Hell Is Burning

by Morgan Kelley

  He’d studied them.

  The Crofts were unusual.

  They made him…curious.

  “I’m damn good at my job, Mr. Croft. My team is very efficient.”

  “Well, that’s what we need.”

  Dimitri spoke, “There are three of us. I do the protecting, Katerina does the…allocation, and we have a cousin who is also on our team. Natasha is our backup. She’s out of the country right now working on something for another client. She’s excellent at thinking on her feet.”

  Greyson needed to know. “If you’re following us around as our employees for the world to see, we need to know what we’re dealing with. I need more than pretty titles. I want to know the truth. It goes both ways.”

  Dimitri glanced over at his sister. “Go ahead, Kat. I trust them.”

  That was saying a great deal.

  “If you need it lifted, stolen, or moved someplace, I can do it for you. I have a knack of getting behind locked doors, and I’m really flexible.”

  Curtis could feel fingers on his leg, and he didn't think it was Emma. They were sliding up his thigh to parts that hadn’t been touched in weeks.

  He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

  When her feather light touch stroked him, he nearly dropped his iced tea.

  Jesus!

  She was brazen.

  He was confused as hell by his reaction. He was in mourning, wasn’t he?

  Yet…

  “I’m the muscle, and I handle the dirty work. My sister is the thief, and our cousin is really good at talking her way out of bad situations. All we need is someone who’s really good at electronic security, and we’re golden.”

  Greyson pointed at Curtis. “There you go. He’s right here. He can hack with the best of them.”

  Dimitri grinned. “I have to admit. This intrigues me. No one’s ever offered up this proposition before. People hire us to be dirty. No one’s ever wanted us to look clean and play the game.”

  Greyson laughed. “Hold on. If you work for us, you go legit.”

  Emma agreed. “All we’re asking is you act as security for our house and family. We don’t want our faces on the news any more than we need them. Hopefully, you can do that. You talk a really good game, Mr. Gideon.”

  Now Dimitri was amused by the redhead. She was fiery and had balls. Randall Mason was right about her. “Or?”

  Emma leaned forward. “Or I’ll break you.”

  He laughed. “Mrs. Croft, that’s sweet, but you couldn’t even put a dent in my life. You don’t know me.”

  Now it was her turn to laugh. “Oh, I think I could. Right now, I can tell your sister is fascinated with Curtis. Her hand is in his lap and she’s chewing on her bottom lip.”

  Everyone looked over.

  “I also can tell you have very little control over her. She’s young and likely going to be the way to break you. I’m going to say your family died, and she’s all you have left--other than your cousin.”

  Curtis didn't look over at the beautiful woman. All he knew was that the touching stopped. How Emma knew, he wasn’t sure. He was positive his face had stayed blank the entire time.

  Damn her and her mom skills!

  Katerina looked over at her brother. The look said it all. She was caught with her hand in the special agent cookie jar.

  It was the only tell Emma needed.

  “You’d do anything to protect her. She’s the only person in life you care about. You and I are a lot alike, Mr. Gideon. Greyson is the sun in my universe, and I’ll do anything to keep him safe. I’ve survived two attacks on my life by this maniac. I’m damn hard to kill. All I want is for you to go legit while we work this. That’s all. I can play dirty too, but I’d rather not go there. I don’t want another war. We’re already in the middle of one.”

  He stared at her. “I see.”

  “My husband may be the boss, but don’t let the little lady fool you, Mr. Gideon. I’m vicious when it comes to him. I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way. I don’t care about losing my badge, as long as I have him.”

  Greyson couldn’t love her more. Emma was his whole universe. She’d always have his back, no matter what.

  She continued, “I’m sure you did your research on us. I have no one but them, and I’ll fight dirty to keep my happy home intact.”

  He watched her. “I did research you.”

  “And?”

  He held out his hand. “I, too, have watched my loved ones being slaughtered in front of me. I get why you’re ferocious. I accept your conditions, but I have one of my own to add to it in good faith.”

  “And it is?” she asked before shaking his hand.

  “You let me do my job. If you want us to stay invisible and out of your sight we will, but when we come to you, it’ll be important.”

  “For all I care, Mr. Gideon, you can move your entourage into our pool house. You can live beside us if that’s what it takes. Hell. I’ll make you breakfast every morning.”

  He smiled. “Mrs. Croft, I accept your offer. We’re going to keep you safe. We’re going to make sure you don’t get hurt, and most importantly, we’re going to ensure that whoever is following you gets what they deserve. No questions asked.”

  She shook his hand. “Why are you being so accommodating, Mr. Gideon?”

  Yeah, Greyson wanted to know the answer to that too.

  “Because Randall Mason was like a surrogate father to us, and he loved you. If he trusted you enough to leave this clusterfuck to you, there had to be a reason. He built his empire one brick at a time, and he wouldn’t want to destroy it. Giving it to you--it shows us why.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Gideon.”

  “Dimitri,” he stated, kissing her knuckles. “We’re going to be living together.”

  Greyson cleared his throat. “Don’t make me neuter you, Dimitri. I’ll find the first rusty spoon and end any chance you’ll have kids.”

  Dimitri laughed. Reaching into his coat, he noticed that none of them went for their weapons. There was trust there, and he appreciated it. When he pulled out his bill fold, he handed them a card. “Here’s the name of my legit business,” he stated. “You can have the money set up to deposit right into this account. I’ll then have it filtered into an offshore account for you. You need to have a backup plan in case this goes to hell. Think of it as your escape money.”

  “But we should pay you.”

  “Mrs. Croft, you weren’t the only one Randall Mason left money to when he died. We inherited a large amount, plus we already were well off. My businesses are lucrative.”

  Oh, they could only imagine.

  Killing was probably profitable.

  “Randall’s dying wish was to ensure you were safe. I’m going to make sure I do that. Then I’ll move on when it’s finished. When you no longer need me, we’ll part ways.”

  They understood.

  “Now that this is settled, how about we discuss the issue at hand? Who is following us?”

  Dimitri pulled out a folder and in it were some photographs.

  Greyson and Emma flipped through them. There were pictures of her going into the precinct, some of him doing the same, and one thing was the same about all of them.

  There was a blacked out Cadillac in everyone. Someone was watching them as Dimitri was following them. The person obviously didn't know they’d been caught in the act.

  “You’ve had a tail the last two weeks. That’s why we opted to corner you in the alley. We didn't want to be made.”

  None of this pleased Greyson.

  In fact, it pissed him off. The idea that someone was tracking his wife irritated him. If they wanted to go for him, so be it.

  Emma…she was off limits.

  “So far, they’re just watching,” he stated. “In the last few days, the normal spying has upped a little. It makes me wonder if someone is going to make a move.”

  “We have the commissioner’s charity ball tomorrow,” Greyson stated. “Could that be the point wh
ere they’re going to go for Emma?”

  “Or you,” she added. “You’re the goal. I’m just the body in the way.”

  He wanted to be sick when she said it like that. He was the reason she was marked, and they both knew it. His foray into this mess kicked it off.

  Hell!

  He talked her into it. Greyson wished they could go back to that day behind her work office when he laid out this mess of a plan.

  If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. Emma was his everything.

  “What should we do?” Emma asked. “We can skip the charity event.”

  “No, you should go,” Dimitri stated. “If you change it up, that might alert them. Instead, go, but be aware that you’re going to be followed. We’ll be roaming around to keep you safe. Now that you’ve hired us, we’re going to be your tails, but out in public. Word is going to spread that you’ve hired help. The seedy people will know who I am, but the upstanding citizens will never have a clue. To them, I’m a bodyguard.”

  Greyson laughed. “We’re the same size. Shouldn’t my bodyguard be a monster?”

  Dimitri shrugged. “Well, if you don’t want someone the exact same size as you watching your back, I can be all over your wife instead.”

  Croft glared at him. “I get your point. Tit for tat. The insult hit its mark.”

  Dimitri laughed. “I like you, Croft. I shouldn’t, but I do. I hope that doesn’t destroy us both in the long run.”

  Emma relaxed when the men chilled out. Laughter was the best medicine and both were smiling.

  Maybe this could work.

  “I don’t mind having a tail. I only hope my wife can get Kevlar under her dress tomorrow.”

  She started laughing. “I hope you’re kidding. My dress is strapless. That’s going to be a problem,” she stated.

  Curtis went to speak, but noticed that there was a set of aqua eyes focused on him. Katerina Gideon was still checking him out.

  He was appalled.

  Not because she was unattractive because the woman was smoking hot, but because he kind of enjoyed it. When she’d been touching him, his body was reacting to it.

  How wrong was that?

  His wife had just been murdered.

  Yeah, a wife who was cheating on him, and nearly cost him his job. One who called him abusive and was ready to feed him to the sharks.

  Still…wasn’t it wrong to feel anything?

  “I can go to the thing,” Curtis informed Greyson. “If you need me there, I’m in.”

  Emma leaned over to kiss Curtis on the cheek. “That’s sweet,” she said. “I don’t mind having another date.”

  He smiled.

  Greyson watched the interaction. Paris had been right. Curtis needed to be away from work, and that’s why what he was about to do pained him.

  They needed to discuss Brynn.

  “Curtis, we need to discuss something, and I don’t think you should be here for it.” Despite his gut feeling, Croft went with honesty.

  “What?”

  “Brynn’s death.”

  The man’s body went tense. His eyes shuttered, and all smiles were gone. “I see, and you don’t want me around.”

  “No, we don’t want to hurt you with what we’re going to say. It’s going to sting, and we don’t want to break you,” Emma reassured.

  He took a deep breath to fight back the anger. “I have to do this. It’s not going to go away. They might as well know. Tell them.”

  Greyson gave him credit.

  Curtis was holding together better than he would be. Maybe Emma’s idea of giving him a permanent place in their lives was the key.

  He began, “Detective Brynn Westmore-Briggs was killed a few days ago. She was, at one time, our friend. Curtis is being framed. It’s half-assed, and we saw through it rather quickly, but it’s still there for the world to see. Someone wants to sully his squeaky clean image.”

  “I like squeaky clean,” Katerina teased. “It’s fun to get dirty.”

  Dimitri scolded her in Russian.

  None of them understood, but the woman rolled her eyes, the message was clear.

  “I’m sorry. Ignore my sister. Please continue.”

  They told them about the divorce papers, the way Brynn’s murderer tried to make it fit their other case, and how they’d been off the mark.

  “Interesting. It won’t be a cop,” he stated, as the waitress brought them their food.

  “Why do you say that?” Croft asked.

  “If this was an inside job, it would have been seamless. All cops know what a crime scene is going to look like. They would nail the details. Anyone can access your files, right?”

  “If they’re a police officer, yes, they can. Plus, there were about ten on the scene. Everyone saw the way it went down. Plus, they heard me talking to my new partner.”

  “So, it’s going to be an outsider. Somehow, the facts were found out, and the killer tried to mimic it. It’s amateurish. I would have nailed the details if I was setting up a crime scene. It’s the job.”

  Greyson let it go.

  He didn't want to discuss Dimitri’s work.

  It scared the hell out of him.

  Curtis had to speak. “Why though? Brynn was moving on. She worked vice, and she and Emma didn't speak anymore.”

  “It’s all because she was once part of them, and you still are,” Dimitri stated. “How better can someone rattle them then like this? This person took a shot where it would hurt the most. You.”

  They thought about it.

  “You just told me you were adopting him and making him part of your lives. Before this, someone had studied you. They knew that Curtis was part of your inner circle. From here on out, they’re going to go for your core.”

  Greyson hated that.

  “By taking out your allies, they leave you unprotected. Of course they went for a cop. That’s an armed guard. If you want to make someone weak, you destroy those who can keep them safe.”

  Well, shit!

  They had a lot of cops around them. Paris, Tessa, Mace, Chris Ford, and even Curtis were now in the bull’s-eye.

  Damn!

  Damn!

  Damn!

  It took a few seconds, but Curtis finally got it. He stared over at them. “Brynn died because you loved her?”

  Here it came.

  This was the other reason they didn't want Curtis to hear this. Now that they had a new theory, they didn't need him blowing up.

  Emma braced for it. “I’m sorry, Curtis, but it’s likely why it happened.”

  Just as he was about to say something in anger, the fingers were back on his leg. They were gently trying to sooth him. Curtis glanced over at Katerina Gideon.

  She was watching him.

  He might be mistaken, but there was sympathy and compassion in her eyes. It appealed to him.

  For some reason, her touch calmed him. When she smiled, aqua eyes lighting, he found the ability to stay calm.

  Curtis let the anger go. “Well, we find who did this, and we make them pay. What’s done is done.”

  Greyson glanced at his wife.

  He wasn’t expecting that.

  They just told Curtis that the reason Brynn had been murdered was likely her affiliation with them. This was entirely their fault, and he wasn’t losing it.

  Shocking wasn’t the word for it.

  This was huge.

  Covertly, Curtis placed his hand over Katerina’s on his lap and gently squeezed as a thank you. He appreciated what she’d just done.

  He owed her one.

  Dimitri continued, “If this is Dominic Marianna, he’s going to slip up,” he said. “It’ll only be a matter of time before someone makes a mistake.”

  “Do you think it’s him?” Greyson asked. He really hated not knowing who the enemy was.

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s still reeling. The man dumped millions into projects the day Randall was murdered. He assumed he co
uld take over as major player in Vegas. That was his one big power play. Then it came out who was the heir to the throne. The second Emma inherited everything, his hopes went to hell in a handbasket. You made sure he didn't profit off anything, didn't you?”

  “Yes,” Croft stated. “Each deal he did, I undid by using Randall’s money. He put his hands on my wife, and it was the least I could do. I wanted to kill him. He’s lucky I didn't.”

  “That can be arranged.”

  Emma began choking on her water. “NO! Shhhhh! Do you realize we have to take you in for even suggesting that?”

  Dimitri laughed. “I was kidding. I wouldn’t tell you if we took him out. We’d just do it.”

  She sighed.

  This was a losing battle.

  “Anyway, he’s sinking fast. I don’t think he has the focus to pull this off. His business partner, Levi Hammond, is still missing. The cops won’t find him until it’s time.”

  “Crap,” Emma muttered. She hoped this didn't fall onto her desk. She had a sneaking suspicion that she’d be investigating the people in front of her.

  Greyson lifted a brow. “Did you have anything to do with that?”

  The man grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you, Kat?” he asked.

  It caught her off guard. She was busy staring at the agent. She couldn’t help it. There was something sweet about the curl of brown hair in the middle of his forehead.

  “It wasn’t me. I didn’t steal him away.”

  Emma didn't buy any of that, but she didn't care. Greyson’s life was on the line just as much as hers, and they were desperate.

  “Let’s hope he’s never found,” Greyson stated.

  “I’m pretty sure if he is, Dominic Marianna will look guilty. I mean, he will be guilty.”

  That said it all.

  Dimitri Gideon had taken the man out, and he was giving them the heads up.

  They stared at him, waiting for the man to be forthright with his answers.

  “I thought we said truth.”

  “Oh, okay! The word on the strip is Randall had him taken care of when he threatened to take your home and cars. Randall didn't like when Dominic screwed with his heir. So, if he’s dead, Randall is to blame. Are you going to dig him up to arrest him?”