“I have a full audit going on of the files, and I’m trying to figure out why there are so many people on the payroll but yet we’re short staffed.”
“Did he lend people out?”
“I don’t know. His records are shit. His secretary has been running the place.”
“Linda?” Emma asked.
“Is she trustworthy?”
She shrugged.
“What does that mean?”
“She’s a hussy. I wouldn’t let a man near her.”
Elizabeth choked on her coffee. Ivan patted her on the back to help her breathe.
“I’m sorry, what? My man is NEAR HER!”
“She likes office sex. She was always eyeballing my husband, and sometimes, I’d inadvertently hear her talk about him being a stud. She knew I heard.”
“I’ll cut her eyes out,” she stated. “IF she tries to ‘hot to trot’ anywhere near my stud, I’ll have her fixed.”
He laughed.
“I’m a one-woman man. I’ll avoid the hussy. I have one of my own, who I’m happily married to for the rest of my life.”
“Damn right you do!”
Ivan snickered at her irritation.
“I feel like dress shopping for hours this afternoon. You know…when all the geriatrics are out and need help with their support hose.”
“OKAY! I’ll shut up!”
Ethan gave her a fist bump.
“Okay, well, I have to get to the office,” Ethan stated. “My ride is outside.”
“Who?”
“The other undercover security. Elan Barr. I’m sure you’ll have time to terrorize him later. In fact, I know you will.”
She smiled.
“I do try, cowboy.”
He gave her a kiss.
“Mmmmm, chocolate and raspberry.”
She patted him on the ass as he grabbed his bag and headed out.
She pointed at Ivan.
“Wake Heath. He’s heading out with Greyson. Tell him to blend in. He can’t wear…” She pointed at his clothes. As always, he was in head to toe black. “That.”
“What? You’re my freaking stylist now, critiquing my gear?”
“I can have a commando following me, peaches. People expect it. Greyson can’t. Heath needs to blend. You know, that thing you can’t do.”
He muttered and headed away.
“I heard that. I definitely see a kilt in your future. A PINK AND BABY BLUE ONE!”
Elizabeth smiled and drank her coffee. It was always a good day when she could ride Ivan’s ass.
Some women baked.
Some women crocheted.
She rode Marine ass.
Lucky her.
“Emma, where will you be?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m not sitting here alone, so I’m going to leave the penthouse until you all return.”
Greyson stared at her.
He shoved more bran cereal in his mouth.
“That’s for lying about the donut.”
He chewed.
“I’m kidding. Tessa is coming up. I texted her and Paris too. We’re going to have a big old sex trafficking party.”
“Kinky.”
Greyson stared at Elizabeth.
“Don’t make her mean. I like my kitten with no claws. I’ve seen you in action. I don’t know how your husbands still have their asses attached to their bodies.”
She laughed.
“They are masochists. What can I say?”
Emma gave him the look before he could even go there. It stopped him mid-thought.
So much for him being the caveman. There was someone ruling his world, and she was right there.
Ivan headed her way.
“Come on, ElizabethKhan.”
She grinned.
“Are you going to shave your legs for the kilt tomorrow?” she asked.
“Shut up.”
“I can lend you some shaving cream. It smells like a summery day in a field of…”
“I said, shut up.”
They heard the door close as Elizabeth and Ivan headed out to get their interview done.
“About that donut…”
She slid the box toward him. “Take one for the road,” she said. “If you’re not hungry, you won’t be distracted.”
He stared at her as Heath entered the room pulling on his suit jacket.
“What’s the trick?”
She laughed.
“You are paranoid.”
“Yes, because I’m married. That’s conditioned me to be paranoid.”
“I think that one has maple bacon glaze,” she stated, picking it up, placing it on a napkin before handing it to him. The look on his face was priceless.
She wanted to laugh.
“I have never loved you more. Feed my baby something healthy,” he said, kissing his wife.
“Be safe, Greyson.”
“I won’t let anything happen to him, Mrs. C. I promise. He’s in good hands, and so sexy.”
Greyson stared at him with the donut halfway to his mouth. Did the man just hit on him?
“Pardon?” he asked.
Emma laughed.
“Elizabeth pays me in cookies when I can mess with the non-feds. Don’t worry. You’re not my type.”
He shook his head and headed for the door.
Outside, he handed the man some money. Last night, when his wife had finally fallen asleep, he’d caught Heath coming back from his hunt for the house.
He needed help.
“Gun?”
“Here, and it’s not traceable, Mr. Croft. My buddy allocated it for an occasion like this. I have your back if it goes down.”
He patted him on the shoulder.
“Thank you, Heath. Ethan said you’d be helpful, and I appreciate it.”
And he did.
If someone had to die, he no longer had Dimitri to keep him safe.
He was on his own.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
The Mountain
Wednesday Morning
When Poppy pulled back the tarp, it had snowed overnight. A lot. There had to be about seven inches of new snow. The only good thing was that she didn’t see any footprints.
The bad news is…yeah, Dimitri wasn’t doing so well.
The cold had gotten to him, and now he was coughing. She kept checking for blood, and there was none.
So, this trek out was going to suck.
“Hey, Mr. Gideon,” she said, trying to wake him up. He barely opened his eyes. “Can you open your eyes and look at me?” she asked.
He moaned.
Well, at least he was alive. The night had been brutally cold, and they’d shivered for hours. The little fire didn’t keep the cave, or them, warm enough.
Honestly, she was surprised they survived the night. When he opened his eyes and stared at her, they were filled with pain.
“Okay, we have to get off the mountain, and we have to hustle.”
He didn’t speak.
Dimitri just stared at her.
Poppy knew it was now or never. She headed out into the snow and looked around. She was going to have to make a makeshift sled to get him down the mountain. She was going to have to drag him.
Well, this was going to suck for both of them. Her because she was going to have to pull him, and Dimitri because he was going to be bounced to hell and back.
Well, misery loved company.
Poppy pulled his Bowie knife out of the sheath it was housed in, and she began hacking through some branches to make two long poles. Then she made cross braces. She needed something to tie them with.
His shoelaces on his boots.
She’d need hers since she was going to have do all of the walking. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough rope to handle the job. So, she headed back into the cave. He was sitting up and against the wall.
“We’re getting out of here, Mr. Gideon,” she said.
“Just leave me. I’ll be fine.”
She be
gan unlacing his boot.
“Over my dead body. I didn’t keep you alive all night to lose you now. Once we get to my ride, I’ll get you to a hospital.”
“No hospital. I’m a dead man if you do. Take me home to Sky Villa. My brother will find me at the hospital.”
She hesitated.
“Please. You didn’t just keep me alive all night for him to see me on the news and kill me there.”
She knew he was probably right.
She’d tried to get in there to interview him, and there was lockdown at the door.
“I’ll get you down, and I’ll take you to your home. You should still see a doctor. You don’t want to die of an infection after surviving this.”
She pulled the laces.
“Why are you trying to save me, Poppy? Why does it matter to you if I live or die?”
“Because despite what you’re going through now, you’re worth it. Maybe not to you, but you’re a person, and to me that matters. I see value in you.”
She headed out.
He watched her from where he sat. She made the makeshift sled and looked around.
She was lovely.
That’s all he could think when he stared at her. It was those blue eyes and that dark black hair. It astounded him that she wanted to protect him. Dimitri wasn’t sure what to do with that. For years, he protected his sisters, clients, the Crofts, but no one ever bothered to keep him safe.
Until her.
God!
She was like an angel, and it screwed with his head. While he wanted to hate her—make her hate him—he wanted to study her to see if she was the real deal.
Compassion was a lost thing in Vegas. The only other person with a well that deep was Emma. She reminded him of her with her tenacity, her strength, and her will to fight.
It astounded him.
All night long, he wanted to die. He found himself being held, his icy cold hands placed on her warm body, so he would heat up. She made him packets of soup and warm water to heat up his core.
She fought hard.
He just didn’t understand why.
Why him?
He was nothing.
Dimitri remembered kissing her, and how she was willing to do anything to keep him alive. She cared, and he didn’t understand why he mattered to her. They were on opposite sides.
He was beneath her.
She was a cop.
He was a killer.
They didn’t meet. Oh, she’d chase him—right into prison for his past sins. That was all she was to him. Someone who needed to go to jail. In the end, that was what would happen, and he knew it.
When she came back in, her cheeks were rosy, and she had snow on her eyelashes from the wind whipping it around. Again, she looked angelic to him.
A snow queen.
“Okay, the sled is ready, Mr. Gideon. You get on, and I’ll get you down. Brace your shoulder.”
She looked around.
Well, she had one big soft, puffy thing left.
Her jacket.
She helped him out to the sled and got him situated.
“My gun.”
“I’ll get it,” she promised. “I’ll get them both.”
He rested on the tarp. Then she took off her jacket and placed it under his shoulder.
“You’ll freeze to death.”
“I’m toting a big man down a hill. I’ll be sweating. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. Just stay awake and talk to me so I know you’re okay,” she said. “I want to get you off this mountain and fast.”
“If he sees me, he’ll shoot me through the head. If you hear the gunshot, run. You’ll be next. Don’t look back. Just run.”
She leaned over him.
“I bet I get you to the bottom without you dying.”
Dimitri laughed.
His lips were cracked, split, and he’d seen better days. He just wanted to go home to die alone.
“I bet you won’t. He hates me. He wants me dead. He killed Natasha,” he said, sorrow filling his voice. “She was about to get engaged. She had everything,” he said, closing his eyes. “Her life was about to begin. I saved her only to lose her. I failed my sister.”
Her heart broke for his pain.
She got it.
Poppy knew that pain so damn well.
“Well, I was thinking more a friendly wager like winner buys dinner to keep your mind off this, but I see you like to be a little more morbid,” she said, starting out.
She navigated the stumps, and they were moving pretty quickly. She stayed out of the trees, so they didn’t get caught up. While it was more dangerous, it was the easier route to take for her and his body.
This was about doing the minimum damage to his shoulder and her back from dragging him down the hill. Here was her cardio workout for today.
“Are you still with me, Mr. Gideon?” she asked.
“It’s Dimitri.”
“Okay, Dimitri, are you okay? Do you need something? Want to stop and take a few selfies with some wildlife? There’s a deer.”
He wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but she amused the hell out of him. She was humming and dragging his body through an area that was wide open. They could be killed at any moment.
Still…
She was cheerful.
What was that all about? She had to be crazy. Poppy had to be batshit insane. There was no way that anyone could be happy and enjoying this.
So, he kept watching her. She had her gun and badge strapped to her hip, his sniper rifle over her back, and she had such determination.
It astounded him.
They were opposite sides of the law.
Yet, here she was…
She hit a bump, and he moaned.
Poppy stopped and checked him out. She repositioned the coat under his damaged shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gideon.”
“Again, Dimitri. We made out. I think we’re on a first name basis.”
She laughed.
It was musical. He heard it, and he felt lighter. For some reason, he felt better.
Maybe he was dying.
“Will you tell me about yourself?” he asked. “It will keep my mind busy.”
Yeah, so, he didn’t think about the kill shot he expected to come. He knew he was going to die.
Why bet?
He was a dead man. His brother had gotten the last shot in, and it was a damn good one. He’d taken out his shooting arm. It wasn’t a coincidence. He couldn’t hold a rifle now if his life depended on it.
“I’m a cop. What’s to tell? I fight crime.”
He laughed. “Do you have a cape, moy malen'kiy supergeroy?”
She glanced back over her shoulder and didn’t say anything. She caught part of that. Again, thanks to her grandmother.
“In case you’re wondering, I called you my little superhero. Fighting to the end even when it’s a lost cause, or are you the saint of lost causes? I’m a good one to let slip away.”
She stopped.
Poppy turned around, and she laid into him with everything she had. Maybe she shouldn’t have, but she was beyond exhausted. She was spent.
“You’re an asshole and total dick!”
His aqua eyes went wide at her response. He didn’t blame her, but honestly, she’d been super polite and kind the entire time. Yes, he was trying to provoke her.
It looked like he got his wish. His angel of mercy was about to tear him to shreds.
“Pardon?”
“I get that your sister died. I feel for you. I lost my sister, too, and my mother on the same damn day. They were killed in our home. They were raped by some asshole. I get that pity party that you’re feeling. Only, it’s way over the top. Now, for you as the survivor, it’s how you use that pain, Mr. Gideon.”
He listened in fascination.
She did get it.
She understood.
“I decided to be a cop to fight that kind of nonsense. I decided to put their memory to good use. You
’re willing to die. I’m willing to bet that your sister would be ashamed of you quitting like this. So that makes you one hell of an asshole!”
His heart skipped.
No one talked to him like this.
He was Dimitri Gideon.
When people looked at him, they saw a killer and nothing else. They certainly didn’t tear into him.
Ever.
Holy shit!
“Yes, her death was horrible. Yes, it hurts. I get it. I’ve been in that exact spot, but I was a child. Right now, I’m trying to help you. I’m trying to get the asshole who ended her life to get you an iota of peace. I’m fighting to get her justice, and I’ve had to chase you all over Hell and back. Well, I’m tired. I’ll get you down, and you can go to your fancy home in Sky Villa and end it all. I’ll investigate your fucking murder, too, because he put a bullet in you. If you die, he’s responsible and ultimately killed you, and now, I have to chase him for your death too.”
He watched her.
She was gorgeous when she was angry.
Absolutely.
Gorgeous.
“I’ll fight for you when you’re gone, Mr. Gideon. I’ll fight for both of you. So, have your pity party, but I won’t quit. I won’t quit until I get justice for Natasha.”
He was astounded.
“Why do you care? Why does it matter? You know what I am. I’m sure I told you.”
“You did. You’re a killer. I get it. You killed your father while he was raping your sister. That’s not a killer. That’s a person who is saving someone. You had to have been a child yourself.”
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t speak.
“You told me about Anastasia too. You killed her and your child. You’d just spent a month being tortured. You weren’t in the right mind. I get that too. I don’t judge, Mr. Gideon. I balance the scales. You were tortured. I imagine it makes you do things you can’t fathom.”
It did.
It really did.
“You’re not a monster, so stop trying to make me think you are. I wade through the mess monsters leave behind, and I can see them for what they’re worth. I see past the lies, the anger, and the pain. I see the killer, and you’re not anything like you pretend to be. Yes, you’ve killed, but I would bet my badge it was to do the right thing.”
Jesus.
She saw right through the veneer.
True Justice Page 19
