Hell Is Burning
Page 52
Now he was paying the piper.
So, as she lounged in her room, there was this feeling of sadness. Curtis had gone off to say goodbye, and she’d yet to do the same thing.
Randall Mason still haunted her. When she closed her eyes, she could see him there. His throat was slashed, and he’d bled out. It would live in her forever until she said her goodbyes.
That meant reading the letter.
It sat in the box on her dresser. Many times, she’d wanted to open it, but she wasn’t ready. After seeing Curtis’s steely determination, she knew it was time.
Emma wanted to be free.
So, as her husband worked in the office one floor down, she was going to man up and bid her ghosts adieu.
Opening the box, she ran her fingers over her own name, penned by a man she’d come to love. Emma couldn’t understand why she was so afraid to get the message from the dead, but she was.
It wasn’t like he could break her.
She was tough, and she’d learned that over the last year. When she lost her parents, she’d leaned on Gage. When Gage had died, she leaned on Reese, and when she had to leave him, there’d been Greyson.
Now, she didn't have to lean.
Instead, she stood on her own two feet and fought for what was hers in life.
Emma was strong, and she shouldn’t be afraid of the letter.
Yet, she was.
For some reason, it terrified her to her bones.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled it out of the box and tore it open. It was a new day, and she wasn’t going to hide. Later, she was heading over to Chris’s apartment to help him pack, so this had to be done.
It was time to move on.
Slipping it out of the envelope, she took a deep breath. What was going to be there was anyone’s guess. Now, she’d face it.
Alone.
Reading the words, her heart began rapidly pounding in her chest. It was the adrenaline rush that came before the calming of her nerves.
Dearest Emma,
If you’re reading this, I’m gone. I’m sorry that you’re left behind to deal with this. I know you’re going to hurt, or at least I hope you feel a little sadness over my death. I want you to know that you’ve been a bright star in my life. You’ve given me so much happiness, and for that I’m grateful. I am a better man because of you and your husband, so thank you.
If I was killed, it was the person hunting your husband. I’ve begun to get suspicious. Trudy Booker’s name keeps coming up, and I think she’s behind this. I know that’s crazy, but she’s connected to Ms. Dumas, and gossip is she’s dirty. You might want to focus on them. This is Vegas, and I’m a betting man. My money is on those two.
Speaking of money, you’re going to be very rich. I’ve left you everything. Well, that’s not the truth. I’ve left you all but a little portion I’ve put aside for Dimitri Gideon. He’s a good man, and he’ll keep you and your husband safe. Trust him. He, too, is like a child to me. He’ll watch your back.
Bad things are coming, Emma my love. Dominic Marianna is a dangerous man, and before he’s done, I fear he will take out your husband. He wants you in the worst way. I’ve built a little insurance police against him. There’s a key taped to the bottom of this letter. It opens a box at the bank. Go there, get the file, and do what you have to do. In it, you’ll find the beginning of the end for Dominic Marianna. As I see it, you have two choices. Use the money I gave you to bury him, or use the file. I fear for your husband. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Be diligent.
Your lives depend on it.
Goodbye, my child.
I love you.
Randall.
Emma closed her eyes.
She wanted to laugh and cry. Had she read the letter earlier, they would have known Trudy was behind this. Maybe Brynn could have been saved.
Instead, she’d cowered in fear, and it cost the woman her life.
Damn it!
Then again, that was the least of her problems. Dominic Marianna was on the horizon, and she knew he was the end game.
Vegas could only have one power player, and he wanted it all. Only, there was someone in his way. Greyson wore a target on his back, chest, and forehead. Emma couldn’t let anything happen to him.
She’d fight to the death to save him.
It looked like she was going to have to make a choice.
If she used Randall’s intel, she’d likely be breaking the law. Emma was smart enough to know that whatever was in that file would be dangerous.
If it kept Dominic off Randall’s back, it had to be bad.
She was a cop.
There was a choice to be made.
Staring at the picture of her and Greyson on their bedroom wall, her heart skipped.
She made her choice.
Buzzing the pool house, she waited for him to answer.
“Yes, Emma?” Dimitri answered.
“We have a situation. I just read my letter from Randall.”
There was a pause.
“And?”
“I need to get to the bank. He left me something to use against Marianna.”
“You’re going to use the file?” he asked calmly.
So, it was apparent that the man knew about it.
“Randall told you?”
Dimitri hesitated. “Actually, I created the file. I found the information for him. I don’t know what he added to it, but most if it is from me.”
Well, that made perfect sense.
Of course the man had something to do with this. He was Randall’s hired gun, and now he was theirs.
“If you use it, Emma, there could be ramifications. It’s not all legal, and you’re a cop.”
“Dimitri, fuck it. I won’t lose Greyson. I need that file. This is the end game, and we both know it. I’m going to war with all the weapons I can find.”
There was silence.
“I’ll meet you out front.”
She relaxed. “How bad can it be?” she asked rhetorically.
Dimitri couldn’t reply. He knew what this meant. Emma Croft was about to wade into the ugliness, and it was going to be one hell of a battle.
And once it began, nothing would be the same again.
Meanwhile…
He was as nervous as hell. Somehow, the pesky Detective Emma Croft had found out where his men had hidden the bodies. They were supposed to be forever lost, and now the LVPD was digging them up.
It pissed him off.
Before this was over, Dominic was going to make her pay. At one time, he wanted her as his own. There was nothing he craved more, but now…she was the thorn in his side. The woman may be filthy rich, but she was more trouble than she was worth.
Something had to be done.
Yes, he originally planned on taking them out, one by one, but he thought he had time. Before, it was at his leisure.
Now it was escalating beyond his control.
There was no way in hell that he was going to let her put him in jail.
No, it wasn’t happening.
It was time to make his move. While they were locked behind the fortress’s walls, they were safe, but out in the open…he would get them. They wouldn’t be protected forever.
One by one, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men would fall.
He would crush them beneath his heel.
The Crofts would see that they weren’t safe after all. He was going to break them.
There would be no more Curtis Briggs.
Steele Bentley would be a thing of the past.
There would be no more Paris Archer.
He would decimate the Russian hit man.
And the captain of the police? He was going down too.
When Dominic was done destroying all their lives, the Crofts would be left alive…temporarily. He wanted them to be forced to watch all their people die, knowing it was because of them.
Then, and only then, would he kill them.
; It was time to end this game.
Justice is Dead, and the Crofts would be too…
Coming Next:
Truth is Found
Littlemoon Investigations
Other books by Morgan Kelley:
Standalone books
The Junction
Serial Sins
The Blood Betrayal
Romance/FBI Thriller Series
Elizabeth, Ethan, and Callen
The Killing Times (book 1)
Sacred Burial Grounds (book 2)
True Love Lost (book 3)
Deep Dark Mire (book 4)
Fire Burns Hot (book 5)
Darkness of Truth (book 6)
Devil Hath Come (book 7)
Consumed by Wrath (book 8)
Redemption is Here (book 9)
Dead Shall Speak (book 10)
Pledging to Die (book 11)
Sleigh Bells Ring (book 12) November 2015
Past will Haunt (book 13) Feb 2016
Choices will Destroy (book 14) Feb 2016
Blood shall Run (book 15) July 2016
Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Series
Greyson and Emma Croft
Celestia is Falling (book 1)
Vegas is Dying (book 2)
Christmas is Killing (book 3)
Love is Bleeding (book 4)
Heaven is Weeping (book 5)
Hell is Burning (book 6)
Justice is Dead (book 7) March 2016
The Littlemoon Investigations Series
Julian and Tori Littlemoon
Blood Red Rage (book 1)
Lost & Broken (book 2)
Unthinkable Games (book 3)
Truth is Found (book 4) November 2015
Haven of Nightmares (book 5) April 2016
The Carter Chronicles Trilogy
Callista, Nathaniel, and Lucas
Sinner Repent (book 1)
Sinner Realized (book 2)
Sinner Reborn (book 3)
The Oracle Chronicles Series
Nathaniel Carter and Avalon Miller
Oracle Rising (book 1) March 2016
Harcourte Vampyre Society
Jolie, Jacques and Flynn
Dangerous Revelations (book 1)
Dangerous Choices (book 2)
Dangerous Misery (book 3)
Dangerous Retaliation (book 4)
The Justice Series
Greyson, Emma, and team.
Dark Justice (book 1) 2016
Anthologies
All the couples in one book
Illegal Fantasies-
Behind Closed Doors(1)
Romance Under Arrest- winter 2014
Behind Closed Doors(2)
Holiday Reinforcements-
Behind Closed Doors (3) December 2015
Please feel free to visit her at her website
www.morgankelley.com, or visit her blog at
www.morgankelley.blogspot.com
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