He laughed. “Yes, you’re right. I missed that subtle clue. What’s up? You don’t call me to chitchat unless you need something.”
“I just talked to Steele,” she said, signaling him to be quiet. “He’s not happy.”
“About?”
“The wedding.”
“He’s dumping me, isn’t he?”
Greyson slapped his hand over Steele’s mouth before he could blow their cover.
“No way. He’s just feeling a little humdrum right now, and he wants to forgo the big church thing and have a little to-do in the yard with his sexy eye candy.”
“So basically, he wants to marry me,” Greyson stated, busting his brother’s ass.
Dante laughed, the calm returning to his voice. “Well, I’m okay with that, especially since I’ll look like you when I’m old.”
“Touché.”
“I just want Steele to be happy. I’ll marry him right now at the justice of the peace—just give me the word. Anytime, I don’t have to invite mom to a function, I’m up for it. She’s hell in heels, and none of us need that.”
Emma agreed there.
“So, small, really expensive food that we all love, and just our family?” she reiterated.
“Burgers. I want steak and burgers. If I’m giving up a big wedding, I want a BBQ. No fancy chef. I want it catered by some backyard BBQ genius.”
She made notes. “I can do that.”
“That’s my only condition. Steele can have anything he wants. I only want him to look back at this day and know that he married someone who will love him for the rest of our lives. He’s my soulmate.”
Steele’s eyes filled with tears, but Greyson still covered his mouth.
“You should still wear a tux, Dante. You need to impress the husband. Don’t slack.”
He laughed. “Works for me. Are you still planning this?”
“Yep. I have the male strippers, the cake that has the naked man in it, and the favors are grape condoms.”
Greyson looked horrified.
“Why did you marry my brother? Clearly, you are woman after my own heart. Get that all approved by my scowling brother, and we’ll talk. If you can get one of the strippers to give him a lap dance, I’ll forever be in your debt. That’s one hell of a memory.”
“Yeah, and it’ll happen over my dead body. Now…if Emma wants to dance in my lap.”
“Uh, yuck. No offense, Emma, but that better not happen,” Dante said, laughing. “My day, my enjoyment.”
Emma gave him a kiss into the phone. “We love you, Dante. Go make millions. The strippers are expensive.”
He laughed, and then hung up.
Emma faced her ME. “Okay, next?”
“I like strawberry better. Grape ones leave this really weird taste in your mouth.”
“Yeah, I hear dick does that,” Greyson said, getting the man to laugh. It appeared Steele was better.
That was the goal.
She hugged him. “We have your back. No matter what, we’re going to be here for you. All you have to do is come to us.”
He kissed her. “Thanks, Emma.”
Then he hugged Greyson.
“I love you both.”
She winked and took Greyson’s hand. “Pray for us. We’re heading to the morgue to deal with a civil servant. We all know how that’s going to go over.”
Oh, he was well aware.
“When you go out for the next body, I think I’ve changed my mind. I want to come.”
Damn.
Cheering him up had backfired.
Crap!
“Okay,” she said, foiled once more.
Outside, he glanced down at his wife. “You fixed that really well.”
She smiled.
“You know me. Anything I can do to keep your mother out of my house is a plus in my column.”
He laughed.
Oddly, his too.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
Saturday
Mid-Morning
Curtis was heading down the street. He knew walking by himself was risky, but he needed to get the flowers ordered for tonight.
It would have been easy to call, but he wanted to pick them out personally.
It felt more special.
Intimate.
Personal.
When he left the FBI building, he could feel her following him. Curtis knew they were going to have tails through the day, but he didn't know who it would be. It was always a gamble who you got.
Today, he ended up the lucky one.
Katerina was behind him. He could almost smell the roses.
As he ducked into the florist, he headed to the counter. Tonight he wanted to make an impression. Not only was it for Katerina, but for the man he suspected would be watching them the entire time.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked.
“I need the most beautiful roses you have,” he stated. “I also need them in an odd number. Say…thirteen.”
The woman stared at him. “You want one dozen plus one rose?”
“Yes.”
She went to the cooler. When she pulled out some samples, he stared at the red ones. They were gorgeous and so soft to his fingers. When he picked it up, the thorn got him.
“Crap!”
“We can de-thorn them for you, if you like,” she said, doing one and then showing him the difference.
Yeah, that would be perfect.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I need thirteen delivered to my home before six tonight.”
She pulled out the paper.
“Address.”
When he rattled it off, she glanced up at him. “That’s where the Crofts live. We deliver flowers for Director Croft all the time.”
“Yes, I live there too.”
She smiled and immediately, she was more than willing to do anything.
“That’s no problem, sir! I’ll personally do the delivery. I can have some pretty paper and ribbon added if you like.”
“Thank you.”
Apparently, money, in Vegas, talked.
He handed her a credit card and waited for her to begin ringing it up. Then he thought about Kat.
“Oh, can I have that single one you de-thorned? I want to give it to someone now.”
She rang him up. “Yes, you can!”
When she was finished, he signed the paper and grabbed his rose. As he tucked it under his blazer, she stared at him like he was crazy.
He didn't care.
Curtis knew Vegas loved to gossip about his family. It was par for the course.
Outside, he headed into an alley, knowing that Katerina would follow to keep him safe. As he hid behind a dumpster, he heard her footsteps. As she was right in front of him, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
She gasped in surprise, only to have his mouth cover hers.
In the alley, he kissed her hello.
Slowly, he broke apart.
“I missed you,” he murmured, slowly reaching into his blazer. “This is for you, Katerina.”
She wanted to gush at the romance.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Not as gorgeous as you, Anfisa. I know you don’t like it, but it suits you.”
She was beginning to enjoy the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. “You can call me that. Only you.”
He nuzzled her cheek with his lips. “I can’t wait to see you tonight for the party.”
“I hope I don’t embarrass you.”
She couldn’t if she tried. If anything, the second she was on his arm, he was going to be the one man who everyone wanted to be.
Well, him and Greyson Croft.
“I’m the lucky one, Kat. All the men will be jealous that I get to be there with you.”
Katerina wanted to swoon. He had to be too good to be true. Men didn't treat her like this. In fact, men were cold, distant, and hard.
Could she really be this lucky?
“I wish I could walk with you down the street.”
He did too.
Then again, what would it hurt?
“Want to break a few rules with me, Katerina? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
She chewed on her lip. “Promise? If Dimitri finds out, he’ll kill me.”
He wouldn’t let that happen.
Pulling off her baseball cap, she dropped it over his hair and grabbed his sunglasses. It helped. Reaching beneath his blazer, she removed his badge and tucked it into the back of his pants.
When her fingers lingered a little longer, his body heated up. He wanted to make love to her in the worst way.
As she popped his gun off his hip, she placed it at his lower back.
“Now, try and look like a tourist.”
He grinned. “So stare up at everything and walk into things.”
She took his hand.
“Just don’t get shot. You’re bad luck when it comes to things like that.”
Oh, he was well aware.
Kat sniffed her rose. She couldn’t believe she was breaking the rules. Dimitri would be so angry, but it was something she had to do once. This man was definitely worth the risk.
As they headed out of the alley, she stayed by his side. All the while, she scanned the area searching for anything out of the ordinary.
She didn't find anything.
“Give me your phone,” he said, holding out his free hand.
She did it.
Immediately, he snapped a selfie of them.
Her heart skipped when he kissed her on the cheek.
“Now, we look like tourists,” he whispered.
She only nodded, unable to speak. Behind her shades, tears had filled her eyes.
She was in some serious trouble. She was crazy about him and willing to break the rules and incur Dimitri’s wrath.
Katerina realized something important.
She was madly in love.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
He watched them.
It was his job to handle it all, and there couldn’t be failure. Dominic wanted to know where they were at all times. This one was important to the Crofts.
He’d done his searching and found out that he was the next heir apparent.
Fascinating.
For him, he’d make him the mark. Since they missed shooting at him, they would have to take it one step further.
Studying the prey was always important.
It would be the difference between failure and success.
He wouldn’t fail again.
That first shot was hard, and it didn't make the target, but he’d learn about this man and go from there.
Dominic would be pleased.
He’d earn that money, and before he knew it, he would be living on easy street.
He couldn't wait.
The life span of a hired killer was short, and he needed to live it up while he could.
Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
LVPD
Morgue
When they arrived, the publicity task force was busily setting up for the next day. They were expecting a huge turnout, and mostly to see her.
Emma hated it.
This was a pain in her ass, but she sucked it up. Being a cop wasn’t easy, and sometimes you had to deal with the lame shit that came along with it.
Tomorrow, she could be working, but instead, she was going to be playing babysitter to the media and citizens.
Screw it.
“What are you doing tomorrow when I’m trapped here?” she asked.
He laughed. “Oh, I thought I’d have a few beers, watch the game, and enjoy my day off.”
She looked over at him.
“Yeah, exactly. I’m going to be digging up more bodies. I want to put the pressure on Marianna, and having you tied up will make it the perfect time.”
He told her what Elizabeth had said.
Still, she hated that he was going to do it without her. “Well, didn’t you plan that perfectly?”
He grinned. “Yep.”
Emma hated having him out there, but he would be with Dimitri. She had to trust the man.
“At least you have the Blackhawks’ support.”
“The word on the street is they’re moving back east any day now.”
She looked surprised. “Really? They’re giving up FBI West?”
He nodded. “I heard from the other directors that there’s a feeding frenzy to get that office. Everyone and their mother wants it.”
“And you?”
“I thought about it. It would be safer. We could have a more normal life.”
She shrugged. “Can we keep the house?”
“If I was offered it, yes.”
“That’s all I care about. I’ll follow you to hell and back.”
He knew she would.
As they headed down to the basement, Emma found Mace waiting for her.
“Hey, partner, what are you doing?” she asked. “I thought you were working on the searches.”
“I was, but I needed to talk to you. Don’t worry, Heath is doing the searches, but we found something and figured you’d want it ASAP.”
“You could have texted it.”
He laughed. “Save me from Heath. Please let me ride with you. I don’t bitch about desk work, but he’s trying to get me to talk you into the Pro-Bowl tickets this fall—front row seats.”
She laughed.
“Please. I’m begging you to save me.”
“You can ride with us.”
“Bless you,” he stated, doing exactly what Ethan Blackhawk had asked. This was going to be easier than he originally thought.
“What did you find?” Greyson asked him.
“After doing a search on Deshawn, we found his old lady,” he said, pulling out his notebook. “It seems that Brenda Metcalf was his baby momma ten years ago. We ran his name through all kinds of databases, and he showed up on a birth certificate. He had a kid with her.”
“Great! Thank you, Mace,” Greyson stated. “That’s a terrific lead.”
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
“After autopsy, we’ll head there. Is she still in Vegas?” Emma asked.
“Yep.”
This was perfect.
This would make their day easier. First, they’d hit up Doctor Hanlon, and then dig up a body, and finally the interview. Emma knew how long it was going to take her to get ready for the night, plus they had a little something planned for Curtis.
He had a surprise coming.
They’d been working on it for weeks.
She was excited about tonight, and it had nothing to do with rubbing it in Marianna’s face that he missed taking them out.
Again.
It was about family.
Heading into the suite, the doctor had the bodies laid out on the tables. Before them were the men who tried to kill Paris and Tessa.
Greyson wanted to shoot them again.
He loathed what they did to William.
“Do we have any ID’s on them?” Emma asked, hoping the woman would play nice. The last thing she wanted was a pissing match. They were getting inundated with shit, and drama was not needed.
“Not yet. We don’t even have fingerprints on four of them. It looks like they burned them off with acid.”
“Yikes,” Mace said.
Yeah, he wasn’t kidding.
Someone didn’t want to be found.
“If you send over a digital picture to my lab,” Greyson stated, “Max can work miracles.”
She stared at him. “The FBI isn’t taking this one,” she stated. Then she focused on Emma. “If you think bringing him down here will force my hand, it won’t. I’m not going to be intimidated by you anymore. Do you hear me?”
Frankly, Emma was sick of this bullshit.
Enough was enough.
Just as she was about to tear the woman a new one, she heard the telltale gait coming up behind her. It looked like her backup had arrived.
“Is there an issue?” Christopher Ford asked, sipping his coffee from a mug that said, ‘I’m the boss, and your worst nightmare’.
The irony was Emma had given one to him and one to Greyson last Boss’s Day. She was amused by them.
“No, sir.” Doctor Hanlon stated, giving Emma a look.
Emma wasn’t going to let it slide. She really hated this ME. Working with her was hell. She’d rather do the damn autopsies on her own.
Yeah, that was the level of dislike for her.
“Actually, there’s a little time issue with ID.”
Chris had heard.
Honestly, he wasn’t going to intervene unless he had to throw his weight around. Part of being the boss was knowing when to step in, and when to butt out.
It appeared that this time, Emma needed his help. Normally, he let her fight it out. If he stepped in all the time, people would talk.
Yeah, like they already were.
“Send a photo to the FBI. Let’s use their technology, since they use our detective.”
Hanlon fumed.
Mace simply grinned.
“Yes, sir.”
Ford glanced at his watch. “I have to go get my picture taken,” he said. “Detective, is my tie straight?” he asked Emma.
Hanlon scowled as Detective Croft fixed it for him. She’d love to wipe the smirk off the woman’s face, but Captain Ford was the boss.
“Thank you, Detective.”
“You look bossy and intimidating, Captain. Knock them dead,” Emma stated.
“We’ll see you tonight for the commissioner’s party. Don’t forget that tomorrow, bright, and early, we have the media event, right?”
She scowled, and Chris had to fight not to laugh. Emma was going to be miserable.
“Yes, sir, I won’t forget.”
He headed out, first shaking Greyson’s hand. “If you need anything, or anyone is being uncooperative, call me.”
There was no doubt who that was directed at in the room.
Mace covered his laughter with a cough.
Ford had spoken.
Enough was enough.
“Send the photos over,” Emma said, smiling sweetly. “You wouldn’t want to make Captain Ford angry. He gets cranky.”
Justice is Dead (Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 7) Page 29