Chapter Eleven
Little Chapel Of Love
Las Vegas Strip
Evening
I t was time to get married. As they drove to the chapel, Riley kept glancing over at Delilah. She looked so beautiful in her dress. How she found one on such notice astounded him. She was even wearing a little veil.
She stole his breath.
This was definitely the woman he was meant to marry, and especially now since she’d been willing to give up her career for him.
Who did things like that?
Her.
And he loved her for it.
Beside him, in her vintage-y fifties wedding dress was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he couldn’t wait to make her his bride.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, as she held his hand in hers.
“That I can’t believe you’re going to marry me, and that we’re going to be a family for the rest of our lives.”
Delilah was glad he wasn’t talking about a prenup, or what had happened. For now, she wanted him to be focused on the wedding.
Their marriage.
“You’re my all, Delilah,” he admitted.
She smiled at him, and it was so genuine. Riley saw it reach all the way to her eyes.
She was happy.
So was he.
“I picked up your wedding band,” Delilah stated. “I hope you like it.”
He laughed.
“Oh, honey, I like what comes with it. I get me a sexy wife who will always be at my side.”
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Me too.”
“Are you sure you don’t want out?” he asked. “Are you sure I can’t sign a prenup?”
Here it was again.
Delilah wanted to kick the hell out of Finn.
“No.”
“I never want you to think that I’m marrying you for your money.”
“I know you’re not.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you took the job with the Crofts to stay in Vegas for me. You gave up your badge to be here with me. I don’t doubt for a second that you love me for me. That’s what Finn doesn’t get. It wasn’t just a spur of the moment proposal. There was so much to go with it.”
“There was.”
“Besides, we have enough money to buy our home outright when we sell both of ours, and you have a job. We don’t need money. We have each other.”
“All you need is love.”
“I really believe that. I had to stop taking divorce cases early in my career. It made me lose hope that there were people out there really getting married for love and staying married. I am telling you right now, Riley, that the only way I’ll ever divorce you is if you have an affair.”
He kissed her knuckles.
“I’d be a fool. Have you seen my bride-to-be?”
“It happens. I’ve seen it. If you cheat on me, after I kill her, and neuter you with a pair of children’s scissors, I will take you for every penny until you have to live in a cardboard box.”
He laughed.
“There’s my piranha attorney.”
“I believe in marriage still. I believe in ours.”
“I promise that I will never cheat on you, Delilah. I promise that I’ll be faithful. I won’t have a wandering eye, and I’ll always give you all I have. If you ever want out, just tell me.”
“Riley…”
“I didn’t say I’d let you go. I just said tell me. That means something is broken, and we have to work on it. We have to fix it, so we can be the foundation of what’s to come. I want to have a family with you, and holidays with you. I want to watch our kids on Christmas, and Easter Egg hunts. I want the little things like coffee in the morning before work, and a beer on Friday nights after I get home from work.”
“On a porch swing.”
He smiled.
“On our porch swing.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and since he’d offered her his promise, she wanted to give him one too.
“I want to watch the news in bed with my husband, and then when we both have a cold, order Chinese takeout and cuddle. I want to be there when you come home, and never be away from you. I want to do the cheesy things like family portraits for over the fireplace where we all wear matching clothes.”
“Deal. I’m in.”
“I want to marry my best friend.”
He pulled into the parking lot and put his truck in park.
“I am marrying mine. I promise to put you first, Delilah. I swear that I’ll always worry about how you feel.”
She kissed him.
“I think those were our vows,” he said, his lips still lingering on hers.
“Then this should be fast,” Delilah stated. “Want to get married?” she asked.
He grinned.
“Hell, yeah!”
They both hopped out, and Riley took her hand. Greyson and Emma were in front of the chapel, and there was media taking their pictures.
“Oh, look, honey. Our first family photo,” Riley teased. “It will look lovely over our fireplace.”
They smiled for the camera.
Greyson found it funny.
“Ready?” he asked.
They stared at each other.
Yeah, they really, really were.
It was time to begin their lives.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Hotel
Penthouse
When she came out of the master bedroom—post massage, the living room of the penthouse had been transformed. The place had some new things, and Poppy couldn’t help but be astounded by how fast he’d worked.
There was a big screen TV.
A popcorn machine.
Sodas in a large ice bucket, and what looked like a concession stand.
He’d thought of everything.
The man just blew her mind. Before him, there was never a hope of finding something like this. She was a cop, and she’d die a cop.
Yet here, he’d taken her by surprise.
As she heard the elevator bell ring, she knew he was coming. Running to the nearest mirror, she checked her hair and makeup.
He’d told her casual.
She hoped she wasn’t too casual.
“Poppy, it’s me. Is it safe to come in?” he called. “Am I too early for our date?”
Hell, no!
She was ready.
“Come on in. I’m decent.”
She hoped.
Dimitri headed in, and he was carrying a big bunch of flowers. They were sunny, bright, and they immediately made her smile.
Then she focused on him.
Jesus.
The man was so handsome.
He’d opted for jeans, and he was still wearing shiny black shoes, but he’d chosen a simple black polo shirt to finish it off. His hair was loose, and those aqua eyes.
Holy shit!
“Hey,” she said, trying not to stare like some smitten girl, but it was hard. She didn’t want him thinking she couldn’t control her hormones. She could, but God! It was hard around him.
He was sexy as hell.
“Hey,” he said, checking her out.
She’d opted for jeans, too, and a soft baby blue sweater that matched her eyes. He wanted to touch it to feel how soft it was and then touch her next.
Her hair was down, and it curled at the ends. Dimitri knew it would smell like wildflowers. Poppy was like a meadow that he wanted to lie in until he was scented just like her.
“I hope I chose right for our second date.”
She smiled, and his heart skipped.
“I think it’s our third. I’ve already met your family,” she said, reminding him of their lunch date.
He grinned wickedly.
Yes, yes, she did.
“Good, because now I won’t feel guilty about making out on our third date.”
He saw the flush on her neck.
God!
That response to him attracted him to her so much. It was like nothing he’d ever had before. With a hooker, you paid them to moan, pretend, and react.
With Marissa, she’d been violently wild, trying to use his body to forget her pain.
With Poppy…he prayed she’d be that innocent breeze that helped him find that peace.
And miracle of miracles, so far, she had been.
“Speaking of food,” he said, pointing at the popcorn. “That’s an accoutrement to a movie. It’s not really food, so don’t panic.”
She took the flowers and then went up on her toes to give him a soft kiss.
“Of course it is. You can’t watch a movie without popcorn. I wasn’t even going to question it.”
That and she’d come back and ran her ass off—she hoped—so she was feeling much better about making out on a couch with this man.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to watch,” he stated, as he handed her two movies.
“Uh, Dimitri, these aren’t out until this weekend. I just saw the preview while I was showering.”
He smiled.
“Being a Croft has its advantages. You’d be amazed the things Greyson can conjure with just a sentence. He said to enjoy. So, which would you like to see?”
She handed back the romantic comedy.
He laughed.
“Chick flick it is.”
She stopped him.
“UH, that’s the one I don’t want to see. I want the slasher flick where that helpless group of kids gets chased through the trees until the killer picks the blonde ones off first.”
He laughed.
“Be still my heart. She likes gore.”
“No, I like pretending I’m afraid, so I can practically sit in your lap again.”
His heart skipped.
God!
He wanted that more than anything in the whole world. He wanted Poppy to touch him. All that stood between them and sex was him being honest.
One.
Last.
Step.
“Then let’s begin the fun,” he offered, holding out his arm to escort her to their own, private movie theater.
At the DVD player, he popped in the disc. Then he filled a bowl full of popcorn for them to share.
“What kind of soda would you like?” she asked.
“Grape.”
She giggled.
“You have issues with grape?” he asked. “That’s my all-time favorite.”
“Mine too. I’m glad we both like it, so when I kiss you, we won’t have some wonky weird flavor going on.”
He loved her honesty.
There was NO pretense with Poppy. There was no pretending she was going to be coy or playing a game. Dimitri hated that. It was why he never dated. He never wanted to play childish games.
He wanted someone to be honest with him.
To accept him.
To love what he was beneath the face.
Sure, he could attract women with his outside package, and the fact he had money, but that’s not what he wanted.
Poppy wasn’t a gold digger.
He could tell.
She wasn’t begging him to take her out or trying to impress him with fake smiles or pretend fascination.
She was herself.
That genuine person was who he was falling for each second that he was with her.
When he met her at the couch, she had one bottle of soda and two straws. That right there…it made his whole world turn upside down.
It was so…couplish, and something he’d never think he’d have with a woman.
It was beautiful.
“Okay, so, popcorn, sexy man, and soda. My night is complete.”
She kicked off her shoes and hopped onto the couch.
“Come to Detective Wayne. She won’t let the killer get you,” she teased.
He laughed.
Dimitri kicked off his shoes and joined her.
“What are those candies for, Miss Wayne?” he asked, as she tore open two boxes.
“There is ONLY one way to eat popcorn. Watch and learn, Mr. Gideon.”
She upended the two boxes into the popcorn.
He laughed.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she stated. “But this is how Detective Wayne rolls.”
No, he didn’t mind at all.
“It’s perfect.”
And it was.
“Lights down,” he said.
They dimmed at his command, and it made Poppy giggle uncontrollably.
“What?” he asked.
“And here, I’ve been walking to the freaking switches,” she teased.
Dimitri couldn’t help but smile at her silliness, and then he moved even closer until they were as close as they could be without actually being naked.
“Play.”
The movie began.
Dimitri noticed she was watching the movie, and that amused him. He had already seen this one. Sam had watched it a couple days ago, and he’d been working at the table. He knew what was coming. As the killer got ready to take his first victim, he got ready.
As he attacked, so did Dimitri. He shouted, and she jumped nearly two feet.
“You’re a dick,” she said, tossing popcorn at him by the fistful.
He laughed.
“I was just curious as to if the detective got scared. My bad,” he said.
“So, you’ve seen it,” she said. “That’s cheating. We aren’t on a level playing field.”
Oh, he was aware.
That was NOT how Dimitri worked in life, and he wasn’t likely to start that way either.
“I apologize. Sam likes scary movies.”
She took the popcorn bowl as she stood up. She placed it on the table.
Dimitri began panicking.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
He thought she was leaving.
Instead, she sat in his lap.
“Since you’ve seen it, we should find something better to entertain ourselves with,” she stated.
Oh, his night really got better. He was going to thank Sam as soon as he got home.
“Well, Miss Wayne, it is our third date.”
She found his mouth with hers, and there was one hell of a kiss. She drove it, feeling his body react to hers. As he held her, his dick throbbed beneath her, and she loved every second of it.
There were kisses, his hands found her hair, and he wouldn’t set her free.
Dimitri didn’t relent with the kiss. Instead, he owned it.
Stole.
Drove.
Poppy went liquid in his arms, flowing with that heat that came from him. She wanted nothing more than this moment. She wanted this man.
She thought about those kisses on the mountain, and she thought about the man beneath her. Then her whole world turned, as she found herself beneath him.
As he kept kissing her, Poppy’s hands slid beneath his shirt to his body. That kiss of his taut flesh against her fingers made him shiver, and it wasn’t because her hands were cold.
They weren’t.
Dimitri kept driving the kiss as his body trapped her beneath him. Dimitri was lost in that ecstasy.
There was no pretense.
There was no fakeness.
It was a raw, honest reaction from her, and he couldn’t believe she was feeling it for him.
She had goose bumps across her flesh!
God!
That was a miracle in itself.
It was the genuine reaction to him, a man, and it made him beyond wild. As she touched him, her hands caressing his body, he pictured himself taking her right there.
He wanted them naked, bare, and connecting on that intimate level.
“Dimitri,” she whispered as he teased her neck and earlobe with his very eager mouth.
“So soft,” he replied. “I love touching you, Poppy.”
He drove her wild with his mouth, traveling lower to the vee of her sweater.
“You’re killing me,” she muttered.
In that second, her words changed everything.
Those words brought him back to the present, and out of the fantasy world.
Dimitri realized that before he partook in that sweetness, he had to be honest. He had to share the truth with her.
He wanted Poppy.
He wanted a relationship with her, and he couldn’t do that built on his secrets.
He pulled away and stood.
She stared up at him.
“Uh, in my world on the third date, you go a lot further than this,” she reassured.
Where to begin?
Oh, he knew.
“I killed Mace Bristol.”
The pleasure came to a screeching halt.
Poppy sat up.
“What?”
“I know you’re working on the case. I saw the files on the desk in your room. I’m confessing to you. I killed him. It was me, Poppy. It wasn’t Greyson. He had nothing to do with it. It was me.”
Her mouth opened and then closed.
“I can’t start something with you unless I can be honest. I’ve made that mistake before and I want to have no lies between us. I want you to know what I am and accept me for me.”
Poppy didn’t know what to say.
She was trying to switch from amazing pleasure to the cold, hard slap of reality. Her mind was lagging as her body screamed in displeasure that he’d come to such a quick stop.
Her world shook.
Dimitri sat, and he knew he had to continue. His hope was in this woman, and she was staring at him.
“That’s not all.”
She didn’t speak.
He knew it was all or nothing.
“I’ve also hired a lot of hookers in my past. I don’t make attachments to women. In fact, I make it a rule never to date. I buy a night of sex and I move on. That’s how I knew that madam. She was the madam I used.”
Poppy was horrified.
Her mouth opened and then closed again.
Dimitri saw the look.
In his heart, he knew this was over. Still, he gave her the benefit of the doubt.
He pushed on.
“With you, I want more than just a relationship built on lies. I want something special that I can be proud of.”
When she didn’t speak, he was nervous.
“Say something, Poppy.”
“You killed Mace? You hire hookers?”
“Yes.”
Dimitri went to touch her, and she stopped him. She stopped his hand from touching her body, and that said it all. It spoke of what she now thought of him.
He was a smart man. He knew what it meant.
Dimitri’s hope of ever having that feeling of acceptance was gone. It was done. Poppy didn’t want him. She saw the monster beneath the handsome face, and she was about to run.
He couldn't handle it.
So, he decided it was best for him to leave first. For the first time in his life, Dimitri would run.
He’d bail.
“You needed to know.”
There was a chill in his voice.
“You can arrest me in the morning. Do as you see fit, Detective.”
Dimitri stood, slipped on his shoes, and began walking away. He backed out, refusing to turn his back to her. Before that moment, he would have. He would have trusted her to have his back. That she didn’t stop him said it all.
It was done.
He’d made a huge error.
He fell in love.
In the elevator, Dimitri fought the tears. He fought that pain of once more being rejected. He was going to go hide for a little while. He was going to find the one place he was safe.
Aquarius.
Truth be told, he needed a drink—a big one. He needed to forget. Dimitri needed to somehow find a way to put her out of his head.
Dimitri Gideon was done with women. In that moment, he knew the truth.
He was a horrible monster.
And he’d die one.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Vegas
They were heading back from Delilah and Riley’s wedding when Emma’s phone rang. She knew from calling it the previous night that it was Poppy.
That was odd.
She and Dimitri should be fully entrenched in their date, and too busy to dial a phone.
Something was up.
“Yes, detective?” she asked when she answered her cell. Emma was expecting the worst. Vegas taught her that.
“Something bad happened.”
She put it on speakerphone.
“What?” she asked. “Is Dimitri hurt? Are you hurt?” she asked. “What ‘bad’ thing happened?”
Immediately, she had Greyson’s attention, and he pulled off the road so they could listen, assess, and handle the situation. If the detective was calling, the shit had hit the fan.
“I didn’t know who to call, Emma. I need someone’s help with this. Please help me.”
In Emma’s head, she was picturing all kinds of horrific things. Someone was dead, there was blood, and she and Greyson had lost Dimitri.
“What’s going on?” she asked, trying to keep calm.
She told them.
“He confessed to killing Mace.”
There was silence.
“He’s lying. It was me,” Emma stated, trying to help Dimitri out. Maybe if she planted doubt…
“I’m not worried about that,” she said. “He told me about the hookers, and then he left. I didn’t even get to process it. We were making out, we were heading toward sex, and he dropped those two bombs in a matter of twenty seconds. I didn’t even get a minute to figure out what the hell he was saying, and he left.”
Greyson relaxed.
No one was dead.
Yet.
“I’m afraid I’ve really upset him. I just wasn’t expecting it. I was going merrily toward second base, and I ran into some confessions I didn’t see coming. What do I do?” she asked, crying. “I don’t know what to do.”
Okay, they could handle this one.
This…
It wasn’t major.
It was simply clean up duty.
“Dimitri doesn’t do anything without reason,” Emma stated. “The Mace thing…”
“I told you I don’t care about that. I just needed to figure out what he was saying. I’m good now. Help me find him. I’m scared for him. I want to follow him, but we were nearly run down today. Someone tried to kill us. Please, Emma. Where would he go?”
Yeah, they were aware. They didn’t want Dimitri wandering around alone—especially if there was a killer trying to run him down.
Now he was distracted.
“I’ll come get you. Be dressed and ready,” Emma stated. “We’ll get this under control.”
“Okay, thank you. I know you don’t have to help me. I know I’m a stranger, and I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m worried about him.”
That was all she had to say.
“Poppy, you’re my friend. I’ll get you to him, and we’ll make this right. I promise.”
“Thank you, Emma. God! If he gets hurt…”
Yeah, she was aware.
“I’ll be there in five.”
She hung up.
“What the bloody hell is he thinking?” Greyson asked. “He just told a cop he killed Mace. He’s out of his mind.”
“He’s in love with her. He told Marissa Pierce the truth, and she ran. He wanted to see if she’d run, only he ran. He’s a jackass. He told her in the middle of making out. Of course she’s going to look at him like he’s insane!”
Greyson sighed.
“I know where he’ll be.”
“You get him home. Don’t tell him Poppy is there. I’ll get her to his place. They need to work this out. They need to figure out what’s going on.”
He agreed.
They pulled up to the hotel and he handed his wife the keys. “Be safe! I’ll meet you back at the penthouse.”
She gave him a kiss.
“You get him home if you have to knock him out and drag him there.”
“Oh, I know how to do it.”
And he did.
They were going to get them back in the same room and lock them in the fucking condo if need be.
It was time to help them out.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
He was in his private room, drinking a very large glass of the amber liquid when Greyson just walked on in.
Dimitri looked up.
The look he gave him was a mix of surprise and misery. It said it all. The night…yeah, it had gone south.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Dimitri said.
Greyson played it cool.
“Yeah, the wedding was over. I thought I’d have a drink and check in on the place while you were on your date,” he said, holding his own glass.
Dimitri was blank.
Greyson knew the man.
When he didn’t want to talk, he got that blank stare to hide everything. It was annoying as hell.
“How was the wedding?” Dimitri asked, changing the subject.
Greyson pulled a cigar from his pocket, and then a second one.
“It was good. When two people are meant to be together, you can tell. They were all smiles, giggles, and I think they were heading home to fornicate.”
He took the cigar and said nothing.
“I wish I had my cigar girl here to handle this,” Greyson stated.
Dimitri still said nothing.
“Hey, speaking of which, how was your date?” he asked, as they both lit up.
“Fine.”
“Yeah, that’s not what I hear. I hear it went to shit fast when you decided to confess to a cop in the middle of foreplay.”
He stared at him.
“Pardon?” Dimitri asked.
“Oh, I think you heard me, my insane Russian friend. What were you thinking?”
“How do you know what happened?”
He laughed.
“Well, why don’t you ask where my wife is?” he asked, knowing how to play this.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Where is she?” Dimitri asked.
“Poppy called Emma, and our women are out scouring the streets of Vegas for you. How could that go wrong?”
“WHAT?”
“You dropped the bomb and ran. Classy. I expect better from you, Dimitri. You know better than that. I’m disappointed in you.”
He didn’t flinch, but Greyson saw his eyes.
They were ice cold.
“You fell into a shit mess because of that piece of trash Marissa Pierce. You let her use you up, play with your heart, and your dick, and then toss you. You let her fuck with you. Some security guy you are.”
It was all it took.
Dimitri punched him. The anger was too much to handle, and Dimitri took it out on his best friend.
Greyson took the shot, and it hurt like a bitch, but he took it for a man he loved.
Then, Dimitri was up and staring down at him as he lay face up on the floor.
“You have no idea what I live! I have nothing in my life of value, and you sit there and judge me!”
Greyson got up and wiped the spilled bourbon from his suit and the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Yeah, someone was in trouble. Dimitri was out of control. Someone had to reel that in.
He stared at the man.
“I know for a fact that you’re out of control. You just punched your best friend over Marissa Pierce. You just risked our relationship for a woman who never deserved you.”
Dimitri didn’t speak.
“She tied you up in knots, and you haven’t figured out how to get free. She wasn’t the one. Stop letting her break you, Dimitri. Stop letting her destroy your heart.”
Dimitri’s shoulders slumped.
The fire was gone.
“She stared at me like I was defiled,” he said. “Poppy wouldn’t let me touch her after I told her. She pulled away.”
Gee.
Really?
Greyson rubbed his face. His jaw hurt like a bitch, but not more than his heart for his friend.
It was repair time.
“You told her, a cop, in the middle of foreplay, that you killed a cop, Dimitri. Then, as the part two in that one, two, punch, you told her you frequent hookers.”
“I couldn’t lie. I couldn’t risk it.”
“And that is how Marissa has you fucked up. You expected her to run, and you ran. You expected her to head out, and you ditched her. Now she’s out wandering the streets. Of course my wife is going to go with her.”
Okay, so he lied.
It was fair since Dimitri had punched him—hard. The man hadn’t pulled it either.
That was his strike back at him.
“She has a killer after her, and she’s out there looking for you! Someone was trying to kill you today, and you wandered down here alone.”
He was aware.
“You’re off your game. You need to let Marissa go. You need to stop wondering what’s wrong with you and realize that it was her. She was posing as a hooker, and then nearly killed you. On top of that, she beat your body to hell and back. She used you to forget, and you need to forget her.”
“I can’t.”
“Then you’ve already lost Poppy. I’ll go look for her. I’m going home to get my gear on. I’ll grab Heath, and I’ll head out to find her before this animal gets and rapes her. Next time you decide to come clean, try not dropping those bombs during foreplay. No woman, in her right mind, is going to smile and continue. You should know that!”
Greyson headed toward the door.
He didn’t look back.
In fact, he slammed the door for emphasis, even if he wasn’t mad.
He knew his friend.
He knew the man he called brother. It was only a matter of time.
Out in the lobby, he hid behind a potted plant.
Not two minutes later, Dimitri headed out, and toward the garage where they kept spare vehicles.
He pulled out his phone and texted his wife.
His job was done.
Hers was going to begin.
Operation Crazy Train was pulling into the station.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Emma drove them to Sky Villa. She knew her husband would handle Dimitri, and she’d handle Poppy. First, she needed to protect her family. Greyson had given her his gun, and the silencer was already on it.
She needed to know one thing. It would set the mood for the rest of the night. Were they going home, or was she driving to the desert to dump the woman’s body?
Heath was on standby, and he’d help her ditch the car.
“Are you going to arrest him for what he said?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
“Did he really kill Mace?” she asked. “Did he really kill a cop?”
Emma nodded.
This wasn’t looking good.
“In his defense, Mace was coming after me. Dimitri doesn’t kill easily, contrary to popular belief. He kills to protect what’s his, and Mace threw us to the wolves. It’s why Greyson had to leave the FBI, and why I had to turn in my badge. Had he not betrayed us, Vegas wouldn't have been like this. Greyson would still be running the FBI office, and there would be control. Mace kicked this shit fest off.”
Poppy understood.
If everything didn’t happen exactly as it did, she never would have met him.
She would likely be dead. The killer stalking her would have gotten to her.
“I get that. What I’m really struggling with is the other part,” she began. “Did he really hire hookers?”
Emma knew there was a fine line. She needed to help Poppy understand, and hope Dimitri didn’t get angry at her. She was doing this for him.
“Dimitri isn’t one to create lasting bonds. Right before you, he decided he wanted to end this circus of buying women. He did it to satiate that need. He’s a man, and he needed to get off.”
She listened.
“He would buy a hooker, have sex, and then offer to get her out of the business. What you don’t know is he traffics women.”
“Oh, this is worse and worse.”
“Wait. Listen before you judge.”
It was the least Poppy could do.
“Okay.”
“He hires them and when the madam would send him ones who were barely legal, he’d get them out—without having sex. All the people who work at Aquarius are ex-prostitutes. He has a few businesses, and he hires them there, pays them ridiculously high pays to help them transition, and then sends them home or sets them up. That’s what we do at Aquarius. The place is a front for our one business.”
She listened.
“So, when he was sent a woman who was not a child, he would have sex and then get her out. Most prostitutes do it to make money. He filled that hole, and trafficked them back out of the industry.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We began helping him. It was his way of helping Greyson out of that funk. He’d helped people, and then we couldn’t because we lost our badges. Dimitri saved us, too, in a way.”
She didn’t say anything.
“So, before you, he was stabbed by a hooker, who ended up being someone who worked for him. She was searching for her sister. They fell into bed, and he decided he didn’t want to be so alone anymore.”
She let Emma continue.
“Marissa Pierce used him. She basically turned him against us, made him choose sides, and he had sex with her.”
“That’s horrible. You’re his family. Why would someone make a person choose sides?”
Exactly.
Maybe this wasn’t going south.
Maybe, this woman didn’t have to die.
“I agree. After they had sex, he told her the truth about his brother. Viktor had begun his reign of terror here. He had killed her sister. Julie was one of his toys. Well, Marissa lost it, called him so many vile names, and walked away. He saw her as his only shot at feeling anything, even if it wasn’t a good relationship.”
“Where do I fit in?”
“You saved him on the mountain, and he fell in love with you.”
She stared at her.
“Uh, he loves me?”
This was the dangerous part.
“I know Dimitri as well as I know my own husband. He told you BEFORE sex because you matter. He’s not there yet in his head, Poppy. I know he’s in love. I can see how he watches you, how he brought you to lunch today, and how he’s going out of his way to woo you.”
She thought about it all.
“HE HAS NEVER done any of that. He’s trying desperately to make that connection to a woman who has stolen his heart. He’s not good at being honest about his feelings. He told you so you’d see him for who he is, and hopefully, accept him. He’s not perfect.”
“He’s perfect for me. I have so many feelings for him that I can’t explain. On that mountain, I fell for him. I don’t know how, but I want to be near him all the time, and I feel this connection when I look into his eyes. I feel safe. I feel happy. I feel…home.”
Emma reached over and took her hand.
“I’m so glad because I didn’t want to kill you. That would have sucked.”
Poppy stared at her.
“That’s a joke, right?”
Emma laughed and pulled her jacket back. There, tucked beside her was a silencer-toting gun.
Poppy swallowed.
“No offense, Poppy. I like you. Only, for him, for my husband, and for my family, I would have done it. Now that I know what you feel for him, I’d do it for you too.”
“That’s oddly scary and sweet. Clearly, I’m crazy.”
Emma laughed as she pulled up to the security gate outside of the building. They checked in and headed to the parking spot. Once there, they headed up in the elevator and to Dimitri’s condo.
At the door, she stopped.
“Is he there?”
Emma showed Poppy the text Greyson had sent her. It told them he was on the way.
“He’s coming. His kids are in there asleep.”
“He didn’t want me near them.”
“Because he wanted you to accept the real him. It’s not as pretty as he’d like, and he needs someone who will love all his dark edges, the wickedness, and carry his secrets.”
“Oh, I was enjoying his wickedness just fine before he dropped the bomb and ran.”
She laughed and opened the door.
Heath was sitting there.
“Hey, he’s on his way. Poppy will wait with the kids. She’ll be staying.”
Heath laughed.
“Bum chicka bum bum, Mrs. C.”
Yeah, probably. Her money was on the detective. She’d get Dimitri through this.
“Okay, I’m heading up to my place. If you need me, call. If not, do what you think is right.”
“So sex.”
Emma laughed.
Well, yeah, of course.
But…
“Fight for him, Poppy. He’s slipping into the dark. If you think he’s the one, fight with all you have. If he’s not, just don’t break him when you leave.”
She understood.
When Emma left, Poppy went down the hall and checked on the kids. In one bed was a little boy, and she recognized him. She tucked him in and put his phone on the charger.
In the second room, she covered the little girl with a pink blanket in her princess bed and tucked her in with her stuffed puppy and kitty.
She closed their doors.
Heading out, she sat on the couch and waited for him.
While she was just sitting there, Poppy looked around the place, and it was homey. There was big overstuffed furniture, bins of toys along the wall, and it wasn’t what she thought Dimitri would put in his home.
She knew he did it for his kids.
It was sweet.
Her own mother hadn’t put her and her sister first. Poppy always wished she would, but she didn’t, and that sucked. Now, here was a man, who loved his kids, and she had a chance to make him part of her life.
Did she want that?
Did she want a father with his own kids?
Yeah, yeah, she did.
It didn’t take long for her to hear his long gait coming down the hall, at almost a run.
The door opened, and he headed in. Immediately, he grabbed his gear by the door and then stopped.
He smelled her.
How was that possible? Dimitri was pretty sure he’d been imagining things. Until he reopened the closet again and saw her bag.
Poppy.
Turning, he saw her on the couch, waiting for him. It was NOT what he expected.
“We need to talk,” she said.
His whole body went tense, and she could see it from where she was sitting.
“How did you get in here?” he asked.
“A redheaded birdy hooked a girl up when she needed to see you. We all know I’m not welcome here, but I still came. Your kids are cute, by the way. I checked on them.”
He moved toward her, keeping his body facing her like she was a threat.
“You were in with my kids?” he asked.
“I’m not going to hurt them. You can relax. If you want, you can check on them. They’re safe. I’ve only been in your personal space five minutes. I didn’t rifle through your things.”
He watched her.
She was angry.
“What do you want? Your reaction said it all. Are you here to arrest me? I’m a killer. Isn’t that your end goal?”
“I actually came to talk. You didn’t give me time to…”
He cut her off.
“I didn’t need time. I’ve seen that look before. No one wants what lives in me. I’m the nightmare we hide until it has to be used to end a problem.”
“I was caught off guard. We were making out, and then all of a sudden you’re telling me you’re a killer and you sleep with hookers.”
“You looked horrified. I’m a killer. I wanted you to know the real me.”
He was getting upset.
So was she.
“I was more upset about the hookers. I was more upset that you bought women for sex.”
Dimitri said nothing.
He knew this was a possibility. He was going to kick Greyson’s ass for tricking him to come back here, and Emma’s for letting her in.
His sanctuary was compromised.
“Yeah, I’m a scumbag who buys women. There you go. Now you know.”
“That’s not what I was thinking.”
“Really? You wouldn’t be the first to think that of me. Hell! I think that of me!”
Poppy used the information that Emma had shared. It was going to be the only way to get through to him.
He’d gone from anger to self-loathing.
“Yeah, Marissa Pierce is a bitch. I’ll kick her ass for you. Still, not what I was thinking.”
He began cursing and pacing like a madman.
“Is nothing sacred?” he asked.
Oh, he was furious with the Crofts. Emma had actually betrayed him.
He’d never saw it coming.
“You heard that cop today. My mom…she didn’t even know who our fathers were. She didn’t care. She had us, and she was a good mom, but men came first. Sex came first. I don’t want to be some one-night stand where I get hurt. I was horrified because I pictured how easy it would be for you to leave.”
That made him stop.
“Not the killing?”
“Emma said you did it to save them. I don’t doubt that. I get the killing. I just don’t want to be some guy’s easy lay. We all have demons. I don’t want to be my mother.”
She offered him the truth.
Dimitri heard her, and that helped ease him. The killing really didn’t seem to bother her—a cop.
He tried to ease her fears.
“Poppy, I could have had sex easily with you. If I wanted you naked in bed, I could have done it.”
That horrified her.
Was that what he thought of her?
Was she really that easy?
“Pardon?”
“Women want this,” he said, pointing at himself. “They fall for the outer layer. I have been propositioned, offered sex, and women are easy to get.”
“Did you just lump me into that category?” she asked in horror.
“All I’m saying is if I wanted you in bed, we’d be in bed.”
She let those words sink in.
Funny...
He hadn’t said no.
Great.
“I see. I’m easy, and I come across that way. I get it. I’m a whore.”
Poppy knew she flirted with him, and she had let her guard down because she wanted him. Only, she didn’t think he’d take that as her being a slut.
Awesome.
“I didn’t say…”
She stopped him.
“I can see this was a bad idea. Coming here…I shouldn’t have done it. What you just said to me wasn’t nice.”
He began panicking.
He was messing this up.
Dimitri never tried to be open with a woman. He never needed to, and it was going downhill—fast.
Here was his proof.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant that I could have fucked you anytime that I wanted.”
Poppy had heard enough.
Her heart was breaking.
She wanted to weep over what he was saying to her—and how he saw her.
“I’m leaving,” she said, heading toward the closet to grab her bag. “I’m going home—not to your penthouse, or the family hotel. I’m going to my shitty apartment where I know the truth. I’m not some whore you could have gotten into bed. The only reason I let you get anywhere near me was…”
She stopped.
“Forget it.”
Poppy headed for the door. She heard him coming and turned fast. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.
“I never said you were a whore! Stop putting words in my mouth.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Yeah, but he’d made her feel like one, and that, to her, was just as bad.
Poppy stared at his fingers wrapped around her forearm like a vice.
“Dimitri, you’re hurting me.”
All it took was that one sentence. He dropped her arm like it had burned him.
Slowly, he backed away.
“And that’s what lives in me. I’m not a kind, gentle man. I’m a monster. Remember my brother? I’ve held guns to people’s heads just like that. I’ve killed because I have no soul. Now you see it, Detective. Now you know why Eve fell for the snake. He was attractive on the outside.”
Poppy rubbed her arm, and all she was focused on was the pain in his eyes. She saw how his admission damaged him.
“I sliced Mace Bristol’s throat without batting an eye, Detective. I reveled in it. I am that monster.”
She said nothing.
So, he did.
“You should go. You should never look back. I slept with hookers to feel. I feel NOTHING. You were the only person that got through that. Just go, Poppy. Go. Run, and never look for me. I’m not what you need. I’m garbage because I’ve been used to destroy, and in the end, it destroyed me.”
He turned and walked away.
Poppy stood there.
Well, shit.
What the hell did she say to that?