“Hello?” came the voice, and she was already wary. She must have recognized the number. It was clearly detectable in her voice.
Curtis began typing.
“Emily?”
There was a sob.
“Libby?”
“I miss you, Emily. I’m okay. Tell your husband I’m okay. I’m coming back, Emily. I’m coming back for the love of my life.”
There was crying from Emily.
“NO!”
“You didn’t get rid of me. I’m going to tell the world what you did, Emily. I’m going to tell them you killed me.”
“GO AWAY! JUST GO AWAY!”
Curtis programmed in laughter.
“I hate you!” Emily stated. “You had a husband! You didn’t need mine!”
“You didn’t kill me,” the voice said. “I’m coming for you. I’m coming soon. Be ready for me.”
Curtis killed the call.
That was the craziest shit they’d ever witnessed.
“Wow. I am so glad I get to do this job,” Poppy stated. “That was the coolest shit ever.”
They all agreed.
“Now, we see what happens,” Emma stated.
They waited. That’s when they saw the light go on at Emily and Tristan’s home.
“I knew she was guilty,” Emma said as soon as they saw her rush out. She looked confused, scared, and ready to lose it.
They watched.
Heath spoke up, “She’s on the move. She grabbed a shovel. She’s heading somewhere. Should I follow?”
“Yeah, and once you get there, call the police. Tell them you witnessed a homicide, and the woman is burying a body,” Emma stated.
Greyson laughed.
“I will never cheat on my wife,” he said.
“I heard about the women at the bunny ranch,” she said, glancing over. “I could smell cheap hooker on you.”
He swallowed and then did the ONLY thing he could. Greyson pointed at Dimitri, who was the only one who could have outed him.
“What the hell? One sat on your lap too!” he objected. “Why did you rat me out?”
She laughed.
Dimitri cringed.
“I didn’t tell her. She played you, and you took me down in the process. How are you my partner, and how the hell did you run the FBI? You were just screwed over by a pregnant woman.”
Emma laughed even more.
“Damn it,” he said.
“We will discuss this later, Greyson.”
Oh, he was aware.
They watched as Heath followed Emily Bauer’s vehicle. He was giving them a play by play.
“She’s driving in circles,” he stated. “I’m going to back off. I put a tracker on her car.”
That was a damn good idea.
“Do your thing, Heath. We know you have crazy, mad skills,” Emma stated.
“Fuckin’ A, Mrs. C. I won’t lose her.”
They watched.
Curtis pulled the tracker up on the screen and minimized it so they could watch the map and Heath.
“Head left. She’s heading out of town,” he offered.
The man did.
“If you were going to hide the body of a cop’s wife, where would you do it?” Greyson asked.
“A national park,” Emma stated.
“Where’s the nearest one?” Greyson asked.
“Death Valley,” Dimitri said, and they all looked over at him. “What?” he asked, laughing, as Poppy stared at him. “Yes, I’ve been there. Let’s leave it at that.”
Oh, no one was surprised.
“Heath, I hope you gassed up the ride. You have a long one.”
“There’s this donut place out there. Anyone want baked goods?”
Emma raised her hand.
Greyson stared at her.
“Seriously? You want donuts? Who are you?” he asked, teasing his wife.
Oh, she was aware. All of a sudden, she had some wicked cravings.
“Christ! This is your baby.”
He laughed.
“Let’s order some pizza. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting one.”
Oh, no one doubted that.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
The House
When they arrived there, they knew what to do.
It was time for Chris and Kat to handle this little wrinkle in the Croft/Gideon plan.
It was time to blow this ex-detective and the wayward DNA to kingdom come.
“Is it ready?” Chris asked, hopping back into the vehicle the same time Kat did.
“Yeah, it’s set. You drive, and I’ll push the button.”
He didn’t look happy.
“What?” Kat asked.
“I want to push the button.”
She laughed.
“What are you, twelve?”
“How many buildings have you blown up in your life?” he asked.
“More than ten, less than twenty, why?” Kat asked as he pulled away.
“I’ve never done it before.”
She handed him the detonator.
“Make sure we’re down the block. It’s going to really blow. It’s on the gas line.”
He laughed like a maniac.
“It’s a good thing he doesn’t have neighbors.”
Yeah, she was aware. Had he, there would have been a fire instead.
“Ready?” she asked, looking back down the street toward the house.
“Yes.”
“Three, two…”
He hit the button and there was a horrific boom. The house went up, and pieces of debris fell everywhere.
“I didn’t get to one.”
“I couldn’t help it. Sorry, premature detonation. It happens when you get to my age.”
She stared at him.
“What?”
“And that is why Emma loves you.”
Chris laughed.
One of the reasons.
He was sure.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Two Hours Later.
Thursday Night
They had pizza, and while he was working, they kept Heath company. A couple of times, Dimitri called Ilan to see how it was going, and Brent was nowhere to be found.
He’d turn up.
And when he did, Dimitri would end him. He’d terrorized and hurt Poppy, and that shit was not going to fly. As of late, he hadn’t killed indiscriminately.
For this asshole, he’d do it up.
Messing with Poppy was a death sentence.
As they spread out in the spacious living room, Emma’s head was in Greyson’s lap, Poppy was cuddled against Dimitri, and the whole family was there.
Even Dante and Steele.
“We’re entering the park,” Heath said. “Once I get her coordinates, I’ll call the police.”
They watched in anticipation.
Greyson noticed his brother and Steele looked a little too giddy. Something had to be going on.
“So, bro, what’s been going on? Have you been busily making money?” he asked.
“We’re sorry we’ve been busy,” Steele said. “We have been working on something.”
“What?” Emma asked.
“Well,” Dante said, “We happen to have an announcement.”
Greyson was curious. He hoped and prayed his brother wasn’t going to tell him he was quitting. They didn’t need that kind of announcement.
‘Yes?” he asked.
“We’ve hired a surrogate. We’re going to have a baby, or she is, and we are going to be parents. We are in the beginning stages of it, but we wanted you to know.”
Everyone congratulated them.
It looked like there were more kids coming to the Croft family, and that was always a good thing.
“When will you find out?” Emma asked.
“Well, we need to give her sperm for insemination. We have a doctor’s appointment later this week.”
Greyson started laughing his ass off. His trip to
the sperm bank had been hell. Well, until Emma came in and helped a guy out.
“If you need a nurse…?”
She pinched him.
“Jesus! You’re mean! You used to be sweet, Emma. What the hell happened?”
She pointed at the baby. She was going to use that for the rest of her pregnancy.
Why.
The.
Hell.
Not?
Dante didn’t want to know about his brother’s kinky escapades.
“I think we have it covered. Two men usually equals double the sperm. We’ll get samples and mix them together. That way, we don’t know who…”
Greyson stopped him.
“I will puke. I do not want to think about your sperm, Dante, being mixed into anything.”
Steele laughed.
Heath interrupted their teasing.
“She’s stopped her vehicle,” Heath said, getting out of his car and hiding. “She’s taking a shovel and moving into the trees. She’s on the move.”
“Oh, she’s going to dig her up to make sure,” Emma said, excitedly. She had hoped Emily would. This was exactly what she’d planned.
Perfect.
“Heath, get closer.”
He followed her into the deserted area. She stopped at an outcropping of rocks.
“She’s pretty close to the entrance,” he said.
“Call the police,” Emma stated. “Get them there, Heath. Sound hysterical like you are seeing an ax murder.”
“I once worked for an…”
She stopped him.
“Heath.”
He got it.
There was a better time for that story. Instead, Heath made the call from a burner phone.
Meanwhile, he kept video recording the entire thing, so they could see it all go down. They all watched as the woman began digging by what looked like a natural tombstone.
“You stupid bitch!” she shouted. “You have to be here! You have to be here! You can’t be back! I beat the hell out of you with a baseball bat before our brunch date!”
Well, that explained a lot.
“Ouch,” Emma stated. “Someone was angry. I would have beat the husband instead,” Emma stated. “Libby’s other friends did say that Emily arrived last, and then they waited for Libby. How much do you want to bet she was in the trunk, ready for transport?”
No one doubted it.
This woman was a vicious nut job.
“It’s funny how the man always gets off without a scratch,” Poppy stated.
“Yeah, I know. He should be dead too.”
Greyson stared at her again, and again, she pointed at her belly.
“Keep that in mind, Greyson.”
Oh, he would. Pregnant women were vicious.
Heath kept recording.
“You should have kept your filthy hands off my husband! He’s MINE! You slept with everyone! YOU had to touch mine too? You’re a bitch and deserved to die!”
They watched her dig.
“Where are the cops? Emma asked. “We need to slow her down.”
Curtis knew what they needed.
He dialed her phone.
She pulled it out and screamed.
“WHERE ARE YOU?” Emily shouted. “COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU SLUT!”
“I’m here, Emily. I’m where you put me. Your husband was leaving you.”
The woman kept digging.
“I’ll kill you again! I’ll kill you again!” she shouted.
“The cops are coming. I see lights,” Heath whispered. “She’s almost busted.”
“Stay hidden,” Emma said. “Let them do their thing. Let them find her with the body.”
They all sat there eating pizza and watching the train wreck as it played out in real time. Clearly, Emily was insane. First, she’d killed someone. Then she fell for all of this.
They watched her pull Libby’s bones from the hole.
“I told you that you were dead! I killed you, Libby! I killed you. I win! You can’t come back! You touched my husband, and you are dead!”
She laughed triumphantly.
Until she looked up and saw four cops with guns pointed at her.
“Put the skull down, ma’am.”
“I killed her.! I killed her! She fucked my husband, and she was going to take him! Well, I get the last laugh! I win, Libby Raye! I FUCKING WIN! She called me from the dead to tell me she’d won, but I won!”
Heaths face showed up on the screen.
“Mrs. C, do you really want some donuts? I can be back by ten.”
“Yes, Heath. Bring them home.”
He smiled.
Greyson laughed.
“Well, so much for bed.”
Poppy was quiet.
“Don’t worry,” Emma said, knowing what had her worried. There was still a killer out there, waiting for her. “We know who he is. We’re going to get him. In the morning, grab your things. We will keep you safe here.”
She hoped so.
“Come on,” Dimitri said. “Let’s go tuck the kids in and head to bed. We had a long day.”
She followed him out with Petra and Sam behind her. This was exactly what she needed.
Normalcy.
“Is she going to be okay?” Tessa asked.
“I think she needs some Dimitri time, and he’ll heal that wound.”
Greyson agreed.
The two of them were good together.
“Look around. Look what love built. Before we know it, she’ll be calm and happy too.”
He was right.
“More pizza?” Emma asked.
They all dove back in.
They’d solved a four-year-old murder.
Yeah, the Croft family…they were that damn good.
Only, they weren’t done.
The one that was over two decades old was next.
And they’d solve that one too.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Dimitri’s Condo
When they returned to his home, Poppy disappeared. She left him with the kids and escaped to their room. He understood why.
She needed some time.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was scared, worried, and needed a distraction. Some silence would be a good thing. Unfortunately, at his condo, that was at a premium.
By the time Dimitri finally was able to wrangle the kids, an hour had gone by.
He figured Poppy would be asleep, and maybe that was for the best.
He didn’t mind just holding her as she slept. It was that connection that mattered most to him. Don’t get him wrong, sex was a priority, especially since he’d begun having it with her, but he’d take one for the team.
He loved her so much, that he’d simply be there for her while she was worried.
After locking up, and checking on the kids, he headed toward his room.
Once inside, he heard her moving around the bathroom, likely getting ready for bed.
“Are you okay, babochka?” he called.
“Yes, Dimitri. I’m okay. Just getting dressed. I’ll be ready for bed. I need a distraction.”
Well, he’d give her one.
“We can watch the news, or we can…”
He didn’t get to finish.
When he turned around, she was standing there, leaning in the doorway. That wasn’t the shocking part. How she was dressed…yeah, that was what tripped him up.
Dimitri prided himself on being of steady nerve and a patient man, but with one look, he was a hot mess.
Poppy was wearing a lacy bra and pair of panties. On her head, she was wearing her police uniform hat.
Well, holy shit!
“I do believe I need a distraction, and I promised you a little fantasy,” she stated.
He swallowed.
And then nodded.
“Well, I need you to keep my mind occupied.”
Oh, well, he could do that.
“I have never been so glad to be a criminal,” he stated, as he watc
hed the handcuffs swinging on her finger. “Take me in, officer.”
She laughed.
“Oh, Mr. Gideon, you’ve got that all wrong. You’re the criminal every day. How about you really take a walk on the wild side.”
She handed him the cuffs.
He nearly came.
“Please tell me you’re not kidding. I don’t think I can handle it right now,” he stated, his accent thick. “Babochka, I am already out of control.”
And that was exactly what she needed.
“I’m the sexy cat burglar, and you’re the wicked cop. You get to drive this fantasy.”
Oh, hell, yes.
This girlfriend thing…now he knew why Greyson was always smiling.
She took her hat off and dropped it onto his head.
“Officer, take me in for interrogation.”
He grinned.
And so it began.
Dimitri held out his hand, and she reached for him. Immediately, he had her spun, and in the cuffs.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he whispered in her ear. “I won’t be gentle, Poppy. In my fantasy, I get to be me.”
“Be you, Dimitri. I love him.”
Oh, he would be.
Dimitri had her against the wall, face first, and her legs were kicked out so he could pat her down.
His hands began wandering.
“I need to make sure you don’t have anything concealed that’s going to hurt me,” he whispered.
Her blood pressure went up. With her cuffed hands, she touched his dick. He was rock-hard in his pants.
Oh, she loved this fantasy.
As soon as his fingers found the wetness between her legs, Poppy was focused on that, and that alone.
“Well, Miss Wayne, I seem to have found something highly addictive on your body.”
His fingers slipped into her body, and she moaned.
“You’re a very bad criminal,” he whispered in her ear as his torso pressed her against the wall. “Whatever should I do with you?”
“Make me forget.”
He stroked her clit with his finger.
“How?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
“If you want it, Poppy, you need to beg for it. You wanted to forget, and I’ll make you forget, but you have to play along.”
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