Mob Justice

by Morgan Kelley

  Sam saw the shake.

  “Uh, babe, what the hell? You handed me a Greek yogurt and a banana. Someone is playing favorites, and it’s not cool.”

  “Language,” all three men stated.

  “Seriously? She gets a shake? What about your favorite, charming, Gideon boy?”

  “You can have one.”

  He smiled.

  “IF you can tell me what the formula is for finding the radius of a circle?”

  “Come on! A Quiz?” he asked in horror.

  “What is it, Sam? If you want the goods, you supply the answers to my question. You skipped math yesterday…”

  He sighed.

  “Fine. Radius equals circumference divided by two pi. For the record, pregnancy has made you mean.”

  Greyson snorted, and she took away his muffin.

  “HEY!”

  Emma made Sam one, and as soon as it was done, he went off with Petra to have his shake.

  Dimitri just laughed.

  “I bow to you.”

  “It was non-fat frozen yogurt, spirulina protein, and organic bananas. I won twice. I switch the labels on the ice cream containers since my husband has been known to eat ice cream when I’m asleep at night.”

  “Marry me,” Dimitri teased.

  “Okay.”

  Greyson cleared his throat.

  “When they find your body, I’ll have a room full of alibis…”

  Dimitri laughed.

  “Now give me back my muffin, woman!”

  She tossed it to him.

  When they heard the door, Kat came in carrying Sadie, and she was breastfeeding her. Emma gave her granddaughter a kiss on her head.

  “Uh, there’s boob right there,” Chris stated. “Seriously? What the hell happened to this house? It used to be rocking and a place for babes.”

  “Right on,” Sam shouted.

  “Now we have breastfeeding and pregnant women all over the damn place. I’m awash in hormones,” he muttered.

  “Yeah, PMS,” Emma stated.

  “Funny.”

  “I’m planning to breastfeed, too, Christopher.”

  He grinned.

  “Oh yeah? Can I watch?”

  “Two dead bodies outside Sky Villa,” Greyson stated. “One less witness, but Dante will have my back,” he said.

  “Oh, I will.”

  Chris laughed.

  “Point taken.”

  Emma knew they needed to focus or they’d be off on some crazed tangent.

  “Where’s Curtis?” Emma asked.

  “He’s coming. He said something about going out with his father to do something non-baby related.”

  “He’s going out with me and Riley as we do the interviews.”

  Emma pointed at herself.

  “Uh…what about me?” she asked.

  Oh, he was well aware. Greyson weighed his options, but he knew she’d flip her shit on him if he said no. Besides, Chris was hovering.

  She’d be fine.

  “We have a bunch of people to interview today, so you and your bodyguard are going to do one. Curtis, Heath and I are going to do two, and Dimitri and Poppy are going to work on her situation.”

  Curtis came in.

  “I’ll take the kids downstairs,” Kat stated. “I have to finish feeding Sadie.”

  Curtis didn’t say anything as his wife got the kids wrangled and walked past him.

  “Thank you, Kat,” Dimitri offered.

  There would be tutors coming, and Dimitri hoped Kat could handle them.

  He kissed his sister on her way past and kissed the baby on the head.

  “You ready to roll, Chris?” Emma asked.

  “You bet.”

  Greyson went into protection mode.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this? You can stay here and babysit…,” he asked, suddenly having second thoughts.

  “I am babysitting. I have Chris.”

  “Yeah, I like to run into the street and run with sharp objects. I’m a menace, said the person who wasn’t just stabbed in the chest.”

  Heath came in at the right moment.

  “Yeah, I heard that about you,” he stated.

  “Har-har.”

  Emma tossed the big man a muffin. Then a second one because Heath ate…a lot.

  “Food is love, Mrs. C. Keep it coming. You can feed me any day.”

  She gave him a hug.

  “While you’re out today, keep my husband hole-free. If you do, I might be able to come up with some reward.”

  “Will it be hot and delicious?”

  “I hope you’re talking about pastries,” Greyson stated. “If not, the body count just went up to three,” he stated.

  Dante and Steele took that as their chance to run for cover. They needed to head out.

  “Later,” they said, heading out.

  “For your information, boss, I was talking about those fresh, hot glazed donuts that the one place makes all day long. For being a pervert, I’m not sharing.”

  Greyson laughed.

  “She’s tainted you already.”

  “Yes, your wife has,” Emma stated. “He comes home in one piece, you get two. Not a dozen. Let’s not be insane.”

  Heath would take it. Honestly, he loved living there with them. It was nice to have a ‘family’.

  “Are you ready, Curtis?” Greyson asked.

  He was staring out the window and didn’t reply.

  “Uh, Curtis, are you ready?” he asked again.

  He glanced over.

  “Yeah, I’m ready,” he said. “Sorry. I was thinking. I have my body armor on, and a gun.”

  Emma gave him the look.

  ‘He’s your son too. Fix it!’ she mouthed. ‘Something is wrong!’

  He rolled his eyes.

  Great.

  It looked like he was on killer and relationship duty now too. A Croft’s work was never done.

  “Emma, you get the woman Libby worked with. Her name is Emily Bauer. Abby said she doesn’t work there anymore. So, here’s her home address. It’s early enough that you might be able to catch her before she heads out to do woman things.”

  “What more do I need to know?” she asked as Dimitri helped her into her Kevlar. He checked out her wound before helping her zip into it.

  Then he pulled her shirt over it so no one would see it. It was very motherly.

  It amused her.

  “Uh, Mom, I’m good,” she said.

  “Sucks, doesn’t it?” he asked before giving her a kiss on the forehead.

  “Continue.”

  “She’s married, and she’s a mother of one. That’s all Abby could give me. Her husband’s name is Tristan. Apparently, they hung out a lot. Jeffrey Raye and the Bauers were buddy-buddy.”

  That worked for her.

  She kissed her husband and grabbed the address from him before he could change his mind.

  “I’ll call you later, sexy Croft-i-gator.”

  He laughed.

  “Take care of my wife, Chris.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “On her, boss.”

  “Can I hurt him, Mr. C? That made me think of not so pretty pictures.”

  Greyson tossed him the keys.

  “He’s trying to get you riled up,” Dimitri stated. “Chris is Chris.”

  Both men knew he was still mourning Natasha, even if he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. They’d give him time.

  Heath caught the keys, and Greyson pointed at Dimitri.

  “Please tell me you have backup. You’re down an arm, and while we know Babylon went down, we don’t know about anyone else.”

  He was aware.

  “I have Ilan on me. I’ll be good.”

  “What’s your plan?” Croft asked.

  “I’m leaving it up to Detective Wayne. She knows how she wants to run this show. I’m just there to keep my eyes on her.”

  Oh, he was aware.

  And hands, knowing the man—and he couldn’t bl
ame him in the least.

  “Be safe.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  The man snorted.

  “While funny with Emma, not so amusing with me, Dimitri. I didn’t get shot or stabbed, so I’m allowed to say it to those who have.”

  He had a point.

  Without having to ask him, Greyson helped Dimitri into his body armor, and then his suit jacket.

  “I’ll check in as soon as I can. Are you and Emma still up for babysitting for me so I can have a date with the detective tonight?”

  “Yep. We’ll do it,” he offered.

  Curtis didn’t make a comment.

  They were both waiting for it. He loved busting Dimitri’s ass. That was the highlight of his life. In fact, Curtis liked busting EVERYONE’S ass.

  Nothing.

  Yeah, this wasn’t good.

  “Where are you three heading?” Dimitri asked. “So I can save your asses when you need me.”

  Greyson raised both arms.

  “Simon Says.”

  Dimitri couldn’t do it, so he flipped him off with his good hand.

  “Anyway, leftie, we’re heading to Riley’s to pick him up, and then to Libby’s place of employment. We’re going to talk to the people who worked with her.”

  “How? You’re not a cop.”

  He grinned.

  Oh, that was easy.

  “I want to invest some money. If they want it, they’ll talk to me about her.”

  Dimitri laughed.

  “Genius.”

  “I know.”

  He grabbed his body armor and pulled it on. When he and Curtis were riding down in the elevator, he knew he needed to find out what was wrong.

  As of late, his son had a puss on his face.

  It couldn’t be that he was tired.

  Curtis had been a Fed, and he’d made the boy run on fumes most of the time when they worked. It was conditioning. He was getting plenty of sleep.

  Plus, Sadie was a sweet baby.

  Oh, and he had a doting, gorgeous wife.

  Whatever was bugging him had to be something so insane, and so ridiculous that he couldn’t wait to hear it.

  All the way down in the elevator, Curtis didn’t say anything. As they approached the bottom floor, Greyson offered to give him an out.

  “If you’re not up for this, you can stay home with Kat.”

  “NO!”

  He stared at him like he was insane. Normally, the man would take that and go with it.

  Now he was shouting ‘NO’ like he was asked if he wanted to eat his own arm off to escape a bear trap?

  Yeah, something was up.

  When his phone rang, Greyson pulled his phone from his pocket. It was Riley.

  “We’re on our way now. We’ll be at your place in ten,” he said, as the elevator opened.

  “I’m getting married,” he blurted.

  Greyson stopped walking.

  Had he heard him correctly?

  TO DELILAH?

  “Pardon? Can you repeat that? I thought you said you were getting married.”

  “I am. Delilah and I got engaged last night. We’re getting married tonight. I need two favors.”

  “Well, I hope one is the day off and some time for a honeymoon,” Greyson stated, as they walked through the lobby toward the second elevator.

  “Well, yes, unless it will mean getting fired.”

  He laughed.

  “Riley, don’t be crazy. You’re not getting fired. You’re marrying my attorney. She’d kill me. She knows all my secrets. I need to keep her happy.”

  He laughed.

  “Thank you, Greyson. The second is I need two witnesses for this evening. Are you and Emma available tonight to stand there for us? I know it’s short notice, but it would mean a lot to us.”

  Crap!

  He’d promised to babysit for Dimitri.

  He’d have to work this one out.

  Greyson thought of their backup plan when things like this happened and Sam needed a babysitter. Surely, Paris and Tessa would do it.

  Yeah, that would work.

  This whole ‘everyone under one roof’ thing was working out just fine.

  It took a village.

  “We are available.”

  “Will you be my best man?” he asked. “I need a friend, and you’re a good one.”

  He would be honored to do it for them. Greyson genuinely loved both of them. Riley had their back when he needed them, and Delilah always put their best interests first when she was defending them.

  “Riley, for you, my friend, I’ll be there. Send me the information.”

  “Thanks, Greyson.”

  “Congrats,” he said.

  When he hung up, Curtis was curious.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Riley and Delilah are tying the knot tonight. They want witnesses,” he offered.

  “Awesome,” he said, only his voice said otherwise.

  Greyson didn’t get what the hell was going on with the man. He should be happy.

  “Why are you so freaking miserable, Curtis? What the hell is bugging you?”

  He looked over and had tears in his eyes.

  “I don’t think Katerina loves me anymore. I think my marriage is over.”

  Greyson stared at him.

  Oh, Jesus Christ.

  Not.

  Freaking.

  Again.

  Chapter Seven

  Hotel Penthouse

  W hen he arrived at the hotel, there was a spring in his step. Dimitri had been thinking about Poppy all night long, and he couldn’t wait to see her. He wanted to see her smile, that long black hair, and her ass.

  Sue him.

  He was an ass man.

  There was something about her curves, the way she tormented him with busting his ass, and how she liked his accent that drove him wild. For years, he’d tried to sound more ‘American’ to fit in. He tried to carry himself more like Greyson, or those gangsters he’d seen on TV as a child.

  They weren’t Russian.

  Only, he was, and for some reason, she liked it. Poppy wasn’t shying away from him being himself. So, he was going to have breakfast, take her out to investigate, and get to know her better.

  Actually, it was to get her to know him better.

  He had a lot to confess, and he needed her to bear with him. His past…it was shady.

  As he headed into the hotel, he made a quick check at Aquarius to make sure the place was up and running for the early morning gamblers or the ones just rolling in off the strip.

  His employees were doing their thing, and he was glad the place was running itself.

  Marie was running the place, back again for an early morning shift.

  “Was breakfast sent up?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir, but I didn’t send all chocolate. That’s a little over the top. I also sent food that wouldn’t give you both a sugar rush or a diabetic coma by ten in the morning.”

  He gave her a kiss in the middle of the forehead.

  She stared at him like he was insane.

  “Boss…”

  He just laughed.

  “Thank you, Marie. Thank you for running this place as well as you do. I’d be lost without you. I was thinking…”

  She waited.

  “Yes?”

  “I would like to offer you the position of front-end manager. You’ve worked your way up, and you’ve earned it.”

  She stared at him.

  “Marie?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I just didn’t see that one coming. I would love the job.”

  “It’s yours. The paperwork will be coming.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  He walked out, whistling.

  In the lobby, he stopped at the concierge desk to make sure Poppy was taken care of for the night.

  He had plans.

  BIG plans.

  “Mr. Gideon, what is it we can do for you?”

  “I want to plan a romantic night in the pent
house. I need some things.”

  He rattled them off.

  The man made notes.

  “Is that going to be doable?” he asked.

  Dimitri wanted everything to be perfect.

  “Sir, we can handle that. Mr. Croft said to make sure you had everything you needed. I’ll handle it personally.”

  That worked for him.

  Joining his businesses with Greyson’s had more than just a monetary benefit.

  It was going to help him get the girl.

  “We will be out all day but have it ready when we get back. I would appreciate it.”

  Then it hit him.

  “Oh, and a masseuse for when Miss Wayne gets back. Before she gets ready for our date. That will distract her as you get it set up.”

  “Do you give me leeway to take it over the top?” he asked. “I want to make your lovely lady smile.”

  Dimitri grinned.

  “Yes, please.”

  “It’ll be done, Mr. Gideon.”

  Dimitri thanked him and pulled five crisp one hundred dollar bills out of his pocket.

  “For you. Thank you.”

  “Sir, that is not necessary…”

  He stopped him.

  “Yes, it is. Please accept it as a token of my appreciation that you’re going to handle it personally for me.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dimitri was hungry, and not only for breakfast. He wanted to see Poppy, so he headed toward the elevator that only the staff could use to access the penthouse. Before the Crofts, he had power in Vegas, but because of his family, he now could pull this off.

  He couldn’t wait.

  Heading up, he checked himself out in the mirrored wall of the elevator.

  He was wearing his customary suit, and there was something tucked under his arm for Poppy.

  It was polite to bring a woman you were trying to woo something every time you saw them.

  This would speak to her.

  Or so he hoped.

  Checking his hair, he ran his finger through it to make sure it was neat and orderly, his tie was straight, and the shiny gold ‘G’ belt buckle was even polished up.

  He was ready.

  As the elevator stopped, he punched in the code to open the elevator, but he didn’t step out.

  “Detective, I’m here,” he called.

  “Mr. Gideon, I’m in the living room!”

  Her voice gave him the chills.

  God!

  He missed her all night. For the first time in…ever, he’d slept the whole damn night. She was the only way he’d have a happy life.