Dark Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 1) (11 page)

Douchebags.

“I’ll tell her.”

Emma waited until he hung up. “New policy?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re keeping the criminal element out. You know…since the place got shot up, the captain was nearly killed, and we learned who the real bad guys are...”

She recalled.

She’d been right there saving his damn life. In her nightmares, she still saw it. That day wouldn’t ever go away. It was the third worst in her life.

The day her brother was killed in front of her.

The day Greyson was abducted in Celestia.

The day Chris nearly died.

It was her shittastic trifecta.

As for the
‘bad guy’
comment, she’d let it slide. This wasn’t the place to have a battle of wits with a cop. She’d bide her time.

“You’re funny. If you’re done being a freaking comedian, I’ll go see Chris.”

“He’s not available.”

There was no way Chris turned her away.

No freaking way.

She stared at the man.

“You should go.”

When he picked up the phone and turned his back to update the board behind him, she opted just to walk in as if she owned the place.

Surely, there had been some mistake.

As she walked into the bullpen that she once called home, it was like a mass murderer had walked into the room instead.

Everyone stopped.

There was silence.

“Well, hello to you too.”

She didn’t expect a parade, but this was a little out of the realm of sanity and right into Crazytown.

The first detective up was Heath Spencer.

Of course it was.

“Well, if it isn’t the wife of that murdering bastard, Greyson Croft. Slumming with the working stiffs and not the Russian hit man and killer?”

She wasn’t getting into this fight.

“What’s it like to be a quitter and sleeping every night with a criminal? Sex has to be interesting. Do you have to sleep with one eye open?”

She stared at him.

They could rag on her, but no one was talking smack about her husband.

NO ONE.

He’d sacrificed a lot for this shithole city, and no one was disparaging him.

It was on.

“Actually, I’m sure your sex life is far more amusing, Heath. You know…all those blow up dolls and bottles of lube. Is it hard to sleep with your ladies watching you?”

There were
‘ohhhs’
and laughs.

Yeah, two could play this game.

He moved toward her, but another detective stopped him before he could reach her.

“Smart. We wouldn’t want to see me kick your ass in here so you can be even more embarrassed.”

Heath fumed. “Your husband killed my partner and Dominic Marianna!”

She was three days past sick of this bullshit.

“First off, I’m not mourning the death of a man who killed countless people. Dominic Marianna was a dick who stayed out of jail for way too long. I’m not sorry he’s dead. As for my husband killing either of them, neither the FBI nor this department could prove that. In this country, Heath, it’s innocent until proven guilty. Maybe you forgot that lesson at Cop Camp for the mentally challenged.”

“I’m going to get the proof, and I’m going to lock him away!”

She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, you do that. Try not to fabricate it. You do know what that word means, right? It’s like when I say you’re a sexy man. See? Totally made up.”

He tried to get to her, but he couldn’t.

“I don’t frame people!”

Yeah, right.

They had a possible case like that on their hands as it was, and that was never a good thing.

“Traitor.”

“Detective wannabe,” she replied.

When she turned, Chris was standing in his doorway, and he didn’t appear to be jumping in to defend either of them.

Immediately, that put her on guard.

He’d never let his cops go at it like this, and he’d never let anyone go at Emma.

Never.

“If you’ll excuse me.”

She headed toward the man she called her brother. “Can we talk?”

“It’s not a good time, Emma.”

She didn’t care.

She strolled right past him to sit down in one of the chairs that faced his desk.

When he closed the door, but didn’t close the blinds, that spoke volumes. Something had to have happened. This wasn’t the man they’d nursed back to health for weeks. This wasn’t the man she called brother who hadn’t talked to her in over eight days.

“Chris, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

She knew he was lying. Whenever Christopher Ford lied, he couldn’t look her in the eyes.

Like now.

In fact, he was fidgeting with the medal on his chest. It was a new one. She knew, because she’d been there when he had the ceremony. Despite the heat she’d faced, she’d still showed up for his big day because he mattered.

Family first.

That was their motto.

“I need some help with a case. We’ve taken on a new one. We’re going to exonerate Seth Bell.”

He glanced up. “Are you insane? Did you see that out there? If you get him off, the media is going to go nuts, the cops are going to shit a brick, and the commissioner is going to…”

He stopped.

Chris hated this.

Inside, his heart was breaking. What he wanted to do was hug her. He missed Emma, her cooking, and the family. He wanted to go home, and he didn’t mean the condominium.

“His sister believes he’s been set up, and we’re going to help her. If he is innocent, we’re going to get him out of prison and away from the chair.”

“She came here, Emma. She tried to get us to help. We’ve been told that it’s hands off.”

Yeah, like with her.

There was no way he could help her.

“I need Mace’s files.”

Chris stared at her.

Jesus!

This was getting worse.

“I can’t give them to you on or off the record, Emma. I’m sorry. He was murdered in his own home. Heath is all over that case. The FBI and the LVPD have a joint venture. They absconded all his files. There’s no way anyone is accessing them. That being said, now you should leave.”

Her heart skipped.

What the hell was going on? She was getting the cold shoulder from Christopher Ford?

What?

“Why did you tell the desk sergeant you couldn’t see me?” Emma asked. “There’s not a file on your desk, and we all know you’re still on light duty.”

His jaw clenched.

From the other side of the windows, he could feel the entire precinct staring at her.

“You don’t return my texts? You don’t return my calls? Hell! You don’t come by for dinner. You know Saturday is Italian night. Still, you don’t even see if I’m alive? What’s going on with you, Chris?”

He wanted to say so much to her.

Christ!

This was killing him.

He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn’t. If he said a word, the cops outside the window would rat his ass out. It was bad enough she was there.

This was going to make one hell of a mess. He could see it coming. In fact, heads were going to roll.

The commissioner was probably on his way down as they spoke. All Chris could do was hope Emma would just leave. He’d text her later and explain.

“You don’t tell me how rehab is doing or if you’re even feeling better. What gives? It’s not like you to be a dick, Chris. Did I do something to piss you off?”

Chris said nothing.

He stared at her. He wanted to hug her in the worst way, wrap her in his arms and tell the rest of the cops to fuck off.

He couldn’t.

Chris’s hands were tied. He had to stick with the plan, or it was going to be bad.

So, he kept his mouth shut.

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Chris. I’m not walking out this door. I refuse to believe that the man I call brother, that I love, would turn on me like the mongrels outside his door. I expect it from them, but never from you. I know you wouldn’t play me like that. You’re one of us.”

He wished he was able to reach out to her.

All he could do was pray she’d figure it out. All he could do is pray she’d forgive him one day if she didn’t realize what was going on in there.

“You stayed in my home. I fed you chicken soup. I played cards with you when you were too weak to get out of bed.”

“I appreciate that. I really do.”

“But?”

He said nothing.

Fine.

She’d say it.

“And this is how you treat someone who loves you? Like this, Chris?”

Yeah, he was a huge dick.

“Emma, just go home. I’ll message you later. I’m not at the liberty to say anything here. You need to trust me.”

“NO! I’m not going home. I’m not walking out of here pretending this okay. I wore your blood, Chris. I’m not some employee that is bugging the hell out of you. You don’t have to help me, but I damn well deserve to know what’s going on.”

She was right.

Only his hands were tied.

Chris sighed.

“I thought you loved me.”

That made him crack because he did love her. He always would.

“I’m on a full Croft blackout. The commissioner and FBI have put your husband and Dimitri Gideon on their most wanted list. They’re looking for anything to tie them to Marianna’s and Mace’s deaths. They aren’t happy that the Crofts are the new mob family in Vegas.”

She stared at him. “You know that we’re not the mob, Chris. We’re helping people. That’s a total act to keep the lowlife scum off our backs. They won’t touch us if they think Greyson will retaliate.”

Chris closed his eyes. “Emma. Please. They’ve been tagged the mob. Think about this.”

There was nothing to think about.

This was a solid plan, and it had played into their favor. Greyson had walked away from the FBI, they were the richest people in Vegas, and the rest the media created in their bullshit reports about them.

It had created this juggernaut.

“Why does everyone think that Greyson killed Mace? I was with him. I can attest, which I already have numerous times, that it wasn’t him. We were two thousand miles away and on an island. We were on vacation, and you know it! We have the paper trail to prove it.”

“Emma.”

“Chris, this is BS, and you know it.”

“They think it was Dimitri. They have some government stuff from the CIA. That was his methodology in killing.”

She stared at him.

“He didn’t do it.”

“Emma.”

“No! You can’t tell me he did. This is a bunch of bullshit. They didn’t kill Dominic, and they didn’t kill Mace. My husband knew he was my partner, as did Dimitri. There was no way they’d do this. I’m sickened by what you’re even suggesting.”

Yeah, they took out Marianna. To that day, she didn’t know who pulled the trigger. Greyson and Dimitri weren’t talking, so it was anyone’s guess.

“There’s an active case, and they are under investigation. Because there is, I can’t be anywhere near you. I hope you understand.”

She didn’t.

She’d never understand.

“Emma, go. This is a mess. Mace wasn’t a cop. He was an undercover Fed. He was planted when Commissioner Greene was in town. He was here to spy on the police, and then when Greyson came in, he was supposed to get on that joint task force. Then you fell into the FBI’s lap. He was watching Greyson.”

“WHAT?”

“He was spying on him through you. Mace reported in that Greyson killed Marianna. He filed a report when the FBI didn’t bring him in for interview. It’s on record.”

She wanted to be sick.

“This isn’t real.”

He wished it wasn’t.

“He was teamed up with you, by Commissioner Raye, because he knew the truth. He was supposed to watch you, and he did. I can’t help you. Even telling you this is putting my ass in one hell of a sling. Your whole family is being watched.”

“Mace was in my home. He wouldn’t betray us like that. He was my friend.”

Chris said nothing.

“I trusted him.”

He didn’t even move.

“It’s all too coincidental. He makes a report, the authorities begin investigating, and then he’s killed. He was in your home, watching your husband. Mace was going to spill his guts about what he knew. Who do you think the FBI is gunning for at this point?”

This hurt.

They’d been betrayed.

“My job is all I have. I can’t lose it. I’ve been told that I will be terminated if I don’t walk a fine line. You humiliated the commissioner, and he’s after your ass. Go home, stay out of here, and don’t contact me. Please.”