True Justice

by Morgan Kelley

  He rubbed his thumb over the blood on her lip. Greyson dropped her hand so he could kiss her again. She kissed him back. Then, with her bloody hand, she grabbed his white shirt.

  She began convulsing.

  Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

  “NO PULSE!”

  Elizabeth removed the jacket.

  “Begin chest compressions.”

  The EMT placed his hands around the blade, careful not to drive it into her further. He began chest compressions.

  She went to grab the bag to breathe for her, but Greyson dropped to his knees.

  “She’s my wife. I’ll keep my wife and child alive!”

  The EMT didn’t say anything. Instead, he went back to CPR.

  Elizabeth held Emma’s hand. She kept her fingers on her pulse.

  “Stop,” she said.

  The EMT checked her other wrist.

  “She has a pulse.”

  The driver yelled back. “ETA thirty seconds. Trauma and surgery have been notified. Mr. Croft, it’s going to be fast from here on out. We’ll help you through this.”

  He heard nothing.

  He was focused on his wife.

  And whether or not they’d both die together.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Across Vegas

  They were heading back to the house when the newsflash came over the radio.

  Tessa nearly changed the station.

  Then she heard Emma’s name.

  ‘Emma Croft was rushed to the ER in critical condition. She has life-threatening injuries from a stab wound. Word is that someone ambushed her inside the gala. More as it comes in.’

  Dimitri sat up in the back seat.

  “Get us to the hospital!” He dialed his sister. Kat answered, and she was sobbing hysterically.

  He couldn't understand her.

  She must have given Curtis the phone because it was his voice he’d heard next.

  “Dimitri?”

  “What happened?”

  “Heath Spencer ambushed her. He walked up to her dressed as a waiter. He was trying to kill Kat. Emma pushed her out of the way and was stabbed in the chest. I think her heart,” he said, his voice full of emotion.

  His own heart skipped.

  He wanted to be sick.

  Dimitri thought about the letter and how much he didn’t get to say. Now he wished she’d read it.

  “We’re on our way there. Stay with Greyson until I get there.”

  He hung up.

  “Hurry, Tessa. It’s bad.”

  She floored it.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Poppy Wayne was behind them. She’d followed the entire way there to the address. She watched Dimitri get out, she watched some woman help him.

  She heard the screams.

  It took everything she had not to go in. She had to trust Emma Croft and this man. Still, she didn’t get why she was doing it. The cop in her said don’t, but the woman and her gut…

  Yeah, she better not have screwed this up.

  As she followed them down the street, they made a U-Turn and floored it. At first, she thought they were running from her, and then she heard the police scanner.

  Her heart skipped.

  Emma Croft had been stabbed.

  Well, holy shit!

  Vegas and Greyson Croft were about to explode.

  The war was about to begin, and there were going to be mass casualties.

  This was very, very bad.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Chris Ford’s

  Condo

  His night was shitty.

  Chris was stuck in his condo, mourning his family. The more he thought about it and thought about that check, the more he wanted to go home.

  Back to the Crofts.

  He knew it would take an act of God for them to welcome him back. It was the only thing keeping him there on his couch. That fear was there.

  It had him by the balls.

  So now, he was watching mindless TV as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. When the newsflash came across the bottom of his screen, he read it.

  Then he had to rewind the live TV and watch it again.

  ‘We have it on a good source that Emma Croft, wife of a mobster in Vegas, has sustained a chest wound. She was taken to the ER by ambulance ten minutes ago. Her prognosis is unknown at this time. We assume it is dire, as the hospital has forced a media blackout.’

  That was all he had to hear.

  His own heart stopped.

  Chris thought about the shootout at the police station, and how Emma wouldn’t leave him. She’d been there at his side, and that was where he should be.

  He knew what she had to be feeling—worse since she was carrying a child.

  And Greyson…

  It was all he needed to motivate him.

  Family stuck.

  He had to go.

  Chris was up, grabbing his boots and his gear. It was by the door, and he didn’t know why he’d put it there. Maybe so he could stare at it and think about them. He pulled on his body armor and tugged on his shirt.

  He tried not to think about how he left them without protection. She’d been his to watch, and he’d let her down. Now she was hurt.

  This was on him.

  Somehow, he needed to make amends.

  Chris grabbed his keys and pulled on the hat she’d left there. On his way out, he glanced back at his place. In that moment, his mind was made up.

  Chris was going to choose family.

  It was the only path.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  He’d seen his brother getting out of that car, and he wanted to kill him. Only, he was curious.

  What was he doing at the whorehouse? Certainly, he couldn’t be in the mood to fuck. He’d put a bullet through his body. So, knowing Dimitri, something was up.

  He watched him go in, and then hustle out. He was milking his right arm, and that meant he was in pain.

  Good.

  He was glad.

  Then he watched him leave. Of course he followed, and even more so when they made that U-turn and rushed to the hospital.

  Viktor had the radio on.

  He knew why.

  Well, well, it looked like it was time to strike at the family. They were on their way out.

  Emma Croft was likely dead.

  And Dimitri was going to follow.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Thursday

  Eleven P.M.

  G reyson sat there, his arms braced on his knees as he stared down at the floor. This was the worst moment in his life. At one point, he thought it was when his wife was abducted, but that hadn’t been close.

  At least then, he thought she had a chance to survive, now he knew the odds were against him.

  There were so many scenarios.

  She died.

  She lived and their son died.

  She never woke up and was in a vegetative state.

  Greyson knew this was on him. He’d let the commissioner lure him away, talking of a truce in Vegas.

  He’d been curious.

  And it cost him Emma.

  There was no doubt that Heath Spencer was hired by the commissioner. He’d hired him to dump the drugs in his business. He’d hired him to make their lives hell.

  Well, he’d succeeded.

  He’d taken his wife.

  When this was over, he’d end the man. He’d walk right up to him, blow his brains out, and then follow. Greyson couldn’t do this without Emma.

  He wasn’t strong enough.

  Croft stared at his reflection in his shiny shoes, and he’d give it all up to have her back. Maybe had they not taken the money from Randall when he died.

  Maybe if they never came to Vegas.

  Maybe she’d still be alive.

  When he saw a pair of heels, he looked up. It was Katerina, and she was crying. Greyson remembered what Emma had told him, and
he’d promised.

  He stood up and held her in his arms.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

  “She saved me. She saved me so Sadie would have her mommy, but you lost her. I lost her. I’m so sorry. God! I’m so sorry!”

  Yeah, he was sorry too.

  Curtis stood there.

  “Dad, I’m sorry,” he whispered. He’d been in the bathroom taking a piss, and he should have stayed by her until Greyson got back.

  “It’s okay,” he said, holding them all up.

  That’s when he saw Dimitri heading his way. Paris was limping along, Tessa was helping him get to him.

  His face said it all.

  “Greyson,” he said when he stopped in front of him. The words were suddenly gone. He placed his hand on his friend’s face and tried to offer him something.

  “Thank you,” Greyson said. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re in danger.”

  Dimitri didn’t care. Emma was hurt, and he couldn’t not come. He’d give his life for her to keep hers. He’d die for either of them.

  “How is she?”

  He didn’t know.

  God!

  He didn’t know.

  Greyson just shook his head.

  Dimitri looked around. This place wasn’t secure. He needed to keep the family safe while they were picking up the pieces after this.

  He pointed at Ivan.

  “Front door. Hospital security is trying to keep people out. No one gets past you. The media is everywhere. You have my authorization to throw money at anyone who needs a bribe. I’ll cover it.”

  He saluted and headed out.

  Dimitri pointed at Heath.

  “Backdoor. They’ll try there next. No excuses. No one comes in. I don’t care what they say. If you’re coming here to work, you work for me. I’m your boss.”

  “On it, boss!”

  He headed out.

  Elizabeth was heading their way with Christopher Leonard beside her. Her dress was a mess, and she looked like hell.

  Greyson sat.

  He knew that look.

  Immediately, he held his breath.

  “Anything?” Dimitri asked. “Is she going to live?” he asked, hating even bringing up those words.

  “I don’t know. They’re starting surgery.”

  Chris took over.

  “They are some of the best doctors in the country. They will save her,” he said.

  Greyson hoped so.

  “We’re going to head back. I’m going to help Ethan contain this. It’s all over the news. Chris is going to bring the man in and do the autopsy. We’re blocking out the police. Ethan has already threatened the commissioner.”

  Oh, he imagined.

  “He’s involved.”

  Elizabeth didn’t doubt it.

  “Bounce back, and find his missing wife,” she stated. “Don’t gun for him like he’ll expect. Get him on the field of battle, Greyson.”

  Dimitri offered her his hand.

  “I will make sure of it.”

  She took it.

  “If you need me, call.”

  She went to leave.

  “Wait,” Dimirti said. “Can I speak to you?”

  She nodded.

  He slowly walked to the chapel not far away. God knew he’d been in there before. When Curtis had been shot, he made a visit.

  Inside, he closed the door and sat.

  “You look like shit.”

  “Yes, you’re a sweet talker. I’m aware of my current condition,” he stated.

  “What do you need?”

  “We came across something.”

  He told her about the GPS in the one phone belonging to the dead guy. She listened.

  “Whose house was it?”

  “A madam who was part of the last case. Her story fit, and we believed her. This proved we’d overlooked it. You were right. We missed something. We were so eager to get the snake’s head, we missed it.”

  She wasn’t upset.

  It happened.

  “You don’t buy it now?”

  He handed her a small book that Tessa had gotten from the dead woman’s desk.

  “What’s this?”

  “The trafficking logs. She was helping Rosemary Harrington. She said she’s in New Orleans with the mole who went under and never came out.”

  That worked for her.

  This was good work, and she could use this find Storm St. Clair. Dakota and his hunters were there looking for Mercedes Harrington and now they had one more and an address.

  “Find her and make her pay.”

  “I will find Harrington.”

  Then it hit her.

  What?

  She had the same last name as the missing woman.

  Was that a coincidence or…?

  Had Danforth Harrington’s own sister bought his daughter and put her in play?

  Jesus.

  “Okay, thank you.”

  “Wait.”

  “What?”

  “I killed her.”

  She stared at him.

  “Let’s face it, Elizabeth. People like her and myself don’t serve time in jail. She would have found a way out of it. I shot her four times.”

  He lied to protect Tessa.

  “And you’re confessing?”

  “Yes. Just let me stay until Emma pulls through and to say goodbye to my son, Sam. I’ll turn myself in.”

  She stared at him.

  “You’re a pussy.”

  His eyes went big. They were in a freaking church and she’d just called him…

  “Pardon?”

  “You have a huge battle going on here, and you’re going to walk away and sit in jail? Really? You are an asshole.”

  He was confused.

  “I just figured I…”

  She stopped him.

  “I’m not your priest. If you want to confess your sins, tell him,” she said, pointing to the large cross over the wall of candles. “My job is to stop the bad guys, and I’ll do what I have to do. I’ll do it for the Mollies in the world, and even for the Storm St. Clairs. I don’t do it to babysit grown-ass men who don’t know what they want.”

  He stared at her.

  “How do you look like this but sound like a sailor? Who broke you?”

  She laughed and rubbed her eyes.

  “Years of practice and being a cop. It kills a part of you. We will solve this,” she said. “We have the book, and it’ll go a long way to track the victims.”

  “We know that Storm St. Clair is in some man’s possession. He’s a collector, and he uses her for sex. She’s likely locked up.”

  Well, she’d set her free.

  “Good work, Dimitri. I’m heading back to the gala place, then the penthouse. We have to figure out who is the cop inside. Once we do, it’s all about hunting down Marchenko.”

  “You can’t put him in a cage.”

  She laughed.

  “Oh, I didn’t plan on it. I planned on putting him down. I may look like a lady and curse like a sailor, but I’m a killer. That’s the other reason I don’t take you in. We’re the same, Dimitri.”

  She turned and crossed herself.

  “For the Mollies, for the Sofias, and even the Shoshannas. I’ll get them justice.”

  He patted her on the arm.

  Suddenly, he had a new-found respect for the woman. The killing, it weighed on her too.

  “Dimitri, stay safe.”

  She took the journal and headed out. When the door closed behind her, he headed for the altar. He lit a candle and knelt in one of the pews.

  He began praying.

  When he heard the door, he didn’t look over. He didn’t need to. He knew who it was by the scent of her perfume.

  “Detective.”

  Dimitri watched her light a candle, make the sign of the cross, and head his way. She knelt beside him.

  “Are you following me?”

  She laughed.

  “Paranoid?”

&n
bsp; “Very.”

  “I heard about Emma. I figured you’d all be here. I wanted to come to make sure you’re all okay.”

  Okay, she’d lied, but what good was following him to keep him safe if she told him?

  “How did you get in? I put security on the door.”

  “I picked a lock on the laundry door, climbed over disgusting things and came in that way.”

  He stared at her.

  “You’re insane.”

  She was aware, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do. She wasn’t above it. Besides, she liked Emma.

  Poppy thought about that mother’s journal she’d given her. She hoped they both lived.

  “Are you here praying for her soul?”

  He stared at the cross.

  “No, my own. She’ll be fine. Emma is one of the best people in the world. She has nothing to worry about. I, on the other hand, should be afraid.”

  She watched him, suspecting what had been going on. She also heard on the police scanner that a body was found at the address he’d been at.

  “You look a little better.”

  “It’s all relative. I feel like shit.”

  She stared in horror.

  He looked around.

  “WHAT?”

  “You cursed in church.”

  He laughed. He’d just done the same thing when Elizabeth called him a pussy. This woman…she caught him off guard.

  “Sadly, that’s the least of my sins, Detective Wayne. Trust me.”

  “A funny thing happened tonight.”

  “What?” he asked, genuinely enjoying her beside him. He didn’t want to be alone.

  She said the street name.

  He sighed.

  “Blue Honda Hybrid?”

  He nodded.

  A part of her was surprised he didn’t lie. Most killers would lie. What was it with this man?

  “Black sedan with the dice in the mirror?” he asked.