Apartment
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. There was something about the man that made her crazy.
Was it those lips?
His eyes?
The battered soul?
She was sitting there, and the entire time, all she was thinking about was Dimitri Gideon and when she was kissing him.
Yes, it was out of necessity, but she loved it.
The man was wicked.
Everything about him screamed bad news, and yet, her gut…it told her she was wrong. Instead of handcuffing him and locking him up, she wanted to handcuff him to her headboard.
Clearly, she was insane.
Here was the proof.
What kind of lunatic was she? Poppy wanted to get naked with a killer who could end her life. Talk about the bad boy fantasy gone totally wrong.
When her phone chimed, it was her partner, and he was checking in. Immediately, she thought about the commissioner and work.
Emma said trust no one.
For Dimitri, and her own safety, she’d keep her silence.
She read his message.
‘Are you okay? You didn’t show for work. I’m worried. Did Gideon get you?’
Oh, how to answer that.
He certainly did.
‘I’m in bed. I got stuck on the mountain. I couldn’t find him. I think I caught a cold. I feel like shit.’
Yeah, she trusted her partner, Hunter Dietrich, but she was trying to save a man who was chased by one too many demons.
Why?
No.
Freaking.
Clue.
Her phone chimed again, and she read the message.
‘Shit! If you need anything, let me know. We pulled a new Jane Doe. I’ll cover for you. Stay in bed. The commissioner was looking for you. We were ‘unofficially’ pulled from the Gideon case but the commissioner said keep working it on the DL.’
Oh, she wasn’t surprised. What she really wished she really was in bed.
With Dimitri.
After spending twelve hours against his body, there was definitely something to say about sharing a sleeping bag with a Russian killer.
Yeah, she was crazy.
As for the commissioner, she thought about what Emma had said, and that made sense. Emma had been a good cop. Poppy was seeing a lot of shit in their department, and it didn’t make her happy.
‘Good to know. I may be out a couple days. I already filed the papers. Thanks, Hunter! You’re the best partner ever.’
And she felt like an asshole.
Poppy just broke the cardinal rule.
She’d lied to her partner.
She was going to Hell.
If she was lucky, Dimitri Gideon would be there…
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Commissioner’s Office
Wednesday Afternoon
He had a mess on his hands.
The two cops had gone beyond scaring a Fed and now he had a shit mess. Ethan Blackhawk didn’t buy his whole ‘out of control cop’ excuse, and he actually brought his wife into it.
That worried him.
No.
That scared the shit out of him.
For now, he needed to get this situation under control, and he knew the man for the job. There was no way he could allow what happened to his wife to come out.
No.
Way.
So, it was time for backup.
Heath Spencer.
He’d given him a gun.
He’d promised him money.
Now, he needed the man to pony up and do the job he was given. He knew Heath Spencer was desperate not to go back to jail, and he’d be putty in his hands.
Dialing the burner phone, he waited for the man to answer. He sounded like shit when he finally did. Someone sounded a little strung out. That was never a good thing.
“Yo.”
“I have four people who need to die. Are you up for it?” he asked.
There was a pause.
“You know I need money. I’m on the lam. Times are tough.”
“I’ll get you some more money so you can hide out, but you will do one of them for free, and the others I will pay to have handled.”
“Who is the one for free?” he asked.
“Emma Croft.”
He laughed maniacally.
“DONE.”
“I also need that bitch, Elizabeth Blackhawk, handled. She’s a pain in my ass. A bullet to the brain would work. For her, I’ll pay.”
“You said four.”
“Each of their husbands will fall if you kill their wives. Do it, and I’ll make you so rich you’ll never need to worry.”
He laughed.
“When? I can’t get near the Feds or the Crofts.”
Oh, yes, he could.
“There’s a gala coming up. Get to the venue, kill a waiter, and take your spot with his credentials. It’s easy. You can handle that, right?”
He could do that.
“Then you’ll get me out of Vegas?”
He smiled.
“Yes, Heath, and then I’ll get you out.”
The man had no clue.
Out only equaled one thing.
His imminent death.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Wednesday Afternoon
First, he needed to see Ethan Blackhawk. Croft dropped Curtis off to help Tessa and Paris find anything they could in the files. They’d already come up with a name, and that worked for him.
He’d add it to his list for Ethan to research and give him information.
If he had a cop and two Feds…
Yeah, it was a good lead.
Heading upstairs, he found Ethan working on some office things. On the couch, his wife was resting. She looked…battered.
“Is she going to be okay?” he whispered. “I heard what happened.”
Crap!
Ivan looked battered too.
Ethan glanced over at Elizabeth. He hoped his wife was going to be fine. She never napped. In fact, he was beginning to think letting her sleep was a bad idea.
“I hope so,” he said.
“The commissioner is going off the rails,” Greyson stated. “He’s losing it to go after your wife—let alone a Fed.”
“I’m aware. I have our ME heading here for tomorrow. He’ll do the autopsy on Lee, and I’ll be there. I’m going to find out who ended Robert Lee, and why.”
“His tongue was removed, and his guts were spilled,” Ivan stated, holding an ice pack on his face.
“Jesus,” Greyson stated.
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “Those are my thoughts exactly. Someone was shutting him up. It’s easier to just shoot someone with an unregistered gun. I’m sure there are a few in Vegas.”
He stared at Greyson.
“Your security guy has a big mouth.”
Ethan laughed.
“Heath is wearing a com. He’s connected to the other security guys,” he stated.
Ivan waved.
Well, so much for that sneaky tactical.
Greyson knew it was time to discuss what he’d learned. They had three good leads, and that mattered in the direction of the case. They started with nothing, but they were spreading out.
“We came across two names from a stripper,” he stated.
“What are they?” Ethan asked.
He read them off the paper he’d scribbled them on while he was in the car.
“My brother looked them up on Elizabeth’s tablet. I just want to make sure that it’s okay to talk to them.”
If it ended this mess so they could go home, he was more than welcome to do anything necessary.
“Yes, it is. I don’t know what the hell Robert Lee had been pulling. For all I know, he was the one who was the mole. He’d been an agent here in Vegas before Miles Lane picked him to be director.”
“Thank you. I wanted it cleared first.”
“Anything else?” Ethan asked, keeping his voice down so
they didn’t disturb his wife.
“Yes, Paris and Tessa found a cop’s name who keeps popping up. Can you run him from here?” he asked.
“Yeah, I can.”
“I would have had my brother run him, but I had already sent him back home.”
Ethan picked up the tablet that controlled the monitor on the wall.
“Hit me.”
“I’d love to,” Elizabeth mumbled.
She became his focus.
Ethan sat beside her, and she placed her head on his lap so he could gently massage her head.
“Hey, are you okay?” Greyson asked. “I’m sorry that you got tangled up in this clusterfuck. Vegas is a mess.”
Oh, she was aware.
“I want his ass on a silver platter, and then I’m going to turn him inside out, and light him on fire.”
“So, the violence is back,” Ivan stated. “That’s always a good sign when it comes to her wellbeing.”
Heath came forward.
“Mrs. B, I’ll make you some tea. Ignore Ivan. He’s cranky because his pretty boy face is banged up.”
He laughed.
“I am!”
“Thank you, Heath. That would be perfect,” she stated. Then she focused on her husband and Greyson. “What are you talking about?” she asked, sitting up. “I’m good to go. I can work. I want in. I iced, I put heat on my shoulder, and I napped. I’m ready to get back to work,” she stated.
Ethan figured as much. Keeping his wife down for long would take an act of nature or God.
“He has the names of two Feds who were undercover in the strip club,” he stated.
“Okay, and?”
“Nothing yet. We’re just starting to work on it,” Greyson offered, handing her the paper with their names on it. “We’re going to find them tomorrow.”
She was good with that.
Elizabeth headed to the whiteboard, slowly, and placed their names on it.
Ethan watched her and really hoped she’d take the rest of tonight to relax and regroup before she headed out in the morning.
Then again, he knew better.
This was Elizabeth, after all.
“Who else?” she asked. “I heard you mention a cop. In this city, that’s the most likely criminal,” she said, staring at her face in the reflection of her phone screen.
“Oh, Callen is going to flip his shit when he sees my face. It had better heal by the wedding.”
Oh, he already had.
Ethan headed that one off at the pass, and his brother was NOT amused. The only thing that saved his ass was that Callen knew his wife was a crazy magnet.
“He’s been advised of your situation. You’re lucky that he and Johanna are working a case. If not, he’d be on the first plane here.”
She didn’t doubt that.
Then it would have been a bloodbath. There was no doubt in her mind that the two cops, and possibly the commissioner, would have run into a little Native street justice. She knew her husbands too damn well.
“He’s not pissed?” she asked.
“Ehhhh….”
Well, it was best she didn’t know anything else. Best for her sake and his sanity.
“What’s the cop’s name?” Elizabeth asked after writing down the two Feds’ names.
“Jonathan Helms.”
Elizabeth wrote it down, too, and Ethan ran him.
Riley, who had been silent the whole time, still a little awestruck over Elizabeth, cleared his throat.
“I know him.”
They all looked over.
“Well, not know him like get a beer with him, but he’s a beat cop. He works out by the strip clubs. There are rumors.”
“About?”
“He gets head and girls walk. He’s also doing a little money procurement of his own.”
“In English?” Elizabeth asked. “I stopped speaking beat cop about two beatings ago. I think all the hits to my head damaged that part of my brain.”
“Not funny, Elizabeth.”
She laughed.
And it hurt.
“He’s getting some kickbacks for not arresting the guilty parties that he nets on his beat.”
Well, that sounded exactly like Vegas.
Before they could continue, there was some feminine laughter, and they all looked at the doorway. Heath was escorting Delilah in, and he was carrying a cup of tea for Elizabeth.
“Miss F is here to see you.”
“After what you’ve learned, is there any wonder why I have so many clients who hate cops?” she asked, giving Riley one hell of a kiss.
He went brain-dead.
“Uh, who the hell is this?” Elizabeth asked.
“This is Delilah Fleur, my attorney, and Riley’s significant other,” Greyson stated. “She keeps the cops off my back here in Vegas.”
The woman strutted her way toward Ethan and shook his hand. Then she handed him a packet of papers. “I just need your signature.”
“For?” he asked.
“I saw the news. You need a lawyer to sue the LVPD. You won’t be my first, but you’ll be my best,” she purred.
“Are you shitting me?” Elizabeth stated. “I have a fucking concussion, a bad case of police brutality, and you’re an ambulance chaser who is flirting with my husband?”
Ethan stepped between the women.
It was about to get ugly.
“I’ve read a lot about you, Director Blackhawk. I’m shocked I haven’t had to face you in court. You know, for excessive force and violation of rights. That seems up your alley. Maybe this,” she said, pointing at the woman’s face, “is karma.”
All the men cringed.
This was getting ugly.
“I’m shocked too,” Elizabeth stated. “You know, since I’ve likely had to put eighty percent of your freed clients back behind bars, multiple times, because you bleeding-heart hussies keep setting the cuckoos free.”
Greyson stopped it.
While he didn’t always agree with Delilah and her job, he’d seen it from both sides.
“Hey, now, ladies, and I use that term lightly at this moment. We are both on the same team. Elizabeth and her husband are the only thing standing between me and dying,” he said to Delilah. “And Delilah is the only thing that keeps the police from violating my rights as a mob man. So chill.”
Ethan reluctantly moved out of the way.
“Truce?” Delilah stated.
Elizabeth stared at her hand.
“I don’t want defense attorney cooties.”
That made Delilah laugh.
“I’m sorry about the karma crack. I’m just getting off work at the courthouse, and I’m in defense lawyer mode. No woman deserves to be manhandled by any man—let alone a cop.”
“Apology accepted.”
“And where’s yours?” she asked.
Ivan and Ethan both laughed.
“You don’t know her well enough. She doesn’t apologize. She would sooner shoot you and hide the body,” Ivan stated.
She didn’t look happy about that.
Elizabeth did.
“Anyway, I wrote you up the standard cease and desist, and I can have it delivered by courier in the morning. It’s on the house,” she said. “Anytime I can stick it to corruption, I’m all over it. As for suing them, we can discuss it later.”
“We aren’t suing anyone,” she stated.
“Why the hell not?” she asked. “They beat the hell out of you. That’s all kinds of wrong.”
“I fight my own battles, and I happen to believe in karma. They’ll get theirs.”
Delilah gave up.
“Well, the cease and desist is on the house.”
“What’s the catch?” Elizabeth asked.
“You are a paranoid one, aren’t you?”
“I go to court three to four times a month. Multiply that by twenty years. You do the math. Me and defense attorneys are NOT friends.”
She laughed.
“I know. Think of this a
s preserving my interests then, Mrs. Paranoid. Greyson is my man’s boss. I’m saving his life and his interest in Vegas. It’s as simple as that.”
Elizabeth took that as a valid reason. She was good with people who lied. This woman wasn’t lying.
When she went to stand beside her boyfriend, Ethan continued, “I have his address.”
“Oh, Jonathan Helms,” she said, looking at her nails. “There’s a familiar name.”
“You know him?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m sure I’ve run into him at work.”
“How?” she asked.
She looked out the window over the patio.
“My, it’s looking a tad bit assault-y with a side of blackmail out there,” she said, giving them a clue. “I hope I don’t get caught in the downpour. That would ruin my shoes.”
Elizabeth just looked at her.
“Well, someone has been accused of some bad shit,” Elizabeth stated.
Delilah nodded.
She knew it was against client confidentiality, but when her boyfriend was involved, there was no freaking way he was going to let him go in blind.
Not against a scumbag like Helms.
“Just last month, there were four big downpours brought to my attention by people who didn’t want to pay to stay dry from the rainstorm,” she stated. “Know what I hate about shit like that?” she asked.
“Your shoes getting ruined?” Elizabeth asked.
“That and when the head honcho covers shit up, you still get wet. I hope that there won’t be any more downpours. I’m getting exhausted from them. All that work just to sweep it away where no one can see it.”
Again, Delilah told her more than enough.
They had a commissioner covering for his cops. That wasn’t shocking since she’d just had an ass kicking from two of them while the commissioner watched.
If she told Ethan that, he’d kill the man.
“I wonder if the commissioner is the one telling his cops to do bad deeds?” Ethan asked.
She laughed.
True Justice Page 27