No Justice_A Croft Mob Family Book Read online

  Yeah, that was likely. He didn’t like the idea of heading into the lion’s den at the LVPD.

  “Thank you for that. Update me, please.”

  Aria could do that.

  “They have been told you work for us as an undercover operation.”

  He whistled.

  “Ethan is really sticking his neck out. Is this a political thing? I know he’s contemplating a bid for Vice President of the United States.”

  “I’m not sure,” she stated. “If he’s running, he’s running. They are keeping it close to the vest on this one. You know how the Blackhawks are. You can guess, you can assume, and you can listen to rumors, but only they know the truth.”

  He was aware.

  “I hope he does,” Greyson stated.

  Her too.

  “Well, I’ll help him win if that’s the case. He’s a good guy.”

  He was aware.

  It was time to focus on the two cops in her office—his old space. God! He missed it.

  “Are the new commissioner and captain on the up-and-up?” he asked.

  “They are going to help. Or so they say,” she stated.

  He got it.

  They were cops, but the FBI wouldn’t be going to them unless Ethan had vetted them.

  Thoroughly.

  He was no one’s fool.

  As they headed up in an elevator that he took many times, he enjoyed the curious gazes.

  “They look like I’m going to attack.”

  “That’s me,” Nikita stated. “It’s these pants. Men love them.”

  He laughed, needing that comic relief.

  “Thank you, Nikita, and thank you for wearing those pants.”

  Greyson didn’t doubt that it had something to do with it. After all, Heath spent a good amount of his downtime doing just that.

  As the elevator opened, Aria led them out, to her office, and inside where their ‘company’ waited.

  She made the introductions.

  The whole time, Greyson was cordial as he met the new cops in the city.

  “Mr. Croft,” Commissioner Markum said, holding out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

  “And yet you’ve opted to meet with me. That’s interesting,” Greyson stated. “You must really want my assistance with something.”

  What did he want?

  Leo knew this was more about seeing if the man was, indeed, on the up-and-up like Blackhawk had reassured.

  This meeting would be the make-or-break moment in Vegas. He could tell.

  “I’m hoping we can work together.”

  Greyson nearly laughed.

  He’d never seen this day coming.

  NO.

  ONE.

  HAD.

  “Let’s see what we can do,” he offered.

  The man continued, “This is the new captain of the Homicide division,” Leo Markum stated. “This is Horatio Lewis.”

  Greyson shook his hand too.

  “As much as I would love to spend all day chitchatting, gentlemen, I have pressing issues. What’s up?”

  That piqued their interest.

  “A case?” Leo asked.

  It was still surprising that Ethan had told these two men he was still working as a Fed.

  But, he went with it.

  Why not?

  It wasn’t like he had anything to lose in this mess. Vegas was already a nightmare. What could possibly happen?

  “We want to help,” the commissioner stated. “We just want open lines of communication so we can help cleanup Las Vegas. We know the city is on the brink. The mayor and council have had about enough.”

  Gee.

  Really?

  Where were they a Russian killer and three corrupt cops ago? Where were they when he had to turn in his badge to keep a city from going under, the good people with it?

  Greyson wasn’t feeling so magnanimous toward any cop in the city. If they wanted trust, they would have to earn it.

  “I see.”

  “What can we do to help?” Horatio asked, hoping that olive branch would bridge the gap.

  The war had to end.

  This time, Greyson did laugh.

  “First, clean your own house. That’s where a lot of this mess came from. Chris Ford was the last good man running the place.”

  They didn’t disagree.

  While he was at it, Greyson was going to run interference for Dimitri—by way of Poppy. If he was going to be able to be in a relationship with her, he needed her out of all of their business.

  Poppy was a cop.

  She needed to be one.

  Dimitri couldn’t have her working for them, and he was going to fix that ASAP.

  Greyson continued, “Jeffrey Raye arranged for a serial killer to stalk Poppy Wayne, and he raped her. The man had been terrorizing everyone he could get anything on.”

  Surprisingly, they weren’t shocked.

  Yeah, someone knew their house was a mess.

  “I’m sorry for his actions,” Leo stated. “I can’t go back and erase it, but we can clean it up. We can offer any assistance to Poppy Wayne as possible.”

  Oh, he wasn’t done.

  If the truth was coming out, it was coming out.

  Greyson had enough.

  “Thomas Christ was the man who killed Emma’s brother in Philly. I’m sure you’ve done your research on Emma since she was once a LVPD detective.”

  “We have.”

  “Well, he was involved. I have the proof. I’ll be more than happy to have my attorney forward it over to you.”

  “I would like that,” he stated. “We are actively trying to build a case to put the man in jail.”

  Greyson had bad news for him.

  Jeffrey Raye was going down by way of the family. He wasn’t going to be sitting there for trial.

  No.

  It was done.

  “Furthermore,” he continued, “He is also involved in other crimes. Raye and Christ, together, killed Riley’s partner. They framed him.”

  Commissioner Markum had heard the whispers from the cops he’d brought back. He’d heard the rumors, and that concerned them.

  “We need to prove it and clean it up. I’ve given Riley Henderson his job back, thanks to his perseverance.”

  Greyson knew that was code for ‘lawyer’.

  The head cop’s intentions would only go so far, and he knew it. Jeffrey Raye was playing ball with some bad guys, if he had, indeed, hired Claude Black.

  The cops couldn’t help.

  Greyson had to fix this.

  This was where he did HIS job.

  “It’s a start,” Greyson admitted, “but, Commissioner, the list goes on. That’s what we’re fighting. Right now, we have a call girl whose roommate went missing. She was likely killed by Zachary Lipton.”

  Greyson dropped that bomb. If they were going to help, and Ethan had set this up, he had to give him something to prove he was on the up-and-up.

  That surprised him.

  “Really? Him too?”

  Everyone not a LVPD cop in the room laughed. Aria and Greyson were amused by the man’s naivety. Greyson was giving him a year in office before the town chewed him up and spit him out.

  It was inevitable.

  It was be hard or be destroyed.

  It was the Vegas way.

  “Yeah, that’s what my family has been dealing with in Vegas, Commissioner. It’s the messy, political, and shitty stuff you guys don’t want to do.”

  No one wanted to do it.

  Until now.

  “Well, count us in. We want to help. What is it that we can do to help cleanup Las Vegas? We know it’s not only going to be about cleaning up our precinct. It’s deeper than that.”

  Yes, yes, it was.

  Okay, he’d see how much he wanted to wade into this mess.

  It was time to negotiate.

  That was what he did—once as a director, and now as
the man keeping Vegas in one freaking piece.

  “You say you want to help, Commissioner, but you are in the position where you have to prove it. We know what we’re doing. We don’t know you.”

  He understood.

  “What can I do to show you I mean business?”

  Oh, where to begin?

  “First, we want Poppy’s record cleaned up. Raye was a scumbag. The woman is a good cop. She was sexually assaulted by that asshole’s hired goon.”

  “Can you prove it?”

  “I will.”

  “Then to show you that I am a man of my word, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure you already have your attorney working on it anyway.”

  Ironically, they didn’t think they’d get Poppy back. Had he been sure of it, Delilah would have been all over it. That was something he’d have to handle later.

  “We need better cops doing your work.”

  He was aware.

  Leo didn’t like dirty cops.

  At all.

  Like with the others, who Raye ruined, Leo was going to make sure all of the good cops who had been forced out, could come back.

  If the man kept his word, that would help. Greyson knew he needed more. He went with the more difficult request. It was likely going to get shot down.

  It was huge.

  “We just want the cops off our asses as we do the job,” he stated. “We don’t mind people thinking we’re the problem, but we don’t need your cops interfering.”

  “For the record, Ethan already threw that out there for us to adhere to.”

  He was glad.

  That made it easier.

  MUCH EASIER.

  Aria was done silently sitting there. She went to bat for the man who had once been her mentor and boss.

  “From this moment forward, like Ethan wanted, I’m going to put an umbrella over the Crofts. No one makes a move on them without FBI approval. Their civil rights have been violated more times than anyone else in the city, from both your people and ours. With the last director out of the picture,” she began, “we can make sure that no one is a target unjustly.”

  That hung there.

  Commissioner Markum glanced over at his captain.

  “Does that work for you?”

  “As long as there’s no killing, and I’m not asked to turn a blind eye, yes.”

  That said it all.

  It would have to be good enough.

  Greyson would take it, if it meant keeping his family safe. As of late, it was getting hard.

  “Are you both in?” Director Aria Goodwin asked.

  They were.

  “Deal. We will help you,” Markum stated. “We won’t interfere, but we have a condition too.”

  “What?”

  “Open lines. If you’re working on something, it’s careless to think we aren’t too. Can we meet in the middle? Ethan Blackhawk said Director Goodwin was going to be our intermediary. Can we check-in?”

  He was okay with that.

  Only because he wasn’t a stupid man. Ninety percent of their tactics were illegal. He wasn’t going there. His family came first. The city had burned them all.

  They could think he’d play ball, but loyalty to his people came first.

  “Sure.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Croft. I think we can clean this place up and change it for the citizens—or at least that’s what the mayor hopes will be done,” Commissioner Markum stated.

  Greyson wasn’t as optimistic.

  He knew better.

  This guy was in for a world of disappointment. He recalled how hopeful he’d been when he started here too. Only, Vegas was a man-swallowing entity that could break a person. It had its moments, and it was going to bite these men in the ass if they got complacent.

  If they didn’t pay attention, it would be out of control on their end before long.

  He knew the underground was on the cusp of rising up, and if that were to happen?

  It would be a war zone.

  Leo held out his hand.

  “Shall we do good work?” he asked, waiting.

  Greyson took it.

  “I hope so, gentlemen. Vegas is about to blow. I can tell that it’s coming.”

  And that was going to be bad.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Heading To The Madam’s

  Tuesday

  Nine A.M.

  He could tell the man was stirred up. The look on Dimitri’s face when he was lost in thought or troubled were pretty much the same. He’d checked out to think about his own personal problems.

  Chris had seen it before.

  Yeah, for three freaking months.

  Since they’d left the condos, he’d not said anything and that spoke louder than words.

  “Want to vent?”

  He glanced over.

  “Pardon?”

  “You’re not happy. An idiot could see that, so maybe you should get it off your chest. You tend to do stupid shit when you’re upset.”

  He was aware.

  Maybe Chris was right.

  “I’m pissed.”

  “Is this a family thing or a Poppy thing?” he asked, knowing one would likely be volatile.

  “It’s all about her. I’m angry, but I don’t want to be. There’s like this piece of glass between us. I want to get past it, but I don’t think I can break through.”

  Chris understood, and as a person who, at one time, babysat a room full of grown men who made questionable choices while carrying guns, he knew how to handle this.

  When in doubt, gauge how invested he was.

  “I say dump her chicken-shit ass and move on. You don’t need to be saddled with a pathetic bitch like that.”

  Dimitri glared at him.

  “I’ll fucking kill you for talking about her like that!”

  And there it was.

  Problem solved.

  Dimitri loved her, and that would win, if he could pull his head out of his ass.

  “And there you go. You can get past this. You just threatened to kill a friend over pointing out something that you’re projecting.”

  It took a second, but he got it.

  “Is that the vibe I’m giving off?”

  “Worse.”

  He sighed.

  “What do I do?”

  “Forgive her. She didn’t have an affair, Dimitri. She was assaulted and ran. You’re punishing her for a natural reaction. What if Kat, and forgive me for using her as an example, was raped by some serial killer who killed the people she loved?”

  He was sickened by the mere thought.

  “She then runs because she’s damaged. Would you go after her?”

  “Always.”

  “Why?”

  “I love her.”

  “Would you keep chasing her?”

  “Always.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…”

  It hit him.

  He’d laid down the law, telling her he wouldn’t chase her, to threaten her not to leave.

  He bullied a victim.

  “I’m an asshole.”

  Chris laughed.

  “Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed. Honestly, cut her a break. She was caught up in the moment, scared, lying in a hospital after a rape kit. Use your heart. Your head gets you fucked up.”

  He was right.

  “When you told her you were banging hookers…?” he began.

  “Really? This is not the time.”

  He laughed.

  “I’ve been DYING to use this in an analogy for months. Don’t rain on my parade. I’ve had my ass kicked by you for weeks. This is my vindication.”

  He laughed.

  The man had a point.

  “Carry on.”

  “When you told her, she didn’t get angry.”

  She’d been pissed, yes, but not at that. Dimitri got it. She was behaving better than he was.

  “Any relationship is worth calmly discussing. If you want it to wor
k, you need to let it go. Forgive and forget, Dimitri. It’s the only way to save her and you.”

  Dimitri appreciated it.

  “Look at you being all helpful.”

  Chris found that amusing as hell.

  “Yeah, that’s me. Helpful Christopher Ford. I will collect my angel wings and halo at the next stop.”

  Dimitri thought about it.

  He wanted to show the man how much he appreciated his kindness and friendship.

  “If I had a uterus, I’d be your baby momma.”

  He stared at him sheer horror.

  “Jesus. I just let that get into my head, and it was freaking horrifying.”

  Dimitri grinned.

  “Pervert. I meant that if I was a woman, I’d have a child for you. You will make a good father one day.”

  He appreciated it.

  But that boat had sailed.

  “That’s never happening. We all know Greyson is territorial about one thing. Emma. I can’t ask him to do that to himself. I wanted to make it clear that it had been said, so it didn’t damage us later.”

  What Dimitri liked most about Chris was that he was honest to a fault.

  He didn’t lie.

  Ever.

  “If you were me, would you forgive her?” he asked, knowing he knew who.

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m on the outside looking in, Dimitri. I had love. I had Natasha, and while she didn’t love me the way I loved her, I still had that. I had hopes and dreams, and for once, they were right there. You have that chance. It’s right there for you. You only have to forgive her and it’s yours. You get a second chance. I’d kill to have that opportunity.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Well, this day is going down on a calendar. Dimitri ‘I’m a stubborn mule’ Gideon, said I was right. The Earth may stop spinning at any point.”

  “And you’re clearly an asshole too.”

  He laughed.

  “Well, some things never changed.”

  They pulled up to the woman’s place. Chris had fortunately asked for the address from Alexsandra. It was where she conducted business but didn’t call it home.

  Finding her would have been a bitch.

  Most madams, who were doing well, had two places to keep work and their personal lives separate. This woman was no different.

  It was time to rattle her cage.

  Heading up the walk, they could stare into the main window. They could see that she wasn’t alone, and the woman—the young girl on the couch—looked like she was nothing more than a child.