Chapter Fifteen
Sky Villa
Penthouse
W hen Emma arrived with Chris, Greyson was already there. He was sitting on the couch in the living room doing research on the FBI system. Information was scrolling past on the screen, and he was absorbed in it.
Still, when she saw her husband, there was only one thought in her mind.
It was good to be home.
Her sexy cave-Croft was lounging on the couch in a pair of jeans, his black shirt open at the neck, and he was barefoot. It was, quite possibly, the sexiest thing she’d seen all damn day.
Oh, how she loved coming home.
When Greyson heard her approach, he glanced over his shoulder to greet her. Instead, she vaulted the couch and landed in his lap.
It caught him off guard.
“Oh look, it’s raining redheads,” he teased as she nuzzled him. “It’s my lucky day.”
Emma kissed him.
It nearly crossed his eyes.
“Uh oh. What have you done?” he asked, as soon as he was able to speak.
“Nothing. I was a good girl.”
He lifted a brow.
“Okay, I shook down a suspect, made out with Chris on camera, and thought about molesting the hell out of my husband. Sue me. It’s been a busy morning.”
He laughed.
“Did you physically shakedown the suspect or did you let your bodyguard do it? If it was you, that’s hot. I’m asking for a friend,” he teased.
Chris came around the couch with two beers and some juice. He sat and laughed at the question.
Emma pointed at him.
“He did it, but I told him to. Does that make it less hot?” she asked, taking the juice.
“Not at all.”
Good.
She was glad.
Greyson wasn’t done.
“What did you learn?” he asked.
Emma told him all about how Libby and Johnie were skimming off their client’s profits, and who the client was.
He was surprised.
“I did not see that coming,” he stated. “Was that why you and Chris were making out in celebration?” he asked, but he wasn’t talking to his wife. He was asking the man beside them.
Chris didn’t hesitate to be one hundred percent honest with Greyson.
“The media was riding my ass about the ex,” Chris said. “I swear I didn’t enjoy it. Did you know your wife can practically unhinge her jaw?” he teased.
He laughed.
“I am aware.”
“I’ll be unhinging it later for something more exciting than a kiss,” she teased.
“Hallelujah. My day just got infinitely better,” Greyson stated.
“So now I need to do some research on Tristan Bauer and where he got his money. Oh, how was your outing with Heath? Uh. Where is he?”
“He had a snack and now he’s off watching the kids swim. Sam was here after his tutors, and he and Petra wanted to go swimming.”
Emma waited for him to tell her about his part of the investigation. When he didn’t, she stared at him.
“Uh, part one of that remains unanswered.”
He stared at her with those stormy gray eyes, and that said it all.
“Did it go bad?”
“No.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
He shrugged.
“Greyson, come on.”
He relented.
“I scared a woman to death, forced her to get out of the city for breaking up a marriage, and then I terrorized Michael Skinner to the point he will seeing his kids like clockwork or I told him he was a dead man. As you can see, it’s just another day in my world.”
She stared at him.
While he expected her to be horrified, she grinned.
“That’s so hot, Mr. Croft. Commence unhinging,” she stated, straddling his lap to kiss him, and it was one hell of a kiss at that.
When Emma finally pulled away, he blinked a couple times to focus.
Chris laughed.
“Been there and done that.”
Greyson’s whole body stirred from that lip lock. Now he was hard and horny.
“Did she steal your gum too?” Chris added.
“Now I have to kill Chris.”
Emma laughed, knowing that there was no way the man was serious. Greyson didn’t mind her helping Chris through his issues.
“Did Skinner give you anything?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah, you could say that. It seems the commissioner told him not to help Abby find her sister, and Michael Skinner gave me the ONLY name that Jeffrey mentioned regarding the whole thing.
“What?” she asked.
He pointed at the screen.
“The commissioner was worried that the name ‘Elaine Beasley’ would come up.”
“Who is she?” Emma inquired.
Greyson halted the scrolling so his wife could check out the information on the screen.
“That’s her arrest record,” he said. “She’s a madam in Vegas. She owns a bunny ranch.”
Emma laughed.
“Is anyone surprised that Jeffrey Raye has to pay for sex?” she asked. “I, for one, am not. That’s pretty much how I thought that would go down.”
Yeah, him too.
“Maybe his wife found out about the sex, and he shut her up—for good,” Chris said. “While hookers at a brothel are legal on the ranches, I doubt he thought it would be good for his career. He is the police commissioner in Las Vegas.”
Chris had a point.
“Can you run my guy?” she asked her husband since he was already playing with the tech.
“I am ‘your guy’,” he reminded her. “Care to rephrase that for me?”
Emma had a better idea.
She kissed him again, and when she pulled away, his shirt was unbuttoned.
“Well, that was distracting.”
She laughed.
“Oh, Mr. Croft, you haven’t seen anything yet,” she promised.
He hoped not.
“Tristan Bauer?” he asked, trying to regain his ability to think. His wife was very good at distracting him. In fact, her fingers on his chest were doing just that.
Emma nodded.
Greyson ran him.
“I need to know where he got that big fat chunk of money to invest. That seems out of place,” she stated.
“He’s a teacher,” Greyson stated. “He didn’t get it from his salary.”
No, he did not.
“I vote ill-gotten gains,” Chris stated. “This is, after all, Las Vegas.”
Emma thought about it.
“I say gambling.”
Greyson did his thing, and the man’s life scrolled past on the screen.
God!
He loved FBI technology. It made their lives so much better.
“Anything creepy in his past?” Emma asked. Greyson was more familiar with the technology, so she let him do his thing.
He kept scanning.
“Nope.”
“Well, after we talked to him, he made a call. I’d love to know who he called.”
“We can terrorize him tomorrow if you’d like,” Greyson stated.
She laughed.
“Oh, hell no. You are going to a brothel. I insist. I wouldn’t want to ruin your fun with Elaine Beasley. What kind of wife would I be then?”
Chris laughed at that.
Greyson…not so much. Instead, he sighed.
“Please don’t make me go to the brothel, Emma.”
For some reason, she found that outrageously funny, and she couldn’t help but snort.
“What’s it worth to you, Mr. Croft?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t want to be privy to this,” Chris said. “I feel dirty, as it is, watching you feel him up after you were making out with me.”
Greyson lifted a brow.
“If you were any other man saying that, I would kill you. Next time you wonder how much I love you, go with that.”
He grinned.
Greyson had to get out of this.
“Emma, honey, when I go to those places, I feel dirty. I hate how everyone thinks I’m stepping out on my pregnant wife. If you take the bunny ranch, I’ll take the next shitty interview you don’t want to take.”
“Promise? Even if it’s Jell-O wrestling a stripper live on TV?”
He looked horrified.
“What the hell kind of case would that be attached to?” he asked. “And HELL NO! I’m not wrestling a stripper in Jell-O for anyone. Period.”
“I’ll do it,” Chris said.
They both looked over at him.
“Don’t judge. It’s on my bucket list.”
Emma laughed over that. She didn’t buy that for a single second. She knew her best friend. He’d be just as horrified as Greyson—if not more so.
“I’ll take the madam and you get Tristan, but you better get something out of him.”
“Oh, Heath is evil. We won’t have a problem with that. The man is pretty sadistic, and yet, he’s watching kids. That seems like a well thought out idea,” he teased.
“Not our kids,” she teased back.
“Oh, Mrs. Croft, you have a very good point.”
Emma gave him a kiss, and he was rock-hard. She wiggled in his lap to drive him crazy. What could she say? Emma missed him.
“Kitten. Behave.”
Before she could say anything, the family began filtering into the condo.
Kat was there, and she was dressed to do a job. She was wearing all black, her hair was in a ponytail, and Curtis was holding a swaddled Sadie.
“There is my daughter and her felonious ways,” Emma said. “Kat the cat burglar is back in action. My son married well. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Speaking of cats, Curtis was grinning like the Cheshire one, and they could postulate that he’d worked out his issues.
Kat gave her a kiss, and one to Greyson too.
“I’m ready for tonight. In fact, I’m so excited to be back at work.”
They bet. Everyone there knew how that felt.
“We are just waiting on Dimitri,” Chris stated.
“He came in with Poppy,” Tessa said, sitting in Paris’s lap. “We wrapped up the job, and handled the situation at Poppy’s place.”
They all stared at her—especially Paris.
Only then did she realized what she’d done. Dimitri hadn’t told anyone yet, and she knew. Paris was staring at her, and she knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
“Uh oh,” Emma stated.
Yeah, she could say that. Tessa’s husband, who had just gotten back from the hospital and work, was staring at her.
“And I’m about to get a lecture from my very stern looking husband,” she added.
Crap!
Paris couldn’t believe his ears.
“What do you mean ‘wrapped up the job’?” Paris asked. “I called you earlier and you were deeply involved in an adventure. I thought you meant a book.”
She gave him a kiss.
“Uh, I was researching one?” she tried.
“Tessa.”
“We had a little issue,” she stated. “We missed Brent Hendricks, again, and while we were out interviewing…”
He stopped her.
“Who were you interviewing?” Paris asked. “When I left this morning, you were not planning on ‘interviewing’ anyone.”
“Poppy had to head to the commissioner’s.”
“We knew that part,” Greyson stated.
“We interviewed Lewis Garrett. He’s probably Poppy’s biological father. Dimitri didn’t want Poppy facing that, so he needed backup.”
She told them everything.
They listened.
“Then we got the call.”
She told them that too.
“He’s an asshole,” Chris stated. “He wanted her off the force, so he put her career under the magnifying glass. That’s what he did to Riley, to me, and to you, Emma.”
“Oh, well, I hope Finn and Delilah will have him for breakfast.”
Tessa told them about the apartment.
“Jesus!” Greyson said. “Is she okay?”
Tessa wasn’t sure.
“He brought her here. That’s all I know. When we left her place, she was pretty shaken up.”
Oh, they could only imagine.
“Oh, and he offered me a security job,” she added rather quickly.
Paris stared at her.
“Pardon?” he asked.
Tessa smiled.
“Apparently, I’m badass.”
“And pregnant,” Paris stated. “Have we forgotten that little part of this ‘adventure’?” he asked.
“Not really,” Tessa stated. “How mad are you?”
He laughed.
“Well, I’m not thrilled, but we’ll discuss this later—while we’re alone, Tessa.”
Oh, she didn’t doubt that at all.
Greyson was worried about his best friend, and the woman that Dimitri was in love with. So, he pulled out his phone to text Dimitri, only to hear the man come in with her. As soon as he did, they all looked over.
“Well, we’re late,” he said, holding Poppy’s hand.
Immediately, Emma was up and heading toward the woman. She hugged her.
“I’m so sorry.”
Poppy hugged her back. She wasn’t an emotional person, but this whole family tied her up in knots.
“Word travel’s fast.”
“I’m sorry, Poppy,” Tessa said. “I was updating them on our interviews.”
“It’s okay,” she stated.
“I offered her a job,” Dimitri stated.
They all looked at him.
Greyson needed clarification.
“Uh, Tessa?”
“Well, I offered her a job too,” Dimitri stated. “She’s hell on wheels.”
“Jesus,” Paris stated. “We will REALLY be discussing this later,” he said, pointing at his wife.
HIS very pregnant wife.
Oh, they would all love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
“Well, in this case,” Dimitri stated, “I was talking about Poppy. She’s joining the security team.”
Chris began laughing like a lunatic.
“Uh, are you okay?” Emma stated.
“I’m not the new guy! Now I can beat on someone in the gym!”
“CHRISTOPHER!” Emma said.
“What? That’s the work rule. I don’t care that she has breasts. She’s not a woman in there.”
Dimitri dropped Poppy’s hand and headed his way. Chris immediately got up and braced for something. He didn’t expect Dimitri to hug him.
“Thank you for that.”
Chris hugged him back and held him. Clearly, Dimitri was doing a battle with something.
He was NOT a hugger.
A puncher, yes. A hugger, no.
“Uh, okay,” he said.
That’s when Dimitri sucker punched him in the gut, catching Chris off guard.
“What the hell?” he hissed.
“That’s for talking about my woman’s breasts. I didn’t like that part.”
Emma laughed her ass off.
“Oh, Christopher.”
He rubbed his gut.
“You’re playing favorites!”
Dimitri saw the look on Poppy’s face, and it said it all. It was time to shut that shit down.
“No, I’m not. She’s working right now, and I just wanted to show her how we roll. Tough love.”
He laughed.
“What were we talking about?” Dimitri asked.
“We had two names come up for our case, and one is a madam.”
“Oh Christ,” Dimitri muttered. “Who?” Deep down, he prayed it was not going to be someone he knew. Stephanie had been a train wreck. Plus, his woman was standing right there. That was mortifying.
They told him about Elaine Beasley.
“Nope, I can honestly say that I’ve never heard of her before,” he said. “She’s not one I used,” and then he realized what he said.
Poppy was watching him.
“Work mode,” he reminded her, just to avoid that whole ‘hooker’ conversation again.
She laughed.
“Oh, I see how it’s going to be.”
He gave her a sweet smile.
“Yes, dear.”
Greyson laughed his ass off.
Chris too.
“Pussy,” Greyson said, and then covered it with a cough, only to get a fist bump from Chris.
Dimitri pointed at him.
“WORK MODE.”
“Yes, boss,” Chris teased, not buying the stern tone in his voice.
“Anyway,” Emma said, changing the subject so someone didn’t get their ass kicked, “About tonight. You need that DNA, and we have to go in.”
Poppy stopped them.
“I saw something today.”
“What?” Greyson asked.
“When Raye was taking my badge and gun, he had my mother’s file on his desk. He had it sitting there. Why?”
That was curious.
No one had an answer.
“It made me think one thing. When did this asshole begin stalking me?” Poppy asked.
“Right after you turned down the job.”
She nodded.
“I’m willing to bet he has something in that file. I don’t like coincidences. Everything was good, and then this animal is put on my trail. Is it the same man, or is Jeffrey Raye hiding his loathing for me in plain sight by having someone stalk me and pretend to be my mother and sister’s killer?”
Emma thought about it.
“You interviewed the cop who was in charge of it, right?” Emma asked.
“Yes.”
“You may need to make a return visit with the file. That smells all kinds of dirty.”
Oh, she agreed.
“When I was on a crime scene, he had the cops riding me pretty hard,” she stated.
“That’s his normal game,” Chris stated. “He’s got a shit ton of the police force under his thumb.”
“Well, what if this is one of his minions?”
It could be.
“Yeah, we really need that file,” Emma stated.
“I agree. I’ve seen the official file,” Poppy stated. “I made copies of it, but that was a while ago. If he has it, I need it.”
Kat shrugged.
“Okay, so I go in, steal the DNA out of the cold case room, head back upstairs, go into the man’s office, and find the file for Poppy.”
Curtis looked worried.
“That’s a long operation, and it spans five floors. You’d have to get past countless cops,” he stated.
“I can do it,” she said. “I have skills.”
It wasn’t that.
Curtis knew she did.
“That’s a lot of time on that job. The longer you’re in there, the more the chance of being caught goes up,” Curtis added.
She was aware, but it was her job. She could do it, and she would do it. The family, and his brother’s girlfriend, needed her to do it.
Poppy stopped her.
“I’ll go in with you.”
Dimitri stared at her.
“Pardon?”
“I said, I’ll go in too. She heads down to the cold case room, and I head up to the commissioner’s office.”
“Poppy, you’re not trained like Katerina is,” he stated, pointing out the obvious. “You’re a cop, and she’s a thief. That’s a totally different skill set,” he said, pointing out a fact.
She didn’t like that.
Clearly.
“Oh, well, then I guess I have to turn down your job offer. You only hired me because we’re having sex and a couple.”
The room got quiet.
They all knew Dimitri a lot better than she did, and this was really dangerous territory.
“That’s not what I said,” he stated.
“It’s how it came across. You don’t think I can do it, so basically, you hired someone you think is inept. Is that what you think?” she asked with her hands on her hips.
Dimitri stared at her.
“Poppy.”
“Well, Dimitri?” she asked. “Am I part of your team and a viable employee, or am I your bed occupant only?”
Emma stood.
This shit was NOT going down in her home, and not with Dimitri. She’d protect him. He was hers.
“Oh, look, family. All of you need to head to the kitchen for some drinks. Dimitri, the balcony, now!”
He looked all kinds of upset.
The family scattered like roaches when the lights went on. As soon as they were gone, Emma pointed at the balcony. He went out there and closed the door.
He was pissed. It slammed behind him.
That left Emma and Poppy.
And she handled it.
“First off, that was shitty to do to him,” Emma stated. “You just called your boss out in front of a room of peers. That was all kinds of wrong, and totally not acceptable here in Croft and Gideon-land. Got it?”
Poppy didn’t expect the dressing down from Emma.
She figured Emma, being a woman, would get it.
“He’s treating me…”
She shut that shit right down.
“He has feelings, and you’re a weakness for him. He would do anything for you. He’s in love, and that was a low blow. I expect better from a person who is now being invited into our family.”
“I didn’t mean…”
She stopped her.
“Let me make this easy for you, Miss Wayne. Dimitri is my family. His business is intertwined with OUR family. I run THIS family. Period. When it goes sideways, it’s on MY shoulders. I know everyone thinks that Greyson is the boss, but let me reassure you that I will cut a bitch who crosses a line, and you just jumped way over it.”
Poppy listened.
“I get you’re having a bad day, and that’s the ONLY reason I’m not kicking your ass out of Sky Villa. Today, he took the interview with your possibly biological father to protect you. Tessa told us he ran to you when you were at your apartment. He’s doing everything in his power to show you that you matter to him, and what you just did is the opposite.”
Poppy listened.
“You do not do this shit to him. If you have a problem with YOUR boss, you ask to speak to him alone. You take him into a room, and you talk to him like an adult and not a petulant child. You do not drag your relationship through the fucking shit mess to get what you want. Am I clear?”
Poppy nodded.
“I’m sorry. I lost my job. I don’t know who I am if I’m not a cop.”
She began crying.
Emma got that. They’d all lost their jobs—in one way or another.
“I know. When I handed in my badge, it hurt. Here’s the good thing that came of it,” she said as she let Poppy mourn. “You are part of something good. You can make more of a difference here than ever.”
She nodded.
“I want that.”
“We will wrap around you and protect you—because you are his.”
It did feel nice to have people care.
“He loves you so much, Poppy. If Chris had called him out like that, he would have knocked him on his ass and fired him. I’ve seen it happen. That he swallowed it means a lot. He cares about you. Part of being part of his life is understanding him and how his business is VERY important to him.”
She got it.
“Dimitri built this life for himself, and his sister from absolutely nothing. They treat it like a living, breathing entity, and he doesn’t take it lightly. He may not include you in every aspect of it, but that has nothing to do with your relationship. It has everything to do with him running a very successful business.”
She got it.
“I’ll go apologize. You’re right. I’m sorry, Emma. I hear what you’re saying. This was inappropriate to do in your home, and in front of his family. I was wrong. I’m doing this on a learning curve.”
She was aware.
That was the only reason she wasn’t on the ground bleeding from an ass-kicking.
“We’ll be in the kitchen. Fix this, then we’ll see what he says. It’s his call, Poppy. You don’t run his business. He does. You are an employee. He’s Greyson’s partner, and they run their businesses jointly, so back off.”
She got it.
She wanted him to treat her like an employee, and she pulled the girlfriend card.
“Thank you.”
Emma was done with that jackassery. While she liked Poppy, she wouldn’t let the woman stomp all over Dimitri’s feelings.
Not on her watch.
In the kitchen, she began making them dinner. They would eat, talk case, and get ready.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be one hell of a mess.
Out on the balcony, he paced like a caged tiger. Dimitri was ready to blow. He was ready to lose his temper, and it was taking everything he had not to do it.
Dimitri knew what it would cost if he lost it. He knew if he did, he’d lose her. Poppy would get mad and walk away from him, and that would kill him. It was a shitty position to be in, and he hated every damn second of it.
Tell her, no, and clearly, she’d walk.
Let her walk all over him, and he’d lose face with his family and team.
He was furious.
When the door to the balcony opened, he glanced over. She came out and stopped beside him.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I asked you to treat me like an employee, and I usurped your power. You are the boss. I get it. What I did was absolutely across the line, and you have every right to fire my ass right now. I won’t blame you.”
It wasn’t enough.
Dimitri was afraid, and he hated that. It had been a long time since he felt this fear, and it made him so damn angry that someone had that power over him.
“No, but you will leave me if I do it. You will use our relationship as a weapon, and I can’t live like that. I can’t wait every time I say no to you as an employee for you to tell me to fuck off and you’ll leave me.”
“I won’t leave you.”
“Yeah, right. That sounded like it in there, and in front of my family.”
“I was wrong. So, I’m going to make it right. I quit. I crossed a line, and you have no choice but to fire me. I was an asshole, I broke the rules, and I don’t deserve to work for you.”
“And now you leave me.”
“No, and now I sit here with the family and keep my fingers crossed that Katerina will be okay. I’m not leaving you when we fight. I screwed up, and I’m sorry. This is new for me too. I’m trying. It may not seem like it, but I just got my ass chewed out by Emma, I know she was right, and here I am. I’m sorry, Dimitri. This is your business. You built it from the ground up. You are the one who has to run it—not me.”
He didn’t know what to say to that.
“Really?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I made a mistake, and I’ll try harder. I’m going to screw shit up. I’ve never had this,” she said, pointing at them. “I don’t know how to be in a relationship. I date. I don’t commit. With you, I’ve found myself trying to learn on the fly. The good news is that once I screw up, I learn from it.”
He calmed down.
“I know I hurt you. I’m sorry. I can’t take that back, but I can apologize and tell you that it won’t happen again. I will try to do better.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. It’s not okay to hurt you. You’ve saved me, you’ve been kind, and I just put down an ultimatum. That’s all kinds of wrong. I can’t imagine it’s good for a relationship. Please forgive me. I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?” he asked.
She hugged him.
“I love you. I will always love you. I’ll miss kicking Chris’s ass, simply because he’s a little too smug, but I get it. We can’t be a couple and have me work for you. I’ll find a job.”
His heart skipped.
“What if it’s not in Vegas?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “It’s going to depend on how badly the commissioner destroys my reputation. Maybe Greyson can get me a job at the FBI. He has connections.”
That said it all.
Dimitri took a deep breath. He knew she screwed up, but ultimately, if she took a job elsewhere, they might lose what they had.
“You’re not fired. It’s okay. We’ll navigate this together. I know it’s new, today has sucked, and that you’re trying.”
“Why did you interview the man who might be my father without me?” she asked.
“So you wouldn’t hurt. You already were broken inside, and I wanted to protect you.”
She loved that about him.
“I love you, Dimitri. You’re a sweet man.”
“Oh, well, don’t tell them that. They think I’m a hardened killer, and it helps with the business,” he teased.
She gave him a kiss.
“I’m sorry.”
He accepted her apology because ultimately, there would come a time where he screwed up too. What they had was worth accepting that they were human.
“It scared me, Poppy. I don’t want to lose you, and my heart can’t handle it.”
“I will try.”
He accepted that.
“Let’s go talk to your sister. I’ll give her any information I can to get her up to the commissioner’s office safely.”
He was good with that.
Inside, he found the family eating some olives and cheese from a platter as Emma cooked pasta. He released Poppy’s hand and glanced over at Emma.
“Can I see you a second?” he asked, knowing what he had to do next.
She handed Greyson the spoon and told him to stir. She followed him out and back onto the balcony.
Dimitri closed the door again—this time without slamming it.
“Yes?” she asked.
“You yelled at her?”
“Of course I did. She screwed up, and in this family, you own it and you apologize.”
“I have never loved before,” Dimitri stated.
“I imagine you and Poppy will figure it out. You’re a smart man. You will learn and adapt. That’s what life is all about.”
She misunderstood.
“No, I never loved before you. While I’m deeply in love with Poppy, you were the first one I fell for. I will admit that I was insanely jealous of Greyson. You are an amazing woman, and I will love you forever. Because of you, Emma, you gave me enough strength to hold on for Poppy. Because of you, you helped me navigate the world when I felt like I was alone.”
“Well, I love you. I did it because I know what kind of man you are, Dimitri. You’re special.”
“Please know that in my heart, there is a little section that only belongs to you. Please know that the little section that is yours will always be special to me. You are very important and precious to me, Emma. One never forgets their first love.”
She got weepy.
“Damn baby hormones!”
He wiped her eyes.
“You are an amazing woman, and you will make one hell of a mother. Your son is going to be lucky. I have never met a more unselfish person than you. You heal Chris by giving him what you can of yourself. You heal me by understanding my broken soul. You sacrifice everything to give this family what it needs. Katerina needed a mother to love her, and you did it. Curtis was a lost soul who needed a family, and you did it. I am blessed to have you in my life, and I wanted you to know that you will never be forgotten here,” he said, touching his heart.
“Oh, Dimitri.”
He hugged her.
“I love you, Emma Croft. I love so much about you. I only hope I can be the person you inspire me to be.”
He placed her hands under his shirt and on his skin. That touch was familiar and soothing. It wasn’t sexual, but that touch of someone who would understand.
“I love you, too, Dimitri. She’s a lucky woman. Anyone who got you would be. You are special beyond your own comprehension. I see it. I am glad you are finding your way. It’s all I wanted.”
“Thank you.”
He lifted her chin and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.
“Ya budu lyubit' tebya, poka ne umru.”
Emma offered it back to him. She would love him for her whole life too.
He simply held her to his body, his weaker arm wrapped around her body.
Emma let him have that moment. She could feel the thump of his heart.
“I’m happy for you, Dimitri,” she admitted. “I am really happy for you.”
He didn’t doubt that. The love she gave—it was pure and amazing.
Now he needed her help.
He needed to know.
“Do you think I should let her go in tonight? One of the reasons I’m so worried is Katerina has been out of the game almost a year. Can she handle it alone?”
Dimitri knew Emma wouldn’t lie to him. This was her family, and she would be honest.
“No, she can’t. I’m sorry, Dimitri, but I’m not comfortable with her doing both jobs. She needs help. She can’t do it alone. That’s a tough one. Every person she sees will be armed. That’s a lot of people. If they catch her there…”
He was aware.
“So, I am stuck between a rock and hard place. I have to let Poppy go.”
She held his hand as they leaned on the balcony that overlooked the city.
“Before you let her go, see if she has a well thought out plan. Listen, go with your gut, and if she even hesitates a second, don’t do it.”
He listened.
“You’re right.”
“She has better odds of doing it than Kat alone, but you have to be the boss. They are your team.”
He was aware.
“I can’t send Chris in. He’s not stealthy. He’s a big man, and everyone will notice him.”
She agreed.
“This was Natasha’s gift.”
He was aware.
“You can’t go,” he said before she could offer. “You’re well known. You will stand out like a sore thumb.”
Again, she was aware.
“The same is true of Greyson.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“I’d go myself, but I don’t know the inside of that building like Poppy.”
Emma let him talk it out.
“This is a hard one,” he stated. “When you love someone, it makes it so much more difficult.”
Oh, she was aware.
“You’ll do the right thing,” she said, holding his hand. “You’re good at this kind of thing. Plan your operation, and the team will trust you.”
He gave her a kiss.
“Are you sure you don’t want to run away and marry me?” he teased. “We can rule the world.”
She snorted.
“I’ll miss you when Greyson kills you.”
He found that funny.
And very true.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat, and plan this operation,” Dimitri stated. “Together. I need your help. You and Greyson are my partners.”
Emma took his hand.
Yes, yes, they were.
This would be fine.
All they needed was a plan.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
When dinner was finished being cooked, they all took their plates to the massive dining room table and took a seat. There was pasta, garlic bread, and salad.
They were going to do what they always did. It was time to run their businesses. They would dine as a family and plan a heist as criminals.
This was their world.
“What will go down?” Greyson asked Dimitri. This was his area, and he ran this arm of their empire.
Dimitri had worked it all out in his head. He was finally ready to reveal his plan.
“Chris is going to be the driver. He’s excellent on watching his surrounding area. He’ll recognize the cops coming and going, and he’ll be the most familiar with the faces.”
He saluted.
“Can do, Dimitri,” he stated.
The Russian continued, “His job is to make sure the outside stays clear. He’s going to be our first line of defense. Since he sat in that office, he’s going to know the easiest way in and out.”
It was true.
“There is security everywhere,” Chris stated. “We are talking cameras, and a main door alarm on the commissioner’s office.”
Dimitri was eating and making notes of what they’d need so he could get them the tech to cover their asses.
“Walk me through it, Chris,” Dimitri stated. “I’ve never been above the main floor.”
He could do that.
“There’s a private elevator. That would be the best way up, and down,” Chris stated. “It would take the person going into the commissioner’s office right there, and to the records department too.”
Dimitri scribbled down his notes as the rest of the family listened.
“The only problem is there’s a code on it, and I am sure they changed it after me. He’d want to ensure I couldn’t access it since I’m part of the family.”
Curtis raised his hand.
“I can get it. I just need to buy it. I’m willing to bet it’s available for sale.”
They all looked over.
“How?” Emma asked.
“Remember how Viktor bought our security intel on the dark web? They likely have that too. I need a tricked-out computer to do my dirty work and a shitload of money.”
Poppy listened.
It was fascinating.
This family was pulling out all the stops to get that file, and she appreciated it.
“I can help you with that,” Dimitri stated.
He headed out for a couple of minutes and returned with his baby. Lovingly, he handed it to him.
“I love that computer more than anything,” Curtis admitted, as he hugged it to his body.
Kat laughed.
“Ah, the truth comes out.”
Dimitri kissed his sister on the top of the head.
“I’ll kill him after the operation for making that statement,” he admitted.
Curtis sputtered.
“Thanks, Dad,” Kat stated, smiling at her husband.
“Geez, no one values good tech anymore,” he stated.
Dimitri tossed him the encryption key, and Curtis got to work. He sent the screen to the monitor in the corner so they could all watch.
His fingers flew.
He went into the layers of encryption, finding the hidden access to the web where normal people couldn’t go.
Only the wicked went there, and for damn good reason. You didn’t want to get involved in most of the deals there.
Curtis did his thing, and he searched.
It didn’t take long.
“I have it.”
He sent the amount to the screen.
Chris whistled.
“Holy shit, that’s a lot of money for something we can’t guarantee is going to work,” he stated.
“I’ll pay it,” Dimitri stated. “If it means making sure the team is safe, I’ll suck it up.”
Poppy was horrified that he had access to that much money.
Curtis did the deal.
“Which account do you want it to come out of?” he asked, contacting the seller.
He gave him the numbers for an account he’d buried under about one hundred shell companies. No one had been able to find him from it. It belonged to both him and Greyson, and they used it for the less legal of their ventures.
They both glanced over at Emma.
“Do it. I want that file, and I want Commissioner Raye to hang.”
That was good enough for them.
The family watched as the money transferred from the account on the screen to the seller.
There was a beep.
“The code is two, two, nine, two, two.”
Kat wrote it on her arm in prep for later. She wouldn’t be able to pull out paper and do it that way. This was easier in case she needed her hands free.
“Got it.”
“Poppy, tell us about the records room,” Dimitri stated. They could ask Emma, but it wouldn't be as updated.
She put down her fork.
“If she’s going in through the elevator, she’s got a problem. It opens right in front of the records clerk. He faces it behind the glass. There is someone on duty there round the clock.”
“I can go in from the floor above. I still have the schematics from when I rescued Chris and Emma. I can use the ductwork,” Poppy stated.
“Will you fit?” Dimitri asked.
She stared at him.
“Mom, he just called me fat,” she said, ratting her own brother out to Emma.
Dimitri sputtered like a tea kettle.
“I did not!”
“Then you had better explain,” Emma teased.
He waved his good hand in front of his own chest. “I meant them!”
Kat laughed.
“I love watching him get flustered. That’s half the fun. I knew what you meant,” she teased.
Dimitri stared at her.
“You are not allowed to play with Emma anymore. She made you vicious.”
Emma laughed.
So did Kat.
“I’ll get it done,” Kat said, letting her brother off the hook. “I’ll get in.”
“SILENTLY.”
She laughed.
“Yes, Mom.”
He pointed at her and it made them all laugh.
“Poppy, continue,” he stated.
She did.
“Once she gets to the records room, there’s a secondary door that has a lock. It’s not tied to the security. It’s a punch code. Very few people know that code.”
He wasn’t worried.
“I have a device that will crack it,” Dimitri stated. “It’s small, and once she attaches it, it will unscramble and give her the code.”
That took care of that issue.
“Well, once she gets through there, she’s going to have security cameras.”
“I can scramble and loop them,” Curtis stated. “If I go with Chris, I can jam them from the car.”
Dimitri was good with that.
“It looks like Chris has a partner on this one. Our tech guy is going to have to go mobile,” Greyson stated.
Curtis didn’t mind. If it meant watching his wife’s ass, he was all about that.
“I’ll handle it,” he promised.
The whole time they were discussing this, Dimitri didn’t look at Poppy.
He couldn’t.
Dimitri was still trying to measure if she could do it. He wouldn't risk a team member, and he certainly wouldn’t risk her for a file.
“What’s next?” Kat asked. “Walk me through it.”
Poppy did just that. She gave her the file number, and Kat scribbled it on her other forearm.
“It’s a white box, and on the front, it says ‘Wayne’. It was on the third shelf, but they could have moved it.”
“Got it.”
“Inside should be anything that can be tested for DNA. It may be degraded by now. It may be stuff we can’t use.”
“I’ll grab anything that will help us. I’ll be good,” she reassured. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to lift something from a police office.”
Yeah, but Dimitri knew that this would be a million times harder since their faces were all over the news. She wouldn’t blend, and she wouldn’t be invisible.
She was a Croft.
“Then you have to get out because the records clerk does a walk-through to the vending machine on the other side. That’s where the coffee pot and snacks are.”
She made note of it. Kat would have to keep her eyes on that area for anyone who headed there.
“I can do it. That’s an easy one.”
Dimitri hoped so.
“Tell me about the file upstairs,” she said. “What do I have to do?”
“You’re going to have to get back into the elevator,” Chris stated. “You’ll have to take it up to the commissioner’s floor. The elevator has security, and Curtis will have to re-loop it. If security on the ground floor looks at the screen, and then the floor numbers, they will notice it’s not in sync. The numbers light up at the desk.”
Dimitri was nervous.
That was the way you got caught.
He silently ate. When Emma’s hand touched his thigh, he placed his over hers. Right at that moment, he needed the reassurance that it would be okay.
This was three days past dangerous.
“The good news is the security, at that time of the day, will be running thin. We might get lucky.”
Oh, they could only hope.
Dimitri focused on Petra as she ate pasta from her chair. It was all over her. He hoped Emma didn’t mind cleaning her up. He was going to have to get the team’s gear together.
As if reading his mind, she wiped the little girl's face and cooed to her.
Dimitri couldn’t love her more.
“I have a uniform,” Poppy stated. “Kat might fit into it. If she uses that, she can walk up the stairwell from the records room. The cameras are overheard. They will see hair and a hat. No one will question a cop going up and down the stairs.”
That was a better option.
“I can’t do it,” she stated. “I have to carry gear. If I get caught, I need the basics to get out. I’d be carrying a bag. I need to go in under the radar.”
Dimitri thought about it.
The risk of this with one person doing the job outweighed the reward of getting that file’s information.
Before he could say anything, Emma said it for him.
“We may have to leave the file behind,” Emma stated. “We can’t risk Kat. How long will it take to get the DNA?”
“Thirty minutes. I have to get it done in that time frame. Anything longer, and I risk being compromised. Quick operations are the safest.”
Dimitri agreed.
“How much longer will it take to do part B?” Emma asked.
“Another thirty minutes.”
Even Greyson didn’t like that. He whistled.
“That’s an hour inside the police station, Kat. I don’t like that at all. Thirty minutes isn’t too bad, but double it…”
Dimitri leaned back in his chair.
He was right.
An hour was like an eternity when you were creeping into a police building.
“We need a second person,” Chris said. “I can do it. I would be the next best option. I might not be noticed. I have my dress blues.”
“I can go,” Sam offered. “I’m a kid no one will notice me,” he said, as he slurped his pasta.
“Yeah, no,” Dimitri stated. “That is definitely not even an option at this point. What’s next? Do you want a gun too?” he asked.
He pointed at Sam before he could say anything.
“NO!”
“But, Dad! I’m sneaky.”
“And you got caught by Viktor,” Emma stated. “You managed to elude Dante and Steele, but not the bad guy. The commissioner is the bad guy,” Emma stated.
Dimitri smiled at him.
He knew his son wanted in badly.
“You will be helping us one day. I promise. Right now, Sam, we need you to be here and help us.”
“Doing what?” he asked. “Babysitting?”
“You can sit beside me as I keep in communication with Chris and Curtis. You’ll help me.”
That made him happy.
“Well, that still doesn’t give you the fourth person,” he stated.
Oh, he was aware.
Dimitri had expected Poppy to say something, but she didn’t. True to her word, she was trying.
“Poppy, if you were going to do this, what would you do to get to the office?”
“I would take the elevator to the floor below the commissioner’s office. Then I would get into the stairwell, block the cameras, and go in that way. The elevator right to the top will be suspicious. He leaves by six. They would recall that he’d already left the building, and still the elevator went to that floor. There would be minimal people on the administration floor at that time of night.”
She had a point.
“I would put the person in the uniform, and then have them take the stairwell. Jam the cameras and access the office.”
He listened.
“There’s a camera right outside his door, but none inside. Thus, how he was easily able to kill Thomas Christ.”
“How long do you think it would take?” he asked.
“In uniform, twenty minutes. The hardest part is if he hid the file in his office. You’d have to search. He knows I saw it, so he will want it locked down.”
He thought about it.
“Kat, you are going to do your part of it. Chris, you are the getaway driver, Curtis, you are going to have to clear the way for them. Poppy is going in to retrieve the file.”
They ALL looked at him.
“Really?” she asked.
“Really. We go in at seven. I don’t want it to be too late. There won’t be enough cops there. It’ll be suspicious. We need the security at the desk to be busy.”
“I can help,” Emma stated.
They all looked at her, including her husband. The look on his face said it all.
If she even suggested going, he was going to have a stroke.
There.
Now.
And it would be a big one.
“How?”
“We can keep them on the phones. We have to have enough burner phones to keep making calls. If the guy is on the phone, he’s not watching security as closely as he should be.”
Dimitri smiled.
“We have burner phones and we have our plan. Eat up, get ready to head out, and we shall get this done.”
The team went back to eating.
It looked like they were going to break into the LVPD building, during work hours, with a newbie and a woman who had just given birth.
How could this possibly go wrong?
Oh, he didn’t want to know.