Greyson knew that wasn’t legal in Vegas, but he didn’t say a word. Let the woman think it all she wanted. At this point, he was studying his potential enemy.
If she was taking over, she was in the game. If she was in the game, he had to be wary.
“I’m glad it worked out for you,” he stated. It was the nicest thing he could come up with in the moment.
She sipped her tea. “Would you care for some?” she asked, pointing at the pot.
“Oh, no, thank you. I appreciate it. I just came to tell you we’re sorry, and to talk to your bodyguards.”
“Oh, for what?” she asked.
Well, before they arrived there it was going to be about the gallery attack. Now it was going to be about Gina’s hand in Tony’s death.
Something was off.
“I’m sure you know that at the gallery Saturday night, my wife was attacked in the bathroom—as was my new daughter-in-law.”
She shook her head. “Tony was like that. No one told him what to do. I had no control over his brain or his dick. The man was a loose cannon. I’m not. If you want to talk to them, go ahead. I plan to run this empire on the straight and narrow, Mr. Croft. I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me.”
Oh, he doubted that.
In fact, he could smell snake, and she was wearing a sequined dress as she mourned her dead mob man.
“Thank you for that.”
He thought about the blonde hair found on Tony’s body. Gina was sporting a big puffy up do, but not a blonde hair was to be found. The only blondes he’d seen, as of late, were the strippers at the two clubs they’d been to, tracking Dalton Harding.
She didn’t fit.
Still, he wanted all the information. Greyson needed the whole picture.
“I won’t get in your way, Gina, as long as no one is trying to frame me.”
She blinked.
“Nice try, but I used to be a Fed. I can smell lies a mile away. I already know what Tony was up to, Gina. Really? Drugs stashed in my high-end furniture?”
She smiled. “Oops.”
That didn’t reassure him.
“Yeah, he was an idiot. I told him it was a bad idea, but Tony liked to be the boss. See where that got him? You weren’t the only mob guy he was tangling with in Vegas. I won’t make the same mistake. I learn from mine.”
Greyson stood and offered her his hand. When she reached with her left, he made a mental note.
Gina was a leftie. Her mob muffin was killed with a righty.
Shit.
“My men should be outside. Come back again, Greyson. If you ever want to join our businesses, and lose the woman, I’m available.”
Yeah, that was NEVER going to happen.
Not in this lifetime.
He and Dimitri headed outside, and the Russian was thinking the same exact thing he was.
It was clearly on his face.
They had a new suspect.
Gina wasn’t what she appeared. She was way too calm, and the fact that she’d played inconsolable with the police to avoid giving them an alibi was suspicious. There was no way she went from heartbroken to healed overnight.
It didn’t happen.
They were going to do some research on her, and fast. Greyson was willing to bet she had something to do with the man’s death. All they needed to do was prove she was there.
“She was something.”
Greyson agreed. “Yeah, but would she do the deed?”
“I’ve found women are horrible on the inside and more vicious than any male killer I’ve known.”
He’d mull it over. It was interview time.
Outside, the new bodyguard was leaning against Tony’s old ride. He stared at the two men as they approached.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“What’s your name, and where are the two other men who Tony used as his muscle?” Greyson asked.
He shrugged. “I’m Milo Clements.”
That was all he gave them.
Apparently, someone wasn’t talking. Greyson had to assume that after they screwed up their job, Tony had them handled.
It was ironic because he was ‘handled’ too.
If you played dirty, you generally got taken out that way in Las Vegas.
“Who was with Tony when he came home after the gallery thing?” Dimitri asked.
“He was on his own,” the man said.
That confirmed it. He had three thugs. The first two were the ones who tried to grab Katerina. Tony would be alone.
“And where were you?”
“I was on the missus. We stopped for some food. She gets the munchies.”
Yeah, Greyson bet she did. She was loopy, and he didn’t doubt she was shooting up on Tony’s merchandise.
He made a mental note that if she wasn’t involved in this case, to take her business down. He wasn’t letting a drug dealer into his city.
So much for the ‘if you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone’ pact. He was not tolerating it.
He may be the mob, but he wasn’t a pusher.
“So, what time did you get back here?” he asked.
“It was around twelve thirty. Miss Gina had her food, we ate at the burger joint, and then we headed here.”
They didn’t think he was lying.
“What happened when you got here?” he asked.
“I was on duty until the next guy showed, so I was sitting on the couch. I heard Gina screaming her guts out, and I ran upstairs.”
They listened.
“She was holding Tony. He was dead.”
“Did she say anything?”
“Yeah, she told me to call nine-one-one. I did, and that’s it.”
Greyson stared over at Dimitri.
There went their one lead.
Gina had an alibi, and she wasn’t a blonde. Their shot just looked like it fizzled out.
“Where are the two other men?” Dimitri asked.
The man laughed. “Their employment was terminated. I guess they are out looking for work in the desert.”
They both knew what that meant.
DEAD.
“Well, if they turn up, give me a call,” Greyson said, as Dimitri handed him his card.
The bodyguard laughed. “Sure, I will.”
That was all they had to hear.
Those men weren’t coming back.
And they could tell who took care of them. Tony had one dirty deed before he went to the fiery pit below.
And they say Karma doesn’t work fast.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Greyson was in his ride when he got the call. It was Paris, and he needed to talk. He knew he had some time before he had to meet Emma at ‘Aquarius’, so he figured he could do it.
After hanging up with Paris, he dialed Tessa’s number, hoping she’d found something.
Only, that wasn’t the case.
She hadn’t found much.
“All his files have to be in hardcopy, Greyson,” she said. “There’s nothing electronic out there. I’m using all the tricks Curtis taught me, and they aren’t coming up. I know I’m not doing it wrong. He left a damn manual.”
That made him laugh.
Of course Curtis did.
Croft had trained him.
“There’s nothing. I’m sorry.”
Greyson didn’t get why Dalton Harding was being so sneaky. Everyone used electronics now a days.
EVERYONE.
“He has a main office,” Tessa offered. “I called a few cop friends, and they confirmed what the detective had said. They’re waiting on the warrant.”
That was interesting. So, the detective had played it square. That gave him hope of getting someone on the inside.
“Who is his partner again?”
“Adrian Tracey.”
Greyson didn’t like that they didn’t have a direction. “I need you to run some people for me.”
“Who?” Tessa asked.
“Adrian Tracey, for starters.
Then toss in Gina Sorenson, and Milo Clements. We ran into them today, and they are off.”
“Like ‘I’m a killer’ off?” she asked.
“I think so. Also, get their pictures over to Emma. She should be hitting up Tiffany Harding right about now.”
“Sure thing, Grey.”
“Tessa, are you okay?”
There was a pause.
“No, but I will be. Thank you for paying for our IVF. We won’t be using a second round.”
“Tessa.”
“I can’t,” she said. “Please. I need to work to hold it together. If I talk about it, even with you, I’m going to start crying, and I won’t be of any use at that point. Maybe later.”
He got it.
“Okay, Tessa, but if you need a shoulder.”
She recalled all the times she wept on his when Paris was fighting to come back from his injury.
“Thank you, Grey. I’ll get this to you as soon as I can. I’ll find something. I promise.”
“Get me the office address. We might be heading there.”
She hung up.
“Wow, that was tense,” Dimitri stated.
“Yeah, it was. Can you dig up anything you can on Dalton’s partner, Adrian Tracey?” he asked. “I know Tessa is doing it, but I like to second check anyone’s work who is NOT on their game. I love her, but she’s scattered.”
“Are you meeting Paris alone or do you need me?”
“You can sit in the car. I think this is going to be about more than Sam.” His talk with Tessa pretty much confirmed it.
Dimitri understood. If he was Paris, he wouldn’t want an audience discussing his man parts. The mere idea was horrifying.
As they pulled up to the coffee shop, across from the hospital, they saw Paris sitting outside.
“I have your back,” Dimitri stated. “I can research and watch for our Fed friends.”
Greyson wasn’t worried.
He trusted his friend.
Heading over, Greyson pulled out a chair and ignored all the people staring at him. He was accustomed to being noticed wherever he went.
They were either saying ‘King’.
Or they were saying criminal.
It was a toss-up.
“Hey, how’s Sam?”
Paris leaned back in his wheelchair.
“Well, he’s got issues, but he’s going to be okay. I think that his biggest issue is that he’s afraid to be abandoned. I think that if everyone works on that, he’ll pull through.”
“Dimitri wants him.”
“We all do,” Paris said. “He’s a good kid. He’s smart, he’s funny, and he’s tough. He’ll bounce back. No need for a pony.”
Greyson laughed.
“Thank freaking God for that. Where the hell would I put one?” he asked.
It made Paris smile.
It didn’t reach his eyes.
Greyson knew there was something bothering him.
It was time.
“Okay, son, spill it. I know you didn’t call me here to talk about Sam.”
Paris got nervous.
“What is it?” Greyson asked.
“I’m afraid to even bring it up. I don’t know how to even say it.”
“I’ve found in times like that, you just have to come out and say it.”
Already, it worried Greyson.
Was Paris and Tessa leaving them? Had it gotten to be too much and they wanted out?
Could he blame them?
“We’re having baby issues.”
Greyson relaxed. He wanted to do whatever he could do to make them happy. They were family.
They mattered.
“What can I do to make it better?” he asked. “If it’s in my power, you know I’ll do it.”
Paris was struggling with this.
In fact, Greyson saw tears in his eyes.
“Hey, Paris,” he said, touching his shoulder. “Son, you can tell me.”
Paris went with it.
“Got any sperm lying around that you can let a man borrow to impregnate his wife?”
Greyson stared at him.
He had to have misheard him.
Did his friend just ask to borrow some swimmers to make a baby?
“Seriously?” he said, not sure what else to say.
How did you answer that?
Paris laughed sardonically.
“I wish I wasn’t.”
“Paris, you really want my sperm?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low. The last thing they needed was for this to get out. He’d be accused of implanting little Greyson Crofts all over the world to begin domination.
The media was jacked up.
Paris didn’t know what to say. He simply stared at Greyson Croft. If he couldn’t get Tessa pregnant, he was pretty sure his family was going to implode. This was the ONLY option he had.
He trusted the man before him.
“I just don’t have any family to ask. I’m an only child. I figured a lot of people get donors, so we could try that route.”
Greyson listened.
“I know this is awkward. I wouldn’t even be asking, but my sperm count is dropping. They can’t get a single viable sperm from me. I’m about as close to shooting blanks as a man can get.”
He hated seeing his friend suffer.
This had to be hard.
Greyson knew his wife was waiting to find out if they were pregnant.
“Can I give you an answer later?” he asked.
“What?” Paris said. “You’d actually consider it?”
Greyson had a choice to make. He was part of the reason why this man was in that chair. The killer was trying to make him pay, and Paris took the hit.
He’d promised to make the man’s life better if he could.
“If that’s what you need, and you really want me to donate, I need to talk to my wife.”
Greyson knew Emma wouldn’t stop him.
“She’s likely going to say yes.”
“But you’re trying to get pregnant,” Paris said.
“And we will, if it’s meant to be. If I were in your shoes, what would you do?”
He thought about it.
“After I laughed, and then we got shitfaced drunk, I’d probably go home, jack off in a cup, and give it to you.”
“While gross, that’s appreciated,” Greyson teased. “Let me talk to Emma.”
“I don’t want Tessa to know.”
He stared at the man. “Paris, if you show up with a cup full of swimmers, she’s going to figure it out—especially if your child, one day, has my eyes. Silver like this is peculiar. Tessa is smart.”
He didn’t care.
“Please. If you do this, we need to keep it between us. I know what I’m risking, but I also know what’s at stake.”
Greyson sighed.
“Okay, Paris.”
The man rolled over and hugged him.
They heard the clicks of cameras, and knew they were being watched.
“Thank you, Greyson. You truly are my brother. I’ll never forget this.”
Greyson got it.
Still…
Not telling Tessa.
That was a bomb waiting to go off.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
LVPD
Riley was at his desk when Heath Spencer came storming into the bullpen. He headed right for the captain’s office, where the commissioner was having his daily meeting with the man.
The second he entered, the captain closed the blinds.
He found that interesting.
Grabbing some papers, Riley headed toward the copier. He was going to do something to get this ball rolling. If Croft wanted info to help him clean up the LVPD, so be it.
He was going to help him.
At the copier, he listened to the men inside. Fortunately, the walls were thin.
“I want into Croft’s warehouse. It was right beside Tony Mays’s. I’m going to bet they were involved in drugs together,” stated the c
ommissioner. “I can’t look like I’m involved. He has recordings of me.”
“I’d love to nail his ass to the wall,” Heath said. “We can plant some drugs. That will get us a warrant.”
“I have a few judge friends who would love to take Croft down,” the commissioner stated.
Captain Thomas Christ laughed. “You two have a big old boner over this man. He’s nothing. If you want to break him, focus on his wife.”
Riley listened.
The commissioner was obviously thinking.
“Go with the drugs. Make some disappear from lockup,” stated the commissioner. “Plant them, Heath. I want Croft to go down. Once he does, we take down the Russian and the rest of the family.”
Riley grabbed his papers and got to his desk.
This was bad.
War was coming.
And the Crofts were about to get bombed…but good.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Monday Noon
Aquarius
W hen Emma got there, the woman she needed to question was helping some of the servers get the food out. So, Emma took a seat at the bar and waited. When Tiffany finally saw her, she smiled.
“Mrs. Croft!”
“Can we talk?” she asked. “I need a moment of your time for this case.”
She hesitated.
“I’m working…”
“Dimitri told me I could see you here,” Emma stated, moving from her seat. “We’ll talk in the back.”
That seemed to help her relax.
She headed to Dimitri’s private room. Since they were family, she was going to utilize his space.
Plus, she needed privacy.
Once inside, they both got comfortable.
“What do you need?” Tiffany asked.
“I wanted to update you on what we discovered regarding your husband’s death.”
Tears filled her eyes as she pushed her blonde hair back. “What? Was he cheating on me?” she asked.
Emma didn’t have an answer for that. In fact, she doubted it, but that wasn’t where she was taking this.
“Mrs. Harding, do you recognize these people?” she asked, pulling out her phone.
Tessa had sent her pictures of Tony Mays’s bodyguards, and Gina Sorenson.
“Maybe one of them was sneaking around your house?” Emma offered, hoping she’d recognize one.
Lost Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 2) Page 42