Mob Justice Page 7
“Yes.”
“Well, maybe when you said all those things you hurt his feelings. I hope you didn’t tell him, a man who loves you so much that he fought to stay alive when he was on that mountain, that you didn’t love him. I hope that you didn’t tell him he wasn’t your dad after he was willing to die for you at Viktor’s hands at our old home. He was offering up his life for yours, Sam.”
It hit him what he’d done.
“Oh, no! I told him I didn’t want him to be my father anymore! I told him I hated him!”
“Well, then don’t you think that you should go say you’re sorry?”
“Where is he?”
Chris checked the trackers on both Greyson and Dimitri by tapping his phone.
“They’re heading into the garage right now.”
Emma texted her husband to wait.
“Go, Sam. You know what you need to do. You know what the right thing is, and only you can do it. You assumed, and it was all wrong.”
The boy was up, and he took off.
Chris gave her a high five.
“You have this mom shit down. I’m impressed with your skill.”
She snorted.
God!
She really hoped so.
“Yeah, yeah, go check on him. I’ll be okay up here. Make sure Sam does the right thing.”
Chris followed.
“It takes a freaking village!” he shouted from the other room.
Yeah, he was right.
It really did.
Greyson got the text and stopped Dimitri. They were almost into the vehicle when he’d gotten the message from his wife. He had a feeling it was about Sam.
His wife was damn good with people, and he figured the boy was on his way down.
“Hold up, Dimitri. Emma needs something,” he said, without telling him what.
Dimitri leaned against his vehicle, and he wasn’t talking. With Dimitri, when he was upset, he was usually silent. He internalized things.
He was a thinker.
When the elevator opened, Sam came out. The boy saw Dimitri, and he began crying.
“Are you okay?” Dimitri asked, moving toward him.
“I don’t hate you! I love you so much. I was afraid you changed your mind about me!” he said, running toward the man. “I’m sorry! I love you!”
Dimitri caught him as Sam launched himself at him.
“Please don’t send me away! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean any of it. I didn’t know she was your sister. I didn’t know you almost died. I don’t want another dad. I want you! I picked you because you’re the best in the bunch.”
Dimitri held him against his body as the boy cried.
“Oh, Sam, I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. I love you. You’re my son. I don’t look at you and think you’re some spare kid I picked up. You’re my gift.”
“I just want you to love me,” he said sobbing.
“I do. I took on Katerina, Natasha, and this girl out of obligation. They are my younger sisters. I had to take care of them. I didn’t have to take you, Sam. I wanted you to be my son. I wanted you more than anything. You’re the only thing I’ve ever taken for myself—selfishly.”
Even Greyson wiped his eyes.
It was hard not to.
It was beautiful.
“You’re my son, Sam. You are so special to me. Fate didn’t give me you through a woman. It gave me you through choice, and that’s better. You can’t pick your kids—normally. I got to pick my son. I’m the lucky one.”
He gave him a kiss and held him.
His arm hurt, but he didn’t care.
This moment was special.
“I won’t ever worry again,” he promised. “I know better. You are my dad.”
The boy was holding on for dear life.
He glanced over at Greyson.
“Can you take Chris with you to this meeting? I’d like to spend some time with Sam before Petra gets here.”
Sam looked at him in shock.
“You’re staying with me?”
“We can help Kat and Curtis move their things. Then we can go online and order some things for Petra. She’s coming with nothing. She should have some pretty things from her brother, don’t you think so?” he asked.
Sam wiped his eyes.
“Pink shit rocks.”
They all laughed.
“Was that believable?” Sam asked. “I can try again if you want. Maybe throw in a ‘YAY’ at the end.”
“Not in the least.”
“Good. I don’t want to be a pus…”
“SAM!” Dimitri stated, but it was damn hard not to laugh. “Not in front of girls. Please.”
He looked around.
His gaze fell to Chris.
“Oh, yeah. The girl.”
Chris mock growled at him to scare him. It didn’t work. No one believed it.
They all knew Chris loved the kid too.
“That’s my son,” Dimitri said, lowering him to the ground. “Maybe you can help me get out of this body armor.”
He took his father’s hand.
“I have math in twenty minutes.”
Dimitri winked at Greyson.
“We can live without math today. Let’s spend some time together.”
They headed toward the elevator.
“Can we get pizza?”
“Yes.”
“Soda?”
“Yes.”
“Hookers?”
It was Chris’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, he’s definitely your son, Dimitri.”
The men laughed.
And Sam…he just smiled.
He had his dad back, and he’d never leave him again.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Somewhere
Over The
USA
When his phone rang, he already knew who it was going to be. There was a child sleeping on him, and his wife was calling.
This should be fun.
He accepted the video call, and her face appeared on the screen. Immediately, she noticed there was a bedraggled child on top of him.
“Uh, where are you, Ethan? Wilcox is nearly shitting himself. He said you got your very fine Native ass on the jet, and you told him you’d be right back. Only, the jet took off, and he thinks you were abducted. He’s pacing my office trying to get you to answer your phone. You know how much I like him on a day when he’s calm…”
He would have laughed had he not had the girl on him.
“Dimitri’s sister.”
Well, that explained it. Elizabeth assumed that was who was napping on her husband.
“So no one could handle her but you?”
He shook his head.
Ethan figured his wife deserved an explanation, and then maybe she’d calm Wilcox down.
“She doesn’t speak English. She was starving, and they had her handcuffed to the seat like she was a prisoner.”
That horrified her.
“Are they idiots? She’s a child.”
“And that’s why I’m on the jet back to Vegas, and why she fell asleep watching Romanian cartoons online. I’m just trying to help her transition.”
She saw the sadness in his eyes. Most people only saw the chill when they looked at him, but she knew Ethan better than anyone. He was a big softie when it came to little kids.
He was a daddy at heart.
“They’d already sold her to men, didn’t they?” his wife asked.
He nodded.
“That was one of the things she asked. She didn’t want to have sex. She’s a child. She’s so small. I can’t believe she’s twelve. She’s the size of Sam.”
Elizabeth hated people.
THIS.
WAS.
WHY.
“Bless that baby’s heart,” she said, the southern coming out in her voice.
Ethan knew she was pissed too.
“I know I’ll be late tonight, and Callen had a duo date night planned, but I don’t think I’ll ma
ke it.”
She knew Callen wouldn’t care.
Not if this was the reason.
“I have never loved you more, Ethan Jackson Blackhawk. You are a good man. I’ll cover for you here. You just do what you have to do.”
“Can you do me a favor?” he asked.
“Yeah, what?”
“She’s going to need some basic necessities when we land. Can you call the office out there and see if someone can get it handled? Have them drop it at the airport. Just tell them I’m on the way. I’ll pop in for a few minutes. That will scare them into doing it right.”
She laughed.
“Guess her size.”
“A little bigger than CJ. Up about two sizes,” he said. “That should do.”
“On it.”
“I love you, Mr. Blackhawk. You get kisses when you get home. You’re my hero.”
He gently patted the girl on the back. She cuddled closer to the safety and warmth of his body.
It broke his heart.
She just wanted someone to love her. That’s all anyone wanted, but especially a child. Someone had violated and damaged this poor little girl.
Truthfully, she reminded him of Callen—only he’d kept it hidden as he suffered. Ethan didn’t want this little one to hurt like that.
“I’ll see you tomorrow or really late tonight. Tell Wilcox to wait for me at the airport.”
She laughed.
“That’s mean.”
“That’s because he makes you put money in the swear jar. I’m getting retribution for my wife.”
“You are my favorite. Don’t tell Callen.”
He smiled and blew her a kiss.
“Later, my love.”
Ethan hung up and let the child use him as a pillow. Life had shit all over her.
It was the least he could do.
For this ride to her family, he’d give her all the kindness he could.
The poor little girl deserved it.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
He watched her on the crime scene.
He stalked her all day long, and he’d come up with one conclusion.
She was the most beautiful creature that he’d ever seen. Yes, she looked just like her mother.
She was stunning.
In that moment, he flashed back to his favorite of days. He remembered holding her by her long black hair and forcing her head beneath the water to end her life.
It had been amazing.
Special.
Liberating.
Now he was going to show this woman how good he could be. Oh, this beautiful woman’s mother told him he wasn’t worth it. She laughed at him.
She mocked him.
Well, he had news for her.
He was going to make her last surviving daughter scream a few times tonight. If he had his way, it would be the best time for both of them, but then again, he didn’t care.
It was about him.
This bitch had to pay.
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Crime Scene
Poppy was on the scene, and she was pretty sickened by what she saw.
Oh, the body was gross.
No one liked standing over a dead vagrant.
No one.
Only, this wasn’t about the body. This was about the shit that was going down there.
As soon as she arrived, the cop on the tape tripped her as she headed past him.
On purpose.
She nearly landed flat on her face. Of course he apologized, and at first, she believed it was an accident, but then it looked like clumsiness was contagious.
All the boys in blue had caught it.
After him, another cop accidentally spilled coffee on her blazer, and had she not been fast, it would have been down her shirt.
He apologized, but with a cocky grin on his face.
It pissed her off. It made Poppy want to kick their asses for playing these kinds of games. Didn’t they realize they were working for a killer?
A murderer?
He would end them when they stopped being useful.
Clearly, they didn’t care.
Poppy hoped it would get better, but it got worse.
As she stood over the vagrant, one of the cops ‘accidentally’ bumped into her, and she nearly fell onto the body. Luckily, Doctor Stone caught her.
Then she heard them saying she was drunk.
WHAT?
Were they trying to smear her reputation?
HOW DARE THEY?
Was this how the commissioner wanted to play? Was this how he was going to end her career?
Okay, so be it.
Game on.
“Doctor Stone, I’m going to guess this is just an ordinary dead vagrant?” she asked.
“Yes, no external wounds, I don’t feel any concussive wounds to the head. I think he just died of old age. Why?”
“Can I borrow a glove?” she asked. “Oh, and some of those maggots?”
“Uh, why?”
“I told the commissioner I wasn’t taking the captain’s job, and all of a sudden, all the cops under his control have tripped me, dumped coffee onto me, and nearly knocked me into a body.”
Jameson Stone stared at her.
“Really?”
“Yep. I’m not going down like that,” she warned.
He tried to make her feel better.
“They’re assholes. Ignore them.”
She smiled.
“Just give me the maggots that you don’t need for evidence.”
He placed them in an empty paper cup that was on the ground. They wiggled and wriggled.
“Uh, here.”
“You’re a gem, Doctor. When you get the ID, send me his name. I’ll see if I can find next of kin.”
“Sure, but do you think you should do that?” he asked, pointing at the cup of maggots.
She laughed.
“Oh, these dicks need to learn a lesson. I’m not a beat cop for a reason. I’m tougher than those pussies. It’s time to own them.”
Doctor Stone shrugged.
“Have fun.”
Oh, she would.
Poppy pulled on a pair of gloves and stuck her newly-gloved hand in some bowel fluids. They had leaked from the man and onto the ground when he died. Then she took the cup and headed back toward the cops.
If they wanted to be assholes, she could play that game. She’d never even worked with them.
They didn’t know her.
BIG MISTAKE.
When she got closer to the one who spilled coffee on her, she patted him on the arm with her fecal-coated glove.
“Oh, shit,” she said.
“You’re having a bad day,” she said, smearing it down his sleeve.
“What the fuck?”
“Have some dead vagrant excrement from a detective to a lowly beat cop. Shit rolls downhill.”
He started gagging when he realized that it was, indeed, shit.
She walked past him, hip checking the cop that nearly knocked her over. He wobbled back and fell over a concrete parking pylon.
“My bad. You shouldn’t drink while you’re at work, Officer Wells. I’m going to report your ass to internal affairs. You’re a danger to the citizenry.”
He looked horrified.
“HEY! That will go on my record!”
Exactly.
When you were going to play hardball, you’d better be ready to take a few shots. Her record could handle it, and besides, Raye was gunning for her anyway.
It was only a matter of time.
At the tape, she pretended to trip, and the cup of maggots landed on the cop who nearly knocked her off her feet.
He freaked out.
It made her laugh.
“Tell Commissioner Raye that I’ve sent all your names and badges to my attorney for harassment. You started on someone you should have researched. I don’t do bullshit like this. I play mean. I’m going to own you all.”
They looked worried.
“I hope you have lots of cash assets. Girls like money and other cops’ badges.”
With that, she pulled off her blazer and flipped them off.
She was done.
Poppy was going to go get some lunch, wait for the ME report, and call it a day.
Vegas, today, sucked.
How could it get any worse?
* * * G R E Y S O N C R O F T * * *
Aquarius
Meeting
When she got there, she was scared shitless.
No, that was an understatement.
She was terrified that she was never going to make it out alive. Abby McCoy had heard about these people, and she never dared to even hope that one day they’d offer to help her.
She was so afraid to ask for help and for so many reasons too.
When her sister went missing, she called the police, and they came and questioned her about the woman’s disappearance. They talked a good game, and she had hope.
Then they questioned her sister’s husband, who had been at work at the time—supposedly. He’d been working in the next town over as a captain.
That’s when all the hope went out the window.
He had an alibi.
Only, Abby McCoy didn’t buy it. He wasn’t one to work on Sundays. Something was fishy about that, but cops covered for cops. This was the proof.
In that moment, Abby knew she was shit out of luck when it came to getting any help from anyone wearing a badge.
It pissed her off.
She didn’t like her brother-in-law.
At all.
She’d heard some horror stories from her sister, Libby. She told her about the fights about money, the arguments, and then the anger.
Jeffrey was a loose cannon and a few screws short of a project too.
Abby really believed that he was behind her disappearance. In her mind, he was the perfect suspect.
Abusive.
Nasty.
Money grubbing.
Yeah, her sister was worth some money if she was dead. Jeffrey Raye had a huge ass life insurance policy on her. Her sister was the one making the real money in the family.