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  Then it hit her.

  “If I’m pregnant, you’re not going to get pissed and dump me, are you?”

  He kissed her on the forehead.

  “I’m not going to dump you for getting pregnant, Delilah. We’re good. I’m just a little shocked by the whole thing.”

  Oh, she knew the feeling.

  She’d thrown up twice.

  In fact, that was why she thought she might be pregnant in the first place.

  “Go get changed.”

  She left the test with him, and Riley stared at it. Well, this was a monkey wrench in the works. He didn’t picture himself with a pregnant girlfriend, as they began their lives together. His mother would kick his ass if she were alive.

  Pulling out his phone, he sent off a text to Greyson.

  ‘I need today off. I know it’s short notice, but something came up with Delilah. I need to be here for her. I’m sorry.’

  He sent it and waited.

  ‘That’s fine. We’re only meeting with the woman. See you tomorrow. I hope everything is all right. If you need anything, just call me.’

  That was the benefit of working for one of the Crofts. They were genuinely good people. They cared about everyone around them, and he needed that right about now.

  Riley slipped his phone back into his pocket and braced himself for Hurricane Delilah. There was no way she would calm down anytime soon.

  As if timed perfectly, she came back into the room, buttoning her new shirt.

  “Are you sure we’re okay?” she asked again.

  Riley couldn’t miss how nervous she looked. He didn’t blame her. There were some assholes out there.

  He wasn’t one.

  “We are good. I promise.”

  That helped a little.

  “You have a trial, and then what?” he asked, trying to gauge her plans.

  “I have to head back to my house tonight. I’m all out of shirts and skirts. I need to go to the dry cleaners too,” she said, trying to calm herself.

  “I can stop by and pick up some clothes for you. I know what you like to wear. I’ll be with Greyson today. I’ll have time,” he said, lying about his plans.

  She gave him a kiss.

  “Thank you, Riley.”

  “What time will you be home?” he asked.

  “I have a late one tonight. The trial won’t end until at least eight.”

  He smiled and made note of it. That would give him plenty of time to handle a few things. The first stop was going to be the cemetery.

  Delilah headed out, and he went to his closet, got dressed, grabbed her things to be laundered, and his wallet.

  He was a man on a mission.

  His heart was pounding in his chest.

  This was huge.

  Riley needed to plan a proposal.

  In less than eight hours.

  Yeah, he wasn’t going to be someone’s baby daddy. He was going to be a husband.

  Hopefully, Delilah saw it his way.

  Or this was going to be a mess.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Abby McCoy was trying to get through her visit to Aquarius. It was the hardest thing she’d had to do in a while.

  Well, not as hard as losing her husband.

  Not as hard as raising two boys alone.

  And not as hard as trying to keep paying her bills with the pittance her husband gave her in support.

  Okay, so it wasn’t as hard as any of that, but it was scary as hell.

  This was Greyson Croft.

  She’d heard about him on the news.

  He was a bad man.

  When she’d gotten the call that he wanted to talk to her about her missing sister, there had been some fear. When she agreed to meet with him…

  Yeah, it was worse.

  Here she was, on her way to meet him and his ‘associates’, and she wanted to piss herself.

  What could he want?

  Would she leave alive?

  Maybe she should have left a note on the counter telling someone, anyone, where she’d gone.

  As she drove toward the strip, there was only one thing on her mind.

  Please don’t let him kill her.

  Please.

  She didn’t want to die.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  Sky Villa

  Greyson left his wife to handle Dimitri’s son, and he found the man in his condo. He didn’t look so good, and that worried him.

  He’d seen Dimitri shot, in mourning, pissed, and on the warpath, and this time he looked like someone came in, kicked his feet out from beneath him, and staked him through his soul.

  He was defeated.

  Sam had hit the mark.

  Clearly.

  “He hurt you, huh?” Greyson asked as he watched Dimitri get ready to go out. He was putting on body armor with one arm, and he wasn’t doing it so well.

  “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine, Dimitri. I’m sure he shot a few well-aimed remarks at you.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I deserved them.”

  That wasn’t true.

  Instead of arguing, Greyson helped him get into the body armor. The entire time, Dimitri wouldn’t look at him.

  That said it all.

  All Greyson knew was if the boy said to Dimitri what he said to them upstairs, he understood the look. When you loved someone, you gave them everything.

  He knew for a fact that Dimitri had given his whole life to being there for Sam. He adopted him and really loved him. He’d given up the hookers, the killing, and being a sketchy human being. He was now above the law on just about every single business.

  Not for him.

  For the boy.

  His repayment?

  He was hurting.

  “He’s entitled to say what he feels,” Dimitri offered. “I won’t make him stay with me. Maybe it was a big mistake. What do I know about raising a boy?” he said, his voice thick with the Russian accent.

  That was proof right there that he was hurting. Dimitri kept the accent out of his voice a majority of the time. He was damn good at it.

  Unless he was pissed.

  Unless he was hurt.

  When he was distracted, that lilt came out, and here it was—present and center.

  Sam had hit that sore spot, and it was a matter of time before he figured out if it was anger or pain.

  “Where is everyone?” Dimitri asked, trying to distract himself.

  “Emma and Chris are going to handle the Sam situation, and you and I are going to handle the case. I want to get working on this ASAP.”

  He simply nodded.

  There was nothing left in him.

  His heart was broken.

  “Dimitri.”

  “It’s fine, Grey. I’m not what he needs. I need you to find a home for him. He doesn’t want me as his father. I get it. I’m a bad one.”

  “You’re not a bad father. In fact, you’re a damn good one. You raised two girls and you took on a boy who was damaged. That says everything.”

  He didn’t even mention the little girl who’d been used and raped. Dimitri was more than good.

  He was kind.

  He was gentle.

  He was his brother and friend.

  “Yeah, well, I can’t do it. I can’t do it anymore. Before, it was a job. This time it was personal. I loved my sisters growing up, but Sam was mine. He wasn’t an obligation. He was for me. He was a chance to really be someone’s father. It was stupid to make that mistake.”

  Greyson’s heart broke for him.

  Those words were said with nothing less than the truth. They were how he felt.

  Sam was a gift to himself.

  Yes, he gave him a home, but Sam had given him a purpose.

  Now it was gone.

  “Give him time. Did you tell him that she’s your sister, and you’re not adopting some random kid?”

  He pulled on his dress shirt to cover the body armor, and his arm hurt
, but the pain felt good. It reminded him that it was life.

  Pain.

  Was.

  Life.

  His life.

  “I’ll be fine. I’m going to get my sister situated. Once she learns English, she’ll be okay. I think this time, I’ll…I’ll send her to a boarding school. I have the money now. She can get a good education, maybe have a better life than what I can give her. I’m emotionally damaged myself. Look at my life.”

  Greyson wasn’t going to let him off the hook. Dimitri was retreating, and he couldn’t let it happen. It was time to break out the big guns.

  “Petra.”

  He looked over.

  “Pardon?”

  “Emma named her. We were going to name our daughter that if the baby turned out to be a girl. We liked Petra. We wanted her to have some of her Russian uncle in her. You know…crazy like bull,” he said with a cheesy, cartoon Russian accent.

  Dimitri didn’t laugh.

  “It’s your call, but it’s a pretty name, right?”

  “That’s a beautiful name.”

  Greyson took the chance and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around the man and let him lean. Dimitri wasn’t one to ask for anything for himself, so he gave it freely.

  Willingly.

  Dimitri rested against him.

  Greyson smelled like his cologne and Emma’s perfume. It gave him that sense of peace.

  Family.

  He wasn’t alone.

  When he set him free, Dimitri didn’t know what to say to him. That hug…it meant everything.

  Greyson saw him struggling, so he cut him a break.

  “Let’s get to Aquarius. I guarantee that you’ll feel better after you start thinking about this case.”

  Bullshit.

  Dimitri knew the truth.

  He placed his good hand on his chest.

  “Nothing can make today feel better. I’m pretty sure about that.”

  Greyson dropped his arm over his shoulder and led him out.

  Time healed.

  Emma…she was with Sam.

  His money was on her.

  Greyson Croft knew his wife.

  This wasn’t over.

  Not by a long shot.

  * * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *

  In the penthouse, she sat there with Sam. He stopped crying, and she had calmed him down. He was eating some cookies, and he was almost there.

  Emma knew from dealing with victims’ families, you couldn’t rationally talk to someone if they were freaking out.

  Calm them down.

  Relax them.

  Try again.

  She was about ready to make her move.

  “Go for it, babe,” he said, sensing that she was about to move in and play mom.

  “Okay, Sam, can we talk about what happened?” she asked, as Chris made her a cup of tea.

  “Sure. There’s not much to say, Emma. He’s replacing me with some smelly girl.”

  She picked up a cookie and ate it.

  “Is that what you think?” she asked, munching on one of his cookies.

  “He’s tired of me. He doesn’t spend time with me, all I do is get educated, and now he loses Natasha and a new girl comes into our home. We only have two bedrooms. Where will I sleep? The floor? A closet? A cabana by the pool?”

  Chris came in and handed her some tea, and some milk to Sam. He would have laughed.

  First world problems.

  This kid just didn’t see the forest for the trees.

  He had it good.

  Sam continued, “I never get to see him anymore. I’m invisible to him. He didn’t really want me.”

  Emma knew she had to do this the right way and pick apart his words carefully. A boy like Sam would bolt.

  Again.

  “You’re getting educated,” she stated. “It’s very important for Dimitri that you have a good education.”

  “Why? It’s bullshit.”

  “Language,” Chris reminded him. While they weren’t saints, they were trying to keep the boy on the straight and narrow.

  Trying.

  That was the operative word.

  “It is.”

  Emma sipped her tea.

  It was time to be a mother.

  “Have you ever seen Dimitri’s back?” she asked, wondering how much the boy knew.

  “Yes, he said his father did it. I asked him about it and he told me.”

  Well, that gave her some wiggle room. Emma didn’t want to share Dimitri’s private things until he was ready.

  It was time for the next question.

  “Do you know what sex is, Sam?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and it’s gross. I’ve seen some shit on the street. I know what a blow…”

  Chris stopped him.

  “Language.”

  “She asked. I didn’t just say blow…”

  He stopped him again.

  “What are you? The cussing police?”

  “Yep.”

  The boy rolled his eyes.

  “Well, Katerina was forced by her father to have sex with him. He raped her.”

  He looked grossed out.

  “That’s all kinds of wrong.”

  Oh, she was aware.

  “Natasha was being sold. Dimitri found her and bought her from her mother. She was going to sell her to men for sex.”

  He softened.

  There was one thing about Sam. He got it. He’d been abused, beaten, and starved. He understood that there were scumbags out there.

  As did Dimitri.

  “Anyway, he saved her.”

  “I’m glad he did. I love them both. Kat is a good sister. She’s kind. I miss Natasha.”

  Emma didn’t doubt that had something to do with his meltdown. The boy had lost someone he called his sister. Even though the girls were technically his aunts, Dimitri raised them as his daughters.

  “I know they loved, and love, you too.”

  Sam didn’t say more.

  “This girl who is coming?”

  “You mean my replacement?”

  Ugh.

  The kid was making her work for it. He was just as stubborn as Dimitri. They were meant to be father and son.

  “She’s not your replacement. Dimitri found out that she was fathered by his dad. She’s his biological sister.”

  He looked over.

  “Oh.”

  “She was sold to some family in Romania, and she was sold to men for sex. He wasn’t replacing you, Sam. He was saving his sister. While you lost Natasha, so did he. He didn’t want to hurt you, but he has two more sisters out there that he just found out about. He was trying to save the one who was being sold for sex. That’s all.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  His face said it all.

  Chris continued where she left off.

  “You said he’s making you get an education, but there’s a reason for that too. Have you ever asked him how much of school he’d finished before he had to join the military?”

  Sam shook his head.

  “He’s smart. I figured college.”

  “He never went to school, Sam. The reason he has tutors for you, he has you learning languages, and science isn’t for him. It’s for you. He knows how hard it was to learn on your own. His mother bailed on him and left him with an abusive man. He had to steal books to teach himself to read.”

  Tears filled Sam’s eyes.

  He didn’t want to feel bad, but he did.

  “He didn’t want you to be at a disadvantage. When you said you didn’t like school because people bullied you because you were poor, he swore, on that day, before you were even his, that you would have everything he didn’t. That included education.”

  “Oh.”

  Normally, they wouldn’t guilt the child, but he’d told a man who loved him, fought for him, that he hated him. If you were going to be a big man, you had to swallow the things that came with it.

  This was his dose of reality.

 
“Dimitri has never been in a classroom,” Emma stated. “When it was just him and the girls, he taught them how to read. He taught them everything he could, and he feels like it wasn’t enough. Natasha died, and his heart hurts. He’s making you get an education, so you aren’t like him.”

  “I want to be just like him,” he whispered. “I want to be like my dad. I love him.”

  And there it was.

  There was the breakthrough.

  Emma hugged him.

  “He hasn’t been avoiding you, Sam. When he was away on that mission, he nearly died. Poppy, the woman who saved you, she saved him on the mountain. He nearly died up there. He’s been trying to recover so he could be there for you and his sisters.”

  Sam felt bad.

  Horrible.

  “But I don’t have a room,” he said.

  Chris patted the kid on the head. Sam had taken two plus two, and come up with five.

  “He was going to bunk with you. Then he was going to swap condos with Curtis and Kat once the new little kiddo got settled. They have three bedrooms. One for each of you.”

  He felt like the worst kind of kid in the world.

  He’d hurt his dad.

  “Dad was going to bunk with me?” he asked.

  “Yes. Right now, Kat and Curtis are packing up to move their things upstairs. You weren’t being shoved onto a couch or floor, kiddo. You were going to get a new place with a room, and he was going to sleep with you until it was done.”

  Sam felt horrible.

  His bottom lip quivered.

  “Then why didn’t he tell me that? He didn’t tell me anything!”

  “Were you shouting at him like you were shouting in here?” Emma asked.

  He hesitated.

  “Let me tell you a little thing about your dad, Sam. He’s not a yeller. He’s going to let you vent, let you get it off your chest, and then he’s going to calmly tell you what he’s thinking. Dimitri was allowing you to say how you felt. He grew up in a home where if he spoke, he was beaten. If he cried, he was beaten. If he didn’t do what his father wanted, and perfectly, he was abused. He was giving you the chance to be you. That’s a gift. Understand?”