He could hear it in her voice.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said. What wouldn’t he do for Emma—now especially.
He hung up.
“Leaving?” she asked. “So soon? I don’t feel used or cheap,” Marissa stated.
Dimitri pulled on his shoes and continued to get dressed. He heard it in her voice, but this was a no brainer. He had to be with the people who loved him.
“Yes, I’m sorry, but I have to go. My family needs me.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I could use…”
He cut her off.
“I said I can’t. Stay in. I’ll check on you later,” he said, grabbing his ruined shirt. He had spare clothes in the car. He’d pull on a fresh one there.
Marissa watched as he forgot she was even there.
“Okay.”
He rushed out of the room, leaving Marissa naked in bed. She was trying not to feel hurt, but he’d just raced out of there like there was something more important.
Marissa laid back in a bed that smelled like Dimitri and sex. “Well, so much for having his attention,” she said, closing her eyes.
Now she would have to battle the demons.
Alone.
Again.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
When Thomas Christ got the call, he was working in his office. He’d recently spoken to the commissioner, so he wasn’t sure what this was all about.
For some reason, the man needed to see him, and urgently. That made him a little off balance.
He hoped nothing else had gone wrong.
Heading out, Christ arrived at the courthouse to go to the commissioner’s office for their impromptu meeting.
He grabbed a coffee and headed in.
Upstairs, he found no one, and didn’t know what was going on. The man’s secretary wasn’t there, and the whole place was empty.
It was deserted.
Yeah, something bad was happening. He could feel it.
Knocking on the door, Jeffrey Raye smiled and welcomed him into his office. He even headed toward the door to greet him.
“Lock the door, son, we have to talk.”
Thomas Christ did just that.
Commissioner Raye knew he had very little time. He’d told his secretary to call the detectives ten minutes after the man arrived, and then he had her wait outside the office to be safe.
The commissioner needed to work fast.
Thomas sat and sipped his coffee like nothing was happening.
“What’s this about?” he asked. “I was busy with today’s reports.”
“It’s about you killing Detective Lester.”
He lifted a brow in curiosity.
“What about it?”
“You left evidence behind.”
“I know. I dropped gum to frame the detective. I wanted him to go down. He’s a snake and pain in my ass.”
The man sighed.
He also turned off the recorder in his breast pocket.
“That’s all I needed.”
Thomas Christ looked confused.
“What’s going on here?”
“Your one shot to the detective didn’t kill him immediately, you asshole. You screwed it up. He lived for thirty more seconds, and guess what he did?” he asked angrily.
“What?”
Now he was getting that sick feeling.
“He managed to type out a text message to his partner. He told him you killed him. The investigating detectives found the phone, and they called me.”
He was shocked.
“WHAT?” he blurted, standing up.
Jeffrey Raye turned on his recorder that he’d left in his lap.
“Son, I need you to give me your gun. You’re under arrest for the murder of Detective Lucas.”
Thomas stood and backed up. His gut was screaming, and something was about to go down. His fight or flight was kicking in, and he wanted out of there.
That’s when it happened.
“Son, don’t pull your gun! Stop! Don’t!” Commissioner Raye shouted.
Then he pulled the trigger.
The shot hit the man right in the forehead.
He stopped the recorder, and he raced around the desk. Placing Thomas Christ’s gun in his limp hand, he made sure his finger was on the trigger.
Then he turned on the recorder and then shot the man’s gun into the ceiling.
“SOMEONE CALL FOR BACKUP!” he shouted. “He tried to kill me!”
He could hear people coming.
The two detectives were heading his way.
Outside the office, he ran toward them in panic.
“Jesus! I told him he was under arrest, and he pulled his gun. He was going to kill me! I shot him and his shot hit the ceiling!”
Detective Wayne couldn’t believe this. This was exactly what they didn’t want to go down.
“I was recording it,” he said, handing her the recorder with his shanking hand. It was still going.
She stopped it, and took him somewhere away from his office.
“Hunter, call in the techs,” she said over her shoulder.
Her partner did just that.
Poppy sat him down, she pushed rewind, and then play.
As she listened to the recording, it all fit. The commissioner had done his job.
“Sir.”
His hand was shaking. “I’ve never had to…I didn’t think…” he looked pale.
“Have a seat, sir. Do you need a medic?” she asked.
“Water. I feel faint. All that blood. How do you homicide cops do it?”
She got him water.
He gulped it down, sloshing it everywhere.
“It’s okay, sir. It was smart to record it. You made our jobs easier. We won’t need to investigate and question you. I’m glad you weren’t killed.”
“Go take care of that man. He was insane, but he was still a cop. I’ll be okay. I’m fine,” he said, patting her hand.
“Okay, sir.”
She headed into the office, and he smiled into his water cup.
One more mess handled.
It looked like things were looking up.
Goodbye, Thomas Christ.
He was more trouble than he was worth.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Curtis was in and out of consciousness.
He could hear the men around him as they hooked him up to IVs, and as they kept shouting out his vitals.
He could feel the life leaching away as it was so damn hard to breathe.
Grabbing the one EMT by the hand, he pulled him closer. He needed to say one thing.
“Mr. Croft, what do you need?” he asked.
Curtis stared into his eyes. “I need to see my child born. I can’t go yet.”
He patted his hand.
“The wound is through and through. It’s your right shoulder, and you’re going to live. You just need to hang in there until we can get you to the hospital. You’re going to need surgery to stop the bleeding.”
“Tell my wife seventy-five. She’ll get it.”
He nodded. “Sure thing, sir. Hang in there. We’ve slowed the bleeding, and you’ll be fine.”
Curtis stared at the ceiling of the ambulance, and he wasn’t angry.
He got it.
The war was coming, and this, unfortunately, was only the beginning.
It was far from over. This wouldn’t go unpunished.
Greyson would make sure of it.
Chapter Nineteen
Las Vegas
Hospital
A ll the way there, Dimitri was sick to his stomach. He was so scared for his family, and he didn’t know what to do. His own flesh and blood had wounded Emma and Greyson’s heir as he got caught in the crossfire. How was he going to face them? Why wouldn’t they kick him, and his sisters out of their lives?
He would.
If someone had hurt his family, he would be furious and shove the offensive party away. Actions had r
epercussions, or at least that was what he had believed.
So, he knew what was coming, and he feared it.
As of late, they were the only people who had ever cared about any of them. His allegiance was with them, but now…
God!
Curtis was his brother-in-law, and he felt horrible that something from their past had hurt him.
As he raced into the hospital, he was directed to a waiting area that the family was using to wait for news.
When he ran in, everyone was there.
Kat was sitting in a chair, and Greyson had his arm around her, holding her. Emma was crouched in front of the woman, trying to calm her down.
When he walked in, they all looked over at him.
Kat rushed toward him, Natasha right behind her. It was clear they were all thinking the same thing.
What was next?
“It was meant for me,” Kat whispered, as Dimitri held her. “He was trying to kill me and Curtis saved me.”
He tried to soothe both of his sisters as best he could in the situation. They all knew it was bad.
“It’s okay. We will be okay. If this goes South, you have me. You will always have me, and I will always love you.”
Both girls wept as they understood the ramifications of what had gone down. They were technically security, and they’d failed. Natasha was supposed to have their back, but she’d missed seeing anything as she followed them around.
Kat felt horrible too. She’d been so wrapped up in her pregnancy and the Lamaze class, she hadn’t seen anything either. Dimitri always told them to be alert.
She’d failed.
Greyson headed his way, and he watched him with wary eyes.
“How is he?” Dimitri asked.
“He’ll be okay. Curtis is tough.”
Greyson took Natasha from him and held her to help Dimitri calm them down.
“Detective Riley and a few cops went to check the area where Curtis saw the flash. He went up there, and he found this.”
Greyson pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and it wasn’t lost on him that there was no evidence bag.
That meant one thing.
The police wouldn’t be handling this. Instead, this was going to be a personal matter, dealt with by them.
Dimitri, with hesitation, opened the note.
‘Brother, we finally meet. Years ago, you killed my father. He mattered to me and my mother. Because of that, you will suffer that same fear. Today, I missed our sister. Tomorrow, I won’t. Kiss her and that baby goodbye.’
The fury rushed through him as all he wanted was to find that man and destroy him. No one was taking Katerina from them.
No one.
As he finished reading the message, Dimitri crumbled the note in his hand.
Greyson was watching him, and he knew it was going to be bad. Dimitri was a man on the edge, and this might have just been the catalyst to push him over.
“I will handle him.”
Emma heard his vow, and she headed his way. As she stood in front of him, she pointed.
“Greyson, take the girls. I need to talk to Mr. Gideon about the situation.”
“Emma.”
She glanced over at her husband. “I need you to watch the girls for a few minutes. Dimitri and I need to have a conversation—in private.”
The tone in her voice said it all.
Greyson, normally the bossy one, let it slide. Emma was holding it together, and that’s all that mattered.
“Follow me,” she said.
Both girls watched as their brother headed away, following behind Emma.
They began talking in Russian, and Greyson didn’t doubt they were scared they were going to be asked to leave the family.
It was silly.
“Shhh, Katerina and Natasha, you’re safe,” he offered, with one girl tucked beneath each arm. “Let’s wait.”
What choice did they have?
Their lives, especially Katerina’s, hung in the balance.
All they could do was wait.
And pray.
Emma headed toward the little chapel attached to the waiting room, and Dimitri followed her inside. Once there, he didn’t give her a chance to say anything.
Why should he?
He knew what was coming.
“I will take my sisters, and we will get as far from you as possible. Your family suffered because of something I did in my past. I understand, and I will go.”
She spun around, and she was furious.
“Just like that? You’ll tuck your fucking tail between your legs and leave us?” she asked.
He was so shocked he actually took a step back.
He’d never seen her this angry at him. Emma was three days past pissed.
“What choice do I have? He’s our brother. My blood nearly killed Curtis.”
She stopped him.
While she wasn’t surprised, she was irritated.
“You know what, Dimitri, you probably should go. It’s fine. Why worry about your family or the people who love you? Forget us. It’s easier that way. You can run, and you don’t have to look back to see what you’re leaving behind. I’ll find him, and Greyson will handle him. Just don’t let him know you’ve bailed. It’ll make our jobs harder. You know, the job of cleaning up the mess.”
“Why would you care?” he asked, getting just as angry. “He hurt Curtis. That’s on me. We are your damn security team, and we’re a mess. My one sister married into the family, and she is pregnant. The other one is so besotted, she didn’t catch this, and then there’s me. I should have suspected! I should have known!”
Yeah, he should have been there instead of off having sex with Marissa.
Emma got it, but life wasn’t always so cut and dry.
Things happened, and this was one of those cases. They could worry about the what ifs, or they could focus on the what is to come.
She chose the latter.
Emma moved closer and shoved her finger into his chest. “That’s on HIM. You didn’t make his choices. You make your own. Only, you’ll have to wait for Curtis. He’s going to want to go with his wife and child. He’s not going to stay here while his wife disappears. If you take her before he’s able to move, you might as well go into that operating room and tell them let him die. You’ll kill him if you steal Katerina away. You’ll end him.”
He was frustrated.
“I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want to make you mad, or hurt anyone else. I don’t have choices. I can’t make the whole family disappear. I can make us three invisible.”
And that was what pissed her off.
His willingness to leave them all behind like they didn’t matter.
She moved closer. They were toe to toe, and she stared up into his eyes.
“You bailing makes me mad. When people are gunning for us, what do we do? We put our trust in family. We stand there, knowing you and your sisters had our back. Before we can do the same for you, you’re running. You can’t hide forever, Maximillian. At some point, you have to accept what you did, learn from it, and stand your ground.” She backed away. “Or we just didn’t mean as much to you as you three meant to us.”
Now there was hurt.
“You mean everything,” he said. “I’m scared.”
She didn’t move.
“He’s making his choices. You have to make yours. Do we stand and fight, Dimitri, or do we run? We do it as one. If you leave, we follow. When the shit hit the fan, you three opted to stay. We wove our families together. We made them one, and now you want to pull them apart. That’s not family. Apparently, we weren’t permanent. We were temporary, and to find that out now sucks.”
“No, you weren’t. I’ve never loved anyone but my sisters. I’ve never had this. I can’t let my past destroy it. I’m trying to protect you. Why can’t you see that?”
“Tomorrow, this will be considered your past, and it will destroy us. While you’re hunted, you can hide. We can’t, so we are still
wearing the bull’s-eye. I’ll let you go because I love you three with all my heart. I’ll stay and fight to buy you some time. Hopefully, you and your sisters survive. We won’t.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
He watched her.
“Go, if that’s your plan. Run. It’s easier. You’re a coward, Mr. Gideon. I’ve never judged you until this moment. I could forgive you anything, but this. You abandoned us when we needed you the most. That’s not family.”
She turned around and headed toward the door.
She heard him walking toward the altar and candles in the front of the chapel.
Curiosity got the best of her.
She watched him light a candle, make the sign of the cross, and kneel.
Then, she could hear him praying.
It was shocking. Out of all the things she suspected in life, it was never this.
Dimitri believed in God.
Then, she could hear him crying. It was soft and it tugged at her heartstrings.
As someone who loved him, it was hard to ignore.
Quietly, she moved closer. She could pick up a few words—not many. Dimitri was offering himself up if his sisters would live.
She knelt beside him, and he looked over.
Emma waited.
“I don’t want to lose my family.”
“We’ll protect them.”
He stopped her. “No, I don’t want you lose all of you. I’ll fight. If anything happens to me…”
Emma took his hand in hers. “We fight side by side, Dimitri. We will make sure we catch him. This won’t be uncontested. Greyson will make sure of it.”
He stared at the giant cross.
“I’m sorry about Curtis.”
“He was protecting his wife and child. I’m proud of him. He did what a man is supposed to do. He learned from Greyson. He did the job, and if he is to die, at least he protected the people he loved most. She gave him happiness that I’ve never seen him have before. Katerina is his soulmate. That matters.”
Paid Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 3) Page 38
