Vegas is Dying (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 2) Read online

  “Finish your breakfast, Greyson,” said Emma, kissing him. “We’ll discuss your detox later. We have plenty of time to worry.”

  Croft started laughing. He was old school. When you wanted a baby, you had sex. How much more simple could it be? It shouldn’t be about yogurt and giddy swimmers that needed a trip to Betty Ford. It occurred to him that this was proof that he was a caveman. Here was his confirmation that the rest of the world was crazy and he wasn’t.

  When the door buzzed, he crossed the room to the peep hole. “Morning,” he said, opening it. “Want some coffee?” he asked, welcoming them inside.

  “Holy shit! Did you rob a bank?” his partner exclaimed, looking around the condo.

  Emma laughed from the stool. “It’s only about ten years’ worth of your salary and mine.” When the man stared, she shrugged. “I know! He went crazy on this one.”

  As if on cue, the cat exited the kitchen. Going right to the woman and rubbing against her before plopping down on her foot.

  “Hairy, get off the guest,” Emma ordered and was promptly ignored.

  Croft went back to his yogurt. “Did you eat breakfast?” he asked. Greyson was more than willing to share his food. “Here take mine.”

  Briggs laughed at the desperation in his voice. “We stopped and had waffles and bacon.” He knew that wasn’t happening in his partner’s life anytime soon. It was a sacrifice, but well worth it to have an amazing woman in his life. He’d give it up for someone like Emma.

  Easily!

  “Hell.”

  “Stop,” stated his wife, handing them both a coffee. “Curtis isn’t contemplating making a baby. He can have bacon.”

  Both partners tried not to laugh, but the look on Croft’s face was priceless.

  Then, it occurred to him. “If we have kids then can I eat it?”

  Emma shook her head. “Not pork bacon, but there’s an excellent turkey one you can have. Everyone says it’s really good.”

  Every man gene in him cringed at the idea of faux pig products. “I’m going to go get dressed.” He pushed away from his yogurt and leaned down to kiss his wife. “If I didn't love you, I wouldn’t torture myself.”

  Accepting his kiss, Emma fell into it, almost forgetting they weren’t alone. When someone cleared their throat, she slowly pulled away. “I love you too.”

  “What’s on our agenda for today?” Briggs asked, taking a sip of his coffee as he followed Emma out onto the balcony, which overlooked the city.

  “You’re going to dig me up that nine-one-one call and find where it originated. It was probably a pay phone, or at least I’d bet my life on it.”

  “That I can do,” he said, shaking his head at the view. “This is pretty spectacular. I might even find I’m a bit jealous of the big guy now.”

  Emma laughed. “Don’t be. If we ever have kids, I’m going to have to tell him we’re moving. He’s going to lose his damn mind.” Figuring this was the best time to talk to them both, while her husband was busy getting ready, she glanced over her shoulder.

  “I need you both to handle something,” she whispered over her coffee cup.

  It had to be big, if Emma was acting like this. “What?” Briggs followed her lead, also dropping his voice.

  “I need you to both update Ford. I don’t want Greyson anywhere near the man. He has a temper, as does the captain, and that’s a recipe for disaster.”

  “Good idea. The boss man is being fairly calm, but it won’t take much to push him over the edge.”

  Brynn joined in. “Bad temper?”

  Both of them laughed. It wasn’t like he’d kill the man, but past experiences showed that when it came to Emma, Greyson Croft was a man unhinged. Because the captain had his undies in a bunch, it was the fuse to a powder keg.

  Why tempt fate?

  “Grey is very protective,” Emma said, enjoying the feeling that sentence gave her. Where it should unsettle her, it had the opposite effect. She loved every second of it.

  “He’s a guard dog that’s ready to attack,” Briggs said.

  Emma continued, “Whenever he perceives me to be in danger.”

  Briggs grinned. “He loses it. In all the time I’ve worked with him, I’ve never seen him become unbalanced, except when it came to Emma.”

  “Okay, we’ll handle Ford. You keep them apart as much as possible,” her partner replied, knowing the last thing they needed was a workplace melee. The squad was already stirred up with the FBI roaming the office.

  “What else is on the agenda?” Briggs signaled, watching his partner approach towards the glass.

  Emma got the warning. “I think finding out everything about the shows that these girls were working in is a priority. We don’t know why the killer picked them, but there has to be a viable reason. So, dig deep and get me something.”

  That wouldn’t be a problem. “Anything else?” he asked, adding that to his ‘to do’ list on his phone.

  Croft joined them on the balcony with his coffee in hand. He moved to Emma’s side and dropped his arm protectively over her shoulders as if some invisible force was after her even there.

  “I think I’ve given you just about everything I can for now.”

  Briggs rechecked his notes.

  “If you need any help with anything, call out the geek squad from in-house, Curtis,” Croft added, knowing they’d be able to find something. They always did.

  “Can do,” the younger man said, “What are you two doing today?” he asked, hoping it was anywhere but in the precinct.

  Emma glanced over at her husband. “Did our warrant come in?” she inquired.

  “Yes, it did. We need to get a few other detectives to go in with us, and we can clear it this morning. If all your people are busy, we can use mine.”

  Keeping the FBI count low and out of the squad room was probably their best option at this point. “Brynn, can you handle the captain and ask him for a few detectives for back up on a search warrant for me?” The look passed between them.

  “I’ll do it as soon as I get there. You want them to meet you at Sara Jensen’s address?”

  “Yeah, we’ll meet them outside. I don’t want Judd Frazier to know why we’re there until we’re knocking on his door,” Emma added.

  “Then we better all get moving,” stated Briggs. “I have a lot of research on my plate for today.”

  “I’ll help,” Brynn offered, smiling at the man.

  “Great,” he grinned back as he led her from the balcony to the condominium door. “See you both after the search. Hopefully, I’ll have something,” he stated over his shoulder as they left.

  Both Crofts watched them leave together, and they were pondering the exact same thing.

  “You think they’re sleeping together?” he asked, knowing his partner.

  Emma shrugged. “I’m usually good at reading people, but I can’t tell in this case.”

  “Yeah, me either.”

  * * *

  The killer sat at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper and scanning the headlines. Disappointment and rage bubbled up from deep within.

  There was nothing.

  How could the police not see what was being laid out in front of them? It was so obvious!

  The plot to destroy the man who ruined lives was so easy to follow that a child could manage it. What did the cops want- someone to do their jobs for them?

  Frustration was rising at the knowledge that there would have to be more death. It was all overwhelming, because there was a little guilt involved.

  It looked like tonight another victim was slated for the end of her life. Maybe the cops needed a little bit more. Possibly it wasn’t clear enough to point them in the right direction.

  Perhaps the woman would be left with an extra clue, and a sure fire way for the news to get wind of it.

  This time, the cops wouldn’t get the nine-one-one call, the media would.

  * * *

  Standing in her boss’s office, she waited for him
to look up from the report he was reading. There was an uneasy tension present in the room since she arrived there.

  It was probably a really good thing that Detective Westmore opted to do the update without the FBI agent at her side. Apparently, her boss was still pissed off about the events the previous day.

  Personally, in her mind, he had no one to blame but himself. The captain was a good man, but when it came to being boss, he tended to be a little heavy handed with his people. In his mind, he believed that the harder he was on them the more they’d work.

  It wasn’t the truth.

  With half the squad, there’d been grumblings about the man, but no one dared to confront him with their issues. If he even smelled an uprising, there’d be hell to pay.

  Captain Chris Ford had been a good cop, but now he was a shitty boss.

  “Is this everything?” he asked, glancing up from the report.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered, keeping her face neutral. Upon arriving at work, Brynn quickly banged out the daily report to update him. It was short, sweet and to the point. It only contained the highlights, without adding too many of the details.

  Ford stared at his detective. He’d been on the force a long time, and he remembered when women were a minority on the staff. Yeah, there’d been patrol officers, but when it came to the gold shield of being a detective, they were far and few between. Ahhhh, those were the good old days. All this woman sensitivity crap was going to be the downfall of their society.

  “Where’s your partner?” he asked, leaning back as he watched her face for any sign of lies or half-truths.

  “Detective and Director Croft are about to execute a search warrant. They request assistance from two detectives, sir. That is, if we have them to spare for the morning.”

  The man stood, crossing to the door. Oh, he knew exactly who he’d send. If The FBI wanted to play hardball, there was one way he could make their lives even more miserable.

  “Detectives Bristol and Laden,” he called to the men in the bullpen. “Are you free to assist in a search warrant?” The captain asked grinning. He was well aware that Laden wasn’t fond of the FBI or Detective Croft at this point. The walls had ears, and the man’s ranting had trickled back to him.

  Both men stood.

  “Can do, sir. Who and where?” asked Bristol, removing his firearm from his desk and clipping it to his hip.

  “Detective Croft is going to be searching a suspect’s apartment, and she needs back up.”

  “Our pleasure,” added Detective Laden, possibly a little too excited at the prospect. He’d love to get in her way and make her job that much more difficult. It would show her that she was either a cop or ally to the Feds.

  Ford knew the one detective would make the FBI’s life hell, and that cheered him up immensely. “Get the address from Westmore and move out.”

  Brynn didn't like the way any of this was unfolding. Her gut was telling her something bad was brewing. The captain was too happy with the prospect of helping out Emma and her husband.

  “Now, why don’t you sit there and continue to update me?” Ford said, returning to his chair.

  “Um…okay, sir,” she said, continuing.

  What she wanted to do was send a text to her partner, giving her a head up on who was riding in as her back up, but it had to be inconspicuous.

  Damn it! Something was definitely up.

  Emma stood in the parking lot as far from the building as possible, leaning against the side of her Navigator. Beside her was her husband, scrolling through his phone as they waited for their backup to arrive. They got word that there were two more detectives and two beat cops on their way.

  “What’s going on in your head?” he asked suddenly and out of the blue.

  “I’m thinking about the victims and praying that Curtis can find something to link them together on paper. It’ll take anything at this point,” Emma admitted.

  “He will, just be patient.” Greyson knew his partner was damn good on digging up the little details. “Something will turn up.”

  He glanced across the parking lot as two police cruisers and an unmarked car pulled in nearby. They all parked and exited their vehicles.

  “Well hell,” she muttered, seeing her backup. “Today’s going downhill fast.”

  Croft stared at the two detectives meandering towards them. Somehow, he got the feeling this was the asshole-in-charge’s doing.

  “Detective,” stated Laden grinning. “Your backup is here.”

  On the way over in the car, Mace Bristol had a conversation with his partner about doing stupid, vindictive shit that was bound to get them fired or on suspension. He didn't believe his partner would, but Sawyer was a wild card. One never knew what was going to come out of his mouth.

  “Hey, Mace,” she said, ignoring the other man. Yeah, she needed to work with him, but she didn't have to like it. “Thank you for the backup.”

  The Native American man nodded. “Captain Ford sent us in,” he said, giving her as much warning as possible. His gut was all stirred up over the entire situation. His partner had been bitching all day yesterday about working with the FBI, and now all of the sudden he seemed a little too happy to be on backup duty.

  It just screamed wrong all the way around.

  “I appreciate it,” she said, nodding at the other man. “We should suit up and execute the warrant,” Emma added, going to the back of her vehicle and pulling out her Kevlar. Her husband was at her side, helping her Velcro in.

  “We’re already done,” stated Bristol, patting his chest. He pulled his badge and chain out to slip it over his neck.

  Greyson pulled on his own Kevlar, mimicking his wife’s actions as he checked his side arm.

  “Where’s the warrant?” Detective Laden asked, looking back and forth between them.

  Croft pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to him.

  The detective scanned it and read the parameters and scope of their legal rights. It looked like due to the man’s past, they had been given access to everything- that or the FBI pulled strings.

  “How are we doing this?” asked Detective Bristol, waiting for the lead detective’s directive.

  Emma broke it down for them. “Our suspect openly admitted to me on first contact that he had a manipulative sexual relationship with the victim. Also, with his past priors against women, he may be a suspect in Sara Jensen’s death. I need the officers to take the back of the building to assure he doesn’t try to run, and we four will go in the front door.”

  “Works for us,” said Bristol, handing back the warrant.

  “Okay then, let’s get this done.”

  Croft remained silent the entire time. This was his woman’s operation, and he was letting her run it. That and he was desperately trying to remain low key as to not provoke the other detectives. He got that the FBI had a reputation with law enforcement, but he wasn’t willing to make his wife’s job any more difficult than it already was at that point.

  At the door, Emma and Greyson took the entry points, with a detective at each of their backs.

  With a knock, they called out to the inhabitant.

  “Judd Frazier, we have a warrant to search the premises. Please open the door, or we will forcibly enter,” Emma yelled through the door.

  There was no answer.

  “Judd Frazier! This is the police, open up!”

  “Go away!” Came the shout. “I’m not coming out.”

  Croft moved into position, waiting for Emma’s signal.

  “Take it down,” she said. “I have low.” She pointed with her gun drawn, as she was ready to follow her husband into the apartment.

  The count began and on three, Croft used his foot to kick open the door. He rushed in with his gun drawn and stomach twisted into knots. The entire time he was making sure his body was in front of Emma, acting like another shield. Yeah, she would give him hell later, but what’s a husband to do?

  Once through the door, they found the man sho
veling things into a garbage bag.

  “We’ll clear the place,” offered Detective Bristol, nodding off to the right as the other two faced down the man.

  “What are you doing, Judd?” inquired Emma as he held the bag in his one hand.

  “I don’t have a weapon,” he stated with his other hand up in the air.

  Croft went to his side, holstering his own weapon to do the pat down. The man dropped the bag, and he quickly ran his hands over his body, searching for weapons. “He’s clean,” Greyson said to his wife.

  Emma put her weapon away and began scanning the room. “We have a search warrant,” she said, pointing at the paper now in her husband’s hand. “We’re going to pull your place apart to see if you have anything here that belongs to our victims.”

  The two detectives came back into the room. “We’re clear, but this place is a pig sty,” stated Bristol. “This is going to suck.”

  Croft dragged the man over to them by the arm. He pointed at the detective who was giving him a dirty look. “You get to play babysitter,” he said as the two cops entered the room to assist in the search.

  “Great,” Laden muttered, hating that the man was bossing him around. Who the hell did he think he was?

  Croft headed into the little galley kitchen to begin his search there as everyone split up.

  Emma went right to the black trash bag that the man had been furiously filling with what she suspected was contraband.

  “I guess we should see what you were looking to throw out,” stated Emma, picking up the bag. She opened it, staring into the black depths. “For your sake, I hope all this porn in here isn’t kid related, or your ass is going to jail for a long time.

  The man didn't like that idea. Judd Frazier didn't want her digging through his personal property. Knowing he needed to protect his things, he yanked his arm free and raced towards the woman and his stuff.

  Emma caught motion from the corner of her eye and looked up just as the man collided with her, knocking them both over the back of the couch.

  They landed with a ‘thump’ as all hell broke loose.