True Justice

by Morgan Kelley

  “Yep. Undercover car.”

  He’d thought they were being followed. He’d hoped it was Viktor.

  “I saw you.”

  “And yet you didn’t try to lose me?” she asked. “Why?” Was he getting sloppy?

  “I didn’t care if you caught me. I’ll pay for my sins. That’s the true justice, no? A bad guy who kills for years and goes free, and a good guy who fights for justice and gets caught doing what was right? True justice is in the eye of the beholder.”

  She touched his arm.

  “Feel like confessing?”

  He did.

  It was time.

  “Her name was Stephanie Phelps. She sold the women for Rosemary Harrington. She’s part of the sex trafficking. Four bullets. The FBI has the proof she was involved, and I’m telling you that I pulled the trigger.”

  She stood.

  He held out his wrists.

  Instead, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. It was gentle, it was soft, and he opened for it. When he did, she touched his cheek with her warm hand and shared the kiss.

  When Poppy pulled away, she put her mouth by his ear. “There are those of us who will always go to bat for the good guy, even when he thinks he’s alone. True justice is measured by the outcome, too, Dimitri. Don’t forget that some of us will blur the lines to save someone. In the end, it’s the life that matters.”

  He stared up at her.

  She let her hand linger and touched his lower lip with her thumb.

  “Be safe.”

  With that, she headed out.

  Dimitri watched her go, and he touched his mouth. This woman…she kept catching him off guard. She changed everything he’d ever thought about cops.

  Well, holy freaking shit.

  He didn’t know what to think.

  No, that wasn’t true.

  Emma had been right. He was going to marry her, and they were going to make themselves a holy mess.

  When the door opened, again, it was Dante. He’d been crying.

  “Is she…?” Dimitri asked.

  “They asked to speak to us.”

  He struggled to his feet and headed out.

  It was time to rally around either Emma.

  Or Greyson.

  Time would tell.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Friday After

  Midnight

  Some Time Later

  When they finally got to the room, they weren’t going to let them all inside. They had a policy, but before Elizabeth left, she pulled a few strings.

  Okay, she scared the hell out of as many people as she could.

  Upstairs, in the room, they watched Emma in the bed. She was hooked up to the monitors, she had a tube down her throat, and she was out cold.

  For how long?

  No one knew.

  Greyson went in first, and he took her hand. Her wedding rings were gone, and he made a note to find them. He wanted her to have them back on her finger.

  Leaning down, he found the corner of her mouth and kissed her.

  “I knew you’d fight, my wife. We have a battle ahead of us. Don’t give up.”

  He placed his hand over her belly.

  “You either, Mac. Fight with mommy. Fight for me. I need you too.”

  He took a deep breath.

  As far as they could tell, her brain was fine, and there was one lively fetus still moving. They were hopeful.

  Now he just needed her to wake up.

  Dimitri came in next. He moved to stand beside her and touched her forehead.

  “Ya lyublyu tebya.”

  “She loves you too,” he answered for him. “When she was being worked on, she told me to tell you that she loved you. She wants us to go get Chris and bring him home. It was her last request.”

  “She’s going to live.”

  “Yeah, and that’s fine. We’re still going to get him. Why should we have all the fun?” Greyson asked, feeling his age.

  “We can tie him up in your secret sex den.”

  “That’s your thing, not mine. In there, I like to do the tying not be the bound one.”

  He laughed, and it hurt.

  Dante and Steele came in with Sam. The boy didn’t run toward his father. Instead, he stared down at Emma. Tears filled his little boy eyes.

  “Who hurt the babe? She’s not dying is she?”

  They were huge questions to answer.

  “I’m sorry. We couldn’t leave him home,” Dante said. “He’s sneaky.”

  Greyson messed up the boy’s hair. “The man who did it is dead. He paid for touching her. She’s not going to die. Emma is tough.”

  “They said she saved Kat.”

  “She did,” Dimitri stated.

  “Can I kiss her?” he asked. “I won’t hurt her, will I?” he asked wiping at his eyes.

  He was at that age where he was still a kid but embarrassed by it too.

  “Go ahead, son,” Greyson said, lifting him up so he didn’t get tangled up with the tubes.

  He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cool rock. He placed it in her hand and closed her fingers.

  “When I found it, I kept it thinking I would get lucky and find a home one day. I found it the day I met her. It’ll bring her luck. It brought me a lot.”

  Greyson wiped his eyes.

  “Get better, babe. The French chef sucks. I need cake. I’m a growing boy.”

  He moved back and Steele and Dante each took a cheek. They gave her a kiss as the machine steadied her breathing.

  “I’d take her place,” Dante said. “I wish we went. I’m sorry, Emma.”

  Steele felt her pulse.

  “What did they say?”

  “He nicked her heart. They stitched her up. She’s going to have one hell of a scar. They were in there digging around. They said when they had her open, my son was moving around. He kept bumping into her lungs.”

  “Thank God,” Steele said. “She’ll be fine. In a week, she’ll be back to her old self and none of us will be eating baked goods.”

  Paris and Tessa came in, and they were both worried.

  “Is she okay?”

  He told them.

  Paris touched her hand and gave it a squeeze. “She’s the toughest woman I know, next to Tessa. She’s got this. I say in two weeks she’s back to restricting Greyson’s carbs.”

  They all laughed.

  Clearly, they had her number.

  “I’ll give them up,” he said. “IF she wakes up, I’ll give them up. I’ll become a vegan.”

  Curtis stuck his head into the room to see if they could fit in with the family.

  “Room for two more? Well, two and a half?”

  They all moved over.

  He led Katerina in, and she was holding a sleeping Sadie. She was nestled in her mother’s arms, and the woman was crying.

  Silently.

  But crying.

  “Katerina,” Greyson said, touching her cheek. “It’s okay, sweetheart. If she saw you this upset, she’d tell you to stop. A stressed mother is a mother who can’t make milk.”

  They all looked at him like he was insane.

  “She said that to me the other day, I swear to God,” Greyson stated. “Why else would I know that?”

  Kat didn’t laugh.

  “She saved me. I owe her my life. She was willing to die for me.”

  “It’s a mother’s love,” Greyson said. “She told you that you were hers, and she meant it. She claimed Curtis, and you married our son. That makes you our daughter.”

  She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Thank you, Mom. Thank you for giving me more time with Sadie. I didn’t have a mom until you. I only had a father, so thank you for being mine.”

  She went and stood beside Curtis.

  He kissed his wife, and then he headed toward Emma. Leaning down, he whispered something in her ear. No one could hear it but Emma.
r />   It was his secret.

  Then he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

  “Security stayed with us,” Curtis stated. “Elizabeth Blackhawk left them here to make sure we’re all safe when we head out.”

  “I’m staying,” Dimitri stated.

  Greyson shook his head.

  “You’re injured. You have to go back and continue working. You have to find the next link.”

  He told them about Stephanie.

  “I hope she’s dead.”

  “She is,” Tessa stated for him. “It was handled.”

  “Can I come with you, Dad?” Sam asked. “Can I come home with you?”

  He wished, but it wasn’t safe.

  “No, son. Right now, you have to be as far from me as possible. This man hunting me is sick.”

  “I can take care of me. I’m a Gideon.”

  “Come on, Squirt. Dad will walk down with us. We’ll take you home. Tomorrow, Steele and I are going to work in the office. Do you want to help us pick out dancers?”

  “Girls or guys?”

  “Girls and they have really big…”

  They all looked at Dante.

  “Headdresses. What did you think I was going to say?” he asked.

  Tessa laughed.

  “I’m gay. That’s not even in my wheelhouse, you perverts,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I’ll be right down.”

  They headed out. Dimitri stopped at Greyson. “Thank you for not making her hurt. She loves Emma. We all do.”

  “I know. She loves you too. Go home and help the Blackhawks handle this. Okay?”

  “For her.”

  He hugged him. Greyson gently patted him on the back. Dimitri then kissed him on each cheek.

  “I love you, brother.”

  “I love you too.”

  Then he was gone.

  Greyson pulled off his tux jacket and rested it over his wife’s legs.

  Then he took a seat.

  To wait.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Her gut said to stick close to Dimitri Gideon, but Poppy assumed he’d be at the hospital the rest of the night. So, she went home to crash.

  After showering, eating something, and watching the news, she crawled into bed and tried to sleep.

  Only, she couldn’t.

  She was thinking about him.

  Dimitri.

  As she stared at the ceiling, her gut was telling her to get back to Sky Villa early.

  This was coming to a head.

  The Crofts were killing, the killer was killing, and someone was gunning for the Crofts too.

  What this family needed…?

  A freaking babysitter.

  Oddly, that didn’t sound like a horrible job.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Downstairs, out in front of the building, Dimitri hugged his son. The boy held onto him.

  “Please let me go with you,” he said. “I need you, Dad. I won’t be any trouble. I can help you out. I’m good at making pancakes.”

  “I can’t let you near me, Sam. You have to come first. I have to worry about you,” he said. “This will be over soon. I promise.”

  “I love you, Dad.”

  He kissed him on the top of the head.

  “Oh, Sam, I love you so much. You’re so important to me. My life is better because of you.”

  “Please don’t forget about me,” he said.

  Dimitri got it.

  He was afraid he’d leave him behind. It was never going to happen. He made a mental note to tell him about the girl who was coming.

  Sam was going to have a sister.

  Soon.

  Dante and Steele led him away, despite him trying to cling to him.

  Heath followed them.

  Ivan helped Dimitri and everyone else to the limo. They were going home too.

  They were all defeated.

  “Let’s go home and do this for Emma,” Tessa stated. “I’ll make some coffee, we’ll eat some crap, and we’ll find the people behind this and locate Viktor.”

  That worked for them.

  Dimitri tapped on the window.

  “Home.”

  They were on their way.

  When they got into the car and it pulled away, he didn’t follow them.

  No.

  Viktor followed the other vehicle.

  The one with the boy. He’d been so shocked to see his brother showing someone emotion. There was tenderness, love, and gentleness.

  That was weakness.

  He should be ashamed of himself.

  Did his brother have a son?

  Did he have a child that he wasn’t aware of?

  Well, this was interesting.

  Viktor may not have a sniper rifle, but he didn’t need one. He had something better.

  A way to get to his brother.

  Through a father’s pathetic love.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Hospital Room

  ICU

  Greyson listened to the beep of the machines as he sat there holding his wife’s hand. She wasn’t moving, and he wasn’t sure if he should cry or pray.

  It was a tossup.

  When he sent Dimitri home, he really wanted him to stay. If something happened, he’d need someone to help him. Greyson couldn’t shake the fear.

  Now he was alone.

  In the silence.

  Time passed, and he didn’t even know how much. When he heard footsteps coming down the silent hall, and then stop in the doorway, he glanced up.

  There stood Chris.

  He couldn't be more shocked. That was NOT what he was expecting. He fully thought they’d have to drag him back at gunpoint.

  “Greyson,” he said.

  The man nodded.

  Chris came in, and he stared down at Emma’s prone body. His heart skipped when he saw the bandages down her chest.

  “I would have been here sooner, but your security wouldn’t let me past for the longest time. I told them who I was, and the one threatened to ‘pull out my tongue and tie it around my neck’,” he said.

  Greyson laughed sardonically.

  “Heath.”

  “Yeah, well, they had the place locked down.”

  Greyson said nothing.

  Chris placed his big hand on Emma’s head and rubbed his thumb over her forehead.

  “I can’t leave you alone for a second,” he muttered. “I go away, and all hell breaks loose, Em. What the hell?”

  Then he leaned down and left a kiss on her nose.

  Chris knew it was time to face the music. He glanced over at Greyson.

  “I know you probably don’t want me here. I know that she’s in that bed because of me. Had I not left, she would have had protection. I can only say I’m sorry. I can only say that I won’t leave her side again. I know now that family has to come first. I put it second. Let me stay.”

  Greyson burst into tears.

  He dropped his face into his hands and his whole body shook. He couldn’t hold it back anymore.

  The dam ruptured apart under all the pressure. He’d been strong all night, and he had nothing left to fight it off. He was empty.

  Greyson had nothing left.

  Chris moved toward him and placed the spare chair beside him. He placed his arm over his shoulders and held him while he cried.

  “I have you. It’s okay, Grey, I have you.”

  He wept bitter tears at how close he’d come. He cried for the murder he’d committed. He sobbed because his wife got caught in the crossfire.

  Greyson held nothing back.

  He purged.

  Chris simply held him, letting him get it out.

  “We’re falling apart,” he said. “Dimitri left. You left. Emma got hurt. We have Dimitri holding together with tape and a prayer. Emma is down. I can’t do this. I can’t do it anymore. I killed someone.”

  Chris let him talk.

  His big hand was on the ba
ck of his neck, giving him support.

  “We watched the most horrible thing that Viktor did to some girls.”

  He told him about that too.

  Chris didn’t judge, he simply listened.

  “I can’t do this alone. I can’t patch Dimitri up, chase a Russian killer, keep Vegas together, and stop a sex ring. I’m in over my head.”

  “It’s my turn to man up and help out,” Chris said. “I know I left, but I’m back.”

  He waited for him to tell him to pound sand.

  He didn’t.

  “We’ll get through this. I’ll be all over her while she recovers. I’m going to treat her like she did me when I was shot. There’s going to be a nurse, rehab, and me. I’ll carry her. I’ll carry her for both of us. Then I’ll get Dimitri to the gym. I’ll kick his ass back into shape. I’ll handle the invalids. You focus on Vegas.”

  He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and saw the blood on his shirt.

  It horrified him.

  “Here,” Chris said, pulling off his hoodie. He handed it to him and helped Greyson get out of his shirt. He dropped it into the waste can.

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you think she’ll let me stay?” he asked. “How pissed is she at me?”

  “She told me if she died to find you and bring you home. She’s not pissed.”

  Of course she wasn’t.

  Emma was love.

  Chris got up and pulled the hat off. It had been Gage’s. He placed it on her head, tucking her hair behind her ears.

  “Come on, kiddo. Fight.”

  Greyson sat on one side of her bed.

  Chris the other.

  And they held her hands.

  And they would until she woke up.

  The family came first.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Sky Villa

  Friday

  Three A.M

  They were all there.

  They divided up the journals, the books, the papers, and anything else that they had. They passed out the phones, and they were still waiting on the other phone the FBI had to decrypt, and the personnel file for Devin Barosi.