Kids were resilient.
Here was the proof.
Heath dropped his arm over Emma’s shoulders and whispered in her ear.
“Awwww, Mrs. C, don’t cry. I told you that everything would work out.”
Emma handed him some pizza.
“You were right, Heath. I’ll never doubt you again. You’re a smart man, my friend.”
He took the pizza and gave her the big toothy grin he saved for the people he genuinely liked.
“I think kids are cool. I like them.”
Emma smiled too.
“You know what, Heath? I like them too.”
And she did.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Hotel
Penthouse
When they arrived at the hotel, Poppy let Dimitri led her toward the garage elevator that they would take to the penthouse. There was private access to the family’s private space, and she was a little dumbstruck with it all.
For a woman who grew up in the system, and was a cop, this was a lot to handle.
Penthouses?
Really?
“If you go out, and I suggest you don’t—okay, I’m telling you that you aren’t allowed to leave,” he stated, hoping she didn’t freak out. When she didn’t, he continued, “you can take the safer route and go through the building, but this allows the family to come and go without anyone bothering us.”
She let him talk.
“I’ll take you up and give you the codes to access the penthouse.”
What was she supposed to say to that?
As they went up in the elevator, he stayed fairly close to her. He was all up in her personal space, and he knew it. Only, Dimitri couldn’t help it.
Poppy smelled really good, and Dimitri was having a hard time not being a letch.
It wasn’t easy.
He wanted this woman.
Controlling that need…it was a challenge. Then again, she clearly trusted him with her life. That said a lot, and it made him want to keep her even safer.
“There’s room service,” he stated. “You can order anything you want. It’ll come up from the kitchen, or if you want something from Aquarius, you can call them, and they will bring it right up—on the house.”
“Thanks.”
Dimitri could feel the change in her demeanor. He didn’t know what he’d done, but there was some distance there.
In fact, he didn’t know what to do. This was way out of his element.
Maybe Poppy was just nervous.
He could only hope.
When the elevator stopped, the main door didn’t open to the penthouse for security reasons. He really hoped when it did open, the gunkles weren’t there. He was in no mood for Dante to bust his ass in front of Poppy.
He’d kick his ass—Croft or not.
“Nice wall you have here,” Poppy teased, trying not to be nervous. It was hard. She was about to get a peek into this man’s life and personal space.
Word on the street was that he and Greyson Croft were tight—as in best friends and brothers. If that were the case, this was his home too.
“We like that wall. It’s increased security,” he offered. “In order to access the penthouse, you have to enter this code,” he said, giving her the numbers. “There’s an alarm on the other side of the door. Once this door opens, you have one minute to enter a different code, or the elevator locks down, the alarm goes off, and the cops will come. Let me assure you that the police will get here fast.”
Well, she didn’t want that.
AT ALL.
“Considering today I had more than a few cops who wanted to kick my ass, I guess that’s a bad idea. One minute. I get it.”
That was news to him.
Why hadn’t security updated him on that?
“Pardon?” he asked, before entering the code. “What does that mean?”
She realized what she’d done. Poppy must have sounded like a whiny crybaby.
She knew better.
“It’s not important. I just had a really bad day at work, and it got worse when I got home.”
Dimitri didn’t move.
If she thought he’d let that go, she had NO clue to the kind of man he was.
“What happened?”
She sighed.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” he said, leaning against the wall of the elevator. “I can wait all night.”
Okay, he couldn’t, but he was hoping she wouldn’t call his bluff.
“It all goes back to when the commissioner offered me the job, and I pretty much told him to pound sand. I told him I was going to find out who killed Mace Bristol, and if he was behind Lester Lucas’s murder, he was going to jail.”
He listened, trying to remain calm.
“I don’t buy that the Crofts killed Mace. That’s the one piece of this that has everyone running in circles. I have to solve his murder too. He was an undercover Fed, and it’s like the FBI has called off the dogs. I don’t get it.”
He didn’t say anything, but his heart was thundering in his chest.
Oh, he knew why.
Ethan Blackhawk had called them off for Greyson Croft, unknowing that he’d been the man who did the job.
Great.
And Poppy was going to solve it.
“And?” he asked.
“He’s playing dirty. I was at the crime scene today, and the cops were retaliating against me. He’s called out the dogs on me. Before telling him to fuck off, I’ve never had issues before. The commissioner didn’t partner me up with anyone now that Hunter is dead, or Marshall Cameron, or whatever he called himself. I’m on my own.”
He hated that.
“What did they do?” he asked, trying to stay calm.
“The usual childish shit. I was tripped, coffee was dumped on me, and I was pushed so I’d fall on a rotting corpse. It’s petty shit, but now they’re saying I was drunk on a scene. They’re trying to discredit me. My cop days are pretty much over.”
He listened to her and there was a horrible rage in him. If he thought she’d give him their names, and not be suspicious when they turned up dead, he’d end them.
“I’m sorry.”
That was all he could come up with at that moment.
“It’s okay. It’s only a job. I can go elsewhere. It’s not like I have ties here. I’m just another face in a sea of people in Vegas. I’m just pissed that he’s won. When this is over, I’ll have to move elsewhere if I want to be a cop.”
Oh, holy shit!
That could NOT happen.
Dimitri couldn’t leave Vegas. He had roots now. They had a family, and he couldn’t leave the people he loved.
If Poppy left…
Yeah, this was bad.
“It’s not over yet,” he said, hoping he sounded convincing. There was a battle going on inside him.
She laughed.
“I feel defeated. It’s over. My whole life I’ve fought, and I’m too tired. I have some sicko trying to kill me, the commissioner wants me to slink away with my tail between my legs, and you’re dumping me at a hotel.”
And that had his attention. Was that why she was icy? She thought he was ‘dumping’ her at a hotel?
“Pardon.”
“Nothing.”
“Poppy…”
She stopped him.
“Can we just go in? I’ve had a bad day. I need a fifth of Jack and about six pounds of chocolate. I want to forget this day.”
Yeah, and that the sexiest man she’d ever seen, kissed, and been against was leaving her alone in a hotel.
Dimitri didn’t argue.
She had tears in her eyes, but he didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t ‘dump’ her there. At that moment, he didn’t have a choice. Today was a rough day for him too. At that very moment, he felt guilty for not being at home with Sam and Petra. He felt guilty that her career was over because of him. He felt…
He just felt.
Before, he
’d never had these emotions, the needs, or the feelings. They kind of sucked.
“I’ll show you around.” Dimitri entered the code and made sure she knew it.
“I have it.”
The doors opened, and immediately, he went to the pad and entered the second code. He gave her that one too.
“I have it.”
They stood there.
“Um, it’s an office. This is an interesting twist I didn’t see coming. Like I said…bad day.”
He laughed.
“We had this renovated. We were worried about Emma and the baby, so we had this open here, and then you have to access this office to get to the private rooms.”
He led her down a hall.
He entered the original code. A new elevator door opened, and they walked in and to the back of the elevator. He entered the code again, and the door slid open to a foyer.
“Welcome home,” he said, watching her expression. You could tell a lot about a person who was hit in the face with this kind of wealth.
Some women got that glint in their eyes. It was proof that bad shit was coming.
Poppy…
Nope.
She looked dumbstruck and a little horrified. That told him everything he needed to know. She wouldn’t be some opportunistic gold digger.
“Wow. This is something,” she said as they stood in a foyer filled with marble. There was a marble compass rose on the floor and the furniture looked really expensive.
“Are those real flowers?” she asked. “Are those poppies?”
He laughed.
“Yes, I had them put there.”
She looked at him like he had three heads.
It amused him.
“I can just stay in a regular room. This seems like a lot for just me. I’m sure I don’t belong here.”
And that said the rest. Poppy wouldn’t be one of those women who wanted him to ply her with expensive things. She’d be happy just to be near him.
Speaking of which…
“As you can see, it’s a nice place to stay. I’m not dumping you here.”
She didn’t respond.
Poppy began wandering through the place. She didn’t want to be a bitch. She was just disappointed that she wasn’t staying with him.
She assumed he was, but she couldn’t tell him that.
“It’s nice. Thank you.”
He stopped her.
That wasn’t genuine. Something was bothering her. He was good at the opposite sex. He’d raised teenagers.
That was hormone hell.
“You’re upset. I can’t read your mind. Just tell me why you won’t look at me. You’re chilly. What did I do to upset you, Poppy?”
“I’m fine.”
He laughed.
“Poppy, the last time I saw a woman say she was fine, Emma shoved a dozen roses down a garbage disposal. I’m around Emma and Greyson a lot. Fine is NEVER actually fine.”
She didn’t say anything.
“Can I see where I’m going to sleep? I know I’ll be safe alone here. So, thank you.”
And then he got it.
“You’re mad at me because I’m leaving you alone here?” he asked.
“Like I said, I’m fine. You proved no one can get in. I’ll be safe.”
She walked away.
Well, shit.
Apparently, he was going to have to escalate this conversation or risk her being angry at him.
“I have two kids,” he blurted out.
She stopped.
“Pardon?”
“If I didn’t have two kids at my place, I would have brought you there. I would have brought you to my home and you would be sleeping beside me. I just can’t think only of me. I have found myself in the predicament that I have to include them in this too.”
She turned around.
The mere idea that she could sleep beside him was enough to chase away the chill, but then she focused on the more important part.
“You have two kids?”
“Yes. Sam is my son. I adopted him when he was being abused in foster care. Today, my sister arrived. She was another product of my father’s sexcapades. My father sired children everywhere he went. I’ve taken them in to give them a better life.”
She listened.
At that moment, she couldn’t have respected him more. She was a product of foster care. She knew the hell it had been.
“Natasha and Kat were the same, and recently, I found out about another one. She came today.”
“Is she okay?” she asked.
She listened in fascination.
“She was sold to some gypsies in Romania. She doesn’t speak English, and she was sexually molested by tourists to make money for the gypsies. She is adjusting. Sam makes it easier. She’s attached to him.”
She looked horrified.
Dimitri began worrying.
“And you’re here with me? GO! Are you insane? That little girl needs you. I’m good. Go, Dimitri. Had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered you.”
He moved toward her.
“Why didn’t you take up my offer to have a drink?” he asked.
Dimitri knew the answer, but she didn’t know that. A part of him wanted to know if she’d be honest. After all, he’d given her the truth.
He didn’t respect lies.
She stared at him.
He was big.
Imposing.
Sexy as sin.
“Why, babochka?”
She offered him the truth when he used her nickname. How could she not? It made her melt.
“If I let you anywhere near me, Dimitri, the commissioner will make your life hell. I didn’t take a job and look at my life. I can’t do that to you, especially now. You have two kids who need you. Your brother is finally off your ass. You can’t be someone’s target. I can be. I’m alone.”
He hated that.
He hated hearing that loneliness in her voice.
God!
He understood it.
“You are not alone. I’m here.”
“I’ll be good. Will you be back tomorrow so we can start working on this? I can’t hide in here forever.”
He touched her cheek.
“I wish I could hide you here forever. Then I could hide with you. I love being near you, Poppy.”
Her heart skipped.
“Thank you for coming when I called. It means, even more, knowing that you left your kids for me. I appreciate it. I’m going to take a bath and try and forget today.”
He led her toward the one bedroom.
“Here you go,” he said, opening the double wood doors. “Here’s the bedroom.”
When she stared inside, she couldn’t believe it.
“Well, holy shit! I don’t even know what to say. Yes, yes, I do.”
“What?” he asked curiously.
“This is all kinds of wrong. NO ONE in their right mind should live like this.”
He laughed.
“That’s exactly what Emma said the first time she saw it too. It was then followed up with ‘who the hell spends money on shit like this? That bed would sleep twenty’.”
She laughed.
“I thought it.”
And that was why he was even more positive that this woman was the right woman for him.
Dimitri led her through the room toward the bathroom. When he opened the bathroom, it was all marble and white. The tub was a pool. There was a waterfall.
This was…
Insane.
“This makes me really uncomfortable,” she stated.
“Why?” he asked, curiously. “Doesn’t every woman like to be pampered?” he asked.
“I’m simple. This…this is NOT simple. I’m a camp in the woods kind of girl.”
He laughed.
“You should be careful of what you find in the woods. You know that,” he said, lifting his wounded arm.
Oh, he was the best thing she’d ever stumbled upon in the woods.
“The best t
hings in life are simple. I’m a firm believer in this. Please say your place doesn’t look like this.”
He laughed.
He was so glad he didn’t have a flashy place. He could picture her in his space—now more so than ever. She’d fit perfectly.
“No. It doesn’t. By now I’m going to say there are gummy bears stuck to the ceiling and holes in things. Sam is trouble, and add a non-English speaking child, and its mayhem.”
She knew he had to go.
“Thank you, Dimitri. Go home. I’ll be okay.”
He took her face in his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. When he set her free, she was staring up into his eyes. Dimitri would love to gaze into them all night.
That would be a gift—something he rarely got.
“I like doing that a lot,” he admitted.
She laughed.
“I’m not complaining.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow. I hope seven isn’t too early. I don’t sleep a lot.”
She didn’t care if he showed up at three—as long as he showed.
“I think I’ll be good,” she said.
He backed away.
He had to go or he’d try and stay. He kept thinking about the kids. Dimitri was a father now. Sex…it wasn’t a priority.
God.
He never thought he’d say it and mean it.
Plus, she had to know the truth.
“See you tomorrow, Detective Wayne. If you need me, call. I’ll have security make sure you’re not bothered. If you hear a bell, it’s someone in the elevator. Don’t open it unless you ask who it is.”
She followed him back through the luxurious penthouse and to the door.
“I can do that.”
“Good night, Poppy. Order dinner. Feed yourself something and miss me.”
Oh, she would.
“Sweet dreams.”
She said nothing as he climbed into the elevator. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t be sweet. They’d be sweaty and erotic. This man got her wet.
“Goodnight, Dimitri.”
He watched her with those aqua eyes. He didn’t want to leave, so he memorized her face. As the door closed, he didn’t blink.
Then he was gone.
Poppy stood there, and she didn’t know what to do first.
Then her phone beeped. When she pulled it out, it made her laugh.
‘Set the alarm, babochka.’
Mob Justice Page 15
