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

  He paused.

  “Yes.”

  “Are they actively searching for someone?”

  “Well, they’ve tried. They keep hitting roadblocks, and they think it’s because they continually get a heads-up when we’re about to move. We keep missing the people by minutes.”

  Yeah, he had that issue too.

  That freaking FBI mole was back.

  “I have something I have to ask, and I need a HUGE favor. Just hear me out.”

  “What?”

  “My family has just taken on a missing girl case, and it was all done innocently enough.”

  “Okay.”

  “We just found out that it’s looking like she was a victim in a sex trafficking ring. I think it’s the same one I tried to take down when I was in the FBI, and the same one that’s now stalled for Lee.”

  That was NOT good.

  They were the good guys, and Croft was the bad guy. The two should never cross, unless one was chasing the other. This meant that two different sides were working the same case, and they would bump into each other.

  “What can I do?” Ethan asked.

  “I need you to give me some leeway. Is there any way you can pull your teams for a week, max? I’m about to go digging, and if I do, the Feds are going to be all over us.”

  Ethan thought about it.

  “I can run interference, but you have to let the FBI close it. If you find the person, you need to report it directly to me. I have a rat in that office, and I really don’t like rats.”

  He figured as much.

  “What about the vans outside my house? Can you call them off?”

  That was news to him.

  “What vans?” Ethan asked.

  “I have four FBI vans outside my house, trying to find out what I’m doing at all times.”

  “Are you sure? They can’t be FBI sanctioned. I wouldn’t sign off on something like that. Your lawyer is ready to eat ours for breakfast, and Gabe doesn’t want to make you any richer than you already are. He personally denied the request when he was given it.”

  Then they had an issue.

  Well, Ethan Blackhawk did.

  “So, if you didn’t authorize it, then who did?”

  They both knew that answer.

  “I’ll handle it. They will be gone by tomorrow. I can give you five days, Greyson. I can call audit, and I can have the teams pulled in. I can’t give you more time than that. If I even get called out on this call…”

  He knew.

  They were both on the opposite sides of the law.

  He was the bad guy.

  Supposedly.

  “Five days, starting tomorrow morning. After that, I can’t intervene. Get it figured out, and maybe we can find that mole inside the FBI. I’ll handle the rest.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it. Literally. Expect the information coming your way. I’ll get it to you by way of special courier.”

  He hung up.

  “Can we trust him?” Dimitri asked, hating that they were putting their asses on the line this close to the FBI.

  “Yeah, he’s the epitome of straight arrow. He won’t screw me over. Ethan knows how to play the game, and he’ll use me to get the killer handled, and then he’ll dismantle the FBI to get that mole. You don’t screw with him. He takes his career very seriously.”

  “We should go. I don’t like how I feel right now. My arm hair is standing up, and I have that feeling in my gut,” Dimitri stated.

  Greyson was good with that.

  He was feeling way off too.

  Something bad was coming.

  And soon.

  * * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *

  Washington D.C.

  Hoover Building

  The second Ethan hung up, he knew he had a problem. He sent a text to the one person he trusted to share this new information with, and he hoped she’d help him out.

  If there was a mole, he couldn’t risk that the rat was digging around in his DC nest.

  Something had to be done.

  At the knock on his door, she was standing there. It didn’t take her long to arrive from her own area down the hall.

  “You’re free, right?” he asked.

  Elizabeth closed his office door. “Are we fornicating or do you have something for me to handle?” she teased.

  He laughed. “Maybe both, but the first one will have to be right after my meeting. You wear me down. I have to be focused.”

  She grinned. “Good point.”

  “I have to take a trip tomorrow morning. I’m leaving the office.”

  “Okay, and?”

  “I need backup.”

  “I’m in.”

  As always, he didn’t even have to give her details. Elizabeth would always have his back, and for that bond, he was grateful. After his meltdown, a few months ago, and their separation, they were now stronger than ever.

  Their marriage survived, and he had his partner back.

  “I’m about to stir the pot, and when I do, there’s only one hell raiser I want by my side.”

  She snorted. “Callen’s busy, huh?”

  He tugged her into his lap. “He doesn’t kiss as well as you do,” he teased.

  “Should I ask why you’re going around making out with your brother without me being able to watch?” she teased.

  “Maybe I’m just kissing my gorgeous wife’s ass, as I try to get her to perch herself against me.”

  She did just that, getting comfortable.

  “Yeah, like that,” he said, giving her a soft kiss. It was good to have his wife back.

  “Where are we heading?” she asked, nibbling on his ear. She knew it made him crazy, and that was exactly why she did it. Before he texted, she was planning to stop in for some lunch.

  HIM.

  “I have to hit Las Vegas.”

  “Uh oh.”

  He told her what Greyson had told him. She listened, and didn’t bat an eye.

  “How about you do the FBI stir-up, and I’ll deliver the information? The second you call them off the Crofts, I’ll get onto their property.”

  “Don’t get caught.”

  She laughed. “Seriously. Do you know me? I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.”

  Her mouth found his, and she stole his breath.

  When he pulled away, she had his shirt open.

  “Now, about my fee,” she said, whispering in his ear. “You have to pay half now, half later. I think you should be late to your meeting.”

  She bit him on the neck and he moaned.

  “Did you lock the door?” he asked. “Can you be fast? I have to get back to my…”

  He didn’t have time to say the rest.

  She rocked his world.

  Twice.

  * * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *

  LVPD

  Commissioner’s

  Office

  When the commissioner called him, he wasn’t too busy that he couldn’t show up for a little visit. Director Lee knew he had some messes to clean up, and he was using the police to help him.

  They had to work hand in hand, making sure that the crime in Vegas went down, or he’d be out.

  And that wasn’t a good thing.

  Robert had worked hard to get this office. When Greyson Croft was asked to resign, he fought tooth and nail to earn the right to head the Las Vegas branch.

  It was a power step. It was right below handling the FBI West commission, and he had his eyes on that next.

  Robert Lee wanted to move up the ladder, and he wanted to be sitting in the Director’s office at the Hoover building before he turned fifty.

  So, he had to do this right.

  It wasn’t easy to handle Las Vegas. The last two FBI directors went down to corruption, and he was desperately trying to keep his nose clean.

  Deputy Director Blackhawk was a ball buster, and had laid down the law. If you weren’t doing your job, you were out of one. He didn’t want to cross the man.<
br />
  No one did.

  While most thought that Ethan Blackhawk was picked for his position, simply because his wife and Gabe Rothschild went way back, it had become crystal clear that he was no joke.

  The man ran it like he owned it.

  He didn’t take shit.

  He wasn’t above tearing a place apart to rebuild it, and he also didn’t give a shit what anyone said about him.

  The chatter about him, his wife, and his brother was notorious, but he didn’t flinch. The last time someone brought up the couple, he found himself missing his hide. Blackhawk chewed ass like a pro. It was clear what he’d learned from Gabriel Rothschild.

  So, Robert wasn’t taking any chances.

  His office was not up for dismantle. He was doing anything he could to make sure they stayed afloat, and on the boss’s good side.

  Robert Lee knew what would happen if his boss audited the place. Heads would roll. It wasn’t to say he was running anything illegal, but he didn’t clear everything with his boss.

  Why?

  Vegas was a whole other beast. While the rest of the country played by one set of rules, Vegas didn’t. So, he had to use what he had to keep the place from blowing up.

  It wasn’t easy.

  In fact, he might be getting an ulcer.

  That’s why he agreed to show for this meeting. He had the feeling shit was coming, and he didn’t want to take any chances.

  So, as he prepared to meet with Commissioner Raye, he hoped the man had cleaned up most of his issues. They had new ones heading their way.

  “Thank you for coming,” the commissioner said, as he entered the room.

  “You’re welcome, Jeffery. What’s this about?”

  “The Crofts.”

  He sighed.

  That wasn’t what Robert wanted to hear. He was more worried about all the other things going on.

  “I already authorized three vans. I can’t give you more. We haven’t found anything that links them to illegal activities. We’ve called in three warrants on their warehouses, offices, and a few businesses, and nothing. You may have to come to grips with them not doing anything illegal.”

  “I understand that.”

  “I hope so because you guaranteed me that there was something there, and I allowed the vans. My boss will kick my ass if he finds out.”

  “I appreciate that you did that for me, Robert. I’m in the same boat as you are. Vegas is bad. Every law bureau is struggling right now. Croft has his hands in everything.”

  Robert was getting sick of all of this. It was a dead end, and he was wasting taxpayer resources.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, willing to give the man a chance to explain.

  “I received a call.”

  “From?” he asked.

  “Anonymous.”

  He sighed again.

  Robert should have seen this one coming.

  It was a mess.

  “What did Croft do now that has you in a tizzy?” he asked.

  The commissioner told him.

  “There’s word out on the street that they are fabricating documents against my homicide captain.”

  He listened.

  “They are trying to take him down, and we want it on the record that he’s being framed for something. You know, in case the media is given these fake papers.”

  Well, at least he wasn’t asking for anything more. That he could do. He could type up a memo, and make note of it in a file if it ever came to public light.

  “I want to be ready for any of his games. He’s planning something, but I don’t know what.”

  Lee considered it. “I can open an investigation if you can get me something. I can’t go on anymore witch hunts. I was sent a writ to cease and desist. Their attorney is out for blood and the FBI is their artery. I was told hands off.”

  He got it.

  It looked like the attorney was going to have some issues. He was going to handle that ASAP. If he could put a dent in Croft’s team, he could slow them down to cover his bases.

  She was a pain in his ass anyway.

  It was time to handle it.

  “If you can get the shark attorney off our backs, we can handle the rest.”

  He could do that.

  “Robert, thank you.”

  “This time, this is it. From here on out, I can’t play in this mess. If Croft isn’t breaking any federal laws, it’s hands off. We aren’t your spy agency. We work for the people of this country, and I have bosses to answer to on a daily basis. This pisses them off.”

  He got it.

  The commissioner was good for now. It was all going to work in his favor.

  He could tell.

  When the Fed left, he sat back and tried to figure out what he was going to do.

  They had a lawyer who was a pain in the ass, and she needed to go down.

  But who?

  Heath?

  No, he was a loose cannon. No one in their right mind would hire him. He was a few bricks short of a wall.

  Then it hit him.

  He had a killer right in his pocket. Since the man had killed once before, why not again?

  It was time to check-in with Thomas, and hope the man could be swayed to do some dirty work.

  They had to keep a unified front.

  And they needed a woman to disappear.

  When he arrived at the office, there were detectives all over the place. They were doing their thing, and the captain was doing his. He was glad to see the man was holding it together. Their earlier talk worried him.

  The last thing they needed was for his inside guy to lose control and do something stupid. In Vegas, you had to play the game carefully.

  As his captain looked up, he saw him through his office windows and motioned for him to come in.

  Good.

  It was time to handle a mess. Hopefully, the man would be up for the job.

  Riley was working on his cases, and he saw the man enter the bullpen.

  As he headed past him, he was curious.

  Riley got a bad vibe from the man, and he could tell something was off. The man had that look on his face.

  It made him edgy.

  He needed to hear what was going on in that office, and that meant losing his babysitter for a few minutes.

  Riley chugged his cold coffee.

  “Hey, Lester, can you grab us some coffee?” Riley said, handing him his empty cup. “I want to make copies of this file so we can reorganize our case load. I have these dead women, and I need to figure out how we’re going to handle it. I feel disorganized.”

  Lester Lucas laughed. “That’s because you are unorganized, Riley.”

  “Yeah, well, we have more dead bodies than time,” he said, picking up the file.

  His partner laughed and headed toward the breakroom.

  Riley raced for the copier and pretended to be pulling the file together. As he stood there, their voices were easily heard through the wall, and what he heard deeply disturbed him.

  In fact, it made him ill.

  “You have to take out the attorney. Make it look like a fluke. I don’t care if it’s a random shooting, a drive-by, or she’s raped and strangled in her own home.”

  Christ laughed. “I like the last option. I’ve seen her in here,” Christ said. “I could use some pussy. She seems like one of those women who’d make me hot and bothered. I can handle her. She wouldn’t be the first.”

  He didn’t care.

  This was about buying them some time.

  “Good. The Crofts will be distracted if something happens to her. They won’t see us aiming for that bitch. Croft thinks we’ll go for him or his wife. Let’s fuck with them. The FBI is going to cover for you with that file. I told them Croft is fabricating documents to take you down. We’re covered. The FBI will back me up IF they come out.”

  Christ relaxed. “I’ll get her tonight. I’ll need an alibi. Make sure you invite me over for a drink. We’re going to have a meeting at your pla
ce,” he said.

  The commissioner could do that.

  As Riley listened to them plot Delilah’s murder, he couldn’t believe it.

  Both men were corrupt, and sick. That they could even have a casual conversation about raping and murdering a woman made him want to vomit.

  He had to do something.

  And fast.

  Riley grabbed his file and headed back to his desk. He sat and tried to figure out what to do. He only had until tonight, and there had to be a way to get to Delilah, and then get her somewhere safe.

  When Lester returned, he was staring at him.

  “Uh, did something happen?” he asked his partner. “You look like shit!” he stated.

  “Huh? What?” Riley asked, trying to stay composed. He needed a way out of there, and fast. The commissioner and the captain were out in the bullpen, setting up his alibi.

  “You’re pale. Did you see a ghost?” he asked.

  “I feel sick all the sudden. Maybe I’m having a reaction to the dentist doing that filling, he said, taking the excuse and running with it.

  “Hey, if you’re getting the flu…”

  He backed away.

  “I do feel like puking all the sudden.”

  Ironically.

  That wasn’t a lie.

  “You should go home. I got this. We’re only working these unknown cases. I can reorganize and get them started for us. I’ll call you if I get anything. Don’t puke on our desks,” Lester said.

  Riley pushed away.

  “Thanks. I’ll text you later.”

  He headed out.

  Lester shook his head and couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with his new partner.

  Something was up.

  Outside, Riley jumped into his ride, and knew right where he had to go.

  Delilah’s office.

  There was no way he could let that asshole hurt her. She hated cops, but no one deserved to be raped and murdered.

  No one.

  And shit like that wasn’t going down on his watch.

  Especially to her.