“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 s
hit 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.”
Mob Justice Page 46