Page 29 of Blood Money

Nicky took his large hand in his, giving it a quick shake. “Gray’s a color, not a name.”

“Actually, it’s a color and a name.” Gray smiled, enjoying the little boy’s candor.

“Oh.” Nicky clung to Gray’s hand, his eyes still wide with fascination. “Your eyes are gray.”

“Yours are brown.” Gray tugged his hand away and patted Nicky’s head gently.

“Mommy says I get that from my daddy.” Nicky grinned.

Gray narrowed his gaze on Alex. “And your daddy is…where?”

“He’s in Heaven,” Nicky answered. “He died when I was a baby.”

Alex glared at Gray, subtly shaking her head. She obviously didn’t want Nicky to know that his father was still alive.

Unexpected relief spilled over him that Nicky’s father truly wasn’t in their lives. With all the lies swirling around Alex, he wouldn’t have been surprised if that turned out to be bullshit as well. “That’s a great baseball mitt.” He pointed to the little glove Nicky hugged to his chest. “You must love baseball.”

“I’m a Yankees fan.” Nicky grinned with obvious pride.

“I can see that. Nice PJs.” Gray found it hard not to grin right along with the little boy. “So am I.”

“Really?” Nicky’s eyes widened. “Can we go to a Yankees game together?”

Gray’s heart went out to the boy. The expectant look on his cherubic face was heartbreaking. It was obvious how badly he wanted a father. And in that moment, he realized something else.

Someday he wanted to be a father.

“Say good night to Detective Yates.” Alex rescued Gray before he had to decline Nicky’s tempting invitation.

“G’nite.” Nicky giggled, and as Alex turned to take him back to bed, declared loudly, “I like him, Mommy. You should marry him. That way I could have a daddy and you wouldn’t be alone and he could come live with us and we could be a family.”

Alex laughed. “We are a family. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She kissed Nicky on the forehead then disappeared into one of the rooms off the hallway.

Gray uttered a low laugh. Alex’s little boy was something else, and everything a father could want in a son. It astounded and saddened him that a kid so full of life and energy had cancer. That any child should have cancer was one of the most screwed up aspects of the universe.

Again he looked around Alex’s cozy apartment, taking in the bright yellow paint and antique oak furniture in the tiny kitchen.

“Looking for evidence to indict me with?” Alex said from behind him in a sarcastic tone.

He turned to see that defiant look in her eyes had returned, and with it came a sadness he hadn’t expected to feel. The brief encounter with Nicky had him experiencing paternal thoughts. Nicky didn’t have a father, and the boy couldn’t afford to lose his mother, too.

“Or should I just pull out all the diamonds and furs you know I can’t afford on my salary?” The edge to her voice was bitter. “That way you don’t need probable cause for a search warrant. I’d hate for you and the guys to mess up my apartment.”

“This is too dangerous.” Gray came to stand before her. “You should talk to the DA, tell him about Nicky. That’s what I came here to say. There’s an exception to the bribery charge. Coercion about Nicky could mitigate your sentence.”

“I already know that. I looked it up.” Alex sat heavily on the green velvet sofa. “But you know as well as I do there won’t be any mitigation. I took a bribe from an international assassin. Case closed.”

Gray shook his head. “I’m sure you can produce medical records to verify Nicky’s situation.”

“What’s the difference?” Alex held out her arms. “If you and Lt. Frye—two people who actually know me—don’t believe anything I said today, how can I expect a judge or a jury comprised of total strangers to believe me? I have to do everything possible to show my cooperation. I’m out of options.”

“It’s too risky.” And dammit, it was.

“What do you care?” Alex pointed at him. “I can see by the look on your face you think I did this, and you’ll never trust me again. Hell, no one in the department will ever trust me again.”

Seeing the determination in her eyes and the firm set of her jaw, Gray headed for the door. He realized with a growing sense of doom that there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Aside from running, she had no options. “Isn’t it better to be in jail than dead?”

“Says you.” Alex stood but stayed where she was. “You’re not the mother of a very sick little boy.”