Hell Is Burning (28 page)

“Now who’s being the dick?”

       
         
* * *
  Croft & Croft  * * *

When they got to the small house, Greyson glanced up and down the street. He was on the lookout.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked. Her husband was acting odd, and that worried her.

“I’m looking for Brynn’s vehicle. I was hoping she parked it somewhere on the street.”

That was total BS.

Greyson had that feeling in his gut, and there was a suspicious car down the block. He’d been a killer in the military, and he wasn’t an idiot. Someone was watching them. He didn't doubt it for a second.

Now came the hard part. Were they dangerous?

It could be the media or Dominic Marianna.

At this point, it was anybody’s game.

“Let’s get inside,” he stated, pulling his wife under his arm. Safety was his first concern.

Emma’s life was paramount.

At the front door, Emma noticed that it had been kicked in. All that was holding it closed was the deadbolt--and barely.

He shook the door, and it practically came off the hinges. “I had to kick it open. He was going to shoot himself.”

Well that explained it.

Inside, he shoved the door closed before glancing around.

The place was chilly, and Emma wasn’t referring to the temperature. There were no pictures, the walls were stark white, and there was very little coziness going on there. It was like someone lived there, but they didn't ‘live’ there.

“Poor Curtis. He had to come home to this every night. Brynn was a bitch.”

There.

She said it.

It felt good to get it off her chest, and Emma knew Greyson wouldn’t judge her for speaking ill of the dead. He’d understand.

Greyson glanced down at her.

“I’m sorry, but I had to say it. She ran him through the ringer. Yes, he was guilty too, but come on!”

Her protective side was showing.

“You can tell by looking around, that a couple didn’t live here, Grey. This room looks like two people lived separate lives. His things are over there, and hers are over there.”

He understood.

Before Emma, his home was lonely too. It was cold and masculine. Now, it was a mix of them.

“They had separate bedrooms. I’m betting that if Brynn had anything she wanted kept private, it would be there.”

When they entered her space, it was just as depressing. There was nothing of Curtis in the room. There were no pictures, and there was no love. Something bad had happened to push them off the trail to happily ever after.

They both felt guilty for not stopping it before it got this far off the rails.

Greyson began rooting around in the night stand. “We have birth control pills, a vibrator, and a book. It looks to be an erotic romance. That says a lot.”

“Not to me it doesn’t. I have similar things in my nightstand, only it’s a cookbook.”

He looked up when he realized what she said. “Wait! We own a vibrator?” he asked. “When did that happen? Do you use it without me?”

The look on his face was one of horror.

Emma laughed. “It’s in our box of fun. I haven’t used it yet. I’m waiting for my sexy pirate to play with me.”

There was relief.

Solemnly, he shook his head. “Don’t keep reminding me about the fun we could be having. At this rate, I’ll be too old to have any fun with our box of kink.”

Emma snorted. “You’re being silly. I’m going to go search Curtis’s room. I think you have this under control.”

When she left, he continued digging through the room, trying to find anything. When he pulled open the desk drawer, there was a large, plain, yellow envelope.

It was unmarked and thick. Something about that called to him. Call him curious, but it seemed out of place.

Cautiously, he slipped the papers out, and began reading through them. He didn't need a law degree to know what they were. It was crystal clear.

“Emma,” he called. “You better get in here.”

She returned, carrying a few of Curtis’s things in her arms. They were going to bring them back to their place for him.

He wasn’t coming back here. “There’s nothing suspicious in his room. I didn't even find porn. We raised our son right,” she teased.

He didn't laugh.

“Uh oh. You have the serious look on your face, Grey. It’s the one you get when something bad has gone down. What did you dig up?”

Still, he didn't say anything.

Instead, he handed her the pack of papers.

Emma took them from his hand and read through the first page. When she got to two specific lines, she wanted to be sick.

“It’s bad,” he said.

“Oh, God! She wouldn’t! How dare she do this to him! Curtis isn't like that. Greyson!”

He didn't know what to say. This changed everything, and it took the light of guilt and shone it right back on Curtis.

“Greyson, we have to tell him. If these are her copies, then that means his are on the way. We can’t let someone hand him these and not prepare him.”

He was well aware.

“It’s one thing to file for a divorce, but this is insane,” Greyson stated. “Now I’m obligated to ask him if she was lying in the divorce papers, or there’s something we don’t know.”

Emma sat on the bed and closed her eyes. “If she was alive, I’d kick her ass.”

Greyson got it.

Talk about burning your bridges.

Brynn sure as hell lit this one up.

       
                         
* * *
  Croft & Croft  * * *

Sky Villa

Thursday Night

It was like fate knew.

As they were driving home to meet Chris Ford and Curtis, Emma’s phone rang. The captain had to head back to work to handle something and needed to get a raincheck on dinner.

It was probably for the best, since they didn't think that they could fake their way through dinner and drinks--not after finding the papers in Brynn’s desk.

Now they had to find a way to talk to Curtis before they all headed to bed.

This was going to be shitty, any way they approached it.

When they arrived home, Emma changed into a simple slip dress and started making dinner. She needed something to keep her mind off the mess that was coming.

They were going to level Curtis Briggs again, and she wasn’t sure he could bounce back from this.

While she stayed there, Greyson headed out to go find Curtis and bring him home. She prayed he talked to him before they got back there. Honestly, Emma didn't know what to say to him.

It would be better coming from Greyson. Curtis was going to need someone to support him. After hearing what they found, there was no way he’d ever be able to trust women again.

Emma blamed herself.

She should have stepped into the marriage arena when Curtis and Brynn tied the knot. Maybe an annulment would have been a far better thing, especially now that this was one hell of a mess.

Curtis was going to be blindsided.

Not for one second did she believe the reasons Brynn listed on the divorce paper. She was pretty sure it was total bullshit. In her gut, she knew the kind of man Curtis was. He was just like her husband.

As she threw some pasta on and heated up some sauce, Emma chugged a glass of wine. There was no way to wrap her mind around any of it.

When she heard the key in the lock, she wanted to run to the door, but there was no need.

Curtis appeared around the corner smiling.

Yeah, someone didn't tell him.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Greyson didn't have the talk.

This wasn’t good.

Emma poured another glass of wine. It was going to be a two drink kind of night. Hell! She might need to open another bottle at this point.

“Dinner smells great,” he offered, dropping down on the one stool.

“Well, you’re in a good mood,” she offered.

“Not good. I’m just feeling a little better. I miss Brynn, but Captain Ford and I had a talk. I’ll always hurt over this, but I can’t blame myself.”

She wanted to throw up.

Jesus!

This was going to suck.

The second Curtis saw the papers, he was going to fall back into that mire again. His heart was going to be crushed at what he was about to hear.

When Greyson appeared, he stood behind Curtis and mouthed his apology
. ‘Sorry. I couldn’t do it.’

She understood.

He didn't want to break the man either. This was one hell of a mess, and Emma wished it was over.

“Dinner smells good,” Greyson said, trying to not to let the veneer crack. “I love pasta.”

“Me too. It’s comfort food,” she stated.

Yeah, and they were going to need copious amounts of it after this.

Greyson headed right to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. He immediately popped them open and handed one to Curtis. “Drink up.”

“Thanks. I missed living here. Free room and board, plus Emma cooks. I was tired of takeout,” he teased.

They noticed the light of humor didn't reach his eyes. Well, at least he was trying.

“Why don’t you take your beer and go wash up?” she asked.

“Yes, Mom,” he stated, chugging his beer as he walked away.

Before Emma could say anything, Greyson tried to explain. “I wanted to tell him. I just couldn’t do it. He told me he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Who am I to be the train?”

She didn't know what to do.

“We can’t sit through dinner and pretend we don’t know, and then drop it on him. That’s cruel, Grey. We have to do this now. He’d be pissed if he knew we held back. We have to be the bad guys on this.”

He knew she was going to say that.

Immediately, he chugged his beer, grabbed two more, and turned off the burner on the stove. It looked like no one was going to be eating tonight.

Grabbing the paper, they headed down the hall to Curtis’s room. When she knocked on the door, it was pulled open by a shirtless man.

“Hey! Is dinner ready?”

“We need to talk.”

He stared at them.

They didn't look like they were coming to his room with good news.

“Oh, God! What now?”

They walked past him and into Curtis’s space.

He continued babbling. It was proof he was nervous and scared.

“I always hated when my grandmother used to say that to me when I was a kid. It was never good. No one ever says,
‘we have to talk’
, and then follows it up with great news.”

He sat on the bed.

Emma took his hand.

“Oh, shit! She’s going all mother on me. I’m fired, aren’t I? You’re going to can me for punching out that dickwad for boning my wife behind my back.”

Emma hated this. “Curtis, we had a big decision to make, and we hope it’s the right one.”

Yeah, he looked scared.

“You’re not kicking me out, are you? I don’t think I can lose you guys again. I just got you back. I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t push me away.”

Both of their hearts ached for him. The pain and sorrow was evident in his eyes.

Emma squeezed his hand. “We will never do that to you, Curtis. We love you. We’ll never make you leave.”

Curtis took a deep breath.

If it wasn’t that, it was going to be about the case. “You found something out. Brynn was screwing more men, wasn’t she?”

Greyson wished it was that. At least it wouldn’t be this painful.

When they didn't speak, he urged them on, “Just do it. If it were Greyson, he’d want to have it dumped on him. I can handle it. Rip the bandage off. I’ll be fine.”

Croft hated that the man was emulating them. This was what got them in this mess to begin with. As to him being okay after this, that was debatable.

“We had to search your house today. It’s not because we believe you killed….” She couldn’t say wife, “Brynn.”

“Okay,” he stated. “You found the bong and four hundred pounds of pot, right?” he teased, trying to be funny. If he didn't, there was a damn good chance he was going to be sick.