The red flush of his skin told the tale.
He was dead serious.
His lawyer didn’t even argue.
Kenneth backed out of the room to go do his bosses bidding. If that was what Dominic wanted, that was exactly what he was going to get.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
Commissioner Raye’s
Office. LVPD
Chris wanted to laugh as they were escorted into the commissioner’s office. Normally, when he arrived, he was lucky to be invited to sit. The man wasn’t fond of him at all.
Emma, on the other hand, was treated like a queen. When she showed up, Commissioner Raye practically groveled at her feet.
He was kissing ass big time, holding court in hopes to gain some favor.
He could see it.
And it pissed him off.
Emma and Greyson mattered to him. When people tried to use them, it made him angry. While he wanted to say something to the commissioner, he couldn’t.
The man was his boss.
Whether or not he had a mortgage didn’t matter. He wouldn’t toss his job away.
It mattered.
So, he kept his mouth shut.
As the secretary clucked around, trying to impress the redhead, she was given a comfortable spot on the couch, coffee was brought in on a silver tray, and the man even had cookies for her.
When the commissioner wasn’t looking, Chris rolled his eyes, so only Emma could see. There was no doubt why the man was playing it up.
He wanted to kiss some ass to get his way.
“Chris, sit next to me,” Emma said, patting the couch when the commissioner rudely ignored that Chris was there.
“Thank you, Detective,” he said, using her title in hoped to prove that he didn't play favorites at work.
Well, not often.
“Emma, I can call you that, right?” asked the commissioner.
“Sure. You sign my paycheck. You can call me anything you want.”
He laughed.
“She’s charming,” he said to Chris. “Isn’t she?”
He ignored the rhetorical question.
Emma… not so much.
She went to say something, but Chris stepped on her foot. This man could break them both. He knew because he’d been in that chair at one time.
“What can I do for you, Commissioner?” she asked.
“Call me Jeff.”
“What can I do for you, Jeff?” she rephrased. Emma was getting irritated. This was wasting her time. Meanwhile, her husband was out in the field being targeted.
If anything happened, she was going to make this man pay.
“We need you to be our poster girl for the department.”
She started laughing. “Yeah, no.”
“But, Emma, you’re the ideal candidate. You’re beautiful, you get along with everyone, and you’re well known in the media.”
Emma was pretty sure that was the nice way of calling her a media whore.
Again, when she opened her mouth, Chris stepped on her foot.
She closed it.
“Seriously, Emma. You would be perfect.”
She sipped the coffee from the delicate cup as she tried to rein in her temper. “Jeff, here’s a little newsflash for you. I hate the media. I’m days away from shooting them. You don’t want us in the same room.”
He tried to laugh that off, but they could see that he was worried.
“We need you.”
“You have Chris.”
“He’s adequate, since the media doesn’t hate him, but you’re a rising star.”
Chris wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing what she was thinking. Emma hated when people kissed ass.
Hers, his, anyone’s.
It pissed her off.
“Chris is more than adequate. He’s really good at working a crowd. I say let him handle it.”
The commissioner grimaced.
“Well, actually, Emma, I’m not really asking.”
She put her cup down. “Commissioner, I’m really busy. Just spit it out. Do you want money? I’ll write you a check. Greyson and I have given over fifty grand in the last month to any charity you pointed him at, and if you need more, fine. I really don’t have time for this.”
The man sat up in his chair. “Chris, handle this. Your detective isn’t getting the big picture.”
“Emma, you’re going to be at the open house Sunday to press flesh with the citizens. I don’t want an argument. We’re doing it, and you’re the next person up in the rotation. Tag. Suck it up, buttercup.”
She shrugged. “Okay, boss.”
The commissioner looked at him as if he was a magician. “How come you agreed so easily with him?”
“I like him. Chris doesn’t beat around the bush. We don’t have time to waste.” She put down the coffee cup and headed toward the door.
“Chris,” the commissioner said, grabbing the cookies away from him before he could take one for the road. “Keep a short leash on her Sunday. We don’t need a media spectacle, and you’re the only one who can tame her.”
He laughed on his way out of the office. Yeah, Emma didn’t need a leash or to be tamed. The commissioner was the one who needed a clue.
“He’s a pain in the ass,” Emma stated, once they were out of earshot.
“He has a point. If he didn't want a media spectacle, then he shouldn’t have invited you,” he said. “You’re trouble, and I am going to have my hands full.”
She pulled a cookie out of her pocket and bit into it just to be spiteful. “Mmmmmmm. Chocolate chip.”
“You’re mean. You know I didn’t get breakfast either. You’re a horrible kid sister,” he muttered.
She grinned and made as second one appear. “Act civilized and don’t wear the crumbs,” she said, as the elevator to their floor opened.
He was easy.
For baked goods, he could do that. The way to Chris’s heart was definitely through his stomach.
Sue him.
He was a typical man.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
Homicide Division
As she headed to her desk, she stared up at the TV. The media was camped outside Dominic’s casino, waiting to get a glimpse of him leaving the penthouse.
That had to be driving him insane.
As she looked around, Mace was nowhere to be found. So, she went to her boss.
“Hey, Captain,” she called, peeking her head into the room. He was beginning to pull off his dress blue jacket.
“Yeah, Croft?”
Emma was always amused how as soon as they hit the doorway, he wouldn’t use her first name. It was like the switch was flipped.
“I need a partner in the field. Marianna is getting some heat, and I want to turn it up that much more.”
“Emma,” he said, lowering his voice. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Okay, I’ll go alone. How much trouble can I get into looking for another victim?”
He followed her. “Over my DEAD body,” he muttered. “If I let you do that, I will be dead, and your husband will be the killer.”
She grinned. “So, does that mean you want to play cop?” she asked, pulling out her phone with the listing for the next hidden body.
“Uh, I am a cop. That’s why my badge is just as gold and shiny as yours.”
She grinned at him. Emma loved busting her boss’s ass. It made her day.
“So, you’re in?”
“Do I have a choice, Croft?”
She laughed. “Not since the day you hired me.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
‘The Breast Is Yet
To Cum’
Strip Club
Croft stared at the sign and couldn’t believe the name. There was no way on God’s green Earth that this was real. Someone was playing a prank on him. Who in their right mind would ever want to claim ownership on a place named something like that?
It was insane!
“I’m not going in there. I’m a freaking Director of the FBI. One photo of me coming out of there, and the media will have a field day.”
Screw the media. If his wife even saw that business name, she’d shit three tons of bricks all over the place. While Emma was his kitten, and likely belonged in the nineteen fifties, she was an enigma. She hated watching women being flaunted as nothing more than sexual objects.
He was screwed.
“Don’t stress it. We’re going in through the back,” Dimitri stated. “We better get in there and cum out really fast.”
Croft stared at him as he snickered.
“Really? That’s not funny.”
Dimitri put his serious face on as they traversed the alley that ran alongside the strip club. At the backdoor, he knocked.
When it opened, he grabbed the man by the collar, lifted him off his feet and started speaking in rapid Russian. The man pointed, his eyes wide in horror.
Why didn’t Greyson think to do things like that? Oh, that’s right. He was the law. Apparently, Russian killers had so much more fun.
“We can go in,” Dimitri stated.
“Great. More Russians, and they’re running this place. That can’t be good.”
As they walked in, Dimitri moved through the tables, making sure to stay in front of the director. True, he wasn’t his employee, but this was as seedy as you could get. They didn’t need a picture of Greyson coming out of this shithole, or a report of him getting jumped in it either.
“I hate this already. I’m going to have to stop and buy my wife jewelry just for coming in here. If one woman touches me, I’ll have to buy her an island.”
Dimitri laughed. That was a problem he didn’t have. “There. He’s behind the bar.”
They headed his way.
When they sat on the stools, all the women in the place flocked at them.
Yeah, this was bad.
Really bad—in a get divorced kind of way.
“Back off,” Dimitri said, and then repeated it in Russian. They moved taking their hands off them.
“Javier Santiago, this is Director Greyson Croft, and he has questions for you.”
“Buy a lap dance, and I’ll answer them.”
“Or I can shoot you,” Croft said, pulling back his pricy suit jacket. “I’m in that kind of mood and from the looks of this mess, I’m sure that happens a lot.”
“Touchy,” he stated. “What do you want?”
“Famiano Pavone.”
The minute the man said his name, a switch was flipped. He became cold and chilly.
“Get out.”
“Why the haste, Javier? We want to know who was bothering your old boss.”
The man closed his mouth.
“Okay, I’m going to close this place down,” Croft said. “I’m willing to bet since most of these women speak Russian, that they aren’t here legally. Then I’m going to make your life hell.”
“A guy has to work, Croft. I’m not doing anything. I swear. Just go, and forget you heard my name.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
The man looked around.
“If you bolt, and I have to chase you, I’m going to beat your face off that sticky floor. I’m going to bet it’s not all beer. Do you really want to get hepatitis over a question?”
He swallowed.
“Then tell me about Marianna and Pavone.”
“Famiano was a good guy, as long as you didn't cross him. As he was building power in the city, he made some enemies. Dom was one of them. They were going after the same business. One was going to win, and one was going to lose.”
“And?”
“Famiano went into a club and never came out the front. I was his ‘protection’. After that, no one would use me. They blamed me. I’ve been carrying around that stigma since that day.”
“Did Marianna off him?” Dimitri asked.
Greyson gave him the look.
“Well, did he?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that when he went missing, all the business went to Dominic. He’s a sick fuck. Don’t cross him.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Greyson asked, just as an adventurous stripper began grinding against his back.
When he spun, grabbing her wrist, she jumped.
“Rich men who aren’t drunk carry their wallets in their jacket pocket,” he warned, right before growling. “Unless you want to go to jail for pickpocketing, get lost.”
She took off.
Javier lowered his voice. “I mean, word on the street is that he’s losing it. You better tread lightly, Croft, or you might go into a building and not come out.”
Then he sneered.
Dimitri grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face off the bar. When he fell back and hit the ground, Greyson pointed at him.
“Really?”
“What? You wanted to do it? You can’t seriously be angry because I shut him up. He was giving me a headache.”
He shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.”
They traversed the club, trying to avoid the barely clad strippers making eyes at them. You’d think they hadn’t seen two men in suits before.
As they hit the alley, Croft realized it smelled better. That said a lot about this club.
Then the telltale sound of snapping camera shutters snapped him back to reality.
“Do you want me to take you to the jeweler?” Dimitri asked, laughing as they exited the alley to walk right into the media.
Croft was screwed.
“Take me right to Tiffany & Co. This one is going to be a big one. I can feel it.”
Dimitri laughed all the way there.
He really liked this man, and that was saying a lot.
He hated everyone.
Chapter Nine
Terrace Glen
Friday Afternoon
When they returned to the compound, Greyson and Dimitri weren’t there. That was both good and horrible. Tessa and Curtis didn't know what to do about the information they’d dug up on Bentley, or ‘Ben’ Herron.
Did they say something?
Did they keep it quiet?
It wasn’t as if it was relevant to the case, but still…wouldn’t they want to know if they were in his position? The man wasn’t alone in the world. He had a brother.
As family, wasn’t it their obligation to let him know?
As they headed into the house, Paris was sitting on the couch, laptop on his lap, and a pencil behind his ear.
Tessa didn't hesitate.
She hopped the back of the couch and yanked her sexy doctor toward her.
“Hello, wife,” he muttered as she kissed him as if she wouldn’t see him again.
“Come on!” stated Curtis. “This place is turning into the love shack.”
Tessa barely broke the kiss to point at the glass doors. “Don’t be jealous. Go find a girl to molest, Curtis. I’m a newlywed.”
Curtis looked around and could see Katrina out on the patio on the phone. Tessa was right. He was going to make his move while the coast was clear.
When he headed out, she saw him coming. Immediately, she hung up the phone and raced toward him.
“You aren’t hurt, are you?” she asked, staring up into his eyes.
“No, why would I be?”
“I didn't get to see you after you raced after Dimitri, and I couldn’t find you. I was worried.”
Curtis touched her cheek. “I confronted him, he shoved me into the pool, and then told me I could date you.”
She nearly tripped as they headed toward the house.
“What?”
“You heard me. I guess I proved I wasn’t going to hurt you. He was looking for someone who would defend your honor, and I apparently passed.”
She kissed him.
When she was done, he looked flustered.
“Was th
at inappropriate?” she asked, trying to move back from his body like she’d crossed some invisible line.
“No! I just can’t get used to it. I’ve always been the chaser. I’ve never had a gorgeous woman chasing me.”
“You think I’m gorgeous?”
He started laughing. “Okay, let’s put this in perspective. “Models are pretty. You’re GORGEOUS. It’s not even close for me.”
She blushed.
He found it endearing.
“I need to ask you something, but I don’t want you to get upset.”
She stopped smiling. “What?”
“Tomorrow is the commissioner’s party. I know it’s short notice, but will you be my date?”
She opened and closed her mouth.
“Katerina?”
“I can’t.”
“Oh.”
He went to walk away.
“Wait! You misunderstand me. I’m working it. I’ll be there, but out of sight to keep you safe. We’re all working it.” Dimitri is stressed since Dominic will be there.”
“I see.”
He didn't look happy and that worried her. “Curtis.”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to ask. Maybe another time then. I’ll let you get back to work.”
When he walked away, tears filled her eyes.
She didn't know what to do.
“Kat, what’s wrong?” Dimitri asked, as he came up behind her.
“Nothing.”
He didn't buy it. “Little one, just tell me so I can go inside to hurt him.” He was angry. It had been less than four hours, and the man had made his sister cry.
Apparently, he was wrong about the man.
“He asked me to the party tomorrow, and I had to decline because we’re working.”
“I see.”
“I think I hurt his feelings. It took a lot for him to ask me, especially after what his wife did to his heart. I feel horrible that I couldn’t say yes.”
He sat on the chair and patted the seat. “Do you want to go?” Dimitri asked.
Justice is Dead (Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 7) Page 22