“Trust me. It was my pleasure,” he replied. “You get to pick up dinner,” he added, telling him what to order.
“On it, boss man,” he replied, hanging up.
“Home?” Emma asked, as Tessa stopped beside her.
“Yeah. Call your partner, Agent Brass, and tell him to meet us inside the condominium lobby. I’ll alert security that he’s coming.”
Tess was immediately grinning. “Works for me,” she replied, whipping out a text message to the man she lived with. She couldn’t wait to see him again.
It seemed like ages.
Both Crofts watched her grin like a fool, and it was hard not to smile too. You could see the genuine fondness at the mention of Paris’s name.
“Were we like that when we first met?” Greyson asked, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head.
Emma glanced up at him like he was crazy. “Were?”
That made him laugh, because his wife had a very valid point. He imagined that when people watched them, they saw the same thing.
“I hope it never ends,” she said softly.
He agreed with her wholeheartedly.
* * *
When his plane landed, he was nervous as hell. He’d been checking his phone all day, and Greyson and Emma didn't get back to him once.
Something bad had to have happened.
Yes, he heard the news reports before he boarded, but he couldn’t believe them to be true.
He couldn’t be dead.
If he was, he’d weep.
Now, his big goal was to get his rental car and head to their condominium. He wished he’d come to see them sooner, instead of waiting until something like this happened. Maybe if he did, he could have spent some time with him, telling Greyson what was in his heart.
If the older man was safe, he’d stick around and keep each and every one of his promises. Life was too short not to see the people who mattered. What he needed now was happy thoughts. His life was off track, and he felt like he was spiraling out of control.
If something had happened to Greyson, he’d step in and take care of Emma. It was his duty to carry on for the man he admired most in life.
There was a job to do.
He’d always promised to have the man’s back, and this was no different.
All he had to do was find this damn condominium.
How hard could it be? He had the directions. He honestly hoped that when he showed up, Emma would let him stay with her.
NO! He wasn’t thinking that way. When he got there, Greyson would welcome him with open arms.
Yeah, that was so much better.
If there was one thing that the Army taught him, beside duck and cover, it was to always think positive.
Now, he needed to do that more than ever.
How could he go on, if Grey didn't?
* * *
Sky Villa
Tuesday Night
Pulling into the Condo, they parked in the underground garage. Since Curtis’s vehicle was still gone, they assumed he was out hunting down pizza as instructed.
As they rode up in the elevator, they were discussing the day and how it seemed to go on forever.
“Yeah, I’ve had enough excitement for today,” Croft said, dropping his arm over Emma’s shoulders. “How about you, honey?”
“I can’t wait to climb into bed.”
It was true. She was wiped out. The adrenaline rush nearly killed her today. It was like riding a super scary rollercoaster, and now, she wanted to get the hell off and sleep beside her big caveman.
Unfortunately, work still owned them.
“I’m with you,” stated Tessa, as the elevator doors opened. Immediately, she saw him leaning against the wall, working.
Croft watched it unfold, and he couldn’t help but smile. The look on the man’s face morphed from serious, to one of pure unadulterated pleasure.
“Tessie,” Paris said, moving toward her.
When they met in the lobby, she laid a big wet one right on his lips. As she pulled away, security was staring at them like they were crazy.
Croft spoke up, “They’re with us. Ignore them,” he said, laughing. “Have a good night,” he added, waving to William behind the desk.
There was a profound sense of peace, as they were now safely behind the walls of the fortress. Coming home each night, in one piece, always made him grateful. In their line of work, one never knew what would happen. Today was proof of that. Now, they at least had protection.
Thank God for small miracles.
As they rode up in the elevator, Paris tried to put some distance between himself and Tessa out of respect for his boss.
“It’s okay, Paris. You’re off duty for the night. Greyson isn't going to bite you if you manhandle your girlfriend.”
Croft snickered. “Yeah, have at it, son,” he replied, slapping Emma on the ass.
“Greyson!”
“I happen to be off duty too, so I believe that also applied to me. I hope I wasn’t mistaken, or that would have been super embarrassing for you.”
She didn't say another word, as they headed toward their door. If her husband wanted to be frisky, she’d take it each and every time, especially after almost losing him.
Unlocking ‘Castle Croft’, he waited for their guests to enter. Even though it wasn’t their first time there, it was still staggering. Sky Villa was the biggest, baddest building in Vegas, and only the influential lived there. Dignitaries, celebrities, and the powerful graced their halls. It was no wonder why their boss called it home.
Sky Villa was secure.
The condo was quiet.
It was impenetrable.
To a lowly civil servant, coming there was a treat and only a pipe dream. Both agents knew visiting was as close as they would get to a place like this.
“Paris, would you like a beer?” Croft asked, heading to the kitchen as he dropped his suit jacket onto the counter.
The man stared at him like he couldn’t possibly be talking to him. “Me?”
Tessa laughed. “I would,” she replied, grinning at her boyfriend. He wasn’t really good in social situations. She was the one who helped him navigate it.
“Yes, Paris. You.”
“Yes, please.”
Emma dropped onto one of the couches and closed her eyes. “Holy shit! Today was the longest day of my life,” she muttered. She heard the wine being poured into a glass, and if she had any energy, she would have crawled to her husband and worshipped at his size fifteen feet.
Croft served his guests, and then handed his wife her wine. After what they lived today, everyone deserved a drink and eight hours of rest. He regretted even having to talk more about the day, now that they were in their sanctuary. Unfortunately, death had few restraints and didn't care if they were at home.
Taking his spot beside her, Greyson pulled off his tie and rolled up his sleeves. Immediately, Emma leaned into his body and found her customary spot.
Yeah, it was good to be home.
Just then, they could hear keys in the door.
Curtis walked in, carrying three trays of pizza. “Dinner is served,” he stated, dropping it on the table in front of them.
When Emma went to get up, he stopped her. “Park it, Mom. I’ll grab the dishes and napkins for you. I need a beer anyway. It was a bad day.”
“Bless you, Curtis. I could kiss you.”
“Yippee! Would that be on the mouth?” he teased.
Croft pointed at him. “I could kill you, and then blame the day.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “Boo. Someone’s cranky.”
Emma loved their relationship. The two men were hours of endless fun. When one would start, the other would finish. It was definitely a close relationship.
Briggs handed out plates and opened the top box of pizza. “I got pepperoni and bacon, because, well, I like it.”
Greyson held up his hand for a high five. “That’s my ‘not quite related’, non-biological son.”
/> “Keep it up, and the two of you will be sharing a tent in the commons, when I kick you both out of MY condo.”
Croft kissed her and didn't care if anyone was looking. “You’ll miss me.”
She sighed. “Okay, but no cigar later.”
Tessa and Paris watched their boss being ordered around by his wife, and it was both shocking and entertaining. This was the ‘Ice King’ and no one dared to tell him what to do.
Not if they wanted to live to tell about it.
He wiggled his eyebrow at her, knowing she wasn’t going to keep that threat either. After all, it had been one hell of a bad day.
“Fine, but only because someone tried to kill you today, but don’t enjoy it. This is a mercy cigar.”
He’d take whatever he could get. Lately, she’d pretty much laid off his bourbon, cigars, and eating. It was like a miracle, and he feared it could disappear at any second. It was best not to push his luck.
“Can I have a cigar?” Curtis asked.
Croft laughed. “You should have kept your lips closed about kissing my wife then. When will you learn?”
The man opened his mouth, and then decided against it.
“Now, tell me what you got today,” he ordered, handing Emma a piece of pizza.
Immediately, she pulled off the pepperoni. While she was much better with meat, some things still didn't sit well with her.
“We dug up the victim, and he’s a Fed. He was wearing the blue jacket, and the bullet wound was exactly like the one that Lester Williams received. Someone targeted him and buried him there.”
“They wanted you there,” Paris added, doing his profiling thing. “It wasn’t going to be an accident that one man was buried, and one was killed right in front of you.”
Croft glanced over at his profiler. “I need more.”
Paris continued, “The killer needed you there to make a point. Let’s face it. You’re the big dog in the yard. If there’s one Fed who everyone recognizes, it’s you. Whoever did this, wanted your attention. By getting you there, he was able to get the media to follow.”
“Great,” muttered Emma. “I’m going to assume that I was part of that, too.”
Paris agreed. “Again, high profile gets big attention. I saw the replay on the news. They keep showing the clip of you arriving, looking all scared. On top of it, is the voice over where the reporter says…”
Tessa elbowed him.
“I’m sorry, I didn't mean…” He suddenly realized that Emma may not want to relive this conversation.
Greyson took her hand in his, reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” she finally said. “Go on.”
Paris wanted to offer her some reassurance. “If this isn't the corruption issue, then you should be glad the killer is playing to your husband.”
She looked at him as if he was drunk, or out of his damn mind.
“He’s the audience. As long as he’s giving this his attention, the killer won’t hurt him.”
Okay, that did make her feel a hell of a lot better. If Greyson was safe, then she could concentrate and do her job. First, she needed to wrap up who killed Commissioner Booker, and then who was still trying to control the city and her husband.
“When he called you out, Director, the killer knew what he was doing. By having you there, he had your attention, and you called out more Feds. I don’t think that he randomly killed Lester Williams.”
Croft agreed, and then let him in on what they found out at the dead man’s house.
They could all see the wheels in Paris’s mind turning. “He took the wife out because she was in the way.”
That made Croft sick, because in his mind, he was running parallels between Leslie Williams and his Emma. How long was it going to take until she was deemed ‘in the way’?
“He needed that one man there. This is the sign of a meticulous killer. If he wanted the most damage, he would have used a weapon which would have fired multiple bullets. He could have taken out half the FBI in that field. Were you wearing a vest, Director?”
Emma glanced over at him, waiting for the answer. She too was curious.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. Since someone’s been taking shots at Feds, I’ve been suiting up when I head into the field.”
She relaxed. They’d made a promise, and her husband was keeping it. That helped Emma marginally get through the fear.
Curtis had something to add, “He only took one shot for a reason. I think we have a sniper. If that’s the case, there’s likely a mission involved.”
Paris happened to agree. Since he’d seen the other crime scene photos, the location of the shooter was a dead giveaway. “That makes sense. A sniper is patient, calculating, and killer by nature.”
Croft tensed.
No one else noticed but Emma, only because her body was against his. She knew the man she loved well enough to feel the subtle difference.
Curtis continued, “This person took a shot from five hundred feet away, through bramble and with the wind. Whoever did it, knows how to use a gun.”
Paris took it all in. “This isn't your average killer. Look at the calling cards he’s leaving behind. The bloody handprints are very significant to what’s going on.”
They all waited for him to explain.
“Someone has to get their hands dirty. The killer is willingly doing it.”
Well, that made complete sense to everyone there. Unfortunately, it was in a skewed, out of your mind kind of way.
Emma was focused on her husband. From the second that the word ‘sniper’ was mentioned, his mood had gone south. Now, he was even pulling away from her.
It scared her a little. This entire conversation was bothering the hell out of him, and she doubted for the right reason.
Something occurred to Curtis. “Hey, weren’t you in the military, boss man? Could you make that shot?”
Again, there was this ripple of unease across Greyson’s body, before he answered. Emma now knew he was definitely hiding something.
Oh yeah, they were going to have a talk.
“Yes, I was. I was an Army Ranger.” He left it at that. What was going through his mind was making him sick to his stomach. What if this did have something to do with him? What if the people who died all were because of his past? Yeah, he absolutely could make that shot.
God knows he had, many, many times.
Briggs immediately sensed something. When he glanced over at Emma, the look on her face said it all. This discussion’s direction needed to be stopped for Greyson’s sake.
“The killer left no trail,” Briggs said, picking up his phone. He trusted Emma’s instincts on this one. “We didn't find so much as a gum wrapper. Whoever was up in that hill, knew what he was doing. We didn't even find tread marks from shoes.”
Immediately, he interjected, “Socks. The sniper took off his shoes and wore doubled up his socks,” Croft offered, standing up. “I need another beer.”
Curtis watched him head to the kitchen before making eye contact with Emma. ‘Is he okay?’ he mouthed.
‘I don’t know,’ she replied.
He came back carrying four more beers in his hands. He passed them out and took his seat on the couch. Yeah, this was looking more and more like a page from his past.
Could it be a coincidence?
Did he buy that?
Before he could say anything more, their intercom buzzed. “Director Croft, we have an emergency situation downstairs. In light of what happened today, we upped security, and we have a man in custody. He was trying to kick in the front door to gain access to the building.”
They all jumped up and raced to the intercom.
“WHAT?”
William replied, “He kept trying to convince us that he had to see you. When he went for the elevator, we had to restrain him.”
Croft raced out the door and toward the elevators. The entire condo emptied out, with everyone right behind him. As they all headed down, no one spoke. Greyson knew that i
f someone was trying to get into their building, their sanctuary was compromised.
Maybe he hadn’t left his past that far behind. When he picked Sky Villa, it was true that the views and security played a major part. Then, he figured it was time to admit the truth he’d been hiding.
Once a sniper, always a sniper.
Old habits were hard to break, and he always did like a vantage point, overlooking everything. There, he could keep them both safe.
Now, that seemed to have changed.
As the elevator doors opened, they walked into some security mêlée. Flowers were knocked over, the security staff looked frazzled, and there were three guards lying over the body of a man on the floor.
All that Greyson could see were boots and camouflage pants. Suddenly, his heart was in his throat. Jesus, what was going on around him? First, there was a sniper, and now this.
“He kept telling us that he had to see if you were alive, sir,” William said. “We don’t think he’s armed, but we wanted to make sure that you and Mrs. Croft were safe.”
There was a muffled noise from beneath the pile of bodies, as the man at the bottom refused to stop struggling.
“We couldn’t run him. He wouldn’t give us his fingerprints.”
Greyson moved protectively in front of Emma, before he gave the command. Pulling his sidearm, the rest of his team did the same. With four Feds holding guns on him, they’d be safe. “Let him up.”
One by one, the guards got up, hoping Greyson Croft knew what he was doing.
Suddenly, he recognized the tattoo on his forearm.
Without saying a word, he holstered his weapon. “It’s okay, everyone. He’s harmless.”
They all stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“I’d like to introduce you to Dante Croft. He’s my idiotic, but well-intended brother.”
No one said a word, as before them stood a younger version of Greyson Croft.
“Hey, Grey. I missed you too.”
~ Chapter Four ~
Love is Bleeding (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 4) Page 9
