She didn’t get that.
That kind of money…
“That’s so weird to me.”
“You get used to it,” Emma said, as the waitress came over to take their order.
“Sheila, thank you,” Greyson stated. He glanced over at Poppy. “Do you like Italian?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah. Who doesn’t like Italian?”
Greyson was good with that.
It meant that this would be a customary lunch that he and his family shared often. Food was love, and he loved both of the men sitting there.
They were his brothers.
He ordered their food.
“Start us with the Bruschetta bar and wine. Emma will have some sparkling water.”
The woman hurried away.
“This is all so foreign to me.”
Emma laughed.
“Burger, bag, desk, while you work,” she stated. “I totally get it.”
“YES!”
Even Chris got it.
“We won’t get to eat dinner tonight since the family is doing a million things,” Greyson stated. “Oh, and Emma, we have a date.”
Dimitri stared at him.
“No, I have a date, and you have my kids—unless, by date, you meant babysitting.”
He laughed.
“Someone is getting married.”
They all looked at Dimitri and Poppy.
“Whoa, what kind of lunch is this?” Poppy asked. “He said lunch with the family. He didn’t say LUNCH WITH THE FAMILY,” she said in a mob accent.
Chris laughed.
“Marry me,” he said. “I dig the mob accent.”
Dimitri was appalled by that and kicked him under the table.
HARD.
“Shit! Jesus!” he muttered, rubbing his leg where the man’s boot had connected.
Dimitri gave him the look.
Emma was amused by the whole thing—especially since Dimitri rarely resorted to violence toward the family. That said it all about how he felt about the woman beside him.
It was time to watch her.
You know…to see if she’d fit in.
“Who’s getting hitched?” Chris asked.
“Riley and Delilah are,” Greyson offered. “He called me and needed two witnesses and we are it.”
They all stared at him like what he was saying was almost impossible.
“No way,” Chris said. “Delilah, as in ‘I eat cops for a snack’ is marrying Riley tonight?”
He nodded.
“So, he sprung it on me. That’s why I asked Paris and Tessa to babysit.”
Dimitri relaxed.
His date was still on after all. Paris was amazing with kids. He was really good with Sam, and he was fine with that.
“Thank you. I didn’t want to break my date.”
He pointed at Chris.
“I will kill you if you say anything.”
He snorted and tried to look innocent.
Sheila came back with five people, and they put down one hell of a spread. It was all kinds of bread and toppings to go on the buttery, toasted crostini.
“And there goes any hope of me fitting into these pants ever again,” Poppy stated.
Emma gave Dimitri a look.
“I think you have a great ass,” Chris said, beating him to the punch just to torment him.
Dimitri mumbled in Russian.
Poppy laughed.
She’d heard him. These people entertained her, and she wondered what it would be like to have that kind of family to protect you.
“Stop or I will hurt you and your mercy hickey.”
Emma cringed.
Chris got quiet.
Dimitri immediately sensed he’d gone too far. The look on Chris’s face said it all. His hand went to it, and his fingers lingered there.
Dimitri felt the whole mood shift, and he knew what he needed to do.
“Chris, I’m sorry. That was a cheap shot. I went too far, my friend. Please forgive me.”
Chris tried to rebound but it was so hard.
“It’s fine. I was provoking you. I got what I was asking for,” he admitted.
He sipped his wine, but it was clear it wasn’t good at all. Chris was hurting, and immediately, Dimitri wanted to protect him. This man had been so very close to Natasha, and he loved him.
Even though his sister was no longer with them, she’d left Chris behind, and it was his duty to protect him.
He was his brother too.
“What happened?” he asked, focusing on the man but speaking to Emma. He knew she’d tell him everything, and he needed to know about it.
Clearly.
“We ran into Denise,” Emma stated. “She brought up Natasha,” she stated.
That was all she had to say.
Greyson had clued him in long ago about what that woman had done to Chris. He hated her by proxy for hurting his family.
For hurting his friend.
Dimitri felt horrible.
He got it now. Emma had been fighting for his heart and defending him. He slid his chair over and put his good hand on Chris’s shoulder.
“My brother, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” Dimitri said.
Chris looked over, and Dimitri pulled him toward him. They rested their foreheads against each other.
“I love you. I’ll go kick her ass for you. I’m sorry.”
Chris fought it.
It was so hard.
“I’m okay now.”
Poppy watched them. What everyone said about them was so off base. They were compassionate people who loved each other.
She was compelled to help, and she believed she knew how to do it too.
“I’m free for that wedding if you’re still offering,” she said to Chris. “Honestly, it’s the best offer I had all day.”
Chris laughed as Dimitri looked horrified.
“I’ll pick you up at sex. I mean six.”
Emma laughed.
It had passed.
“Eat,” Greyson said, as he had his wine and bruschetta. “We should update each other about what we’ve learned this morning.”
Yeah, and change the topic to give Chris time.
Dimitri was good with that.
“After you tell me why Curtis and Kat are having issues. I might as well get it out of the way before I eat.”
“Your sister is internalizing.”
“Oh, well, that’s nothing.”
Greyson continued, “There’s no…intimacy.”
“Jesus. I was very bad in my last life,” Dimitri stated. “A horrible sinner that now I have to hear about my baby sister’s sex life.”
Poppy laughed.
“Sorry, the wine…I don’t normally drink in the middle of the day.”
Dimitri looked at Emma.
He needed her help to get through this.
“I let you name my child. That has to get me some help, doesn’t it?” he asked.
She sipped her sparkling water.
“You’re my favorite, so okay.”
Chris stared at her. “And after what we just did in that sleazy sex booth. Now I really feel cheap.”
She covered Greyson’s mouth.
“For the record, I already told Curtis how to handle it,” Greyson said, moving her hand away from his mouth. While he was worried about sex with Emma, he was still wildly turned on by what had been going on that morning.
Wife.
Sex shop.
The whole thing made him nuts.
So, he placed her hand on his lap over his erection. As if on cue, she moved closer.
“Good, because I have enough on my plate with children. I don’t think I can micromanage my sister’s marriage too.”
Sheila returned to the table to get their next course of food ordered for them.
“Mr. Croft, are you ready for the next selection?”
“We are. What are our choices?”
“We have filet mignon and asparagus risotto or lobster
Fra Diavolo.”
Poppy stared at them.
This was insane.
The whole bruschetta bar wasn’t the meal?
Crap!
“How do you work after you eat that much food?” she asked honestly.
“We don’t always work,” Emma stated. “Swimming is fun. We have a pool on the roof.”
She didn’t understand any of this.
NONE.
“Filet,” she said, giving up. This was so out of her element. She wasn’t accustomed to any of this luxury. She didn’t eat in places reserved for only her. She didn’t have nine courses for lunch. She didn’t drink booze in the middle of the day.
“Are you okay?” Dimitri asked, sensing that she was struggling with it.
“Adjusting,”
Dimitri understood.
They all ordered, and their waitress headed toward the kitchen to put in their selections.
“I hit up the financial institution,” Greyson stated, sipping some wine. “I met with a Johnie Baker who pointed at Michael Skinner.”
Emma laughed.
“What’s so funny?” he inquired.
“Chris and I spoke to the Bauers,” she said. Then she told them what happened, the husband on the phone, and then the return visit. “Emily Bauer pointed us at Baker and Skinner, so you are likely on track.”
“Well, what a coincidence. I doubt that’s a big surprise,” Greyson said.
“We’ll run them later. Who do you have left?” she asked her husband.
“Well, we hit Marcella Lamb’s home before meeting you at the sex shop. She wasn’t home.”
“Well, she’s not off the hook. We need to know if they have anyone else attached to this that might point us in the right direction. Friends always know the gossip.”
They all agreed.
“I’m hitting up Jeannette Weis after we eat. Want to join me, wife?” he asked.
“Oh, together?”
Chris cleared his voice.
“Remember me?”
“Can you take the magic tablet and run them?” Emma asked. She gave him the look.
He got it.
She was going to get her Croft on. That was the other thing that best friends knew.
Chris grinned.
“Yeah, I can do that. You’ll be safe with Bugsy. I’ll catch a ride with Ilan,” he stated. He’d seen the man lurking outside the business.
Greyson snorted.
“Ahhh, but will I be safe with her?” he teased.
His wife was riling him up by tormenting him through his dress pants. It was hard to pretend he wasn’t turned on.
“Where is Heath?” Emma asked, looking around. “He’s normally all over us, and food.”
“He took Curtis back. I figured I was safe. I had to worry about our son.”
She was glad he’d taken the precaution. The whole family was still edgy.
“He’s going to be pissed he missed food.”
“I’ll bring him some,” Greyson said, trying not to moan as his wife rubbed his erection beneath the table. It had been so damn long.
“What’s the magic tablet?” Poppy asked. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” she stated.
Emma pulled it out of her purse, logged in, and turned it around so Poppy could see it.
“Why does that have the FBI emblem?” she asked, her brows crunching together in a worry line.
Emma laughed.
“It was acquired from the FBI…”
Emma let that hang, waiting to see what the woman would say about it. This was a test.
She was up to bat.
“Ohhhhhhhh,” Poppy said. “Are we going to jail? I don’t want to be someone’s bitch. I really prefer dicks.”
Dimitri started choking on his wine.
Emma gave her a fist bump.
“FINALLY! I’m not the only one who can do that,” she stated.
Chris slapped Dimitri on the back, and simultaneously, he raised his hand.
“About dicks,” he stated.
“Oh, you are one,” Dimitri said through his fit of coughing. “Trust me on that.”
Chris grinned.
The food came out, and it was on huge plates with so much food that Poppy knew she was going to be waddling to the gym before her date tonight.
How could she not?
“How do you all not gain four hundred pounds?” she asked, checking out the size of her steak.
“We have lots of sex,” Emma said, and once more, Dimitri choked.
She giggled.
“Oh, well, then count me in.”
Chris grinned wickedly, and stopped when Dimitri pointed, first at him, and then at her.
“BEHAVE.”
She winked at him.
‘I like her,’ Emma mouthed as Dimitri glanced over at her. It was true. Poppy Wayne was a decent person, and she fit in.
‘Me too,’ he replied, grinning like a lunatic.
Emma was happy.
“I didn’t learn a whole lot at the sex shop,” Emma stated. “The cashiers recall seeing Libby, and she ALWAYS paid with cash. Why do you think she did that?” Emma asked, already knowing the answer.
Chris knew why.
“She didn’t want her husband to be able to trace it. She wanted her liaisons to be kept private. She definitely had some side action.”
They all agreed.
“Did they say anything else?” Greyson asked. He’d been busy protecting Chris while his wife did the interview.
“Nope. She came in alone, she left with bags of sexy loot.”
Emma pulled a tube of cinnamon lube out of her pocket and placed it on the table.
“Oh, Dante,” Greyson stated.
“It’s his favorite,” Dimitri added.
Chris looked appalled.
“Why did EVERYONE know about this but me?” he asked.
They laughed.
Even Poppy got into it.
“Let me postulate this with the clues I’ve been given,” she stated, pointing at the lube.
“Go for it,” Greyson stated.
“Your gay brother. Cinnamon lube. He likes that nice tingly warm sensation.”
Both Chris and Dimitri stared at her.
“I’m horrified,” Chris stated.
“I’m intrigued,” Dimitri added, grabbing the lube and slipping it into his pocket. “I’ll make sure Dante gets this,” he stated.
Emma laughed.
“Right…”
Dimitri winked at her, and then kissed Poppy on her very surprised and open mouth.
“So, we have some suspects to look into, and Chris will do the legwork. We’ll hit up the last two friends after lunch,” Greyson stated, getting them back on track.
Dimitri knew that it was time since they were done talking case.
“I need some help,” Dimitri said, as he shared his lobster with Poppy, and she shared her filet.
“With?” Emma asked.
“Tell them what you learned,” Dimitri said.
When she stared over at him, he gave her a reassuring nod to help her. Then, in Russian, urged her on, knowing Emma would understand, and maybe Greyson.
She got it.
They were friends.
Poppy told them everything, including what had been said about her mother—from the detective.
They all looked horrified.
“It’s not his fault. I didn’t tell him she was my mother, or Daisy was my sister.”
Emma shook her head.
“I’m horrified that you had to relive it, Poppy. For that, I’m sorry.”
Dimitri couldn’t love Emma more than he did at that moment. She was definitely the mother of this family and their core.
“What do you need, Dimitri?” Greyson asked.
“I want to break into the police station and steal the box with the DNA in it. If you can call in a favor, we could expedite this.”
“If the person’s DNA is on file,” Chris added, keeping it real. He knew the odds of it.
Yes, Dimitri was aware.
“That’s the big question when he brings up his plan?” Poppy asked. “No one here is going to say that it’s crazy or dangerous?”
They all shook their heads.
“Crazy is trying to do it during the day. We should do it at night,” Emma stated.
Poppy listened.
This was amazing.
“IF you can pull this off, what if you can’t get it tested?” she asked. “It’s a lot of risk for a possibly non-existent reward.”
“Blackhawk,” Chris said.
That was all he had to say.
Greyson pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the man answered, his face came on the screen.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Ethan offered. “Please tell me Vegas isn’t falling apart. I can’t come back there right now.”
He laughed.
“It is, but I need a favor. This isn’t so much about Vegas, but more along the personal lines.”
Ethan relaxed.
“What kind?”
“I need to get some DNA tested.”
“Easy.”
“I need to steal it first.”
He laughed.
“You may not borrow my wife. She’s up to her eyebrows in crazy with a case. She’s really busy.”
He only imagined.
“I have a thief. I need a lab.”
“I can make that happen. I’ll need a cop to make it look legit.”
They all looked at Poppy.
“We have one of those too.”
“Then you have your solution. Text me with a drop spot, and I’ll get an agent to do it. They’ll pick it up from your cop, and no one will be any the wiser.”
“Thank you, Ethan.”
“Don’t mention it. I mean it. Blackhawk out.”
The call went dead.
Poppy couldn’t believe this day.
“I don’t know which is more astounding. That I ate all this food, or you can call up Ethan Blackhawk on a whim.”
“Go with the food. Greyson and Ethan are friends,” Emma stated.
Sheila came back with staff to clear the plates from the table.
“Cheesecake or tiramisu?” she asked.
Emma wanted both.
“I’m feeding a baby. I get both.”
Greyson and Chris went with cheesecake since they’d had the tiramisu the last time they were there.
Dimitri and Poppy got one of each.
“I can’t hang out with you anymore,” she said. “My cardiologist won’t let me.”
Dimitri wanted to reassure her.
He slid his hand down her back and rested his hand on her ass. He realized when she figured it out. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear when everyone was distracted.
Mob Justice Page 30
