Chapter Sixteen
Dimitri’s Condo
I n his condo, he was making the last minute adjustments to the plans and checking out all the tech they would need to get in, get the items, and get out. In his head, Dimitri was running it over and over again to make sure they were safe.
That was part of his process.
Step.
By.
Step.
If something happened, it was on him—and him alone—since this was his business. This was his team.
Not only was his sister going in, but so was his girl. That was problematic if she was caught—or worse, shot.
When she came out of the bedroom, from changing into the cop’s uniform that Ilan had gone and picked up, she looked like another cop.
His ex-cop.
“Do you have your gear on beneath that?” he asked, not even looking at her.
His tone said it all.
“I do. Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t question it. He looked stressed, and Poppy didn’t doubt that it was because he was going to send her in to do the job.
“I need a gun. Have a spare?” she asked.
He pulled his from the hidden holster at the back of his pants and handed it to her.
Again, without looking.
“Did I piss you off?”
He shook his head.
Poppy placed his gun into her holster and headed toward the mirror to check herself out. It had been a while since she’d worn that uniform. The silver badge was adhered to her shirt, and it reminded her of the one she lost.
This was her past.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, getting her attention.
“Yes. I have the plan worked out, and I am more than ready to handle it, boss.”
He looked over at her.
“I’m scared.”
She turned.
“Talk to me.”
“If you get hurt…”
She crossed toward him and hugged him.
“I’m going to be fine. I’ll do what I have to do to get in, get the file, and get out.”
“Do you really feel secure doing this?” he asked. “I’m asking as your boss, not your significant other.”
“My boyfriend?” she asked, smiling.
“I don’t like that title. It’s silly.”
“Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boy…friend.”
It broke the ice.
He started laughing.
“I kinda dig it. My boyfriend is the sexy Dimitri Gideon. Aren’t I a lucky girl? That would make me your GIRLFRIEND.”
He smiled.
She made him feel better.
“I like woman better.”
“I don’t like the sound of woman-friend.”
“I meant woman. Period.”
She touched his cheek and was well aware, but he needed to lighten up. Poppy didn’t want him stressed to the max over this. She was good. She knew how to do this.
“I have this. If I thought I couldn't do it, I’d tell you. It’s easy once I get past security. If they stop me, I’m screwed. Everyone past that likely doesn’t know that I’m off the force. If they do recognize me, word may not have traveled to every single person working there.”
She had a point.
“I can blend in dressed like this.”
He was aware.
“I’ll be waiting for you to get back.”
She went up on her toes and into his body. He saw them in the mirror and laughed.
“Uh, what’s so funny.”
“I’m about to kiss a woman in a cop uniform. This is proof that the universe has a sense of humor. Had younger Dimitri been told this, he wouldn’t have believed it. He would have laughed his ass off.”
She jumped up and kissed him. Her legs were around his hips, and her hands were in his hair. He leaned against the wall and let her do her worst.
When she pulled her mouth from his, Dimitri’s lower lip was between her teeth.
“When I get back, my sexy criminal, I’ll keep the uniform on and we can play cops and very bad guys.”
He lifted a brow.
“Seriously?”
“Uh huh. Sex should be fun. I like to have fun. Want me to cuff you and interrogate you after the kids go to bed?”
He laughed.
“I suddenly have never wanted to be tackled and cuffed by a cop so much in my life.”
She whispered something racy in his ear.
“Jesus! OR that. I definitely wouldn’t mind that at all after the kids are asleep.”
She hugged him, gently nuzzling his cheek with hers. It was tender, sweet, and he really needed it. It was hard enough sending your sisters in to do a job, but the woman you loved?
Christ!
It was brutal.
“It looks like this girlfriend thing is pretty sweet,” he said, still holding her.
“Your hand is on my ass.”
“It’s a perk.”
She laughed.
Yeah, they would be perfectly fine.
Dimitri had this under control.
Of course.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
LVPD
It was time to call it a day. He was beyond exhausted. Keeping the LVPD under control was a monumental task, and keeping the Crofts off his ass was even more work.
At that moment, he was wary of just about everything.
Jeffrey Raye expected something to jump up and bite him in the ass.
Word on the street was that they were asking a shit ton of questions regarding his wife’s disappearance.
That wasn’t good.
He had his own secrets that he didn’t need coming out. They would make his life…difficult.
So, he had to keep his fingers crossed and focus on his job. Right now, he was going to head out to happy hour, get a drink, and talk to a few potential candidates for the new captain position.
It pissed him off that Poppy Wayne turned it down.
She would have been perfect. She was a woman, malleable, and able to be controlled.
Jeffrey had put all of his eggs in one basket, and that had been a big mistake.
Now he was back at the beginning, trying to find the perfect person.
So far, it wasn’t going well.
As he put the file away, hidden where it would be safe, he locked up his office and shut down for the night.
He would swing back later, get some work done, and hopefully have some names for the captaincy position.
If not, he had a whole bunch of issues.
He didn’t plan on losing control of the Homicide division. They were his favorite group of sheep.
He had control.
And he liked it that way.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Wednesday Night
Seven P.M.
Chris drove them to the police precinct as Curtis sat in the back with his wife. He was setting up two laptops on the floor that he would need to help them keep everything under control while the women were inside.
In the front seat, Poppy sat beside Chris.
“I never thought I’d be working with you again,” she stated. “I have this overwhelming need to salute you and give you my report.”
He laughed.
“Finally, someone shows me some respect.”
Poppy laughed.
This whole thing was surreal. Poppy couldn’t believe that in a matter of days she’d gone from a decorated homicide cop to someone about to be felonious.
Love was a crazy thing.
“Are you ready?” Chris asked her. “They will shoot you. This is no joking matter. If you get caught in his office, you can’t say what you were doing there.”
“Oh, I’m aware. In my uniform, it’s going to look really bad.”
“You have this,” Kat said. “If you get caught, call for me. I can get to you.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m sure the big, fat bonus afterward that my brother will pay you will be nice.”
Poppy looked horrified.
“What? What the fuck is that? No! I don’t want money and a bonus! He never mentioned that! I would have pitched one hell of a fit over it!”
Kat smiled sweetly.
“Just kidding. There’s no bonus. I was checking to make sure you’re not some gold digging whore. I’d hate to kill you in your sleep.”
Poppy stared at her.
Then Chris.
“She’s kidding, right?”
Curtis laughed.
“Oh, she wouldn’t kill you if she found out you were after Dimitri only for his money.”
She relaxed.
“Emma would,” he stated.
“Jesus. I don’t want his money. Again, it freaks me the hell out.”
Kat was satisfied.
“So you’re with him for…?”
“The sex. It’s hot.”
Katerina made gagging noises from her spot beside her husband.
Chris laughed.
“Well, you managed to freak Kat out. She looks ill. That’s all kinds of skill right there,” he teased.
“Mmmmm...Dimitri dick,” Poppy stated, trying to bust her ass. It was only fair. If she was going to test her, Poppy was going to give as good as she got.
“Okay, stop. I saw it once walking in on him taking a leak, I’ve never been the same.”
His voice came over the com, reminding them all that he was listening.
As was Emma.
Greyson.
Oh, and Sam.
“You four realize you’re live, right? You realize that you have an audience, no?”
Poppy blushed.
Chris, Curtis, and Kat did not. They laughed. In their family, if you couldn’t bust ass, you were in some serious trouble. It was their favorite thing to do in their downtime.
“We knew. The newbie needed hazing, and you won’t let us waterboard,” Kat stated.
She stared at them.
“You’re all sick.”
“It’s okay, babochka. You can kick Chris’s ass tomorrow, and for hazing, Katerina will be there too. Since she likes to discuss my dick, it’s only fair I let her enjoy the hand-to-hand combat training.”
The all groaned.
She grinned triumphantly.
“Emma said to knock it off. She’s pacing like a tiger. Your banter is making her ill.”
“Calm down, Mom. We got this,” Curtis said. “What’s the worst that can happen? Chris might get a speeding ticket. He is going twenty in a fifty-five.”
“Shut it, pee-wee. I’ll haze your ass later. I don’t care if you’re the Croft heir. When I’m done with you, they’ll need a new one.”
He laughed.
Curtis wasn’t worried. He wasn’t Dimitri’s employee. He didn’t have to participate in the daily workout.
Thank.
Freaking.
God.
“There’s the building,” Kat said, pulling on her black gloves to ensure she didn’t leave prints.
“I’m going to go in through a window,” she said. “I can’t stroll right in. I’ll meet you at the elevator, Detective.”
“Uh, Poppy is fine.”
“You have to prove you’ve earned it. You’re still a cop to me. Show me how good you are. Prove that you deserve to be with my brother.”
This time, there was no humor.
Poppy got it.
The true test was going to be all about being part of the team. That meant breaking in, doing the job, and earning all of their respect.
“I will.”
Kat hoped so.
As the vehicle rolled to a stop, she kissed her husband, grabbed her gear, and then Kat was gone, running from the van to the shrubbery.
“Tough audience,” Poppy said.
“She’s right. We’ve all been there,” Curtis said. “You have cop skills. This is private security skills. Make it count, or you have no validity on the team.”
It was clear that NO ONE was cutting her any slack, and while it was irritating, she had told Dimitri she didn’t want any special treatment.
Clearly, they got the memo.
Chris moved the vehicle to the most inconspicuous spot and let her out. She pulled on her hat and headed in.
Chris got into position in the parking lot.
And they waited.
This was riding on Kat and Poppy.
It was time to see what they could do.
Kat had the easier way in. She popped a lock on an empty office window and slid through the opening without making a sound.
“Curtis, are you tracking me?” she whispered as her com picked up her voice.
“I have you both. I’m taking down the security right now to clear the way for you. The cameras will loop. They won’t see you coming or going. Your tracker will show me which cameras to keep taking down.”
“Thank you, handsome.”
“Focus,” Dimitri stated over the com, trying to keep this as professional as possible. That was the bottom line. The whole family was woven together—Croft to Gideon, Gideon to Croft—and it made it a million times more difficult to be objective.
Still…
They had to pull it off.
Kat got into the office and peeked out the door. “I have the elevator in sight. I’m waiting for my partner.”
They all were.
It was on Poppy now.
Heading into the building, she kept her eyes down, her hat pulled low, and she found the biggest group of cops who were about to go through security.
“I need a couple of calls,” she muttered, hoping that Emma would keep her word and offer her cover as she got past the desk.
Dimitri heard her.
“Emma, make some calls.”
The two people he trusted more than anyone did as he asked. It took seconds for the switchboard to light up. They began asking insane questions to tie up the desk sergeant.
“I’m clear,” Poppy finally said, after a few minutes.
And she was.
The cops headed to their bullpens, and she headed toward the elevator to meet up with her partner in this.
“I see her,” Kat said. “She’s in the clear. We’re about to implement the next part of the plan.”
Dimitri was glad.
“Be careful, Katerina.”
Oh, she would. Kat wasn’t worried about herself. She knew how to do this job in her sleep. She was worried about the woman fucking her brother.
She was the wild card.
Kat didn’t trust her. There was a part of her that was worried for Dimitri, and a part that disliked her moving in with her brother after days.
It screamed sketchy to her.
If she wanted her blessing, Poppy Wayne had to earn her stripes on their team. She wouldn't make it easy for her.
That was not how the Gideon’s rolled.
Poppy kept focused on the next part of her job as she headed for the one elevator. It was in front of her, and she was almost there.
First stop, the basement and then on to commissioner’s office.
Inside the elevator, she pushed the button, and it arrived. Poppy headed inside, holding the door. Kat was right behind her, and she hit the button.
It closed slowly.
“I’ll take you down and then I’ll go up,” Poppy stated, pushing the button down. She’d drop Kat on the floor above the file rooms.
Suddenly, the light went on between her floor and that floor.
“Someone called the elevator,” she stated.
“Help me up!” Kat stated.
Poppy didn’t know where she was going to go, but she boosted her up and Kat got in position. She braced herself on the walls at the top of the elevator. As long as whoever it was didn’t look up, they were good to go.
The door opened, and a cop got in.
Poppy kept her badge obscured as she pretended to talk on the phone.
“Yeah, they think I picked it up from some suspect. It’s this itchy rash. Plus, I feel like puking all over the place. No, we’re talking projectile vomit. I feel sick now.”
That’s all it took.
The cop looked at her and then hit the next floor button to escape. As soon as he did, Poppy closed the door.
When the door closed, Kat dropped to her feet.
“Good one.”
“Thanks.”
The elevator descended. When it stopped, Poppy touched Kat’s shoulder.
“Good luck.”
She smiled.
“I don’t need luck. I’m a Gideon. We have the skills to pay the bills.”
Then she was gone.
“Well, it seems the Gideons all have incredibly healthy egos,” she muttered.
Dimitri laughed despite himself. He’d been holding his breath the entire time, praying they found a way around the surprise twist in the plan.
They did.
“Going up,” she said. “Curtis, now’s the time to kill any more cameras,” she added.
“The elevator one is looping, and I’ve killed the one in front of the commissioner’s office, and the one right inside the stairwell. You are clear.”
He typed.
“Kat, you’re clear too,” he added. “Be safe.”
“Copy.”
Poppy took the elevator to the floor below the commissioner’s office.
“Am I clear?” she asked, entering the stairwell to head up. “Is anyone around?”
Curtis and Chris stared at the computers on the floor to keep monitoring the inside of the building.
“His office is empty. You have random people walking around. I see badges. I’m going to bet HR and administration, but they are few and far between.”
She could elude them.
At the top floor, she peeked out. Getting to the door, it was locked.
“I have a standard lock. He locked the outer office when he left.”
“Can you get in?” Curtis asked.
“Make sure no one is coming. I can pick the lock if I have enough time.”
Yeah, but did they have time?
That was the big question.
She reached into her hair and pulled out a bobby pin. She twisted it and got down to business.
“What’s she doing?” Dimitri asked, unable to see her. Curtis and Chris were his eyes. They could watch the actual camera footage.
“Poppy is picking a lock. I can see her,” he said. “Make it fast, Poppy. You have someone heading your way. They are at the water fountain around the corner.”
She began sweating.
There was no way to pretend this wasn’t breaking and entering, and there would be no way to talk herself out of that mess. It would mean kicking someone’s ass and trying to escape. That would mean leaving Kat behind. Somehow, she didn’t think that would go over well with Dimitri.
“You have five seconds,” Curtis stated, giving her a running clock.
Dimitri held his breath again.
“Three,” Curtis said.
She heard the lock pop.
As he got to one, she was in and closing the door behind her.
“I’m in,” she whispered.
They released their held breaths and knew that was going to be the worst part of this for Poppy. She’d managed to get in, and now it was about finding the file.
Heading for the door, Poppy crossed her fingers. “I’m about to enter the code you bought. We had better pray it works.”
She pulled up her sleeve and looked at the code. She’d written it on her arm where Kat had, thinking it was likely a good place.
“I’m trying to hack the security system,” Curtis said, “but without a plug into their server, I don’t think I can do it in the time we have.”
She typed it in.
It beeped.
Then it went green.
“The code was legit. I’ll get the file.”
She headed in and got down to work. The office was cleaned up, and she had no doubt it would be a challenge.
If it was even there…
She crossed her fingers and prayed.
Kat was in the ceiling above the room. She could see the guy at the desk and the door with the lock.
“I need a distraction. Can someone call records and keep them on the line?”
“Emma is dialing right now,” Dimitri stated, now focused on Kat and her part of the mission.
The phone rang.
As soon as it did, and he reached for it, Kat dropped to the floor and crawled to the door. Sticking Dimitri’s security box beside it, it began deciphering the code.
“I need twenty more seconds.”
Emma heard her and kept the guy busy with a shit ton of inane questions that would likely piss him off.
The box beeped. She hoped he didn’t hear it. Punching in the number, she headed in.
Pulling up her sleeve, she navigated the room full of boxes until she found the one she needed.
And there it was.
Grabbing it, she pulled it down and opened the box to root through it. That’s when she saw the issue.
“Uh, we have a problem.”
“What?” came Dimitri’s voice in her ear
“It’s empty. There’s nothing in it. There’s no evidence, no DNA, nothing. It’s an empty cardboard box.”
Poppy heard her.
“He must have taken everything. We definitely need that file now,” she said.
Yeah, they did.
“Kat, get out,” she said.
“Copy.”
She began the process of getting back to the elevator and her partner.
“It’s on you,” Dimitri stated to Poppy. “Kat is getting out. Show us what you can do.”
Poppy didn’t miss the test in that. It was clear he was in boss mode—not boyfriend mode.
That was fine with her.
So, to get it done, Poppy moved around the office searching for the file.
“We have a serious issue,” Chris stated out of the blue, breaking the silence over the com.
“What?” Dimitri asked.
“Commissioner Raye just pulled up in his Lincoln. He’s heading into the building. You have two minutes to get out of there!”
Poppy knew she couldn’t leave—not without the file. There was no way Dimitri would allow her to go back in if they pulled out. It had been dangerous to begin with, but to redo it?
Yeah, no.
“Poppy, hurry,” Chris warned.
Dimitri gave the order.
“Get out.”
She closed and opened drawers.
“I need to find that file,” she stated, ignoring his direct order. Would there be hell to pay later?
She wasn’t sure.
Only, this mattered.
“He took the stairs,” Curtis warned, as Curtis tried to keep hacking the security system. “He’s entering the office. You have to hide!”
Well, shit!
Poppy had only one place that she could do just that. She dove under the desk.
And prayed.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Emma was sitting there with Dimitri and Greyson. Dimitri was listening and had his laptop open with the mic on for them. The second he heard Chris warn Poppy, that fear level began rising. If she got caught in there…
She was going to jail.
Immediately, Dimitri was up and began pacing the room. His woman was trapped in the office, and he began wondering if he’d done the wrong thing by sending in someone who had NO experience doing this kind of thing.
“Give her a chance,” Emma stated, trying to help calm Dimitri and give Poppy the opportunity to do her thing.
“We need a distraction,” Dimitri stated.
“I’m hacking the fire alarms as we speak,” Curtis stated. “I need a couple minutes.”
“You don’t have them. He’s opening that door. Poppy is trapped in there.”
“Poppy, are you hidden?” Chris asked.
“Under the desk,” she whispered. “Only spot.”
Shit!
That was the worst place to be. He was going to sit there, and he’d surely notice a woman beneath it.
“I’ll get her out,” Curtis stated.
Dimitri was pacing.
When he stopped, he stared helplessly at them.
“Give her a shot. She’s not caught yet,” Emma said. “You hired her, now let her prove that she belongs on your team. We can always get her sprung if she’s caught.”
He knew she was right.
They could buy a myriad of lawyers, judges, and juries.
Still…
He’d been on a lot of scary jobs, but this one was the worst.
Dimitri was going to have a freaking stroke.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Poppy looked up as she was crouched beneath the desk. The file was taped above her head.
Well, holy shit!
She never thought to look there. Pulling it free, she grabbed her phone to begin snapping pictures.
“I have the file. Get me that distraction,” she whispered. “I’ll get out. You get him out.”
Curtis was typing like a maniac.
“I can extract her,” Kat said, moving her way through the ceiling of the one floor. “I can be there in ten minutes.”
“She doesn’t have ten,” Chris said, staring at the laptop. “She has ten seconds.”
Poppy heard the door opening.
“Yes, I just have to get a file,” stated the commissioner as he headed into the room.
As he turned on the desk lamp, Curtis got it.
The fire alarms started screeching.
“Oh, shit!” muttered the man. “I’ll call you back. The building is on fire.”
The second he was gone, Poppy got out, opened the folder, and began taking pictures of everything. The light on the desk helped.
“Get out!” Chris stated. “We didn’t set off that alarm. That’s one hell of a coincidence.”
Kat’s voice came over the com.
“I took care of it.”
That was all they needed to know.
“He’s coming for this file. If we take it, he’ll handle anything that’s in it before we even get to look at it. I’m copying.”
“We need another distraction. That will only last a couple minutes. Come on, Curtis. Shut down the power,” she whispered. “I set a small fire. It won’t keep them busy for long.”
He was aware.
“Do it,” Dimitri said. “Poppy, you have two minutes. That’s it. It’s an order. I want you out in those two minutes.”
She continued snapping pictures. She hit the end of the file and then closed it.
“Done. I’m returning it.”
Dimitri was able to breathe. This was going to be the death of him yet.
“Get out.”
She headed out the door, slipped into a bunch of people heading down the stairwell, and grabbed Kat by the arm when she saw her.
She didn’t blend.
At all.
This was bad.
Poppy had an idea. She popped some handcuffs on her, and walked her out of the building, past the masses of cops, and toward their ride.
Once there, she shoved the woman in, hopped in with Chris, and pointed.
“I suggest you drive it, Grandpa.”
“HEY!”
Curtis laughed and helped his wife out of her handcuffs. “Let’s go home.”
And they did.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
One Hour Later
When the commissioner heard it was only a wastebasket fire, immediately, he thought the worst. He didn’t trust anyone, and he knew that file was explosive.
Heading up to his office, he dropped to his knees and saw the file was still there.
Immediately, he relaxed.
The file was safe.
The whole Croft thing was making him a paranoid wreck. Jeffrey needed a vacation, and this was his proof.
Pulling the file out, he flipped through the pages, rereading everything he’d found. Yes, he’d checked the DNA. He’d had a friend handle it.
Well, it was time to get rid of the only file, the only trace, and the only paper trail back to him.
“Good luck, Poppy Wayne. Your mother’s death will never be solved.”
And then he shredded it.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
When they finally returned, the whole team was ready to see what was in that file.
Poppy was excited. She’d done the job, and she only hoped that Dimitri would be proud of her.
When they walked into the penthouse, he was waiting for their return. Immediately, he went to Poppy, bypassing everyone else, and planted a big one on her mouth.
It was one hell of a kiss.
When she was finally set free, she couldn’t help but be giddy. That was one hell of a welcome home kiss.
“Uh, hello, boss. That was one really great perk to working this job.”
Chris made kissy noises.
“New policy. Apparently, we make out after a job,” Chris teased. “Everyone buy breath mints. Oh, wait! We’ll get them with the body armor and black credit card.”
Oh, Dimitri was so happy to have his girl back, and the team, he’d show him who was laughing.
He kissed Kat next.
“Good job, Anfisa,” he said. “Welcome back to the team. I missed you.”
She missed doing the job too. Being a mom was good, but being Kat…that was even better.
Then when Chris wasn’t paying attention, he kissed him too.
“What the hell?” he asked.
“That’s for being a smart ass.”
“Well, I liked it, Mr. Gideon, so who’s laughing now?” he asked.
Emma laughed.
“Welcome home, team. Shall we?”
Poppy tossed Greyson her phone, and he plugged it into the tablet that sent everything to the wall.
“Ignore the naked pictures,” she teased, dropping onto the couch.
“I will make copies later,” Dimitri offered.
“Uh, they’re of you, boss.”
He sputtered and then pointed at Chris.
“I will hurt you in the morning at the gym. Don’t think I won’t.”
“You are NO fun.”
Emma ignored them, and she watched the pictures upload.
“He had the DNA tested,” Emma stated, recognizing the paper. “He had it sent out and handled.”
“When?” Dimitri asked. “That takes time. Even if it was a private lab, we’re talking weeks.”
There was a note trail.
“He is a sneaky snake,” Emma stated, seeing it. “He didn’t send it to a customary place,” she stated. “Look.”
There was a receipt.
“He swabbed the DNA and sent it to one of those,‘trace your roots’ places, telling them it was his. He must have wanted something over you to control you if you took the captain job.”
Oh, the man was a sicko.
Yet, Poppy was confused.
“Then how did he find out who was the person who killed my mother and sister?”
Chris saw it.
“They give you a potential person who might be in your family tree—if they had their DNA tested too. He was betting the whole thing on it. Those kits are very popular. I’ve had mine done.”
Emma looked over.
“What did it say?”
“It’s not important.”
That had everyone’s attention.
“Come on,” Greyson urged.
“Fine. I’m twenty-five percent Russian and seventy-five percent sexy as hell.”
Dimitri was in a good mood. He laughed.
“You can thank the Russian for that.”
Chris rolled his eyes.
“Children,” Emma stated.
They went back to the topic at hand.
“So, he snags a relative and then heads to the person’s house to find them. When he gets their name, he can run a search online and most of those cheesy sites will give you the ‘possible people related to you’ matches,” Emma stated.
“Jesus. That’s…genius,” Poppy stated. “Oh, and totally illegal, plus a lot of creepy.”
Well, that had never stopped him before.
Why start worrying now?
The man lived the illegal side of things. Here was just one more piece of proof.
He killed Thomas Christ.
Tried to frame Riley Henderson.
Oh, and his wife went MIA.
“What are we going to do?” Emma asked.
Greyson pointed at the name scribbled in the notes. While they weren’t sure who that person was, they were going to find out. It may be the person who popped from the DNA kit, or it could be just about anyone else.
With the commissioner, one never knew.
“Run that name on the FBI equipment,” Greyson stated. He was sick of the man’s reign of terror. It was about to end.
Dimitri was at the helm, and his slim fingers moved effortlessly over the tablet.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Brandon Ames,” Emma said, as they watched him run it through the normal parameters. It didn’t take long.
“We have three hits,” Dimitri stated.
He pulled them up.
“It’ll be number three,” Emma stated, as she read through the three names. “He’s a cop. That’s right up the commissioner’s alley.”
They opened it up.
As it turned out, it was a cop out of the commissioner’s old office outside Vegas when he was a captain. He thought he’d hidden it well enough.
“Well, someone is getting a visit,” Dimitri stated. “Won’t he be shocked?”
“Oh, yeah,” Greyson stated.
“I’d love to ask him some questions,” Poppy stated. “I’d love to kick his ass.”
Dimitri shook his head.
“You’re benched.”
“Pardon?”
He waited for the explosion.
“We can’t bring you to him. For all we know, he IS the killer. We only have a name,” Dimitri stated. “We don’t know if he’s the one who matched the DNA, or if he’s the one helping the commissioner. He’s been known to employ cops to do his dirty work, Poppy.”
Her face fell.
“He’s right. Plus, if he sees you coming,” Greyson stated, “he might call the commissioner. Like with you not taking the actual file, we have to tread carefully if we want to find this person.”
“I’m sorry. You can’t go,” Dimitri stated. Still, he was waiting for her to defy him.
Only, she didn’t lose it.
Instead, she looked over at Emma.
“Can I help you then? I can switch out. I’m still viable in the field to investigate. I’ll help with finding the commissioner’s wife. Since he knows I’m with Dimitri, as in WITH, he’ll assume I’m working it to catch him in this. That won’t be a surprise.”
She had a point.
Emma was good with it, but that came down to what Dimitri thought.
Poppy was his girlfriend and employee.
Emma glanced over at Dimitri.
“What do you think?”
“I’m good with that.”
“She can come with me and Chris. You can take Greyson. I have a feeling it’s going to be about boys behaving badly.”
Croft laughed.
“What gave it away?” he asked.
“Well, you and Dimitri playing in the same place at the same time,” she stated. “We all know you two. Oh, and by the way, this throws a wrench in our plans.”
“What do you mean?” Greyson asked.
Emma loved that he didn’t see this one coming. It didn’t happen often, but she was about to hand him some revenge.
“You’re heading out of Vegas, right?”
“Yes.”
“The bunny ranch is closer.”
And then it hit him. His wife was making him visit hookers to work the case—even though she said she would handle it.
Damn it!
“Oh, come on!” Greyson stated.
They all began laughing.
“Sorry, babe, but Commissioner Raye just screwed you over. You and Dimitri are going to hit a brothel, and then shake down a cop.”
Dimitri laughed.
“I’m fine with hookers.”
Poppy crossed her arms.
“Yes, so, I’ve heard multiple times from you,” she stated. “MULTIPLE times.”
He stared at her.
“Wait, that didn’t sound right. That is NOT what I meant, babochka,” he admitted.
The whole family found that funny. It wasn’t often that Dimitri was flustered.
And now he was.
“Everyone head home,” Emma stated. “We have an early day tomorrow. See you then. We can, hopefully, get this wrapped up.”
Poppy headed toward the door with Dimitri following, carrying his laptop.
Chris was laughing.
“Hire a hooker. What could go wrong? Oh, I know…get a girlfriend at a later date,” he teased.
“I’ll see you in the gym at five,” Dimitri stated.
Chris laughed.
Oh, he didn’t care.
The look on Dimitri’s face…
It was worth it.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Dimitri’s Condo
Once inside his place, Heath was on the couch watching TV and relaxing. Even little Sadie was out cold in her stroller. The man was damn good with kids.
“How were they?” Dimitri asked.
“The kiddos were good, even the baby. Now, they are asleep. We had ice cream, cake, and cookies. I made them brush their teeth.”
Dimitri would fight that battle later.
At least they were safe.
Besides, Dimitri had other battles to fight. Poppy hadn’t said a word to him the entire way down in the elevator. The hooker comment had come out the wrong way, and he suspected she was NOT happy with him.
Crap!
“Thank you, Heath,” Dimitri said, waving to the man as he headed out. He looked totally silly pushing that tiny baby carriage, but who was he to judge?
He was in love with a freaking cop.
“Poppy…”
“I’m going to get ready for bed. We work out at five, right?” she asked.
“Babochka…”
Instead of answering him, she headed down the hall and toward his room.
Dimitri locked up, checked on the children, and then followed her. In their room, she was slipping out of her clothes. He joined her.
Immediately, she grabbed his shirt and pulled it on.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked.
“Are you Dimitri my boss or the man I’m in a relationship with?” she asked.
“Not the boss, so…”
“No touching hookers. That’s totally not happening ever again, or we can’t be a couple. It’s cheating. Period.”
He moved closer and touched her cheek. Why would he want to touch a hooker? He was blessed with an amazing woman in his bed.
“Babochka, I’m sorry. It was a joke.”
“Are you going to ever cheat on me?” she asked, feeling really inadequate. Compared to him, she was plain. Dimitri Gideon could get anyone.
“Never. I swear on my family’s life. I don’t cheat. I wasn’t in a relationship, and I was trying to avoid one. I didn’t want an emotional attachment. I wanted nothing from the opposite sex but to get off.”
“And now?”
“I found the reason to live. It’s you.”
Well, that helped. She still didn’t like that he’d been with hookers. It didn’t exactly make her happy, but that was BEFORE her, so how could she judge him? She’d had sex more than a few times too. Some of it, she wasn’t exactly proud of either.
“I’m waiting.”
It caught him off guard. What was she waiting for? Dimitri gave her an explanation. Was she waiting for an apology?
“For?”
“How’d I do tonight?” she asked.
Well, at least they’d moved to a different, less-volatile topic. He might survive it yet.
“I was scared shitless, but you kept your head, you did the job, and I’m proud of you. That’s me speaking, not your boss. I can tell you that he’d say exactly the same thing.”
She was glad.
That lifted about a million pounds of weight off her shoulders.
“I know I said we’d play cops and bad guys, but I’m not in the mood.”
His heart skipped.
Well, that wasn’t good.
“Oh, okay,” he said, fearing the worst.
“Instead,” she said, “Let’s be Dimitri and Poppy. I was worried I was going to get caught. I just want to be with you. I want to feel safe.”
He relaxed.
“And is the hooker comment forgiven?”
“Yes, but if I ever catch you with a hooker, Dimitri, you’ll break my heart and kill me. You’ll destroy me.”
He pulled her into his arms.
“My love, never.”
When he kissed her, the fear melted away. As he carried her to bed, he vowed to make tonight memorable.
“Time for a perk,” he said, as they tumbled onto the big, masculine bed.
“I rocked this out. I get more than one perk,” she stated. “I think I deserve at least three or four.”
He grinned.
“I think I can handle that.”
And he did—well into the night.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
Penthouse
When Emma entered their bedroom, Greyson was already there. He didn’t wait for her to join him, which was odd but left her behind to lock up.
When she got there, her husband was watching TV, again…odd. That’s when she saw what he was watching. On the screen was his wife, HER, and Chris, HER BEST FRIEND, and they were kissing.
Oh, crap!
Emma knew her husband.
“I see that made the news,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. It felt heavy.
He turned.
Greyson said nothing, but his face said it all. He was NOT happy. That worried her. Normally, he didn’t get pissy about the Chris thing.
He was definitely on the path to pissy. It was written all over his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, trying not to freak out.
Instead of replying, he turned up the volume so she could hear what he’d been forced to listen to minutes ago.
‘It’s our speculation that the baby being carried by Emma Croft isn’t from her husband, but her lover, Christopher Ford.’
She stared at him.
Oh, Jesus.
“Greyson, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what to say,” she said. “You know they say this a lot. It was Elvis’s baby, it was an alien baby…”
He turned off the TV and headed into his closet to get changed.
She was scared.
With her husband, he’d tolerate a lot. This was more than anyone should have to swallow. Following him in, she found him hanging up his shirt.
“Are you mad?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I am so sorry.”
He exploded.
“They’ve gone too far! They’ve crossed a line. That’s my son! I refuse to allow anyone to make a comment as to who his father is! That’s my fucking son!”
She stepped back.
He was pissed.
“I tolerate a lot. I understand a lot. I will not have them discussing Mac. He’s mine. You’re mine. I will not let anyone spread rumors over who he belongs to. He is MINE!”
Emma let him rage.
She knew the best thing with Greyson was once he was done venting, he’d be fine.
She hoped.
“That’s my son!” he said, tears filling his eyes. “That’s my little one.”
Emma saw the emotion, and this was NOT what she was expecting. He wasn’t pissed.
He was hurt.
Her poor husband.
She knew it was only rumors, and they knew the truth, but when you faced it day after day, month after month, it wore on you.
She felt the same about all the ‘Greyson Croft is cheating’ rumors. They still hurt.
“Oh, Greyson, he’s yours.”
He dropped to his knees and placed his mouth by her stomach. “He’s my sweet son. I love you, Mac. I can’t wait to hold you. I won’t let anyone tell you that you’re the product of an affair.”
Emma touched his cheek.
“Why don’t you do an interview?”
He stared at her.
“What?”
“We get tons of request for interviews every day. We can do one. Then you can tell them he’s yours. When we don’t speak, they wonder and make shit up, but if we both say he’s yours, they’ll stop. There’s no story there. We’ve cut down on anything they can gossip about.”
He considered it.
“He’s the only way to hurt me—other than you. This is all I have in life. I only have my wife and son.”
Emma kissed him on the forehead.
“He’s moving around,” she offered.
“Is he?”
He placed his hands on her small bump.
“You can’t feel him yet, but I can. He feels like a big tank rolling around in there.”
He lifted her shirt and touched her bare skin.
“I love you,” he said.
Then he sighed.
“It’s just been a long day. I hate being a mob man at certain times, and today was a struggle.”
She got it.
Pulling him to his feet, she knew he needed her. It was time to heat up her husband.
When he stood, she helped him with his jeans.
“Emma, that is NOT my zipper.”
She laughed as she stroked him through his jeans.
“I know. I suddenly felt like I need to have my wicked way with my husband.”
“How wicked?”
She slid his hand into her pants and then her panties.
She was wet.
“Okay, you really want me,” he said, immediately going hard.
“Oh, you have no idea, Mr. Croft. Watching you be all mob-bossy makes me crazy.”
“Really?”
He’d really thought she’d hate him behaving that way.
“When people shake in fear, I tremble with need.”
He lifted a brow.
“Show me.”
Emma could do that. She led him to their bed and stood before him. When she tugged his mouth to her, she devoured his.
He fell into the mating of mouths.
“Touch me,” she muttered.
Oh, he could do that. Greyson let his hands wander. He stroked soft skin, and then he shoved her pants down and grabbed handfuls of his wife’s ass.
She moaned.
It turned him on.
As she was pressed against him, Emma rubbed her body against his erection.
Then her hands.
He didn’t want her to stop.
“Let me have control,” she said.
Oh, he could do that.
Tonight, he was going to let her be the boss in bed. He’d let her set the pace. Because of her injury, he simply wasn’t there yet, and his wife knew it too.
Tonight, he’d play her sexy plaything.
Willingly.
He always had his way with Emma, and she deserved a little control too. She could have at it.
Besides, he’d be crazy to protest it. His babe was about to rock his world.
As her lips left his mouth and traveled to his throat, her fingers were busily wandering.
He wanted to beg for more.
He wanted her never to stop.
When she bit him, Greyson moaned.
Since he was shirtless, Emma ran her fingers through the spattering of chest hair.
It gave her a thrill.
“I love touching you,” she said, paying attention to his body. He’d been working out with Chris, and she wanted to play on this sexy playground for hours.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“More,” Greyson begged. “I want all.”
Oh, he was going to get all she had to offer. He was going to get the works.
Emma continued her trek down his body, stopping at the top of his jeans.
“Is this the zipper?” she teased.
He laughed.
“Yes, and hurry. I need your attention.”
She stroked him and then set him free from his pants. He was rock-hard and throbbing in her hand.
“I want to make you shout my name,” she stated.
Greyson was already nearly there.
When she stroked him, he nearly went to his knees.
“Yes, please,” he muttered as he tracked her fingers gliding up and down his dick. It was a lovely sight.
Emma couldn’t wait.
She blew him.
Greyson stared at the ceiling as his wife gave him one hell of a blowjob.
He moaned.
Begged.
And nearly succumbed.
His wife was wicked.
When he was close, he began to shake. It was so hard to control himself.
Emma set his erection free.
“More?” she asked, stroking him.
His eyes were filled with need.
“Do what you want, kitten. I’m ready for you. Make me beg.”
That she could do.
Emma shoved him backward, and he tumbled onto the bed. She was on him so fast, he didn’t have time to think. She was bottomless and straddling his hips.
“Ready?”
Yes, yes, he was.
He couldn’t help it.
Greyson was horny.
Emma slid him home. It was when she stared down at him, as he throbbed in her body that, she surprised him.
“Don’t cum, Greyson. I want one ride with you. One hot, sweaty, wild ride. Hold out for me.”
He’d try, only it was hard. His wife was bouncing on his dick. That wasn’t something you could easily ignore.
“Emma,” he muttered, “if you keep it up, I’m not going to make it,” he promised.
She changed up the rhythm, and he was forced to adjust to it.
The whole time, it felt amazing.
The way his body met hers, slide for slide, it was going to rock both of their worlds.
As always.
As she rode her husband, he looked so damn sexy beneath her. His hands were clenched in their bedding, his eyes were closed, and she knew he was trying so hard.
She switched it up again.
When he began begging her to end it, she didn’t hold on. Instead, she let herself fall.
He moaned.
Emma didn’t move. Instead, she stayed still, letting him feel the wave after wave of orgasm.
“Jesus! I’m so close.”
Emma laughed.
Then she got serious.
“No matter what they say, Greyson Croft. You’re all I need in this world. Mac will know. He’ll know because you’re an amazing man.”
He was the lucky one.
So, he told her.
“He’ll have you—like me, Emma. We are blessed. I wouldn’t want any other woman to be the mother of my child. Only you.”
“I feel the same. You’re going to be the best father ever. I can tell.”
His eyes opened.
“Emma.”
“Take your woman. Stake your claim. It’s your turn to cum, Greyson, and make it count.”
His whole body came alive with her words.
She was his.
This was his wife.
He growled.
“Make me yours.”
He let go of that fear of hurting her. He let go the worries that people would tell his son he wasn’t his.
Instead, he focused on that moment.
His wife.
The lust and heat roared through him as he rolled to place Emma on the bottom. When she was pinned beneath him, he knew he was going to be wild.
“I have to have you, Emma,” he admitted. “I have to take my wife. Tell me if I hurt you.”
“I’m safe. I’m yours.”
Greyson drove his body in and out of hers, enjoying the way his kitten purred.
Yeah, he had this.
She was his.
As he found his way into the pleasure, he kept thinking about the day when he’d have to be really gentle. He thought about Emma when she was big, fat, and ripe with his child.
It turned him on even more.
He pictured her bouncing in his lap as he watched his child move beneath her skin.
It was the sexiest thing ever.
She was his.
He knew nothing could stop that.
“Oh, Greyson,” she whispered, as Emma felt the end coming. He had her wide open for him, and he was hitting that one delicious spot over and over again.
She couldn’t stop the orgasm.
“Cum with me,” she begged. She wanted that heat to rush through her as they both fell from the edge.
Greyson felt her nails on his shoulders and watched the way her much fuller breasts bounced.
It did him in.
He exploded.
Greyson, somehow, kept himself from landing on her, and he reveled in the way it felt to fill his wife.
As they cuddled, him above her, he wanted to share that one secret wish.
“I want more kids,” Greyson stated.
“Huh?” she asked.
“I want more kids.”
“Maybe we should have this one first and make sure we don’t make some bossy, redheaded, mob boss junior.”
He grinned.
“I’m good with that outcome. I want more children, Emma. I need them.”
She laughed.
Of course he did.
The caveman back in control.
The storm was over.
Here was her proof.