“I don’t have any plans. I think I’ll download a book and have a glass of wine tonight,” she answered, packing up her things. “What about you?”
He shrugged. “I have no clue. I’m not used to having a whole night to myself.”
“Want to go out and grab dinner?”
“No!”
Tessa started laughing. “Okay, then Paris. Merry Christmas. I’ll see you in two days.” She walked up to him and dropped a chaste kiss to his cheek. Even the muscles in his face were rock hard.
“You too, Tessa,” he replied, fighting so hard to not turn his face and kiss her the way he wanted. This was exactly what he feared would happen. That smooch they shared last night was making his life damn difficult.
Apparently, it wasn’t bothering her at all.
When she was gone, he finally released the breath he was holding. Suddenly, there was a change of plans. He was going home to drink a few beers and take a really long cold shower.
Maybe then, he could stop thinking about running his hands all over his partner’s body and doing really explicit things with her in bed.
Yeah, he knew that wasn’t happening.
Damn it!
* * *
When they arrived back at the condominium, Emma wasn’t really sure what was going on. None of it made any sense to her. He said there was a surprise, but how could it be back at their place?
Once in the second elevator, he slipped off his tie. “Let me blindfold you.”
She started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” he asked grinning.
“Is my surprise sex?”
Croft stared at her. “No, why?”
Emma pointed at the tie. “You told me it would make me forget about what had me upset. It was all about me, and now you want to blindfold me after leaving a house full of bondage stuff.”
He started laughing, because he understood exactly why she was heading down that route. “I know what it looks like, but you’re not even close.”
Emma turned around, so he could cover her eyes.
When he whispered in her ear, she shivered. “Would you let me tie you up, Emma my sweet?”
She giggled even as her blood heated up. “Absolutely, Grey.”
Now, his blood pressure shot up. He was forced to stop thinking about it. “I’ll lead you to the door.”
Emma trusted him completely. She could hear the door click open and Curtis laughing. Apparently, he was in on it too. Leading her into the living room, her hand found the wall in the hallway.
They were going to the spare bedroom.
“Okay, are you ready, Em?” he asked excitedly.
She nodded. When the blindfold was pulled off, there stood three strangers. Emma wasn’t quite sure where he was going with it. When she looked over at him, he explained.
“You were worried about the bruises, and them showing under your dress so much, that I had an idea. I spoke to Randall, and he sent over his makeup artist. She’s used to creating an illusion, and she’s going to fix you up.
Emma didn't know what to say.
The woman walked over to Emma, shaking her hand. “I’m Lisa and we’re going to make them disappear with the magic of Vegas.”
Emma simply nodded, as she was overwhelmed that her husband would even think to do this for her.
The other woman introduced herself. “I’m here to do your hair and make it spectacular.”
Emma shook her hand, still overwhelmed.
The last woman didn't look like she worked for a Vegas show.
“I’m here to give you a massage, because you had a rough week and need to relax.”
The tears started. Emma turned to her husband, so very much in love. She ran to him, jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. “I love you, Grey!”
He accepted the kisses and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “The next few hours are all about you, so stop thinking about work and stress. I want to give you this to make you feel good.”
Emma was the luckiest woman ever. “I’m blessed to have you as my husband,” she whispered in his ear.
“I’m the lucky one, Emma,” he replied, gently placing her on her feet. “I’m out in our living room working, if you need me.”
When the door closed, she turned around and giggled excitedly. “I can’t wait!”
“Are you ready, Mrs. Croft?”
“Call me Emma, and let’s get our girly on!”
Croft found his way back to his partner, who was smiling. When he sat down, he could feel eyes still on him. “What?”
“You’re going to get lucky a few times tonight,” he stated, laughing.
“She’s had a bad week. Emma needs this, plus I want her to feel beautiful when she’s at the party tonight. The person who did this made her feel unattractive, and I’m giving back her power over them by leveling the playing field.”
“I don’t get that. Emma’s gorgeous even with a bruise.”
Croft didn't either. “It’s got to be a woman thing. Now, she’ll feel beautiful, and we can focus on why we’re there. I need to find the person who bribed the last director and is after me.”
“You’ll do it. Eventually all criminals screw up. There’s no such thing as the perfect crime.”
He told him all about their ‘nice’ victim and what they found at her house. “She’s having an affair with her boss.”
“And?”
“He’s married, lives in the suburbs, and has kids,” Croft added.
“Oh, that’s not good.”
He started laughing. “We’re going to interview him again, but before we can, I need to know more about him. So, do your magic thing and get me his financials and everything there is to know about him.”
Briggs began the search on Harvey Lee. “While you were out, I wrapped up the other searches. You want to hear them or wait until we’re all together in a group?”
Glancing down at his watch, they had some time before he needed to start getting ready. “Give me the basics.”
“I found a drug history in Bill Turner’s background check. It appears he was busted for possession and pimping. He was an addict, and his drug of choice, that the cops caught him with, was Meth.”
“And now he works at a Methadone clinic where two women who were murdered, also got their meds from?”
“Yeah, sounds a little sketchy, huh?”
Croft had to agree. “What else did you find?”
“We haven’t gotten any hits on the BOLO for Kristopher Karson, but I do have some details.”
He wanted to hear them. “Shoot.”
“The man has a couple hundred bucks to his name, but hasn’t touched it for two weeks. I traced his financials back, and there’s not even a computer check on his account balance. The man’s just gone.”
“Okay, and?”
“Want to guess what color car he drives?”
“Is it white?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “But, here’s a detail you might find interesting. It’s a Toyota, not a Honda.”
“But the ME said it was definitely carpet fibers from a newer Honda.”
Briggs agreed. “Here’s more. Karson didn't own a new car. His was over ten years old. Most trunk releases didn't get installed until years after his vehicle was made.”
“So, he probably didn't take Emma.”
“I mean,” he paused, lowering his voice, “he could have stolen one, but I think I have something else. Want it?”
“Hell yeah I do!”
“All the pictures in his place were photographs. You can just tell that he took them of the subjects unwillingly.”
“Thus the stalking.”
Briggs continued, “Now take a look at this picture and tell me what’s wrong with it.” He pulled up the one of Emma’s pictures on his desk.
It took Greyson a few moments, but he figured it out. “They’re newspaper clippings.”
“Not one single photo of Emma, and not to freak you out, but sh
e’d be easy to stalk. She spends most of her day outside the office in the street. Now here, there’d be no such luck.”
“So he wasn’t stalking her.”
“I think this was set up to make us believe he was doing it. Then they could make the trail cold and get us off the track of the real person.”
“How is Kristopher Karson related to all this though?”
Briggs shook his head. “I need time. I’ll get it, but you need to let me work on it a couple more days.”
“You have time. Since we know he’s not related to the killing, we can pretend he is in case the abductor is watching us.”
“Where is Karson though?”
Croft thought about it. “Maybe he’s been paid to disappear. With enough money, it’s a possibility.”
“Vegas is one hell of a wild town,” Briggs stated.
Leaning back in his chair he thought about it. They had a minister who protested the clinic and one of the women who went there had a flier for his church. He also had a history of selling and gang violence until he turned it all around. There was a stalker who had followed one of the women who turned up dead, and now he’s being tied to Emma’s abduction.
Briggs tablet beeped. “The search is back on Harvey Lee. He’s got nothing in his criminal past. He’s worked for the school for ten years and he and his wife are relatively clean. No arrests.”
“Damn it,” muttered Croft. “I don’t know what’s worse. Not having anyone to look at or having them all at once.”
“Financials aren’t back yet. They take a couple of hours.”
“Okay, well email me the information when they arrive.”
Briggs went back to work and noticed that the room got quiet. When he looked up, his partner was staring off into space and lost in thought. Again, the weight of the entire assignment was crushing him.
If he could give his boss one Christmas wish, it would be that he could let it all go to enjoy the evening with his wife.
Brynn Westmore stared down at her phone on the counter. She really wanted to send him a text. Even though she was working tonight, she had a few hours to burn and wanted to talk to him again.
How they ended it didn't sit well with her, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe, it was because she’d pissed him off and obviously hurt him, or because he refused to fight with her over it all.
He simply walked away.
Brynn would have preferred him to yell and scream at her or to fight and make it worse. Then, she could hate him.
But she didn't hate him.
Not at all.
It was bad when she found his cologne sitting on her dresser, forgotten in his hasty packing. Now, it was beside the bed, used to just remember him.
She didn't think it would hurt this much if they broke up.
But it did.
Maybe she had been wrong. Brynn was now faced with a bigger problem. How did she fix it?
Okay, she took a deep breath and took the chance. Maybe if she reached out to him, he was feeling the same thing and would meet her half way.
They weren’t bad together. Brynn just needed space.
Be careful what you ask for, because it will likely suck.
Sending him a text, Brynn carefully picked her words, hoping he’d give her a second chance.
Hitting send, she sat back and waited for the phone to beep with its reply.
When there was none, she nervously began to pace and wonder if she had just made a huge mistake by sending the message. Maybe he never wanted to see her again.
Could she blame him? He’d said the ‘L’ word, and men didn't take that lightly.
Suddenly, there was a beep.
Brynn grabbed it and read the incoming message. It made her sick to her stomach. Dropping the phone on her bed, she fell back beside it.
Yeah, it was over.
Brynn could only do one thing.
Instead of moving on, she would cry.
When Croft went to get dressed, Curtis continued to work. Once they were gone, he had some things to take care of for the night.
At the cell phone tone, he already knew who it was from. When he said he was going to delete her number last night he tried, but couldn’t pull it off. Something wouldn’t let him do it just yet. There was that last hold she had on him, and he wasn’t quite ready to cut it just yet.
He needed time to build up to it.
Picking it up, he read the message, asking if he wanted to meet for a coffee before she had to work.
Yes, he did, but he wouldn’t. He refused to get on and off this ride over and over to punish himself. If Brynn wanted to be with him, she’d make the choice. He knew how he felt and a discussion over coffee wouldn’t fix it.
There was only one answer he could give.
It was four simple words.
‘Sorry, but I’m unavailable.’
Chapter Ten
Saturday
Early Evening
The past four hours had been some of the best ones in her life. It started with the masseuse rubbing all the knots free from her body. The woman was so good that she didn't even hurt the sore spots. At first when the stranger told her to strip down, Emma was nervous, but she did it anyway. The makeup artist needed to see what was going to show when she put on her dress.
All three women were really nice. They poured her champagne and kept talking to her like she was one of the girls. Emma was so glad she had this experience.
While the one woman rubbed her achy body, the hair stylist clipped in hair extensions, doubling the length. She showed Emma how to brush through, and told her to call when she wanted them out. She’d come remove them or put more in.
It was weird having hair this long. As she stood there in a tiny bra and panties while the woman covered her bruises, she began to think about her husband.
He was the sweetest man in the world. She probably didn't deserve him, but she was grateful he was all hers. There weren’t a lot of men who would think to do something like this.
“You’re going to blow his mind away when he sees you in that dress. Plus, everything came out amazing,” stated Lisa as she walked around her to check out her masterpiece.
“God, I hope so.”
The women all giggled at the desperation in her voice. Lisa couldn’t help herself and said what she was thinking, “Your husband is pretty hot. You better hold onto him,” she added, winking.
“Trust me, I’m trying. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
The woman heard the tone of her voice. “Hey, any man who arranges this to cover a few bruises must be head over heels in love. You caught yourself a gentleman!”
The masseuse agreed, “Please, my husband would have told me walk it off.”
Emma laughed at that. “I’m very lucky.”
“Mr. Mason said to give you the star treatment, and when he called us all in, I really thought this was going to suck,” Lisa admitted.
Emma looked surprised. “Why?”
The woman shrugged. “You know how famous people are- rich, snobby and bitches. They barely see us unless they need to be fixed, but Mr. Mason was right. You’re a really sweet person.”
Emma smiled. “Thank you, but I have news for you. I’m a homicide detective. I wade through things no one should see. I don’t get the luxury to be snobby.”
Lisa smiled at her. “Stay that way. You’re a really genuine person.”
It touched her that a stranger would say that about her. “Thank you.”
The woman put on the finishing touches. “Let’s get you into that dress and on your way to the party.”
“I can’t wait to see what I look like in it,” Emma admitted, letting them slip it over her head. She sucked in a breath and waited to be zipped up.
“You look gorgeous.”
Emma turned to look in the mirror and couldn’t help but stare openmouthed. “Wow, you guys are good at what you do.”
They all exchanged high fives. “You look like you but only sexified,
” Lisa admitted. “If I were you, I would keep the extensions and grow out your real hair.
After seeing the end product, she just might.
“Thank you for doing this for me on Christmas Eve,” Emma gushed. “It means everything to me.”
The women all hugged her. “You go be Cinderella and don’t worry about being home by midnight. That makeup won’t come off without soap and water,” she added, laughing.
Emma watched them leave and closed the door behind them. There was just one alteration she needed to make before they left. When she accomplished her task, she found herself grinning in the mirror. Oh, she was going to torment her husband unmercifully tonight.
Before long, there was a knock.
“It’s Curtis, are you naked?” he inquired snickering.
“No, and if Grey hears you, you’ll be dead,” she said, checking a curl. When she turned, he was staring at her openmouthed.
“Emma, I don’t even know where to start. You look amazing. You’re going to kill the big guy when he finally sees you.”
She turned in a circle showing off the low dip on the back of the dress. “Do you think Grey will like it?”
He started laughing. “I almost want to see his face, but I know he’s probably going to make out with you. I’ve seen enough of that, so I’ll stay in here where it’s safe.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Why are you in here anyway?”
He forgot about the box in his hand. “The big guy has a present for you,” he said, handing her the two boxes. “I’m supposed to help.”
She opened the first one and found a vintage cocktail ring. It was shaped like a blossoming flower in all sparkling white crystals. “He has really amazing taste.”
Briggs had to agree. Look at the woman he picked.
In the next box, Emma found a new necklace. Pulling it out, she held it in her hand. It was an encrusted letter ‘C’ swinging from a platinum chain.
“Hey, now everyone will know who you belong to, in case the growling, large, angry man hovering over you doesn’t give it away.”
Emma laughed. “Grey’s not that bad.”
Christmas is Killing (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 3) Page 24
