She didn’t know what to say.
He was right.
How the hell did she argue that?
“For the record, that ‘rich guy’ made that shot, surrounded by nothing but trees and darkness. That alone should tell you he’s not just a rich guy. Mr. C is clearly good at sniping. That shot was almost impossible. So shut up, help me wake him, and stop freaking running!”
The second the words were out of his mouth, the cabin was hit with a barrage of gunfire.
Heath shoved her flat and placed his body over hers and Dimitri’s.
No one moved.
They heard a voice.
“Get up! I see you!”
Heath didn’t know if Greyson was going to be able to offer them some cover.
His fingers were crossed.
Slowly, he reached for his gun—just in case—only to hear glass shattering and a thump.
He lifted his head.
“Target is down,” he said, jumping up.
They shook Dimitri.
When he opened his eyes, Heath was staring down at him. In that second, he looked around wildly.
“Did she run?”
He pointed at Poppy.
“No, and if she does, I’ll shoot her myself,” Heath stated, and he meant it. His job was to protect the Crofts, and this was a bad situation. He didn't mind risk, but he didn’t like unnecessary risk.
That’s what this was.
“Greyson got them both.”
They heard someone coming.
Heath pointed his gun at the door.
It was Greyson with a gun slung over his back.
“Sorry, it took some time. I had to get into position again once I found him.”
Climbing trees in the dark were a bitch. He was all sap-covered.
He glanced over at Poppy—glad to see she was safe.
“Miss Wayne, if you run, I’ll shoot you,” he said, garnering a gasp from her, and a laugh from Heath.
“Yeah, I just said that,” Heath admitted.
It looked like they were all on the same page.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Dimitri stated, as Heath helped him up from the floor.
Poppy didn’t know what to think.
The cavalry had come.
“Can I get donuts now?” Heath asked as he grabbed Poppy’s bag to get them moving.
“Yes,” Greyson stated. “Once we steal a car and get back to Vegas.”
He was down with that.
“I have a rental at the base of the mountain,” she offered, wanting out of there too. They didn’t have to worry about her running.
That was NOT happening.
She wanted to be safe.
It was clear to them that Poppy was ready to comply and head home. This had scared the shit out of her.
“Not happening, princess,” Heath stated as Dimitri shook away the fog. “That’s likely how they found you. We’d like to get out of here.”
Greyson didn’t miss how Heath was not the same man he normally was. He was all Marine now, and he wasn’t really thrilled with the woman.
“Grab your things,” Croft stated. “We hike out tonight. I want to get home before tomorrow.”
Greyson handed Heath his gun so he could break it down and pack it up.
Heading toward Dimitri, he was met with a hug.
“Thank you,” Dimitri stated. He knew how much Greyson didn’t like killing.
He.
Loathed.
It.
It took a lot for the man to do it all over again, going back to that moment in time when he did this for a living.
“No problem, but I mean it. I will kill her myself if she runs.”
“Uh, I’m right here, and I’m not going to run,” she offered.
They could only hope.
Together, they grabbed their things, and they headed out and into the trees.
While they had only seen two sets of tracks, they couldn’t be sure. Anything was possible.
Dimitri told them what Claude had said.
“So, Jeffrey wants to play those games. Okay, well, it’s on. Let’s get off the mountain and handle this mess.”
Then it occurred to them.
They had a house with two dead bodies. This wasn’t going to workout for Poppy.
Unless…
“I hope you used an alias to rent this cabin,” Greyson stated.
“I did.”
Heath laughed.
“Yeah, because her DNA and prints are all over the place, and now there are two dead bodies. Cops’ fingerprints are in the system.”
He’d come to the same conclusion Greyson had.
That meant one thing.
Greyson gave him the signal.
“Handle it.”
Heath pulled a little box out, and he attached it to the house. Next to it, he placed a bottle of liquid.
“What’s he doing?” Poppy asked.
“Blowing the cabin,” Greyson stated. “Then your rental.”
“Oh,” she stated.
“Kiss your deposits goodbye,” Heath offered, “but at least you won’t spend the rest of your life dead or in prison.”
He had a point.
He gave Heath the signal.
The man grinned.
“Kaboom,” he said.
Just then, behind them, the building went up like a tinderbox.
It was insane.
This should buy them some time.
So they could get to Jeffery Raye.
“Now we hustle,” Greyson stated. “That’s going to get lots of attention from the people around the mountain, and the media. The only good thing is no one can get a fire crew up here. That’s going to take a helicopter.”
That meant one thing.
They had to move.
Fast.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Riley and Delilah’s
New Home
When Detective Riley Henderson had arrived home, his wife was sitting on the swing on their new front porch. When he saw her, as he hopped out of his truck, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
There were days where he couldn’t believe that she was married to him.
HIM.
That was one hell of a miracle if he’d ever seen one. Riley’s life had been hard after losing one of his siblings and being ostracized by the other was just as difficult.
Until her.
With Delilah, he made his own family.
He’d made something amazing.
“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Henderson,” he said, heading up the steps and to the big porch swing. It had been one of her must-haves when they bought this house a month ago.
A porch swing.
A pool.
And a yard for kids one day.
At some point, Riley intended to utilize all three. He wanted to get old and swing with his wife on this porch, skinny dip in their pool, and chase about five kids around the grass in the back.
Oh, and a dog.
They needed a big, slobbery dog.
“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Henderson’s husband,” she teased back.
Riley leaned down and gave her a kiss. It was warm, lingering, and apropos for newlyweds.
He was going to make every moment count now that he was back at work. After getting married, and Commissioner Raye’s departure, he’d been offered his job back.
It had been a no-brainer.
While he loved the Crofts, he had to be a cop.
“How was your day?” she asked as he parked his ass beside her on the swing.
“Well, the partner and I were handed a bunch of cases from the new captain,” he stated. “The second my partner saw them, he put in for a transfer—or so I hear from the grapevine. I’ve yet to talk to him about it.”
“Are you serious?”
He laughed.
“I think it was bad timing. You know how it is. There are still some cops who think I’m working for the Crofts.”
“You are.”
“Wow. Cops are smart,” he stated. “Who freaking knew?” he teased.
She snorted.
“Anyway, they are Poppy’s old cases. I have two duffle bags filled with body parts. Weeeeee!” he squealed in exaggerated excitement.
“And some men just bring home dinner.”
He dropped his arm over her shoulders.
“I’ll work them, but the hopes of finding out who they are, or who killed them in Vegas…?”
She got it.
It was slim to none.
“How was your day, Dee?” he asked, checking out her legs. They were sticking out from beneath some pretty kaftan. He’d never seen it before, so he was curious what was beneath it.
Sue him.
Again, he was a newlywed.
“Well, since you jumped at the chance to be back on the force, someone, who didn’t have any legal cases to handle for the Crofts, had to unpack. Alone.”
He laughed.
“I’m going to suffer, aren’t I?”
She nodded.
“Oh, yes. Someone has a baseball card collection that I noticed he loved.”
That had his attention.
“Uh, you wouldn’t play me like that, now would you, Mrs. Henderson?”
Yes, yes, she would.
“Let’s just say it’s hidden. You have to find it. I hid it in a box.”
He laughed.
She was too much.
Being married was an adventure and being married to Delilah was even more of one. There were no regrets about tying the knot.
He loved it.
“Well, we can do that now,” he offered.
She dropped the bomb.
“I’m going swimming.”
He lifted a brow.
What?
Could she be that cold?
“Without me?”
“I would be christening the pool with my sexy husband,” she said, getting up and heading into the house, “but he has boxes to unpack. One of us is a procrastinator, and one of us is going to enjoy her night.”
Riley followed her.
Surely, she couldn’t be serious.
That would suck.
“Dee, let’s talk about this,” he said, from behind her. When she reached their patio, turned, and untied her kaftan, he gawked.
She was topless.
All Riley saw were big, firm, breasts, soft skin, and a small bikini bottom.
He sputtered like a man doused with cold water. Reality hit. He was going to be suffering alone.
REALLY SUFFERING.
Then, like the minx she was, Delilah dove into the pool and out of sight.
When she surfaced, she smiled wickedly at him.
“When you’re unpacked, you can join me.”
Oh, they were playing that game, were they?
Okay.
It was on.
“You’re sadistic,” Riley said, his dick throbbing at the sight of Delilah’s white, creamy breasts in the pool.
And this was why he wanted a pool.
This.
Right.
Here.
“Well, again, unpack, and maybe you can join me,” she said, floating half-naked in their pool. Thank God their neighbors couldn’t see into their yard.
“Fine. I’ll go unpack.”
Riley headed away, surprising her.
Honestly, Delilah liked tormenting him. She didn’t actually think he was going to go back inside.
That couldn’t be good.
She expected him to take off his gun and badge to jump in with her—like the pre-marriage Riley would do.
Well, this backfired splendidly.
As she contemplated getting out, there was a war yell, and a naked man came running out of the house, his man bits flapping in the breeze.
Then he cannonballed beside her, nearly drowning her in his wake.
When he surfaced, he was all smiles.
“Uh, unpacking?” she teased.
“I was packing a gun. I took it off. That’s called unpacking,” Riley stated, not willing to be deterred by the mostly naked wife in their pool.
Now…
It was time.
Delilah giggled like a schoolgirl and backed away from her husband. It was hard not to watch as he cut through the water like a freaking fish. When he came up, he was right in front of her.
“Well, hello, my mermaid,” he said, wiping the water from his face.
Delilah was spellbound. Her merman was tan, had beads of water on his chest, and hot.
“Can I interest you in some pool sex?” he offered. “You said christen. Want to get it on with a cop?”
Did she?
HELL.
YES.
Riley dropped to his knees and pulled her against his body. Beneath the water, he shoved that tiny pair of bikini bottoms off. Then, he tossed them onto the concrete with a plop.
It was going to be fun.
Fast.
Wild.
Them.
“I missed you all day,” he admitted, licking droplets of water from her chest.
“I missed you too,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “After being apart, all I want to do is be wild.”
Sold.
He could do that.
Riley roughly pulled her into his body and his mouth sealed over hers. Delilah didn’t make it easy.
It was a battle.
He loved that best.
The kiss was amazing.
When she tried to take control, he knew what he wanted. Riley wanted his pin-up girl beneath him. The best part of their backyard was the pergola and loungers beneath it.
Privacy was king in Vegas.
“Want to have some fun?” he whispered in her ear.
Did she ever?
“You know I do my sexy cop. Why don’t we break in this back patio?” she offered.
That was the plan.
“Well, baby, I think I can do that,” he said, grabbing her by the hair and tugging her neck to the side.
Then he bit her.
Delilah moaned.
Riley was calm in a suit, and wild when it came to sex. He was a storm—one she never wanted to tame.
“Want to fuck me, Detective?”
He growled low.
Yes, yes, he did.
He stood, and his erection bobbed in plain sight. He wanted that, and so much more, but first…
“Welcome me home,” he ordered.
Moving toward her, he tugged her forward by her wet hair.
Then he shoved his rock-hard dick into her mouth.
Riley moaned.
He’d missed this all day. The way her mouth moved over his feverish skin…
Heaven.
Delilah’s hands went to the back of his thighs, and she let him have his wicked way with her mouth. After all, she’d been fantasizing about this all damn day.
Him.
It was always him.
“I’ve missed sexy wife,” he muttered, staring down at her. She was blowing him and working him to a fevered pitch.
It was insane.
Delilah used teeth and tongue to make him beg. Before long, his hips were moving as he fucked her mouth.
Yeah, this was exactly how he wanted to live his life—coming home to his hellion wildcat.
Riley couldn’t get enough.
When his balls began tightening, he knew he was going to cum.
Only, he didn’t want the ride to end this fast. It was time to show Delilah how much he really missed her.
Pulling away, he tugged his wife to her feet.
“I need us horizontal for what I have in mind. I want you naked and beneath me. I’m going to make you scream so loudly, the neighbors will call the cops,” he promised.
Well, someone was really happy to be home.
That was the best thing she’d heard all day.
“Yes, please,” she begged.
Riley lifted her up, and she threw her le
gs around his hips so she could make love to his mouth as they got out of the pool.
As Riley carried her out of the water, she was all over him.
“Inside or out here?” he asked.
“Here,” she whimpered, as his fingers were already sliding against her clit. “I can’t wait.”
That worked for him.
He tossed her onto the lounge chair and stared down at his sexy wife.
“Riley,” she whispered as her body ached for his touch.
He reached for her and stroked her already swollen clit.
“Someone missed me. I can’t wait to be balls deep in you, Dee,” he muttered.
She couldn’t wait either.
Really.
“Hurry,” she begged, as she enticed him by running her hands across her breasts.
Yeah, that’s all it took.
Riley wanted some of that.
He sought her with his mouth, and when he found that delicious little bud, he drove her wild.
He was starving for her.
She was moaning, begging, and almost on the edge of the orgasm underneath their patio pergola.
It was time.
Riley couldn’t wait any longer. He had to take his wife for one hell of a ride.
There was no better way to be welcomed home. After-work, all inhibitions were gone.
Riley was free to be himself.
His wife was wild and wicked. He was going to enjoy this.
He drove into Delilah, indeed, making her shout his name. The neighbors were shit out of luck.
Riley kept going, pulling one orgasm after another from her. When she was panting, begging, and moaning, he didn’t stop.
Riley kept going, working her hard. He drove her up, over, and into the pleasure.
Again.
As she tumbled, there was never a more beautiful woman in the whole world. Delilah lost in pleasure was a beautiful thing.
He held her hips in place, working his way in and out of her until neither of them could handle the pleasure.
She was his, and this was the body he owned.
“Come on, Dee. One more time!” he ordered, knowing he was close.
Delilah couldn’t help herself.
Riley was a man on a mission, and she was not escaping his sexy antics.
Not that she wanted to.
“Ride me,” he muttered. His balls ached, his dick was throbbing, and he wanted to watch his wife bounce them both to one more orgasm.
He craved it.
Delilah was good with that.
“Yes, bossy husband,” she said, getting up to switch places with her husband. When he held his dick still, she straddled him. “Mmmmm, I love a cop beneath me.”
No Justice_A Croft Mob Family Book Page 18
