Page 24 of Blood Money

When the door closed, Gray let loose with every pent-up emotion he’d been holding in check for the last hour. “It’s too dangerous,” he practically shouted. “And what about Nicky? If Alex is killed, he’ll be alone. She has no other immediate family.”

“We won’t know that for sure until her background check comes back.” Agent Tanner glanced at Simonetti. “She was in a tight spot before she walked in the door, but now that she spent some of that money, this is her only possible get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“What good is being out of jail if she’s dead?” Gray couldn’t keep the anger from his tone. “I say she takes her chances with the DA. Even if she gets charged with bribery, she could say that she was coerced into taking the money in order to pay for Nicky’s medical treatments. It’s a viable defense to the bribery charge. Any defense attorney would know that.”

“That may be so, but you need to consider everything.” Lt. Frye massaged his chin. “In addition to the money in Alex’s account, she lied on her application papers. We don’t know who she really is, and in this post-September 11 world that’s a serious infraction. The DA won’t give her a pass unless she works it off.”

“I don’t like it.” Gray shoved a hand through his hair. “She’ll be in danger every second.”

“It seems to me that you’re the perfect man to protect our new cooperator every step of the way.” Agent Wilson closed his leather folio. “You know her, the FBI doesn’t. You work in the same office and you know her routine. Who better to watch her back and make sure she stays on the righteous path?”

Gray’s breath came out in a whoosh. At the moment, he felt he didn’t know her at all. Hell, he didn’t even know whether to call her Alex, or her real name. Aileen.

“It’s settled.” Lt. Frye stood, effectively putting an end to the meeting. “Detective Yates will be Ms. Romano’s POC for this investigation. Once the op commences, you will stick to her like glue during every aspect of her involvement.”

Gray waited for the other men to file out of the room. “Lieutenant, I’m not the right person for this job.”

“Nonsense. Wilson was right. You’re the perfect man for the job, and the entire squad knows it.” Lt. Frye tucked Alex’s personnel file under his arm as he headed out the door to his office. “But we’ll keep that information to ourselves.”

What the hell?

Then again, he hadn’t exactly been discreet about his interest in Alex, and he hadn’t cared who knew. But things had changed since then.

Instead of making plans for what should have been another hot date with the woman he thought he was meant to be with, he’d probably be logging an arrest.

Chapter Seven

Alex knocked on Mrs. Frattiani’s apartment door. Her elderly neighbor was a godsend, having long ago offered to care for Nicky between the time school ended and when Alex got off work.

Mrs. Frattiani charged significantly less than Nicky’s elementary school aftercare program, and Nicky loved her like a grandmother. A shadow moved behind the peephole and a second later the door swung open.

“Come in, Alex.” Mrs. Frattiani’s bony hand waved her inside toward the kitchen. Her gray hair piled high in an old-fashion spiral bun was the only thing giving the old woman any height over five feet.

The apartment was warm and inviting, with old furniture covered with quilts and photos of Mrs. Frattiani’s family lining the fireplace mantle. The scent of sweet, garlicky marinara sauce became stronger as Alex made her way to the kitchen, where she could already see Nicky shoveling in the last of the spaghetti on his plate. She couldn’t help but smile at his face smeared with red sauce. After his treatments, he hardly ate anything for a couple of days. Seeing her son’s appetite return always gave her a feeling of immense relief.

“Mommy!” Nicky wiped his face and slid from the old oak kitchen chair before running straight into Alex’s arms. “We had spaghetti tonight, and I was so hungry I had two plates.”

“That makes me very happy.” She laughed at Nicky’s exuberance. The healthy glow in his cheeks warmed her heart, obscuring some of the terrible day she’d had. “Now let’s collect your coat and go home. Say good night to Mrs. Frattiani.”

Nicky ran to Mrs. Frattiani and gave her a big hug. “’Night, Miz Frattiani.” Her son’s bright smile was a beautiful thing to see.

In addition to lack of appetite and knee pain, the treatments also made Nicky fatigued and so, so sad. Even a brand-new baseball mitt hadn’t raised his spirits after the last time they came home from the hospital, and baseball was Nicky’s favorite thing in the world. Aside from wanting a puppy, of course.

Rising from her crouched position, Alex put her arm around Mrs. Frattiani’s shoulder. “Thank you for feeding Nicky tonight.”

“He’s a pleasure to have around.” Mrs. Frattiani went to the counter and picked up a plastic container. “Here’s spaghetti and garlic bread for your dinner. You don’t eat enough.”

“Thank you.” Alex accepted the food, not feeling very hungry but grateful for the thoughtful gesture. After an entire day sitting at her desk doing virtually nothing and fretting over what was to come, her nerves were stressed to the max.

Watching Gray come and go without giving her a second glance hadn’t helped, either. Gray’s partner, Dom, gave her an even wider berth. It really was like having leprosy, but she understood their need to sever all personal ties with her. She was no longer Alex the admin. She was Alexandra Romano, police cooperator and possible future jailbird.

She and Nicky said their good-byes and went down the dimly lit hallway to their apartment. While Nicky did his homework, Alex flipped open her laptop and began searching the internet for New York State criminal code websites and related case law.

Two hours later, she massaged her temples with her fingers.

As much as she couldn’t stand Detective Simonetti, the man was right. While the twenty grand was unsolicited by her, she understood how guilty it made her look, particularly after having spent some of the money. She could indeed be charged with receiving a bribe. When she closed the laptop it made a smacking sound, reminding her of a jail cell door slamming shut.

“This is a nightmare,” she whispered. Her stomach twisted into knots as she realized she did need to make out a will. In her real name—Aileen Alexanderson—otherwise the document could be construed as invalid. But using her given name in a will presented some very frightening, very dangerous pitfalls.