Justice is Dead (Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 7)

by Morgan Kelley

  Okay, that was one step closer.

  “Did we ever find out who owned Lucilla Rosetta’s place?” she asked. “She’s the only female victim. Why did she end up dead?”

  Fingers flew over keyboards.

  “We knew Rutherford likely threatened Marianna or he found out too much, Famiano was his competition, Deshawn was stealing, and Biagio worked for him as a bodyguard and might have pissed him off.”

  Paris picked up for her. “Dayton was going to testify. What did Lucilla do to piss him off? Can we connect her too? If we can, we have our killer.”

  The tablet beeped. “I have the owner.”

  They both looked at it.

  “Oh, we need to do this right. We have two big fish to catch,” Tessa said, looking over his shoulder.

  “Yes, we do. It’s time to dig.”

  * * * Croft & Croft * * *

  Valley Hospital

  One Hour Later

  They were all there waiting.

  Dante was back with the doctors, as the rest of Steele’s family sat there suffering silently. They had called his mother to tell her that he was injured.

  She hung up on them.

  Because of that, they’d circle around him even more. His blood turned her back on Steele, but they wouldn’t. He was theirs now to protect.

  He was Greyson’s responsibility.

  When they saw Dante coming, he was crying. That spoke volumes to what Steele had endured. His brother was strong, and this had broken him.

  Greyson pulled him into his arms.

  “He’s bad. They’re putting him back together. He was sodomized so badly, that they had to do surgery.”

  Emma pressed herself to his back, cocooning Dante between them.

  “His spleen is ruptured, and they’re trying to stop the bleeding. He’s been blinded in his one eye, and both hands are broken. He may never work again.”

  Greyson would take care of him.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  Dante exploded. “It won’t be! That piece of filth hurt my husband-to-be. He violated him in ways that I can’t even speak. Steele will suffer for the rest of his life! I’m going after him. I’m going to kill him. I don’t care if I go to jail. My life is lying on that table, and he may not even live!”

  Greyson grabbed him when he tried to make a break for it. “Dante, stop!”

  The man began weeping again.

  “I may lose the man I love. How do I go one without him, Grey? How do I even face tomorrow alone?”

  He dropped to his knees.

  Emma began comforting him. “Shhhh, we’re here, Dante. We’ll help Steele. We’ll handle this.”

  Greyson motioned for her to take Dante into a private room. When she was gone, he glanced at the man who had become his friend.

  “I need a favor.”

  “What?”

  “I need a gun, and for you to be my alibi for the next few hours.”

  “Greyson, I’ll do this for you.”

  “No! He touched my family for the last time. I can’t ask anyone to do this for me. I’m going to kill a man. I just need you to watch my back, be my alibi, and if they figure out it was me, protect my family while I’m in jail.”

  He stared the man in the eyes.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? With Steele’s testimony, he’s going in for attempted murder and kidnapping.”

  “We both know he’ll walk. He’ll buy a juror and get off. Meanwhile, Steele will have to sit in front of that jury and be the victim all over again. I can’t let that happen to him. Justice can only be served one way, and this is it.”

  This time, Dimitri agreed. Truth be told, he was going to take Dominic out later, when he could be alone.

  “I need you to be sure.”

  “I’ve never been more sure in my life. Fuck the badge. That scumbag sodomized and tortured the man who is going to be my brother. That’s war, Dimitri. War I know. I was a soldier. He wants to meet on the battlefield, so be it.”

  “Give me a second to set up your alibi.”

  He pulled out his phone and called Natasha. She was asked to come down from Chris Ford’s room.

  “When she gets here, you’re going to let me lead this. You want to pull the trigger then you can do it. If you can’t, I will, but we do this the smart way. You’re not thinking straight, so I’m going to do it for you.”

  Well, when you were going to commit cold-blooded murder, you had to let the experts run it.

  As Natasha approached, he held out his hand. “I want your phone.”

  Greyson held it out.

  “Natasha, head to the house with this. When you get there, make sure this phone stays on. In fact,” he said, handing over his, “Make sure they both do.”

  She took them.

  Just then, Emma came out. The look on her face said it all. Then she noticed they were heading out.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out.”

  She touched his arm, and he yanked it away. Then he remembered their talk. He couldn’t shut her out. She was part of him.

  “I’m going after Marianna.”

  “To arrest him?”

  He didn't say a word. This was the defining moment in his future. It was all resting on this. There was only one person who could talk him down.

  It was her.

  If Emma did, he’d stop. If she told him she would leave if he did this, he’d stay. God help him, but he’d stay for her.

  “Make sure you take one shot and don’t miss.”

  Dimitri was surprised.

  “He needs to die. I’m over this.”

  He kissed her.

  “I love you, Captain Croft. I’ll always love you, so don’t you forget it.”

  She was truly his soul mate.

  Through thick or thin, she stood by him when he was not the suave man he thought he was.

  Dimitri took over. He handed Natasha the director’s phone. “Text Emma from this phone and tell her that she’s to stay at the hospital with Dante. Tell her that you’re checking in with the rest of the team on where they are with this case. Take the Navigator and make sure you aren’t on the outside security cameras. We need to see Greyson go in, stay in, and not leave until later tonight when I sneak him back in. Are we clear, Nat?”

  She grinned. “I got your back, Mr. Croft.”

  He was so grateful.

  Nat headed out.

  “Now that GPS location is off,” he said, “we can do this right. I have an unregistered military grade rifle at our disposal. Think you can hit a target with it?”

  “Yes.”

  Emma did something she hoped her husband didn’t mind. She took that moment to hug Dimitri. Then, she dropped a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for being part of our family. I love you.”

  He was caught off guard. “It’s no problem, Emma. I’ll bring him back.”

  With that, they headed out.

  Once in the vehicle, he reached under the dash and yanked out all the wires to the navigational system. “Oops. A glitch. It looks like they can’t track where we’ve been.”

  Greyson didn't even smile.

  He was out for blood, and Dimitri was hoping he could talk the man out of it. He was angry now, but killing for vengeance took a toll.

  He knew.

  Dimitri lived it every day.

  Chapter Twenty

  The entire ride there, Dimitri tried to talk him out of it. The entire time hiking through the mountainside to the ridge that would give him a clear line of sight, he tried talking him out of it.

  Nothing was working.

  Croft was mad as hell and determined to cross that line.

  On the ridge overlooking the casino, that Marianna owned, they found the perfect spot. Since the man had the penthouse, it was just a matter of waiting until he headed to his bedroom.

  “Are you…?”

  “Stop asking me that! Yes, I’m sure. Give me the gun.”

  Dimitri handed it to him. Greyson
handled it like a pro, popping the stand out, leveling the weapon before getting down on his belly.

  Dimitri pulled out the weather meter and joined him on the ground.

  “We’re in this together,” he stated. “I’m familiar with this weapon.”

  “I used to do this for a living. I can shoot a damn sniper rifle.”

  “Don’t get testy. This is new for me too. I’m not exactly a team player.”

  He was right.

  “I’m sorry. I know what you’re doing for me. You didn’t have to come. I feel bad that I’m pulling you into this.”

  “Yeah, I did have to come with you. I’m your alibi. Right now, I’m sitting on the couch watching you scream at your people to find you something to tie to Marianna. You’re really pissed.”

  He laughed. “I don’t scream, but I am pissed.”

  “Okay, then you’re tactfully lecturing them.”

  “That’s better.”

  He read the wind meter. “Today is a good day to kill a man. No sun, overcast, and no wind.”

  “Dimitri, shut up.”

  He laughed.

  “Let’s hope he heads to his room.”

  “Send him a prostitute. That’ll get him in there.”

  Greyson gave him a look as they were tucked down in the weeds. “When this is over, we’re getting you a girlfriend. You have hookers on the brain.”

  He laughed. “Maybe. We’ll talk.”

  Greyson stared down the barrel and into the scope. This is what Vegas had made of him. He was a Fed gone rogue. When this was over, he was turning in his badge. There was no way he could sit behind his desk, day after day, and know that he’d done this to another human being.

  Again.

  He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. Coming here had been to start a new chapter in his life, but it wasn’t going to be a long one.

  He was ending this chapter here, and they were getting out. If he was lucky, Emma would go with him.

  Where?

  He had no idea.

  This didn’t sit well with him.

  Captain Greyson Thaddeus Croft had been born to be a killer years ago for the red, white, and blue.

  Now he was doing it for red.

  For Blood.

  For family.

  For Revenge.

  It made all the difference.

  * * * Croft & Croft * * *

  Penthouse

  Hotel

  Dominic found Kenneth James packing up his desk.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m getting out of here, and I suggest you do the same. We need to lay low, Dom. This is bad.”

  He laughed. “They have nothing on me.”

  Kenneth hit the button for the news. On it, BNN was running a loop of Greyson Croft carrying his ME into the emergency room. His eyes were open.

  It said it all.

  “Son of a bitch!” he roared. “They told me he was dead. He’s alive?”

  Kenneth nodded. “I called the hospital. He’s in surgery.”

  The man began pacing.

  “Get on your jet and get out of the country. As soon as he speaks to Croft, there’s going to be a warrant for your arrest.”

  He knew he was right.

  “I have to get packed!”

  “Grab a bag and go!” Kenneth said, shoveling papers into his briefcase.

  Dominic Marianna raced into his bedroom and yanked a suitcase from his closet.

  “How will I find you?”

  Kenneth James headed into the room to finish the conversation. “I’ll be on the…”

  He didn't get to finish.

  There was the sound of glass breaking and then Dominic Marianna’s head exploded. Bits of brain, skull, and blood splattered all over the wall beside him.

  He didn’t need to worry about going to jail.

  He was dead.

  There was no doubt who did it too.

  Greyson Croft had ended the war with one shot. Slowly, Kenneth backed out of there.

  Well, this made it easier and harder at the same time. Now, no one would know he’d killed Deshawn Le Donne, Biagio Desante, Dayton Chester, and that skank Lucilla Rosetta.

  They crossed him.

  They stole from him.

  They threatened to rat him out.

  They tried to blackmail him.

  The truth would never come out. No one would know that Dominic Marianna was nothing more than a figurehead in Vegas. They all thought it was him, but it wasn’t. Lana Dumas, Trudy Booker, and he had made a pact. They had chosen to work on Greyson Croft, and he and Levi Hammond were to take down Dominic Marianna.

  Then they would share the spoils.

  As last man standing, he was the power. Unlike the others, he wasn’t going to stick around. He was going to bail. Greyson Croft had done the deed, setting him free. Now Dominic wouldn’t know that he was the one who had been siphoning all the money for all these years.

  That’s why others had to die. Dayton Chester figured it out in the books. He’d cut him into pieces all on his own.

  It was that or have Dominic find out the truth. He couldn’t let that happen.

  He now had all the money.

  Hitting the button on his phone, the rest of the man’s assets began electronically slipping away.

  He was rich.

  He was free.

  And no one could stop him now.

  “Thank you, Greyson Croft. Thank you for helping me escape.”

  * * * Croft & Croft * * *

  Terrace Glen

  Greyson’s phone began ringing.

  Crap!

  Natasha knew they had to answer it to keep up the ruse. So, she handed it to Curtis. “You’re a Croft. Play Greyson and make it believable.”

  They didn't understand why the woman had his phone, but Curtis played along.

  “Croft.”

  “Director Croft, do you remember me from the other day?” the voice asked.

  He hit speaker phone. “Refresh my memory.”

  “I’m the hooker you gave money to. You said to call you.”

  They all looked around.

  “Uh, for information, right?”

  Tessa punched him in the arm.

  “Yes. I told you that I couldn’t remember the name that Hillary said her boyfriend shouted, but now I do.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It was Kenny.”

  He made notes. “Thank you for that.”

  Meanwhile, Paris was grinning.

  “Can I get some more money?” she asked. “I need to see a doctor.”

  “Yeah, give me the address. I’ll mail it.”

  She gave him her number and name.

  Then he hung up.

  “So, as Biagio is being taken, he calls out Kenny? As in Kenneth?” asked Curtis.

  Tessa was grinning. “That was a good Greyson. It wouldn’t hold up to someone who knew him, but you puffed your chest out like he does.”

  Curtis laughed.

  “This all fits,” Paris said, pulling up papers on the screen. What if when the method of killing changed, the killer changed, and the mastermind behind it changed.”

  “What do you mean?” Curtis asked.

  Before he could tell him, the computer went nuts.

  “Shit! Someone is draining Marianna’s bank accounts. I put a hold on them and added a virus.”

  “For?” Tessa asked.

  “It’ll take me weeks to find the accounts in the Caymens. This cuts down the time. The virus will reveal the account numbers when the fake cash hits. It’s like a cloning…”

  He noticed they didn't care.

  “Anyway, we have the information in three, two, and one.”

  The account popped up, and so did the name under it.

  “Hello, Kenneth James. It looks like a rat is bailing ship, and he’s trying to take all the money with him.”

  It all made sense.

  “This account number has popped up on Dominic’s r
ecords for years. It was just a little at first, but then the amounts got bigger and bigger.”

  They looked.

  “The killings changed with Deshawn Le Donne. What if he was skimming and Kenneth found out? He had him taken care of for touching money he thought should be his. Kenneth couldn’t have two people skimming. That might throw up flags.”

  Tessa loved how her husband’s mind worked.

  “Maybe Biagio was too close to the man. We know that Kenneth James has been Marianna’s right hand man for years. He got rid of the competition.”

  “Yeah, and it’s not a coincidence that he yelled out Kenny. He was there.”

  “What if Dayton Chester found that there was money going out? Let’s face it. No one’s been able to stick anything to Marianna. What if Dayton’s secret meeting with the DA had everything to do with Kenneth James funneling funds?”

  “He’d be screwed if Marianna found out. He’d be killed.”

  Tessa grinned. “So, he had them killed, both the DA and the witness. He had access to the location.”

  “Actually, Lana Dumas did.”

  “Who was her partner?” Tessa asked.

  “Kenneth James, and we know how crooked she was,” Curtis admitted.

  “We also know that Lucilla worked for Marianna in one of his shows, and she lived in Kenneth James’s building for nothing. Want to speculate why?”

  “Lover?”

  “We can’t tell, but it fits. Steele told Emma that she had facial damage, and looked like she was beat up before she died.”

  “Angry abusive lover by any chance?”

  Natasha sat there listening.

  Watching cops in action was fun. The way they worked to catch a criminal was fascinating.

  She was glad they weren’t after them.

  God knew they had more sins than most.

  As they continued talking, another text came in to Nat’s personal phone. It was from an unregistered one.

  ‘Head back to hospital.’

  “I have to go. Stay in and keep working. I’ll tell the Crofts what you found as soon as I get there.”