True Justice

by Morgan Kelley

  She laughed.

  Riley lifted a brow.

  “Uh, hello? Feeding men in my kitchen?” he asked, as she moved into his body and hugged him. He didn’t bring up the marriage proposal part.

  If he did, he’d lose his mind.

  “Yes, and are you okay?”

  “I was just offered a job, and I took it.”

  She looked over at Greyson.

  “Bad things are coming, aren’t they?” she asked. “I can tell from the look on your face.”

  He told her.

  “I’ll get dressed and get into the office. Riley, will you be safe today?”

  “Yes, baby.”

  She kissed him.

  “Eat something,” she said, patting his cheek and walking away.

  Greyson’s phone chimed.

  He read it.

  ‘Dimitri has been found. He’s been shot. There’s a cop bringing him to Sky Villa. I have it covered. Steele is on his way here. I’ll keep you updated. Emma.’

  He quickly rattled off a return message.

  ‘Do you need me there? I’m with Riley. I can head back in if you think he needs me.’

  He hit send and waited.

  ‘I’ll update you. He told the detective everything. Find out what Riley knows about Poppy Wayne. She knows about his past. We may have to deal with the outcome of that mess.’

  Jesus!

  What had Dimitri been thinking?

  ‘Text me later. Stay in Sky Villa. If Viktor got him, he’ll keep trying once he realizes he’s still alive.’

  He glanced up.

  “Heath, will you go out to my ride and grab some body armor? Riley is going to need the military grade stuff that we use.” He focused on the other man. “Call your boss, Riley, and resign. We have work to do.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Oh, and what do you know about Poppy Wayne?” Greyson asked as the man handed him some french toast.

  “She’s tenacious. Once she gets a lead, she will dig in and she’ll keep going until she finds the end. She’s one of the decent ones on the squad. She’s all about justice. I tag teamed with her once or twice, and she’s by the books.”

  Well, shit.

  That wasn’t good.

  Tenacious and buried secrets didn’t go well together. It looked like Dimitri had begun to dig his own grave.

  Now they had only one choice. They were going to have to backfill it before the detective could bury him.

  And that was going to be one hell of a job.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  LVPD

  This was total bullshit, and she knew it. The two cops had tossed her into the back of their cruiser and drove her and Ivan to the police station.

  She was being detained as if she was really being arrested. What the hell was that about?

  Did they not get that she was a Fed?

  To add to the stupidity, they manhandled her, shoving her around, and keeping her away from her bodyguard with the intent to intimidate her.

  Yeah, good luck there.

  Well, they were messing with the wrong woman.

  Once she was out of the handcuffs, she was going to kick their asses—literally. She had no doubt in her mind that the reason she was there was the commissioner was trying to teach her a lesson.

  Well, she had news.

  She wasn’t intimidated by a whole hell of a lot in the world, and a corrupt cop trying to scare her was at the bottom of her list.

  In fact, this only pissed her off to a whole new level. This made her want to burn the place to the ground.

  This was war.

  She could hear Ivan shouting for her as they tossed her into an interrogation room.

  Literally.

  They shoved her so hard she hit the ground shoulder first. Elizabeth took the hit to her bad shoulder and cringed at the pain that shot up her arm.

  This was police brutality, and she knew it. It was her word against two cops.

  The camera was off.

  She’d broken into a crime scene, and they were trying to pin a murder on her—despite it being a gore fest, and she didn’t have a single drop of blood on her.

  Well, any of the victim’s blood. Her nose was bleeding from being shoved around.

  This didn’t bode well. They were ignoring that she was a Fed and so was the dead man. They were ignoring that she’d told them she was on duty. They were going to ignore her badge and her gun. They were going to ignore that they were physically assaulting a woman.

  There were so many lines crossed.

  Elizabeth wasn’t going to break. She had news for them. This was nothing. She got to her knees and rolled her shoulder while still in handcuffs.

  Yeah, that was going to hurt in the morning.

  The two cops came in, and they laughed.

  “Look at the pretty girl on her knees. That’s where she should be. In fact, that’s why she likely has two husbands.”

  Yeah, and they’d kill these two boys for even going there with their wife—or any woman for that matter. Her husbands wouldn’t tolerate any man treating any woman like this.

  There was a fine line when you were a cop. You could dance on it, but the second you crossed it…

  Yeah, you were done.

  Again, she tried to be rational.

  “I’m a Fed. I’m on duty, and you’ve arrested and used force. I’m going to have your badges for this one. This is an assault on a federal officer.”

  They both laughed like she’d told them a joke and not the truth.

  Clearly, the commissioner was not hiring the brightest or the best. He was hiring thugs. This was exactly why Vegas was a shithole mess.

  “What did you say, princess?” he asked, moving really close to her. His groin was right in front of her face. “You offered to give me head?”

  “Not if you were the last man on earth. I wouldn’t let you near me with that dick.”

  He punched her.

  Hard.

  She went back down.

  That was going to leave a mark on her face. All she could think was Ethan was going to kill, and Callen was going to be pissed that she was marked up before their wedding.

  These men were dead.

  He kicked her with his steel-toed boot. She had just enough time to flex her abs to absorb some of the shock.

  Thankfully.

  Elizabeth was getting too old for this shit, but it looked like she was going to have to deal with it. She’d take a few hits to bury the commissioner. She’d take them like a champ.

  Despite the pain in her abs and face, Elizabeth got back up to deal with them.

  The dick cop stood so close to her that she could smell him, and it was not a good thing.

  “Open up, princess,” he taunted.

  She did one better.

  She headbutted him right in the balls as hard as she could to prove a point.

  He went down, and she was up.

  The other cop headed right toward her, and Elizabeth knew…this was going to hurt.

  It was time to fight for her life.

  What the fuck was going on in this damn town?

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Sky Villa

  When they saw the vehicle pull up in front of the building, Dante, Tessa, and Emma rushed to get Dimitri. They brought the security from behind the desk to help out.

  When Emma saw him, she really wanted to weep. Dimitri was in really bad shape. He was gray, his lips were chapped and cracked, and he wasn’t moving.

  “I think I should get him to a doctor,” Poppy said.

  “We’ll handle it,” Dante stated. “We have a doctor inside, and he’ll be fine. Thank you,” he said, cutting her off.

  Security pulled his big limp body from the back of her SUV, and they hustled him into the building, Poppy following. Inside, Steele was standing there.

  He immediately began checking his vitals.

  “We have to get him upstairs. I need to make s
ure there’s no bullet in him.”

  “It went clear though,” Poppy said. “I packed the wounds the best I could, and I kept him warm on the mountain, but he lost some blood.”

  Some?

  Was she kidding? From the look of him, he’d lost a great deal.

  “We may have to give him some blood,” Steele said. “I can rig something up.”

  Emma patted his cheek.

  “Dimitri, come on! Open those eyes for me,” she said, as security carried him upstairs.

  “He’s shocky,” Steele said. “We need to get him into warm water to bring up his core temperature. I’ll worry about the infection post heating him up. If we don’t get him back to a normal temp, he’s gone.”

  Poppy was worried.

  “Is he going to be okay?” she asked as his head lulled around.

  Emma followed them into the elevator.

  “He’ll be fine. I won’t let him die. He’s stubborn.” Then she realized that the woman was carrying his guns. “I’ll take those.”

  “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to run them for other crimes,” she stated.

  That said it all.

  Emma sent them up to work on Dimitri. It was time she saw where they stood with all of this. Emma needed to make sure he was safe.

  So, she stepped out of the elevator.

  It closed behind her.

  “Thank you for saving him. It couldn’t have been easy, and I appreciate it.”

  “He wanted to die,” Poppy said. “He wanted me to leave him there, so he could die. He kept calling for you, someone named Anastasia, and his dead child.”

  Emma didn’t react.

  She hadn’t heard about any of this before, and that he’d let it slip said a lot about his state of mind on the mountain. Dimitri had given up, and they had to save him.

  “I see.”

  “He said he killed them.”

  “Listen, Detective...”

  She stopped her.

  “The ONLY reason I’m not going to go there,” Poppy began, “is because I have my suspicions about what went down with Thomas Christ. I don’t trust the police right now, and I am sure he can explain what he said.”

  Oh, she was sure he couldn’t.

  Or wouldn’t.

  “I won’t insult you by throwing money at you, Poppy, but I will say this. It’s not always what it looks like from the outside. I’m not crooked. My husband isn’t either. We’re fighting one hell of a battle.”

  “Did Riley Henderson kill Lucas Lester?” she asked.

  Emma knew she had to save both men. It meant being honest with a cop.

  God help her.

  “No. He was really with our attorney at our house. He honestly wasn’t there. Your commissioner called out the hit on a man he hired to cause mayhem in the city. Thomas Christ killed Lester Lucas. Riley was helping us fight corruption. They were framing him for the whole thing.”

  Well, shit.

  That was what she thought.

  Poppy could smell a lie a mile away. If you were worth your salt as a detective, you could.

  Emma Croft was NOT lying.

  Damnit!

  Over the phone, she could lie. Face to face…not possible. If she was being honest, Poppy’s suspicions were accurate.

  “You have to keep this to yourself. There are so many lives on the line, Poppy. This is big. We are not sure how deep it goes, but the commissioner is a bad man.”

  “He only offered me that captain position to shut me up.”

  Emma didn’t say anything.

  “No comment.”

  Poppy was pissed.

  “Trust NO ONE. Once you suspect him, you’re going to be a target. I was a target. Chris Ford was a target, and so was Riley. He didn’t kill him, but he’s tried to kill me and Chris. Watch your back. I swear on my husband’s life that Riley is innocent.”

  She figured as much.

  They had the message Lester Lucas typed before he died. He told them who killed him.

  The commissioner was told.

  Then Thomas Christ died behind closed doors with only a recording…that could be doctored. Recorders like that were old school, and they weren’t used anymore because too many people had played with the recordings to implicate people.

  “If he ever finds out you came here, or that you helped Dimitri Gideon, you’re marked. He’ll twist it and tell everyone that you’re dirty and that you’re on my payroll.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Truth has two sides. He works with what the populous will easily believe. It’s easier to believe that my husband is dirty than that he wants to save this cesspool city.”

  She had a point.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  “You saved a man I love. I owed you. I’ll give you that interview about Natasha. Nothing more. On the record, and, if need be, with my attorney there. I have to protect the Gideons. I have to do my job.”

  “I don’t think we need an attorney there. You and I are well aware of my limits within the law. I won’t cross them. While some cops may be dirty, I’m not. I play by the rules, and you know that.”

  She did.

  “One last thing.”

  “What?”

  “Are you having sex with him?”

  “Him? Dimitri?”

  “Yes.”

  She laughed.

  “God! No! He’s my brother. I love him with all I have, and I’m going to save him.”

  She believed her.

  “Why did you ask that?” she inquired. “What did he say that led you to that question?”

  Well, maybe that he’d kept saying her name over and over again and apologizing.

  “He loves you. You can tell.”

  Emma softened.

  “That’s huge for him. Dimitri doesn’t love easily. He’s had a very hard life.”

  “Was he abused as a child?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “I saw his back. I saw the scars. He was beaten by his father, wasn’t he?”

  Poppy knew what he’d said while he was in and out of lucidity. She wanted to test Emma to see if she’d play square with her or lie.

  She waited.

  “All of the Gideons were physically and/or sexually abused by their father or their mother.”

  That softened her to both of them. Dimitri’s words had been confirmed, and Emma didn’t lie. She respected the woman so much more, and the man too.

  She touched Emma’s arm.

  “I won’t hurt him. I promise.”

  She appreciated that.

  “Thank you for saving him. Now, I’m going to go keep him alive. It’s my turn.”

  “Don’t leave him alone. He wanted to die…”

  Emma got it. She headed for the elevators and got in. Then she was gone.

  Poppy watched her leave, and the whole time, she was pissed at herself, the police, and this whole mess.

  Well, she wouldn’t say a word about Dimitri.

  But she would investigate the cops on her own.

  Why?

  She was a cop. It was her damn job.

  Emma arrived in Dimitri’s condo just as the men were stripping him out of his clothes. Emma helped them, holding him up so he didn’t bleed on his couch.

  “How bad is it?” Emma asked.

  “The detective was right. It’s clean through. The worst part is going to be if there’s damage to his shoulder. Then, he’s going to need surgery.”

  Well, that was good news and horrible news. Out in the open, he was a dead man. Viktor had upped his game.

  “We have to get him warmed up,” Steele said. “His temperature is below normal, and he has a fever. His body is fighting infection and hypothermia.”

  “We have antibiotics, right?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Dante stated. “I bought some from a doctor who owes us a shit ton of money at the casino. He was more than happy to share them with me.”

  Thank God for people and their gambling vices.
>
  “I’ll get in the tub with him,” Dante stated. “He’ll drown if we put him in himself.”

  Emma shook her head.

  “I’ll do it. He can rest on me. You may need to run for supplies for Steele, and Steele will have to work on his shoulder. I can’t leave the building. I’m the only one who can hold him.”

  Steele agreed.

  “She’s right, babe. You’re going to have to help stitch him up,” Steele stated. “I can’t with my fingers.”

  Dante got it.

  “Let’s get him out of the rest of his clothes,” Dante said, pulling off his boots. They had the top half of him stripped.

  Dante pulled off his pants and boxers.

  “Well, that answers a lot of questions,” he teased. “I’m going to bust his ass later. Mr. Gideon is definitely a big man and I don’t mean…”

  Steele looked at him before he could finish that thought.

  “Tall. I meant he’s very tall. Look at how long his legs are…”

  Emma rolled her eyes.

  She knew Dante was trying to lighten the mood. This was serious, and when the shit was hitting the fan, his gut instinct was to make people laugh.

  “Good save, new husband,” Steele stated.

  Oh, he was aware.

  “Carry him in, but be careful of his shoulder,” Steele said. “I think the bullet missed bone, but we need to be careful. He really should see a doctor.”

  “He won’t,” Emma stated, filling the tub with water as Dante held a naked Dimitri over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. “He wanted to die. He was planning on it.”

  That said it all.

  It upset all of them.

  This was some serious shit.

  “Well, we’ll stop him from succeeding,” Steele said. “We will patch him back up and heal him. The family will win.”

  She kissed him.

  “Thank you for that.”

  “I’ve been there.”