Chapter Twenty
Two Hours Later
Riley’s House
S he didn’t mind spending time with him, but she was pretty sure she was safe. Now that Thomas Christ was dead, Delilah really thought that Riley was over reacting. She was finally safe, and that was a relief.
“I’m sorry you had to fight through the chaos to get to me at the courthouse,” she said.
He smiled over at her. “I don’t mind at all. I like spending time with you.”
“Do you think it’s over?” she asked.
Riley wasn’t sure, but as long as he was there, she was safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, so he went with that.
“I think it is. The man will back off for a bit. He’s not going to risk anything major pointing his way. Besides, the Crofts know, and they’ll handle it.”
She wasn’t sure how they’d handle it, but what did she know?
What bothered her the most was how corrupt the whole city appeared to be. It horrified her. The commissioner controlled all of the divisions in the police department.
If he set up a cop to die, and then killed another…
Jesus.
What else was he capable of?
This was why she defended people. A lot of cops tended to be corrupt. Well, most of them. Riley was different.
“Why don’t you just report it? There will be an internal investigation…”
“Greyson asked I not do it. He thinks he’s in the clear, and they want to give him some rope to hang himself.”
She laughed. “That sounds like Greyson Croft to a T. The man is always thinking.”
Yeah, it did.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, looking around the neighborhood. It wasn’t far from hers, and it was nice.
“I’m going to stop by my place, so I can get some things. Greyson offered up his home, and I figured we should head there. I didn’t want to be without swim trunks this time.”
She laughed. “You could have dove in naked. I wouldn’t have told anyone.”
“I may not want to swim with a sexy man-eating shark naked. You’re dangerous,” he teased.
Delilah leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You have no idea. When I chum the water with a do-gooder cop who’s sexy, I can’t help myself.”
His body reacted.
Delilah drove him insane.
“I hope you don’t mind that we’re playing sleepover,” she said. “I know you have a life outside of me.”
Did he?
It was funny. Since falling for Delilah, he could barely remember what he did before her. She was a force to reckon with, and being a masochist, he liked it.
He laughed.
“I don’t mind spending time with you. I enjoy it,” he offered. “Do you mind?”
Uh, hell no!
Riley made her crazy when they rolled around naked. He was dominant in bed, and she could just feel. It was hotter than the desert heat.
“No, I don’t. I’m actually off the next few days. With Dante and Steele’s wedding coming up, I was going to get my hair and nails done.”
“Well, that’ll be fun.”
“Are you going to the wedding?” she asked.
“Are you inviting?”
She smiled. “I do believe I am.”
“Then I do believe I’m going as your date.”
It made her giddy.
She really liked this guy. He was genuine, sweet, and a gentleman. Plus, he held nothing back. Maybe it was her past, or it was the fact that she dealt in bending the truth that made her paranoid of men who kept secrets.
That was her big no-no, and a red flag. Nothing made her want to run faster than a man hiding shit.
It was never good.
“Here we are,” he said, pulling into his driveway.
It was a simple house, but it was nice. There was a swing on the porch, and the lawn was tidy.
“It’s not much, but it’s mine.”
She glanced over.
“If you’re worried about impressing me, you can stop. You already impress me, and that is hard to do.”
He lifted a brow.
Had he been trying?
Yeah, he was. There was something about being near her that gave him such joy. Riley could be himself. Still, he knew there were issues coming.
He was a cop.
He was good at seeing oncoming trouble.
“Besides, you had me at porch swing. It reminds me of the house I grew up in. In fact, if you go two blocks over, there it is. I rode my bike up and down this street.”
That intrigued him. He didn’t know too much about her past, other than her brother’s death.
Delilah waited for him as he headed around the truck, and together, they took the stairs to the porch. She picked up his paper and sat on the swing.
He was cautiously optimistic as he unlocked his door. “Do you want to come in?” he asked. “Or are you sitting out here and using me for my swing?”
She laughed. Yeah, that was definitely not what she wanted to use him for.
Not even close.
“Are you kidding? Of course I do. You got to see my place. I think it’s only fair.”
He smiled and held the beautiful wooden door open for her. “Welcome to my home.”
When they went inside, he immediately went to his fish tank and fed them.
That amused her.
“Fish?”
He laughed. “I’m a cop. I barely feed me. I can’t have a cat or dog.”
She grinned. “I understand. I don’t have pets because that would make me seem approachable, and that ruins my street cred. ‘Hi, I’m getting this killer off. Can you hold my cat’?”
That amused him.
What he loved most about her was Delilah was funny and approachable when she wasn’t playing attorney.
She was the girl next door.
Suddenly, he wished she lived next to him. Then they could sit on his swing every day.
“I’ll go grab my bag. Feel free to wander.”
She laughed. She’d said the same thing, and they ended up naked.
That worked for her.
“Make my life easier. That’s a lot of stairs for these heels. If you get naked, shout down. I’ll run up and pretend I’m worried about you.”
He laughed as he bounded up the stairs, and she headed toward the big fireplace mantel.
She could tell he used the fireplace, and that amused her. Vegas was hot most of the year.
“When do you use the fireplace in this city? Do you like roasting your chestnuts on an open fire?” she yelled up.
There was the masculine laughter she’d fallen for the last couple of days.
“You’re close. I use it for Christmas. I open the windows and live in my own little fantasy land. I like my chestnuts intact.”
She snorted in amusement.
At the mantle, she saw something.
It was a photograph, and it was of Riley and two other people. Coincidently, they all looked alike.
It hit her.
He was a triplet.
There was a second Riley, and a Riley-ette running around somewhere?
Wow.
Shocking.
He headed down the stairs. Riley could see her looking at the picture.
“Yes, there’s three of us. I’m the middle kid in the family. My mom couldn’t have kids naturally, so she and my dad did IVF a long time ago. We weren’t the first IVF, but we were pretty close.”
She turned around. “You and your brother are identical.”
He nodded. “We are.”
“And what about her?”
“That’s Kiley, she’s the baby. Miles, or Miley as we called him, was the first born. He and I are identical, and she’s fraternal. We were each born three minutes apart, and my parents were troopers. Three babies at once…brave.”
She could only imagine.
“Are you close?”
His face changed slightly. It was subtle, but Delilah was accustomed to reading those subtle clues.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded.
“Miles is dead. Kiley and I have a strained relationship. I wish I could say we talk weekly, but we don’t. I haven’t heard from her in a few months.”
That’s when it happened.
He shut down.
Delilah could see it.
That made her even more curious about it. “What happened?”
He touched the picture. “I don’t want to talk about it. We should go. I need to get you back to Terrace Glen.”
Riley practically yanked the picture out of her hand. Then he placed it back on his mantle.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t…”
He cut her off.
“It’s fine. Let’s go.”
Delilah was the queen of throwing up barriers. She knew one when she saw one. She didn’t like the way his whole demeanor had changed.
It was as if he were a different person. The calm, kind energy was replaced with tension.
It set off a warning bell.
“Riley…”
He ignored her.
That was the one surefire way to get her curiosity piqued even more.
She dug her heels in.
Delilah didn’t like how he was closing down with her. It upset her to know he was hiding something from her. If he couldn’t answer that simple question, what else would he evade about?
“I really think...”
He faced her. “NO.”
That one word said it all. He was not discussing it with her, and he had no intention to do it either.
That really pissed her off. She went into attorney mode, and her walls went up.
“Let’s go.”
“Sure, but I see how it is. We can have sex, but your personal life is out of the question, right?” she asked.
He refused to speak.
Riley knew that discussing it was a bad idea. He could tell that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“What do you want from me?” he asked. “I didn’t force you to share your personal life. Some people like personal space and for good reasons.”
Personal space?
He didn’t seem to mind physical space being compromised when they were naked and in bed, but anything past that was off limits?
Yeah, no.
Just no.
She stared at him.
“What do I want? How about equality, Riley? I shared all of me. Clearly, you aren’t willing to share the same with me. We’re done.”
“Delilah.”
She pulled her arm away.
She was finished.
“Forget it, Detective. I’m going home. Thomas Christ is dead, and odds are I’m safe. You can head off into the sunset. Your saving of this damsel is over.”
Riley wanted to panic. This was NOT how he wanted this to go down. Only, if he was honest with her, she might bail anyway.
They were from two different worlds, and they saw things from different perspectives.
“He might have someone…”
She cut him off.
“No. I don’t need to be saved. I was wrong about you, Detective Henderson. I really thought…”
She stopped.
There was no point.
Lesson learned.
There were no good ones left. She’d been tricked by one more man who didn’t want to have that connection based in honesty, trust, and love. He was more than happy to use her body, but he wouldn’t let her get to know his heart.
Deal.
Breaker.
She was done.
“Delilah!”
She ignored him and headed out. On her phone, she hit an app and ordered up a car. Fortunately, there was one right around the corner.
It was time to leave this mess behind.
Riley followed her out, trying to figure out how this had gone so damn wrong.
Oh yeah, he fell for a woman he shouldn’t even be with.
The car pulled up to the curb, and Delilah got in without even looking back.
When she said over, she meant over.
“Delilah!” he shouted. “Wait!”
She didn’t even turn around. Instead, the woman he’d really fallen for drove away.
Out of his life.
Back into hers.
“Well, shit!” he said, heading back into his place to regroup. Riley had to wonder why he set himself up for this mess.
He knew better.
The second he saw her, he should have known that they wouldn’t work.
Here was the proof. She didn’t even give him a chance to explain, and at his pace.
Why did life had to be so damn hard?
Why did he have to fall in love with a woman he couldn’t have?
Again…
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Hospital
Curtis’s Room
When he opened his eyes, they were all staring down at him. Immediately, he pulled Katerina’s hand to his lips to give her a kiss. He could feel her hand in his, and she was shaking.
“Curtis!” she said, tears filling her eyes.
“What the hell?” he muttered. “Did I get hit by a train or a bus?”
“Neither. It was Viktor Marchenko,” Greyson stated.
Curtis focused on his family.
“I really hope someone is going to put a hole in him for trying to kill my wife.”
Greyson laughed. “That was the plan.”
He stared up into Katerina’s eyes. “I’m okay. Seventy-five more.”
She burst into tears.
“Dad, help me,” he said, trying to slide over.
Greyson and Dimitri slid their arms beneath him and pulled him over on the bed. Katerina crawled onto the bed and curled against him.
“Shhhhh, I’m here. I couldn’t let my best girl get shot, now could I?” he asked. “You have a baby hanging out in you. It was worth it.”
She kissed him.
The heart monitor went off.
A nurse ran in.
“Uh, sir,” she said, staring at the woman in bed with him with her lips pressed to his.
Greyson cleared his throat. “He’s fine. We have him.”
The nurse didn’t argue. It was likely because his wife was on the board of trustees at this hospital, or that a wing was being named after them from donations. Either way, they’d take it as a win.
“When can we move him?” Greyson asked.
“He’ll be in here for the next day or so,” she said. “Then he’ll get moved for rehab.”
Greyson looked around.
That didn’t work for him.
“I need him in a private room with security,” he stated, pointing at the windows all over the place.
“Sir, there are no rooms.”
Well, then that left one option.
“Get his papers ready. He’s coming home with us,” he said, not messing around. “I’ll have a nurse come stay at our home.”
“Sir,” she began.
Emma stepped forward.
“I think what my husband means is if you want us to keep donating money, you’ll get his doctor in here to discharge him. I think that’s about right, isn’t it, Greyson?” she asked.
The woman headed out before he could even answer.
Greyson was amused. She used to be the nicer one. Clearly, he was wearing off on her.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re going home, you’ll stay where we can watch over Kat, and that will make our lives easier. If we have to keep heading here, that puts all of us out in the open.”
“Sam will play video games with you,” Greyson stated. “I’m sure he would love to kick your ass now that you’re down a limb,” he teased.
He laughed. “Will I be getting this arm’s use back again?” he asked.
“Yeah, you’ll have PT. You’ll be on your feet and in a sling by Dante and Steele’s wedding. You’re going to be fine.”
“I need a nurse.”
“I’ll take care of you,” Kat offered.
“Will you wear a sexy outfit?” he asked, leaving a kiss on her lips. “That will make me better, and fast.”
“Curtis will live,” Emma said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “For that, we are so happy.”
“What happened?” Greyson asked, touching the top of his head with affection.
“I turned, and I saw it. Then I knew in my gut that it was going to be her or me. I couldn’t let her die. I had to make that choice.”
Dimitri had to say something. “I know I’ve ridden your ass for the entire time you’ve been with my sister, but you are officially my favorite.”
“Score!”
Chris laughed. “I’m not getting shot to be number one. It sucks. Been there, and done that. You can have that position. I’ll take number two.”
Curtis laughed, and it hurt.
“Jesus!”
Kat kissed him.
“So much better,” he admitted. Then he realized something, and it scared him to death.
He sat up in his bed.
“She’s in danger. If he took one shot at her, he’ll take another. I need you to get Kat out of here!”
Then he moaned in pain as the monitor went off again.
The nurse was back. “If you’re going to make his monitor go off, you have to leave. I don’t care if you are the mob. His life comes first.”
Emma moved toward her, and she scurried away.
“Liar.”
Greyson laughed.
“I’m safe with Mom around,” Curtis teased.
“As for Kat, we already talked it out. You lie there and get better until we can transport you too.”
That seemed to help him relax.
“She and Sadie will be okay, right?” he asked.
Kat stared at him. “You just told them the baby’s name!” she said.
“Pain meds. Shit! Sorry!”
Dimitri was intrigued. “You’re having a little girl?” he asked.
Kat nodded.
He gave his sister a big hug. “I am so happy. I can’t wait to hold your daughter.”
Yeah, if that were to happen, he had to live. That was part B of their plan.
“Dimitri is going to take you, Kat, Nat, and himself home,” Greyson said. “He will watch you all there while we work.”
The Russian didn’t look happy.
“I’m not…”
He knew how to shut him up.
“Do it for Sam. He’s finally happy that someone wants him, and he made his choice. If that’s not enough, then how about the fact that your sisters and Curtis will be unguarded.”
He didn’t say anything because this was a precarious position.
If he went with them, they might get caught in the crossfire. If he didn’t go with them, they might be targets by the law in town.
Sam needed him.
Kat needed him.
Nat needed him.
“Fine.”
Greyson was relieved.
“If all of this mess is going on around Vine, maybe we should think twice about Marissa staying in her sister’s place. I mean, it could be bad,” Emma said.
Dimitri looked worried.
“We can bring her back with us,” Croft offered.
“Please?” Dimitri stated.
“No problem,” Greyson offered. “I have to admit, I’m curious about what’s going on at that basement apartment.”
Emma was too.
“One thing,” Dimitri stated.
“What?”
He didn’t know how to tell them. It looked like he was going to just have to say it, and let the chips fall where they may.
“I didn’t tell her that my brother was the one who killed her sister.”
They all got it.
“She won’t hear it from us,” Emma said, willing to cover for him. “His name is Marchenko. You’re a Gideon.”
He stopped her. “I’m going to tell her. I just need some time. When we catch the people, who hurt her sister, I’ll tell her.”
Yeah, time to get her to want to stay. He needed to make her fall for him—enough that she’d want to be there in Vegas. He couldn’t offer her that fantasy life.
His only hope was that she’d settle for him because he was smitten. He was thinking about her, and what they shared.
“Should we call Riley? He is a cop.”
Greyson thought about it. “You know, let’s keep him at a distance. I’m sure he doesn’t need our mess on his shoulders. We’re going to illegally enter, so…”
She got it.
This was technically a burglary.
Yeah, their lives had changed.
“Wear gloves, make sure you…” Dimitri stopped when they all stared at him.
“Seriously?” Chris asked. “We were all cops. We know how to not be detected.”
Dimitri didn’t know.
He had this bad feeling.
It was brewing in his gut, and he only hoped they didn’t get hurt.
Chris, Emma, and Greyson headed out. They left him in charge, and Dimitri couldn’t let them down. He had to get Curtis and Kat back to the house, and before anyone took another shot.
This mattered.
He couldn’t fail.
He’d already done that once.
He wouldn’t be guilty of it twice.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Monday Late
Afternoon
LVPD
As Poppy Wayne sat there, she was going over her notes. Something didn’t feel right, but she wasn’t sure. They’d found the message on the detective’s phone, but they’d also found a piece of gum that looked oddly familiar.
She hadn’t figured it out until they searched Lester Lucas’s desk. There, sitting on Riley Henderson’s was the same gum. It was a kid’s gum with fruity stripes on it. They busted his ass since he was from California.
Now that gum, in the tell-tale wrapper, had ended up on the crime scene.
How?
Had Captain Thomas Christ had a partner?
Was the detective in on it too?
She needed to tie up all the loose ends, and that meant taking it to the only source that was left—Detective Henderson.
So, as much as they wanted to believe this was a closed case, getting the confession from Thomas Christ on record, she still had that one niggling detail.
So, she was going to do her job.
As she pulled out her phone, she called him. Poppy really hoped and prayed that the man could explain it. If not, there was going to have to be an internal investigation, and that would be bad.
Very bad.
Internal Affairs could destroy a career just by standing by your desk. Actually interviewing?
Yeah, it would be over for Riley.
On the third ring, he answered his cell. “Detective Henderson.”
“Hey, Riley, it’s Poppy.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, especially since your partner just died, but we may have found your DNA on the scene.”
There was a pause as he took that in.
“WHAT?”
“You heard me, Riley. We found your chewed gum. They are processing it first, and if it comes back…”
He cut her off.
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you that. I need you to come in for questioning. Don’t make me drag you in. Just do it quietly, okay? I want to believe you didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Poppy, I didn’t kill Lester. I wasn’t at his home. I’ve only been his partner for two weeks. I haven’t even had a beer with the man outside of work.”
She gave him a gift.
“Bring a lawyer, okay? We have a shit mess. I’ll see you in interrogation room three in thirty minutes.”
He didn’t know what to say.
Shit!
This sucked.
As soon as she hung up, he made a call.
“Croft.”
“I have a problem,” he said, sitting on his porch swing in a pair of sweats.
“What?” Greyson asked, as they were in his car.
“It’s about Lester Lucas’s killing. One of the detectives just called me,” he said.
Emma listened on speakerphone. “And?”
“They think my DNA was found at his place. I haven’t been there. I think I’m in trouble. What if they are setting me up? I may have to blow the lid on the commissioner.”
They couldn’t let that happen.
They needed to keep that quiet, so they could use it against him at some point. They were still working on the ‘skeletons’ that Elizabeth said were in his closet.
Then again, they didn’t doubt that Thomas Christ did the killing in order to frame Riley. It made perfect sense.
Greyson explained his theory of what happened and what got the man killed.
“You overheard them talking about Delilah, and they must have figured it out. They were going to discredit you,” Greyson stated.
Emma was appalled.
“That sounds about like something the commissioner would do,” Chris admitted.
“Jesus! I worked hard for this badge. My whole family lived by this code.”
They knew what they needed to do.
He’d protected them, and they were going to return the favor.
“What do I do?”
Greyson had one shot. “Hang in there. I have this under control. Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, I do.”
That was all he had to hear.
“Backup is on the way. Say nothing. Okay? Just maintain your innocence until I can get you some help.”
He could do that.
What choice did he have?
“I don’t want to lose my job,” he said. “Help me.”
Oh, Greyson was going to save his life first, and then he was going to try and save his career.
The latter…
That was going to be a tough one.
“We have your back.”
Riley trusted them.
He had no one else.
Greyson made the call.
When he did, she didn’t sound like herself.
“Delilah, I need an attorney,” he said, willing to pay anything to get the man off.
“What did you do now?” she asked, standing in her kitchen barefoot. She was upset about what happened with Riley. She was as mad as hell too.
“Riley is in trouble. He’s keeping his mouth shut on overhearing the commissioner and Christ planning your assault, and he’s likely the loose end. They claim they found his DNA there, and I don’t doubt that Christ planted it. I need you to get him out of interrogation without him saying anything.”
“When’s he going in?”
“Now.”
She ran up her stairs. “I can be there in thirty minutes. Does he know not to say a word?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get him off, and then I’ll tell him to get to your place,” she said, pulling on a skirt.
“Thank you, Delilah. I’ll pay the fee.”
“This one is on me.”
Despite being mad, her client was being protected by the cop. Riley was trying to buy them time. So, she’d do the right thing.
She’d save his ass.
Then she’d never speak to him again.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
LVPD
Interview Three
Five P.M.
Riley sat there, and he hated every second of it. He was going to get screwed, he could tell.
The two detectives were going to make his life a living hell, and he didn’t do anything.
Shit!
This was a nightmare.
As Poppy and Hunter stared at him, he knew what they were doing. They were waiting for him to crack.
SO…
He wouldn’t.
Finally, she spoke, breaking their silence. “Do you know why you’re in here?” Poppy asked.
He stared at his gun and badge that they’d ask he place on the table. In light of Thomas Christ trying to kill the commissioner, they weren’t taking any chances.
On top of that, he could see the red light blinking on the camera in the corner. They were recording this.
The shit had just gotten real, and he was putting his faith in Greyson Croft.
He really prayed he wasn’t screwed.
“No, I don’t. All I know is what you’ve told me, Poppy.”
“We found a piece of your gum at the crime scene. How?”
He shrugged. “You tell me.”
“We found it wadded up and in the wrapper.”
“You realize I chew gum in the office, and Thomas Christ could have pulled it from my trash can? He admitted to killing the man, right?”
She stared at him.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to think.
“Or you worked with him, and you both planned on killing him,” Hunter Dietrich offered. “Did Lester have something on you two?”
Wow.
They had this backward.
Still, he said nothing.
“Do yourself a favor, Riley. Just own up to it, and we can help you out. You won’t get the chair for killing a cop.”
“What? Are you serious?” Riley stated. “I didn’t kill anyone. I have an alibi.”
That piqued their interest.
“Who? We’ll contact them, and if they’re giving a credible statement, we can let you go.”
Well, shit.
Delilah was his alibi, and she’d basically told him to pound sand two hours ago.
This was bad.
“I was with a woman.”
“Name.”
He hesitated.
Then he lawyered up. It was the best he could do. Greyson Croft hadn’t come through. Riley didn’t know what he had been expecting.
“I want my union rep,” he said, crossing his arms.
That was the last thing they wanted to hear from him.
“Riley, tell us what you’re under here. You get a new partner, and he’s dead. Your DNA is likely at the scene. What’s going on?”
Oh, he knew.
“Rep please.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
As she entered, both cops facing Detective Henderson had that look on their faces. She knew what it meant. Riley, while saved, was screwed. He now was going to be stuck with everyone thinking he was crooked and in the Croft’s pocket.
It sucked.
That had to be stopped for his career sake.
She felt bad for him even if their little fling went nowhere fast.
“I’m here to talk to my client,” she said.
Poppy stood. “How does a cop afford a barracuda like you, Miss Fleur?” she asked. “You on the take, Riley? Is that why you killed your partner?”
Delilah laughed at her antics. She was always amused when a cop tried to get that last question in before she pulled the plug.
“You need to stop. Where’s your evidence to hold him? Pony it up, Detective, and we’ll do the dance. These are my expensive shoes, and every minute is costing a shitload of money. More than you make in a year.”
She was appalled.
“We have his gum on the scene.”
“His gun?”
“No, gum, G.U.M.”
She stared at her. “So, you are accusing a decorated cop of killing someone because you found chewed gum? Have you tested it?”
“It’s in process.”
She whistled. “So you have one shot at a potential criminal, and you come to the game without studying the other team? Let me clear this up with you. Until you have DNA you shouldn’t bring a person in. It makes you look like an asshole.”
Poppy glared at her.
“Moreover, it’s not HIS gum. It could be anyone’s gum. Where do you buy it, Mr. Henderson?”
“The coffee shop in the building.”
“So, you buy gum in the LVPD coffee shop? OH MY GOD! He has to be guilty. There’s no way anyone else could buy that gum.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic,” Poppy said. “We are doing our job.”
“If you were doing your job, you wouldn’t be wasting his or my time. While maybe you don’t give a shit, I do. So, what else do you have? There’s no DNA, the gum could have been taken out of his garbage can. I mean, if Thomas Christ is going to kill a cop, why not frame one?”
There was silence.
“Yeah, I thought so. You have nothing, and right now, I’m building another cease and desist in my head for my client. That’ll be like number twenty I’ve had to send to the LVPD.”
“He said he has an alibi, but he won’t share it.”
She looked over at him.
Then she got it.
She was the alibi.
“Time of death?” Delilah asked.
She rattled it off.
“Yes, he absolutely has an alibi. I will confirm it. My client wasn’t near that man’s house, and he wasn’t involved with Lester Lucas’s killing.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“I’m his alibi,” she said.
Riley stared at her, not sure what she was going to do. He knew unless she played this right, he was going to be tagged a Croft asset. His job was as good as over.
“Oh, you are?” Hunter said. “Or are you covering for Greyson Croft?”
“Please,” she said, staring at him. “I work for Croft. He doesn’t.”
“Then how are you his alibi?”
She leaned over and kissed Riley like she meant it. The second she did, he fell into the kiss. His hand went to her hair, and he held her mouth to his.
God!
He was going to miss this. She brought him alive with just a touch. Plus, he had to admit that watching her chew ass was pretty damn hot.
When she set his mouth free, Delilah wiped her lipstick off his face with a gentle finger.
Then stared at the cops.
“At the man’s time of death, we were in bed having very enthusiastic sex,” she said, blowing a bubble with his gum. “Oh look. Maybe I killed him. I seem to be chewing his gum.”
Poppy closed the folder.
This was dead.
No judge in the area was going to give them a search warrant based on the gum, even if it had his DNA, and now his rock-solid alibi by Delilah Fleur.
“So, unless you want to arrest me for fucking a cop, and him for boning a lawyer, you’re done here. The only thing he’s guilty of is fornication. Unfortunately, we had to keep our relationship quiet so he didn’t get his ass ridden by assholes like yourself.”
They seemed to buy it.
“Nice try though. Is he free to go or do you want me to describe the sex second by second? Or how about how we met? Care to guess? Oh, I don’t know. He’s a freaking cop, and I’m a lawyer who grills cops daily—like I’m about to do in a defamation lawsuit for my boyfriend slash client.”
Well, shit.
They didn’t see that one coming, but after that kiss, and the woman chewing his gum, there was no way he was lying.
Great.
Poppy sighed. “Yeah, he’s clear.”
She grabbed her briefcase and headed out. Riley followed her, and he didn’t know what to say.
She’d saved him.
She didn’t involve the Crofts.
Damn, she was good.
Outside, she threw her briefcase into her Mercedes, and spit out his gum like it was poison.
“Delilah, thank you,” he said.
She stared at him, a chill in her eyes. “Don’t thank me. Greyson saved your ass. He called me. I suggest you head there, or home, stay in, and try not to get accused in anyone’s murder. This was a onetime deal. I’m not saving you again. We’re even. You saved me, and I saved you.”
Her words stung.
Apparently, she was angry at him.
“Delilah, can’t we talk? You need to hear…”
She stopped it.
“You’ve said plenty, and so have I. It was a mistake. Have a good life, Detective Henderson. It was fun. Thanks for the sex.”
She hopped in, she started her sports car, and she left him standing there.
He didn’t know what to do or what to say.
All he knew was he didn’t want it to end this way. Not over what she didn’t know about his family.
Riley had no choice.
He had to tell her and let her decide.
It wasn’t like he had to worry about her dumping his ass along the way.
She’d already left him behind.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
When Poppy came out of the interrogation room, the police commissioner was waiting for her. She practically walked into him. “I saw you in there,” he said, getting her attention. “You did a good job.”
It was funny, she didn’t think she did a good job at all. She’d been caught off guard. That wasn’t like her.
“I didn’t see the woman coming. I can’t believe he’s dating her. Then again, she is in this building a lot. It’s feasible.”
The man listened.
“She wouldn’t lie, and I doubt she’d kiss a cop unless she meant it. You know how she is,” the commissioner stated.
Poppy laughed. “Good point.”
“Well, I think you did good. Clearly, he didn’t know about it, and that’s good. We can put this to rest. Thomas Christ must have done this alone.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”
Only, her gut was screaming. She was missing something, but what?
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I need a good Homicide captain. The last one came highly recommended, and look what happened. I think I want to hire within our circle. Would you be interested?”
She must have heard him wrong.
“What? Really?”
He patted her on the back.
While this one would be on the up and up, he needed to buy himself some time between now and his next move.
Everyone loved Poppy.
She’d be the perfect posterchild.
And a woman.
“Yes, I’m serious. Let’s go to my office. I like how you handled this case, Poppy. You have great potential.”
“I do?”
Oh, yes.
This could work for him.
While she wouldn’t do illegal deeds, she would be easy to manipulate.
After all, she was just a woman.
How hard could it be?