Dark Justice (Croft Family Mob Series Book 1) by Morgan Kelley Page B

bottles of lube. Is it hard to sleep with your ladies watching you?”
    There were ‘ohhhs’ and laughs.
    Yeah, two could play this game.
    He moved toward her, but another detective stopped him before he could reach her.
    “Smart. We wouldn’t want to see me kick your ass in here so you can be even more embarrassed.”
    Heath fumed. “Your husband killed my partner and Dominic Marianna!”
    She was three days past sick of this bullshit.
    “First off, I’m not mourning the death of a man who killed countless people. Dominic Marianna was a dick who stayed out of jail for way too long. I’m not sorry he’s dead. As for my husband killing either of them, neither the FBI nor this department could prove that. In this country, Heath, it’s innocent until proven guilty. Maybe you forgot that lesson at Cop Camp for the mentally challenged.”
    “I’m going to get the proof, and I’m going to lock him away!”
    She rolled her eyes.
    “Yeah, you do that. Try not to fabricate it. You do know what that word means, right? It’s like when I say you’re a sexy man. See? Totally made up.”
    He tried to get to her, but he couldn’t.
    “I don’t frame people!”
    Yeah, right.
    They had a possible case like that on their hands as it was, and that was never a good thing.
    “Traitor.”
    “Detective wannabe,” she replied.
    When she turned, Chris was standing in his doorway, and he didn’t appear to be jumping in to defend either of them.
    Immediately, that put her on guard.
    He’d never let his cops go at it like this, and he’d never let anyone go at Emma.
    Never.
    “If you’ll excuse me.”
    She headed toward the man she called her brother. “Can we talk?”
    “It’s not a good time, Emma.”
    She didn’t care.
    She strolled right past him to sit down in one of the chairs that faced his desk.
    When he closed the door, but didn’t close the blinds, that spoke volumes. Something had to have happened. This wasn’t the man they’d nursed back to health for weeks. This wasn’t the man she called brother who hadn’t talked to her in over eight days.
    “Chris, what’s going on?”
    “Nothing.”
    She knew he was lying. Whenever Christopher Ford lied, he couldn’t look her in the eyes.
    Like now.
    In fact, he was fidgeting with the medal on his chest. It was a new one. She knew, because she’d been there when he had the ceremony. Despite the heat she’d faced, she’d still showed up for his big day because he mattered.
    Family first.
    That was their motto.
    “I need some help with a case. We’ve taken on a new one. We’re going to exonerate Seth Bell.”
    He glanced up. “Are you insane? Did you see that out there? If you get him off, the media is going to go nuts, the cops are going to shit a brick, and the commissioner is going to…”
    He stopped.
    Chris hated this.
    Inside, his heart was breaking. What he wanted to do was hug her. He missed Emma, her cooking, and the family. He wanted to go home, and he didn’t mean the condominium.
    “His sister believes he’s been set up, and we’re going to help her. If he is innocent, we’re going to get him out of prison and away from the chair.”
    “She came here, Emma. She tried to get us to help. We’ve been told that it’s hands off.”
    Yeah, like with her.
    There was no way he could help her.
    “I need Mace’s files.”
    Chris stared at her.
    Jesus!
    This was getting worse.
    “I can’t give them to you on or off the record, Emma. I’m sorry. He was murdered in his own home. Heath is all over that case. The FBI and the LVPD have a joint venture. They absconded all his files. There’s no way anyone is accessing them. That being said, now you should leave.”
    Her heart skipped.
    What the hell was going on? She was getting the cold shoulder from Christopher Ford?
    What?
    “Why did you tell the desk sergeant you couldn’t see me?” Emma asked. “There’s not a file on your desk, and we all know you’re still on light duty.”
    His jaw