Ever!
Standing there, he couldn’t help but grin.
“Can you be a little more smug there, love muffin?” she asked, smiling herself. It was pretty spectacular sex, and she didn't mind at all that he was gloating at what he’d managed to pull off.
“I can if sweet stuff wants me to be. I can toss you over my shoulder and take you back to our bed if you want a double dose of husband.”
She started laughing. “I think you played caveman enough today,” Emma answered, “Save it for dinner tonight, where you get all territorial.”
“At least you’re aware of what’s going to happen,” he said, handing her a mug of coffee.
Both took a moment to just sip and when they sighed at the same time, Emma began giggling.
Croft took his wife by the hand and led her to their balcony to have their caffeine fix. Soon, they’d be dressing and heading into the den of vipers. “So, tell me about Detective Sawyer Laden,” he said, grinning at his wife as she scowled.
“I swear I’m going to hurt Curtis. Can that boy not keep his mouth shut?” she asked, sipping more coffee.
“I’m his boss. He was obligated to tell me.”
“Did you threaten him?”
Croft laughed, covering for him. “Of course I did.”
She didn't buy it. “You’re making him into a little Neanderthal tyrant. Keep that in mind, when there’s mutiny on the ship, Captain.”
“As long as I get the sexy redheaded wench to take care of my needs, I’m not worried. I’ll walk the plank to have her hands all over me.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Let him make his pirate comments. Emma was the one letting the sexy fantasy play over and over in her head. She was the winner on this one, hands down. If he thought she wasn’t visualizing him all roguish and sexified, he was dead wrong.
“Well? Spill it and we can move on. I know that he had to stir the pot to get Curtis to rat you out.”
“He apologized as your guard dog snarled and tried to take off his ankle.”
Croft found that visual funny. “I’m going to give him a promotion.”
Emma punched him in the leg. “When a woman dumps him for being too overbearing, don’t be shocked.”
Leaning over, Greyson kissed his wife. “I love you, Emma. Wear something that covers your entire body tonight.”
She started laughing. “There’s my case in point.”
He wiggled his eyebrows and changed the subject. “How are you handling this evening?”
Thinking about it, she laid out her plan. “I want to hit up Dyer first. I want to find out about the women and go from there. I’d like to end with Mason after the tour.”
He nodded. “I’m going to start to play nice with Randall and slowly ease into it. You may want to also.”
She almost fell over. “Who are you and where is Greyson?” Did her husband just tell her to play nice with the enemy?
“Yeah, I need to make myself look accessible to them and that means not being so standoffish. If you plan to do this with me, you need to also. I told you it was going to be unpleasant.”
“I’ll do it.”
He loved that she didn't even have to think about it. Emma jumped in both feet first. “Not Dyer. He’s not a key player. I think that the commissioner is funneling bribes from Randall Mason. He’s the one we need to buddy up to now.”
Emma nodded. “Okay, I can do it.”
He took her fingers in his. “Emma, I love you.”
There was no doubt in her mind that he did. “I love you too.”
“We’ll get through this,” he reassured.
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.
Croft and Croft was unbreakable.
The theater wasn’t all hustle and bustle that night. Yes, there were people practicing for the next show, getting refitted for costumes, and milling around, but it was nothing like it would be on the night of the production. The building stood relatively silent. Emma didn't know where to find anyone, so she took a wild shot.
“Let’s see if Harrison Tyler is here. He might be able to tell us where to find Dyer. If not, we wander around until we find him.”
Croft went along for the ride, and to make sure the man kept his hands off his wife. As they headed towards the office, they could hear it. Someone was having a rather raucous fight.
Uh oh, there was definitely trouble in paradise.
Emma and Greyson stood outside the office of Harrison Tyler and tried to decide if they should knock or escape. In their defense, it was hard to not hear the conversation, since they were screaming and shouting at each other.
“I don’t care what you say, Jeffrey. We are not selling this building. Don’t you get it? This is my legacy from my mother and father. They worked hard to create this business and I can’t put a price tag on that.”
Jeffrey Martin was outraged. “You don’t mind me footing the bill, so let me put a value on this murder jinxed mausoleum. It’s worth zero dollars to me. In fact, I’ve already sunk my next royalty check into keeping it alive. I’m done, Harry. I can’t do it anymore!”
“It’s not my fault! I can’t get out of that damn contract. If Mason would just move on, we could be rolling in the cash,” Harrison shouted back. “Cut me a break. I don’t need more stress from you!”
“Cut you a break? What about me? Our life is falling apart. We don’t have sex anymore, and when we do you’re barely engaged in it. I know you don’t love me, not like you used to.” There was hurt in Jeffery’s voice, along with hatred and bitterness.
“Stop!”
“It’s the truth. I never thought you’d leave me for a mistress, but you have and she’s a big stone, money sucking one,” Jeffrey retorted.
“You’re being insane.”
“You haven’t seen insane yet,” he retaliated.
Emma heard footsteps and pushed her husband back against the wall. Without warning, she jumped on him and pulled his mouth to hers. It was better to get caught making out than eavesdropping.
It caught Croft off guard, but he went with the kiss because… well, he was a man and a sexy woman just tossed herself on him.
“Oh, there you are,” stated Amelia Cross, coming around the corner towards the love birds.
Slowly, Emma pulled away. “Oh, sorry. I just got carried away,” she answered, wiping the lipstick off her husband’s lower lip. “We’re still newlyweds and sometimes I lose focus.”
Amelia grinned. “You don’t need to apologize to me. I understand,” she replied, winking at Emma.
“I feel so cheap and used,” he mumbled, only loud enough for her to hear.
Emma gave his ass a pat as she fought to not to laugh while they followed Amelia. “Are you our tour guide tonight?” she inquired.
“Yes, I am. Mr. Mason wanted you to have someone to help you navigate the building. He didn't want you lost in here for days and unable to get out.”
Croft spoke, “That was nice of him.” That sentence took a great deal of forced pleasantry.
Emma stared up at him and almost snickered. “What do you know about Mr. Mason?”
Amelia glanced over her shoulder. “He’s a really nice employer. I’ve been with him a year now.”
“He seems hell bent on being my buddy,” stated Emma, hoping that the woman would either spill something or go back and discuss it with her boss. She needed to start laying the groundwork for her husband.
“I think you remind Mr. Mason of his favorite wife. I believe she was his first one. She had red hair just like yours and green eyes. From what I’ve heard, after she passed away, he never loved anyone again.”
Croft knew how the man felt. If anything ever happened to Emma, life would be over as he knew it. Now, he had one more Mason to worry about as his wife prepared to get him to trust her.
“How many have there been?” Emma asked curiously.
Amelia had to think about it. “I think five, but he’s had many women along the way. Dy
er didn't learn his behavior from just anyone.” Then the woman looked stricken. “Don’t tell him I said that,” she whispered. “I really like my job.”
“My lips are sealed,” Emma stated. If the woman would trust them, they might retain a source for information down the line. This could be their inside track on Randall Mason’s life.
The administrative assistant grinned. “Thank you.”
Greyson wanted to know. “So, Dyer is his son with his first wife?”
“No, he’s from his second marriage. When his first wife died, he quickly remarried. Shortly after that, all the affairs started. He wasn’t happy with his choice in women. From what I’ve heard, he cheated on her the day after the wedding.”
Emma was excited. Amelia was a fount of useful information. “What happened to Dyer’s mother?”
Amelia shrugged. “I don’t really know. Maybe a divorce? He doesn’t really talk about it, and everything I know I had to put together from things the staff told me. You should talk to his one maid, Lupe. She’s been with him for a long time.”
There were easier ways. Emma had access to Briggs and his magic digging skills.
They stopped in front of a door. “Here is where Dyer exerts all his effort.” Amelia rolled her eyes, insinuating what kind of work she was talking about. “If you don’t mind, I don’t like going in there. He’s always trying to cop a feel or get in my pants. I like my job too much to fall for his pseudo-charm.
Emma laughed. “Good for you.”
“There’s a lounge two doors down. I’ll wait for you in there. Scream if you need me, or if I hear a gun shot, I’ll wait a while until I call the police. You know- to give you time to escape.”
Croft liked that idea better.
They watched her walk away.
“Ready, babe?” Emma asked, stroking his cheek.
“Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.”
At the knock on the door, he practically exploded in rage. Here he was, getting ready to take an excursion into the new showgirl’s pants and someone was bothering him.
It was official. The asshole at the door was fired.
He roughly kissed the woman and promised that they’d finish working on the ‘script’ as soon as he dismissed the visitor.
Whipping open the door, standing there, he found his worst nightmare. The detective who had emasculated him in front of his father and her oaf of a husband were paying him a visit.
Great.
Right now, he could be burying himself is some lusciously, long legged, showgirl’s body, and he had to deal with these two.
“What the hell do you want?” he snarled.
Croft grinned. Obviously, getting his balls kicked up into his throat by his wife made the man cranky. This was possibly the highlight of his evening.
“We need to talk,” Emma stated, pointing at the cowering woman. “Get out and if you haven’t had sex with him, consider today the day you won the lottery.”
The woman scrambled as she pulled on her shirt. She looked totally grateful to have the chance to escape.
Croft slammed the door behind him. “Good to see we law officials could stop a rape in progress,” he stated, blocking the only exit out of the room.
He looked outraged. “I wasn’t assaulting anyone. She was going over the scripted changes for tomorrow’s show. Now what the hell do you want?”
Emma took a seat in the chair that was labeled with his name and she relaxed, knowing if the man touched her, Greyson would handle it. “So, a little DNA birdy told me that you had sex with Sara Jensen, Valerie Weist, Tiffany Frankel, and our last victim, Liza Harper.”
He didn't even bat an eyelash. “If you say so. I have a lot of sex, Detective, which if you remember correctly I offered up to you too.”
“Yeah, I recall. I also remember how that ended for you. I see that you can’t keep a little man down,” she said, pointing at his groin. “Now, back to the topic at hand.” Emma refocused despite the look of rage on his face.
Greyson glared at the man as he pulled out his best intimidating stare.
“I need a list of everyone you had unprotected sex with, and I need alibis for the night off all four murders.”
“Talk to my lawyer.” He knew how to play this game.
Emma stood. “Okay.”
The man looked wary. “Wait, that’s it? Are you that shitty at your job that you don’t know how this goes? I say no, you beg, I say what’s it worth to you, and you say anything. I then say give me a blowjob and you drop to your knees,” he grinned.
Croft took a step forward as that visual played out in his mind. Over his dead body was his wife ever getting in that position for any man but him.
“That’s funny, Dyer. Here are some little facts about me. I don’t cheat on my husband, and I don’t screw around with men infected with HIV.”
Oh yeah, she ripped that Band-Aid right off for maximum impact, all because she didn't like anyone trying to mess with her husband.
Dyer didn't get it at first. Then after a few seconds it registered. “Are you saying you ran some test on my DNA and found out I have HIV?” The fear and panic began coursing through his body.
Emma shook her head. “No, I didn't. All I know is that Liza Harper was infected with it. So, as long as you weren’t dipping your quill in that bottle of ink bare, you should be fine.”
Now, he looked beyond scared shitless.
“So, were you?”
“I have to get to a doctor!”
Croft stayed in front of the door. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The man looked downright terrified. “Please, I have to get to a hospital, an ER, or clinic. Something!”
Emma pointed to the couch. “Answer my questions and the big guy that you like tormenting so much just might let you out.” It was wrong that she wanted payback, but it was deserved. This was a win for women everywhere who had been used and abused by Dyer Mason. “Tick Tock.”
“Okay, but can we hurry?” he asked.
Croft interjected. “Mirandize him, just in case he owns up to being the killer,” he suggested, grinning. If he was the one killing all the women, he was one of the biggest idiots ever. He left his little swimmers all over the place.
Emma read him his rights and started by asking for alibis.
Dyer had to think about it. “I need my phone. I have my appointments in there.”
She tossed it to him, giving him the chance to scroll through it.
“Okay, for Sara Jensen, we had a show that night. I was here with a great deal of witnesses that can put me here.”
Making notes in her phone, she waited for him to continue with the listing. “How about Valerie Weist?”
He flipped to the date she gave him. “I was at a dinner with my father. He was meeting with investors for our next show. We’re thinking of venturing into cruise line productions.”
She’d accept that. “Next is Tiffany Frankel. Where were you the night she was murdered?”
Again, he scanned. “I was here. We had a show and I was stuck here with the sound guy. There was a glitch in the opening number, and we needed to rekey the music to make it work.”
“And Saturday night when Liza Harper was killed?”
His temper flared. “You know where I was! I hit on you and tried to get you naked. Then, I believe you shot me down.”
Emma was well aware. “Yes, but after that I went off with my partner and your father. What did you do?”
He stared at her with nothing but animosity. “I was horny. I went off and found a redhead to solve my problem. That’s why I picked her.”
Croft didn't like the idea that the man had been screwing some woman while fantasizing about his wife. In fact, he really wanted to pound his face into bits and pieces.
“Where did you have sex?”
Dyer Mason wasn’t a patient man and this was fraying his nerves. “In the alley behind the building, if you really need to know. We had a quickie, and I was here when your partner wa
s shot.”
“When you came back, where was Liza?” Emma asked, needing a time frame.
“I left her to get dressed.”
Croft finally spoke. “So, you took a woman to a dark alley, had a quickie, and then left her there alone to get pulled back together? Did anyone ever teach you how to be a gentleman? How you get laid is a mystery.” Then, he paused, “Oh yeah, you rape them. I guess you don’t need charm and manners.”
The man came up off the couch and looked like he was going to go for it.
“Have a seat, Dyer. He’ll wipe the floor with you,” Emma stated, pretty sure her husband would love the opportunity.
Both men glared at each other.
“Where were you after Detective Westmore was shot?” Emma asked, waiting patiently.
“My dad sent me home. He went with his best buddy Commissioner Booker,” Dyer stated, trying to intimidate her.
“Yeah, I saw him with my boss. What I didn't see was you, so that means you came home and don’t have an alibi.”
This was the worst day of his life. He needed to get to a hospital. “The housekeeper opened the door for me, and then made me something to eat,” he answered unabashedly. “I finished up, and then went to bed around three. Feel free to swing by tomorrow morning and confirm that.”
Emma stood. “We will and thanks for the invite. You should hurry up and get to a doctor now.” It amazed her that a man so willing to have unprotected sex wasn’t aware that there wasn’t a window to get treatment. “Oh, and don’t forget to tell all the women you had lured into intercourse that you possibly infected them. I wonder if your business insurance covers that.”
He looked confused.
It was official. Dyer Mason was an idiot if he didn't think there were going to be countless lawsuits over this. His bank account was going to be drained dry.
He grabbed his keys and raced out of there like the building was on fire. Both Emma and Greyson watched him leave.
Vegas is Dying (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 2) Page 48
