Yeah, this sucked. Damn the commissioner and his douchery. She could have been having drinks with a sexy man days ago.
Before she could say anything, Greyson knocked on the door.
“Can I see you?” he asked Dimitri.
“Absolutely,” he offered.
Then his focus was back on her. Gently, Dimitri tucked her back into her robe and helped her up.
“Pack for a couple of days. I can come back for anything you need if you forget something, babochka.”
The sweet nickname stole her breath, but before she could say anything, Dimitri was gone.
He followed the other man out.
When she was alone, Poppy pulled out her suitcase and did what he asked. Normally, she’d be more aggressive, bossy, and in charge, but now she needed to lean.
She needed him.
Still...
This wasn’t at all going how she’d thought it would feel to be rescued by Dimitri Gideon.
He was dumping her in a hotel.
Great.
Poppy didn’t think this could get any worse. She had some sicko stalker that might have been the person who killed her mother and sister, and now he was after her.
Oh, and Dimitri Gideon had dropped her like a hot potato.
Awesome.
Poppy, while alone, did something she wasn’t proud of at all.
She cried.
Out in Poppy’s living room, Greyson lowered his voice, so Poppy didn’t hear him. The last thing he wanted was to freak her out.
“She is in some serious trouble.”
“What?” Dimitri asked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure she wasn’t there. Honestly, he assumed she’d tell him to pound sand and make him work for it. Poppy was tough, and he wasn’t sure she’d let him take care of her.
This was new to him.
He was trying to navigate this on a learning curve.
“We found more rope, and we found a knife. She’s lucky that he didn’t overcome her. They were under her bed. It looked like he was going to choke her out, so he could bind her. Then he was going to…”
He stopped him.
“If you say the word, I will lose it. I know what this sick animal had planned for her.”
Greyson got it.
This had been too close for comfort for Dimitri. He’d nearly lost a woman he was attracted to—and more.
“We can’t leave her here, Dimitri. You should take her home with you to Sky Villa.”
He shook his head.
“I can’t.”
Greyson lifted a brow.
“You don’t want to take a sexy woman home with you? Are you insane? You’ve been trying to get her to have a drink with you. Now you can…”
He shut him up with one word.
“Kids.”
And that said it all.
“Oh, shit!”
Dimitri was well aware.
“While I trust her with them, since I know she’s a good person, what if what I feel doesn’t match what she feels? Sam is already attached to the ‘Super Woman’ who saved him. What if my kids like her and…”
He got it.
“And she doesn’t want to play house?” he asked.
Dimitri nodded.
“There’s a sexual attraction there. I feel it, but there’s more to me than just this,” he said, touching his chest. “I have kids. I have a past. I have to navigate this cautiously or I could lose her.”
“Okay, what can I do?”
“I offered up the penthouse. I lied and said it was available. I need you to kick the gunkles out. Make them stay with you.”
He laughed.
“Uh, we have a full penthouse, Dimitri. I have Chris and Heath with us. Heath has been using the spare room as a place to keep all his guns, Kevlar, and…”
“You are the only one with a spare room. Please. I need you, my brother.”
He sighed.
Dimitri stared into his eyes.
“I can’t take her to my place yet. Then we’ll have sex, and I can’t let that happen.”
Greyson stared at him.
“Are you insane? She’s crazy about you,” he whispered. “She called YOU after this. Poppy Wayne likes you. How do I spell that out?”
“Did you see what was on her desk in there?” he asked.
“No. What’s on her desk?” Greyson asked.
“She has two folders there. One says, ‘Lester Lucas’ and the other says, ‘Mace Bristol’. Before I even think about a relationship with her, sexual or otherwise, I need to come clean about that too.”
His eyes went big.
“Are you loco? You cannot tell her that you,” he began and then drew his finger across his throat to say the rest.
It was enough.
“I can’t go into a relationship lying. I tried that with Marissa. I didn’t tell her about my brother. She walked. I didn’t feel anything like I do with Poppy. Just seeing her makes my heart skip. I have to be honest. I have two kids and a shady past. It is what it is. If she runs, I’ll know she wasn’t the one. Emma told me that if someone genuinely loved me, they wouldn't hold that against me.”
“What if she holds the illegal against you after the fact?” Greyson asked.
He held out his wrists like he was being cuffed.
“Then she takes me in. She and I are so opposite we will likely kill each other, but I want what you have. I can see it for once in my life. Emma told me I’d know that the woman was the one if she saved me. She saved me.”
Greyson listened.
“Already, she saved me twice. She’s the one, Grey. She’s the one. Now I have to explain my past, the kids, and see if she sticks. Plus, I’ve never dated anyone. I want to see what that feels like. Sex…it’s easy. I can buy that. I can’t buy what I feel.”
He got it.
“I’ll call the boys and get them to Sky Villa, BUT we have a problem.”
“What?”
“I start searching for a missing woman tomorrow. You are going to be busy. You’re my partner in crime solving.”
He was aware.
“I know this is a lot to ask…”
Greyson got it. Dimitri didn’t even have to say the words. He’d take one for the team.
“You help her focus on this mess, and I’ll take Riley and Heath. We’ve got this. No worries.”
He kissed him on the mouth.
“Jesus! You need to get laid,” Greyson said, busting his ass.
“Your mouth to God’s ears,” he said.
“Oh, and before you kiss me again…”
“What?” Dimitri asked.
“We can watch the kids, so you can get to know her better, if you know what I mean.”
He shook his head.
“No, they’re a part of me. If I want anything with her, she has to be kid-friendly. I can’t dump Sam and Petra. They’re mine. I love them both. Petra needs me. As much as I WANT Poppy, family first. I’ll spend as much time with her as I can, and when I think she’s ready, I’ll tell her about them both.”
“We’ll watch them so you can take her out on a date. You both deserve it.”
“Thank you, Greyson.”
“What are brothers for?” he asked.
Before Dimitri could say anything else, Poppy came out of the room. She was dressed and ready to go.
“I’m ready. You really don’t have to go through so much trouble to put me in the hotel.”
Greyson smiled.
“Detective, you helped us. In fact, you covered for us. We are going to help you. I’m working on a case right now, but Dimitri will be free to assist you.”
Her heart skipped.
She’d love him to help her.
Help her get naked.
“What kind?” she asked, trying not to focus on the man’s body. It was NOT easy. “I know it’s not my business, but I need to focus. I feel like puking. I need to think about anything but that mess,” she said, pointing at her room.
Dimitri grabb
ed her bag and offered her his hand.
Greyson trusted her. Emma was good at reading people. She called it on Riley being decent, and she said they could trust Poppy.
He hoped her instincts were right.
Croft shared what he could.
“Four years ago, Commissioner Raye’s wife went missing without a trace. He’s never tried to get to the bottom of it. We’re hoping we can find her, or her remains, and we can use that to get his ass tossed in jail.”
“Really?” she asked. “He needs to get put away for a long time.”
Oh, on that they all agreed.
“Yes, that’s the case.”
She looked steadier.
“I can help.”
He shook his head.
“You’re going to be busy.”
“Doing?”
“Why don’t you tell her your plan, Dimitri?” Greyson asked, setting the man up to be a hero to the girl. He knew how to woo a woman. Now he was going to play wingman to his best friend.
Dimitri stared into those blue eyes, understanding what Greyson wanted him to do.
This was part of tying her to him.
He desperately wanted to be her hero.
“We’re going to find who killed your mother, and we’re going to stop him from getting to you.”
“Oh,” she said, blinking. “You don’t have to do that, Dimitri,” she began, only to be cut off.
Dimitri wasn’t taking no for an answer. Instead, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. As he slowly pulled away, just far enough to speak, he knew what he wanted.
“Take some time off from work,” he said softly, his lips close to hers after he’d finished kissing her.
“Why?”
“I need a partner and I want it to be you,” he said, not only talking about helping her solve the case but about so much more. Dimitri hoped she picked up on that.
He prayed she did.
Poppy tried to focus. Her brain was mush. The smell of him, the feel of him that close to her, and the way his hand was on her hip.
Jesus.
If he asked, she’d quit her damn job. That’s how much he had her tied up in knots. Dimitri Gideon was frying her circuits without even trying.
This was bad.
Someone was going to be hurt.
“Well, babochka?”
She melted even more.
“Okay, I’ll be your partner,” she offered. How the hell was she supposed to get anything done on a case, if she was forced to feel and smell this man?
She was screwed.
Dimitri smiled in victory.
“Thank you.”
Greyson rolled his eyes. Someone had this woman wrapped around his pinky. Why the hell was he even worried? The detective was clearly smitten. He could feel the sexual chemistry from where he was standing.
Emma was right again.
She’d called it.
Gently, Dimitri pulled her toward the kitchen, so they could escape her place.
“Let’s get your gun, and then we can head to the hotel to get you settled into the penthouse.”
“Uh, okay.”
She let him lead.
Poppy had no other choice in the matter. She wasn’t thinking with her brain.
Not even close.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Riley’s House
Monday Late
Afternoon
When he returned to his house, he was ready to set everything up for the night’s festivities. This was going to be a night neither of them forgot, so it had to be special.
Riley went around his place, placing out candles, roses he’d picked up, and even picked out music that would set the mood. Everything needed to be perfect.
Yes, he’d proposed once before to his ex, but he’d never gone to this level. That’s how he knew Delilah was the one.
He wanted this moment more than anything.
Only, a part of him was so empty over it. While he was happy, there was that joyous moment where he could tell someone in his family.
The only one left was his sister, and she didn’t want anything to do with him.
So, he reached out to the only connection he had left. Riley picked up the phone and stared at it.
Yeah, he needed to talk to his brother.
Dialing the number, he listened as it rang the six times before going to voicemail.
Then he heard it.
It was his brother’s voice. Yes, Riley paid for his cell phone to stay on, so he wouldn’t lose that message. It was all he had left of his family.
When it went to voicemail, he listened.
‘Hey! You’ve reached Miles Henderson. I’m not available to answer your call right now. I’m probably out with my dork brother causing trouble. Leave a message at the beep. If this is you, Riley, and we aren’t out having fun, I’ll come bail you out of jail.’
It beeped.
Rarely did he leave a message. There was only so much precious space on the phone, but, today, he needed to do it.
“Hey, Miles, it’s me. I miss you so much today. God! I wish you were here. I know this is lame, and you’d bust my ass if you were still alive, but I met a girl, and she’s so hot,” he said, beginning to tell him about her.
He wanted that connection with his brother.
“She’s so damn amazing, and I’m going to propose to her tonight. I know I haven’t left a message for a while, but I wanted you to know that I’m still thinking about you. I can’t call Kiley and tell her about it. Since you died, she won’t talk to me anymore. She hates seeing my face. I understand it, and I don’t blame her. When I look in the mirror I hate seeing it too.”
And he did.
“Anyway, she misses you, and I miss you too. I wish you were here, Miley. I wish you were here with me. I’m going to elope if my girl says yes, or try to get Delilah to do it. I can’t do a wedding without you and Kiley there. I just can’t face it alone. I wish you were still here, bro. I mourn you every day. There’s not a single one that goes by where I don’t want you to be part of this.”
God!
He missed his brother.
“I hope you’re watching from wherever you are. I hope you see that I’m okay. It’s hard without you, but I promised to keep on fighting. I’ll do it. Keep an eye on Kiley. She needs you more than I do. I wish we could have a beer and celebrate. I love you, Miles. I lost you and Kiley that day. It’s never been the same.”
The phone beeped before he could say anything else.
“I miss you, bro. I really miss you,” he said, staring at the phone in his hand.
Riley tucked his phone into his pocket and knew he needed to put this behind him. His family had officially been notified. So, he wiped his eyes and went back to prepping for Delilah. He’d done everything he was supposed to do.
He was on track.
Now all he needed was for his girl to say yes.
Then life…it would be better.
There was nowhere to go but up.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Sky Villa
When it came time to have something to eat, Emma didn’t know what to do with Petra. The little girl seemed to like cookies, but that wasn’t a good meal.
So, she figured she’d get Sam to help her.
Of course he wanted pizza.
“We can take it up by the pool,” she offered. “We can have a picnic,” she suggested.
That was good with Sam.
Petra?
No clue.
The girl didn’t say much, but she did follow Sam around like he was the next coming of Christ.
Hey, whatever worked.
All Emma knew was when they got up to the water, Petra became a different child. Gone was the fear. She clearly knew what swimming was because the second she saw the water, she was racing toward the pool.
Oh, shit!
She was going to jump into the deep end!
Emma dropped the pizza and raced after her. Wh
en Petra dove in, Emma was about to dive in after her.
Heath too.
That was until she surfaced and began laughing and swimming in circles like a freaking fish—in her clothes.
Well, someone was safe around the pool.
“I nearly had a freaking heart attack,” Heath stated, pulling his shirt back on.
Yeah, Emma too.
“She can swim!” Sam said, running toward the pool and jumping in to splash around with her.
The two kids laughed.
Heath grabbed the pizza and put it under a cabana where they’d eat.
“She’s going to be okay,” he said, sitting beside Emma. “You can tell. She’s strong. Already, she’s not afraid. Already, she’s just trying to understand what everyone is saying around her. I think she’s smart.”
Oh, he was right.
All the Gideons were.
Emma watched the two kids frolic and play for a good forty minutes. When Petra got out of the pool, Emma grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her.
Her dress was shot.
The chlorine had already faded it, but she was smiling and acting like a normal kid. That’s all that really mattered.
“Hey! Babe! Where’s the grub?”
“Sam,” Heath warned. “It’s not babe. Your father doesn’t like that.”
He laughed.
As he approached Emma, she wrapped him up, too, before giving him a kiss on the forehead.
“You can call me babe. I don’t mind.”
He grinned triumphantly.
“Into the cabana,” she said.
Sam climbed onto the mattress, and he motioned for Petra to join him. She scurried up and sat really close to him.
Emma opened the box.
Sam picked up a piece and held it up for her to bite it. She did.
Then Petra smiled.
“She likes pizza! I have a sister who likes to swim and eat pizza. It’s a good day for me!”
Emma misted up as she watched the two kids. They were adorable together, and you couldn’t tell they had been strangers a few hours ago.
Mob Justice Page 14