His heart hurt.
They’d all bailed on her.
She opened the door and headed out. She knew the truth. They couldn’t save themselves. They took on Vegas, and the monster that was this hellhole was going to devour them whole. Now she had to do something harder.
Watching people leave was damn difficult.
Remembering when they told you they wouldn’t…
That was the worst part.
As she found her husband, they watched Chris come down the stairs. He stopped to glance over at them and it was clear he wanted to say something.
His pain was there on the surface.
Greyson and Emma respected him enough not to make it any harder on him.
That wasn’t fair.
This had been their fight.
“I love you both so very much.”
Neither spoke.
Instead, he pulled on the hat she’d given him, headed for the door, and got into his truck.
When he pulled away, they watched him leave. They’d just lost one more person in their family.
Greyson picked up Emma in his arms.
“I’m so sorry.”
The tears came as she buried her face in his neck and let the mourning begin.
Chris was free.
And the remaining Crofts…
They were damned unless they got a miracle.
And fast.
Chapter One
Airport
Las Vegas
Tuesday
Morning
T he best part of heading to Vegas wasn’t the lights, the city, or the fact that the people on the jet were excited to be somewhere new. It had nothing to do with that and everything to do with where they’d just been.
Damascus.
Ethan Blackhawk had just chewed some major ass in his meeting with Miles Lane that ended with a tension-filled few moments with Gabe on video conference.
It had gotten damn ugly.
Ethan Blackhawk was not the type of man who would back off of something he felt strongly about. Miles Lane had dropped the ball, and that wasn’t a good thing.
Vegas was a mess because of it.
While Ethan was in charge of many agents, he was mostly in charge of the hubs. FBI West, the Las Vegas bureau building, and of course, the other ones in his kingdom. Gabe didn’t handle them. They were Ethan’s ‘children’ and one the crazies in the asylum were trying to overthrow the management—meaning him.
That didn’t fly.
So, when he had his meeting, he expected answers. It wasn’t asking a lot. If you run an office, you should be able to call up reports, memos, information, and details.
It was your job.
Well, Miles Lane was bad at his.
Apparently.
When Ethan had questioned some of his decisions, like letting the shit hit the fan in Vegas, Miles Lane threw down some not so nice words to describe the deputy director.
It began with ‘Dirty’ and ended in ‘Indian’.
Well, it went downhill from there.
Their ongoing feud had gotten downright nasty. Had Elizabeth been privy, she would have neutered the man right there on his desk.
Fortunately, Gabe handled it.
Someone was on administrative leave, and it wasn’t Ethan Blackhawk.
That said it all about how it had gone down. Miles Lane had lost his cool, and he was going to have that big ugly mar on his record because of it.
Too.
Damn.
Bad.
Elizabeth didn’t feel bad for him at all. In fact, he could rot in the hottest pit of hell. No one talked to her husband like that.
No one.
Her children with Ethan were a quarter Native, and her children with Callen were half native. The only time it was acceptable to call them dirty was when, in fact, they were dirty—as in rolling in a mud puddle with their dogs.
As for Indian?
No.
Indians were from India.
Period.
It wasn’t their fault Christopher freaking Columbus got lost and thought he’d landed in India.
So now that the FBI West mess was under control, they were on the plane, and they had some issues to work out before they landed. Mostly, what they were going to be doing to fix the hot mess in Vegas.
And it was that and so much more.
Ethan, unfortunately, was going to be up to his eyeballs in a bureau mess—courtesy of Director Robert Lee. The ship was not running in tip-top shape, and that meant he was going to be doing a lot of office bullshit that he knew his wife did not like or want to be privy too. When she left the administrative part of their old jobs, she said she’d never do it again.
She ran so fast, it was as if her britches were on fire, and no one blamed her—especially Ethan. She was more of a people person.
That made her laugh.
Everyone looked over at her.
“Uh, baby, why are you spontaneously laughing to yourself? Do you need mental help?” Blackhawk asked as he swiveled his chair toward her.
Oh, she probably did.
“I was just thinking about something and it struck me funny. That’s all.”
Well, he was glad she was relaxed and calm.
They had a wedding coming up, and she’d just gotten off the phone with Callen—their spouse. He was running Elizabeth’s division, and if he ran it like he stole it, she would kick his ass.
Maybe she didn’t escape being the boss after all.
“I have a mess on the ground, and I’m just mentally preparing for it,” she stated.
Oh, he knew it.
Mess was an understatement.
What the Crofts had was past mess and right into a disaster of epic proportions. In a matter of days, the ugly Vegas monster had reared up and taken a bite from their family.
It was really bad.
If her clothes were any indication, his wife was dressed for battle. She was wearing black from head to toe, and she looked more like one of her security guys than the wife of Callen Whitefox or Ethan Blackhawk.
Then again, that was probably her plan. While she loved being a wife, both men knew she hated being reminded of it. No one wanted to just be someone’s wife. She had a career that she was proud of too.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “I’m sure it’s going to scare and terrify me.”
Ivan snorted from his seat.
That said it all.
“Shut it, toadstool,” she said, as she tossed the local paper to her husband.
He read it.
Well, it was bad in Vegas.
As in someone else was likely going to die.
“Shit,” muttered Ethan.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Elizabeth said, leaning back in her chair to watch her sexy husband. His hair was loose, he was smiling, and the top few buttons were open at his neck. That was his relaxed look.
He was lucky they weren’t alone, or she’d be helping her sexy Native relax even more.
Jet sex was always hot.
“I see that they buried Dimitri Gideon’s sister this morning. What do you plan on doing about it?” he asked.
She smiled.
That said it all.
Shit!
It wasn’t a good smile either.
“Don’t poke the bear, Elizabeth,” he warned. “The man just lost his sister. You don’t need to piss him off. We all know he’s got a propensity to end lives. I don’t want to be privy to that ‘Hell in a Cell’ cage match.”
She snickered in amusement.
“Now does that sound like me?” she asked, trying to keep a serious face.
Ivan full out laughed from two rows away the second she said that. They all knew it sounded EXACTLY like her.
“Again, shut it, toadstool. Where I go, you go. If I’m having a tag team match, you’re my partner against the wily Russian.”
Oh, he was aware.
His life was a bundle of fun keeping her alive. At that moment
, he wanted to be home with Blue, but he was riding shotgun with the ringmaster of crazy.
You never knew what the hell she was going to stumble into with a case.
“I promise I won’t poke the Russian. I’m just there to help take some of the heat and help the man out. I’m going to help Greyson Croft figure out who is running this nightmare sex ring, so the FBI can end it once and for all.”
Ethan stared at her.
“YOU are going to work side by side with Greyson Croft on a case?”
“Um…yes.”
Well, that was a bad idea.
“Uh, baby, you realize that he’s the mob in town. You can’t just roll around being his new BFF. Mob and FBI don’t really go hand in hand.”
She stared at him like he was cuckoo.
“Uh, Ethan, I’m aware.”
“And?”
“I’m still going to help the man out, but on the official side until I can’t help it anymore. Maybe my husband can draw the focus away from me for a bit.”
“By doing what? Dancing naked at the FBI.”
She grinned, and then pulled out a twenty like she’d been expecting him to say just that.
Apparently, he was getting predictable.
When she tucked it into the top of his shirt, it made him laugh. It was hard not to enjoy the fact that they were going to be spending some time alone.
Him.
Her.
His erection.
Yeah, he couldn’t wait.
Callen would be getting her all to himself for the honeymoon, and this was his honeymoon of sorts. Blackhawk couldn’t wait to get this whole thing started.
“We’re staying at Croft’s hotel, right?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. All I know is Callen is handling our arrangements for us. I was so busy with Miles Lane that he said he’d handle it.”
“Well, I like his hotel.”
“Yeah, and so will the media. That looks sketchy to begin with, baby. Nothing says, ‘I’m on the take’ like staying at the mob boss’s home or any of his properties.”
She tossed him another paper to show him how bad the whole situation had become.
The headline said it all.
‘Croft out. The Russian mob in.’
They both knew what that meant.
It was about to get a million times worse before it got any better. While Greyson was running the city, there were no major issues—except this whole sex ring bullshit.
The criminals were scared shitless of him and the power he wielded behind the FBI badge.
Now…
The lunatics were trying to overthrow the asylum, and she couldn’t let that happen. Was the FBI hedging its interests in someone the city called crooked?
Yes.
Did they regret it?
No.
They had to keep Miles Lane’s territory from blowing up and taking them all down with him. He wasn’t doing his job, and Robert Lee wasn’t either.
Heads had to roll.
It was time to unveil her plan to her husband. She’d been working on it in her head for the last hour.
“So, to start off, I’m heading to the police station.”
“To?” he asked, lifting a brow. “To tell them that you’ve arrived to make it easier for them to torment you?” he asked.
“HAR-HAR. You’re funny today.”
“I try.”
She continued, “Well, Greyson updated us about the police commissioner, and he hasn’t seated his new captain yet. They are about as messed up as we are, and it seems like a good time to hit them while they’re down.”
That sounded horrible.
And dangerous.
Still, he let her finish.
“And?”
“I’m taking Natasha Gideon’s case off of them. That will keep the local yocals from riding Croft tail, and I can then say I’m working a case. That will give me my cover of why I’m hanging out with them.”
She had a point.
“You’re sneaky.”
She laughed.
“Is that all?”
He leaned over and kissed her. She was dressed like a commando, and he was dressed to run an office. Opposites attracted, and they couldn’t be more different in pretty much everything. He was boss-like and she was just bossy.
“Mmmmm, that was nice, Mr. Blackhawk. Want to fly the friendly skies?” she teased.
He lifted a brow as he contemplated her very tempting offer of jet sex. Before he could answer, Ivan started with her.
“Jesus, I’ll jump,” Ivan stated from his seat. “No one wants to see the praying mantis in action.”
She snorted.
“Heath, hit him for me.”
He did what she said.
“HEY!”
She smiled. HR couldn’t blame her for beating on the minions now. She had backup.
Ethan knew he needed to keep this on track or it would be a free for all. He knew his wife.
“What are you going to do with them?” he asked, referring to his security guy and the two who were going to be riding along for the funfest.
There was going to be trouble. He could already see it coming. That was why he made Ivan, Heath, and Wilcox join them for this adventure. At first, Ivan was going to stay at home, but Ethan knew his wife.
There would be bloodshed. Elizabeth, if anything, was predictable. He could picture the media, someone getting hurt, and mass chaos. Honestly, she didn’t do anything low key, and that would make this one hell of a free-for-all.
She attracted the crazy.
“The Crofts are screwed. Dimitri is MIA, and they are trying to regroup. The Stooges are going to be protecting a mob man.”
“What the hell?” Ivan said, standing from his seat a couple rows back. “Our job is to keep you safe, Viperella, not some mob man.”
“And you do such a damn good job you’ve been demoted to mob man,” Ethan said, pointing at him.
There would be no break in ranks with security. He’d make sure of it. Rory had gotten a little too big for his britches, to quote his wife, and he wasn’t letting the train go off the tracks. If his wife wanted them to babysit monkeys at the zoo, they were doing it. This was her operation.
“Am I clear?” Ethan asked.
Ivan muttered.
“Kiss my ass,” she stated.
“Not if I was at gunpoint and I wouldn’t get some raging disease.”
She grinned.
She loved her team—especially when she could get them all stirred up over something.
“So, back to the plan. Again, I’m yanking that case, but I figured you might like to join me on this little pleasure cruise—destination Crooked-Cop-Ville.”
“Pardon?” he asked.
“Want to head to the police station with me? I’m about to make a scene, and we need to scare off any cops who might be playing the wrong side of this. Greyson didn’t clean it up yet.”
He didn’t have a choice.
There was no way he would let his wife handle this on her own.
No.
Freaking.
Way.
His job was to head off disaster, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
“I’m in.”
The pilot opened the cockpit door.
“Sir, we touch down in two minutes. Buckle up,” he stated. “You too, Mrs. Blackhawk.”
Ivan snickered.
“Thank you, Ronnie. I’m good.”
She flipped Ivan off.
“He can call me that. You have to call me your majesty,” she taunted.
“The queen of nothing,” he teased.
She pointed right at him.
“Yeah, that’s pretty damn accurate.”
That made Ivan laugh. He’d walked right into that one, and he knew it.
Ethan rolled his eyes at the two of them. They were getting feisty, and it was time to let them loose on Vegas.
Yeah, how could that possibly go wrong?
This was
going to be bad.
He could tell.
“Gentlemen, keep my wife safe,” he stated.
“I’ll be on you, sir,” Wilcox stated. “Not Elizabeth. She gets Heath and Ivan.”
Well, she wouldn’t complain.
In fact…
Thank God!
Elizabeth didn’t want him babysitting her. He was a pain in the…
“No, you’re on wife duty.”
She stared at him like she’d been betrayed by her best and closest friend.
Her mouth was open.
She didn’t even blink.
Ethan expected as much.
“You heard me, Elizabeth. If you’re playing in Vegas with the mob and a Russian killer—Marchenko—not Gideon—then you need all the protection you can get.”
“Well, someone isn’t getting lucky in Vegas,” she stated.
He laughed.
Oh, he figured she would go there.
“I’m going to be in an office full of Feds who are scared shitless of me. Once I have my talk with Robert, I’ll be good. I want you to use them to do what you have to do. If I don’t get you to the altar, my brother will scalp me.”
He had a very valid point.
“He’s already given me a list of things that I have to ensure,” he stated.
“What?” she asked.
He reached into his suit pocket and pulled it out. Then he handed it to his wife to read.
She stared at it.
Holy shit!
There was an actual list.
‘Do not let her get shot.
Do not let her get arrested.
Do not let her get punched in the face.
Do not let her steal a car.
Do not let her pick up anymore ‘husbands’.
Do not let her act a fool. The media is watching.’
She stared at him.
“Is he out of his freaking mind?” she asked, staring at her husband. She would have thought it was a joke, but it was, indeed, Callen’s handwriting.
What.
The.
Hell?
“I would say he’s erring on the side of caution since we both know you. You’ve done everything on that list but get arrested. So, it’s not far-fetched.”
Okay, he had a point. Elizabeth opted to go with it while she was still in a good mood. She focused on her ‘team’.
True Justice Page 5