Once Natasha closed the door, Emma got comfortable beside her husband. She had fond memories of this limo. It was the one that Randall had let them use when they had functions. They’d had some really hot sex in the back.
Too bad they were seldom alone.
Croft glanced down at his wife and knew exactly what she was thinking. While everyone was distracted, doing their thing, her hand was slowly creeping into his lap.
She was inches from her favorite part of his body, and he was willing it closer.
He wanted to cheer.
Dropping his lips to her ear, in what would look like a kiss, he whispered, “We need to have a date night and soon. I want to revisit the sex. How about you, me, no clothes, and the floor back here?”
She let her hand brush him through his pants, and she gave him a little squeeze to answer his question.
He growled low and nipped her on the neck.
“Jesus. Really?” Dante stated. “We’re going to meet the woman who will be my in-law. Do you think you can stop thinking about jumping Emma for an hour?”
He glanced over. “Not likely, since it’s my favorite hobby since finding her.”
Curtis laughed. He was accustomed to seeing this. He’d lived with them before Dante arrived, he’d watched his boss in action in Celestia, and he’d modeled his marriage after the man.
Okay, so that was a fail, but he was accustomed to their affectionate touches and glances.
It was kind of sweet.
They were in love.
“Relax, Dante. My mother is going to hate us all whether they’re making out or being cops. There’s no point in trying. I’ve been down this road before. I introduced her to a boyfriend once. He was rich, handsome, and she hated him.”
“Hey! We’re going to talk about this,” he said. “You didn’t tell me you brought another man home before me.”
“It must have slipped my mind,” he teased. His green eyes twinkled mischievously as he winked at Emma.
She laughed.
The glass partition rolled down as the vehicle hit the stoplight.
“Mr. Croft, we’ll be there in minutes,” Natasha said, with a French accent.
She really liked to get into character.
“Thank you, Natasha, and it’s Greyson. You don’t work for me.”
She smiled. “Oui!”
As the window rolled up, Emma was amused. “We have a house full of crazies and I love every second of it. That must make me insane too.”
She wasn’t alone.
“Here we are,” Steele said, pointing at the large home on the hill when they approached.
Dante whistled. “You weren’t kidding about growing up with money. Our house, as kids, would fit on that porch.”
“And I would have traded it all to have your family, even if your mother is insane.”
Greyson grinned. “It’s easy to say that now. You didn't have to live with her. She was the porn police. It sucked. Dante got caught all the time.”
Emma cut them off before they got started.
“Let’s go,” Steele said, taking a deep breath.
Going home should never be this hard, and everyone felt horrible for him.
At the door, he didn't walk in. Instead, he rang the bell like a complete stranger.
“You don’t have a key to your mother’s home?” Dante asked, holding his hand.
“No.”
They looked at each other behind his back, and each expression was the same.
Sympathy for Steele.
When the door opened, an older woman stood there dressed impeccably.
“Can I speak with Camille?” he asked.
“And you are?”
“Tell her that it’s Steele.”
The door was promptly closed in their faces as they were left out there to wait.
“Okay, that was just weird,” Dante stated. “You have to be invited into your mother’s house?”
“Yes. I told you. She and I don’t have a relationship, babe. I’m gay and a pariah to her. The only thing she’s going to see as we walk in is Emma and Greyson’s money. Then once she finds out I’m marrying into the family, she’ll be sickened since it’s to you, not Emma.”
That hurt all of them.
Not for them, but for Steele.
What the hell kind of life was that?
As they door reopened, the woman led them inside but you could tell she wasn’t thrilled.
Steele wasn’t shocked. His mother liked a well-ordered life, and he didn’t give that to her.
He was gay.
A disappointment.
He played in the dead.
It was all undignified.
“Camille has a few moments, but she wishes you would have called ahead.”
Shocking.
Steele said nothing.
As they headed in, there was nothing warm about the place. In the family room, there were pictures, but none of Steele as a child.
There were some of horses.
A few dogs.
An older man over the mantle.
“She’ll be right down,” the woman stated as she backed out of the room, closing the French doors behind her.
They waited until she left.
“My mother is old school. She’s going to want to make an entrance. When she comes in, she’ll be expecting manners. If there are none, she’ll chastise you for it. It will be fun for her in some old sick way.”
They stared at him.
Was he serious?
“If you’re wondering, the man above the fireplace is Rutherford, my father.”
They all glanced over.
There, they saw the resemblance. It was all in the eyes. It was the same aqua color that Steele had inherited. Only, Rutherford’s looked cold.
Steele’s eyes were always filled with mercy for the dead.
There were footsteps heading their way. As soon as Steele heard them, he stood.
Both men did the same.
“Hello, Steele. I’m surprised to see you,” she said, heading toward her chair across from them.
Her eyes locked on Emma as she didn't stand when she entered the room.
“I see you brought company. Normally, Steele, you call before popping in. It’s been what… three years?”
“Around there, Camille.”
He turned to make introductions.
“This is Greyson Croft, his wife Emma, and their brother, Dante.”
The woman didn't make acknowledgement.
“What do you want, Steele? Have you burned through your trust fund? Certainly, you don’t expect me to fund your…lifestyle.”
He took a deep breath. “No, Camille. I have my own life. I don’t need, want, or require your money.”
She stood.
“Then we have nothing to speak about. I have a lunch to attend. Remove yourself from my house.”
Dante opened his mouth, but Steele squeezed his leg. “I will as soon as we discuss what I’m here to talk about.”
She sat.
“Make it fast.”
“They found Rutherford’s remains.”
The woman didn't even flinch.
“I’ll make arrangements for them to be picked up. I’ll assume that you’re here in an official capacity as an ME?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so.”
“Ma’am,” Emma began.
“You can stop right there. I know who you are, what you are, and I do not intend to speak to you. You and your husband are nothing but gold diggers and vile human beings.”
Emma wasn’t sure what to say.
As she began to defend herself, Steele spoke up.
“You will not speak to my family like that. I will be marrying into the Croft family, and they matter to me.”
She stared at him in shock.
It was clear that Steele didn't often raise his voice to her.
“I don’t think you should speak to me like that, and especially to defend them!”
/>
“I will treat you as you treat others. You call them names, but do you realize you were the same way? Rutherford got involved with someone very much like Randall Mason, only he was far more inhuman and killed him. Don’t point fingers, Camille. It’s not pretty.”
She opened her mouth.
“Furthermore, I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t to tell you he was dead. Trust me. I have no interest in coming here to see you. You were dead to me a long time ago. I think that happened when I was born, or was it the other way, Camille?”
Emma, Greyson, and Dante watched the train wreck. If there was a way to escape, they would have.
“I am your mother!”
Steele laughed. “Yes, I fell out of your uterus. Congratulations. You made a child who you didn't want or love. Kudos to you, Mother. You should get a freaking award. You’re such a humanitarian. You saddled yourself with a man who made his money illegally. You are the posterchild for sainthood in Hell.”
She stood. “Remove yourself and your fag boy toy from my home and never come back.”
Steele grabbed the vase on the table between them and threw it at the mantle. It shattered and everyone stared in shock.
“You will not use that word in front of my family or my fiancé. What you say to your friends is your business, but you will not disparage them!” he said, pointing at the three guests.
She sat and grabbed her chest.
“Lose the fake heart attack, Camille. It’s overdone. We simply came to talk about the day Rutherford disappeared. That’s all. Spill what you know and we will be gone.”
She sputtered.
“NOW!”
The other women rushed in. “I called the police, ma’am.”
Emma and Greyson both pulled out their badges and flashed them.
“Wow. We’re fast. Imagine that,” Greyson stated.
Emma started dialing her phone to cancel the call. As soon as she got in contact with dispatch, the police were cancelled.
When she hung up, she smiled ferally. “We gold diggers and vile human beings have some redeeming qualities.”
The woman looked worried.
God.
You didn’t drop the ‘f’ word in front of the Crofts when aimed at Dante or Steele.
It made them mean.
And no one liked a mean Croft.
“What happened the day he disappeared, Camille, or I will start flaunting my gayness all over town. Your friends will make fun of you.”
Dante touched his lower back in support.
Camille composed herself.
“He got up, he went to work, and never returned. I wish there was more, but there isn’t. That was the last day I saw your father.”
“Sperm donor,” Steele corrected. “I do believe that’s what he called himself in reference to me. Although, he also thought you slept around too, so who knows who my daddy is, right? That’s the only way he could have possibly gotten a gay son out of the deal, right?”
She didn't say anything, but her jaw clenched in displeasure. When she went to say something, Emma pointed at her.
“Go ahead, and your housekeeper will be calling an ambulance from when I kick your ass.”
She gasped.
“Who would know more about his last day?” Greyson asked, hoping it didn't set either of them off. This was already super uncomfortable.
“That floosy he worked with. She was the one putting out every day. You should ask her.”
“We will once you give us her name. What is it?” Emma asked.
“Vonda something or other. I didn't pay attention. All I know is her first name. I was too busy raising my child.”
Steele laughed.
It wasn’t that good laugh either.
“Well, thank you for raising me. I’ll stop sending Christmas cards to the hired help now that you’re taking credit for my upbringing, Camille.”
She sputtered.
“We’ll get out of here,” Steele stated. He didn't want to spend another minute there.
“Your father was right. You were a mistake,” she said.
Dante dropped his arm over his fiancé’s shoulders. He was fuming.
Before he could say a word, Emma exploded in rage.
“He is no such thing! Steele is an amazing man who deserves people who love him, and now, he finally has them. We will gratefully take him from you. He’s ours now, and we’ll make sure he’s loved, you cold hearted hag!”
She gasped.
“Let’s go,” Emma said, storming out of there. She knew this had to be painful for Steele, and she never wanted him to ever return there again.
Nothing was worth this torture.
Nothing.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
In the limo, Curtis was busily working. When the glass lowered, he looked up from his tablet.
“Yes?” he asked when he noticed Natasha staring at him.
“Are you into Katerina?” she bluntly asked.
“Uh…”
“I’m asking because she likes you a lot, and I don’t want to see her get hurt. Then Dimitri will kill you.”
Curtis stared at her like he’d fallen into some alternate dimension.
Certainly, this conversation wasn’t happening. In the last month, Natasha had said maybe two sentences in front of him.
She chose now to tell him that Dimitri would kill him? The day they moved into the house?
Really?
“Well?”
“I actually do like her.”
“She’s been hurt before. You’re not going to break her heart, are you?”
He closed the laptop.
“I don’t know if I can even approach her. If I do, like you said, your brother may kill me.”
She started laughing. “That’s the risk, no? If it was supposed to be easy, we all would have found the person we’re meant to be with, right?”
“What do you think I should do?”
“I’m a romantic at heart,” she admitted. “I believe in love at first sight, so I think you should sweep her off her feet. Do something amazing. Girls like that, and she’s never had it before.”
“What was her last boyfriend like?”
“There hasn’t been one.”
He stared. “What?”
Natasha paused. “Dimitri said you all know about our past. Is that true? ”
He nodded.
“After our father…abused her,” she said, finding a less ugly word for what he did to her, “Dimitri took us away from him. We are under constant guard.”
“How old are you, Natasha?”
“Twenty-three and Kat is twenty one. Dimitri is older and acts like a mother hen.”
“She’s a child.”
“She had to grow up fast. She’s more adult than anyone I know. When you have our pasts, you grow up fast. Russia is not any easy place to live. It’s a poor country. Don’t believe what you see on television.”
Curtis could only imagine.
“You’re afraid to start something because of your dead wife, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Don’t be. Kat won’t hurt you. She’s a gentle soul. When you’re hurt, you either get a great well of compassion or ugliness. Both Kat and Dimitri are very compassionate. He hides it well.”
He was amazed that after all this conversation, Natasha actually thought he would be worried about being hurt.
“I worry about her, not me.”
“Be romantic. It’ll work.”
With that, the window began rolling up.
“Wait!”
Curtis couldn’t say more. The door was opening, and the team was back, and they didn't look happy.
“Uh oh.”
“Yeah, you can say that again,” Dante said, trying to soothe Steele’s nerves.
“What happened?”
Emma was too stirred up, so Greyson told him. When he was finished, the man glanced over at Steele.
“I didn't have a mom, but I k
now that yours didn't deserve you either. You have a family here. We love you.”
Dante grabbed Curtis by the head and kissed him on the lips.
“Come on! Are you insane! I like the babes! Not a man I call my brother. That has to be some sort of incest! Mom! Dad! Help!” he teased, trying to cheer him up.
The men laughed.
Emma tapped on the glass. “Take us to the morgue backdoor, and don’t pick up any tails. I get the feeling we’re being followed.
“Oui, Mademoiselle.”
Emma shook her head. “One day, I’m going to have a perfectly normal day. No one is going to try and kill us, I won’t have a chauffeur who kills people, and we won’t have to carry more guns than should be legal.”
Greyson laughed.
“Yeah, kitten, don’t hold your breath.”
He wasn’t.
Chapter Six
FBI Las Vegas
When they arrived at the office, Greyson was held up at his desk to sign off on things for his secretary. As he handled the situation from his absence, he motioned his wife and the rest of the team into his office.
As Emma entered the room, she found two people she hadn’t seen in a while.
“Paris! Tessa!” Emma blurted, scaring the hell out of them. They had been sharing a private moment, and Emma had shocked them.
“Crap!” Tessa said, tucking her hair behind her ear as she struggled to get out of Paris’s lap. Only, it wasn’t happening.
His grin said it all.
Emma immediately moved around Curtis to hug them both.
“How was the honeymoon?” she asked.
Paris gushed out a shitload of details. Half were appropriate, the other half…not so much.
Curtis laughed as he hugged his partner. Tessa looked like she was going to punch her husband.
They didn't need another bloodbath—not in the big man’s office.
He might get testy.
“We got the call from Greyson and are glad to be back,” Paris offered. He wheeled over to shake Curtis’s hand. “We missed you guys!”
“Don’t get us wrong,” Tessa said, trying to cover for her husband. “Paris was awesome.”
“Thank you,” he teased.
“I meant the city, smart ass. We had a blast. Thank you for such an awesome gift. We didn’t think it was going to be for a full month.”
Justice is Dead (Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 7) Page 15