Yeah, she hated Feds.
“We need to speak to Vincent Leery. Is he in?” Croft asked, pulling his badge from his pocket to offer his photo ID.
Emma followed suit.
“I know who you are,” she stated. “What’s this about?”
Croft didn't give her anything to alert her husband. “A case, ma’am. Now, is Vincent home?”
She stared at them blankly. They’d seen the look before. She was measuring the chance of getting away with a lie. Before she could open her mouth, there were footsteps.
“Who is it, Vanessa?” he asked, stopping when he saw them. “Get out of here,” he stated immediately. “I have nothing to say to you lousy Feds.”
Emma took that as her key to intervene. “Actually, I’m a homicide detective, and while you don’t want to talk to us, we need to speak to you. So, we can do it here, or down at the precinct. Hasn’t your family been through enough, Mr. Leery?”
He glared at her. “What’s this about?”
Croft pulled out his tablet, pulling up a picture of his agent, while he was alive. “Do you recognize this man?” he said, showing them.
“Yeah, he’s the asshole that tried to get my kids taken away from me. He dogged me every day for weeks and made our lives a living hell!”
Emma knew they needed to calm him down, in order to get more information out of him. “Can we come in and talk? Or do you really want to do this out here where it’s drawing attention?”
They looked around, and the little old lady next door was watching them curiously.
“Gossip is a bitch,” she added.
He stepped back. “You’re just lucky my kids aren’t here,” he barked, leading the way into his home.
“Thank you,” Croft said, following. He’d placed himself between the man and Emma, just to be safe. They really weren’t sure what kind of crazy they were dealing with.
It could be nothing.
Or everything.
“What did he say I did now? I told that jerk that I was innocent! I didn't have anything to do with money laundering, but he was insistent on making my life a living hell.”
“He didn't say you did anything,” stated Emma.
“Good, because I’ll sue! I’m so sick of being threatened by the FBI for no reason. You all think you’re above the law and can harass innocent taxpayers. Well, that stops now!”
Emma understood how he felt, but when you were a cop, you had to look at every person. It wasn’t personal, or at least it shouldn’t be. Maybe the agent pushed a little too hard and crossed that fine line.
“Do you have any high powered rifles?” Croft asked.
“Yeah, we both like to game hunt in the mountains. It’s hard to do that with a nine millimeter.”
“With scopes?”
He didn't hesitate. “Yeah, why?”
“You really hated Agent Eastman, didn't you?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah you can say that. He was the bane of my existence. I wanted to kick the shit out of him.”
His wife was obviously the smarter of the two. Before her husband could go on, she placed her hand on his arm, drawing his attention. “Vinny, she’s that homicide cop that’s always on the news,” Vanessa said, trying to warn him.
It didn't register at first. Then, Croft whipped out the crime scene photo of Tim Eastman sitting in the front seat of his car.
Dead.
He stared at it, and the look on his face said it all. “Wait! You think I killed him?”
“You told the dead agent that you were going to get even, and then he shows up with a bullet to the brain. I’m betting that you need to be good with that rifle in order to make a long distance kill shot.”
The man looked panicked. “I didn't kill him. I was angry. He had just told me that he was going to get CPS to take my kids away. How would you feel if someone said that to you?”
“Oh, I’d be pissed off,” stated Croft. “Only, I’m not the one being questioned. You are.” He rattled off the date that the agent was killed. “Where were you?”
The man looked nervous. “What time?”
“Nine in the morning.”
He glanced over at his wife. “I was here. We were having breakfast. The kids get on the bus at eight. I showered, and then Vanessa and I have breakfast before I head into work.”
“What do you do for a living, Mr. Leery?” Emma asked, making notes.
“I own a pawn shop,” he said. “That’s why the Feds suspected me of money laundering. They froze our assets to the business, and I almost lost everything.”
“That would make me pretty mad,” Croft stated, putting away his tablet. “In fact, if someone wanted to screw with my wife and kids, I’d go after them.”
“I’m done talking! I want my lawyer,” he stated, pointing toward the door. “You can’t come in here and malign my good name, especially after one of your agents ran us through the mud once already. I’m sorry someone killed him, but it wasn’t me. Now, get out.”
The Crofts stood.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Greyson stated, motioning toward his wife. “Stick around because you may be having that little visit with your lawyer yet.”
The man angrily escorted them to the door, slamming it behind them.
“Yeah, he hates you Feds,” Emma said, putting on her sunglasses. “I’m glad I’m just a lowly cop.”
He laughed. “Yeah, great. How about you and I head over to the lab and see what my tech team has found?”
Emma was just going to suggest that. “Can we stop for some coffee? I’m tired today and need something to jolt me awake.”
Croft leaned down and nipped her ear. “Didn't I jolt you enough last night, kitten?”
She slapped him on the arm. “Coffee, Grey.”
He grinned. “Anything you say, Emma.”
* * *
It was good to be back out in the field. Both Curtis Briggs and Brynn Westmore spent a great deal of their day behind tablets doing drone work. While they hated it, both knew that they needed to put in their time and earn their way to the top of the team food chain.
Curtis was just about done with his probation, and soon he would be able to run a team, much like his boss. Sure, it was scary to think that he wouldn’t have Croft to fall back on, but after running the scene the other day, it was something he knew he needed to do.
No…wanted.
“Hey, you’re quiet,” said Brynn, glancing over at the man. “What’s going on in your head?” she asked, taping him on the skull. The simple contact made her heart skip. It wasn’t too long ago that they were a couple.
As of late, they were trying to be friends.
It wasn’t easy.
Whoever said that two people of the opposite sex, could have sex, and then stop was an idiot. Most of the time, Brynn found herself daydreaming about the man beside her. Mostly, how she may have let ‘the one’ go. Maybe it was because they saw each other every day, or that he was definitely a great guy.
Either way, she doubted her choice and the potential mistake she’d made.
“I was thinking about being finished with probation soon,” he answered, listening to the navigation system chirp out the directions to the second suspect’s home.
“Yeah, it’s coming up. Want to celebrate?”
There was nothing more that he wanted, but unfortunately, they weren’t a couple anymore. Brynn wanted space, and Curtis was hard pressed to give it to her.
It was hell.
Torture.
It was making him insane.
As each day passed, not being with her was getting harder and harder. Sometimes, when they’d be lying on her couch watching a game or movie, he’d forget that they weren’t together anymore.
He’d have to stop himself from kissing her, or just running his fingers across her cheek.
What Curtis wanted to do was fall into bed and fix what was broken. In fact, he’d talked this all out with Croft, and he’d advised Curtis not do it. Sex doesn’
t fix things that are in need of repair. Often, it only made it worse.
So, he was relegated to smelling her shampoo and perfume from afar.
It sucked.
“Yeah, I do. What do you have in mind?” he asked, glancing over.
“I think it should be your choice, since it’s all about you getting out of probee hell. What do you want to do?”
Oh, how he’d love to answer that. First, he’d love to taste her. Not some sissy kiss that he’d been relegated to, but a full on lip lock where he could swallow her whole. Then, he wanted to roll around naked, until she was his once more. “Oh, I don’t know. Skydiving, maybe.” That seemed like his safest option at that point.
She stared over at him and wasn’t sure if he was yanking her chain or being serious. One never knew with him. “Are you insane?”
He laughed. Yeah, he probably was, since he was still attached to a woman who wanted nothing to do with his heart anymore.
Unfortunately, your heart wants what it wants, and he was a prisoner on this ride.
“What? You asked what I wanted to do. There you have it. Are you chicken?” he asked, mocking her.
She punched him.
“Hey!”
“Fine, we’ll jump out of a plane.”
He didn't know why he was surprised. Brynn was super competitive and would do just about anything to try and win. That was part of their problem. If she wasn’t so focused on being a captain, they might still be a couple.
Maybe.
Possibly.
Okay, he wasn’t quite sure of that. Brynn didn't like bossy men, and he was trying to be like the man he saw as his big brother.
Yeah, huge issues there.
Apparently, cavemen were an acquired taste, and Brynn liked her men a little less overbearing.
He pulled up to the apartment. “Great. You get to go first,” he stated, grinning at her. “Ladies before gentlemen.”
When she glanced over at him, her heart skipped. Soon, he’d be getting a haircut. For now, the curls were starting to grow back and his blue eyes sparkled.
Damn it!
She was an idiot.
He saw the look on her face. “What’s wrong, Brynn?” he asked, lifting her chin so she had to look him in the eyes. “You can tell me.”
“I think I made a mistake,” she said softly.
He didn't need her to elaborate. While he believed that she did too, he didn't believe in flaunting it like a victory.
“Think or know?” he asked, watching her eyes fill with tears.
“I don’t know. I’m so confused. My head says one thing, but my…” She didn't finish. Instead, she placed her hand over her heart and let that speak for her.
Well, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear, but at least she was being forthright with him.
It was a start.
“When you know for sure, you know where to find me,” he said, hoping it would be soon. He wasn’t a saint, but he was trying to give her time.
While his heart would wait forever, his needs were starting to drive him insane. He could picture himself losing total control and pouncing on her.
His words offered her peace. At least he’d be willing to give her a chance. That was probably more than she deserved, especially after all the mean things she said to him.
Curtis placed his hand over her chest, beside her hand. He could feel her heart kick. “When you know for sure here, we’ll revisit this conversation. Okay?”
She wiped her eyes. This was the last place to be having an emotional breakdown. For now, she needed to focus, and then worry about her personal life.
But damn! It was so hard being beside him.
“Let’s go get this done, and then head back in.”
She was good with that, since she wasn’t exactly happy to have him wandering out in the open. Since the killer hadn’t struck again, she was worried. Who was to say that Curtis wasn’t one of the Feds the killer was targeting?
That made her sick to her stomach.
“Okay,” she said, getting ready to get out. When his hand touched her arm, she turned toward him. His lips lightly brushed hers. “It’ll be okay. You have to have faith and believe that everything has a reason in life.”
Instead of calming her, it made Brynn that much more upset. Yet, she managed to hide it. Was he her reason or the bars she set as her goal years ago?
“You want to ask the questions?” Curtis inquired, licking his lips. They tasted like peppermint lip balm and his heart squeezed. Hell! This was going to be a long, hard day.
“Yeah, let me run with it. He may be more open if I hit him with compassion. You get to be the bad cop on this one.”
Curtis dropped his sunglasses on and tried to be intimidating. It was hard since his body was tingling from that small little moment they just shared. Yet, he knew they could be in danger, and he needed to be on alert. For now, this needed to sit on the back burner.
Hopefully not too far into the future.
At the apartment, they rang the buzzer for Bobby Holmes’s place. When his voice came over the intercom, they knew it was going to take a hell of a lot more than compassion to soothe this savage beast.
“Yes?”
“FBI, can you come down?”
Before he even responded, they heard a noise to their right, and someone came charging down the stairs toward them. Before Brynn could react, Curtis stepped in front of her and took the brunt of the man’s weight as he threw himself at her.
They crashed to the ground, rolling around in a jumble of arms and legs.
Brynn pulled her weapon, as she waited for one of them to get on top. She kept her eyes on the man’s hands and Curtis’s gun, still strapped to his side. If their suspect went for it, she wouldn’t hesitate.
Brynn would take the shot to save her partner.
“I’ll kill you!” the man growled.
Curtis finally won the battle of strength, ending up on top. He braced his arm under the man’s chin and pressed on his wind pipe to contain him. “Bobby Holmes, you’re under arrest for assault on a Federal officer,” he said, flipping him over and controlling him by bending back his thumbs.
Once he was handcuffed, Brynn holstered her weapon. “Holy shit! Curtis, are you okay?” she asked, helping him pull the man up to his knees.
“Yeah, I saw him and didn't want him to take you down,” he replied, warning the shocked the tenants who exited their apartments to get back.
Brynn was touched.
Once outside, they were forced to drag Bobby Holmes to the Denali. Finally getting the raging man buckled in, they leaned against the side of the vehicle.
“Shit, that was insane.”
Brynn touched the red mark on his cheek. “Yeah, it really was. Did you get hurt?” she asked, knowing that had the man hit her, he would have collided with the bad side of her body. Granted, it was a hundred times better, but it wasn’t back to one hundred percent quite yet.
“No, I’m good. Let’s call the boss man and head in. I’m pretty sure that he’s going to want to question this one.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. This guy has a hair trigger.”
Curtis agreed. “Now, we need to see how far he’d take it.”
* * *
When Croft got the call from his partner, they were just getting their coffees and something to eat for the ride to the lab. After answering his phone, very little was said.
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Keep him contained and don’t provoke him into lawyering up. I want to ask him some questions before he stops talking.”
Hanging up the phone, he glanced over at his wife. “We have a stop to make before we can head into the lab.”
She was suddenly very alert. “What happened?”
He told her what Curtis had relayed to him in their brief call. “He’s okay,” Croft said, already seeing the worry on her face. The young agent was part of their family, and they both worried about him.
“Good,” she
said, relaxing marginally.
“We’ll have to head there first and visit the lab later. I don’t want this guy getting too antsy and screaming harassment.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” she said, hopping up into her Navigator. “He’s really okay, right?” Emma added.
Croft grinned over at her. “He’s really is like our child, isn't he?”
Emma couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah, he really is.”
It was funny, because Greyson Croft didn't mind in the least. If he were going to ever have a son, he hoped he’d be a lot like the young man they’d taken in as their own.
* * *
In the car on the way over to interview Marcus White, Tessa wouldn’t even look over at him, and it was unnerving. Between them, she was the more vocal and often led the conversations. Now, he was left to flounder on his own.
“We need to talk, Tess,” he said, touching her arm.
“Not now, Paris. I’m thinking about the case. We have a potentially violent suspect who loves guns. I don’t want to get shot.”
He understood, and yet he knew they would be better off hashing it out before they faced anything else.
“Okay, Tess. I’ll give you this.”
She glanced over at him. Honestly, she didn't believe that he was going to back down. Paris wasn’t particularly aggressive when it came to a disagreement, but this time she assumed he’d fight a little harder.
It was the same in their relationship, and made her feel like he didn't give a damn.
As the GPS got them close to the man’s property, Paris pulled over so they could get into gear. Walking to the cargo hold of the Denali, he pulled out Tessa’s vest and checked the inside. It wasn’t double plated, so he began pulling his ceramic plates out.
“What are you doing?” she said, watching him.
“Making sure the woman I love stays safe.”
She stared at him. “Paris.”
“Like you said, Tessa, we’ll discuss this later.” For now, he was just assuring that nothing would happen to her. Slipping the vest over her head, he knew that the ceramic plates made it more uncomfortable, and that’s why she tended to not use the extra protection. But, she’d have to get over it. Later, he’d get two more from requisitions and put them back in his vest.
Love is Bleeding (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 4) Page 20
