Love is Bleeding (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 4)

by Morgan Kelley

  Dante grinned at his brother. “I knew I loved you the second I saw you, Emma.”

  “I’ll shave you bald,” Croft threatened, pointing at him. “And, the minute you saw her, you were holding her at gunpoint. Is that how you treat all the ladies?”

  “Geez, all right! Man, you used to be so much more fun before you got old.”

  Curtis waited for it, and when it didn't happen, he stared at Emma. “Really? He can call him old but I can’t? How is that fair?”

  She held up three fingers and slowly ticked them off. When she dropped the last one, Greyson smacked his brother in the back of his head.

  “Hey! That hurt!”

  “Where he can’t beat on you, Curtis, his brother is fair game. I keep the field leveled with you. He doesn’t need my help with him.”

  Just then, the buzzer sounded. “Mr. Croft, you have a visitor.”

  He walked to the intercom, hitting the button. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me!” Brynn called cheerily.

  Croft replied, “Put her on the access list and let her come up whenever,” he said, unlocking the door to go back to his muffin. It wasn’t as his wife’s partner shouldn’t be invited to this breakfast funfest. Why not?

  The more the merrier.

  When she knocked, they yelled for her to come in.

  Brynn headed toward the kitchen. “I smell baked goods! I know I’m just in time for breakfast,” she said, coming to a stop when she saw the half-naked man in the kitchen.

  “Holy mother of hotness. I have died and gone to man-lust heaven.”

  Emma snorted at her partner’s response. “See, I told you they liked tattoos.”

  Greyson stared at her.

  She started laughing. In all honesty, she couldn’t blame Brynn. If she didn't have the original copy of male sexiness, she would probably have the same response to the younger Croft.

  Both men were pretty spectacular.

  Emma made the introductions. “Brynn Westmore, I would like for you to meet Dante. This is Greyson’s brother.”

  She stared at him. The likeness was astounding. They had the same features, hair, and body type. It was the eyes that set them apart, and the decade age difference.

  “Hi,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Before taking it, she pinched herself.

  Croft stared at her like she lost her mind. “Brynn, what are you doing?”

  “I just walked in to find two of you, except he’s my age and covered in tattoos, you’re eating butter, and I think I’m still asleep,” she blurted.

  Curtis gave her the look. “Really, Brynn?”

  Dante laughed, still holding out his hand. Finally, she realized it was there and took it.

  “I didn't believe you, when you said you had a brother. Now, I see the error of my ways.”

  She took a seat right beside him, unable to look away. The man was a plethora of tattooed sexiness. Finally, when he glanced over at her, Brynn couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer. “You wouldn’t happen to want to run off and get married, since we’re here in Vegas, do you?” she asked, joking.

  Dante grinned. “I would love to, but I’m waiting for Emma to leave my brother. I can put you on the list in the second slot.”

  Emma laughed.

  “Over my dead body, Dante,” replied his brother. “I’m getting the clippers and someone’s getting a haircut.”

  “I’ll help you hold him down,” muttered Briggs, before shoving the rest of his muffin in his mouth.

  Emma placed a mug of coffee and baked delight in front of her partner. “Brynn, few women are equipped to handle the Croft men. It takes a special breed.”

  “Maybe I should go get dressed,” Dante said, whistling as he walked away. Man, he missed his brother and Emma. This was exactly why he wanted to be near them. If he was home, the only morning entertainment he would be having was trying to get his one-night stand out before his mother popped in.

  Yeah, he was never leaving.

  As soon as he was gone, Brynn stared at Emma. “You’ve been holding out on your partner, and that doesn’t win you any points, at all.”

  She laughed. “How was I doing that? I told you he had a brother. I’m not going to drool over him when I can get all hot and bothered over the original.”

  Croft grinned at her. “Good save, Emma. I’ll even forgive that comment you made about the ink.”

  Curtis stared at her. “Really? Your ex is standing right here. Have you lost your mind? Am I invisible? This is like the worst two days of my life.”

  Brynn Westmore shook her head. “Sorry, but it was the tattoos. Women love them.”

  Emma started laughing, especially when her husband stared at her. “What? I can’t help it. We like bad boys. There’s something about it.”

  Croft tapped his fingers on the counter.

  “I’m just being honest.”

  “Could we talk about work?” Curtis suggested. “I’m over talking about HIM.”

  There was no doubt how the man felt. Dante wasn’t high up on his list.

  Emma was ready. “What are we doing today?”

  “Before we go there, I just want to tell you what’s going on at the police station. You have yourself a shitload of pissed off people. They’re all stirred up that the Feds rolled in and took over,” Brynn said. “Laden is getting everyone ready to attack with pitchforks and torches.”

  Croft grinned. “I hope his undies are knotted so tight that they cut off the circulation to his…”

  “Grey!”

  He shrugged. “I offered to play nice. If Captain Stout didn't get all bitchy with me, this wouldn’t have happened. I would have even owed her one. This was all on her.”

  When Brynn looked confused, Emma told her partner what went down at the crime scene.

  “She’s going to be gunning for you even more, Emma,” Brynn admitted. “Now, nothing will stop her from making you her bitch.”

  Emma groaned at the cat being let out of the bag.

  That had Croft’s attention. “Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean? Someone’s making your life difficult?”

  She lowered her head to her arms on the counter in exasperation. “Brynn, you’ve known him long enough to know better.”

  He wasn’t letting this go. “I want to know what the hell is going on,” Croft said, standing.

  Emma didn't want him handling anything when it came to her place of employment. After the last time, they ended up with a disaster and nearly a divorce. Some things should just be left up to her, and this was a prime example. “Babe, it’s nothing.”

  “Greyson, it’s not that bad,” stated Brynn, trying to fix her mess. “The captain hates everyone, and Emma is so public because she’s married to you.”

  “Brynn, that’s a bad avenue to take,” warned Curtis, shaking his head. She was digging the hole deeper. The last thing the boss man needed to hear was that someone was lambasting his wife because of his position. This was why he’d opted to keep his mouth shut. When Croft asked, he just played dumb.

  Now, they were all on the very slippery slope. All three of them were about to be thrown into the volcano and sacrificed to the hungry Croft Gods.

  “We don’t have time for this today,” Emma said, pointing at her watch. “We have to hurry into autopsy to get the results, and then we need someone to run financials on all the victims.”

  “Shit! I’m stuck doing paperwork,” Curtis growled, giving Detective Westmore a dirty look. So much for giving his boss the butter, after all.

  Emma tossed her under the bus for spilling the captain beans. “Brynn’s your partner. She’s going to be helping out all day, and for the duration of this case.”

  “Shit,” she muttered.

  “What can I do?” Dante said, walking into the room.

  Croft didn't even look over. “Not get arrested for public nudity,” he replied, having Curtis snicker.

  “Har har. I’m serious. I want to go with you and help out.”<
br />
  His brother though he was insane. “You realize you’re the only one in the room that’s not a cop or Fed, right? I can’t just take you with me. There’s no ‘bring your brother to work day’ in the FBI.”

  “Maybe there should be, and you wouldn’t be so damn cranky. After all, you could break the rules. If I recall, you used to do that quite often,” he threatened. Dante wasn’t above blackmail.

  Greyson glared at him, almost daring him to try.

  “I don’t want to sit around, alone in Vegas,” he said, honestly.

  Brynn went to speak and Emma covered her mouth.

  “Later tonight, Emma and I have a poker game that we’re going to, and you’ll have Curtis to keep you company.”

  Both men objected.

  “I want to go with you,” Dante said. “Someone needs to keep you safe while someone’s trying to corrupt you.”

  Croft stared at his wife. “I see that there’s a little birdy singing to the entire damn family. I thought that this could be our little secret.”

  Emma looked around the room. Everyone there knew about it, so she didn't see what the big deal was. In fact, it meant more protection for her husband. When it came down to keeping her sexy cave Croft alive, she didn't care if he got upset.

  There were priorities.

  Dante interjected, covering for his sister-in-law. “I made her tell me. You’re so damn stubborn that you won’t ever ask anyone for help.”

  On that note, Briggs held out his hand to Brynn. “We need to escape now. Someone’s going to lose their life, and we aren’t going to be witnesses, or victims ourselves.”

  She didn't argue, going with him.

  “We’ll be at the office pulling financials,” Briggs said, as they ran out the door.

  Croft turned on his brother and wife. “You didn't need to tell him. I don’t need Dante getting hurt in Vegas. I trusted you to keep anything between us a secret, Emma.”

  “Trust is important, right?” she said, getting angry.

  “Yes!”

  “Then, how about you tell me why you were so upset when you found out we had a sniper killing Feds?”

  Both men stopped moving. Apparently, Dante was privy to the information, and she wasn’t.

  Bingo!

  This was her point exactly.

  Emma glared at them. “It looks like I’m the one not privy to that information, Greyson, so you may want to rethink this little lecture of yours. I’m not going to justify why I told your brother what’s going on, when you’re holding back from your own wife. I should know everything about you. It hurts that you think I don’t have a clue that you’re all worked up and in a tizzy about something.”

  He went to speak.

  “No! Stop!”

  Greyson Croft stared at her with his mouth agape. Emma never raised her voice to him, especially in anger.

  This was new.

  “When you decide that you’re going to be open with me, then we’ll discuss what I did. You can get off your high horse and stop pretending you’re innocent, and that I’m the bad person because I’m worried about the man I love. You’re smart, and I know you’ll figure this out.”

  She grabbed her gun from the counter and clipped it to her hip. “I’m heading to autopsy. You can go play at the office with your profilers until you’re ready to share. Hiding things is like lying, Greyson, and we know how you feel about that. That is your golden rule, right?”

  With that, she grabbed her things and stormed out of the condominium.

  When the door slammed shut, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, wanting to yank it out. This marriage thing was no easy feat. Croft wanted to know when he lost control of his life.

  “Are you okay?” Dante asked.

  Oh, yeah. Now he remembered when it happened. It was right about when his brother, the hurricane, rolled into town. His carefully structured life was in upheaval.

  Yet, he couldn’t be mad at the man.

  Dante picked up his coffee and took a sip. “So, I’m going to guess she doesn’t know what you did in the military.”

  He stared at his brother. “You think? It’s not something I’m proud of, Dante. I don’t just go around telling people that I’m a killer, okay? I’d like to stay married.”

  “You should tell her, especially in light of what’s going on here. You know I’ll always have your back, Grey, but this time, Emma’s one hundred percent right. She deserves to know. I can’t believe that you think telling her will make her stop loving you. You’re out of your mind.”

  Croft growled at his brother, ready to strangle him. He was well aware his wife was right. It wasn’t like he needed someone telling him that. “Go with her. She shouldn’t be alone.”

  “What about you?”

  He chugged his coffee, and then slammed the mug down. “I’ll be fine. She’s my concern.”

  Dante grabbed his phone and dialed Emma, hoping she would answer him. Then again, both men were on her shit list at the moment.

  Rushing to the elevator, he was man enough to admit one thing.

  He’d never understand women.

  When Emma got the call, she was just pulling out of her parking space. She wasn’t mad at Dante, so she opted to answer it. Now, she wished she didn't.

  Here she was, a grown woman, and she earned another babysitter. It was bad enough when it was her husband, or Curtis, standing guard over her, but now it was his younger replica.

  All she could hope was he was easier to shake, or manage. Her patience was already shot to hell.

  “You shouldn’t be mad at him,” Dante said, following her into the morgue. “He really means well.”

  “Zip it,” she muttered. “I’m focused on work, not Greyson right now. I have a room full of dead bodies to deal with, and unless you want to join them, I advise you to stop right now.”

  He’d never seen Emma pissed off, so he opted to take her advice. She didn't seem like the type to cause bodily harm, but why risk it?

  “Doc, what do you have?” she asked, clearing the door to the autopsy suite.

  The man glanced up and paused. “Wow, did you trade your husband in for a younger version, or am I just that tired?”

  Emma glanced over. “Steele Bentley, meet Dante Croft. Your eyesight is fine. He’s my husband’s brother.”

  “Gee, when you say it like that, Em, it sounds so loving,” he teased, stepping forward to shake the man’s hand. Fortunately, he was doing paperwork, and not an autopsy.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Dante. That’s a very interesting name.”

  “My mother liked to read,” he began, before being cut off by the woman standing beside him.

  “Really? How about we talk about work? What do you have on our victims, Doc?”

  Steele glanced over at her, nothing but concern on his face. “Are you okay, Emma? It’s not like you to be cranky and snap at people.”

  He was absolutely right.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry, Steele. It was a long day yesterday, and some of us are a little off balance.” There was no doubt who she was alluding to.

  “I completely understand. Since we have a lot to discuss, how about we jump right in, shall we?”

  Emma was grateful. “Please.”

  “Let’s start off with Leslie Williams. When I opened her up, my first instinct was correct. She was first struck in the back of the head with a blunt object, and that merely incapacitated her. Her COD was strangulation.”

  Dante stood there listening.

  “Great. What did he hit her with?” It was a long shot, but she could always hope.

  “Ahhhh, you’ll like this one. It was a butt of a gun, specifically a nine millimeter. We ran the shape through the database and found that out for you.”

  Emma was puzzled, and it must have shown on her face.

  “What?”

  “So, work through this with me. You’re breaking into my house to leave a bloody handprint, and you’re packing a gun. I come home and
you’re there. Why do you strangle me, and risk DNA contamination, and not shoot me?”

  “Heat of the moment?” Steele asked.

  Dante raised his hand. “The bullet is the issue. If I shot you, then I leave something behind. By clubbing you over the head and finishing you off, it’s going to hide the trail. You said you have a sniper, and that person’s going to want to keep this low key.”

  “Plus, the sound of a gun,” Emma added. “Okay, that works for me so far. What else do we have?”

  “Her husband’s death mimics the first three victims that the FBI has been delivered. It was a high caliber bullet, shot at a great distance to the skull. It did maximum damage.”

  “Okay, anything else on him?”

  “Nada. All the trace and bullets are with the FBI being analyzed. You’ll have to contact Max over at their building. We’re just the keepers of the corpses.”

  Emma snorted. “Awesome.”

  Steele continued, “I have good and bad news with our third victim. What do you want first?”

  “Hit me with the good. The day’s been shitty.”

  “We brought him in and ran his prints. He’s already got an identity,” Steele said, grinning. “His name is Special Agent Phillip Cahill. He was forty five at the time of his demise, single, and had very little family.”

  “Great for us, bad for him,” she said, making notes to send over to her husband. Normally, she’d rather give him the report in person, but she was irritated with him thinking she was an idiot.

  “He worked at the FBI for twenty years, heading their investigation unit.”

  “Okay, what’s the bad news, Doc?”

  “We swept him, and there wasn’t a single trace of anything on him but dirt and blood. In fact, his clothes were saturated and so was the dirt beneath him in the hole.”

  Dante spoke up, “So, he died right there. If the killer took a shot to his head, and you didn't find any, that means a hole was dug, everything was collected and he was dumped on top of it.”

  “Give the man a prize.”

  Dante bowed with a flourish.

  Emma shook her head. “You’re the total opposite of your brother.”