Hell Is Burning

by Morgan Kelley

  He watched her for any sign of a lie, but there was only truth in her eyes.

  Immediately, he relaxed.

  “I dress up for me too. I love when you check me out. It’s a wife thing. There’s nothing sexier than when my husband is staring at me with that look on his face. I want your attention, and if that means letting you pick out a slutty pair of shoes, so be it. I’m easy.”

  “I don’t want you to think I don’t value your opinion, Emma. You’re more than a sex object to me.”

  “Greyson Croft, I’m well aware. Yes, you picked out Sky Villa, but I was the one who opted to keep Terrace Glen. I wanted to make it over, and I wanted it to be our home. You didn't say no to me. If you were a control freak, you would have put your foot down and vetoed the entire thing.”

  She had a point.

  “Curtis made all those choices out of anger and spite, and sadly, he’s paying for it. What were your motives?”

  He didn't have to think about it. “I wanted you to be proud of me, and that’s why I took the job. I wanted to be able to provide for my woman and show you that I could do something huge for us.”

  “Okay, that’s totally caveman, but oh so hot. The big feathered Croft bird has made me one sweet nest.”

  He smiled. Emma always had a way of calming him. It was just more proof that he chose right. She was the woman for him.

  “Why else did you do it all, Grey?”

  “That’s easy. I knew you could be a detective again. I watched you find the killers in Celestia, and you were damn good at your job. When it came down to it, you saved my life. I didn't doubt that you had it in you. You put it all together, Emma, and that was what mattered. You have a brain and skill. Not all cops are born with that.”

  “That doesn’t sound like selfish reasons to me.”

  He was feeling a little better.

  “And what about picking out my clothes, Grey?” she asked.

  “I like seeing you in pretty dresses. A part of me hopes that it’ll chase away some of the ugliness we see each day, but a part of it turns me on. There’s nothing sexier than you barefoot, wearing some sexy number and in my lap.”

  “So, it’s not to control me?”

  He laughed. “No, it’s because it gets me off. I’m easy too.”

  She leaned over to kiss him. “Well then, Director Croft, it appears you answered your own questions. You do what you do because you want me safe, proud of you, and in your lap. None of that sounds like the reasons Curtis locked Brynn away. All of that has built our relationship to what it is. It didn't tear it down at the foundation.”

  He could breathe again, but he wasn’t surprised. His wife had this ability from the start. She saw him.

  She saw all of him.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Emma. Whenever I feel out of control, you’re there.”

  She understood.

  Emma felt the same.

  “I think I can focus on work now.”

  “I’m glad. We should check in with the team. Maybe they’ve dug something up.”

  Greyson agreed. “I love you, Emma.”

  There was no doubt that she felt the exact same way. “I love you too, my cave-Croft.”

  He was so very thankful for that.

  Chapter Five

  Sky Villa

  When he woke from the deep empty sleep he was groggy and confused. For a few minutes, he had to think about where he was, and what had happened. Until that fog of medicated sleep cleared, he actually thought it was all a dream.

  Only, when he looked down at his hand, there was the reminder. He was still wearing his wedding ring.

  It made him sick.

  Curtis wanted to puke, but he knew he couldn’t. He’d had his hours of self-pity, and now he had to start doing something that involved his brain.

  He needed to think.

  He needed to work.

  He had to find Brynn’s killer. He at least owed her that. Curtis had to believe that if she had lived, they could have fixed their marriage. They couldn’t have been so far gone that she wouldn’t have given him a shot. She loved him. He had to believe that. If she didn’t, he was lost. That tiny hope was all that kept him alive inside.

  So, he was going to get to work. She would have done it for him if their roles were reversed, and he was going to man up and get justice for his woman.

  Enough pity party.

  He was going to be a man.

  After showering, he headed out to the living room to talk to the people who saved him last night. He owed them a huge thank you.

  Only, when he got out there, it wasn’t Emma and Greyson waiting for him. It was Dante.

  That irritated him.

  “Where are they?”

  “Working the case. They asked me to keep you company when you woke up,” Dante said, leaning back on the couch. It was hard not to notice that the man looked like hell. Generally, Curtis Briggs was a ray of sarcastic sunshine.

  “Oh…okay.”

  “Have a seat. We can talk if you’re in the mood,” Dante offered. This was a little uncomfortable. Things between them had never been sunny and great. Well, not at first. There was jealousy over Greyson, and then when Curtis bailed, Dante knew he hurt his big brother. That made him want to pound the Fed into the ground.

  “Sure.”

  Curtis joined him, and the man beside him got ready to close his laptop.

  “What were you working on?” he asked, trying to forget his life.

  “I’m managing Emma and Greyson’s businesses. They can’t do it while keeping their jobs. You’ve missed a lot the last two months. Randall Mason dumped a whole bunch of shit on them.”

  “All bad?”

  “No. They’re loaded, but with that much money comes a lot of responsibility.”

  Curtis tried to focus, but he felt bad. He’d bailed on the people who loved him. It was something he hoped he could take back one day. He needed their forgiveness. “Yeah, I heard Emma inherited his holdings. They’re the talk of the whole town.”

  “Yeah, she got it all. I find it funny that my brother, a man so hell bent on being the provider, is now married to one of the wealthiest women in the world.”

  Curtis stole the soda sitting on the table. The booze from last night made him dehydrated, and he could use the hit of caffeine.

  “How wealthy are we talking?”

  “Billions.”

  He started choking.

  Dante pounded him on the back. “Are you okay?”

  He stared at the man like he was crazy. “Did you just say billions?”

  Dante pointed to the screen to show him. “Here are their liquid assets, here’s the value of all the shows, and here’s the property value and revenue. If you look at the bottom, you’ll see the payroll out for the month, and then the income from all the assets in.”

  Curtis stared. “Holy shit!”

  “I know. It’s a scary number. It keeps growing,” stated Dante.

  “They own a freaking casino?” he asked.

  Dante laughed. “Yeah, and the kicker is, Dominic Marianna has been trying to buy it for two years. He was just about ready to finalize the deal, and Greyson pulled the plug. Marianna wasted about a million dollars trying to get it. He was going to do a full renovation and had the crews on standby.”

  “Shit!”

  “Yeah, Greyson likes screwing with the man. It’s a dangerous game, but Dominic can’t do shit. Emma and Greyson are so well protected now that he’s out of his league.”

  “Where are they with the case?” he asked, trying to catch Dante off balance. There was no doubt in his mind that if Greyson had sicced Dante on him to babysit that he’d know what was going on with the case.

  “Investigating.”

  “That’s all you have?”

  Dante watched him with the cool Croft eyes. “Yep.”

  “Bullshit. You’re his right hand man now--my replacement. You know everything that’s going on with these cases. He’s
your freaking brother.”

  Curtis was right. He did know. It didn't mean he was going to blab and screw his brother over. That would never happen.

  Not in a million years.

  “Please? She was my wife.”

  Dante leaned back on the couch and crossed his leg over the other one. “You know I can’t tell you, Curtis. You need to take a step back from this one.”

  “I can’t. My wife…”

  He patted him on the arm. “They will get you justice. You have to let them do their jobs, Curtis.”

  “So, you really are my freaking babysitter.”

  “Yup. Be glad it’s me. If my mother was here, she’d be doing the job, and that would make you crazy. I know when she’s around, I want to kill my…”

  He shut up and fast.

  “I’m sorry. I didn't mean that.”

  Curtis couldn’t deal with this. If he was going to be stuck inside for days, he needed to do something or he was going to lose his mind.

  “Are you hungry?” Dante offered.

  “Yeah, I am. Can you get some Chinese?” he asked, the plan formulating in his mind.

  “They don’t deliver.”

  “I’ll go get it,” Curtis offered.

  “No, I will. You go take a swim. I’ll walk over and pick it up when it’s ready. It’s only around the corner.”

  Curtis was good with that. What he really needed was to get out of there, and that was how he was going to do it. “I’ll go get changed,” he offered.

  “Great.”

  Once in the hallway, he snuck into Emma and Greyson’s room. He knew his boss kept a spare tablet on the dresser in case he needed to work at night. Sneaking around in their home was wrong, but he was desperate.

  He hoped if they found out they’d forgive him.

  Grabbing it, Curtis snuck back to his room and locked the door. Once there, he sat on the floor and got to work. Was he ashamed of himself?

  Yes.

  Was he going to stop?

  No.

  He had every right to know what happened to his wife, and he planned on finding out. Since no one would tell him, he was going to hack the FBI and do it the hard way. Pulling up Greyson’s email, which was already logged into, he began searching. There he found the autopsies from Steele Bentley. As he tried to open them, they were passcoded for his eyes only.

  Well, if he was in for a penny, he was in for a pound. So much for their friendship because when Greyson found out what he had done…

  Curtis entered Emma’s birthdate.

  They opened and popped up on the screen for his viewing.

  Quickly, he scrolled through the other women’s autopsies, seeing how they were killed. His stomach rolled, knowing his wife had died the same way. Just as he was about to open Brynn’s, there was a knock on the door.

  “Yeah?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

  “Are you going to go swimming?” Dante asked. “The Chinese is ready for pick up.”

  Curtis stared down at his watch. “I didn't bring a swimsuit. I’m going to just lay down. I have a hangover. Get me when you’re back and we’ll have lunch.”

  “Sure thing, man. I’ll get you some aspirin too.”

  Curtis listened to Dante’s footsteps as he walked away, and only when the coast was clear did he open Brynn’s autopsy report.

  He started reading, and tears filled his eyes. He saw how she died, and how she’d suffered. Granted, he knew it was going to be bad, but this was horrible.

  When he scrolled down the page, something else caught his eye. He had to read it twice.

  There was evidence of sex.

  She was raped?

  Then he saw that there was a DNA report attached. That meant they knew who hurt her. Curtis pulled it up and scanned the file.

  Immediately, his heart dropped.

  She wasn’t raped at all. It had been completely consensual.

  All along, he’d been right.

  His wife had been cheating on him, and with her partner in vice. This couldn’t be happening. All hope that he had clung to that his marriage would have been saved if Brynn had lived washed away.

  She didn't love him. She couldn’t have if she’d violated his trust and their marriage vows.

  Curtis was so angry.

  He couldn’t believe that his Brynn had betrayed him like this. Yes, he suspected it, but there was always a chance that he was wrong. Now it was there for the world to see. She’d made a mockery of their union.

  Curtis glanced at his watch.

  He had to move fast.

  If he was going to settle this, there could be no wasting time. Dante would be back soon, and then the hounds would be on his trail.

  Pulling on his shoes, he left the tablet on his bed. He had the man’s address, and he was going to swing by and see him.

  By see him, he meant kick his ass for destroying his marriage and touching his wife. There could be no other choice. When you screwed with a man’s wife, literally, you ended up paying for it.

  That was the code he lived by.

  Yes, he was a caveman, but his wife was a cheater. Someone had to pay. Her partner was going to regret dipping his stick in a married woman.

  Curtis had nothing to lose.

  It had already been stripped from him.

  When he peeked out into the family room, no one was there. So, he made his break for it. The entire way down in the elevator, he hoped that when the doors opened, Dante wouldn’t be standing there.

  If he was, he’d have to level him too. He’d feel bad, but sometimes, you just had to take things into your own hands, and this was one of them.

  No one was stopping him.

  Not God and not Greyson Croft.

  He’d been wronged, and now he had to face the man who ruined his marriage. Now everyone knew that Brynn had been cheating on him, and he had to save face.

  He had a little justice to get for himself.

  He was done feeling bad about their marriage falling apart. Curtis knew why it was happening, and this man was the reason.

  He’d gotten Brynn killed.

  There was no doubt in his mind.

  Payback was on its way.

  * * * Croft & Croft * * *

  Captain Ford didn't like jumping through hoops. He thought it was asinine and childish, but he was willing to play the game to buy his detectives some time. He owed it to Brynn Westmore-Briggs, and he owed it to Emma Croft.

  Justice would be served, and it would come out of homicide and their house.

  He’d already briefed the commissioner, and offered up Croft’s bribe. For now, it was working, and he was grateful for that. Money spoke, and fortunately, the commissioner liked it funding his officers’ charity.

  That didn't mean it was going to be all sunshine and roses. He was still going to have to go in hard, stand his ground, and play the game. In vice, there would be some big time ass kissing. This was far from written in stone. Vice’s captain could fight them every step of the way.

  Fortunately, Chris had an ace in the hole.

  There were days he wished he’d stayed commissioner, and this was one of them. He could just snap his fingers and get what he wanted.

  Now he had to work for it.

  The second he entered the bullpen, there were groans and comments hissed in hushed tones. It was probably a good thing that Emma and Greyson didn't take this one. If he was getting shit, they would have gotten it ten times worse.

  Their reputations preceded them.

  As he approached, weaving his way through the throngs of occupied desks, Captain Gary Sherwood materialized from his office, and he didn't look happy.

  “What’s going on, Ford? Did you feel like slumming in vice? It’s not like you homicide dicks to roll into our house for a little visit. I’d offer you some coffee, but my men and I don’t kiss ass.”

  Yeah, this was one hell of a day. It was time to do the job.

  Instead of being intimidated, Chris refused to lower
his voice. “You know damn well why I’m here, since you already put in your request to get the case yanked to your house and out of mine. That was a cheap move, Sherwood, and you know it.”

  The man stared at him. “I’ll take it that you were told to share? If not, why the hell are you here?”

  “I’m here because we both lost a good detective. You seem to forget that Brynn Westmore-Briggs was one of mine too, Gary.”

  He didn't forget.

  “Oh, I’m aware. I just didn't plan on letting the all mighty homicide roll over our rights. She is ours now, and we want to investigate it.”

  Chris kept moving toward him, refusing to be intimidated. Part of his job was to be tough, and the rest was to stand up for his people.

  “I’m coming here to ask for your cooperation. It’s out of the spirit of the brotherhood.”

  Ford heard comments about Emma Croft but had to let them go. He gave the vice cop a dirty look. While the world thought the Crofts were on the take, he knew the truth. They were sacrificing their lives to help clean up this city.

  That deserved his loyalty.

  Right to the end.

  Finally, Sherwood relented. “Come on in and we’ll discuss this in my office,” he stated, closing the door behind the man. Once inside, the mood shifted. “Chris, I’m sorry about that, but I had to play tough,” stated Gary Sherwood. “You know how it is.”

  The man took a seat. “Yeah, I do. I completely understand, Gary. This is one hell of a shit mess, and it’s on both our doorsteps.”

  “What can you tell me?”

  “Off the record?” Ford asked.

  “Yeah, it will be. You know I have your back. We’ve been friends a long time.”

  That was good enough for Chris.

  “One of your detectives was having an affair with a married woman, we have three dead females, and no idea where to start this investigation.”

  “Who’s running it out of your house?”

  “Croft.”

  “Is that wise? She’s married to a dirty Fed.”

  “He’s not dirty, Gary. You have to trust me on this one. Would I ever back people who were on the take?”

  He thought about it. “No, you would kick their asses.”