Katerina watched him pull two bottles of water out of the refrigerator. When he unscrewed the lid off them both, and handed her one, she smiled at him.
“So, do you like what you do?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“Yes, I do. It’s nice to be around my brother. When he went away to the military…” She stopped realizing what she just did.
“We already know that about him. Don’t worry. Greyson ran him.”
She laughed. “You won’t find anything on him.”
Curtis shrugged. “Yeah, we figured as much. You guys saved Emma, and that’s going to keep you off the Croft question list.”
She was glad.
This was an easy gig, and she liked being around this agent.
“Are they really adopting you?”
“Yes. I guess he’s doing the paperwork right now,” Curtis answered. “It’s not about the money,” he offered.
She tipped her head. “I don’t believe I said it was.”
“I just didn't want you, or anyone else, to think it was.”
Katerina moved closer. “I have lots of money, so I understand. People judge you.”
He swallowed.
“Why do you look so freaked out?” she asked, looking around.
How was he supposed to answer that? Everything about her scared him shitless. Brynn had put the fear of God into him. She’d damaged him.
Curtis wasn’t sure he was fixable.
“Is it me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“You’re beautiful, I’m very attracted to you, and my wife just died.”
It said it all.
Katerina placed her water on the counter before she moved toward him. When Curtis moved back against the counter, trapping himself, she wanted to laugh.
“I won’t bite.”
He didn't buy that for a second.
“I will tell you this, Curtis. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, so I won’t mess with you.”
He didn't know what she meant.
“When, and if, you’re ready, find me.”
With that, she went up on her toes to give him a soft kiss. Her body pressed against his. She didn't mean to make it more than a light peck on his lips, but he opened for her. She couldn’t help herself.
Katerina fell into it.
They melded together as if they were always meant to fit, and the ecstasy of the kiss exploded around them. Her hands found his curly hair, and his wrapped around her body, affixing her to his torso.
Neither came up for air. Their mouths, tongues, and lips led the way, and they didn't fight it.
Katerina didn't know how long they stayed kissing, but she needed to back away. She wanted him, but he was afraid, and she didn't want to start something out of fear.
She was patient.
She could wait.
When she was finally able to pull away, she stared into his blue eyes. “I mean it. Find me when you’re not afraid.”
With that, she moved away from him and left the room. He stared after her.
In all his life, he’d never felt that kissing someone. When he’d been with Brynn, he’d felt heat, but Katerina melted the memories from his brain.
He couldn’t think. Who was that woman?
Then he saw the bottle of water.
And he knew what he needed to do.
Grabbing a plastic storage bag, he resealed the bottle, and then dropped it inside. While no one was looking, he tucked it to the back of the linen closet in the kitchen.
Greyson wanted to know who they were, and while Dimitri was clean, he was willing to bet Katerina had a history.
A part of him didn't want to do it.
But Curtis knew the truth.
He had to protect his family, and his heart, despite what the woman made him feel.
The Crofts came first.
Even over what might heal his heart.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
Two Hours Later
They looked for him everywhere, but Lester Pappel wasn’t home, at the bar, or any of his local hangouts. The people they questioned kept giving them place after place to find him, but they were coming up with nothing.
It was frustrating.
Finally, they gave up. It was time to head home. On their way there, Captain Ford called, and they put him on speaker.
“You were right about Lewis Reynolds. The commissioner felt terrible that he was sleeping with a killer, so he threw all his weight at the paper. They pulled his emails, and we have the trace.”
“Trudy?” Greyson asked, driving them toward their home.
“Yep. She was sending him emails, but she was using her phone. She must have forgotten to turn off her Wi-Fi and ride someone else’s.”
“Great. That’s more proof that she was behind this,” Emma stated. “I want to tank that whole family’s reputation. The next time I hear Booker, it better be someone saying ‘book her’ instead.”
Ford laughed. “I hear ya there.”
“Where are you?” Greyson asked.
“I’m on my way back to the hood, why?”
“Head to our house.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not going to molest my wife in the living room, Chris,” Greyson teased. “It’s a big house.”
“Croft, don’t be an ass. I meant because of Emma, since she was just hurt yesterday.”
“I’m fine,” she stated. “I like having everyone there. Come over, and we’ll order pizza. Mace just put out a BOLO on our suspect Lester Pappel. We can’t do anything until we find him.”
“Is he the one?”
“I don’t know, but a man goes missing the day the cops come knocking? That sounds suspicious to me.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Ford said, hanging up the phone.
When Emma looked up, both men were staring at her. Greyson in the rearview mirror, and Dimitri as he turned around.
“What?”
“You like having people there?” Greyson asked.
“Okay! Fine! As long as that douchebag Marianna is running around, I like to keep our friends close. Paris and Tessa just boarded a plane. Mace is still at the FBI office, Steele and Dante are in route to our house, and Chris is on his way. All my ducks are in a row. I know where they are.”
Greyson smiled. “We need a bigger house.”
“Shut up! That’s the last thing we need. You already hired security. What’s next? A third world militia?”
Dimitri opened his mouth and raised his hand.
“Don’t,” Croft warned before tapping his badge. “Think before you incriminate yourself.”
He laughed. “I was only going to say that I like mushrooms on my pizza.”
Yeah, neither believed that.
At all.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
He took her.
It was dark enough that when he attacked her in the parking lot that no one would ever see him. That was the most important thing. He didn't want her dead.
No, she had to live.
It wasn’t until she was in the back of his vehicle, that he relaxed. As he stared down at her, he let his fingers run across her body.
She had this coming.
There would be no doubt that when he took her and strung her up, she would deserve it.
“I hope you’re ready for me,” he said, punching her in the face. It was only a moan that escaped.
“Let’s get this show on the road.”
It was time to take care of her.
In his vehicle, he headed for the only other place he felt welcome and comforted.
He headed for the trees.
The supplies sat beside him, and all he needed was a few minutes alone with her.
To make her pay.
* * * Croft & Croft * * *
Terrace Glen
When they arrived back at the house, the media was nowhere to be found. Either Lewis Reynolds was in a s
hit load of trouble, or they were running scared after Dimitri’s little show.
In a way, Greyson hoped it was both.
Once inside the house, there was a feeling of safety. Now Greyson could take a deep breath and know his family was safe.
Speaking of which…
Before he could even get to the living room, Curtis met him in the foyer.
“Can I see you a second? I need to talk.”
Immediately, he searched Curtis’s face for any signs of what was bothering him. He did look a little torn, and that concerned him.
“Sure, Curtis. I always have time for you.”
He led Croft into the kitchen where he stashed the bottle. Pulling it out, he handed to his boss, and a man he called brother.
“What’s this?”
He lowered his voice. “It’s Katerina’s water bottle. You wanted to know who they were, that should help.”
Greyson stared at it. He knew how careful Dimitri was when it came to leaving his DNA around. The man was OCD about it.
“How did you…”
“She kissed me and forgot about it.”
“Curtis, if she finds out.”
He was well aware. “Family first.” It was all he said.
Greyson tucked it into his bag and patted him on the shoulder. “Are you going to be okay with me doing this?”
He nodded.
It was a total lie, and they both knew it. Curtis felt like he was betraying her. “Their father was in the KGB. From what Katerina told me, he was violent and used pain as a motivator.”
Well, that explained a lot.
“She’s pretty badly scarred up. Her back is a mess, and I’m sure you’ll find some medical records if you dig hard enough.”
Croft thought about it. “Thanks, Curtis. You didn't have to do this.”
“Yes, I did. You’re going to be my dad. I have allegiance to our family over my dick.”
That said a lot. It was obvious how the man felt about the woman. He was definitely torn.
“We’re ordering pizza.”
“She told me to find her when I was ready,” he blurted.
Greyson didn't bat an eyelash. He heard it in Curtis’s voice. “Okay, and that’s why you look like you’re about to run screaming from the room? Or is there something else?”
“Brynn just died, and…”
Greyson lifted a brow.
“She’s working for her brother and he’s likely a killer, Grey. I’m a Fed. I can’t get involved with a woman who breaks into things for a living.”
“Very true.”
“What the hell do I do?”
“Find her when you’re ready.”
He stared at him. “Really? That’s the best you can do? I mean, you can’t impart any wisdom on me?”
He laughed. “Nope.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because we had this conversation once, didn't we? I do believe I told you to stop thinking with your dick, and follow your heart. You ended up sleeping with a serial killer, marrying a woman on a drunken booze bend, and now want me to tell you what to do. I can’t. The advice is the same. Follow your heart. Your gut will, or should, save your ass.”
He stared at him.
“What does your gut say?”
“That I’m not ready but I will be one day.”
He patted him on the shoulder. “Then there’s your answer. I’d keep asking it, and when you just know you’re done mourning, and beating yourself up for screwing up, you’ll make your move.”
“I hate you.”
“Funny, Chris Ford just told me that. I used to be so damn loveable. I must be losing my edge.”
Curtis ran his hands through his hair. “I’m screwed.”
Greyson pulled him toward him and wrapped his arms around the young man in a hug. He held him for a few minutes, much like his own father would when he was confused, scared, or worried.
Immediately, Curtis calmed down.
“Thanks, Grey.”
“I think I like dad better. It gives me more power.”
Curtis snorted. “Yeah, like we need to feed into that huge black hole of an ego.”
He smacked him on the back of the head. “Mind your manners, or I’m taking away your car.”
“Thanks. I love you.”
Greyson heard the steading calm in his voice. “I love you too. Now…pizza?”
“Yeah, I’m starving.”
That was more like it.
When they headed in, everyone was working. Steele and Dante had arrived, and so had Chris Ford. They were swapping files as Katerina and her brother sat at a desk across the room working on their own business.
Emma was opening her file, when she saw what Steele had brought from the lab.
“You got a hit on the semen?”
He nodded. “It’s not linked to anyone in the system, but it did pop on a case from twelve years ago. At least that gives us a point to start at.”
Damn right it did!
Curtis sat down and grabbed his tablet. “Who was the victim?”
Emma read off the name.
It wasn’t on his list.
“She had her heart carved out too,” stated Emma. For some reason, that made her think about something their security guy said earlier. Emma glanced over at Dimitri as she replayed his words in her head.
The flip book.
The killer wasn’t escalating. He was simply playing out the story in pieces. The next victim would be losing her heart.
That would be the last page.
“Dimitri was right,” she said, garnering everyone’s attention. “He was spot on.”
“About?” Greyson asked, his eyes never leaving the man behind his wife at the desk.
“Listen to the crime scene,” she stated. “The victim, Cheryl Saunders was seventeen years old, brown hair and blue eyes. She was from a small town in Kansas.”
They all made notes.
“She was strangled, a pillowcase was placed over her battered face, and she was raped. As a final insult, the killer took her heart. When he was done, he hung her up in a tree in the middle of a suburban neighborhood.”
They all looked around.
“Well, that sounds familiar,” Croft stated.
“He’s going to carve the last one up,” Mace said. “This is like the flip book. He’s been working it out in steps.”
“Any suspects?” Greyson asked.
Emma dug through the printouts that Steele had made. He’d had the foresight to print out the online information.
“Yeah, here’s a list. It looks like they were looking at the father for a little while. He’d be in his sixties now.”
Greyson shook his head. “Paris said late twenties to thirties. I stand by his assessment. He’s nailed every detail in his profiles. I say we go with that.”
She did too.
“The basketball coach. He was a little too friendly with his girls, but later he was cleared. They didn't have any evidence that tied him to her death.”
Emma scanned the paper and her hand paused. When she looked up, she stared at her husband.
“What?” he asked.
Emma was processing something. He could see it on her face.
“Remember the interview at the gym--the one where we split up?”
“Yes. I was talking to James Bleu, and you went out to talk to Laura Mills.”
“Well, she was getting a ride home.”
“With?” Mace asked.
“Her husband. They were driving a Mercedes,” she read off the details and Curtis began typing with lightning fast fingers.
Dimitri and Katerina watched them in fascination. So, this was how the police worked from the legal side of the law. There was something new to learn every day.
“The husband’s name is Henry Mills. He’s thirty, and he works from home,” she said, reviewing the interview in her head.
“Okay, and how is that pertinent?” Greyson asked. He wasn’t seeing the connection.
/>
Steele pulled the police report. On it, there’s also a Henry Mills who was interviewed.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Not this far into the game.
“Holy shit,” muttered Steele. “You found him.”
Emma knew they had to be sure. “Fibers. There were carpet ones, right?” she asked Steele.
“Yes, it’s in the report I brought.”
Croft opened the folder. “We have gray fibers found on the victims. They match a recent model Mercedes.”
They looked around.
It couldn’t be a mistake.
“He admitted to sitting in that gym waiting for his wife at the juice bar,” she stated. “He pointed me at Liam right from the start. He was trying to get me to focus on someone IN the gym--not a bystander.”
Greyson started calling in a BOLO.
They had a person of interest, but Emma already knew he was the one.
“We need to find him,” Emma stated.
Greyson had an idea. “Call him. You spoke to them once. Tell them you want to talk to him about what he might have seen sitting in the parking lot. We can make him think he’s going to help us. If he is the killer, he’ll love this. He’ll feel like he’s involved and getting some inside information.”
Dimitri shook his head. “So, this is how the mind of a cop works.”
Greyson glanced over. “Yeah, hopefully, you’re never on the other end of this team’s investigation.”
He laughed. “I pray not. You are scary.”
Croft wasn’t sure if that was a challenge or sarcasm. He still didn't know enough about the man to make up his mind.
Emma pulled out her phone and the gym membership list. When she found Laura’s number, she made the call. When the woman picked up on the third ring, Emma laid the plan in motion.
“Oh, he’s not here, Detective. My husband had a busy day. He picked up some baked goods, and waited for me at the gym. Now he’s out running some errands.”
“Yes, he has been busy,” she stated. “Can you have him call me when he gets back? We really want to pick his brain. Maybe he saw something and isn't aware of it.”
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