Paid Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 3)

by Morgan Kelley

  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?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Vine Street

  A s they drove up and down Vine, there could only be one place that the janitor had meant, and it had to be the same place Marissa was staying. All the other buildings didn’t fit the description.

  Besides, it made sense, in a way, that the pimp would keep his girls close. It only brought up the question of what was going on in the basement?

  They were curious.

  It was likely the cop in all of them.

  Once there, after checking the whole street, it had to be it.

  As they got out of their ride, there were hookers and what looked to be pimps hanging at the corner.

  Before going in there, they’d ask a few questions.

  Who knew what they’d find out?

  When Emma told him her plan, Greyson agreed to let his wife do her thing. As she headed toward the gaggle of girls, they all turned to check her out.

  Immediately, they tried to walk away.

  “I will shoot you all, and since I’m not a cop, no one will find your bodies.”

  That had their attention.

  It also made Chris and Greyson nearly laugh. Emma wouldn’t shoot them, but clearly, they bought into the hype of the mob family.

  The men moved forward.

  “Hey, red! I saw you and the chubby one on the news. You like getting your grove on? You can pick a girl and have a foursome.”

  “Did he just call me chubby?” Chris asked Greyson. “Really?”

  Greyson patted his chest. “It’s the body armor. It does make you look a little…fat.”

  “Jesus. What will I do now? A pimp thinks I’m chunky. How will I go on tomorrow? Now who’s going to shoot who?” he asked, pulling back his suit jacket to show off his gun.

  “My bad. Chill.”

  Emma could see Chris was trying not to laugh. Clearly, he didn’t give a shit on the man’s
opinion. The guy looked like he had at least ten diseases, starting with liver failure. He looked a little orange.

  “Maybe you can stop checking out his body and focus?” Emma asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “I pay for information,” she said, taking Greyson’s wallet from him. She pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.

  “Who’s up first?”

  One girl moved toward her. “You legit?”

  “Yep. I’m looking for information on this girl. Do you know her?” she asked, as Chris held his phone up for them to see.

  “That’s Julie, but we call her Jewels. She was the gem in her pimp’s crown. She copped a squat here. Fifth floor,” she said.

  Emma knew she needed to buy their trust. She handed her a hundred. “What’s your real name? Not street BS.”

  “Gabby Del Hoya.”

  “Okay, Gabby. Here’s the big question. Did you see her here with her pimp, Gerald?”

  She nodded. “He has a place downstairs. He came here on rainy days when they couldn’t do the stroll.”

  She knew in Vegas, when people were in for the weather, they headed to hotels, or flops, to play indoors.

  As she paid the girl again, they all moved closer. The hookers seemed to think she was legit.

  “Who can tell me more about Julie and what she was like?” Emma asked.

  The next hooker stepped forward. “I can. We worked together at ‘The Pink Kitty’. I dance there when the weather is bad, or the cops are on the prowl.”

  “Well, I’m not a cop. Name?”

  “Goldy Byers.”

  They all looked at her.

  She had big blonde curls.

  Emma shook her head. “No, real name.”

  “I swear. Hand to God. That’s my name. I use it to strip because it’s…what’s the word?”

  “Ironic?” Greyson asked. “Goldie Locks and the three bears?”

  “You got it. You’re smart.”

  He simply nodded. The streets of Vegas were a mess. Here was the proof. This girl… she was young—too young.

  Emma waved a hundred, since the girl was about ready to drool all over her sexy cave-Croft.

  “Focus on Ben, not my husband. You won’t ever get a shot at handling his junk, so let it go.”