Paid Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Paid Justice

  Love isn’t always easy for everyone, but everyone deserves to be loved, Dimitri Gideon…

  My name is Greyson Croft…

  Greyson Croft

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  To be continued…

  Coming Next:

  Paid Justice

  By Morgan Kelley

  Copyright © 2017 Morgan Kelley LLC

  All rights reserved. Without limiting rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, introduced into a retrieval system, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including without limitation photocopying, recording, or other electronic or technical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  The scanning, uploading, and/or distribution of this document via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. For permission requests, email [email protected]

  Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains graphic violence, explicit sexual activity and disturbing imagery. This book also contains a gay couple, but there is no descriptive sexual contact.

  ©Copyright 2017 cover by Celestia Abraham

  Dear Reader,

  Since my books crossover a great deal, I recommend reading them as they are written. I tend to mention characters in books they don’t generally occur in, and later in the series, there are full crossovers.

  Some readers have contacted me for this list, and I figured I’d pass it on to the rest of you.

  While you can read the books by series only, it only enhances the reading experience if you go in order of how I wrote them. I tend to give away secrets…

  I’m sneaky like that.

  On the next page, I’ve given you the list.

  MK

  Here is the reading book order:

  The Killing Times (FBI)

  Sacred Burial Grounds (FBI)

  True Love Lost (FBI)

  Deep Dark Mire (FBI)

  Fire Burns Hot (FBI)

  Celestia is Falling (Croft & Croft)

  Darkness of Truth (FBI)

  Vegas is Dying (Croft)

  Devil hath Come (FBI)

  Christmas is Killing (Croft)

  Blood Red Rage (Littlemoon)

  Consumed by Wrath (FBI)

  Sinner Repent (Carter trilogy 1)

  Love is Bleeding (Croft)

  Lost & Broken (Littlemoon)

  Illegal Fantasies (Anthology 1)

  Redemption is Here (FBI)

  Sinner Realized.(Carter trilogy 2)

  Romance Under Arrest (Anthology 2)

  Heaven is Weeping (Croft)

  Unthinkable Games (Littlemoon)

  Dead Shall Speak (FBI)

  Sinner Reborn (Carter trilogy 3)

  Pledging to Die (FBI)

  Hell is Burning (Croft)

  Truth is Found (Littlemoon)

  Slay Bells Ring (FBI)

  Holiday Reinforcements (Trilogy 3)

  Oracle Rising (Oracle)

  Past will Haunt (FBI Flashback 1)

  Choices will Destroy (FBI)

  Justice is Dead (Final croft book)

  Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon)

  Blood Shall Run (FBI)

  Oracle Seeing (Oracle)

  Dark Justice (New Croft Series)

  Forbidden Secrets (Littlemoon)

  Act of Blood (FBI)

  Oracle Saving (Oracle)

  Stalked by the Past (FBI flashback 2 )

  Dying to Love (FBI)

  Lost Justice (Croft)

  Kiss of Souls ( Littlemoon) (FBI/Littlemoon crossover)

  Oracle Haunting (Oracle)

  Revenge has Come (FBI)

  Paid Justice (Croft)

  Lost Souls (Littlemoon)

  Discarded by Fate (FBI)October 2017

  Atonement (Hunter Trilogy 1) November 2017

  It’s Good to be the Boss (Romance Anthology 1) November 2017

  Harcourte books do not cross over and can be read anytime.

  Dangerous Revelations

  Dangerous Choices

  Dangerous Misery

  Dangerous Retaliation

  Dangerous Influence

  Dangerous Sacrifice

  Dangerous Destruction Dec 2017

  ~~~~ About the Author ~~~~

  Morgan Kelley lives in the beautiful Pocono Mountains with her husband and two children. After attending college at Penn State University and studying Criminal Justice, Morgan knew her only true passion in life would be murder and books. She put them both together and began her career as a writer. Other than books and writing, you can find Morgan hanging out in her garden and digging in the dirt.

  Her other works include: The Junction, Serial Sins, The Blood Betrayal, The Killing Times (1), Sacred Burial Grounds (2), True Love Lost (3), Deep Dark Mire (4), Fire Burns Hot (5), Darkness of Truth (6), Devil Hath Come (7), Consumed by Wrath (8), Redemption is Here (9), Dead Shall Speak (10), Pledging to Die (11), Slay Bells Ring (12), Past will Haunt (13), Choices will Destroy (14), Blood shall Run (15), Act of Blood (16), Stalked by the Past (17), Dying to Love (18), Revenge has Come (19), Blood Red Rage (1) Lost & Broken (2), Unthinkable Games (3), Truth is Found (4), Haven of Nightmares (5), Forbidden Secrets (6), Kiss of Souls (7), Celestia is Falling (1), Vegas is Dying (2), Christmas is Killing (3), Love is Bleeding (4), Heaven is Weeping (5), Hell is Burning (6), Justice is Dead (7), Dark Justice (1), Lost Justice (2), Paid Justice (3), Dangerous Revelations (1), Dangerous Choices (2), Dangerous Misery (3), Dangerous Retaliation (4), Dangerous Influence (5), Dangerous Sacrifice (6), Sinner Repent (1), Sinner Realized (2), Sinner Reborn (3), Oracle Rising (1), Oracle Seeing (2), Oracle Saving (3), Oracle Haunting, (4),Illegal Fantasies (Anthology 1), Romance Under Arrest (Anthology 2), and Holiday Reinforcements (Anthology 3)

  Please feel free to visit Morgan at her website: www.morgankelley.com, email her [email protected], or visit her blog at www.morgankelley.blogspot.com

  Spin off series of ‘The Croft & Croft romance adventures’.

  Celestia is Falling

  Vegas is Dying

  Christmas is Killing

  Love is Bleeding

  Heaven is Weeping

  Hell is burning

  Justice is Dead

  Dark Justice

  Lost Justice

  Paid Justice

  Love isn’t always easy for everyone, but everyone deserves to be loved, Dimitri Gideon…

  You will get your turn.

  Riley Henderson…buckle up!
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  My name is Greyson Croft…

  Vegas is a cesspool.

  Let’s call it what it is.

  Not only that, but it’s getting worse every day. With each corrupt official that I take out, three more take their place. It’s become my full-time job to keep the city on the up and up.

  And I’m failing.

  I’m man enough to admit it.

  I may be in over my head in all of this. At the beginning, it seemed achievable that our small group of ex-Feds, Russian criminals, and my family could put a dent in this mess.

  Now, I’m not so sure.

  It’s beginning to become overwhelming. With each person that we agree to help at ‘Aquarius’, we have to turn four more compelling cases away.

  The issues in Vegas appear to be worse than I originally thought.

  How do I help them all?

  Is there a way?

  There has to be something I can do to save as many people that the system forgot.

  I just have to figure it out.

  AND FAST.

  There are so many questions, and not enough answers to the problems that we face every day.

  How do I make a difference?

  Am I making one?

  All of this goes through my head as I’m silently sitting at our home. I wonder if I’m making it better or if I’m adding fuel to the seedy element’s fire.

  It’s a question I ponder each and every day.

  There is no black and white in my world.

  It’s all gray.

  What I do know is that I have to rely on the people I trust to help me through this.

  Without them, I’m screwed.

  They are the ONLY people in Vegas I trust. I put my faith in the people we call our own.

  The family.

  Mia familia—as the old Italian mobsters of long ago called them.

  They are my lifeline.

  When the chips are down, the family will always have my back when I need them the most. We may not all be blood, but we are one.

  We are united in the cause to save this city, and that’s all that matters.

  We’ve sacrificed our time.

  Our careers.

  And now our lives.

  We’ve given all we have under the guise of being the criminal element, and we will fight to our last breath.

  They are my strength.

  Beside me, I have my wife. She’s a blessing to me each and every day. When I get lofty, or think I’m going to slip into the dark side of this city, she’s there to pull me back.

  Emma is my anchor.

  She’s goodness and light, and she’s the one I rely on most in our family. When we are home in our bedroom or locked in my secret room, I can count on her to be my solace.

  She’s my sanctuary.

  I can count on her to love the man I am, and the man this hellish city has forced me to become. She sees the real me, and has always loved me for those gray areas.

  I’m a killer.

  I own it.

  Let’s call a spade a spade. I’ve done some questionable things since losing my badge.

  I’ve broken the law.

  I’ve taken life.

  I’ve played the odds to win after stacking the deck in my favor.

  Still, for my sweet Emma, it doesn’t matter.

  When I’m with her, the darkness recedes, and I am able to breathe again. When she sits in my lap, I have a firm grasp on who I am, and how I got here in the first place.

  Truth.

  Justice.

  Law.

  They all led me to this Godforsaken hellhole.

  It takes a strong man not to succumb to the vile evil that pulses beneath the seedy underbelly of this town.

  She’s the reason I stay afloat.

  Emma is my goodness. She’s my purity in a world filled with hate and ugliness. Without her as my constant reminder, this city would have swallowed my soul whole.

  She is my everything.

  She’s also going to be the mother of our child. In her body, she’s growing a miracle. She’s making me a child.

  That’s a gift I never thought I’d be given, and now one I can’t imagine living without.

  Emma, my reason for living, is giving me one more miracle in my life.

  I’m going to be a father.

  Now I have everything to lose, and even more to fight for in this town.

  I will do battle with the Devil, himself, to keep my wife and child safe. I will go full on rogue and play in the muck and mire to give our child a place to be safe.

  Nothing will touch my core.

  I will use every resource I have before I give up.

  Speaking of resources…

  Then there’s Dimitri Gideon. He was born Maximillian Marchenko, and he’s a killer too. He’s lived so long on the shady side of existing that he’s lost just like me.

  Dimitri is battling his own demons, but as he keeps fighting, helping women in this city, he’s learned a thing or two about Vegas.

  Don’t make it personal.

  This city hates everyone.

  Don’t second guess yourself.

  If you do, you’ll never sleep at night, and he should know. Sleep, like peace, eludes him.

  Don’t trust anyone you don’t call family.

  He’s learned that one personally, and he’s on board with our team. They are his as much as mine.

  Why?

  Dimitri is my right-hand man. We share everything in this family.

  Assets.

  Money.

  Power.

  Nothing is ‘MINE’, but ‘OURS’, and he’s good with that. We’ve built our businesses to be unstoppable money powerhouses, and that’s what keeps us afloat.

  His and my relationship has evolved.

  At first, he was nothing more than security, but he’s become something so much more. Without Dimitri, I can’t pull off half the things I need to do to survive and protect my own without him.

  He’s my friend.

  He’s my partner.

  He’s my brother-in-arms.

  I trust him enough to call him my own, and know enough to see that he’s his own force to reckon with.

  What I like best about him is that Dimitri isn’t one to mince words.

  He tells me like it is, fearless from the repercussions. In the end, I won’t ever turn on him because I’ve chosen him to be my brother.

  We are thick as thieves, and we plan to stay that way.

  Yet, there are rumors.

  Some people say he has a thing for my wife, as he’s always doting and watching her.

  I’m not blind.

  I see it all.

  Honestly, it’s something I’ve had to come to accept. This is Vegas, where you can roll the dice and be a winner or dead by morning.

  I trust my woman, and I trust my family.

  Besides, the more people watching Emma in our family, the safer we are. We have to keep our eyes on the prize, and on the people in the game.

  Emma is my queen.

  She’s protected by him, and I’m willing to ignore that he’s coveting what’s mine.

  It’s one of the sacrifices I have to make to survive in ‘Sin City’.

  Then there’s my blood.

  Dante Atticus Croft.

  He’s a soldier to his core, and he’s an enigma. While we look so similar that people sometimes think he’s me, we are very different people on the inside and out.

  I’m older, I hope wiser, and carrying the weight of this city on my shoulders.

  Dante is covered in ink, and he happens to love men. I don’t get it, but that’s not my road in life. All I know is my brother would die for me, and I would do the same.

  Dante would shed blood for any of us, and he’s a soldier in the fight against what is wrong with this city.

  Corruption.

  With my brother behind the helm of our businesses, I know the Croft empire will grow. Emma inherited this money, and Dante is making it profitable.r />
  Why?

  So we can help people.

  The more he makes, the more people we can help. That’s our goal, and we’re going to ensure that we save the downtrodden that Vegas has threatened to consume.

  Dante is blood, but he’s also my friend, and he has my ear, my heart, and best interests in mind.

  Then there’s Curtis Croft.

  He’s my son in all ways. He acts like me, he is a caveman in the making, and he’s also there to have my back. Curtis is the son I’ve always secretly wanted, and he makes me proud each and every day.

  While I trained him to be a good guy, he’s followed me into the dark. While there, he’s changed.

  He can hack with the best of them, playing on the Dark Web for shits and giggles.

  He’s my computer guy, my head researcher, and a man I respect from the bottom of my heart.

  My son is going to be a father.

  Ironically, he’s going to give me a grandchild before my own child is even born.

  This confuses everyone, but us.

  When in Vegas, do it backward.

  It’s the Croft way.

  Curtis will one day be at the helm, and I’m trying to teach him the ways of this crooked paradise. If I need it broken into on the cyber trail, he’s the one who can make it happen. Maybe he was meant for this lifestyle.

  He’s so damn good at it.

  Then there is his wife, Katerina, my new daughter-in-law. While she’s pregnant, Dimitri has pulled her out of the rotation. While she’s carrying a Croft heir, she has to be kept safe. If anything were to happen to myself, she’s giving us a backup plan.

  This child is wanted.

  By them.

  By me.

  By Dimitri.

  We will die to keep her protected. As long as we’re here, no one will touch a hair on that child’s head.

  Dimitri has vowed that, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We know how dangerous it is to have children here. They are a way of strengthening our family, tying the Crofts and Gideons together, and putting a little something away for the future.

  They are the next line of vigilantes being born of ex-Feds and Russian killers.

  That scares a lot of the seedy element.