Chapter Seventeen
Thursday Morning
I t was going to be a long freaking day, and they all knew it. With Dimitri not wanting Poppy anywhere near the cop they’d found in her mother’s file, it meant doubling down and finding a way to make it work.
That meant handling some hookers.
While Dimitri didn’t mind, he got why his best friend hated it. When you were in a relationship, it looked bad to be rolling into a whore house.
Whether you were doing it or not, it didn’t matter. You were screwing with the relationship wasp nest. A woman could get angrier than a hive full of wasps the second the word ‘hooker’ was even mentioned.
Yeah, this was a new thing for him.
“I take back all the times I laughed at you for being uncomfortable about doing this,” Dimitri stated. “Now I get it. Hookers and wife/significant other are not synonymous.”
He laughed.
Oh, he was aware.
“Yeah, it blows.”
They were driving, and this time, it was good to be back to just the two of them. They were partners in this, and honestly, Greyson liked working with him.
“Can I ask you a question?” Greyson asked.
“Sure, what?” Dimitri replied as he drove them through the desert to their one destination.
“Are we done working together?” Greyson asked. “Is this our last case being partners?”
That caught him off guard.
“Uh, why?”
Honestly, that didn’t sit well with him. Dimitri had come to rely on Greyson being his partner in this whole thing. They’d fight a little crime, grab some cigars, and have a bourbon to celebrate. He didn’t see himself doing that with anyone else.
“Poppy,” he stated.
“I didn’t think about that,” Dimitri admitted.
“Well, you have a sexy new partner. I’m the odd man out. I can bump Chris and work with my wife…”
“Don’t do it.”
“I don’t mind.”
“No, you’re my partner. We’ve been doing this as a team. I love having Poppy work for me, but I don’t want to work with her every day.”
He stared at him.
What?
“Pardon?”
“We do illegal things, and I’m not there yet in the relationship. I was thinking we can team her up with Riley or even Tessa until she can’t work.”
He thought about it.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m not there yet,” he said honestly. “I love Poppy, but—and don’t you dare repeat this—but I like being focused on work at work. The entire time she was on that operation, I was a mess. I can’t be a mess. I have to be focused for the team. This is my job. I love my job, and I loved it before Poppy came into my life.”
He understood that.
“I couldn’t work with Emma. I’d be hovering. Chris acts as that intermediary for me.”
“I think for a while, I’ll have her work in the condo, and get her up to speed. Curtis can teach her some tech, and then Kat can teach her some breaking and entering skills.”
He paused.
“What?” Greyson asked.
“If I had to go to a whore house with my girl, do you know how bad that would be?”
Greyson laughed and offered him his fist.
“Preaching to the choir, my brother. I would rather get shot than have a hooker plop down into my lap while Emma watched. In fact, she’d be the one shooting me.”
“I don’t want a new partner,” Dimitri stated. “You’re my best friend, and you and I have something good together. I’d like to keep it that way.”
They pulled into the lot.
“Me too,” Greyson stated.
“We should kiss or something,” Dimitri teased.
“WHAT?” Greyson asked. “Where the hell did that come from? And what kind of partnership were you talking about?”
Dimitri laughed.
“We’re here and so is the media. I saw the news this morning with Emma making out with Chris. I just…”
He hit him.
“Smart ass,” he said, laughing. This was exactly why he liked working with Dimitri.
The man knew him.
“Let’s get this hooker interview over with,” Greyson stated. “I have to buy my wife a present.”
Dimitri laughed.
“Uh, you need to buy Poppy flowers after this. You’re about to get hooker all over you.”
He stared at him.
“You wouldn’t.”
Greyson grinned.
“Oh, fuck.”
Together, they hopped out of the ride, as did the media that was tailing them.
Greyson ignored their questions, especially the ones asking who the baby daddy was. Dimitri could see him getting agitated.
He gave a few of them an extra hard shot when they moved past them—in the spirit of friendship.
At the door, they knocked, and immediately, it opened for them. The woman standing there looked shocked.
“It’s like sexy mob Christmas,” she stated. “I wanted you both in my whore house for the longest time.”
Greyson wanted to puke.
That….
It was never happening.
“I’m looking for Elaine Beasley.”
She held out her hand and grinned wickedly at him.
“You found her. What can I do for you? I’m available personally if you need some fun.”
She opened her robe and she was naked.
This was going exactly how he thought it would. The media was taking pictures, he was at a whore house, and the woman was wearing nothing but garters, an open robe, and a smile.
Great.
“Uh, married. Please cover up.”
She laughed.
“Then you’re in a bad place, my friend. This is a bunny ranch. We have naked women here. You can bring your wife. We love families.”
He.
Was.
Horrified.
There was no way that was ever happening. His wife had his son onboard. He didn’t want to even think about him bringing his son to a bunny ranch—especially in utero.
No way.
“We were given your name, and we need to ask why,” he said. “Can you please just help us?”
“Can I sit on your lap?”
“You can sit in his,” Greyson said, pointing at Dimitri.
“Really?” he asked.
Greyson smiled.
“If Heath was here, he’d take one for the team. My wife is pregnant. That trumps girlfriend. I’ll owe you one.”
He sighed.
They headed to a couch.
He sat.
She joined him.
“This is nice, now what can I do for you?”
“Why was your name brought up by Commissioner Jeffrey Raye?”
She went to get up.
Dimitri pulled her down and held a gun to her side to make sure she understood they were NOT messing around.
“Maybe you might not want to cop a squat in a gangster’s lap. Just sayin’,” Greyson said. “You know…for future reference. We aren’t nice.”
“I’m not hurting anyone.”
“Spill it.”
She hesitated.
“Listen, if he’s putting pressure on you, we can help.”
“He said If I kept my mouth shut, he’d keep quiet about one of the things that went on here,” she said.
“Like?”
She shook her head.
“Elaine, help yourself,” Dimitri stated. “You don’t want to die because of him.”
That seemed to loosen her tongue.
“He is a client. His favorite girl is here,” she admitted. “He frequented her weekly.”
“Okay, and?”
“She got an illegal abortion—past term. I can lose my license if they find out. It was done on the premises.”
He wanted to smack the stupid out of her.
“That’s dangerous.”
“I don’t tell anyone he’s been here, and I keep my license to operate a bunny ranch.”
“Where’s his girl? I need to talk to her. When was the last time he was here?”
“I keep records. I can look that up, and her name is Cindy. You can talk to her.”
“Get her and get the records.”
They sat there.
“So he was cheating on his wife, and she was cheating on him. That’s a great reason to kill someone.”
Greyson agreed.
“What is good for the goose is NOT good for the gander,” he admitted. That totally sounded like something the commissioner would believe.
She came back with a printout of all the dates. “Here you go.”
They scanned it.
“He was here the day she disappeared. It was a Sunday,” Greyson stated.
Well, that sucked.
“Yeah, that was normally his big day. He would spend hours with Cindy. He brings Viagra.”
“Please, that detail, I do not need to know.”
“Get the girl.”
She did.
“This isn’t good,” Greyson whispered. “He’s alibied by the bunny ranch.”
Dimitri was aware.
“Maybe he slipped out. How much sex could he possibly handle? It’s a hooker.”
Dimitri lifted a brow.
“Are you asking my professional opinion? I had sex once with each hooker. I wasn’t into longevity. I was there to get off. I’m talking thirty minutes max.”
“Okay, I have to ask,” Greyson began.
“What?”
“You just let them ride the junk, correct? You didn’t go down on a hooker, right? If you say yes, I’ll vomit.”
He laughed.
“No. I didn’t have oral sex with a hooker. I was horny, not insane.”
Well, there was that.
“I hear them,” Dimitri whispered.
When Cindy came in, she curled up on the couch by Dimitri. “Hey, Sexy.”
“I already had Elaine. You can flirt with him. One hooker a day is good for me. His lap is free.”
Greyson glared at him.
“Seriously?”
“What are best friends for? Besides, turnabout is fair play.”
She headed toward Greyson.
“What do you need, sexy man?” she asked, dropping into his lap.
Well, to start, a tetanus shot. To follow up, a good divorce attorney.
“You serviced Jeffrey Raye?”
She looked over at Elaine to see if it was okay to discuss it with them.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes. I was his weekend trick.”
“How often did he come in?”
“Every Sunday. He used to joke about how he liked sex three times a week, but he didn’t have time, so he did it in one day.”
“I bet that was fun.”
“It pays the bills,” Cindy said with a shrug.
“How long did he usually stay?”
She thought about it.
“Well, he rolled in around eleven, and he wrapped it up around two in the afternoon. The first two orgasms are easy. That last one I have to milk him like a…”
He stopped her.
“I will puke.”
She laughed.
“Sorry.”
Well, this was a bust.
The man was alibied for his wife’s disappearance. Unless he hired someone to handle it, they couldn't just dump this one on him.
It was time to get out of there.
“Cindy, if you ever need to get out,” Greyson said, handing her a card with Aquarius’s name on it. “Come see us.”
“HEY! She’s my best girl!” Elaine protested. “You can’t come in here and do that.”
Yeah, let her try and stop them.
As she bitched, they ignored her and headed toward the door.
“Oh, and if you call and tell him I was here, I’ll shoot you in your sleep.”
That shut her up—temporarily.
“Just go!”
They headed out.
In their ride, he looked over at Dimitri.
“We just sat in a whore house for no reason,” Greyson stated. “He’s alibied.”
“Yeah, and know what sucks more?” Dimitri asked.
“What?”
“You have whore on your pants.”
Croft actually looked down. Then he laughed.
“You’re a funny one. You have whore on you too. How about we lose these reporters because we do NOT need them seeing us at the next stop.”
“I can do it. Hold on.”
Dimitri whipped around in the sand, doing one hell of a donut. He sprayed dust everywhere, and then made his escape. They got a mile away, and there were no media cars behind them.
“Next stop. Let’s go see a cop. Back to Poppy’s case.”
They switched gears and began the hunt.
What could go wrong?
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Tristan Bauer’s
Home
Someone had some explaining to do.
As they pulled up, the man was getting into his vehicle, and that’s when they decided to make their move. As Emma drove, Chris was in the back seat, ready to make his move. Poppy had shotgun, and she was playing lookout.
This was the best way to handle it.
They needed to move fast.
As Emma pulled up—behind his ride, he didn’t see her there. Chris was out, he grabbed him, and shoved him into the vehicle.
The motivating factor was the gun he’d stuck under his chin.
Immediately, the man began begging for his life. What a freaking putz.
“Well, Tristan, nice to see you again,” Emma stated as she drove.
He swallowed.
“What did I do?”
“We need to talk.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he swore.
Emma, Chris, and Poppy laughed as they drove him away from the safety of his wife, and house.
“Yeah, everyone says that,” she admitted.
Emma glanced up in the rearview mirror, and no one was coming up behind them, so it went without a hitch. She headed to an abandoned warehouse where they’d ‘talk’ to the man.
She didn’t own it, but he didn’t know that. At this point, they could let him worry. It might shake the truth loose.
When she parked and turned around in her seat, she pointed at Chris.
“If you shoot him in here, Greyson will be mad. He just bought me this one to replace my blown-up ride.”
Chris appeared to ponder it.
“If he talks to us, he lives. If not, we can take him inside and shoot him there.”
“Works for me,” Poppy said, playing along. This was all kinds of fun.
“Stop! What did I do?” Tristan asked.
“You can start by telling us about your relationship with Libby. It’s been brought to our attention that you invested a lot of money, and you may have invested some sweat equity too. I don’t mean home renovation.”
He swallowed.
Emma didn’t have proof, but where there was smoke, there was fire. Since Libby slept around, or appeared to, there was a good chance she was rolling around with him too.
He went to make up some BS, but the click of Chris’s safety shut him down pretty damn fast.
“Spill it,” Emma stated.
When he still didn’t tell them what they wanted, she knew what to do.
It was time to really up the game.
“Poppy, get the hood and zip ties,” she stated.
She went to get out.
“Wait!” Tristan begged.
“What?” Emma asked, pulling a silencer out of her pocket to hand it to Chris. She’d never use it, but this man didn’t know that. In this case, the rumors and their reputation in Vegas were doing all the heavy lifting.
“We had a sexual relationship. It started as flirting, and we got hot and heavy.”
Emma waited.
“We’d meet before her bruncheon with the girls. We’d hook up at a hotel, we’d go our separate ways, and then wait until the next week to communicate again. Her husband didn’t suspect anything, since she always did a girl’s day, and my wife thought I was finding something to occupy my time.”
“Nice. You were her husband’s friend.”
Tristan became that faucet, and the information began pouring out of him.
“He was abusive. I saw the marks. She wanted someone to protect her. I cared about her. I loved her.”
And that was a good motivator.
Just not his.
“Where did the money come from?”
“My wife got an inheritance. She was busy at work, so I would handle the meetings with Libby. My schedule was less hectic. I could leave school on my lunch break—or so I told her. Libby and I handled that too in our ‘meetings’. It went from there.”
“Oh, Tristan.”
“Don’t tell my wife! She doesn’t know. I’ve been good the last four years. I’ve tried to be better. I’ve stopped cheating. Libby was different.”
“Was she going to leave her husband?”
When he didn’t answer, Chris nudged him with the gun to get him to spill it.
“Yes. We were both leaving.”
He began crying.
“Please don’t tell my wife. I don’t want to lose my family.”
“Really?” she asked. “You didn’t care if you lost Emily before, but now that your mistress is missing, and presumed dead, it’s all fine and dandy to stick around?”
“The last four years have been better. Emily quit her job, she’s been more involved in our marriage. That place she worked sucked them both in!”
Emma didn’t care.
She jerked her head.
Chris opened the door and shoved him out. He cowered on the ground.
“Don’t kill me!”
Chris closed the door and Emma pulled away.
“He can walk. I don’t like cheaters.”
Poppy laughed.
“What?”
“You have the best job. Here, I was playing by the rules, but they talk so much more when you threaten them. Who needs that pesky law thing?”
Yeah, she was aware.
“Where to now?” Poppy asked.
“We have two suspects from this lead. Tristan, the wandering dick gave us Emily Bauer and Jeffrey Raye. Both were the people being cheated on, and that might be enough to make them snap.”
Chris saw the look.
“You are thinking something.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Care to let us in?”
Maybe it was premature, but Emma had that nagging feeling in the pit of her gut.
It was the one that pointed her at the least likely person. It was making her wonder…
“What would a woman do to keep her man?” Emma asked. “I know what I would do.”
Yeah, and it would mean someone’s death.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Thursday
Mid-Morning
They waited for Brandon Ames to leave his gym. When he came out, he found them leaning on his ride.
“Uh, cop here, you can mosey along unless you want to turn yourself in, Croft.”
Oh, he had news for him.
That wasn’t happening.
“Uh, mob here, and unless you tell us why you are doing illegal things for Commissioner Raye, you’re going for a long ride in the desert.”
The man tried to get away.
Greyson dropped his arm over his shoulder and tried to make it look friendly.
You know…in case anyone was watching them.
“What do you want?” Brandon Ames asked.
“Eloise Wayne.”
The man tensed at the mere mention of her name. That told them everything they needed to know.
“We know about the DNA test. We know how Raye made you do his dirty work for him. We even know that you questioned the relative. We want the details. Now.”
He clammed up.
Oh, well, Greyson had a way around that.
“We just put drugs in your trunk. We told the police the color of the car. I suggest you talk fast. We’ll be fine. You…not so much.”
Dimitri looked at his watch. “Brandon, they’ll be here in a few minutes.”
He began sweating.
Big time!
“Raye won’t get you out of it. In fact, he’s been known to have lots of cops die around him when they know shit. I suggest, to save your life, you spill it. Once they find those drugs, you’re going to lock up, and you won’t make it out.”
That clearly freaked him out.
“The commissioner asked me to find Peyton Muller. I went to her house, pretended to be one of those reunion shows, and talked about her DNA. I asked her about some relatives.”
“And you got a name.”
“Yes. I got a bunch of names.”
“Who?”
He began rattling them off.
Dimitri stopped him at Brent Hendricks. That was the guy they couldn’t get their hands on to interview. He was not home on their two attempts. He’d tried once with Poppy, and once with Tessa. Both times, they assumed he was out working, since it was tax season, and he was an accountant.
“What did Peyton Muller tell you about him?” Dimitri asked.
“That he’s been a recluse for years. He’s in his late fifties, and he’s all about sticking close to home. No one visits him, and he still lives in the same place all these years. He slammed the door in Peyton’s face the one time she went there.”
“How are they related?” Greyson asked.
“Peyton is his aunt. It’s her sister’s boy, and she called him odd.”
“So what happened after you got the name?” Greyson asked.
“I told Jeffrey, and that’s it. He didn’t tell me why he wanted the name—just to get it. He gave me some cash, I did the deal, and I was done.”
Well, well, well.
It looked like they were on the right track.
“Grey, let’s go. The cops,” Dimitri stated, as a police car was seen driving down the street.
They walked to their ride.
“What about the drugs?” he yelled.
Dimitri turned off his camera.
“I wouldn't tell the commissioner, or this little video clip will be on social media, and you will lose your job.”
“But the drugs!”
Greyson laughed.
Brandon Ames watched as the car drove by, but all the people in the parking lot looked at him like he was some drug buying lunatic.
As he opened the trunk of his ride, there was nothing inside.
“They’re gone,” he shouted, realizing he’d been played.
Big time.
Dimitri and Greyson pulled away, and they were amused by how easy that had been.
“Well, what do we do now?” Dimitri asked.
Oh, that was easy.
“Let’s go break into Brent’s home. If he’s there, let’s put him down. You know…just to be safe.”
Dimitri was good with that.
He was an animal.
Someone had to do it. He would definitely take one for the team.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Poppy wanted to cross something off her list. The entire time that they were out, it was on her mind. Poppy couldn’t shake it. There was this niggling feeling that it had to be done.
“Can we head to the detective’s house who worked on my mother’s case? I want to question him again, and maybe this time I might pick something up.”
Emma could do that.
“Chris?”
“We should be safe. Emma, you stay in the ride. You’re the most recognizable out of the three of us. I might pass as unnoticeable.”
She agreed.
Emma got the directions, and they headed there. When they arrived, Chris and Poppy headed toward the door.
She knocked.
No one answered.
“His car is here. It’s the same one that was in the driveway the last time we came here.”
Chris began looking in the windows, trying to see if the man was there.
That’s when he saw it, and it wasn’t pretty.
“Um, let’s go.”
“What?” she asked.
He grabbed her arm, and they ran to the car. This wasn’t good. They couldn’t be there.
“Emma! Let’s go!”
She waited for them to hop into the ride before pulling away.
“What’s going on?”
“I saw him.”
“And?”
“One bullet hole to his forehead. He’s dead. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, and we don’t need to be seen here. Back to Sky Villa. It feels like a setup.”
She agreed.
A dead cop, a Croft, and two ex-cops?
Oh, yeah.
That was a recipe for something dangerous.
“Call Greyson. Tell him to get in. Now,” she said. “The shit is about to hit the fan.”
And none of them needed to wear that.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
They went to Brent Hendricks’ home, and while they knew that breaking and entering was dangerous, they didn’t have a choice.
Dimitri wanted to catch the man, and it mattered.
So, they did it.
As Greyson covered him, Dimitri picked the lock. He did it fast, he did it with gloves on, and he didn’t hesitate to get them inside.
Once the door was open, it was like any other apartment. It was lived in, there were books all over, and there was a recliner.
It screamed middle-aged reclusive accountant.
Heading into the other rooms, they found a knife lying on the counter.
“I think that’s from Poppy’s house,” Dimitri said. “It looks like hers.”
Yeah, Greyson was edgy.
So far, they didn’t see a single thing that led them to believe that this man was a lunatic. The knife…many people had them. If they wanted to pursue this, they needed more.
As they headed into the bedroom, they saw it.
Yeah, that was definitely more, and then some.
The walls, all over his bedroom, were covered with pictures of Poppy. They all looked recent. Above them, there were scribbles.
Curses.
Anger.
Perverse words.
“Someone is unhinged,” Greyson said, video recording the whole place in case something happened, and this got buried by the commissioner. After all, he was now involved.
Yeah, he was aware that this man was nuts.
“He’s not here. Let’s get out of this den of crazy. We’ll put Ilan on the place. He’ll watch it.”
“Call Emma and have her get Poppy indoors. She’s not safe. This guy is nuts,” Greyson stated.
As he was pulling out his phone, it rang.
It was Chris.
“What’s up?”
“Get home! NOW!”
“What’s going on?” Greyson asked, grabbing Dimitri by the shirt and dragging him out.
“We found a dead detective. It’s the one Poppy and Dimitri interviewed. It feels like a setup. Poppy and Dimitri’s DNA are in there.”
Shit!
That was not good.
“We found the killer,” Greyson said, as they raced to their vehicle.
“Who?”
“Brent Hendricks. We’ll meet you at home. Get there, and stay in until we do.”
“Emma thinks she knows who killed Libby,” he added.
“Who?”
“We’ll tell you when you get there.”
Greyson hung up.
Dimitri was calling Ilan, putting him on the place. At least they’d have eyes on Brent—for when he killed him.
And that was exactly what he was going to do.
For his woman.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
He saw them break into his home. He stood there watching as they went right to his apartment, entered it, and touched his things.
Well, this wouldn’t do.
He was going to have to kill the man first since he seemed to be in his way. Dimitri Gideon was going to have to die. If he wanted to get to Eloise, her new lover needed a bloody end.
And he’d get it.
Then he’d claim his lovely Eloise.
It was time.
Now, he was pissed.
And he was going to do something about it.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
When they all got back to Sky Villa it was time to discuss what they found, and what to do about the dead cop’s body. More importantly, the DNA that was going to be found in the man’s home.
When Dimitri came in, he went to Poppy and held her tightly in his arms.
“Chris said you found him.”
Yeah, his face said it all.
“What?” she asked.
“We have to show you what we found. We have to show you what’s chasing you, and I promise he will not get you.”
She was nervous.
That didn’t sound good at all.
“Okay.”
Greyson sent the images from his phone to the tablet. He plugged in, and they went to the screen.
They all stood there.
Poppy watched as the video played out. She gasped when she saw the pictures.
They were of her.
“He’s been stalking me a while. Since before I turned down the job. That means he’s been planning on having this evidence to use it to control me,” she said, referring to the commissioner.
“He likes to plan everything,” Emma stated. “You were a risk, but he was going to manage it.”
“We have to get rid of that body,” Dimitri said. “There is no way the cops can find it.”
Yeah, they really did.
“We can send Heath,” Greyson offered.
Emma shook her head.
“Nope. I need him. I have a way to flush out Libby Raye’s killer.”
“You do?”
“It’s not her husband. Raye is in the clear.”
Uh, how did she know? He didn’t tell her about the brothel and the hooker date every Sunday.
“You’re right. He has an alibi.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not shocked. We were jumping the gun,” she stated. “He’s not going to be involved.”
They stared at her like she was crazy.
“Hear me out. Who here would know if their significant other was cheating, and fell in love with someone else?”
All the men stared, but the women…yeah, they raised their hands. Chris had been cheated on and never knew, Greyson had been too. Dimitri had been betrayed by his wife and Curtis…yeah, Brynn did him in.
They were oblivious.
Paris laughed.
“Uh, well, that says it all about the male of the species. We aren’t really smart.”
“Yeah, because men don’t pick up the subtle things,” Emma stated.
“Like?” Greyson asked. “Asking for a friend.”
Dimitri laughed when he pointed at him.
“When your woman goes out and buys brand new panties, and you don’t get to see them, she’s cheating. When she loses weight or starts becoming more body conscious, she’s having an affair,” Tessa stated.
“HEY!” Paris said. “You bought new panties.”
“And you saw them,” she stated. “Totally a different game there, Paris.”
Greyson got in on it.
He pointed at his wife. She, too, bought new underthings the other day.
She shut him down.
“I bought new underwear because your son is making me fat. I’m more body conscious because I’m sharing my body with a space hog!”
He kissed her.
Greyson just wanted to make her laugh.
“What do men do?” Emma asked.
“They just cheat. If anything, we’d shower after sex when we’re done with the other woman. We’d maybe go to the gym more, but use that only to swing by her place.”
“I’m willing to bet that Emily knew. She gave her husband money to invest with her good friend, and then noticed when her husband started giving her signs. Tristan was going to leave his wife, and Libby was leaving her husband.”
Greyson got it.
“Only Jeffrey Raye had already checked out. It was about the money for him. His wife was bringing it in, and he was spending it at a brothel. He wasn’t focused on her. He wouldn’t have noticed.”
“I’m willing to bet it’s Emily.” That wasn’t all. “I want to scare her out of her mind,” Emma stated.
“What?”
“We have Abby’s phone. We know Libby’s old number.”
“And?” Greyson asked, wondering what she was up to now.
Curtis raised his hand.
“I can clone it onto another phone, and make the call to her.”
Greyson listed.
“We tell her that she’s coming for her. What’s the first thing she’s going to do?
“Go to the grave to see if it’s disturbed,” Dimitri stated. “She’ll want to check.”
“We can hope. That’s why I need Heath. She hasn’t seen him. He’s going to sit outside her house and play follow the murderess.”
“If she leaves…?” Greyson asked.
“He will follow. We don’t need her to tell us she killed her. We just need the location. When she’s there, she’ll freak out, or she’ll call the police and say someone is pranking her.”
“That will tell us what we need.”
“The only thing is the voice,” Greyson said. “She’s going to need to hear her.”
Emma pushed play.
Libby’s voice was stored on the old phone in voicemail. It was a good thing Abby saved them.
Greyson smiled.
“When you can’t interrogate it out of someone, scare it out of them,” Poppy stated. “I learned that today.”
Well, it worked.
“Yeah, so while Heath is on her, you are going to have to play arsonist.”
Kat raised her hand.
“I can go. Chris can be my driver.”
That worked for everyone.
“Blow it?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, we have to erase Dimitri and Poppy’s DNA. I don’t doubt that the commissioner is waiting for him to be found, and then he’ll use it against Poppy.”
“That asshole,” Dimitri stated.
Yeah, no one argued with that.
“What are you going to do with Brent Hendricks?” Emma asked.
“We’re going to find him and end him,” Greyson said. “Ilan is at the house. Poppy is going to be with Dimitri nonstop until we get him. As soon as we can find him,” he said, as Dimitri drew his finger across his own jugular.
It was how he ended people.
“Good. We don’t need this going to court,” Emma stated. “Poppy, are you good with that?”
“Yes. I don’t want him to get off on two counts of crazy. I want him to pay.”
And there it was.
“It may take a while,” Dimitri said. “Are you okay with staying with me at all times?”
She nodded.
“He won’t come at you with Dimitri there. Under NO circumstances are you to go anywhere alone,” Emma added. “Got it?”
“I do. At some point, I’ll need to head home to get the rest of my things. Can we go?”
“If you let me take you, yes.”
“Deal.”
He smiled. It looked like he had a long-term roommate, and he was more than okay with that.
“Okay, well, now that’s done, let’s get some fun started. Let’s scare a murderess.”
Greyson looked bummed.
“What?” Emma asked.
“One, you came up with this, and I’m jealous. Two, I really wanted it to be Raye. Who would have known that the man wouldn’t be guilty in his wife’s disappearance? What are the freaking chances?”
She laughed.
Yeah, Emma was aware.
No one saw that one coming.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
One Hour Later
Curtis had plenty of time. He cloned the number, he got the voice uploaded, and it was perfect. Without a computer, the woman wouldn’t know it was being run through a voice program.
It was going to scare her stupid—if she was involved.
Sometimes, it was good to kick in doors, and other times, in their line of work, you had to be sneaky.
Tricky.
This was one of those times.
As they had Heath in position, they got ready.
Emma was on the couch, and they were all watching Heath on the screen. He was live, so he could tell them what was going on at the house.
When Emma pointed, Curtis did the deed.
The phone rang.
They all listened, holding their breath. It was muted so they couldn’t be heard, but Curtis could control what Emily heard.
“Hello?” came the voice, and she was already wary. She must have recognized the number. It was clearly detectable in her voice.
Curtis began typing.
“Emily?”
There was a sob.
“Libby?”
“I miss you, Emily. I’m okay. Tell your husband I’m okay. I’m coming back, Emily. I’m coming back for the love of my life.”
There was crying from Emily.
“NO!”
“You didn’t get rid of me. I’m going to tell the world what you did, Emily. I’m going to tell them you killed me.”
“GO AWAY! JUST GO AWAY!”
Curtis programmed in laughter.
“I hate you!” Emily stated. “You had a husband! You didn’t need mine!”
“You didn’t kill me,” the voice said. “I’m coming for you. I’m coming soon. Be ready for me.”
Curtis killed the call.
That was the craziest shit they’d ever witnessed.
“Wow. I am so glad I get to do this job,” Poppy stated. “That was the coolest shit ever.”
They all agreed.
“Now, we see what happens,” Emma stated.
They waited. That’s when they saw the light go on at Emily and Tristan’s home.
“I knew she was guilty,” Emma said as soon as they saw her rush out. She looked confused, scared, and ready to lose it.
They watched.
Heath spoke up, “She’s on the move. She grabbed a shovel. She’s heading somewhere. Should I follow?”
“Yeah, and once you get there, call the police. Tell them you witnessed a homicide, and the woman is burying a body,” Emma stated.
Greyson laughed.
“I will never cheat on my wife,” he said.
“I heard about the women at the bunny ranch,” she said, glancing over. “I could smell cheap hooker on you.”
He swallowed and then did the ONLY thing he could. Greyson pointed at Dimitri, who was the only one who could have outed him.
“What the hell? One sat on your lap too!” he objected. “Why did you rat me out?”
She laughed.
Dimitri cringed.
“I didn’t tell her. She played you, and you took me down in the process. How are you my partner, and how the hell did you run the FBI? You were just screwed over by a pregnant woman.”
Emma laughed even more.
“Damn it,” he said.
“We will discuss this later, Greyson.”
Oh, he was aware.
They watched as Heath followed Emily Bauer’s vehicle. He was giving them a play by play.
“She’s driving in circles,” he stated. “I’m going to back off. I put a tracker on her car.”
That was a damn good idea.
“Do your thing, Heath. We know you have crazy, mad skills,” Emma stated.
“Fuckin’ A, Mrs. C. I won’t lose her.”
They watched.
Curtis pulled the tracker up on the screen and minimized it so they could watch the map and Heath.
“Head left. She’s heading out of town,” he offered.
The man did.
“If you were going to hide the body of a cop’s wife, where would you do it?” Greyson asked.
“A national park,” Emma stated.
“Where’s the nearest one?” Greyson asked.
“Death Valley,” Dimitri said, and they all looked over at him. “What?” he asked, laughing, as Poppy stared at him. “Yes, I’ve been there. Let’s leave it at that.”
Oh, no one was surprised.
“Heath, I hope you gassed up the ride. You have a long one.”
“There’s this donut place out there. Anyone want baked goods?”
Emma raised her hand.
Greyson stared at her.
“Seriously? You want donuts? Who are you?” he asked, teasing his wife.
Oh, she was aware. All of a sudden, she had some wicked cravings.
“Christ! This is your baby.”
He laughed.
“Let’s order some pizza. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting one.”
Oh, no one doubted that.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
The House
When they arrived there, they knew what to do.
It was time for Chris and Kat to handle this little wrinkle in the Croft/Gideon plan.
It was time to blow this ex-detective and the wayward DNA to kingdom come.
“Is it ready?” Chris asked, hopping back into the vehicle the same time Kat did.
“Yeah, it’s set. You drive, and I’ll push the button.”
He didn’t look happy.
“What?” Kat asked.
“I want to push the button.”
She laughed.
“What are you, twelve?”
“How many buildings have you blown up in your life?” he asked.
“More than ten, less than twenty, why?” Kat asked as he pulled away.
“I’ve never done it before.”
She handed him the detonator.
“Make sure we’re down the block. It’s going to really blow. It’s on the gas line.”
He laughed like a maniac.
“It’s a good thing he doesn’t have neighbors.”
Yeah, she was aware. Had he, there would have been a fire instead.
“Ready?” she asked, looking back down the street toward the house.
“Yes.”
“Three, two…”
He hit the button and there was a horrific boom. The house went up, and pieces of debris fell everywhere.
“I didn’t get to one.”
“I couldn’t help it. Sorry, premature detonation. It happens when you get to my age.”
She stared at him.
“What?”
“And that is why Emma loves you.”
Chris laughed.
One of the reasons.
He was sure.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Two Hours Later.
Thursday Night
They had pizza, and while he was working, they kept Heath company. A couple of times, Dimitri called Ilan to see how it was going, and Brent was nowhere to be found.
He’d turn up.
And when he did, Dimitri would end him. He’d terrorized and hurt Poppy, and that shit was not going to fly. As of late, he hadn’t killed indiscriminately.
For this asshole, he’d do it up.
Messing with Poppy was a death sentence.
As they spread out in the spacious living room, Emma’s head was in Greyson’s lap, Poppy was cuddled against Dimitri, and the whole family was there.
Even Dante and Steele.
“We’re entering the park,” Heath said. “Once I get her coordinates, I’ll call the police.”
They watched in anticipation.
Greyson noticed his brother and Steele looked a little too giddy. Something had to be going on.
“So, bro, what’s been going on? Have you been busily making money?” he asked.
“We’re sorry we’ve been busy,” Steele said. “We have been working on something.”
“What?” Emma asked.
“Well,” Dante said, “We happen to have an announcement.”
Greyson was curious. He hoped and prayed his brother wasn’t going to tell him he was quitting. They didn’t need that kind of announcement.
‘Yes?” he asked.
“We’ve hired a surrogate. We’re going to have a baby, or she is, and we are going to be parents. We are in the beginning stages of it, but we wanted you to know.”
Everyone congratulated them.
It looked like there were more kids coming to the Croft family, and that was always a good thing.
“When will you find out?” Emma asked.
“Well, we need to give her sperm for insemination. We have a doctor’s appointment later this week.”
Greyson started laughing his ass off. His trip to the sperm bank had been hell. Well, until Emma came in and helped a guy out.
“If you need a nurse…?”
She pinched him.
“Jesus! You’re mean! You used to be sweet, Emma. What the hell happened?”
She pointed at the baby. She was going to use that for the rest of her pregnancy.
Why.
The.
Hell.
Not?
Dante didn’t want to know about his brother’s kinky escapades.
“I think we have it covered. Two men usually equals double the sperm. We’ll get samples and mix them together. That way, we don’t know who…”
Greyson stopped him.
“I will puke. I do not want to think about your sperm, Dante, being mixed into anything.”
Steele laughed.
Heath interrupted their teasing.
“She’s stopped her vehicle,” Heath said, getting out of his car and hiding. “She’s taking a shovel and moving into the trees. She’s on the move.”
“Oh, she’s going to dig her up to make sure,” Emma said, excitedly. She had hoped Emily would. This was exactly what she’d planned.
Perfect.
“Heath, get closer.”
He followed her into the deserted area. She stopped at an outcropping of rocks.
“She’s pretty close to the entrance,” he said.
“Call the police,” Emma stated. “Get them there, Heath. Sound hysterical like you are seeing an ax murder.”
“I once worked for an…”
She stopped him.
“Heath.”
He got it.
There was a better time for that story. Instead, Heath made the call from a burner phone.
Meanwhile, he kept video recording the entire thing, so they could see it all go down. They all watched as the woman began digging by what looked like a natural tombstone.
“You stupid bitch!” she shouted. “You have to be here! You have to be here! You can’t be back! I beat the hell out of you with a baseball bat before our brunch date!”
Well, that explained a lot.
“Ouch,” Emma stated. “Someone was angry. I would have beat the husband instead,” Emma stated. “Libby’s other friends did say that Emily arrived last, and then they waited for Libby. How much do you want to bet she was in the trunk, ready for transport?”
No one doubted it.
This woman was a vicious nut job.
“It’s funny how the man always gets off without a scratch,” Poppy stated.
“Yeah, I know. He should be dead too.”
Greyson stared at her again, and again, she pointed at her belly.
“Keep that in mind, Greyson.”
Oh, he would. Pregnant women were vicious.
Heath kept recording.
“You should have kept your filthy hands off my husband! He’s MINE! You slept with everyone! YOU had to touch mine too? You’re a bitch and deserved to die!”
They watched her dig.
“Where are the cops? Emma asked. “We need to slow her down.”
Curtis knew what they needed.
He dialed her phone.
She pulled it out and screamed.
“WHERE ARE YOU?” Emily shouted. “COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU SLUT!”
“I’m here, Emily. I’m where you put me. Your husband was leaving you.”
The woman kept digging.
“I’ll kill you again! I’ll kill you again!” she shouted.
“The cops are coming. I see lights,” Heath whispered. “She’s almost busted.”
“Stay hidden,” Emma said. “Let them do their thing. Let them find her with the body.”
They all sat there eating pizza and watching the train wreck as it played out in real time. Clearly, Emily was insane. First, she’d killed someone. Then she fell for all of this.
They watched her pull Libby’s bones from the hole.
“I told you that you were dead! I killed you, Libby! I killed you. I win! You can’t come back! You touched my husband, and you are dead!”
She laughed triumphantly.
Until she looked up and saw four cops with guns pointed at her.
“Put the skull down, ma’am.”
“I killed her.! I killed her! She fucked my husband, and she was going to take him! Well, I get the last laugh! I win, Libby Raye! I FUCKING WIN! She called me from the dead to tell me she’d won, but I won!”
Heaths face showed up on the screen.
“Mrs. C, do you really want some donuts? I can be back by ten.”
“Yes, Heath. Bring them home.”
He smiled.
Greyson laughed.
“Well, so much for bed.”
Poppy was quiet.
“Don’t worry,” Emma said, knowing what had her worried. There was still a killer out there, waiting for her. “We know who he is. We’re going to get him. In the morning, grab your things. We will keep you safe here.”
She hoped so.
“Come on,” Dimitri said. “Let’s go tuck the kids in and head to bed. We had a long day.”
She followed him out with Petra and Sam behind her. This was exactly what she needed.
Normalcy.
“Is she going to be okay?” Tessa asked.
“I think she needs some Dimitri time, and he’ll heal that wound.”
Greyson agreed.
The two of them were good together.
“Look around. Look what love built. Before we know it, she’ll be calm and happy too.”
He was right.
“More pizza?” Emma asked.
They all dove back in.
They’d solved a four-year-old murder.
Yeah, the Croft family…they were that damn good.
Only, they weren’t done.
The one that was over two decades old was next.
And they’d solve that one too.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Dimitri’s Condo
When they returned to his home, Poppy disappeared. She left him with the kids and escaped to their room. He understood why.
She needed some time.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was scared, worried, and needed a distraction. Some silence would be a good thing. Unfortunately, at his condo, that was at a premium.
By the time Dimitri finally was able to wrangle the kids, an hour had gone by.
He figured Poppy would be asleep, and maybe that was for the best.
He didn’t mind just holding her as she slept. It was that connection that mattered most to him. Don’t get him wrong, sex was a priority, especially since he’d begun having it with her, but he’d take one for the team.
He loved her so much, that he’d simply be there for her while she was worried.
After locking up, and checking on the kids, he headed toward his room.
Once inside, he heard her moving around the bathroom, likely getting ready for bed.
“Are you okay, babochka?” he called.
“Yes, Dimitri. I’m okay. Just getting dressed. I’ll be ready for bed. I need a distraction.”
Well, he’d give her one.
“We can watch the news, or we can…”
He didn’t get to finish.
When he turned around, she was standing there, leaning in the doorway. That wasn’t the shocking part. How she was dressed…yeah, that was what tripped him up.
Dimitri prided himself on being of steady nerve and a patient man, but with one look, he was a hot mess.
Poppy was wearing a lacy bra and pair of panties. On her head, she was wearing her police uniform hat.
Well, holy shit!
“I do believe I need a distraction, and I promised you a little fantasy,” she stated.
He swallowed.
And then nodded.
“Well, I need you to keep my mind occupied.”
Oh, well, he could do that.
“I have never been so glad to be a criminal,” he stated, as he watched the handcuffs swinging on her finger. “Take me in, officer.”
She laughed.
“Oh, Mr. Gideon, you’ve got that all wrong. You’re the criminal every day. How about you really take a walk on the wild side.”
She handed him the cuffs.
He nearly came.
“Please tell me you’re not kidding. I don’t think I can handle it right now,” he stated, his accent thick. “Babochka, I am already out of control.”
And that was exactly what she needed.
“I’m the sexy cat burglar, and you’re the wicked cop. You get to drive this fantasy.”
Oh, hell, yes.
This girlfriend thing…now he knew why Greyson was always smiling.
She took her hat off and dropped it onto his head.
“Officer, take me in for interrogation.”
He grinned.
And so it began.
Dimitri held out his hand, and she reached for him. Immediately, he had her spun, and in the cuffs.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he whispered in her ear. “I won’t be gentle, Poppy. In my fantasy, I get to be me.”
“Be you, Dimitri. I love him.”
Oh, he would be.
Dimitri had her against the wall, face first, and her legs were kicked out so he could pat her down.
His hands began wandering.
“I need to make sure you don’t have anything concealed that’s going to hurt me,” he whispered.
Her blood pressure went up. With her cuffed hands, she touched his dick. He was rock-hard in his pants.
Oh, she loved this fantasy.
As soon as his fingers found the wetness between her legs, Poppy was focused on that, and that alone.
“Well, Miss Wayne, I seem to have found something highly addictive on your body.”
His fingers slipped into her body, and she moaned.
“You’re a very bad criminal,” he whispered in her ear as his torso pressed her against the wall. “Whatever should I do with you?”
“Make me forget.”
He stroked her clit with his finger.
“How?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
“If you want it, Poppy, you need to beg for it. You wanted to forget, and I’ll make you forget, but you have to play along.”
“Fuck me,” she stated.
His breath hitched.
God!
This might just kill him.
There was the hiss of his zipper being dropped, and Poppy held her breath.
She wanted him.
She wanted to forget.
“Are you ready?” he asked, still tormenting her clit with his fingers.
She nodded.
“Perfect.”
Before she could speak, Dimitri shoved his dick into her body. He wasn’t gentle, and she actually came up off the floor.
He was wild.
He was rough.
The entire time, she moaned in pleasure as he began taking her.
“God! I want you more and more every day,” he whispered in her ear as they were both pressed together.
“More,” she begged.
Jesus!
Dimitri wanted to thank the universe for this. Here, he’d come into the room planning to soothe, and now he was mid-ravage.
Merry Christmas to him.
“Like this?” he asked, roughly taking her.
“God! Yes!”
His body shook as he realized his butterfly was sturdy, tough, and liked it rough. This was one of the best days of his life.
Who knew it could be this wild between them?
“I’m going to make you pay,” he whispered. “Cat burglars are the worst kind of criminals,” he said, watching his slick dick slide in and out of her.
“Yes!”
“You may not cum.”
“WHAT?” she asked.
Dimitri pulled out of her body.
“I think you heard me,” he said, leaving bites across her neck and shoulders. With gentle fingers, he tugged her bra up, so her breasts fell out. His hands found them, too, and tormented her.
“Dimitri,” she begged, but he ignored her. He was too focused on the sexy prisoner against him.
She was wet.
He was hard.
This was heaven.
As he kept her pressed against the wall, Dimitri began planning out everything that he’d wanted in a fantasy. Since he was driving it, she was going to give him her all.
He’d demand it.
He’d crave it.
He needed this.
This fucking was exactly what he needed. He needed to take what was his.
Her.
Poppy was forever his.
“Please, Dimitri,” she begged as he tormented her until she was shaking, only to stop.
She was frustrated.
“Please what?”
“Please take me!”
Oh, if she wanted to play criminal, he’d show her how it was done. Spinning her around, he watched her eyes, and they were filled with need.
Perfect.
“Who do you belong to, Miss Wayne?” he asked.
She stared into his eyes as he held her chin in his fingers. His dick was against her stomach, and she could feel the throbbing.
“I’m yours, Dimitri. I’ll always be yours.”
His heart skipped.
“Yes, you will be.”
With that, Dimitri pulled her toward their bed. With a gentle push, she fell backward onto the mattress, and he dropped to his knees.
“It’s time to make you beg.”
And he did.
Dimitri yanked her legs apart, ripped off her panties, and devoured her clit.
He was rough, unforgiving, and branding her forever with teeth and tongue.
She moaned as he feasted on her.
“Please let me cum!” she begged. “GOD! Let me cum!”
Instead, he covered her mouth with his hand, so she didn’t wake the whole building, and he tormented her even more.
Poppy squirmed.
It was making her wild.
As she was on the cusp of falling, he stopped.
HE. JUST. STOPPED.
“Dimitri!”
He slid up her body, and forcibly kissed her. When he broke away, she was breathing heavily.
“Please,” she begged against his mouth.
“I’m not done.”
“Dimitri,” she whispered, right before he buried himself in her body.
They both moaned.
Poppy bowed beneath him.
He wildly fucked.
Poppy wrapped her legs around his hips, meeting each and every thrust with her body. She wanted this and couldn’t wait to finally cum.
Just as she was close again, he pulled out.
She whimpered in need.
“Can I do anything I want?” he asked, needing her permission.
“GOD! Yes!”
That was all he needed.
He pulled her up, led her to his black dresser with the large mirror, and bent her over so he was standing behind her.
She watched him.
“Anything?” he asked.
She nodded.
Dimitri spit on his hand, kicked her legs out, and grabbed her by the handcuffs.
“I really love your ass.”
It was then that she knew what he had planned.
“Dimitri!”
It was too late.
He slid into her, his whole body shaking from taking her full, sexy ass.
Her eyes were huge as he watched her in the mirror. When he was buried to the base, she still didn’t speak.
Then his hand landed on her one cheek, and Poppy moaned.
It was time.
He fucked her.
Poppy was being driven wild.
“You were a bad cat burglar. This is what you get,” he said, struggling not to cum.
It wasn’t easy.
“God! Yes!”
While she wanted to weep from the lack of clitoral stimulation, she wanted to rejoice at the look on his face. It was pure bliss.
For that, she’d sacrifice her own pleasure.
“So good,” he muttered and then began speaking in Russian.
Poppy caught some of it. He was really turned on, and that turned her on.
The more she begged, the harder Dimitri took her. It was a battle of wills, and they were equally matched.
As he got close to release, he reached around and found her clit.
Poppy’s knees nearly buckled as he roughly stroked her and whispered so much profanity in her ear.
She shook.
“I’m going to cum,” he muttered. “Fall with me, Poppy. That’s an order.”
She couldn’t hold back if she tried.
He stroked.
Tormented.
Teased.
And she came.
Their eyes met in the mirror, and they both exploded apart. He poured hotly into her, and she whimpered in pleasure.
When she closed her eyes, Poppy felt her whole world moving as Dimitri pulled from her body and lifted her in his arms.
They collapsed on the bed, her head on his chest.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ll never love anyone like this. That’s my promise to you. You’re mine, Poppy Wayne. You’re mine.”
She cuddled closer, her arms still cuffed behind her back.
“I know, Dimitri. I love you too.”
They rested.
It was peaceful.
When he heard her soft breathing, he slid her off his shoulder and went to find the keys.
After she was set free, he unhooked her bra, slid it off, and stripped out of his clothes.
Then he climbed into bed.
And slept.
For the whole night.
For the first time, Dimitri Gideon had peace. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t hate. He wasn’t in pain.
Instead, he was in love.
And he’d die to protect that.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Friday Morning
All through the night, Ilan stayed on Brent’s home. He watched, kept track of everyone who came and went, and did his job.
Unfortunately, in the morning, he had to make the call to his boss, and he suspected Dimitri wouldn’t be happy.
Dialing, he waited for his voice to come over the phone.
“Did he show up?” Dimitri asked.
“Sir, he hasn’t. He must know that we’re on his place. What do you want me to do?” he asked.
“I’m heading out with Poppy soon. She needs to pick up some things. I want to move as much of her things out of there. Are you in the SUV?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Meet us there. If he’s watching her place, which I suspect, I’m going to need backup.”
“And if I see him there?”
“Detain him. He’s dead.”
“Got it, boss.”
He hung up.
Ilan turned on the vehicle and headed toward Poppy’s home. His gut was stirred up, and he felt like something bad was coming. That was his gift.
The shit was going to hit the fan.
All Ilan could hope was no one got hurt.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
After checking in with the Crofts, Dimitri knew it would be best if he took Poppy to her place and then back home. The more she was out of Sky Villa, the riskier it would be.
His plan was to keep her on lockdown.
While he knew it sounded like he was a caveman, Poppy had some crazy after her, and the commissioner gunning for her too. Now that they knew he didn’t kill his wife, he was still running free in the city.
So, Poppy would have to deal with being ‘babysat’. It was just the way it was going to be until the two menaces in Vegas were handled.
As they drove toward her place, he held her hand and scanned the rearview mirror to make sure they didn’t have a tail. While Heath offered to follow them, if he couldn’t keep Poppy safe from Sky Villa to her place, he should retire from the protection business.
“I want you to take all of your clothes. I have Ilan meeting us. We’ll get them, and as soon as Brent Hendricks is caught, you’ll move the rest of your things into my place.”
She glanced over.
“Uh, bossy much?”
He laughed.
“You have no idea, babochka,” he teased. “This is just how it has to be,” he admitted with his Russian accent.
“Maybe you should ask me if I want to live with you,” she stated.
He laughed again.
“Oh, sorry, you were serious. You really wanted me to ask, didn’t you?”
Poppy didn’t know what to do with him.
“Do you want to live with me?” Dimitri asked, trying not to laugh. There was no freaking way he was letting her go.
“I think…”
He stopped her.
“We also won’t be partners. You have some training to go through first, and Greyson and I work well together. You’ll get your partner.”
She stared at him.
“I let you play cop during sex once, and you think you’re in control.”
He gave her his most charming smile.
“Want to have a romantic date tonight?” he asked to distract her.
“Where?”
Dimitri recalled what Emma and Greyson had said about easing her into the money thing.
“I thought we could have a cabana picnic on the roof and maybe go swimming.”
She smiled.
“That sounds perfect.”
Score one for him.
Maybe he could do this.
“I agree. I’ll order us dinner. How do you feel about sandwiches and beer?”
She laughed.
“You had me at beer. I’m a simple kind of girl.”
He was aware. That’s what he loved most about her.
Dimitri proceeded through the light and toward a huge intersection ahead. He couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten with finding her.
“Then, it’s a date, babochka, and I can’t wait.”
As he drove, he leaned over to give her a quick kiss. Pulling away, Poppy saw it first.
“DIMITRI!” she screamed, just as a car came through the intersection and T-boned their vehicle. The crash was huge, and the vehicle flipped Dimitri’s car over and onto the roof.
They slid across the pavement.
Dimitri tried to hold onto her hand, but he could feel her fingers slipping from his hand as everything around him went dark.
And he was out cold.
When he got out of his wrecked vehicle, there were people already swarming the damaged car asking him if he was okay, and checking on the two people in the car.
It was time.
Running to the passenger side, he helped pull her out.
“I’m a doctor. I’ll get her to the hospital!” he said. “Check on the driver!”
The people ran around the vehicle to do just that, and he made his move. Picking the moaning woman up, he raced to an idling car that was behind their damaged ones.
This was too damn easy.
Tossing Poppy into the back, he hopped in, pulled around the accident and headed away. Behind him, in the rearview mirror, he could see the ambulances and the person shouting that he’d stolen his car.
He only needed it for a little while.
He’d get it back.
For now, he managed to get Eloise.
That’s all that mattered.
Finally, she was his.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Dimitri could feel his body being pulled from his vehicle. His whole body sung in pain, especially his previously healing shoulder.
It was on fire.
There was no doubt in his mind that he’d jacked it up.
Again.
He could hear screaming, and the sounds of ambulances in the distance. What he needed was Poppy.
He had to get to Poppy.
Instinctually, that was his first and only concern.
Opening his eyes, there was a woman holding a towel to his shoulder, but it wasn’t her.
“Where is she?” he mumbled.
“Someone took the woman to the hospital. Some guy took her. I think it was the man who hit you.”
Oh, that woke his ass right up.
Dimitri had that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. That didn’t feel right at all.
“I need my phone,” he said, trying to move.
“Sir! The police are coming…”
Oh, that wouldn’t be good either.
His vision was blurry. What he needed was a miracle.
Then, in the distance, her got it. Not far away, he saw Emma’s blacked out Escalade barreling toward him down the side of the road.
Before he could say his name, Greyson was out and running his way.
“What happened?” he asked, kneeling beside his friend. The people around them made room. They clearly knew who he was.
“Brent hit us. He has Poppy. We have to get to her,” he stated.
Greyson helped him up.
“Your alarm in the car went off at Sky Villa. We knew there was an accident,” he said, draping the man’s arm over his shoulder and ignoring the people who were gathering around.
They were now taking pictures.
“We have to get to her,” he mumbled. “He’ll hurt her.”
Greyson walk-dragged him to the passenger side of his ride. He helped him in and then raced to the driver’s seat. Inside, as he was pulling away, Dimitri could see Emma’s face on the navigational screen.
“We need to split up,” Dimitri stated. “Heath.”
“He’s on his way out,” Emma stated. “We figured something bad was going down.”
“Ilan is on his way to Poppy’s. He should be there. Call him. Send him back to the man’s house. I never should have let him leave.”
Emma grabbed Chris’s phone.
“I’ll call him now.”
Dimitri touched his face. He had a cut down his cheek. It looked like he and Greyson were going to have matching scars.
“Grey, he needs a hospital.”
Dimitri objected.
“He has Poppy. He has my woman!”
Greyson knew this was bad. His eyes were glassy, and he was not going to be of any use. Still…
What would stop him from trying to save Emma?
Absolutely nothing.
“He’ll be fine. I’ll get him to an ER after we save Poppy. Two crash victims in one stop.”
It seemed to calm Dimitri down.
“Okay, I’ll call Heath and have him head to Brent Hendricks’ home. Be careful.”
Oh, he would.
In a way, he hoped Heath found the man. When Dimitri did, he was going to eviscerate him.
There was no doubt about that.
Well, if he could even hold a knife.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Ilan got the text, and he headed back to the man’s home. As he was heading there, he passed a vehicle.
He thought nothing of it.
“Jesus. I feel like a yo-yo,” he muttered, gunning it toward Brent’s home.
What he needed was a nap.
He was three days past tired, since he’d been on duty for what felt like days. When he saw Dimitri, he was going to tell him he needed more people.
This was insane.
If he didn’t get some downtime, between jobs, he’d be useless.
In fact, he’d start missing shit.
And that would be bad.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
At her place, he tied her to the bed. He wanted to make sure she was not going to get away from him this time. Eloise escaped for twenty years, and this time, she was his.
Oh, he was going to enjoy this.
As she was secured to the bed, he rooted around in a drawer and found a pair of her panties.
Shoving them in her mouth, he taped over them to keep her quiet.
Oh, she was going to scream for hours, but they couldn’t be found. He had to have time with her.
To make her his.
As her eyes fluttered open, he was sitting on her hips to keep her pinned to the mattress.
It didn’t take her long to focus on him.
“Hello, Eloise. We meet again. You were really tricky to hide on me all these years. You were really sneaky to pretend you died.”
Poppy shook her head and pulled at the ties that bound her to the bed. She was panicking and knew what was going to happen to her.
She was dead.
Maybe it was for the best.
Dimitri was likely dead if he’d let her be taken. She didn’t want to go on without him.
“I missed you, Eloise. I hated hurting you,” he said, touching her breasts through her sweater. “When I had to hurt you, I felt bad about it. Then killing Daisy…”
He wiped his eyes.
“She was my child, but you wouldn’t let me be her father. You slept with me that one time, and I know she was mine. I didn’t want to kill her. I had to do it to punish you. You’re lucky you hid your other child.”
Damn her mother and her sleeping around. It was going to kill her now too.
Brent began cutting her shirt from her body.
Poppy struggled to get away from him, but she was strung so tight, she couldn’t even buck her hips to throw him off her. The ropes cut into her wrists as she fought.
When her shirt was off, he felt her up.
Poppy wanted to puke.
She wanted to cry a river of tears.
“You’ll enjoy this,” he said, wiping the tears from her cheek. “It’ll be like last time. I’m sorry I drowned you, Eloise. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’ll make it better.”
He began cutting off her pants.
She fought.
She struggled.
“We’re almost there, Eloise. I’m so glad I got that letter that said you were alive. I’m so glad I got those pictures. I hung them on my wall,” he said, as he pulled off her ruined pants.
Poppy was screaming for Dimitri.
She was screaming for anyone to hear her.
“Let’s get you ready,” he said, cutting off her bra, and adding it to the pile on the floor.
She tried to move away from his hand, but she couldn’t. As he touched her breasts, she wanted to be sick. As he fondled them, she cried even harder.
She was done.
He was going to rape and kill her.
“Panties next. You shouldn’t wear such slutty things, Eloise. That’s why you had two kids by two men. You’re such a whore,” he said, slapping her across the face.
Poppy gasped at the stinging strike.
Clearly, this man was insane.
When her panties were gone, he touched her everywhere. He ran his hands over parts of her that Dimitri had touched the night before, and she couldn’t stop him.
He began stripping.
“Well, Eloise. Let’s see if we can make a baby. I always wanted more kids with you.”
He dropped his clothes and climbed onto her body.
She sobbed.
Then, she sobbed even more when he raped her.
She’d never be the same again.
When they pulled up outside, they saw a vehicle parked at an odd ass angle. They’d passed Ilan driving in the other direction to meet Heath.
In the parking lot, it was pretty empty, except that one car and a motorcycle.
“That had to be him,” Dimitri said, trying to get out of the vehicle.
“Stay here. I’ll get her.”
“NO!”
Greyson made him look at him.
“Dimitri, you can’t even stand up.”
“I can do it,” he said, limping his way toward her door with Greyson behind him.
At the door, they found it locked.
Greyson knew Dimitri couldn’t kick in a pillow let alone a door. So, he booted it.
They went in, and there was silence. As they headed toward Poppy’s room, they heard the telltale signs of sex.
Oh Jesus.
Dimitri could hear the bed squeaking and the grunts of a man getting off.
His heart fell.
He wanted to be sick.
Greyson charged the room, heading in first. What he saw horrified him. There was a man raping Poppy, and his hands were around her throat.
She looked…dead.
Greyson sprung into action and tackled him, taking him off her body and to the floor.
“POPPY!” Dimitri howled, like an animal trying to get to his mate. He couldn’t breathe as he rushed toward her bound, prone body. He crawled across the bed, to get to her. Once there, he pulled his knife, cut her free, and removed the gag.
She didn’t move.
“God! Please, no,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes. Gently, he touched her throat and found a pulse.
Greyson handled the man on the floor. By the time he got up, he was covered in blood.
Someone was dead, and it wasn’t him.
“Is she…?”
“She’s alive,” he said, as Greyson pulled a blanket off the bed to cover her.
Dimitri began weeping.
Greyson knew why.
This was going to be bad.
His best friend…he wasn’t going to handle this well. His woman had been raped. They’d been too late to save her. This time, they’d not saved the day.
It was heartbreaking.
“It’s okay,” Greyson said, touching his shoulder as he went into protection mode. “It’ll all be okay.”
It looked like the protector was going to need someone to take care of him—until he got through this.
The detective too.
“I’m sorry, Poppy,” Dimitri whispered over and over again. “I’m so sorry.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
“Dimitri,” she whispered.
“I have to call the police,” Greyson stated. “I’ll try and cover this up for her, but we need you both to go to the hospital.”
He understood.
He held her.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Poppy closed her eyes. She couldn’t face him. She couldn’t look at him.
“I need a doctor,” she whispered.
Greyson made the call for an ambulance, and he pulled a few favors. Money talked, and he was going to buy some silence.
They couldn’t let the media get ahold of this.
It was a mess.
One they’d be cleaning up for weeks, and he didn’t mean the dead man or the asshole commissioner.
Poppy was hurt.
Dimitri would carry the guilt.
All he could do was cross his fingers, say a prayer, and hold on.
It was going to be a bloody free-for-all.
Commissioner Raye was a dead man.
Dimitri Gideon was going to kill him.
As soon as he snapped.