Dark Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 1) (44 page)

Dimitri went on, deciding to give the man the chance to explain his cop issues. “You’ve been arrested a few times.”

Miranda came to his defense. “NO! He has not. I don’t think I like this, Mr. Gideon. You don’t have anything, and now you’re trying to pin it on my other brother. This isn’t the help I needed. My brothers are good people!”

Tucker didn’t say anything.

Dimitri knew he had to tell her the truth. Apparently, Tucker, when he went missing those long stretches was in jail. That explained why he wasn’t contacting the family.

Mystery solved.

He pulled up the man’s name on his phone. Fortunately, they’d covered their bases.

Curtis had been thorough. It was clear that Greyson had trained him well.

“I’m sorry to be the one who tells you this, Ms. Bell, but Tucker has been arrested three times. He’s done time for two of those crimes—once for drug transportation, and once for trying to break into a cop’s car.”

She stared at him. “Tell him he’s wrong.”

“Want to see the mug shots?” Dimitri asked, turning his tablet around.

She stared at them.

Her face said it all.

It was the look heartbreak and failure.

“Oh, Tucker, what have you done?”

Immediately, the man flew into a rage.

“Fuck this. I’m out of here. He can fry. I have nothing to say to him. As always, he’s the poor sacrificed lamb, and I’m the bad guy. Well, I’m done. I’m not coming back.”

He headed out, storming from the room.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t know how to do this. My whole family is falling apart.”

Dimitri pulled the pocket square from his suit and handed it to her. “It’s okay. We can’t pick our family. Sometimes, we get stuck in situations we can’t control.”

Yeah, wasn’t that the truth.

Look at his father and mother.

Look at Natasha’s mother.

“Was Tucker always this angry with Seth?”

“Yeah, he was. When he found out that Seth was gay, he was so disappointed. I don’t know why. Seth was always Seth. His sexuality never mattered to me. Who cares who he sleeps with? He’s my twin. We share the same blood, life, and DNA. We’re a set. I need to save him to save myself.”

Dimitri reassured her. “I think it’s more the cop thing that has Tucker pissed. He’s lashing out about the rest. He’s an angry young man.”

“Do you think?” she asked. “I don’t know how to reach him, but I’m telling you…he didn’t do this to frame Seth. He’s angry, but deep down, he loves him. I can tell.”

Dimitri wasn’t so sure.

“I need to save my brother, Mr. Gideon. Please tell me you have something that’s going to give me hope.”

He rattled off the names.

Jesse Post.

Todd Robins.

Gerald Darden.

Trent Webb.

Charlie Tillman.

“Do any of them sound familiar? Do any of them ring a bell for you?”

She thought about it.

“The only two I know are Jesse and Charlie. They were Seth’s partners. We would get together and have dinner on occasion. Jesse and Adam don’t like each other. They would give each other the dirtiest looks.”

He made notes. “Thank you.”

“As for Charlie, I think I met him once, and then at Seth’s trial. He told me he was sorry, and he checks on me every now and again, asking for updates on him. He’s a nice man.”

Dimitri made more notes.

“And none of the others sound familiar?”

She shook her head.

He read her the addresses of where the women had lived. “Do you know if Seth was familiar with this area?”

She thought about it.

“His partner, Jesse, lives in the same neighborhood as the fourth woman.”

Yeah, they were aware.

He showed her a picture of Gerald Darden, just in case. “How about him?”

She studied him. “No clue. Who is he?”

“He’s the pimp who was sending out the first three women. They turned tricks for him. We thought maybe there was a connection through an arrest.”

Miranda shook her head. “I really don’t have any idea. Seth didn’t talk about work all that much. When we’d get together, he didn’t want to think about it.”

Yeah, that seemed to be going around.

He had one last shot.

He read off the street names of the first three hookers who died. “How about Lily White?”

“No.”

“Sugar Pie?”

“Definitely not.”

“Spicy Caliente?”

She shook her head.

“Seth is going to die, isn’t he? This is useless. Whoever did this is going to get away with it, aren’t they? My brother is going to die because of this person.”

He couldn’t tell her otherwise.

It just wasn’t in his power.

Here was the sad truth of the situation. He really wished they could talk to Seth, to get more details, but this close to his execution, he wasn’t going to be available to anyone but immediate family.

This case was getting harder and harder by the minute. She needed to be reminded what they had told her.

She’d been warned in case this was the outcome.

“When we came on, we informed you that it was a long shot. It’s been a couple of years, Ms. Bell. This case is cold, the two lead detectives are dead, and people forget things with time.”

She’d never forget.

It was her brother’s life that was on the line.

She understood what he was saying, but she didn’t have to like it. It looked like her last chance at a miracle was slowly spinning down the drain.

“Yeah, you did. If we’re done, Mr. Gideon, I have a funeral to go plan. In a week, I’ll be burying my brother. Whoever killed those women, they killed him too.”

He watched her leave.

Dimitri was frustrated.

This case sucked.

Big time.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Emma knew this interview might be the hardest one of all of them. Corey Powell was part of the police force, and he wasn’t going to enjoy talking to her.

In fact, she’d bet money that the second they left, the cops would all know what they were working on too.

He would rat them out.

She didn’t even have to bet money on it.

So, she was trying to plan a way around giving away all their information. It wasn’t as if she wanted the cops in the dark. Emma simply didn’t believe that they wouldn’t try to stop her from getting a
‘guilty’
gay cop out of jail. The world was full of homophobic people who were incredibly judgmental.

This was going to be interesting.

“You’re quiet,” she said, glancing over at her husband.

“We have a tail.”

She figured as much. Detective Heath Spencer wasn’t going to give up that easily. He and his new partner were like bloodhounds on the scent.

They needed to know what Emma and Greyson were up to, and they were going to follow them until they did.

“We’re about to blow this up,” he said. “The second they see where we’re heading…”

She was aware.

Loose lips sank ships, and they were on the S.S. Titanic.

“It really won’t matter if we don’t find something to connect these women to someone.”

He was aware.

“This is so much harder without a badge.”

She laughed. “I know.”

Still, they had work to do.

Parking in front of the simple home, Greyson checked it out. “Are you sure you won’t stay here?”

He knew the man was going to be brutal toward his wife. He was well aware the second he saw either of them, the hate would come out.

This was going to suck.

“No way. I need to hear everything he has to say. He might hold that one piece that saves Seth Bell. I know what you’re trying to do, Grey, but I’ll be okay. There’s nothing they can say that will hurt me.”

Yeah, only that was bullshit. Greyson knew that all the cops in the city would use him to hurt her.

That was the part he hated.

Emma had swallowed plenty for him.

He wanted to protect her.

“Let’s go.”

He followed her out, dropping his sunglasses back onto his face. He wanted to watch the area while Emma did her thing.

On the porch, she knocked.

It took a while.

Her team was right. Corey Powell was likely sleeping.

She knocked again.

Greyson scanned the area, seeing the detective’s car not far away. He could see them through the window. If he thought that they were making him nervous, they weren’t.

Croft could play the game.

As Emma was about to bang on the door again, it opened. The man’s surprised face said it all.

“What the fuck do you want, turncoat?”

Emma didn’t even flinch.

She’d been ready.

“We need to ask you some questions about Seth Bell.”

Oh, the name registered. It was clearly on his face that he knew the man.

She could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

“About?”

“He’s about to die on death row. We’re trying to retrace the steps of the case to make sure he’s really guilty.”

There.

It was out there.

Now the whole LVPD was going to know in a matter of minutes. The second they were gone, he was going to blab.

Corey leaned on the doorframe.

“I’m sorry about that.”

It surprised her.

“Why?”

“Listen, I hated the guy. I thought he shouldn’t have been a cop. He was this mamby-pamby pussy, but I don’t think he could kill a bug let alone a person.”

“Why?”

“Please. The man would talk about such sissy things. There was no way he was banging those hookers and killing them. He would hit on men. The man didn’t play for both teams.”

“You rode him hard.”

“Yeah, I did. Like I said, I didn’t like him as a cop. It doesn’t mean I think he should die. The cops in this town need to be tough, badass, and able to handle themselves. Vegas can eat you alive.”

Yeah, she was aware.

Emma relaxed.

“Look at you two. Both of you are as crooked as they come, and you were cops.”

And here it came.

Shocking…

“I don’t know how I can help you, and honestly, I don’t want to help you. I may have bullied Seth Bell, but I’m not working with you two. I like my life, my friends on the force, and my job. So, chase tail elsewhere.”

“But we need to…”

He slammed the door.

“Okay, that was both annoying and surprising,” Emma stated.

Greyson agreed.

“Let’s get off the street and to the last interview. The detectives are taking pictures. They’re trying to make us nervous.”

Yeah, epic fail there.

Emma wasn’t afraid of them.

There was something she was worried about.

“Grey, we’re running out of viable suspects. Once we do, we’re out of people to interview.”

He was aware.

“This killer may get away.”

Greyson knew it. Only, he was thinking one thing his wife clearly wasn’t.

That Seth Bell wasn’t as innocent as they thought.

Evidence didn’t lie.

So far, it didn’t tie anyone to the dead women but him.

Maybe that said it all.

 
                              
* * *
  G r e y s o n   C r o f t   * * *

Terrace Glen

He’d been staring at a computer screen for hours, and his eyes were starting to cross. Curtis needed a break. As the rest of the family kept working, flipping through files that Chris Ford had absconded, along with Steele’s autopsy reports, he had to take a walk.

His whole body was stiff from sitting.

As he headed out the patio doors, right to the pool house, he wanted to grab some notes he’d made and forgotten to bring with him that morning.

As he headed into his and Kat’s new space, it smelled like her. There was that scent of roses in the air, and he took a minute to take it in.

This was their nest.

It made him giddy.

Grabbing the papers, he went to turn around, only to be startled by her being right there.

“Jesus! Katerina! You are too damn quiet. I’m going to get you a charm bracelet with a bell.”

She laughed. “I missed you.”

“I needed to get these,” he stated, rolling his neck. “I also needed a break. I’m getting a headache.”

“I can help you with that.”

He glanced over at her.

Kat didn’t give him a chance. It still shocked and amazed her that this man wanted her to be his. He was sweet, gentle, and would never let her fall.

To prove it, she raced at him.

Jumping up, she landed against his body, her legs wrapping around his hips.

Curtis didn’t drop her, but the papers in his hand fell to the floor as she dove into a kiss.

Kat was wild and carefree, and he loved every second of it.

“Baby,” he muttered into the kiss, as she devastated him with her mouth alone. Already, his body was coming to life beneath hers.

Curtis couldn’t help himself.

She was going to be his wife.

HIS.

It was a beautiful thing.

Kat didn’t let up. She didn’t have to. She knew that no matter what happened in life, Curtis wouldn’t hurt her. He loved all of her, scars and all.

Her hands found his hair, they slid through it, tugging his mouth even closer to hers. The moan that escaped his lips drove her wild.

Curtis was heated up, and shortly, there was going to be a meltdown.

She couldn’t wait.

She wanted him.

“Bedroom,” he muttered, grabbing handfuls of her ass as he carried her. His body was screaming in need, and she was the reason.

Katerina would always be that reason.

For a year, he’d watched Greyson follow Emma around with that look on his face, and he’d never gotten it. With Brynn, he chased, and it banked those fires.

With Kat...she was the one who aggressively wanted him.

Curtis loved it.

Stumbling into their bedroom, he shoved the door closed with his foot, and then he began kicking off his shoes.

He needed that skin on skin contact.

He craved her.

As he began undressing, struggling to hold her up and get her naked too, she was deepening the kiss. It was as if she wanted to crawl into him.

God!

He wished she would. He never wanted to be apart from her. Katerina was his other half. He was finally whole.

Kat yanked at his shirt and buttons went flying. The sexy sound made her hotter. She wanted this more than breathing.

When they fell backward, onto the bed, she ended up on top. Curtis was trying to yank her pants down, and they were all tangled up.

It was funny.

Only no one laughed.

That need was there.

It was oppressive, powerful, and controlling. If they didn’t get naked, and soon, someone was going to combust.

He managed to find her shirt, and as he tore it off, they had to break the kiss.

The wildness in their eyes was proof of what lived in them. Curtis had healed because of her, and Kat had become whole because of him.

“Anfisa,” he whispered.

It was like a spell.

The second he said her real name, it changed everything. It reminded her of what she’d been, and what he’d found so wonderful.

“I love you,” she said, still on top of his body.

Since he was free, he rolled.

That heat was banked by the look of love in her eyes. Now he wanted nothing more than to make love to the woman who owned his heart.

“I love you, Anfisa, and I always will.”

She smiled up at him.

“Show me, Curtis.”

He did.

Gently, he tugged down her pants so he could run his hands up her soft skin.

She shook at his touch.

Curtis wanted more.

Spreading her legs, he teased her through the material of her panties.

She moaned for him.

She always would. With Curtis, he was safe, protective, and hers.

He tugged them aside, to see more of her. When she whispered his name, his mouth found her. Teasingly, he tormented her with such gentleness that she gasped, shook, and quivered for him.

This was his woman.

His sweet blossom.

Curtis’s flower.

He couldn’t stop tasting her. Everything about Katerina was addictive, and this was at the top of his list. As his hands slid up her torso, he shoved her bra out of the way, setting her breasts free too. As he dined, he teased her sensitive nipples with his fingers.

She moaned, arching into his body for more.

Curtis could tell she was about to come apart, and he wanted to hear his name on her lips.

He wanted to know that she was his.

Forever.

He nipped that sensitive part of her, and Katerina fell into the orgasm. It was a gentle tumble, and he wanted her ready for what was to come.

He needed her.

Sliding up her body, Curtis couldn’t wait. He wanted his erection buried in her. He wanted that wet glide of heat—that satin grip that drove him right to the madness.

He wanted all.

He wanted his Kat.

When her eyes fluttered open, there was still need there.

Good.

He prayed it would never be banked.

“Katerina,” he said, right before he claimed her as his. His body drove into hers, bowing her beneath him. His name was on her lips.

She called to him over and over again, punctuating each plunge into the wetness.

He was driven by the madness.

The lust.

The need.

He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. Katerina had a way of tearing down all his walls. He only wanted to feel with her. Since finding her, for the first time in his life, he could feel.