barracuda like you, Miss Fleur?” she asked. “You on the take, Riley? Is that why you killed your partner?”

Delilah laughed at her antics. She was always amused when a cop tried to get that last question in before she pulled the plug.

“You need to stop. Where’s your evidence to hold him? Pony it up, Detective, and we’ll do the dance. These are my expensive shoes, and every minute is costing a shitload of money. More than you make in a year.”

She was appalled.

“We have his gum on the scene.”

“His gun?”

“No, gum, G.U.M.”

She stared at her. “So, you are accusing a decorated cop of killing someone because you found chewed gum? Have you tested it?”

“It’s in process.”

She whistled. “So you have one shot at a potential criminal, and you come to the game without studying the other team? Let me clear this up with you. Until you have DNA you shouldn’t bring a person in. It makes you look like an asshole.”

Poppy glared at her.

“Moreover, it’s not HIS gum. It could be anyone’s gum. Where do you buy it, Mr. Henderson?”

“The coffee shop in the building.”

“So, you buy gum in the LVPD coffee shop? OH MY GOD! He has to be guilty. There’s no way anyone else could buy that gum.”

“You don’t have to be sarcastic,” Poppy said. “We are doing our job.”

“If you were doing your job, you wouldn’t be wasting his or my time. While maybe you don’t give a shit, I do. So, what else do you have? There’s no DNA, the gum could have been taken out of his garbage can. I mean, if Thomas Christ is going to kill a cop, why not frame one?”

There was silence.

“Yeah, I thought so. You have nothing, and right now, I’m building another cease and desist in my head for my client. That’ll be like number twenty I’ve had to send to the LVPD.”

“He said he has an alibi, but he won’t share it.”

She looked over at him.

Then she got it.

She was the alibi.

“Time of death?” Delilah asked.

She rattled it off.

“Yes, he absolutely has an alibi. I will confirm it. My client wasn’t near that man’s house, and he wasn’t involved with Lester Lucas’s killing.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“I’m his alibi,” she said.

Riley stared at her, not sure what she was going to do. He knew unless she played this right, he was going to be tagged a Croft asset. His job was as good as over.

“Oh, you are?” Hunter said. “Or are you covering for Greyson Croft?”

“Please,” she said, staring at him. “I work for Croft. He doesn’t.”

“Then how are you his alibi?”

She leaned over and kissed Riley like she meant it. The second she did, he fell into the kiss. His hand went to her hair, and he held her mouth to his.

God!

He was going to miss this. She brought him alive with just a touch. Plus, he had to admit that watching her chew ass was pretty damn hot.

When she set his mouth free, Delilah wiped her lipstick off his face with a gentle finger.

Then stared at the cops.

“At the man’s time of death, we were in bed having very enthusiastic sex,” she said, blowing a bubble with his gum. “Oh look. Maybe I killed him. I seem to be chewing his gum.”

Poppy closed the folder.

This was dead.

No judge in the area was going to give them a search warrant based on the gum, even if it had his DNA, and now his rock-solid alibi by Delilah Fleur.

“So, unless you want to arrest me for fucking a cop, and him for boning a lawyer, you’re done here. The only thing he’s guilty of is fornication. Unfortunately, we had to keep our relationship quiet so he didn’t get his ass ridden by assholes like yourself.”

They seemed to buy it.

“Nice try though. Is he free to go or do you want me to describe the sex second by second? Or how about how we met? Care to guess? Oh, I don’t know. He’s a freaking cop, and I’m a lawyer who grills cops daily—like I’m about to do in a defamation lawsuit for my boyfriend slash client.”

Well, shit.

They didn’t see that one coming, but after that kiss, and the woman chewing his gum, there was no way he was lying.

Great.

Poppy sighed. “Yeah, he’s clear.”

She grabbed her briefcase and headed out. Riley followed her, and he didn’t know what to say.

She’d saved him.

She didn’t involve the Crofts.

Damn, she was good.

Outside, she threw her briefcase into her Mercedes, and spit out his gum like it was poison.

“Delilah, thank you,” he said.

She stared at him, a chill in her eyes. “Don’t thank me. Greyson saved your ass. He called me. I suggest you head there, or home, stay in, and try not to get accused in anyone’s murder. This was a onetime deal. I’m not saving you again. We’re even. You saved me, and I saved you.”

Her words stung.

Apparently, she was angry at him.

“Delilah, can’t we talk? You need to hear…”

She stopped it.

“You’ve said plenty, and so have I. It was a mistake. Have a good life, Detective Henderson. It was fun. Thanks for the sex.”

She hopped in, she started her sports car, and she left him standing there.

He didn’t know what to do or what to say.

All he knew was he didn’t want it to end this way. Not over what she didn’t know about his family.

Riley had no choice.

He had to tell her and let her decide.

It wasn’t like he had to worry about her dumping his ass along the way.

She’d already left him behind.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

When Poppy came out of the interrogation room, the police commissioner was waiting for her. She practically walked into him. “I saw you in there,” he said, getting her attention. “You did a good job.”

It was funny, she didn’t think she did a good job at all. She’d been caught off guard. That wasn’t like her.

“I didn’t see the woman coming. I can’t believe he’s dating her. Then again, she is in this building a lot. It’s feasible.”

The man listened.

“She wouldn’t lie, and I doubt she’d kiss a cop unless she meant it. You know how she is,” the commissioner stated.

Poppy laughed. “Good point.”

“Well, I think you did good. Clearly, he didn’t know about it, and that’s good. We can put this to rest. Thomas Christ must have done this alone.”

She shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

Only, her gut was screaming. She was missing something, but what?

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I need a good Homicide captain. The last one came highly recommended, and look what happened. I think I want to hire within our circle. Would you be interested?”

She must have heard him wrong.

“What? Really?”

He patted her on the back.

While this one would be on the up and up, he needed to buy himself some time between now and his next move.

Everyone loved Poppy.

She’d be the perfect posterchild.

And a woman.

“Yes, I’m serious. Let’s go to my office. I like how you handled this case, Poppy. You have great potential.”

“I do?”

Oh, yes.

This could work for him.

While she wouldn’t do illegal deeds, she would be easy to manipulate.

After all, she was just a woman.

How hard could it be?

Chapter Twenty-One

Vine Street

A s they drove up and down Vine, there could only be one place that the janitor had meant, and it had to be the same place Marissa was staying. All the other buildings didn’t fit the description.

Besides, it made sense, in a way, that the pimp would keep his girls close. It only brought up the question of what was going on in the basement?

They were curious.

It was likely the cop in all of them.

Once there, after checking the whole street, it had to be it.

As they got out of their ride, there were hookers and what looked to be pimps hanging at the corner.

Before going in there, they’d ask a few questions.

Who knew what they’d find out?

When Emma told him her plan, Greyson agreed to let his wife do her thing. As she headed toward the gaggle of girls, they all turned to check her out.

Immediately, they tried to walk away.

“I will shoot you all, and since I’m not a cop, no one will find your bodies.”

That had their attention.

It also made Chris and Greyson nearly laugh. Emma wouldn’t shoot them, but clearly, they bought into the hype of the mob family.

The men moved forward.

“Hey, red! I saw you and the chubby one on the news. You like getting your grove on? You can pick a girl and have a foursome.”

“Did he just call me chubby?” Chris asked Greyson. “Really?”

Greyson patted his chest. “It’s the body armor. It does make you look a little…fat.”

“Jesus. What will I do now? A pimp thinks I’m chunky. How will I go on tomorrow? Now who’s going to shoot who?” he asked, pulling back his suit jacket to show off his gun.

“My bad. Chill.”

Emma could see Chris was trying not to laugh. Clearly, he didn’t give a shit on the man’s opinion. The guy looked like he had at least ten diseases, starting with liver failure. He looked a little orange.

“Maybe you can stop checking out his body and focus?” Emma asked.

“Maybe.”

“I pay for information,” she said, taking Greyson’s wallet from him. She pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.

“Who’s up first?”

One girl moved toward her. “You legit?”

“Yep. I’m looking for information on this girl. Do you know her?” she asked, as Chris held his phone up for them to see.

“That’s Julie, but we call her Jewels. She was the gem in her pimp’s crown. She copped a squat here. Fifth floor,” she said.

Emma knew she needed to buy their trust. She handed her a hundred. “What’s your real name? Not street BS.”

“Gabby Del Hoya.”

“Okay, Gabby. Here’s the big question. Did you see her here with her pimp, Gerald?”

She nodded. “He has a place downstairs. He came here on rainy days when they couldn’t do the stroll.”

She knew in Vegas, when people were in for the weather, they headed to hotels, or flops, to play indoors.

As she paid the girl again, they all moved closer. The hookers seemed to think she was legit.

“Who can tell me more about Julie and what she was like?” Emma asked.

The next hooker stepped forward. “I can. We worked together at ‘The Pink Kitty’. I dance there when the weather is bad, or the cops are on the prowl.”

“Well, I’m not a cop. Name?”

“Goldy Byers.”

They all looked at her.

She had big blonde curls.

Emma shook her head. “No, real name.”

“I swear. Hand to God. That’s my name. I use it to strip because it’s…what’s the word?”

“Ironic?” Greyson asked. “Goldie Locks and the three bears?”

“You got it. You’re smart.”

He simply nodded. The streets of Vegas were a mess. Here was the proof. This girl… she was young—too young.

Emma waved a hundred, since the girl was about ready to drool all over her sexy cave-Croft.

“Focus on Ben, not my husband. You won’t ever get a shot at handling his junk, so let it go.”

The woman did that.

“Was anyone hassling her?”

“Other than Gerald? He was an asshole,” Goldy said. “He made her degrade herself. I know you’re thinking…she’s a hooker, she’s degrading herself, but Gerald was a scumbag.”

Croft met him.

He agreed.

“Did he hurt her?”

She nodded.

Emma handed her a bill.

“What else?”

“He’d bring her here with some guy.”

“What guy?” she asked.

“He bounces at the club.”

That had her attention. “Roscoe McKinney?”

She smiled. “YEAH! He’s a letch. He’s always asking for freebies, and frankly, I’d rather fuck a snake.”

She got it.

He skeeved her out too.

It also intrigued her since he was pretty adamant that he didn’t touch her. Not that she believed him at the time, but still…

“So, he knew this place intimately?”

One of the pimps laughed. “Oh yeah. Gerald, and don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s gone, has a set up down there.”

She didn’t want to know.

Emma could imagine.

“Name?” she asked.

“Fast Louie.”

She stared at him.

“I don’t have to give you shit, red. You are going to pay them, and they will pay me.”

“Chris. Greyson?” she said.

Both men headed his way.

He looked worried.

Then he took a fist to the gut, one to the face, and he hit the ground.

“Not bad for being chubby, right?”

Emma laughed. “We aren’t the cops. You call them, you turn up in the water treatment plant in the chemical bath. You’re as good as dead. You might want to learn some manners. Red has a temper.”

Greyson lifted a brow. ‘Really?’ he mouthed.

Where did his wife get this stuff?

The chemical bath?

Red has a temper?

She almost laughed out loud.

“Jesus! Okay,” he said, as the girls helped him up. “My name is Casey Fields. I took over Gerald’s corral. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to help the girls out.”

They didn’t buy his kindness at all. He wanted more pussy to sell. They weren’t stupid, but at least now he was scared and he might talk.

“Well, Casey, have any of the girls talked about that basement?”

He shook his head.

“No, but there was one person who sent her girls there to talk to clients. By ‘talk’ I meant with their bodies.”

She got it.

“Who?”

“Stephanie Phelps.”

Emma knew that name sounded familiar. “Grey?”

“She’s the madam who sent Marissa,” he said, keeping his voice low. He was cautious not to use Dimitri’s name. People talked, and he’d protect his friend.

“She sends girls there?”

“She has a clientele that likes certain things of an eclectic manner. That place caters to men who like…domination of sort, and other things.”

They got the picture.

Goldy agreed. “I tried to work for her. It’s safer on the streets. She sends her regulars the new girls first, and then, if they don’t do their job, they get released. That always means a pimp. In this case, Gerald. She has a high turnover.”

“Who gets sent there?” she asked, pointing to the building.

“Anyone Gerald tagged as ‘special’.”

This basement sounded worse and worse.

She handed Goldy money.

“Looks like we’re taking a trip to see a madam,” Emma stated.

“Kinky, red,” stated Casey.

“Fast Louie, if you want to be Dead Louie, keep it up,” Greyson stated.

The man clammed up.

Emma was lost in thought. She could tie a madam to a pimp, who sent her castaways to Gerald, and they ended up at the playpen. Julie worked for Stephanie, and she’s stripped at ‘The Pink Kitty. Then, she was Gerald’s girl who was sold into the sex trade.

Why?

Emma needed to see how they connected, other than that strip club.

Greyson had a question.

“Have you ever seen these girls here?” he asked, thinking about the Jane Does they’d connected to the case.

He showed them the pictures.

“Yeah, they were here. They hung with Gerald and then they just disappeared,” Goldy offered.

That told him everything.

He was the link, his death wasn’t an accident, and he was likely selling the girls off, but how?

There was a player no one was mentioning, but they believed he played a huge role. Anthony Delmarco must have brought them here.

He was the mule for Gerald and the sex ring.

“Thanks for your help,” he said.

Emma handed Goldy more money and headed toward the apartment building.

They were going to go in, kick in a door, and raid the place. All illegally, but it was still going to happen.

“When we leave, we bring Marissa,” she said. “I don’t like it here. This place…it’s the epicenter. Gerald was here, Julie was here, and we need to know how Stephanie, the madam, connects.”

He agreed.

“We also have to figure out how Anthony Delmarco fits this, and what got him shanked. Were they over it? How does Louis Mateo fit this?”

Emma didn’t know.

YET.

But she would. She was on the trail of this sex ring.

“Let’s go see what’s in this creep’s playroom.”

There was one thing he knew.

It wasn’t going to be good.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Vegas

Dimitri finally managed to get the doctor to sign out Curtis into his care. All it took was a fistful of cash to persuade him that the man would be in good hands.

It was just more proof that everyone in Vegas was on the take.

Cash was king.

As he was getting them loaded up in an ambulance, his cell rang. It was the house phone and his heart began thumping in his chest.

“Dad, it’s me,” came the innocent voice.

“Are you okay, Sam?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. Natasha is here, and I wanted to order a pizza, but she said I had to ask you first if it was okay. I didn’t want to make you mad.”

“First off, you can’t make me angry for wanting food, Sam, so stop worrying about it. Secondly, order a few pizzas for everyone. I’m on my way home with Curtis.”

It got quiet.

“Is he okay? He’s not going to die, right? I like Curtis a lot.”

Dimitri was touched by the affection in his voice for the young man. It proved he was assimilating into the family like he should be.

How could he run?

It would mean taking Sam, too, and that wouldn’t be fair to him.

“No, he’s not going to die. He’s actually doing good. Do you want to talk to him?” Dimitri knew the boy worried about losing any of them. He’d finally found a home, and he was scared.

“Okay.”

He handed his phone to Curtis, who was clearly in pain. “Sam wants to talk.”

He put on a strong face and tried to keep his voice neutral so the child didn’t worry.

“Hey! How’s it going, little buddy? Are you okay?” Curtis asked.

“Are you going to die?”

Curtis laughed. “I’m not dying. In fact, once I’m better, you’re dying in that new game.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, way. Make sure you order a pizza with pepperoni. I need my grease. They wanted to feed me green Jell-O. Who does that to a person?”

The kid laughed. “Total torture. It’s like Emma feeding me yogurt.”

Curtis flinched when the ambulance hit a bump. “Yeah, it is. She’s totally a mom.”

That had Sam relaxing.

“Can I talk to my dad?” he asked.

Dimitri took the phone.

“Yes?”

“Cash or charge?” he asked.

“Tell the housekeeper to use the credit card. I want you and Natasha to stay inside. You’re in charge of protecting her, okay? We have someone coming after us, and I need you to follow her around.”

Dimitri knew it would help Sam to have a job. When he was trying to get Natasha and Katerina to heal, he had to give them something to keep them focused.”

“I’ll keep her safe. You can count on me, Dad!”

“There was never a doubt in my mind, Sam. I’ll be home within the hour. No pizza until we get there.”

“Aww!”

“It’s polite to wait, Sam.”

He sighed. “Okay, Dad. I love you.”

His heart skipped.

“I love you, too, Sam. Be good to your sister and be the man of the house until I get there.”

He hung up.

His heart actually hurt.

Curtis was watching him. “You look upset. What’s going on?”

“I need a favor.”

Curtis lifted a brow and so did Katerina. It wasn’t like this man to ever ask anything from anyone.

He could see it was serious.

“Okay. What?”

“If anything happens to me, I need you both to adopt him and make sure he’s okay. No matter what, you give him love. Please.”

“Dimitri.”

Tears filled Katerina’s eyes. “You can’t say stuff like that, Dimitri. Nothing can happen to you. If you die…”

She couldn’t finish.

Dimitri wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear in Russian.

She nodded.

Curtis didn’t want to hear any of this. “You’re going to be fine. Emma and Greyson…”

Dimitri stopped him.

“My blood put that hole in you to get to my sister. He’s not done. He’s going to risk everything. I’m going to be next, after he takes her and Natasha out. He’s going to make me want to suffer. The only way to do that is to hurt my sisters.”

It was true. He’d been tortured, abused, betrayed, and broken, and his soul didn’t matter. He could handle anything the man threw at him.

He couldn’t handle them being hurt.

“Dimitri.”

“Promise me. You’re my favorite.”

Curtis got it.

Greyson had once asked him to take care of Emma if he went down.

“If something happens, I’ll do it. He’ll have me.”

Dimitri did something Curtis didn’t expect. He gave him a kiss on the forehead before leaning into the opening between the driver and the passenger seat of the ambulance.

“Let me out. Take them to the house,” he said, as the Ambulance slowed down.

“Where are you going?” Curtis asked.

“I have something to handle,” he said, as he opened the back doors. When he jumped down, he stared at his sister.

“Get your husband home and stay inside. I’ll be back later.”

He slammed the door, and there was a tap on the ambulance.

Katerina slid to the window to stare out.

He was gone.

“What the hell is he thinking?” Curtis said, seeing the panic in his wife’s eyes.

“I don’t know. I don’t think he is thinking.”

And that worried them.

A lot.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Vine Street

Apartment

Building

There was only one door with a number on it in the basement, so they figured that had to be it. Taking precautions, they knocked.

Nothing.

“This has to be it. Kick it in,” Emma stated.

Greyson stepped back and let Chris have the door. He pulled a gun, and so did Emma.

That was new.

Emma hadn’t carried a sidearm in a while. Clearly, she felt the need to have one. That spoke volumes of the atmosphere in Vegas.

Emma held up her fingers.

Three.

Two.

One.

Chris kicked the door in, and the place was dark, dank, and miserable. Emma hit the light switch and the place flooded with shitty UV light.

That’s when she saw it.

God!

She wished she hadn’t.

There were cages lining the wall.

“I need to think those were for dogs,” Emma said, before anyone could say anything. “Let me pretend and no one destroy that illusion.”

The men knew the truth.

Gerald was a sick fuck. There was a word for what happened there, and it wasn’t training.

It was abuse.

He’d locked girls in them, likely for the enjoyment of buyers. It was a good thing he was dead.

If not, Greyson would have killed him.

Chris picked up a box.

“We have about one hundred discs in here. Anyone want to bet what’s on them?”

Greyson knew the answer to that, too, and it turned his stomach at the mere thought of it.

“He filmed them.”

“Looks like we’re watching garbage later,” Emma stated, digging through the things that were in there. The décor was sparse, but there was pile of personal effects. She hoped they’d find something that would help.

In the pile, she found a purse.

Immediately, she dug through it to find some kind of identification.

It was Julie’s.

“She was here. I found a receipt inside. She was going to a clinic.”

“Health or Methadone?” Croft asked.

“We’ll have to check later.”

“Okay, we’ll take that too,” Greyson said to Chris who was holding the box with all the DVDs. “We can’t be here long. It is breaking and entering with weapons.”

She laughed.

Until she saw the big bed with chains on it.

It stole her breath, and she actually had to wipe her eyes from the horrors that flooded her mind.

Those poor girls.

Someone should have saved them, but no one did, and that was the issue.

“Are you okay?” Chris asked, touching her arm.

Was she?

No.

Would she be?

Maybe.

“Yeah, let’s go get Marissa. I want to be a bitch, and you two don’t deserve it. This place is making me angry.”

Well, they got that.

They followed her out, pulling the door closed behind them. Hopefully, no one would use the place again. That was more of a reason they needed to find the people heading the sex ring.

Playpen, their asses.

It was a room of torture and nothing else.

Upstairs, Greyson knocked on the door to Julie’s old apartment. When no one answered, he banged a little harder, in hopes that Marissa was simply asleep or in the shower.

Still, nothing.

Greyson really hoped and prayed the woman wasn’t out trying to find her sister’s killer by herself. After what they found downstairs, it was dangerous.

The last thing they needed was to lose Marissa and have her turn up in the morgue. Dimitri specifically asked that she be brought to Terrace Glen for a reason.

He had to be worried.

He kicked the door, once more hoping the woman would head their way, and they could head home to where it was a little bit safer.

“She’s not answering,” Chris said.

Before he could comment, the apartment beside Julie’s had a head peeking around the door.

“Are you looking for Julie’s sister?” the girl asked, keeping her voice low.

“Yeah, do you know where she went?”

She shook her head.

“No, but I do know she was dressed up in some of her sister’s clothes as she was heading out.”

Chris’s eyes went big.

Emma, was at her breaking point. “I will kick her ass myself.”

Greyson knew why.

This was going to be bad.

Really, really bad.

Dimitri was going to go nuts.

               * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Marissa had seen them talking to the people on the corner from the one window in her sister’s apartment. It pissed her off that they were giving her menial tasks at ‘Aquarius’ and sending her to the apartment like a child.

She could help.

Whether they liked it or not, she was part of the whole thing. While the family seemed to be hellbent on keeping her out, Marissa was done with it.

She figured if they weren’t going to include her in the investigation, she was going to do it on her own. It’s not like she hadn’t done it before.

She was taking matters into her own hands.

She could ask about Julie, and maybe they’d help her out since her sister had been part of that group. So, with her mind made up, she donned stripper gear, and she hit the street the second she’d seen them disappear into the building.

Marissa figured she’d be fine. After all, the killer wasn’t after her.

She’d get to the bottom of this.

Marissa tried to play nice. She’d called Dimitri but he wasn’t answering his phone, and the Crofts were keeping it quiet by not including her.

It pissed her off.

They weren’t working for her.

They were working for themselves. It was probably some glorified cause of theirs, and she wasn’t going to let them ride her sister’s death to more power and fame.

She was going to solve this on her own.

So, she began her questioning. The hookers on the corner didn’t take her seriously. In fact, they mocked her, and one threatened to cut out her reproductive organs to make earrings.

That’s when she heard someone coming up behind her, and the hookers looked scared.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?”

Marissa turned.

It was Greyson Croft, and he wasn’t alone.

“I was…”

He stopped her. “You’re coming with us. We need to get you to our house.”

“I’m an adult. I really don’t think you can make me do anything. I’m not really happy with how you’re handling things. You haven’t given me an update.”

He was about over all of this. He’d seen the look on his wife’s face, and all of them were rubbed raw.

“Really? Just three nights ago, you stabbed a person. We’ve only been on this case for two whole days. Exactly how many updates do you think you’re getting in forty-eight hours?”

“More than I…”

He stopped her. “We found your sister on day two. How long have you been working this?”

She got angry, but didn’t say anything.

Chris came up beside him.

“She’s insane, isn’t she?” he asked.

“Yeah, she is. She’s trying to find the killer, and she thinks we haven’t updated her enough.”

He laughed. “It’s like day two, isn’t it?”

Granted, it felt like a million years, but that was neither here nor there.

“Exactly. She’s being proactive by playing hooker while a sex ring is going on somewhere in this neighborhood.”

“Well, that’s genius. I mean, she’s playing hooker again, and her sister was a hooker, and look where that got her. Clever.”

Marissa slapped him.

Hard.

Emma had been standing by the ride, but that slap was heard clear over there. Now she was heading their way.

And she was pissed.

“Did you just hit him?” she asked.

“My sister was more than a hooker. She was a human being. You may not care, but I do! She mattered!”

Emma was raw from what she’d seen inside. It killed a piece of her. She didn’t like the game this woman was playing, and she really didn’t like her act of violence.

“Go get in the vehicle. NOW.”

She glared at her. “Fuck you. You’re out for glory and nothing more!”

No.

She.

Didn’t.

Oh, she’d had enough.

Glory?

Curtis had been shot, her family was being torn apart by some sicko, and now this?

She was done.

Emma grabbed her wrist to pull her toward the vehicle, and when Marissa dug her nails into Emma’s arm, to get away, she snapped.

Emma punched her in the face. Luckily for the woman, she pulled her punch or she could have broken her nose.

Both men stared.

Marissa fell back and began crying.

“Listen up, sister. I worked as a cop in this city. I stood in bowels and blood. No one cared more. I should leave your ass here. Only, that would hurt Dimitri. So, get your ass into that vehicle before I put it there.”

Marissa didn’t listen.

“You punched me!”

“You put your hand on my brother, and while he won’t kick your ass, I will. The ONLY things that saved you are that I happen to love Dimitri and that you grew up with a rough life. Anyone else would find their asses in my trunk and on their way to the desert!”

This time, Greyson and Chris actually believed her.

“Chris. Toss her in. We aren’t standing out here so someone can put a bullet into our heads for her. She’s reached her max with compassion.”

“My pleasure,” he said, grabbing the woman and dragging her toward the vehicle.

She began screaming bloody murder.

“I’m going to shoot her,” Emma said, as people began looking out their windows.

Greyson hopped in behind the wheel.

They had to get out of there before the cops arrived. This woman just compromised everything.

“I may just let you.”

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Across Town

Delilah took off her suit for the second time that day and pulled on her sweats. She was beyond mad.

She was frustrated.

She was irritated.

And she wanted to punch some man in his junk.

Unfortunately for her, at that moment, violence wasn’t the answer, and she knew it.

Leaving Riley had been hard for her, even if she’d looked self-assured. The entire time she was kissing him in that interrogation room, she wanted him to hold her, tell her he cared, and that they could fix it.

Only, she knew he wasn’t the kind of man to take control and handle it. In bed, yes, but outside the bedroom, she was the more dominant one.

Honestly, Delilah couldn’t handle the hurt, so she was giving up.

When she heard her doorbell, she was scared shitless. Who would be at her house at that time of the night?

What if this was…?

Then she realized that she had to calm down. A killer wouldn’t ring the bell.

Heading to the door, she peeked out and saw him. It was Riley.

Opening the door, she stared at him. “You should go.”

She tried to close it in his face, but he shoved his boot in the door to stop her.

“Delilah. Wait!”

“Stalking, Detective? You can add that to your list,” she stated. “We have nothing to say. You’re not welcome here. I told you. It was fun, it was fucking, and it is over.”

He didn’t believe that.

He refused.

She’d kissed him in that interrogation room to save his ass, but there was more there. He was good at reading people, and that wasn’t fake.
Delilah had to have some connection to him.

Riley knew he’d hurt her, and he deserved her anger. Only, he had to say what he needed to share, and then he’d leave.

Again, she tried to close the door.

“I’ll tell you about Miles.”

“It’s too late.”

Again, he didn’t buy that.

“He was killed trying to talk a suicidal soldier off a bridge. He was a cop. We all are. We followed in my father’s footsteps and picked up the badge.”

She stopped trying to close the door. His eyes filled with tears as he talked about his brother.

“When he reached the man, that damaged soldier, he got too close. That soldier took his life, only, he took my brother over with him. They fell from the Golden Gate Bridge, and neither survived.”

She opened the door all the way, and she was horrified.  

“Do you see why I didn’t tell you? You told me you hate cops because of your brother. My brother was a cop who probably wasn’t so happy falling off that bridge and to his death. We both have different perspectives, but when you talk about yours, you get angry.”

He was right.

She did.

It was raw.

He’d only died two years ago.

Riley continued, “I get angry too. That soldier could have sacrificed himself and left Miles behind. He had a wife, kids, and a life, and on that day, that soldier killed him. I get your anger. I feel it too.”

“Riley,” she said, staring at him.

He didn’t stop.

“After that, my father ended his life. He was a good cop, but he couldn’t handle it. He’d watched one of his kids fall from the bridge, trying to do his job. He was there, Delilah. He raced to the side after they went over, and he watched one of his children fall into that water. He screamed all the way down. They both did.”

She felt horrible.

This was torturing him.

“So, the strongest man I knew ate his gun. My sister isolated herself because she can’t face the truth. She can’t believe that he’s gone too. I call her weekly and leave a message for her. I look like him, and it hurts her to see me. I lost her, too, that night. I lost everyone.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Riley. I didn’t know. Had I…?”

He kept going.

“My mother died when we were younger. They were all I had left. I left that city when they told me my father was crazy, and it became a scandal. In order not to face the reality of it, and to save money on his comp claim of PTSD, they brushed it under the carpet. They made him sound like he was sick, and that my brother broke the rules and it was his fault he fell. It ended him. It was his only way out.”

That was sad.

“Oh, Riley. I’m sorry.”

He was heartbroken.

It was clear.

“So, every night, I see the video clips in my sleep. I walk into my father’s home to see his brains on a wall and on our family pictures. I don’t talk about it ever. I certainly couldn’t with you.”

“Why?” she asked. “Why couldn’t you tell me? I, of all people, understand. I’ve had the same nightmares.”

Did she really not see it?

“Because of your brother. I got tangled up with a woman who hates cops because her brother, an ex-soldier, committed suicide by cop.”

She let the door go.

“How do I tell her that? How do I basically say a crazy person destroyed my family? Some fucked up soldier who came back broken destroyed all of our lives?”

She wasn’t offended.

“You just tell her. If you think it’s a person you want in your life, then you just tell her, Riley. You look her in the eyes, and you say it.”

He continued, “I wanted to tell you.”

Delilah didn’t move. “You matter. I’m sorry I hurt you. It wasn’t just sex. It mattered.”

She went to touch him.

Only this time, he moved away from her.

“I can’t be with you, Delilah. I can’t have this battle. I’m fighting too many internal ones. You and I won’t work. You didn’t give me a chance to explain, and I would have given you one. I was the enemy. You stared me down, and immediately, you thought the worse. If I’m going to have something with someone, I go in thinking the best. I can’t carry more than I already am. I’m sorry.”

“Riley. Please.”

“I took us seriously. The first time we fell into bed…it meant everything. You’re the one who’s made this a game. You tricked me into sex with the naked stunt. You got angry at me without even letting me try to explain. I didn’t come here to make up with you. I came to tell you the truth because that’s the kind of man I am. Now I’m going to walk away. I can’t do games. That’s not me. Good luck, Delilah. I won’t ever forget about you. We would have had something amazing because I would have given you my all.”

Tears filled her eyes.

Riley had to give her up. What he said was the truth. He couldn’t carry more. So, it was time to walk away.

And he did just that.

Delilah couldn’t believe it. She stared at him as he walked down her sidewalk and toward his truck.

He was right. She’d jumped the gun, tore him a new one, and put up those walls so she wouldn’t be hurt. Only, she’d hurt him instead.

And she regretted it.

Her heart hurt. She’d been horrible to Riley, and he didn’t deserve it.

“Riley!” she shouted, leaving her porch to follow him.

He didn’t look back at her as he got in his truck and pulled away. She watched him drive around the corner, and eventually, his taillights were gone.

Like him.

Riley, quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened to her, was gone.

It broke her heart.

It sucked.

And it hurt.

As she stood there, barefoot in her yard, thinking about what had just gone down, Delilah had learned a valuable lesson.

Humility.

Trust.

Love.

She’d held them all back for too long. She’d become what she wanted the world to see.

So, for the first time in her life, since her brother died, she sat on her steps, and she cried.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Seedy Underbelly

of Vegas

H e wanted to get this done, and then get back to his family. Dimitri didn’t frequent this place anymore because he wasn’t this man anymore. Once he’d tied himself to the Crofts, he’d turned over a new leaf.

Dimitri went legit.

He liked to believe he’d stopped being that killer, mercenary, and bad guy, but clearly, he hadn’t.

Nothing had changed.

He never changed.

Going into that bar, he knew what the cost was going to be, and he accepted it. Not for him, but for his sisters and for Marissa. He was willing to cross the line to get her closure—even if the killer was his brother.

Dimitri would offer himself up, if it meant he could save them all.

As he sat down, a man joined him in the booth. He was tattooed, bald, and he was one of the scum he hadn’t missed in his year away from the dark side of Vegas.

“Why are you here, traitor?” asked the man. “You have a big set of balls to come in here.”

Dimitri knew this could get dicey. He’d expected it, but for the women in his life…

“I’m here looking for someone, Babylon, and I know you can help me.”

He laughed. “You have lost your mind.”

“It’s important.”

“Dimitri, you have no pull here. You’re a shame to everyone here. You’re nothing but a turncoat, helping those cops clean up our city.”

“He’s the mob in Vegas. He’s not a cop.”

The man leaned forward. “Your lies might be bought by them, but I know you. You’re nothing more than a criminal like us. You can wear a fancy suit, but you’re scum, Dimitri. It’s time you faced the facts.”

“He’s the mob,” he said again, refusing to back down.

“He’s a cop to his core, and you know it. His businesses all went legit. He’s not womanizing, bringing in drugs, or helping those of us here in the shadows. He’s not one of us, and neither are you.”

Yeah, Dimitri wasn’t shocked. As for Greyson not coming down there, he couldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t come back here unless he had to.

And he had to.

The saddest part was he really thought he could stay away. Dimitri believed he could change and make a difference.

He was wrong.

He was right back where he started in the gutter with the other snakes.

“Leave,” he stated.

“Babylon, I will owe you one.”

The man lifted his brow. “Really? That intrigues me. You never owe anyone. In fact, you’re usually the one keeping tabs on the rest of us. For that alone, I’d love to have you in my back pocket.”

“If you help me, I’ll help you.”

“I want your sister.”

Dimitri laughed. “You can’t have them. One is married and pregnant, and the other is getting married.”

He hoped.

“I’ll cut the baby out of her.”

He stayed calm. He knew there was a gun on him under the table. Babylon would shoot him in the stomach and no EMTs would ever be called.

“If you help me, you get a free get out of jail card. I promise. I’ll do one last job for you.”

He grinned.

Babylon wasn’t stupid. Owning Dimitri Gideon was as good as being king.

“Deal. What do you need?”

Dimitri felt dirty and horrible for even going there with this snake, but he was desperate and taking things into his own hands. His blood did this, and he’d fix it before putting a bullet in his head.

“I need Viktor Marchenko.”

He laughed.

“Where can I find him?”

He laughed even more.

“You can’t go after him. He’s called ‘El Diablo’ for a reason. He makes you look like a saint. He’s loco, and that’s the most dangerous person.”

Oh, he wouldn’t bet on that.

Greyson and Emma Croft made him a saint. There was still a sinner underneath all of it, and he was willing to do all the vile things from his past to save the people he loved.

His sisters.

Marissa.

Emma.

He’d do it all to find a way to protect them.

“Where can I find him?”

“He looks for young pussy. He likes kids. I hear he’s using them up and tossing them out as fast as he can rape them.”

He fought to stay calm.

“If you want a favor, Babylon, then you’re going to have to do better than that. Where is he?”

The man laughed. “I would love to have you in bed with me. Maybe that will be my one favor. I bet I can turn you gay so fast your head would spin.”

He didn’t flinch. “If that’s your favor, fine. Then we’re even.”

He held up his hand. “Hold on, sexy. I’m just postulating. I haven’t decided.”

The thought made him sick, but he’d do it to protect his family. He’d take what the man dished out to keep the ones he loved protected.

“Or I can kill a Croft.”

Dimitri didn’t flinch.

“Oh, you’d hate that. Would you do it?” he asked.

“If that’s your favor.”

Dimitri had to lie on that one. He’d degrade himself, even swallow his own rape, but he wouldn’t sacrifice Emma or Greyson. He’d let the man put a bullet in his head.

“Again, postulating.”

“You’re wasting my time. Figure out what you want, and let me know. I’m sure you have some enemies you need handled. I wouldn’t be shocked. You are a snake.”

He laughed. “Yes, I am.”

He ordered a drink.

“Vine and Canal. You have to find him. He doesn’t give out his address on his business cards. I hear he’s looking to own this city. Once you’re gone…”

He listened.

“He’s going to take on Croft. He’s going to be the Russian Mob in his city. He’s going to…”

Dimitri stopped him.

“So, you’d bow down and worship a child molester? I never took you for that big of a pervert.”

There was the click of a safety going off.

“I’ll follow whoever wants to lead in Vegas. It was supposed to be you, and then you got scared. We all had your back, and you left. We have a leader now, and we’ll follow.”

Dimitri leaned toward him.

“If Viktor comes in, tell him this.”

“What?”

“Tell him he can’t have Vegas. It’s mine. Greyson doesn’t run it. I do. I’m using him, and when he’s not useful, he’s dead.”

Okay, that was total BS, but it might protect the man. If he could keep his family safe, he’d fall on his own sword.

With that, Dimitri slid out of the booth, walked through the bar, and headed out.

Babylon pulled out his phone.

He made a call.

“He was here.”

“Thank you, Babylon. You’ll get your money as soon as I get my brother. What did you discuss?”

He told him everything.

“Well, I’m not shocked. I know he’s got something for Emma Croft. The word is everywhere. I’ll handle it. Thank you.”

Babylon hung up.

The man sat back, and grinned.

Yeah, War was coming.

Vegas was about to go bad.

Again.

It was time to choose sides.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He hung up the phone and wiped off his dick. He’d just finished using her, and all of the sudden, he wanted more.

Not just the sex.

He wanted her to bleed.

Heading back into his bedroom, she was tied to his bed as she whimpered in pain. Her body was covered in welts, bruises, and cuts.

He’d had fun, but not nearly enough.

It was time to end this one.

He wanted to send a message.

He pulled out his knife, and she looked up at him in fear. After the knife, he pulled out a syringe.

It was filled with drugs.

He first tied off his own arm, shooting some into his vein. As the euphoria came, his dick got harder.

She whimpered when he straddled her body.

“Please,” she whispered.

“Here you go. Time to feel better. Then…I’m going to really make you feel good.”

He injected it into her body, and her head rolled back, her eyes closed, and he felt her pulse.

She was barely alive.

Good.

He untied her because he was going to fuck her. He was going to use her up, and then leave her. They already told him no more girls. They were going under.

That wouldn’t do. He was going to make sure they paid too. He needed his fix, and he would handle them.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

The Crofts were hiding a criminal.

They were hiding a murderer.

So, he’d turn them against him.

Like the world.

Then, he’d put a bullet in his head.

Until then…he had a girl to rape, and he was going to take his time.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

Once home, they dragged her inside. The entire time, she fought, making their lives miserable.

Emma was over this bullshit.

Just as she was coming in, so was Dimitri. He lifted his brow as Chris was manhandling Marissa.

“Is she our hostage?” he asked. “Why is she dressed like that?” he inquired.

“She was out trying to work this on her own.”

He laughed.

Only, it wasn’t an amused laugh.

Dimitri was tired. He’d been to Hell, and he’d bargained with the devil.

“Marissa, what were you thinking?”

She saw her escape.

“She punched me in the face,” she said, going to hide behind Dimitri. “They forced me here. I was scared.”

“Yeah, I’m bad,” Emma said. “She deserved it. Trust me, and if she starts her shit, I’ll do it again.”

“EMMA!” Dimitri said.

“They won’t let me go. Please help me.”

They all stared at her.

Was she seriously twisting this to get Dimitri on her side?

“Why don’t you go wait for me in the living room?” he asked.

Marissa stared at Emma.

They shared a look.

It was a challenge—the woman fucking Dimitri versus the woman he could never have.

“You put your hands on her?” he asked. “Really?”

She opened her mouth.

He cut her off. “Her sister is dead. She’s scared, and you made it worse! I can’t believe this!”

Greyson opened his mouth. “You’re missing…”

She stopped him.

It was fine.

She’d take it for her family.

For him.

Something wasn’t right. She’d heard how he bailed on Curtis and Kat on the ride home in the ambulance, and now he looked weary.

That was not Dimitri.

“Is it because of what her sister was doing?” he asked. “Is that why you’re being cruel?”

That stung.

It stung that he didn’t know her better.

It stung that he would believe her without trusting them. Without trust, there could be no family.

They all knew it.

Again, Emma let it go. She wasn’t going to deal with it. She was too damn tired herself. The last three days felt like fifty, she was pregnant, and she was afraid.

Their family was coming apart at the seams.

“I’m going to go start watching the discs in my office,” she said, grabbing them.

Greyson stared at the man.

He wanted to tell him off.

Only, he’d let this play out. Dimitri was off his balance. He was screwed up, and they couldn’t fix him.

He could only fix himself.

“Chris, will you check on Curtis? I’m going to go deal with Emma and the videos.”

He nodded.

As he walked past Dimitri, Chris muttered under his breath.

“Douchebag.”

Dimitri glared at him too. He was so angry at what he’d done. He was so pissed that he’d gone back to that club and caved to find the man.

He wanted some calm in the storm.

Croft shook his head. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, but you’re not the man you were.”

THAT was EXACTLY what happened to him.

You couldn’t be something you weren’t.

“Whatever,” he said, heading out of the room. Maybe it was better if they all hated him. When it came down to it, that was what was coming.

That hideous feeling was bubbling up in his gut, and he was helpless to stop it. What he wanted was someone to tell him it was going to be all right.

He wanted someone to lie to him.

Only, he wasn’t going to get it.

As Greyson headed up the stairs, he glanced back at Dimitri.

He couldn’t save the man.

Only he could save himself.

Upstairs in her office, he found her getting set up to begin the hours of torture that lay ahead.

Literally.

They were going to watch young girls being abused. How did one’s soul come back from that?

The answer?

It couldn’t.

When he closed her door, he saw the anguish. Emma was upset. She was on the verge of breaking. That basement torture chamber, the discs, and now Dimitri.

It was going to shatter her soul.

He could see it.

“Emma.”

She stopped him.

“We’re losing him. She’s changed him, and not for the better. You saw her face. She was amused that he was at odds with us. She’s going to suck him under.”

He was aware.

“Then I talked to Curtis,” Emma said, not even looking over. She told him what Dimitri asked Curtis in the ambulance.

“Jesus! He’s on a suicide mission.”

“I have to let him go. I have to protect the people I can. He’s made his choice. I told Dimitri in the chapel that we’d accept his decisions. I told him we’d follow, but we can’t. He’s already lost to us.”

“Emma, honey, you can’t give up on him.”

“She’s bad for him. Dimitri is looking for salvation from his demons in another sinner. How do I tell him that? If I try, he’ll hate me.”

Oh, he was aware.

“Give him time. He’s smart. He’ll come around. Just don’t lose faith in him. He needs you.”

Did he?

Maybe he needed more than she could ever give, and that was the problem.

“Ready?” she asked.

He sighed. “Yeah. Let’s get this done.”

Emma put the disc in, and she hit play.

Then she kissed her soul goodbye.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He found her in the living room, and she was shivering. Immediately, he took off his suit jacket and tucked it around her shoulders.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I don’t like her.”

“Emma is a good person.”

Marissa stared into his eyes. “She punched me. Is my nose broken?”

He kissed it. “No.”

She cuddled against him.

Immediately, his body came awake.

“Can we get out of here?” she asked. “Let’s go back to my sister’s place. I won’t stay here.”

He had to rationalize with her.

“It’s not safe, Marissa. You’re not safe there. That’s why they brought you here.”

“I don’t like her,” she said again. “I think she’s jealous of us.”

Dimitri knew that wasn’t true. Emma was a good person inside and out.

“I think she’s under a lot of stress and pregnant. She’s carrying a lot on her shoulders. They are doing their best.”

She didn’t care.

“I can’t be near her.”

This was going to be a problem.

“Did you find out anything about my sister’s killer?” she asked, leaning against him.

He hesitated.

“Dimitri?” she asked, pulling his mouth down to hers.

He fell into the kiss, and it actually chased some of the chill away.

Maybe, when this was over, he would leave with her. Then Kat and Natasha would be safe. Maybe he could have that house with a porch and peace.

When she pulled away, Marissa stared up into his eyes.

“We know who it is. We just have to find him. I’ll give it to Greyson. We’ll find him.”

She hugged him.

“That makes me so happy! I can’t believe it. You’re my hero!”

She jumped up, and wrapped her legs around his body. Then she kissed him hard. “Let’s go celebrate!”

He knew he had to tell her the truth.

He couldn’t plan his future without telling her the truth.

“Marissa, you need to know something.”

“What?”

“He’s dangerous. He’s a killer, and he’s Russian, like me,” he offered.

“Okay, and?”

Here was the ugly part.

“Viktor Marchenko is the man who hurt and killed Julie, and he’s my brother.”

She stared at him, trying to figure out what he was saying. Then she registered it.

She set him free and backed away from him.

“What? What did you just say? Your brother killed my sister?”

He nodded. “I’m sorry, Marissa, but yes. He’s…”

She stopped him. “Your brother? Your blood? He tortured and killed my sister?”

“I’m sorry, but yes.” She couldn’t even bear to look at him with anything less than disgust.

She backed further away from him.

“Marissa, I’m not him. I won’t hurt you.”

He saw it in her eyes. It was over.

“How long have you known?”

“A day.”

“Before we slept together?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Call me a cab. I need to get out of here.”

“Marissa…”

“Tomorrow, I’m claiming my sister’s body, and I’m getting her out of here. I can’t be here. Vegas is evil. You’re evil! You knew, and still, you slept with me?”

And here was what he expected to happen all along.

“I’m not him, Marissa. I wouldn’t hurt you. I’m not the same man as he is.”

She didn’t care.

“You knew the whole time? Why would you do this?”

“I wanted to build something with you. I wanted you to see I’m not him. I hoped…”

“What?” she asked, dropping his suit jacket next. “What did you hope?”

“That you might love me.”

He put it out there even though he knew it was going to risk his heart. Dimitri wanted to feel more than anything. With Marissa, he’d felt something.

“I can’t love you! Your brother killed my sister. What kind of family of monsters are you from?”

That one arrow hit its bull’s-eye. In that moment, Dimitri gave up. He was lost.

“Where will you go?” he asked, changing the subject as he picked up his suit jacket.

“I’ll go South. Anywhere but here. I have to get far away from Vegas. Nothing good ever happens here.”

“I’m here.”

She took a step back.

“Exactly,” she said. “I’ll always know that truth. Your blood killed mine. I can’t even look at you. You might as well be him!”

His heart broke into a million pieces.

“Then let me call your cab.”

Dimitri pulled out his phone and did exactly what she’d asked. He had to let her go.

It didn’t matter.

He was dead inside.

In one hour, he’d become the man he swore he wouldn’t be, he’d ostracized Emma, Greyson, and his family, and he’d offered his heart to a woman who hated him, and he had no reason to go on.

Yeah, it was a bad night.

He wanted to die.

“I need to get out of here,” she said, moving away from him. “I knew you were a killer, but…I can’t.”

He got it.

She didn’t need to say anything more. Marissa only saw what she wanted to see. The real him was invisible to her.

“Your cab will be outside. Please close the gate on your way out,” he said, trying to hold it together.

He walked out the door, and with that, Dimitri let her go, and along with her, any chance with love.

What choice did he have?

No one would ever want him.

No one.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

In her office, they watched the videos. Greyson was horrified by them all. As he sat there, watching innocence be destroyed, he wanted to protect his wife.

“Maybe Chris and I can handle this,” he offered.

Emma knew what he was doing.

“He’s off for the night. He’s been on duty all day. I told him to go cuddle with Nat. I’m fine, Greyson.”

He wished he could get her to stop. Only, he knew his wife. She was at her snapping point. The next person who poked her was going to get the full extent of her wrath.

He was a husband.

He knew the signs.

“Curtis looks better,” he said, trying to get her to stop thinking about the poor girl chained to the bed in the video.

“I’m glad. I was worried about him.”

“Dante, Steele, and Sam are keeping him entertained. There’s a nurse in there, and she’s wearing this low-cut set of scrubs. The boy didn’t even look. He’s ogling his wife. I trained him right.”

She nodded.

Her silence said it all.

Emma wasn’t even in the mood to talk to him, and that meant bad things were coming.

“Emma.”

“I’m fine,” she said once more.

He tried a different approach.

“Okay, how much shit is he in?”
Greyson asked.

“Who?” She pretended she didn’t know.

“Santa. He was in the cookies again. Emma, you know who!” She looked over and there were tears in her eyes, but she was holding them back.

Emma stopped the video.

His wife was the strongest woman he knew.

“He hurt me.”

He got it.

“Do you want me to kick his ass? For you, I will.”

She shook her head. “No. I’ll kick it if I have to do it. If he wants me to be the enemy, so he can have the girl, I’ll carry it for him.”

“That’s not fair, Emma. You deserve better than that. This shouldn’t be about her or you. He can have both.”

She was aware, but clearly, that wasn’t the case and they both knew it. Marissa was playing a game.

“I’ll carry it. In fact, I’ll make it easy for him,” she said. “He can hate me all he wants.”

“Honey.”

Emma hit play.

They sat there, and they watched the videos. There was only one word for it.

Disgusting.

In fact, they were horrifying. Just watching them tore their guts to shreds.

It ate away at them as those girls were trained to be nothing more than animals.

He locked them in cages.

He tortured them with cattle prods.

He made sure they were degraded every second by men abusing them.

It made her want to cry.

“I hate this city,” she said, as she watched Julie being tied down to be raped. They watched her struggle at first.

Then she gave up.

She was broken.

“I would have used drugs too,” Emma admitted. “I would have begged for them.”

“We have to shut these animals down. This is not happening in MY Vegas,” Greyson stated. There was no freaking way he was allowing this in his city.

Hell.

NO.

Just as the next atrocity began, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Emma stated.

It was Dimitri.

He said nothing. Instead, he just watched in horror as the girls on the discs begged for help. It made him feel helpless and even more broken inside.

They were monsters.

He was a monster too.

“How can you watch that and not feel dirty?” he asked offhandedly, trying to fill the silence with something other than the sounds and screams from the videos.

His comment made her snap.

“Oh, maybe because I don’t have a heart or soul or maybe because I’m just a bitch.”

He looked surprised.

Honestly, he’d come to this room to lick his wounds. He figured Emma would forgive him.

“I didn’t mean…”

“Why are you here, Dimitri? Did your girlfriend tell you I did something else to her? Are you here to tell me to be nice to Princess Marissa even when she’s physically abusive to us?”

“No.”

“Well, it’s about time you know why I punched her in the face. She hit Chris. No one hits anyone in this family. We don’t do physical abuse, so, yes, I punched her. She was belligerent, she was going to get herself killed, and I don’t need that on my shoulders too! I’m already handling this,” she said, pointing at the screen.

He let her rage.

She deserved to, and he would take it.

After all, he chose sides, and had his heart handed back to him when he ended up on the wrong path.

“Since she came here, you’ve changed, and frankly, I don’t like the man you’ve become. Family sticks. Family loves. Family doesn’t toss you over for a woman or man.”

He got it.

“She left and isn’t coming back. I’ll leave you alone,” he offered, willing to retreat.

Emma stopped him. “You can stay. I’m going to go eat something. I’m pregnant, hurt, and sick of watching those animals abuse a child. I have to get out of here.”

She headed past him and slammed the door so loudly, her diploma from college fell off the wall.

“I’m leaving,” Dimitri said. “I only came to say goodbye to you both. Once I’m gone, you’ll be safer than with me here. I tried to stick, but I can’t. It’s better for me to disappear.”

Greyson stared at him. “If that’s your choice. Are you leaving with her?” he asked.

He only wished.

A broken woman didn’t even want him.

What was his worth?

“No. I offered her my heart, and I told her the truth about that,” he said, pointing at Julie on the video. “She doesn’t want to see me or have anything to do with me. She won’t interfere in this case anymore. She’s getting her sister tomorrow, and she’s gone.”

Greyson was stuck between them.

He was the buffer.

“If you love her, you should follow.”

He shook his head. “If she loved me, she’d want me to follow. I care about her enough that I’ll let her go. I owe her that. My brother killed her sister, and that’s not forgivable. I can see now that there was never anything there but me hoping for a miracle. Well, I’m not getting it.”

Greyson moved toward him.

“Take care of my sisters. If Natasha marries Chris, please give her away for me on her wedding day. Tomorrow, I’m going after him. I’m going to end him and then end me.”

“Dimitri.”

“I’ve done something that you need to know about.”

Oh, he didn’t like the sound of that at all. It scared the shit out of him.

“What did you do?”

“I sold my soul to make sure he’s found. I went where I swore to never go, and I made a bargain for his location. He’s close to Vine and Canal. We were right. He lives and plays near there.”

Greyson didn’t like this.

“I owe a favor. I already know what it’ll be.”

“What?” he asked.

“They’re gunning for you. They’ll ask me to kill you or Emma. I won’t do it. I can’t. It’s better that I offer myself up over this. It’s better if I die.”

He was horrified.

He turned and faced his friend.

Then he hugged him.

“I’m going to my place. I need to leave here. I’m sorry. I did it for her, and she still left. I know in my heart I wanted to do it for my sisters, but I realize it was for her so she might feel something for me and stay. I wanted to rescue Marissa, and I can’t. You can’t save someone else when you’re drowning yourself.”

“Oh, Dimitri,” he whispered. “We knew who killed her sister. We could have found him in time. You didn’t have to make that deal.”

“I did it so then I could leave with her. It was my way of breaking the ties here. Once I went and made the deal, in my heart, I knew I couldn’t stay here. If I did this, I’d have to leave. Now that she doesn’t want me, I have nowhere to go. I’ve damned myself to be alone.”

Greyson hugged him despite his irritation at what he did. “Stay. You have here. You have us, brother.”

The emotion overwhelmed him. He’d just done something so horrible that he’d basically told the underground scum he’d betray them, and still Greyson cared about him.

He didn’t deserve them.

He didn’t deserve this love.

Dimitri stared him in the eyes. “I’ll end him. Take care of my sisters. They will both be your family now. Promise me that you’ll hold Chris accountable. You’ll make him protect her.”

“Dimitri.”

“Tell Emma I love her so very much, and tell her I couldn’t face her to say goodbye.”

Dimitri headed out.

Greyson began pacing.

This was a mess.

It was all on him. He’d taken this case, thinking they were doing good, and all it cost them was his family’s stability.

Curtis’s blood.

Kat and Natasha’s heart.

Emma’s soul.

And Dimitri’s life.

He’d screwed up, and he had to make it right.

Somehow.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nighttime

Vegas

E mma was in the kitchen when her husband came in. She was leaning against the counter, eating a bowl of cereal. Her face said it all. She was not amused by her conversation with Dimitri, and she was hurt.

He needed her help, and Greyson needed to find a way to get his wife on Dimitri’s side in all of this. Once she was, Emma would be able to pull him back from the brink. There was no doubt in his mind.

Croft had to salvage this family, since it was on the verge of collapsing under all of this mess.

“Dimitri left,” she said, before he could even say a word to her.

Greyson heard the concern in her voice. He could work with that.

“Yeah, he’s not coming back here ever again. He said to tell you goodbye.”

She stared at him. “WHAT?”

He told her everything that the man had said to him because she deserved to know. This was her family, too, and Emma was the core.

“Jesus. We don’t need this right now,” Emma said, scrubbing her hands over her face.

“Emma, you have to cut him a break. He’s hurting. Marissa Pierce…taking her case was a mistake. This one is on me. I tried to do good, and all I ended up doing is jacking this whole thing up. We never should have taken this case. Now, I’m on damage control.”

Emma looked at her watch.

“I’ll go.”

“You’re not leaving here alone,” he said, getting the feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Grey. I have to. You have to stay here so the family is safe. Chris can’t do guard duty nonstop. He needs a break too.”

He got it.

They were all on burnout.

They needed a vacation, and soon. With the wedding, and everything else coming up, the family was running thin.

“I hate saying this, but you’re right. Go, but make sure you’re safe. I don’t need to freak out even more.”

She hugged him.

“I can’t let him hurt.”

“Even when he hurt you?” he asked.

“Especially when he hurt me. We love our family, Grey. They came to us broken. They came to us damaged. We can’t give up on them. Katerina needs her brother here when she has her baby. Natasha is just falling in love and still has some of the wounds from long ago. They both need him. I will go down fighting for Dimitri, even if he betrayed my heart to a woman who didn’t deserve his.”

He smiled.

“What?”

“You are quite the little mother.”

She laughed. “I’m taking your car.”

He stopped laughing.

“Emma.”

“Dimitri, unbeknownst to you, had the glass replaced. It’s bullet proof.”

He tossed her his keys. “Live in it. You’ll be safe. I can buy a new one.”

She laughed.

“Tuck Sam in. He has tutoring tomorrow. Make sure Curtis has his pain pills, and NO he cannot have sex—even if he doesn’t have to do the work. That’s the part you need to really be specific about because he’s going to go for a loophole. The nurse will be back in the morning.”

Greyson laughed. His wife had covered all the bases, and he was proud of her. He was proud of what they’d built—even if it was messy at times.

“Remember when it was just me and a girl, and I fell in love?”

“When you saw that girl and made her yours?”

He kissed her.

She remembered.

“Yeah, well, we’ve accumulated people along the way.”

Emma touched his cheek.

“And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

And for that, he was grateful.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

He was out hunting for a new girl. The last one didn’t last as long as he would have liked.

So, he tossed her.

Yes, he dumped the body, and no one would find her. She was in the desert in a shallow grave. Too bad her mother never told her that hooking was dangerous.

At first, he was going to leave a little message for his dear brother, but then he reconsidered. He had a better plan—one that would hit closer to home.

When you were going to strike, make it count.

That was what his mother told him when he vowed revenge on Maximillian. So, he would take her advice and do just that.

Viktor was going to hurt his brother in ways he never thought possible. He was going to break him, mind, body, spirit, and soul.

It would be perfect.

Until he could take that perfect shot, blowing up Maximillian’s world, he needed a distraction.

That meant finding a girl.

One.

Perfect.

Specimen.

It only came down to how he was going to find her. The people he’d been purchasing from had told him no more, and when he killed their mule, they cut him off.

How dare they?

While they had him over a barrel, he still had options.

Yes, he knew them.

Yes, he could tell the cops.

Only, they could do the same to him.

So, desperate times called for desperate measures.

He was making a little house call.

At the man’s home, he slipped in through the back door. When he found him, he pointed a gun at him.

“I need another girl.”

He laughed. “We don’t have any. You’ve taken our supply and killed them. The FBI has been after us, and you drew even more attention. She and I are going under. We are going to hide before we get caught. We don’t need one hundred counts of trafficking of minors. That’s the chair.”

“I’ll kill you.”

He laughed.

“Go ahead.”

He held the gun and there was a silencer on the end of it. Viktor meant business.

“You won’t do it. You need us. You’re sick, and you need what we supply.”

He laughed.

“Let me deflate your ego.”

And then Viktor filled him with bullets from his silenced gun. On a piece of paper, he left a love note for a certain redhead he knew his brother favored.

On it, he spilled his guts.

Well, this man’s.

Oh, he didn’t need them and they should have known that. There was no honor among killers.

None.

And here was the proof.

He was going to take what he wanted, and no one could stop him.

No one.

Vegas was going to be his—even if he had to devour it one soul at a time.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Midnight

Sky Villa

He was miserable as sin and it was damn good thing that he was alone. He was in the mood to hurt someone, and it wouldn’t be pretty. Dimitri considered himself a smart man, surviving in a world where he didn’t belong.

Well, that intelligence had been his downfall. He let his guard down, and he’d betrayed his family for a woman.

He’d offered them up to make her want to stay with him. A part of him was so disgusted that he wanted to hurt himself. The other part was weak, vile, and pathetic.

That part made him want to suffer unimaginably.

Mix the two together, and he had a volatile brew.

As he punished his body, by working out in his home gym, he wanted to make sure every part of him hurt. He wanted his shoulder to burn and ache, his back to bear the brunt of his anger, and his abs to scream with agony.

Why?

Because his heart felt all of that and so much more.

He deserved it.

There was never a lower moment in his life than when he’d hurt the Crofts, sold his soul for a favor, and fell for a woman who didn’t care about him.

Wasn’t love supposed to conquer all?

Yeah, BULLSHIT.

Not in his world and not for him. He should have known better to think anyone would feel that for him. He’d broken his rule of sleeping with the same woman more than once, and here was his punishment.

He was abandoned and alone.

Love was only for the lucky, and Dimitri…he wasn’t lucky. In fact, he was cursed. Here was his proof.

Damn his heart for aching and needing to feel.

Damn his soul for wanting that connection to someone.

And fuck him for the hell he’d have to endure in his damnation.

He deserved this and so much more.

As he worked out, pushing his body past its limits into a new level of self-hate, he suddenly felt someone behind him. As he dropped from the pull up bar, he turned, pulling the gun from his waistband.

It was aimed right at her.

“You could shoot your junk off like that,” Emma said, leaning there. “You’d kick the hell out of Chris for sticking his gun into his pants like that. You know better.”

That was even more proof. He was off his game. He’d never heard her come up behind him.

“Who let you in?”

“Natasha taught me to pick a lock. It’s really easy. Now I can be felonious without you knowing.”

He stared at her. “GO AWAY.”

“Are we back there again? It’s getting old. I’m not leaving you in this state of mind.”

He turned, placed his gun on the bench and went back to his pull-ups.

Emma didn’t stop him. She’d been watching him for a couple of moments, and she saw the truth. He was hurting. Dimitri was definitely trying to harm himself, or sweat away the demons.

Instead of saying anything, Emma just gave him time. She knew him well, and she had faith in the man he was beneath all this self-loathing.

She’d reach him.

“Are you having fun?” he asked, sensing her eyes on him as he tortured the muscles in his body. It should have bothered him that she was seeing his back and all the damage done there years ago, but with Emma, he didn’t mind.

That pissed him off too.

He loved her so damn much it hurt.

“She was a fool not to take you up on your offer. If I were her, I would have taken you with me. You’re a sexy man, Dimitri. I think it’s the bad boy with so many demons persona.”

He ignored her. She was just trying to make him feel better. No one wanted damaged.

No one.

“I see Greyson has a big mouth.”

“Yeah, in a family, that happens. Who left all those scratches all over you?” she asked. “And the bites.”

“No one.”

“Dimitri.”

He was angry.

He was pissed.

He wanted to be alone.

“Go home. For Christ’s sake, get away from me. I’m on the edge. I don’t want to say something to hurt you. You should be home in your castle with your happy life.”

She laughed. “Yeah, it’s always happy when someone’s gunning for you. Pity party is over.”

He growled. “Go away, Emma. Run.”

This was where trust had to come in. She knew Dimitri could kill her, but she had to believe he’d protect her. He was family, and that mattered.

“No, I can’t do that. I have to help you through this. If it were me, you’d be by my side—no matter how bitchy I got. You’d take it, let my use you as that verbal punching bag, and then soothe my heart.”

“You don’t know me,” he hissed, and that was the problem. He didn’t know himself. He’d actually betrayed the people he loved more than anything for a woman. The first one that gave him any emotions, any feelings, and he turned on them to save her.

He didn’t deserve them.

That was his proof.

“I know you very well. In fact, I know you so well that I came here unarmed, knowing you’d never hurt me.”

He dropped down but wouldn’t look at her.

“You know nothing. What don’t you get, Emma? When it came down to it, I sold you out. I sold the whole family out to find my brother and get retribution for a woman who doesn’t want me. Your life is pretty compared to mine.”

“I want you. You’re mine, Dimitri.”

His heart ached.

“Go home! You have no idea what I’m living.”

Love wasn’t working, so she’d have to push him to the edge to get through to him.

“Yeah, poor you. Hide away here in your tower until you can end your life by your terms. Well, fuck you. I’m stopping your suicide mission, if I have to shoot you myself and drag your ass out of here behind me.”

He turned.

“You don’t know me, or what you’re dealing with. I am him. I am that killer. I prettied myself up for you—for your husband—for my sisters. I’m done being pretty. I’m a monster, and I hate everyone for being happy,” he raged, trying to get her to understand. “From the scars on the outside to the ones no one sees, I’m hideous.”

She fought back.

“Coward. You are nothing but a chicken, and that’s the simple truth. You’ll run before you’ll trust someone to catch you. Bock freaking bock.”

Did she just cluck at him like a chicken?

Was she insane?

“You are a pussy, and you know it.”

That was it.

He snapped.

Dimitri grabbed her by her arms, and he lifted her off her feet. Her toes barely touched the ground. He could feel his hands sinking into her arms, and he didn’t care. He didn’t think he could save her from himself.

“You don’t know what cowardice is and why someone will run. You’ve only had love. I have had nothing but being afraid. Don’t pretend you get me.”

He shook her.

“You’re hurting me,” she said, never looking away from his stormy aqua eyes. Dimitri was in there. She only had to reach him. “Let me go.”

He hated that in her eyes there was mercy and love, not fear. Why did this one woman not fear him?

WHY?

He shoved her away from him.

Emma caught herself before she fell to the mat. She wasn’t done, so she followed him. When he laid on the floor to do his sit ups, she sat across his hips.

“Go away! Damnit! Why don’t you hear me?”

She stared him in the eyes when he sat up, putting himself nose to nose with her.

“I love you, Dimitri. I’m not going home without you.” Emma did the unexpected. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on.

He had no choice but to let her.

Emma held him through the storm.

“I’m going to be the death of everyone I love. How do I live with that? I went to the underground and bartered away my life. They’ll ask me to kill one of you. Don’t you get it, Emma? I don’t deserve your love. I knew what they’d want, and for her, I was willing to take the deal and run. Now I can’t run with her. She doesn’t want me! I have nowhere to go.”

She didn’t let him go. Instead, she simply wrapped her legs around his hips and stared into his eyes.

“You do deserve love. I will mother you until the day I die. I’ll care for you, even when you frustrate the hell out of me. You’re mine, too, Dimitri. I love you. I love your sisters, and we will get through this.”

“She didn’t want to be near me. Am I him? I’m so confused. Did my father make me into this, and him too? Are children born evil? Am I that?”

She touched his cheek.

“You have a huge heart, Dimitri. He’s not out saving women, he’s out killing them. You are not him. You are you. Are you dark? Yes, but that’s not a bad thing. Greyson has those dark places too.”

“The military,” he said, softly. “It made me.”

“You can tell me about it. You can always find me and tell me when you need me. If you ever call, Dimitri, even if you leave, I’ll come. I’ll always come.”

He didn’t deserve her.

“Did I really hurt you?” he asked.

She took his face in her palms. “No, you didn’t hurt me. I’m good, Max.”

He sat there, and she stayed, soothing him by running her hands up and down his back.

“I’m sorry I betrayed you,” he whispered, unable to look at her. He couldn’t face her disgust. Not Emma.

She again made him stare into her eyes. “I forgive you, Maximillian. I understand why you did it. It wasn’t out of anger, or malice. You saw a chance to be free of Vegas, and you took it. I can’t hold that against you. You wouldn’t kill us if they asked. You wouldn’t hurt either of us.”

He wouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

He loved them so much.

“We’ll fix that mess later. Now we focus on you. You can’t leave me, Dimitri. You can’t leave Katerina or Natasha. We are yours.”

She whispered to him in Russian, praying he’d let it soak in to the cold recesses of his soul.

He listened, his forehead resting against hers. As she continued to talk, her hands moved up and down his scarred back. It offered him peace.

“Before you, our lives weren’t filled. When you came into them, Max, you gave us more love, more laughter, and more family. We are whole because of you. While she didn’t see value in you, I do. I would die without you, so you can’t leave me. Greyson would be vulnerable without you, so you can’t leave him. You’re ours, and we’ll get you through this.”

He wanted to weep.

“I know why you felt the need to do it, and I understand it. I’ve been that lonely. Before Greyson found me, I ran, and I was living that. She wasn’t the one, Dimitri. That’s why she left. I promise you that she’s out there. That other half of your soul is waiting for you to find her.”

Tears filled his eyes.

“When you find her, she won’t leave. No matter how dark it gets, or how scary the moment, she’s going to protect you and it’s going to make all the difference. Marissa wasn’t the one, and your heart will heal.”

God!

He hoped she was right.

“What if I never find her?” he asked. Dimitri had watched his sisters both fall in love, and it was relief and pain all at once. He prayed they’d be happy, and he’d prayed for his own salvation, but he always suspected it wouldn’t come.

“You will. Have faith. I do.”

For the next five minutes, he didn’t speak, and she didn’t ask him to talk. He stayed there, held in her embrace as she offered him peace.

“Thank you, Emma.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’ll always come for you, Maximillian, and I will always be available when you need me. You only have to find me and take what you need.”

Her words soothed the anger.

They beat back the self-loathing.

It was as if someone threw on the lights, illuminating some of the shadows in his soul.

“I have you,” she promised.

He buried his nose in her hair and relaxed into the smell of Emma’s perfume. Dimitri knew what they had was special. She was sitting on his lap, moving around, and all he felt was calm. He didn’t want to roll around with her. He just wanted to be hers. She was that mother his sisters found, and he would take her offer.

He needed someone to heal his wounds.

“You’re covered in bite marks,” she said, touching his throat. “Does it hurt?”

“Yes. She took my heart from my chest. I wasn’t even worthy of her. That hurts far worse than some rough sex.”

Her heart broke.

“Look at me. Who did you make this bargain to?” she asked.

He wasn’t going to tell her.

Dimitri had to protect her.

“Talk to me, Max.”

When she used his real name, it forced him to face those demons. Dimitri didn’t doubt she knew that too. Emma was a mother to her core. She got everyone around her.

They were lucky.

“You’ll feel better if you get it off your chest, and we face it together.”

He trusted her.

“He’s this asshole on the seedier side of Vegas. They call him Babylon. They call him that because he leaves things in rubble, like the city.”

“Charming.”

“He’s a snake.”

“He sounds it.”

“No, he looks like one. He’s tattooed in scales, and he forked his tongue.”

“Uh, that’s so very gross.”

He laughed. “He’s worse than me on the horrible human scale. You can’t trust him. He’s the reptile in the garden of sin.”

“Tell me about him,” Emma said, still running her hand up and down his back.

“He brokers deals. He knows everything that’s going on around Vegas. He’s trouble. I bailed on them to go legit with Greyson, and he now owns me with that one favor.”

“But you got us Viktor’s location.”

“Approximate.”

“We’ll handle him. One step at a time. We are fighting so many battles at once. Going into this, it was Thomas Christ, the Commissioner, Marissa’s case, and then Viktor. Well, Thomas Christ is dead, so we can cross that off our list.”

Dimitri was grateful for that. The Crofts were safe.

“Commissioner Raye will back off for a little while. He’s going to be busy prepping to pick his new homicide captain. When it comes to us, he’ll lie low. He’s scared. He nearly screwed up and got caught being felonious.”

He listened.

“Marissa found her sister, and she’s leaving. I know that hurts you, but it would hurt you more if she stayed. She isn’t good for you,” she said, touching the vicious scratches down his chest. They were raw and angry.

That was never a good sign when sex came to that.

“All that’s left is Viktor. We’ll handle him, and then this Babylon. You aren’t owing your soul to anyone.”

He rested his forehead against hers.

The weight of the world was on his back.

“Emma, I don’t know how to deal with emotions. They scare me.”

“Own what you feel. Take the chance.”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was warm, and it was filled with pain.

Emma couldn’t push him away.

When he pulled away, he started laughing. “Nothing.”

She snorted. “Gee. Thanks. That doesn’t kick the hell out of my ego.”

“That was like kissing a sister. You’re sitting on my junk, as you call it, and nothing.”

She wiggled.

He laughed more. Finally, that oppressive hate and anger was lifting. He may have made a mistake, but he didn’t lose the people who loved him.

Emma was definitely a mother.

People said there was nothing stronger than a mother’s love, and he understood it now. No matter how bad you made a situation, a mother would be there.

Emma would be there for him.

“She screwed up. You’re a catch, Mr. Gideon. Maybe you need to realize you just weren’t HER catch. You’ll find her. Just be patient. I’ll be by your side through this walk.”

He sighed.

It was hard to be angry around her.

“Let’s clean up your neck and chest,” she said, holding out her hand.

He took it.

She led him to the kitchen so she could make sure that skank didn’t give him rabies. What Emma didn’t say was if that woman ever came back…she’d kick her ass.

No one hurt her family.

NO ONE.

They’d found her sister’s killer, helped her get her body back, and put their lives on the line. Her behavior was shitty, and Marissa Pierce had been a bitch.

“I’m not mad at her,” he offered, seeing the anger flash through her eyes. “She’s just like me. Damaged.”

Emma leans against him. “Sometimes, moy brat,” she said in Russian, “the damaged ones are the best souls out there, since they know what pain is like.”

He was touched by her use of Russian, and calling him ‘my brother’.

“Sekret moyego serdtsa.”

Going up on her toes, she gave him a soft kiss on his lips. She accepted that term of endearment. She would be the secret of his heart any day.

As she stood there, using that first aid kit, she took care of him. Emma washed off all the scratches, the bites, and marks that Marissa had left.

“Do me a favor,” she said.

“Yes?”

“Give your heart a little break. Love is tough. Women…we can be good or bad. Choose better.”

“I don’t know how to choose someone to love.”

Emma smiled at him. “Well, when you love someone, you want to protect, love, and take care of the person, right?”

“Yes.”

He felt that way with her, with Greyson, with Sam, and his sisters.

“If she doesn’t want to protect you, then she’s not the one. Move on, and keep that guard up.”

She was right.

“She was bad for me, wasn’t she? I chose poorly.”

“Training wheels, my brother. Training wheels. You have to start off slow. Besides, who am I to judge. I had sex with Thomas Christ. He was my last sex partner before I fell into Greyson Croft’s life. Look how that turned out,” she teased.

He laughed.

It was genuine.

“You’re all patched up.”

Somehow, he didn’t think she meant the bites and scratches from Marissa.

“Am I?” he asked.

“Yes, you are. Come home with me. We have interviews tomorrow, and I need you to watch our home. We need you, Dimitri. You may have made that deal, but you’re still ours, and if Babylon tries to call it in, he’ll have something in common with the original Babylon.”

“What?”

“He’ll be in ruins too. If he comes for my family, I will burn him down.”

“I don’t want you near him.”

“Awww, another caveman. How cute.”

He stared at her.

Then he laughed.

“You let me worry about him. If he thinks that Greyson is the dangerous one, he has another lesson on the horizon. When a mother gets angry, it’s bad. REALLY bad.”

He hugged her.

“I love you.”

She felt the same. “I will always love you and hold you up, Dimitri. You can count on me.”

He genuinely believed that.

“Home?”

“Yes, we should go home.”

“I’ll drive. Greyson gave me the keys to his ride. Want to have some fun?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Uh, what kind of fun are you suggesting?” he asked. “You realize Dante and Steele regularly use it for…”

She stopped him.

“I was talking about getting some donuts and leaving crumbs all over the seats.”

He stared at her.

Then he began laughing. “Count me in. That’s going to make him insane. He loves that car. He changes the air freshener every six weeks.”

Emma grinned. “I know. I can’t kick Marissa’s ass, but I can jack up Greyson’s mistress. You in?”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

She held out her hand, and he took it.

“Partners in crime?” she asked.

That hit him right where it needed to.

“Partners.”

And for that, Dimitri Gideon would be grateful.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

He’d taken his shower, and it was good to be heading to bed. It had been a long day, and Chris was beat. Being on alert, non-stop, sucked.

What he wanted was to curl around Natasha and to sleep. He was too tired to even think.

When he came into the bedroom, she was sitting on their bed. She was in a pink nighty and smiling at him.

“You look good enough to eat,” he said, jumping onto the bed beside her.

She noticed the worry lines.

“You look stressed. Are you okay?”

“I’m the only one on guard duty now that you and Dimitri have to stay inside. I need to rest and get ready for another day.”

“I can help you.”

“No, you can’t. You guys are on lockdown. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She kissed him, and it was long and sweet.

“If I wasn’t so old, so tired, and barely alive, I would be climbing all over you,” he vowed. “Maybe the morning?” he asked hopefully.

Natasha smiled, but she was worried.

When she searched online, one of the signs that he wasn’t into a woman was decreased sex.

Was that this?

She had an idea.

“I know what might help you relax,” she said, tugging down his boxers. The minute she touched him, he sprang to life.

Well, that was a good sign.

Chris watched her. “If you want sex, you’re doing the work,” he teased. “I can’t.”

She grinned.

“I have a better idea.”

“What?”

She showed him.

Licking him, she enjoyed the way he shook. Gently, Natasha took him in her mouth and began showing him how much she loved him.

She worked him gently.

Slowly.

With love.

The entire time, Chris was having pleasure overload. While he wouldn’t ask for a blowjob, since that wasn’t his style, he would let her play all over his body, and this was one hell of a gift.

“So good, Natasha,” he said, as she practically swallowed him whole.

Chris watched her and it was hard not to react.

“You’ve been talking to your sister again,” he said, getting her to laugh.

The vibrations nearly killed him.

It was so damn hot.

He popped out of her mouth.

“Don’t hold back, Christopher. You won’t hurt me. I’m not breakable.”

He grinned.

“Well, if you insist.”

With that, he grabbed her head and forced her back onto his erection.

She moaned in pleasure as he worked her head up and down his dick. Then, he let her continue that same way on her own, once she got the rhythm down.

“More,” he said, his body reacting to each pass of teeth and tongue over his sensitized erection.

Natasha listened, since this was about pleasing the man she was crazy about. She glanced up, and he was braced on his elbows, as he stared down at her.

“Jesus! Keep talking to your sister,” he ordered.

She laughed and again, the vibrations sent shivers through his body.

Chris dropped back and stared at the ceiling. He never wanted this to end, so he fought it. 

Then, he felt guilty for taking all the pleasure and offering none back to her.

“Stop.”

She did.

“We can have sex. I can do it,” he said. “Apparently, you giving me a blowjob gave me my second wind.”

She grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before she knew it, Chris was on his knees and tearing off that innocent pink nightie. Once it was free of her body, he saw she was naked beneath it.

Immediately, he shoved her back and found his most favorite part.

“God! Yes!” she moaned, as he devoured her in abandon. Her body was arched, she was on the edge, and she was about to cum.

He nipped her clit, and Natasha’s climax cascaded over her, taking her under.

Nat wanted to drown in him.

It was perfect. 

“Christ, I can’t get enough of you,” he muttered, sliding up her body to find that wet, perfect heat.

Then he slid home.

She moaned again and wrapped her legs around his hips.

“Hard and fast,” she said, loving when their lovemaking was wild and frenzied.

“Your wish is my command.”

Then he began.

Chris drove himself in and out of her body, taking her in his favorite way. Natasha was wet and warm, and he wanted her.

He wanted all of her.

“More,” he said, focusing on her pleasure not his.

As her breasts bounced with each time he buried his erection in her, Chris couldn’t get enough.

“Oh, Jesus,” he said, as he could feel the heat looming, forcing its way up his body.

“Natasha, I won’t last long,” he said.

She understood.

“I’m close! Hurry,” she said, pulling his mouth down to hers.

With one last slide home, he came, pouring into her.

It only took a few moments for them both to surface.

“That was amazing,” she admitted.

He laughed and rolled off her body. “I happen to agree. I don’t deserve you.”

She cuddled.

Chris relaxed and began drifting off.

“I think I’m going to cut my hair,” she said, out of the blue.

“Why?” he asked, opening his eyes.

“Maybe something more like Emma’s or shorter. What do you think?”

Alarms began going off.

This didn’t feel right, and he knew women. He’d been married before. When your present girl began comparing herself to any other woman in your life, the shit storm was about to begin.

“Why would you want to look more like Emma?”

“You love her.”

Yep.

DANGER.

“Natasha, I love you too.”

She played with a patch of hair on his chest, and then ran her fingers over the scar.

“But you really love her. I can see it. I can feel it. I want to have that.”

He felt bad.

Emma had warned him, and Chris had dismissed it.

He was an idiot.

“You think I don’t feel that for you? I feel so much more for you. You’re my girl. Emma is my friend and sister. It’s not the same. Trust me. I don’t want to do what we just did with Emma.”

She shrugged.

Chris knew he needed to reassure her. Obviously, Emma had been right. Natasha was watching them and was scared. That was totally on him.

He had to fix that.

“I’m going to marry you.”

“What?” she asked, siting up.

“I’m going to be picking out the ring. I want you to be my wife. I haven’t asked your brother for your hand in marriage, but I’m going to, Natasha. You are who I want.”

“Emma.”

He stopped her. “So, you don’t want me to love her at all?”

Her eyes gave her away.

“Oh, Natasha, she wouldn’t do that to you. This isn’t a competition. You’ve asked me repeatedly to accept you for who you are, and now I’m going to do the same. I need you to accept that Emma and I have s special relationship. She saved my life. We have a bond.”

“I understand.”

“But do you accept it?” Chris asked. “That’s the part you have to think about. When I ask you to marry me, I’m going to mean it. There will only be you. I don’t cheat. I don’t lie, and I don’t hurt people. If you believe me, and you can accept that I have people in my life I love, too, like Emma, Katerina, and Greyson, then marry me. If not, I’ll understand.”

Natasha was ashamed of what she’d just done. She hadn’t accepted him for him.

That sucked.

“I’m sorry. I get scared.”

“I know, but she’s my sister. I know you’re uncomfortable, but I can’t fix that. We worked together. I am her security. She’s my best friend.”

“I want to be your best friend.”

He would work on that. Emma and he were going to have to be more careful. Clearly, his relationship with her was bothering Natasha.

“Okay. You’re my best friend.”

She smiled.

“I love you, Chris.”

He held her. “I love you too. We should get some sleep. I need to recover from my day.”

She didn’t mind.

“Let’s sleep.”

Chris closed his eyes, and he was content.

For the first time in his life, he was truly at peace.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tuesday

Morning

Six A.M

W hen he looked out onto his porch to grab his paper, so he could read the news, it wasn’t there. As soon as he stepped outside his door, he felt someone near him and his cop instincts went off.

He turned fast and saw her.

It was Delilah.

He hadn’t been expecting that.

“You were right,” she said, without looking over at him. “I didn’t give you the opportunity to tell me about your family, and I can see that you just wanted to protect me.”

He stood there.

Riley didn’t know what to say.

She was in jeans and a red shirt, she wasn’t wearing makeup, and she was holding two cups of coffee from the local bakery.

“Can I apologize?” she asked.

He moved toward her.

“Okay.”

“I was an asshole,” Delilah stated. “I shouldn’t have stormed away, or been pissed. I overreacted to the situation, and you were right. I don’t blame you for saying you didn’t want a relationship with someone like that. I wouldn’t want one either,” she admitted.

Riley was struggling. The whole night without her had been hell. Despite what he said, his heart knew otherwise. He truly wanted to be with her.

Anger aside, he knew she mattered.

“I just wanted you to know I heard you.”

That mattered to him.

He took a seat beside her on the porch swing, and she handed him a coffee.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Delilah could see he was still hesitant to trust her, and she knew if she wanted to get past this, to be with him, she had to do what he did.

Purge.

“I overreacted for a valid reason.”

“Do you want to share?” he asked, popping the opening on his coffee so he could drink it.

Delilah knew she had no choice.

All night, she’d weighed the options, tried to find a way to get past this, and came up with only one conclusion.

If she wanted him, she had to give him all of her trust. A relationship deserved that. It wasn’t all sex and rockets.

It was kindness and value too.

“I put up these walls,” she began. “I always have. There have been so many men I’ve dated, and they always betrayed me—with their words, their actions, and their choices. This wasn’t about you, Riley. It was about me. I hope you understand that.”

“I don’t. I go into each relationship I have with a clean slate. I trusted the Crofts when I started helping them because I believed them.”

She still didn’t glance over, but a tear slipped down her face.

Riley saw she was really struggling.

“I didn’t sleep with you only because of the outer package, Delilah. I respect myself more than that. I happen to find you stubborn, bitchy, and intriguing.”

She laughed and wiped her cheek.

“My last relationship was a long one,” he admitted. “I dated her for four years.”

She glanced over. “What happened?”

“She didn’t want the same things I wanted, and we both pretended it was okay. Only, it wasn’t. She was a great woman. I have nothing but respect for her, but she didn’t want a family, and I did. I only have my sister, and we only talk when we have to. That familial connection is gone. It died when Miles fell, and it was gone when my parents were.”

She listened.

Delilah had thought she was good at listening, but she’d been dead wrong. Riley had taught her that.

She was selectively hearing.

“So, I asked her to marry me, and she said no. We’re still friends, but I wanted more.”

She didn’t say anything.

“So, I went into our adventure with an open mind. I know for sure I’m not what you want, but I have to hope that one day, you’ll look at me and feel the same thing. I’m a big believer in hope and faith. I also believe in trust.”

She did look over.

“I’ve never thought about anything past this.”

“Why?”

“There’s never been anything more. Guys don’t want to be with me for me. I told you that. They see the power job, the skirt, and the makeup, and they think ‘she’ll be fun’.”

“You are fun,” he admitted, “but I like this side of you better. The skirts and garters are sexy, but so is the woman beneath the lawyer costume.”

She stared at him.

“You’re beautiful, Delilah, but that’s not what I see when I look at you.”

“What do you see, Riley?”

“Hope.”

More tears filled her eyes.

“Riley.”

“I see a chance at love.”

Her lower lip quivered.

“I know being together will be hard. You defend the assholes I throw in jail. I’m a cop. It’s my job to arrest and do the best that I can.”

She listened.

“But I’ll try. I’ll give it my honest to God best shot at being there when you need me when you’re happy, sad, or feeling bitchy. I don’t know where this will lead, but I won’t bail on you. That’s not me.”

She rested her head on his shoulder.

Riley dropped his arm around hers.

“Are you working today?” she asked.

“Nope. I’m suspended until the investigation is officially closed. When a cop’s DNA shows up on a scene, regardless of his alibi, there’s an internal investigation.”

“If you need a lawyer, I’ll defend you.”

He found that oh so ironic, and sweet.

“I’ll definitely win. Until then, I’m going to lie low, enjoy my days off, and try not to worry about losing my badge.”

She understood that.

As they sat there, Delilah had to know.

“So you forgive me?” she asked.

“Yeah, I forgive you. Will you forgive me for closing down on you, too, and walking away?” he asked.

She nodded.

They sat there a few minutes, having coffee, watching the kids head to their bus stops, and just enjoying the day.

“Are we…dating?” she asked.

He rubbed his chin on the top of her head. “Yep.”

A few more minutes went by.

“Did you really propose to her and she said no?” Delilah asked.

“Yeah, she did.” Then he thought about it. “I’m glad she did.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because then I found you.”

Her heart skipped. “Can I be honest?” she asked, taking a risk, and using trust to catch her if she fell.

“I prefer it.”

“If you ever ask, Riley, I won’t say no.”

He looked over at her, and she was watching him with those sexy cat eyes. “Then I look forward to asking.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, and her hand on his leg. It felt nice.

She felt safe.

“I’m off, too, so do you want to grab breakfast?” she asked. “You know, since we both need to eat.”

He smiled. “Sure. Are you buying since you’re asking me out on a date?” he teased.

She laughed.

It felt damn good too.

“Yeah, that’s not happening, Riley,” she said, glancing over at him.

“Why not?”

“I’m old fashioned.”

He found that funny. Of course she was. Riley should have known that from the pin-up garters and the way she carried herself. It appealed to him.

“Are you now?”

“Yes, and it’s a new adventure. You’re going to have to work for it. I told you I wouldn’t say no, but you have to find your way to that point.”

He laughed. “Is that so? Well, I have news for you, too, Delilah Fleur.”

“What?”

“I’m old fashioned, too, so you’ll have to work just as hard. We both have to be there.”

Well, she could do that.

To prove it, she pulled his mouth to hers, and the kiss wasn’t wild, or harsh. It was sweet, gentle, and it gave Riley the thing he wanted most.

Hope.

As she pulled away, there was laughter in her eyes.

“You’re going to be a challenge,” he said, running his thumb down her lower lip.

She laughed.

“Oh, Detective Henderson, you have no idea.”

And Riley didn’t doubt that at all.

Not one single bit. 

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

It had been a long night for Emma, Greyson, and Dimitri. When she got him back to the house, the torture had continued. They’d settled in and viewed hours of disgusting video footage.

The three of them.

Side by side.

In her office.

It seemed hopeless, but right before seven in the morning, eight hours into the video hell, Emma saw him.

“Stop!”

Both men beside her jumped at her sudden outburst.

“What?” Greyson asked.

“I saw him.”

“Saw who?” Dimitri asked as he wound back the footage.

Emma could now place Roscoe McKinney IN the pimp’s playroom in that basement. That was a good thing for them and very bad for him. While the hookers and pimps said he was there, they now had solid proof.

“He specifically told me he didn’t partake in Julie. He told us he didn’t have a clue about anything the pimp was doing, and yet here he is in that room. If he lied about that, what else is he hiding?” she asked.

“We can talk to him,” Dimitri suggested.

“We also have to talk to the madam who was selling Julie before Gerald got his hands on her. I want to know why she’d send anyone to that basement.”

“I’m sure she didn’t know,” Dimitri stated. “I’ve known her a long time. Stephanie isn’t like that.”

“You know her as Mr. Ivanov. Do you know her as Dimitri?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No.”

“Then I have to talk to her too,” Emma stated. “We leave no slimy stone unturned. She’s getting a visit.”

“So, we’re heading to a strip club and then to see a madam? Wow! Our lives are interesting,” Greyson said, as Dimitri began laughing.

“Yeah, we are.”

Dimitri stood like he was joining them.

“Uh, have a seat. You’re not going anywhere,” Emma said, sipping her coffee.

He stared at her. “Yes, I am. I’m still your security. Whether my brother is out there taking a shot at me or not. That doesn’t matter.”

Both Crofts laughed.

“This isn’t funny. I’m going.”

Emma let her husband handle this.

“We have a wedding in four days,” he said, glancing at his watch. “We need you to stay safe, protect the family, and do your job, securing our property.”

Dimitri glared at him.

“If you fight me on this, I will fight you back. You’re not expendable, Dimitri. If you go down, we crumble too. This family is wound together.”

“Please?” Emma asked.

He caved. After what she gave him last night, and the conversation they had, he’d let her have this. He owed Emma at least this.

“Okay.”

“Gee, you gave in fast,” Greyson said, grinning in triumph. “I knew my FBI negotiation skills would come in handy at some point.”

Dimitri shrugged. “Eh, I don’t know about that, but she’s a good kisser.”

He began sputtering.

Emma laughed so hard. “Apparently, what happens in Vegas gets a girl in trouble,” she teased.

“We are going to see a madam, and then that bouncer, and you are going to explain, kitten. If I don’t like it…”

“You’ll what?” she teased, leaning against him.

“I’ll kick his ass.”

Dimitri grinned.

“When you’re ready, I’ll call her. You’ll find her awake. She’s not nocturnal, even if her girls are.”

He scribbled it on a piece of paper.

“I do need a favor,” Emma said.

“What?”

“You’re on dad duty with Sam, I need you to keep an eye on Curtis—he’s tricky—and can you use that fancy laptop of yours to maybe keep digging information up on Roscoe? Now that we have him in that basement, I want to know everything about him.”

He could do that.

“Sure. I’ll keep the family safe.”

Chris knocked on her door, and he wasn’t alone. Natasha was holding his hand.

“I was just coming for you,” Emma admitted.

“Wow, you three look like shit,” he said.

Emma snorted. “Well, some of us took one for the team and were up all night watching those videos. Look what we found,” she said, starting the footage up.

“Isn’t that Roscoe from the strip club?”

Then he got it.

“Oh, he’s a douchebag! He said he didn’t touch her or know anything about what Gerald was doing.”

Exactly.

“Yeah, he was in that basement, and that is Julie giving him a blowjob—and I expect that it wasn’t his first. He was definitely taking Gerald’s offer every chance he could get. I’m sure he was jacking off to the videos too,” Emma said.

“I had to watch videos to learn,” Natasha stated, “but nothing gross like this.”

Dimitri choked on his coffee. “Jesus. My sisters are going to be the death of me.”

Chris smiled like the Cheshire Cat.

Emma warned him.

“Don’t do it. He’s been awake all night, and you never know what he’ll do to you.”

Chris grinned. “That’s when it’s the best time to irritate him.”

Greyson cut him off. “Get your body armor on. We’re heading to that club to talk to Roscoe, but first, we have a date with a madam. Dimitri, make the call.”

He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

“Stephanie?” he asked, when she answered.

“Mr. Ivanov, do you need a girl? I have a special one that’s just landed in Vegas. I think you’ll like her.”

“No, actually, are you free for a meeting today?” he asked. “I need to talk to you.”

“Uh…”

“Please? I’m one of your best customers.”

She relented. “I can meet you at the little French bistro off the strip. That’s the best I can do. I’m busy today. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

He scribbled down the address for Greyson. “Thank you, Stephanie.”

He didn’t tell her it was the Crofts who were coming.

Hanging up, he gave them the paper.

“She’s tall, has really long legs, and a mole on her cheek,” he said, describing her. “That’s how you’ll know her.”

“Is she going to be pissed?” Emma asked.

“Probably more so at me than you. Stephanie is a very nice girl.”

“Who peddles flesh,” Chris stated.

“Yes, she does.”

Dimitri was done pretending.

“Will this ruin your chances of…?” Then Emma stopped. Dimitri’s sister was in the room. She didn’t want to out him.

“You can say it. I’m not using her services again.”

Natasha crossed to her brother and hugged him. “Kat and I know, Dimitri. We love you, but you can start being yourself. You don’t have to pretend around us. We get it. You had two kids to raise, and you sacrificed a personal life for us.”

He hugged her. “I’d do it all over again,” he offered, holding his sister against his body. “You and Katerina were the loves of my life.”

She smiled up at him.

“I love you.”

Oh, what he felt for his sisters was incomparable with anything else. He felt that same love for Emma.

“Go,” Dimitri said. “AND be careful! Chris, if you let them get hurt, you’re fired.”

Greyson found that amusing.

“We’ll be fine. Once we get your brother, you can go back to being bossy and overprotective. Basically, my backup husband,” Emma teased.

Chris stared at her. “Really? Like you need another caveman bossing me around.”

Emma laughed.

“We’ll check-in,” Greyson said, heading out.

Dimitri stood there.

“Do you want me to follow them to make sure they’re safe?” Natasha offered.

He was torn.

“He won’t see me, Dimitri. I’ll be safe.”

“Okay, but don’t let them know, and this is the ONLY time I want you out there alone. Got it?”

She kissed him on his cheek.

“I got it, boss.”

With that, she headed out.

Dimitri took a deep breath and hoped he didn’t just make a huge mistake.

           * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

LVPD

When she headed into the building, she was scared stupid. Marissa wanted to get out of the city, and fast. She’d had a rough night sleeping, and all of it had made her edgy.

She really hated her ex-boss.

She really loathed the people he called family.

Dimitri Gideon was an asshole for not telling her about his brother’s connection to his sister’s death. He’d withheld it, and that was all kinds of wrong.

Now, all she wanted was to get her sister’s body, and head out of there. She’d always wanted that dream life, and she had some money saved up.

She’d get them somewhere peaceful and away from that shithole town.

Marissa had to do it.

“Can I help you?” the man behind the desk asked her.

“Yes, my sister was found dead. I need to speak to someone about ID’ing the body and claiming it.”

He handed her a form.

“You need to fill this out, and then have a seat. I’ll call down to the morgue for you. Name?”

“Marissa Pierce.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you. I just want to get her out of Vegas. She was murdered.”

He sympathized. “Let me help you with that,” he said, taking the form back. “I’ll help you.”

She batted her eyes at him.

“Thank you. I appreciate it so much,” she said.

He smiled at her.

“Anything for someone hurting,” he said.

Marissa touched his arm, tuning on the charm. She’d use anything she had to get out of that hellhole.

Anything.

She was glad to be free.

At last.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Bistro

Tuesday

Morning

Emma, Greyson, and Chris had arrived first. When they did, they split up. Chris took the seat by the back door, and Greyson the front.

Emma sipped coffee as she waited for the woman to arrive. They had a sneaking suspicion, since they had all been cops, that she was going to bolt for the door out of habit.

Well, they couldn’t let that happen.

They needed to talk to her.

As a luxury car pulled up and parked, Greyson gave them both the heads-up signal. He saw the woman with the mole approaching.

Once inside the door, she ordered a coffee and went to take a seat. When she did, Emma had a visual on her. She looked like a madam. She was dressed to the nines at seven thirty in the morning, and she had more makeup on than anyone should own.

They had their girl.

“Come to momma,” she muttered, tracking her with her eyes.

Stephanie took her coffee and headed toward a table. It was clear when she saw Emma.

Then Greyson.

Immediately, she began walking toward the back door to make a break for it. Only, Chris was standing there, blocking her exit.

She looked panicked, and almost like a rat trapped in a corner. Only a former hooker could pick three cops out in a busy room.

Emma approached.

“Stephanie, have a seat. We need to talk about something important.”

The woman did what she was told.

“I don’t know what this is about. I have no idea why you would need to speak to me.”

“Mr. Ivanov sent us.”

The minute she heard his name, she looked even more freaked out. Like she’d been outed.

“I run an upstanding…”

Chris cut her off. “We aren’t cops anymore. Chill out. We just have a few questions, and we need them answered.”

She didn’t relax as they all sat. In fact, she looked more freaked out.

“What could we possibly have to discuss?”

“Julie Pierce.”

The woman’s face changed at her name, and she looked sad. “She was a sweet girl.”

“Yeah, and now she’s dead.”

The woman looked surprised. “Is she? That’s horrible. What happened to her?”

Emma was watching her. She’d talked to plenty of hookers in her time, but this madam…she was different. She had this sheen to her, and Emma wasn’t sure if it was fake or not.

It made her want to pick it apart.

“Yeah, she was sold into the sex trade. Want to come clean?” Emma asked, trying to catch her off guard.

Stephanie stared at her. “I run an escort service. Yes, I peddle flesh, but in Vegas, survival is hard. I don’t let my girls get hurt.”

Emma shook her head. “You know what? I’m not here about that. I want to know why Julie stopped working for you and if YOU sent her to Gerald’s little house of horrors.”

“What?”

“We are curious as to if you knew about the basement.”

She didn’t speak.

“Are you shitting me?” Emma asked. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Stephanie began crying.

“Oh, now is a bad time to even go there,” Emma said. “You sent girls there, and they were tortured.”

“I know,” she said, pulling up her sleeve.

On her arm, there were burns. “I was sent there when I worked the streets. Gerald was my pimp way back.”

Emma wasn’t feeling it.

“Then why did you send them?”

“I had no choice. He had a video of me. They locked me in a cage, and they abused me for days. Then, they let me go. I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand.”

Greyson listened.

That’s when he figured it out.

“He helped you set up your brothel, didn’t he?”

She nodded.

“He used that video to scare you?” Emma asked.

“What they did to me was inhumane. He would take his girls there and he’d train them. I was one of the first. They break you down,” she said, her hand shaking. “Once they make you an animal, you’d do anything to escape.”

That explained a lot.

Stephanie wasn’t a participant. She was a victim too. It looked like the sex ring and Gerald had made a mess of a lot of lives.

“Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“And tell them what?” she asked. “Tell them my pimp took videos of me and now he was blackmailing me?”

Okay, she had a point.

Plus, in Vegas with the cops being corrupt, it was a no win.

“So, you sent him Julie.”

“It wasn’t by choice. Anthony Delmarco brought her here for Gerald, but he wanted a test run. He runs all the girls through my services.”

“To test them?”

“Yes. He needs specific girls. I didn’t ask for what. I just assumed it was for harder clientele. I know what he did to me. I know I should have saved her, but I was afraid.”

“Keep talking,” Emma stated.

“She worked out of my services for about three weeks, and then he just took her. I tried to get her to leave. I told her to run. I told her I’d give her money if she just disappeared.”

“But she had nowhere to go, right?”

She nodded. “She told me Anthony was her soulmate. She told me he rescued her from a horrible situation, and nothing could be worse.”

Yeah, well, that was a big miscalculation.

“Gerald came, he took her to the strip club. He called it cross-training.”

“Then?”

“I lost track of her. This city swallows people left and right. All I know is he was having more women coming in, and I’m trapped in the same cycle.”

“Who was he working with?” Greyson asked.

“He only ever talked about Anthony or Louis. I never met the latter. Anthony was a monster. He took me to Gerald’s basement,” she said, tears filling her eyes.

“How long were you there?”

“I was there three weeks.” 

They felt bad for her.

“What happened after Julie went to the basement?” Emma asked.

Again, she told her she didn’t know.

“What happened to anyone after the basement?” Emma asked, rephrasing her question.

“They were sold.”

“To?”

“Men.”

“By?”

“I don’t know. Since I wasn’t sold, I have no clue past this point. I was told to do my job, ask nothing, or…”

“Or what?”

“I have a kid,” she said. “Gerald knew about it because I got pregnant at one point. I didn’t keep her. I gave her away, but he told me if I didn’t do my job, he’d steal her away and she’d be…”

They didn’t need to know.

They got it.

“She’s thirteen. She has a good family, and they love her like I couldn’t. She can’t end up like this. I have a decent life now, but I’m always looking over my shoulder. Then he died.”

“Who killed him?” Emma asked.

She squirmed.

“Who?”

“Word on the street is Gerald was offed by Anthony and Louis. He got greedy and started talking about the operation. He also pointed a buyer at them.”

This was what they were looking for from her.

“Who?”

“He’s Russian. I thought it was Mr. Ivanov at first. When one of my girls came around asking about Julie, and then Mr. Ivanov called, I sent her to him. I figured…”

“You knew she wasn’t a hooker.”

She nodded.

“I figured maybe someone would kill him. Maybe he’d be taken out. She was asking all kinds of questions, and I assumed.”

Emma covered for Dimitri.

“He wasn’t that particular client of Gerald’s. Mr. Ivanov is legit.”

Well, sort of.

“Oh no! I didn’t know.”

That was neither here nor there. They had other issues.

“And he’s not happy you sent him a pissed off woman. Thus, the reason you got us.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Is there NOTHING else you can think of?” Emma asked. “You never saw Julie again?”

She hesitated.

“What?”

“I saw her once as I was in a cab driving through the strip. I was on my way back to my home.”

“And?”

“She wasn’t alone.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was bulky, olive completion, and he was yanking Julie along. She looked drugged up. I wanted to stop him. I made the cab pull over, and I went after them.”

Emma had an idea.

She pulled out her phone.

“Him?” Emma said, showing her the grainy shot of Roscoe from the sex footage they’d been forced to endure.

“Yeah, that’s him. He had her by the arm, and was pulling her along. I tried to stop him, but he told me he’d tell Gerald so I’d better mind my own business. I backed up.”

She didn’t blame her.

How did a bouncer, who was just getting his dick worked in a sick basement torture room, end up escorting a drugged-up girl around town?

“She called him Louis.”

That had all of their attention.

“What?”

“When he threatened to tell Gerald, she called him by his name.”

Well, it looked like Julie might have just left them their biggest clue and from the grave.

“Thank you, Stephanie.”

“Can I go?”

She’d given them something, and they knew where to find her if they needed more.

“Stick around,” Greyson stated.

“I’m not going anywhere. I have a responsibility here in Vegas.”

“Yeah, Gerald is dead and you’re still selling women,” Emma stated.

“I don’t know where that video is, and the women here will sell themselves. I make sure they go to safe places, like Mr. Ivanov.”

Emma didn’t buy her saintly offering.

She was still part of the problem.

“Speaking of him, tell Mr. Ivanov that I won’t hold this against him since he was trying to help a girl.”

“He won’t be back,” Emma said.

Stephanie laughed. “Oh, Mr. Ivanov will be. They always come back. Trust me.”

Emma let it go.

“You should go. Oh, and there’s media outside. They saw you with us. I’m sure they’ll start digging. I’m going to personally put your business down,” Emma said. “As soon as I get the sex ring handled, and your child is safe, I’m coming for you.”

“I feel threatened, Mrs. Croft.”

“You still sent girls to that basement, Stephanie. I feel for you, being a victim, but the Stockholm Syndrome defense won’t work for me. You could have done something.”

She stood. “It’s easy to say when you live in that glass tower, Mrs. Croft. You can shut me down, but there will be five more in my place. You’re not the only power here in Vegas.”

Emma’s curiosity was piqued by that comment.

“Babylon.”

The woman’s eyes got big, she grabbed her coffee, and left without saying a word. 

“Uh, what’s Babylon, other than that city in the Bible?” Chris asked.

“He’s the man who’s holding that favor over Dimitri’s head. She knows him. I meant what I said. I’m shutting her down.”

Greyson understood.

Together, the three of them headed outside. In the sun, both Chris and Greyson were monitoring the skyline for anything that might signal they were in danger.

Before the media could ask questions, they got into Emma’s Navigator.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Greyson asked from the passenger seat once they were in a secure place to talk.

Oh, Emma was pretty sure she was.

“That we have a man the FBI confirmed was behind this named Louis Mateo, and Julie called Roscoe that?”

“Yep.”

“You think he lied to us?” Chris asked.

“I think he knew we had once been cops, and he assumed we were going to be gunning for him so he tried to cover his own perverted ass.”

“Well, I know what we need to do,” Greyson said.

“What?”

“Hit up ‘The Pink Kitty’ and find ourselves a perverted bouncer.”

Funny.

Emma was just thinking that.

Then they would actually put the screws to Roscoe for being a scumbag child molester.

He was a dead man walking.

The Crofts would make sure of that.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Pink Kitty

W hen they got to the strip club, the place was busy. Not that it was odd, since this was Vegas and no one slept there. The oddest people came out at night, and they leached over into the daylight hours too.

Since they had a packed parking lot, Chris dropped the Crofts off at the door. There was no way he was letting them walk across the lot with Dimitri’s sicko brother taking shots at people.

Once he parked, he hustled toward the building to join them.

Inside, he found Emma and Greyson in a booth, and in true Croft fashion, the king was with his queen. Emma was sitting in Greyson’s lap, and he was smiling.

Chris was glad.

He was thinking about Natasha and what she’d said. He only hoped Greyson wasn’t thinking he was poaching his woman.

While Chris loved Emma, and at one time had lusted after her, he knew they could never be more than what they were. He was crazy about Natasha, and he couldn’t wait to buy her ring. The way the two of them cuddled made him realize that it was definitely time.

He took a seat.

“Do you see him?” he asked, knowing who they were scoping out.

“No,” Emma said, scanning the room. “I don’t see him.”

Greyson smiled. “Ten o’clock, we have another bouncer. Let’s ask him.”

Emma waved at him.

“Yes, ma’am?” he asked.

“Hey! I’m looking for Roscoe. He said next time we were in, he’d hook us up with a great girl.”

The man shrugged. “I’m sorry, but he’s late for his shift. I swear, if I have to work a double for him, I’ll beat his face in. Eight hours in here is plenty.”

She smiled. “That’s too bad, but thank you.”

As he strolled away, Emma sent Dimitri a text.

‘Find me anything you can on Roscoe McKinney.’

Emma waited for the reply.

‘Give me ten.’

“Dimitri is searching him. Maybe we should ask around,” she said.

Chris waved over a girl wearing glitter. Before he could stop her, she was perched in his lap and rubbing against him.

Well, shit.

This was worse.

He’d rather Emma rubbing his junk any day. This could get his ass dumped or some raging infection. How the hell was he going to explain that?

“What do you need, sweet thing?” she asked, nibbling on his ear.

Emma was almost tempted to drag this out. Chris looked incredibly uncomfortable, and she was enjoying herself.

Sue her.

It was a brother thing.

“Emma, I’ll kick your ass,” he muttered, knowing what she was doing. “Hurry up!”

She snickered.

“Kitten,” Greyson warned.

“Okay! Is Roscoe here?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen him yet today. He normally works the morning shift,” she offered.

“What do you know about him?”

“Other than he’s handsy, and if he can get a free blowjob, he’s in his glory.”

Well, that seemed to line up with what they knew to be true.

“Did you see him around this girl?”

She held up her phone.

“Oh yeah, he and his old lady loved that piece of ass. She stripped here for a while, but I heard him tell her that she had better things coming once she was trained.”

Well, it looked like they’d hit pay dirt.

“Your name? Don’t give me the stripper one,” Emma warned.

“It’s Ari Buchannon, ma’am.”

Greyson handed her a one hundred.

“If you really get that glitter all over him, I’ll give you one hundred more.”

Chris sputtered as she rubbed her body across his, leaving a trail of sparkles.

He paid her.

“Christ, Grey! Come on! What did I do to you?” he asked, trying to furiously brush it off his clothes.

“You always tease me about making out with my kitten, you ambushed me and practically hog tied me to my bed in our sex room, and I had to watch you to cuddling on the news.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he said, grinning.

Greyson gave him a fist bump. “You amuse me, Chris. You amuse me.”

“When the two of you are done fighting over the rights to make out with me, maybe we can focus on what she said?”

“He’s a perv. That’s a given,” Chris offered.

“No, the other part. She said he and his old lady. Well, who is that?” Emma asked.

Greyson signaled to Ari, and she was back, this time topless.

“I will shave you bald in your sleep,” Chris warned. “I am NOT kidding.”

Emma closed her mouth.

Greyson, while amused, wanted answers. “Here’s one hundred more if you can tell me who his old lady is.”

She smiled. “Will you put it in my G-String?” she asked.

“Will his wife cut you in the back alley and feed you to some feral cats?” Emma asked.

The woman swallowed. “I get it.”

“Good.”

“He was shacked up with the hag at the bar. She was into some shade,” Ari stated. “She had him by the balls, but I think he liked it. He was into some serious kink. He once wanted me to let him wrap me in plastic wrap so he could sleep with me under his bed.”

Greyson lifted a brow. “Uh, that’s a new one.”

“Now, for you,” she said, sitting back in Chris’s lap, “I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

He sighed.

Emma had to think about the woman. “Rosemary?” she asked, finally pulling her name out of her exhausted, pregnant mind.

“Yeah, they do everything together. They come to work together, they eat lunch together, and I even caught them going at it. It was NOT pretty.”

PAYDIRT.

“Thank you, Ari,” Greyson said, handing her a card from ‘Aquarius’ along with the money. “If you ever want out, come there.”

She tucked it into her hair, since she was topless and wearing only a thong.

When she was gone, Chris stared down. “You two are assholes,” he said.

Emma laughed.

Greyson shrugged. “That was for trying to mess with me. IMAGINE if you actually did cross the line.”

Emma snorted and had to wipe her eyes.

“Seriously. A total asshole. I have stripper all over me. Natasha is going to shit a brick.”

“Why?” Greyson asked.

Emma knew what he was worried about. “I was right, wasn’t I?” she asked.

“Yeah, you were.”

“I’m sorry.”

Greyson was confused. “What?”

“Natasha is uncomfortable with Emma and my relationship,” Chris said. “Are you?”

He laughed. “Hell no. I know my wife loves me. I don’t need to be jealous.”

Chris pointed at the glitter across his lap.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t retaliate, but I’m not jealous. I know who Emma loves, and I accept it.”

Emma saw the bartender. It wasn’t the one they wanted, but she’d talk to him anyway.

“Can you text Dimitri to get me anything on Rosemary Harrington?” she asked.

He took her phone.

“Sure thing.”

Emma headed off.

At the bar, she handed him a twenty. “Can I have a bottle of water?” she asked.

He handed it to her.

“Keep the change.”

“You’re that mob man’s wife, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am. I’m Emma.”

She offered him her hand.

“Gus,” he said, shaking hers. “What do you need? I can’t imagine you guys like being in here. You don’t seem like the swinger kind of couple.”

She laughed.

Yeah, he had NO idea. That mere idea would freak the hell out of Greyson.

“Where’s Rosemary?” she asked, trying to be cool about it. The last thing she needed was to alert him.

“She’s not in until later. We switched shifts for today. She said something about an appointment.”

Emma smiled and thanked him.

“Have a good day, Gus.”

“You too, Mrs. Croft.”

When she got back to the table, there were two strippers shaking their asses a little too close to Greyson and Chris. When she pointed, they took off.

Greyson laughed. “We were just about to get the mob discount,” he teased.

She took a seat.

“You realize I could give you the mob discount.”

“Really?” he asked. “I’m intrigued.”

“It’s no sex this whole pregnancy.”

Chris laughed.

Before Greyson could make a comment, her phone rang.

“Yeah, Dimitri, what did you get?”

“I ran both names. Rosemary Harrington is her real name, and she owns that club. It was buried under an LLC, but she didn’t bury it deep enough.”

“Okay, and what else?”

“Roscoe McKinney doesn’t exist. I couldn’t find him anywhere on this FBI tablet, and that includes the IRS database. That being said, guess who is partner in owning ‘The Pink Kitty’?” he asked.

“Louis Mateo?” Emma asked.

“How did you know?” he asked. “I thought I’d surprise you with my skills,” he said.

“Stephanie saw Julie.”

She told him everything, having to shout over the loud music. The only reason they were staying there was it was safer inside where there were no windows.

“Did she?”

“Yeah,” Emma said. “She called him Louis, and that gave us the heads up.”

Dimitri laughed. “So, we found them. We did what the Feds couldn’t do. We tied the two people to the sex ring.”

“It looks like.”

Greyson knew he was supposed to call the FBI to handle it from here on out, but this was Vegas. Justice was a little different when you didn’t have a badge.

“I say we head to his house, and we shake him up a little before we hand him over. He might give us information on Viktor.”

Emma liked the way he thought.

“I’m in,” she said.

Chris pointed at them. “I’m wherever you two are.”

That was good enough for them.

“Do you have a home address?” Emma asked.

“Nope. You’re going to have to get it. There’s only post office boxes listed. Like I said, they tried to bury this little front of theirs. Why didn’t the FBI find it?”

Emma laughed. “They’d have to sit in a strip club and get their glitter on. Had they, they might have pulled it off.”

Chris pointed at her. “Don’t tell him anything!”

She wiggled her eyebrows.

“I’ll keep looking, but you might have to pull this one out of the interesting characters there.”

Greyson knew how.

He stopped the next stripper. “Pass it on to your friends. If anyone can tell me where to find Roscoe, preferably at his home, I’ll give them three hundred bucks cash. Now.”

She took off.

“Wait for it,” he said.

A stripper headed his way. She had a napkin with an address on it. He held up both hands, one with the cash, she palmed the cash, giving him the napkin, and she was gone.

“Got it,” Emma said.

“That was fast,” Dimitri stated.

“Greyson has a way with the ladies,” she said. “Run this address.”

She read it off.

“It’s owned by a Louis Harrington and Rosemary Mateo.”

She grinned wickedly.

“And that’s a wrap.”

Yeah, it had been an easy one.

“I swear, the FBI has gone downhill since you left,” Emma stated. “They should have run a combo of their names. Paris and Tessa would have.”

He was well aware.

“Can we blow this place? I feel like I’m being watched,” Chris said.

Emma laughed. “You are. There are five strippers checking out your ass.”

Chris picked up the pace as they headed out. He blocked their body from the media and anyone else he couldn’t see. He was scanning the area, looking for anything out of place.

At their ride, they hopped in.

 “Let’s drop in on the happy couple, shall we?” Emma offered.

“Yeah, let’s.”

If this panned out, they could pass it off to Ethan Blackhawk, call it a job, and focus on their huge issue.

Viktor Marchenko.

And his need for revenge.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Outside the club, he watched them. They parked four rows away, and beside a building.

It had been perfect.

It made it easier to climb beneath the vehicle so he could do his thing.

He wanted to know where they were at all times, and this would help.

Then, when he’d picked his first target, he’d make his move.

Dimitri wouldn’t see it coming.

And that was the best part of his plan.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

Dimitri was at the kitchen counter making Sam something for breakfast when their housekeeper headed their way. In her hand was an envelope.

“Mr. Gideon, this came for you.”

“Thank you, Magda.”

When she was gone, he felt the package, wary of what it could possibly be.

It felt like papers, and he was willing to take a risk.

Opening it, he pulled out the packet and read the first page. His heart skipped.

They were Sam’s adoption papers.

The first thing he thought about was his life, what he was facing down with his brother, and if it was fair to put Sam in the crosshairs. If Viktor found out about the boy, he’d be gunning for him too.

Did Dimitri want that?

“You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you?” Sam asked, from the doorway.

It caught him off guard.

“What?”

“I’ve seen that look before,” the boy said, entering the kitchen to take a seat. “The family that had the baby—they got that same packet, and she held them the same way as you are as she read them. They changed their mind and didn’t want me. You’d think if you did, you’d be smiling and happy. It’s a dead giveaway, Dimitri.”

He dropped the dad, and it wasn’t lost on Dimitri the boy expected him to break his heart.

“Sam.”

“It’s okay. I get it. No one ever wants me. I’m damaged. People only fall in love with people who are perfect. I have a huge hole in me, and it’s never going away. It’s where my family would have been.”

He’d said that to Emma.

Maybe, he’d been looking to fill that hole with a woman, and instead, this was his sign.

He could fill it with unconditional love of a child.

“I always wonder why I was born. No one has ever wanted me. I knew this place was too good to be real. I’ll go pack. Got a trash bag that I can put my things in?”

That broke his heart. No child should have to pack their things in a garbage bag. It gave a negative connotation right off the bat.

Dimitri couldn’t lie to him.

“I am concerned with adopting you.”

His blue eyes filled with tears. “I know.”

“I need to tell you some things first, and then YOU decide if you want me. I do want you, Sam, but this has to be your choice.”

“What kind of things?”

He sat beside him at the counter.

“My brother is trying to kill me. His name is Viktor Marchenko, and he’s a very bad man.”

“Seriously?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Curtis. That shot was meant for Katerina. He’s coming after anyone who is mine. He wants us to pay, and if I adopt you, you’re in danger.”

“Again, you don’t want me.”

“No, I want you so much. I just…”

He what?

“You want to protect me?” he asked.

“Yes. If you get hurt…”

“I’ve already been hurt,” he said, staring at him. He raised his casted arm. “I’ve been broken. What could possibly happen?”

“He could kill you.”

“So, I can die with a dad and family, or live a long time alone? Those are my two choices?”

Well, when he put it that way…

“Then I choose you, and I’d choose you every time. You’re supposed to be my dad. I know it. I could have picked Emma, or Paris. I wanted you. You get me. I know you’ll always get me.”

Tears filled his eyes.

“Please choose me,” he said. “It won’t work if only one of us wants the other.”

And there it was.

That was his whole mess with Marissa. It didn’t work not because of him, but because of her. She hadn’t wanted him like he wanted her.

From the mouths of babes.

Dimitri pulled the pen from his pocket and handed it to Sam. He pointed at the spot.

Sam began to print his name.

“Make it official, son.”

“Can I pick a middle name? I don’t have one,” Sam asked. “No one ever gave me one.”

“Yes, you can pick one,” he offered. “This is who you’ll be from here on out.”

Sam looked at him. “What’s your middle name?” he asked.

“I don’t have one. When I gave us all new names, I didn’t think to give myself one.”

“What’s your real name?”

“Maximillian Marchenko.”

He focused on the paper and went with it.

‘Samuel Maximillian Gideon’

Dimitri watched, and suddenly, the hole in his life didn’t seem so damn big anymore. It was filled with the sweetness of this small child.

The tears came.

He wiped his eyes.

Sam handed the pen back to him.

“I wanted to have your name too. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

Dimitri didn’t hesitate. He signed his name on the dotted line. Then, he turned to the boy.

“I will keep you safe and I will love you your whole life, son.”

Sam hugged him. “I love you, Dad. I’ll keep you safe too. Thank you for letting me decide.”

Dimitri held him as the boy cuddled against his body.

He knew the truth.

With everything that was coming, it was going to be hard, but somehow, he’d fight a little longer. He’d taken on this boy, and Sam would take over for him one day.

Sam would lead his family.

He’d make him proud.

As for him getting hurt…

It wouldn’t happen.

He’d protect his family if it was the last thing he did.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Roscoe McKinney’s

Home

It wasn’t in a shitty part of town, and that was surprising. When you pictured where a bouncer and bartender would live, it wouldn’t be here.

This location was proof that they were on the right track. The house was way too nice for the occupations of its occupants. Immediately, they knew something shady was going on.

There was money coming in from somewhere, and the three of them suspected where.

Someone was involved in the sex trade.

When they parked, it was down the block out of sight of any possible nosey neighbors. When Croft found them, he didn’t want anyone watching.

It might get…messy.

After creeping down the alley, past a few garages, and into the yard, they were at the back door and could see into the house.

“We have feet in a recliner,” Greyson whispered, his view of the man partially obstructed by a wall. “Someone is home.”

“Plan?” Emma asked.

They were going to do this the easy way.

“Let’s get invited in, so we aren’t arrested on a B and E charge,” he suggested.

Emma knocked.

The man didn’t move.

She knocked again.

Still, nothing.

“Open it,” she said, staring at Chris. “We can’t be seen here, Grey. I have a bad feeling.”

Yeah, he did too.

“Do it.”

Chris slipped on his gloves and pulled out his kit. Dropping to his knee, they covered him.

In under a minute, it was open.

“Watch our back,” Greyson whispered.

Chris got it.

He was on the door.

Carefully, they moved through the kitchen and headed into the living room.

There, in the recliner, was Roscoe.

Only, he was going to be of no help. He was filled with bullets.

Emma whistled for Chris, who joined them.

Greyson stared down at him. “Who killed him?” he asked. “Was it Rosemary tying up a loose end?”

Emma pointed at the man’s hand. There was something peeking out of the closed fingers.

“I see something.”

Chris, with gloved fingers, touched his hand. It was tight and locked in place.

“Lividity,” Chris stated.

“Yeah, he’s been dead over six hours,” she answered, but that wasn’t her focus. There was something else.

There was a note.

With gentle fingers, Chris pried his hand open to free up the scrap of paper.

“Good catch,” Greyson said.

They unfolded it.

‘Dimtiri,

Consider this a present for all the birthdays and Christmas’s I’ve missed. His wife and he were supplying me with all the fresh young pussy I could handle. I killed all those girls, and now I killed him for cutting me off. Rosemary is hiding, and I don’t blame her. I’ll find her, but first, I’m going to kill you. You’re going to be the one I break for murdering our father. The girls will live and I’ll have them, too, in bed.

You’re next.

Viktor.’

Well, it was a good thing they found this and not Dimitri. The last part alone would have freaked him out. He’d saved his sisters from a sadist or two, and he wouldn’t let them go back.

“Well, we know his plan at least,” Chris said, trying to give it a positive spin.”

“Is that all you have?” she asked, dreading what was coming. The war was beginning, and soon.

“Yeah, he’s going to go on a killing spree.”

They were well aware. It was about to be open season on Viktor Marchenko for even threatening Dimitri’s sisters.

The man was clueless.

“We have a bigger issue,” Greyson admitted. “There is no way we can give the FBI this note.”

He had a point. They were going to have to do this carefully. If anything happened, it might implicate Dimitri.

“Do the dance,” Emma stated. “It’s all we can do. You made the deal, and we did it in the timeline. Hopefully, the sex ring is shut down. We know who was working with Louis Mateo, and all the FBI has to do is call out the Marshals to track Rosemary or send in the FBI.”

Chris cleared his throat. “Is it wrong of me to wish Viktor finds her first?”

No, it wasn’t.

Greyson pulled out his phone and made the call.

“Blackhawk.”

“It’s me.”

“Is it done?”

“The two-people leading the sex ring were Rosemary Harrington and Louis Mateo. You couldn’t find him because he was hiding under an alias—Roscoe McKinney. We are staring at him right now. Someone killed him. It was probably her. She’s in the wind. She’s the one you want.”

Ethan knew they’d pull it off.

“Is that it?”

Here’s where it got tricky.

“We’re standing in his living room. Here’s the address,” he said, giving it to him. “Give us twenty minutes to get the hell out of here, okay?”

“That I can do. Thank you for keeping your word.”

He had, even if he wasn’t giving them the full picture.

“Are you sure that’s all?”

Greyson suspected he knew.

This was Ethan Blackhawk. He wasn’t a fool.

“We’re going to start looking for a Russian. You can never have too many. When we find him, we’ll have to kick him out of the game. Vegas is only big enough for one mob and one comrade.”

Blackhawk got it.

“Russians are tricky. Make sure you keep yours safe. It’ll likely be a grudge match, but that’s just what I hear. You know rumors. Be careful.”

Oh, they would.

“Greyson, thank you.”

He didn’t mind. After all, he was cleaning up Vegas. That had been his plan, and it was working.

“Thank you for the assistance in this. Kiss your wife, and tell her I said thank you. Oh, and we found her tablet.”

“Yeah, she was missing that.”

“Would you like me to send it to her?” he asked.

Ethan threw him a bone. They’d solved what the FBI couldn’t.

“If it gets lost in the mail, those things happen. I’m a busy man, and I can’t remember to do all the paperwork to cancel passwords. The job sucks like that.”

Greyson smiled.

“Yeah, the damn postal service. If you’re ever in Vegas, and need my help...”

Ethan laughed. “I won’t call.”

The line went dead.

“Let’s get home,” Greyson said. “I’ll call Riley. His Jane Does are no longer that. His cases are closed and he should contact the FBI with the information. Those dead girls are going home.”

Emma was glad.

Outside, they slipped back down the alley after securing the dead man’s home.

The note was in their pocket, and there was no trace that they’d even been there.

As they climbed into her ride, it felt good to be safe. Now they could focus.

Curtis had to heal.

They had a wedding in four days.

The family would be fine.

And the Russian part of their unit?

That was up in the air. What Emma did know was she would fight for them. They were family, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

Sometimes, you had to break the law.

Sometimes, you had to make the guilty pay.

In Vegas, there were only two things you could bet on. The odds were always against you, and crime always did pay.

Especially if you were a Gideon or a Croft.

Epilogue

Terrace Glen

Tuesday

Noon

W hen they arrived at the house, he was inside waiting for them. They’d called to tell him they were on their way back to the safety of their home, but he still paced like an expectant father, dying to get his chicks back into the nest where they’d be safe.

Not being able to be out there with Greyson was killing him. Dimitri actually felt like he was letting his family down. He was supposed to keep them safe, but how was he supposed to do that locked inside Terrace Glen?

As the monitor beeped, signaling the gate was opening, he headed to the foyer to greet them. It didn’t take them long to enter the house, Emma first, Greyson behind them, and Chris blocking their bodies with his own.

Well, at least they weren’t completely unguarded.

“Well?” he asked. “What did you find at the house?”

She told him about it, then headed into the living room, and to the bar.

Dimitri watched as she poured three bourbons and grabbed a bottle of water.

“We’re drinking in celebration of him being dead and the woman on the run?” he asked, as Emma lined the drinks up on the table.

She handed one to Dimitri.

“Drink it.”

He did.

It burned all the way down.

“I’m drinking alone?” he asked, staring at the two other men.

Emma handed him a second glass.

“Bottoms up.”

Now he was worried. “You’re trying to get me drunk to take advantage of me?” he teased, even as he drank the next two fingers of bourbon.

Emma still didn’t say anything.

She handed him the last glass, and then sat in his lap.

He stared at them. “It’s going to be bad. You’re trying to get me inebriated as Emma keeps me from freaking out.”

Greyson nodded.

“You’re fired.”

Dimitri stopped mid sip. “What? I’m fired from what exactly,” he asked.

“From our security.”

His heart began thumping in his chest, and he was ready to be sick.

“What did I do?” he asked.

Emma wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and rested her head against his.

“Max.”

He was getting more nervous by the minute. “Just say it, Emma. Just rip the bandage off for me.”

She whispered to him in Russian.

He knew it was going to be bad if she was soothing him before the news.

“Here,” Greyson said, handing him the note.

Dimitri kicked back the last of the bourbon and placed the glass on the coaster on the table.

He opened the note and read it.

He was fine all the way through until he got to the final part of the letter. That’s when he began getting red.

“If he even thinks I’ll let him touch my sisters, he’s insane. I’ll cut out his heart.”

“And that’s why you’re done,” Emma said. “We can’t let you play bodyguard when he’s aiming for you.”

“I’ll be…”

She covered his mouth and left a gentle kiss on his temple. “Please. Don’t say it.”

He leaned back on the couch.

“Emma,” he finally said, when she moved her hand. “I’m hard to kill.”

She was going to go with what she knew.

“He’s had years to study you. All I’m asking is you don’t follow us around. You can stay here, study your prey, and we’ll help you. He’s not even going to make you suffer, Dimitri. He’s coming right at you.”

“I’m not afraid to die.”

She got up and began pacing.

As she did, she fought the tears. Only, they weren’t so easily pushed down.

“I’m afraid to watch you die. You matter to me, and you’re mine, Dimitri. Please. You tell me I’m like your sister, so don’t let him break me with your death. I need you to care. I need you to be afraid.”

Greyson agreed. “Until we can figure him out, you need to stay in, Dimitri. Kat will be here, Curtis will be here, and Natasha…who the hell knows where she is. I never can find her.”

He was aware of where his sister was. He could smell her perfume. “She’s here.”

“For us,” Chris said. “We can hire bodyguards. That’s easy to replace, but you are valuable to us.”

At that moment, Sam came running into the room.

He saw Emma, and ran to her.

“Guess what!” he asked.

Immediately, she buried her fears.

“What?” she asked, ruffling his hair.

He was bouncing like a ball. “Dad signed the papers. They came. Uncle Dante got them rushed through like Uncle Grey said. I finally have a family.”

She hugged him and stared at Dimitri over the boy’s shoulders.

“Oh, Sam! I’m so happy! Today is going to officially be your birthday! Today you became all of ours!”

The boy grinned. “But guess what the best part is?”

She couldn’t imagine. “What, sweetheart?”

“I got to finally get a middle name. I finally am whole.”

She smiled at him. “Please tell me he didn’t let you pick Deuce.”

He laughed. “No way, babe!”

“Sam,” Dimitri warned.

“No way, Aunt babe.”

She snorted. “What did you pick?”

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I wrote it down.”

Emma read it, and tears filled her eyes.

“Sam Maximillian Gideon. That’s a beautiful name,” she said, as the tears began falling.

“Are you sad?” he asked.

Greyson was watching Dimitri. His face said it all. He was worried about Sam.

“No, Mr. Gideon,” she said, tickling him. “I’m just glad you’re ours. When you love someone so much, you just want them to be safe, happy, and loved. Now we’ll never lose you, and that’s why I’m crying. Family is precious, Sam. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Emma,” Dimitri said. 

She didn’t look at him.

“I’m going to go make you a cake. Since it’s your birthday, you get whatever kind you want. Would you like to help me?” she asked.

He grinned. “I used to think a place like this wasn’t possible. I got really lucky. All I have is sisters, and all of you. All I need, now, is a brother.”

Emma held out her hand.

“Brothers are important,” she said. “I’ve been blessed with quite a few of them.”

Sam walked with her to the kitchen.

“Can you tell me about them?” he asked. “I need to know how to deal with siblings—especially girls.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Dimitri.

“Yeah, Sam, I can tell you about them. One is your dad.”

She took him into the kitchen.

Dimitri leaned back and closed his eyes.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked.

Chris took this one. “She lost Gage, she nearly lost me, and if she loses you, that will break her. We know the approximate location of Viktor’s home. You stay in, you work on that, and we find a way to beat him.”

“And if he comes at our family?” he asked.

“Then we deal with it when it happens, Dimitri. He wants you to do this. Be smart. Think,” Greyson stated.

He did think.

He thought about Emma and Sam.

“Okay. I’ll stay in, and I’ll work on finding where he’s at, but on one condition.”

“What?”

“We all stay in. He may be coming at me, but if he grabs one of you, he knows I’ll trade myself for you.”

Greyson agreed.

“And we hire new guards—until it’s over.”

“Who do you have in mind?” Greyson asked.

“I have a few favors that are owed. I can call them in, and they’ll help.”

“Mercenaries?” Chris asked.

Dimitri lifted a brow. “Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does.”

“If it offends…”

He held up his hand. “You’ve gotten it wrong. Get us the biggest, baddest killers you know. This is my, family too, and we are going to make a stand.”

Dimitri stood.

“And fight?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Chris stood and took his hand in his. “We fight.”

Greyson joined them, adding his hand to theirs. “It’s war, boys. We go down swinging.”

The three men stood there, and they took a vow.

They weren’t going down without one hell of a battle.

For them.

For FAMILY.

For Vegas.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Commissioner’s

Home

It had been a tumultuous week at work. Honestly, he didn’t think he could pull off another like that.

Jeffery Raye had learned a valuable lesson.

Playing with crazies could get you burned.

He’d come so close on this one and having a set of eyes on the detectives was imperative, but allowing the police captain to run it was bad.

He needed someone to take the pressure off and make him look good.

Detective Poppy Wayne was the one for the job.

She was a straight arrow, but he was good with that. He owned enough cops that she’d take the heat off him. Blowing Thomas Christ’s brains out had been necessary, but a risk he was NOT going to take again.

Now, he wanted a little calm.

The Crofts were leaving him alone, and for now, he wanted to stay under their radar.

If not, who knew what could happen.

All he knew was they owned one detective.

Well, he was going to pair the man up with the crookedest person he had on his private payroll.

He’d make him uncomfortable.

Maybe, he’d quit.

If Detective Riley Henderson was banging that barracuda, he wasn’t provoking that. He’d let his hired help watch the man, and let the chips fall where they may.

It was part of his master plan.

He was close to ruling this city.

As his driver dropped him off, he headed to his house. Before he could even get there, he had company.

“Did you forget about me?” Heath Spencer asked from the bushes.

The man jumped.

“Jesus! What are you doing here?”

“I want the Crofts. You all let me take the rap for that little drug thing, and I lost my career.”

“Heath.”

“Oh, it’s not going to play out like that. I have proof you were involved, Commissioner, and I heard about your lap dog Christ. I’m going to bet you sacrificed him to save your ass, like you sacrificed me.”

“What do you want?”

“Help.”

“With?”

“I want to put a bullet in Emma Croft’s brain, and I want to make her husband pay,” he said, lifting his shirt to show him the gun he’d bought thanks to Thomas Christ.

He meant business.

“Heath.”

“I won’t be making my trial. You’re going to make my life so much easier, or I’m going to spill my guts on the stand.”

He stared at him. “Are you threatening me?”

“Yes. I need you to host a little function. I’m going to be there. Emma Croft, she’s going to die. Do you get it?”

“Then are we done?”

He laughed and headed down the sidewalk. “Maybe.”

Raye watched the man go.

He knew he was screwed.

He’d handled one killer, and now he was playing with another. There had to be a way.

Something.

Then, he had a plan.

And it might just work after all.

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Saturday Morning

Wedding

Detective Henderson’s

Home

Maybe being temporarily unemployed was a good thing. For the last five days, he’d been able to spend copious amounts of time with Delilah, and he was having a damn good time.

They’d worked out in her gym together, and then ended up having really hot sex.

They’d watched TV on his couch, trying to keep up with the news, and he’d gotten a blowjob that nearly killed him.

Now they were getting ready to head to the Crofts’ home to witness the marriage of Steele and Dante.

It was going to be a good day.

He could tell.

As he was drying off, Delilah came into his bedroom holding two dresses.

Only, that wasn’t what he was looking at. It was the sexy girly things that would be under the dresses that had his attention.

“Riley, which one?” she asked.

“Hold them up and turn around.”

She did what he asked.

He whistled.

“RILEY!”

He couldn’t help himself. Delilah was wearing a sexy corset in black and there were no straps. It was barely containing her assets. The sexy little straps attached to her thigh highs was enough to make him go stupid.

The towel around his waist tented from his reaction.

“Delilah, that’s just so wrong.”

She looked down. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked. “I thought you like the things I wear under my clothes.”

He pointed at his erection. “I was talking about showing me that and then covering it with a dress.”

She finally got it and laughed.

“Oh, is that so,” she purred, heading his way. “Care to make a little wager, Detective?” she asked.

Delilah licked a drop of water off his chest and he swore his dick twitched.

“Yes. Whatever it is, yes.”

She found that amusing. “I say that I can have you drunk and disorderly before we get home from the wedding.”

He laughed. “That’s an easy one.”

“If you can abstain from my charms, there may be handcuffs in your future.”

“On me or on you?” he asked.

She whispered in his ear. “Delilah! Holy shit! You’re a very bad girl.”

Delilah ran her hand down his chest and over the rock-hard bump beneath his towel.

“If you can fight me off, you get that.”

“Deal.”

He wasn’t stupid.

“If I can make you jump me before, during, or after the wedding before we get home, I win.”

Riley was good with that.

“I can be tough.”

She slowly kissed him until she made him moan. Then, she backed away from him.

Riley watched her.

Delilah flicked open the little ribbons and stepped out of her panties. She tossed them to him. “I won’t need these.”

He stared at her. “Wait! You’re going to go commando under your dress.”

“Pick,” she said, holding both choices up. One was more conservative.

He picked that one.

She immediately chose the other.

“You’re evil,” he said, still holding the tiny pair of panties in his hand.

“Detective Henderson, I hope you’re ready.”

He stared at her. “Delilah, do your worst.”

She winked and headed out of the room, her bare ass swaying. Riley had to laugh.

He was a winner either way, and he knew it, but he was going to teach the counselor one hell of a lesson.

Cops were tougher than they looked.

                   * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Ten Days After

The Wedding

Terrace Glen

The house was relatively quiet.

Chris was sitting in the kitchen making a list of things for their little vacation away from the chaos, and he couldn’t wait to go. A soon as Emma and Greyson returned from New York, after making Greyson’s little deposit of sperm for Tessa’s artificial insemination, they’d be heading out.

He was so damn grateful that Emma and Greyson had agreed to take some time to hide out and regroup.

After the last case, and the way Dimitri was wearing a target, it would be nice to have some time away to relax. Dante and Steele were off on their honeymoon, Tessa and Paris would be coming back to rest until they found out about the baby, and the remaining family would be heading to Chris’s vacation home.

It still amused him.

As he sat there, Natasha came in smiling.

“What are you doing?” she asked, leaning against him.

“Making a list and checking it twice.”

“Oh, am I on it for being naughty?” she asked.

He laughed like a lunatic.

Sexy young babe plus mountain get away meant one thing to him.

Hot sex.

“Yeah, look right here. You’re definitely on my naughty list. Want to sit on my lap and tell me what you want for the vacation?”

Natasha hopped up. “You. I want you.”

He gave her a kiss. “I want you, too, Natasha, and I’m going to have you. I say we bring some sexy fun stuff. You know what happened in the mountains stays in them.”

That made her giggle.

Natasha was going to bring her own list of fun things. She just had to find a way to distract him so she could sneak away. Katrina told her about the store that sold kinky things, and she’d been googling.

Needless to say, her sexy Captain was going to get one hell of a holiday.

When he began nibbling at her neck, she flushed with heat.

“Jesus. I’m going to lose my mind. For a whole week, I’m trapped in the house watching you molest my sister.”

Chris laughed. “Sucks to be you, Dimitri. When we go to the cabin, we’re going to be having lots of sex. I have the room right next to yours.”

“Asshole.”

“Douchebag.”

Natasha laughed. “I’m so glad my boyfriend and brother get along. If they didn’t, that would make it so damn awkward.”

“Want me to take care of him, Dad?” Sam asked.

“Listen up, squirt. Don’t make me grab you by those skinny ankles and toss you in the pool. The cast is off, and I can do it,” he said to Sam.

The boy laughed.

Dimitri had to admit, hiding out wasn’t too bad. He really didn’t mind his sister and Chris. He’d adjusted. Besides, Sam was keeping him busy.

The kid was smart.

“I have to go grab something,” Natasha said, giving Chris a kiss.

“I love you,” he said, stopping her before she walked away. “You’re my girl.”

She went back into his arms and they really shared a kiss.

Sam made gagging noises. “I’m out of here. That’s freaking gross.”

“Tell me about it,” Dimitri said, grinning.

When Chris finally set her free, he was wiggling his eyebrows. “You, me, bedroom?” he asked.

She nodded and blew him a kiss.

Dimitri headed over to the man and opened a bottle of beer before sliding it down the counter to him.

“You’re really excited about this trip,” he said.

“Yep.”

“Why?” he asked. “It’s the woods. There are bugs.”

He reached into his pocket. “This came today.”

He slid the little black box down the counter to him and then took a sip of the beer.

Dimitri opened it.

Inside sat a huge ass diamond ring.

“Wow.”

“I’d like to ask your permission to marry your sister/child,” he said. “I’m not saying it’ll be a fast engagement, but I’m ready to make the next step. I want to ask at the vacation house. I want to make it special.”

Dimitri closed the ring box.

“You may have my sister’s hand in marriage, Captain, and I’m proud to be your brother when you say ‘I do’.”

He pocketed the ring. “Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked.

“She’s going to die from the excitement. It’s gorgeous. Did Emma help?”

“Nope. I did it all by myself. Greyson gave me the name of his jeweler, and I stole one of her rings from her jewelry box. It came and I’m ready.”

Dimitri patted him on the back.

Before he could say anything, there was beeping from the command center built into the wall.

“Someone is opening the gates.”

They both rushed over, and Dimitri pulled up the information on the screen.

“If Sam is stealing a car again, I’m going to ground him until he’s forty,” Dimitri stated.

He saw that it was Emma’s ride, and it had already cleared the gate.

Dimitri turned on the camera inside the ride.

It was Natasha, dressed up as someone other than herself. She was incognito. The only thing that gave her away was the dimples in her cheeks when she smiled and the aqua eyes.

“Natasha, what are you doing?”

“I have to run out to get a few things before the trip,” she said, just clearing the long driveway.

“It’s not safe,” Dimitri said. “Come back to the house before you get hurt.”

“Dimitri,” she said.

“Natasha, I said…”

That’s when it happened. There was the most horrific sound as the car monitor went dead and the house was rocked with the explosion.

Dimitri screamed her name as he tore towards the front door to get to his sister.

Chris tackled him, his heart in his throat.

Curtis, Katerina, and Sam raced for them, along with all the staff.

Everything moved in slow motion.

“Keep Dimitri here!” Chris said, trying to get to the explosion and Natasha. He pulled open the door, only to be rocked back by one hell of a direct hit to his body armor in the center of his chest.

It stole his breath as he slid across the tile and into the pile of people trying to keep Dimitri down.

The war had begun.

The first shots were fired.

And now it was anybody’s game.

To be continued…

Coming Next:

    LostSouls

          Book eight in the Littlemoon Investigations

               Sept 2017

Other books by Morgan Kelley:

Standalone books

The Junction

Serial Sins

The Blood Betrayal

Romance/FBI Thriller Series

    Elizabeth, Ethan, and Callen

The Killing Times (book 1)

Sacred Burial Grounds (book 2)

True Love Lost (book 3)

Deep Dark Mire (book 4)

Fire Burns Hot (book 5)

Darkness of Truth (book 6)

Devil Hath Come (book 7)

Consumed by Wrath (book 8)

Redemption is Here (book 9)

Dead Shall Speak (book 10)

Pledging to Die (book 11)

Slay Bells Ring (book 12)

Past will Haunt (13) Flashback Book #1

Choices will Destroy (14)

Blood shall Run (15)

Act of Blood (16)

Stalked by the Past (17) Flashback book #2

Dying to Love (18)

Kiss of Souls (18.5) a Littlemoon/FBI crossover.

Revenge has Come (19) June 2017

Discarded by Fate (20) Oct 2017

Dawn of Evil (21) Flashback book #3 Feb 2018

Dead are Forgotten (22) Feb 2018

Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Series

     Greyson and Emma Croft

Celestia is Falling (book 1)

Vegas is Dying (book 2)

Christmas is Killing (book 3)

Love is Bleeding (book 4)

Heaven is Weeping (book 5)

Hell is Burning (book 6)

Justice is Dying (book 7)

The Croft Mob Series

Greyson and Emma Croft spinoff series

Dark Justice (1)

Lost Justice (2)

Paid Justice (3)

Wedding of our Dreams Novella (3.5) Steele and Dante

True Justice (4) March 2018

Mob Justice (5) August 2018

All Justice (6) March 2019

Wedding Day Blues Novella (6.5) March 2019

No Justice (7) August 2019

City Justice (8) March 2020

Bad Justice (9) August 2020

Sold Justice (10) March 2021

The Littlemoon Investigations Series

      Julian and Tori Littlemoon

Blood Red Rage (book 1)

Lost & Broken (book 2)

Unthinkable Games (book 3)

Truth is Found (book 4)

Haven of Nightmares (book 5)

Forbidden Secrets (book 6)

Kiss of Souls (book 7)

Lost Souls (book 8) Sept 2017

The Hunter Trilogy

     Dakota Rakin

Atonement  1)  December 2017

Absolution (2)   December 2018

Amends (3)       December 2019

The Carter Chronicles Trilogy

     Callista, Nathaniel, and Lucas

Sinner Repent (book 1)

Sinner Realized (book 2)

Sinner Reborn (book 3)

The Oracle Phoenix Files

                  Nathaniel Carter and Avalon Miller

Oracle Rising (book 1)

Oracle Seeing (book 2)

Oracle Haunting (book 3)

Oracle Hunting (book 4) January 2018

Harcourte Vampyre Society

       Jolie, Jacques and Flynn

Dangerous Revelations (book 1)

Dangerous Choices (book 2)

Dangerous Misery (book 3)

Dangerous Retaliation (book 4)

Dangerous Influence (book 5)

Dangerous Sacrifice (book 6)

Dangerous Blood (Final Book) Dec 2017

The Tueur

     Flynn and Jolie

Wicked Hunt (1)  November 2018

Anthologies

      All the couples in one book

Illegal Fantasies-

Behind Closed Doors(1)

Romance Under Arrest- winter 2014

Behind Closed Doors(2)

Holiday Reinforcements-

Behind Closed Doors (3)- winter 2015

Please feel free to visit her at her blog at

www.morgankelley.blogspot.com

                          * * *  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

          MK