Mob Justice

by Kelley, Morgan

  Greyson handed her four hundred bucks.

  “Buy a one-way ticket to anyplace but Vegas. I will know where you went. If you contact him, I will make sure you are walking down the street one day, and you die.”

  She wiped her eyes and looked scared shitless by that, and Greyson was glad. This hussy needed a ‘come to Jesus’ talk.

  “I won’t! I swear!”

  He believed her. She was terrified.

  “Go! Get out of my face before I change my mind and you and your lover end up in the same grave.”

  She raced out of there.

  “Make sure she gets in that cab,” Greyson stated, glancing over at Heath. “I want her out of here before…”

  He let it hang to terrorize Michael.

  Heath gave a two-finger salute and then followed her outside.

  Greyson leaned back.

  “What do I do with you?”

  “Please don’t kill me! I’m sorry! I’ll change! I’ll fix my shit!”

  He laughed.

  Oh, he somehow doubted that, but that was on this man, not him. Greyson could scare him, but he couldn’t make him be a decent human being.

  As for killing him…

  Yeah, he hadn’t planned on it.

  Greyson was particular about crossing that line. This man wasn’t worth it.

  “I’m about to be a father,” Croft said, picking up his gun. “I couldn’t imagine leaving my kid behind, or my wife. So, we are going to work this out.”

  “Okay. What?”

  “You have two choices. You help pay for the kids you made, or you die. I will call your ex, and I will ask her randomly if you have done your duty as a father. That includes seeing those boys, paying for their needs, and being a man.”

  He didn’t speak.

  “If she tells me even once that you didn’t show for a visit, or you welched on buying them school clothes, or braces, I’m going to send Heath to put so many holes in you that the rats won’t be able to find a fucking organ to eat.”

  The man began crying, and he should. He’d been a bastard to his own kids. Greyson had no sympathy for him. Mercy…that was another thing. Those boys, despite this man’s shittiness, still deserved to see their father.

  That was all that saved him.

  “AM. I. CLEAR?”

  Michael Skinner nodded.

  “Your ex has a direct line to my phone.”

  The man looked skeptical. So, Greyson proved to him that he wasn’t screwing around with this one.

  He called Abby.

  “Miss McCoy, I have spoken to your husband. He’s going to be helping you out with those boys. I know you don’t need him to, but he’s decided that he wants to, right?”

  He put his phone down so the man could talk to her.

  “Abby, it’s me.”

  “What do you want, Michael?” she asked.

  “I’ll help with the braces. I’ll pay for them all. I want to see the boys.”

  “No, that’s not fair. I’ll pay half. They are OUR boys. I’ll pay my fair share.”

  “Can I see them?”

  Greyson smiled.

  “Yes, the divorce agreement says Wednesdays and every other weekend. You can stick to that.”

  Greyson was glad they were behaving like adults.

  “That’s very kind of you, Abby. Oh, and if he tries kissing your ass to get back into your life, let me know. I’ll shoot him myself.”

  “Yes, Mr. Croft.”

  “See you at work on Monday.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  She sounded happy, and her dirtbag ex looked as miserable as sin.

  His work here was done.

  Greyson hung up.

  “Now, let’s review this, shall we?”

  He pushed play on his phone, and it replayed the man’s confession of him raping his sister-in-law. Clearly, it caught him off guard.

  Why he was shocked? Greyson didn’t know. He was a mob man. Of course he was going to play dirty.

  Michael Skinner looked horrified.

  “I have enough cops on my payroll that Jeffrey Raye doesn’t control, that this will get you put in jail for a long time.”

  He understood.

  “If you mention to him I was here, or you gave me Elaine Beasley’s name, you will go to jail or die.”

  Heath came in.

  “I ripped out his security camera’s boss,” he said.

  “Good. Get the DVR too. When we leave, I want no trace of us ever being here.”

  He did what was asked of him.

  Heath smashed it and pulled out the hard drive. In fact, he made it one hot mess.

  “Michael, it’s been a pleasure. I’m sorry about your girlfriend breaking up with you. That sucks. I’m sure you’ll stick to the single life for a while,” he stated. “Your boys should come first.”

  “Fuckin’ A, boss,” Heath stated. “When you make kids, you should take care of them, right?”

  The man nodded enthusiastically.

  Well, it looked like he’d at least try, and that was a small victory.

  Together, Heath and Greyson headed out, and once in the vehicle, Greyson began laughing his ass off.

  “She pissed herself, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah, and from the smell of it, that wasn’t it. You scared the shit out of her. Literally. I feel bad for that cab driver. He’s going to have one hell of a smell going on in his back seat.”

  He laughed.

  “It’s a skill. As a Fed, I was able to really screw with my agents. I miss that part most of all.”

  “What if he calls the cops?” Heath asked.

  “Well, Heath, then I guess he’s going to have to die. I’ll give him enough rope to save himself or hang himself. It’s up to him.”

  “You’re a nice mob boss, boss.”

  He gave him a pat on the back.

  “I have my moments, Heath, but thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  “Where to?” Heath asked, smiling like a lunatic as he drove them away from the man’s home.

  “Let’s get back to the penthouse. I need to find out who the hell Elaine Beasley is, and why Jeffrey Raye was worried about her.”

  That seemed to be the big question.

  And Greyson Croft wanted answers.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Poppy’s Apartment

  When Dimitri finally arrived there, he rushed inside to find Ilan standing there.

  “Where is she?”

  “She was in her bathroom as she puked, but now I think she’s in her bedroom staring at the message.”

  Poor Poppy.

  Dimitri was so damn sorry that he hadn’t been there to protect her from what happened. That broke his heart. He didn’t want her to hurt.

  Ever.

  Heading into her bedroom, the first thing he saw was her, and then the wall. It pissed him off.

  She looked so lost.

  Poppy was just sitting there. Her face was pale, and she wasn’t moving.

  “Moya lyubov',” he said, kneeling in front of her. When she didn’t respond to being called ‘my love’, Dimitri became even more worried. “Poppy, babochka.”

  She continued to stare at the message and dead cat.

  “I lost my job, Dimitri,” she whispered. “He took my badge and my gun. He said my whole career was going to be reviewed. I have nothing now.”

  Oh, Dimitri knew why. He would bet his whole bank account on the fact that the man saw her kissing him on the front page of that rag tabloid.

  “Because of me?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Poppy.”

  She began crying.

  “Please get me out of here. I can’t even be here. This is ruined too. I have nowhere to run.”

  He helped her up.

  “You have me. I’ll keep you safe. You can stay with me for the rest of your life.”

  She sobbed.

  “I don’t know how to do anything but be a cop, Dim
itri. If I can’t be a cop, what am I?”

  He soothed her.

  “I’ll have to leave Las Vegas and find a new job. I’m going to have to go far away to find another cop job—if I even can.”

  Oh, he did NOT like that.

  “Let’s worry about that after we get you out of here,” he said.

  “Tessa, can you search it for anything we can use to figure out who did this?” he asked.

  She’d been standing there silently watching the whole thing play out. Dimitri was clearly in love. She could see it on his face. She knew that if Poppy was his, she was also the family’s too. It was going to be about protecting her.

  “Yeah, I’ll get on it, Dimitri.”

  He believed her. He not only liked Tessa, but he trusted her.

  “Ilan, help her. I’m taking Poppy home. She’ll be with me.”

  He patted his boss on the back.

  “On it, sir.”

  He led Poppy out, and to his ride. He helped her into it and buckled her seatbelt. Gently, he took her face in his hands. “We will be okay. You will be fine.”

  She just nodded.

  “Sure.”

  He hated that she was suffering.

  For now, Dimitri needed to get her somewhere safe. He needed to get her somewhere that she could grieve for what was wrongly taken from her.

  The woman he loved needed to mourn.

  And he would be there for her.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Oh, that asshole was with her again. He couldn’t believe it! All he wanted to do was get to her, take her, and teach Eloise a lesson.

  And now he couldn’t.

  Every time he tried to get to her, he was right there, making it almost impossible.

  He had to die.

  It was as simple as that, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get her. Deep down, he knew his time and chances were running out.

  She’d been delivered back into his life, by miracle, and now she was slipping away.

  No.

  Fucking.

  Way.

  He was going to have to do something drastic. He’d lost Eloise once, and it wouldn’t happen again.

  He was going to have to make his move.

  Soon.

  This man, the Russian, had to go.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Sky Villa

  Dimitri’s Condo

  When Dimitri got her up there, Poppy was a mess. She was crying, sobbing, and really weeping up a storm. Dimitri got her into his condo, and then into the bathroom.

  He filled his big tub with water and lots of Epsom salts. Gently, he stripped her down and then helped her into the water.

  Kneeling beside the tub, he held her hand. As she wept, he was there for her. He didn’t speak, he didn’t try to make her feel better, all he did was let her mourn.

  When the tears stopped, he waited.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m usually better than this. It’s been a bad week.”

  He understood. Until her, he’d been having a horrible life—where he’d wanted to give up. That she hadn’t yet was a testament to her strength.

  “What can I get for you?” he asked, willing to do anything to help her. He hated watching Poppy hurt like this. It was breaking his heart.

  “I hurt.”

  “Where?” he asked.

  She touched her heart, and immediately, he got it. She’d lost a part of herself. To prove that he understood, Dimitri gently kissed her chest above her heart.

  “Better?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Where else?” he asked.

  She touched her mouth, needing that tenderness. She was so tired of fighting and losing. Poppy had nothing left in her. She was empty.

  Dimitri took that as his cue, and he kissed her there too. It was warm, deep, and heated her, and him, up.

  When he set her mouth free, she stared up and into his aqua eyes. They were filled with love. Poppy needed that now more than ever.

  “Heal me, Dimitri. I’m broken.”

  God!

  He’d been that for the longest time.

  Standing, he pulled off his clothes and stripped down to be naked with her. When he dropped his boxer briefs, he was erect.

  “Ignore him. He has a mind of his own. I’ll just hold you,” he offered.

  Poppy loved that he wanted her. Broken, battered, and destroyed, he still wanted her. That astounded Poppy so much, that she couldn’t help but fall for him even more.

  When Dimitri got into the tub, he was grateful he’d gotten one that big. There was plenty of room for both of them in it. Immediately, she went into his lap.

  He held her.

  And he kissed her.

  Her body against his helped ease the pain for her. He was tenderly holding her. What Poppy needed was to forget.

  So, she kissed him.

  Dimitri was trying to be so good, but there was a naked, wet woman wiggling in his lap.

  He moaned.

  Poppy set his mouth free.

  “Make the pain stop,” she whispered. “Make me forget. I need you, Dimitri.”

  If that was what she needed, so be it. He’d do it. Pulling her mouth back to his, he dove in, trying to drain the pain from her body by way of her mouth.

  He didn’t give up, but instead, fought extra hard to make her forget.

  He’d do whatever it took.

  He made love to her mouth, reveling in how her body came alive above him. She moved to straddle his hips, and he found his way into her body.

  They both moaned.

  Poppy was focused on him.

  She stared into his eyes, trying to immerse herself in everything that made her feel good.

  This man.

  His touch.

  His gentleness.

  Then she began moving. Slowly, she rode him. Dimitri beneath her let her use his body to forget. Like once before, with Marissa, he offered a woman that solace.

  Only this time, it was different.

  Water sloshed over the sides of the large tub.

  “I love you,” he said out of the blue.

  She stopped moving and couldn’t breathe. Poppy hadn’t expected that. She knew he’d take longer—if he ever did get to that point, and that was fine.

  But now, he’d said it.

  “Dimitri.”

  “I knew on the mountain. As you yelled at me on our way down, I knew in that moment that you would challenge me, and I would have to work for it.”

  She let him talk.

  “Then you came to see me and brought me a gift. It was bullets, and at that moment, you knew what would heal me. I needed to laugh. You gave me that. You bought me those to lighten the mood. No one has ever given me a gift but for Greyson and Emma. You gave me the gift of laughter.”

  He wiped a tear from her eye.

  “When you picked up that cupcake and walked out all riled up, Emma told me I was going to marry you. I told her she was right. I knew in that moment. You were the one.”

  Poppy didn’t know what to say.

  “She’s irritatingly right most of the time—it’s a mother thing, I guess.”

  Her heart skipped.

  “This morning, the ONLY thing that kept me from telling you I loved you was I wanted to see my children relate to you. They had to love you as much as I do since they come with me. They are part of me.”

  Poppy didn’t move. His erection was throbbing inside her, and he was wild for her.

  No one had ever been that wild.

  “Then I watched you give Petra your necklace. She was this child that you had no attachment to, but you still gave her your necklace. I’ve never seen you take it off. It mattered to you.”

  “It was the first thing I could ever buy myself.”

  He knew it.

  “Yet, you shared it with a child. You gave her your watch, and you gave her your things. She’s nothing to you, but you loved her when sh
e needed it.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  He listened.

  “She’s everything. She’s part of you. She’s a piece of a man I saved on that mountain. I knew, too, Dimitri. I was compelled to follow you up there. I’ve been compelled to be near you since. I didn’t help her only because of that, but she’s a child. She’s innocent. She’s been through so much, and if that necklace could bring her peace, then so be it. It was time to give it to her.”

  He touched her cheek.

  “I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. You are why I was alone,” he said. “I get it now. You are my future. I do love you, Poppy. It happened so fast. You stole my heart.”

  “It happened a long time ago. We were always meant to be. Perspective.”

  He smiled.

  “Move into my home. Stay with me. Not just tonight, but because we are good together. We are perfect. Look how we fit.”

  She hesitated.

  “I can’t.”

  His heart ached. For once, he wanted there to be no battle for him. He wanted an easy path filled with peace.

  “Why, Poppy?”

  “I need a job. I can’t let you take care of me. I have to have a job, Dimitri. It means everything. It’s all I’ve ever known.”

  “I’ll hire you.”

  She laughed.

  “I’m serious. We help people. I hired Chris. He works for me. Today, I hired Tessa. Why are you any different? Let me hire you. Come work for me and help us fix Vegas. I’ll pay you, and you can pay for half the groceries or the electric, or whatever. If it means that much to you, you can pay for whatever. I get that my money upsets you, but watching you leave here…that would break my heart. Take my job offer. There are perks.”

  “Like?”

  He grinned.

  “You get to sleep and have sex with the boss.”

  It made Poppy laugh.

  “I like that perk. A lot.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows.

  She went serious.

  “You have to treat me like an employee. You can’t treat me any differently than you would Chris.”

  “I won’t. At work, it’s work. In here, you are mine. You are my love. You are my woman. In here, we are one.”