Page 50 of Blood Money

“My problem, not yours,” Dom answered.

“The hell it isn’t,” Gray shouted then lowered his voice so he didn’t wake Nicky. “We’re partners. Where you go, I go. Fuck you, if you think otherwise.”

Dom chuckled. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

Gray would have kicked back an appropriately lewd response, but he’d used enough foul language in front of Alex as it was. The last thing he wanted was for Nicky to wake up and hear a police detective talking trash.

“I have a theory.” Gray glanced at Alex, knowing she wouldn’t like it. “I think these guys were trying to kidnap Nicky and use him to ensure Alex wouldn’t change her mind about getting the documents.” Beside him, she stiffened.

“Makes sense,” Dom agreed. “After the fire was put out, we found burned toys and melted syringes in the back of the van.”

“With that in mind, we can’t risk the Pyramid finding out their plan was thwarted and that their goons were intentionally taken out by the NYPD NASCAR team. We need a cover story.”

“Lieutenant’s already on it,” Dom said. “The incident is being officially reported as a speeding van that lost control and went over the guardrail.”

“Good deal.” They couldn’t afford for the Pyramid to discover that not only was Alex cooperating with them, but that she was working hand in hand with the police to take them down.

“Meet still on for tomorrow?” Dom asked.

“Ten-four. We’ll put together a package of phony documents for Alex to give them.”

“Who’s working on that?” Dom asked.

“Lt. Frye and the FBI.”

Gray wished HSI was the lead agency investigating the Pyramid from the federal end. His younger brother, Jess, was an HSI agent in Newark, New Jersey, assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force. One of Jess’s unusual traits was that he picked up on foreign languages as easily as he took to undercover work, sniper skills, and everything else law enforcement. His brother spoke Farsi like a native and was out of the country more than he was in it, working one UC gig after another in the Middle East.

“About time the FBI started contributing something to this op besides blowing us up. Speaking of which,” Dom continued, “that agent’s funeral is today. Some of the squad is going, and the commissioner’s office is sending over flowers.”

“Thanks for the update. Keep me posted if anything else develops.”

“Will do.” Dom ended the call.

“What did he say?” Alex asked. “Is he all right?”

“He’s fine.” Gray glanced in the rearview mirror then to Alex.

“Were those really gunshots I heard when they were chasing us?” Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Yeah.” Gray debated how much to tell her, ultimately deciding she was taking enough risk as it was and had a right not to be kept in the dark. “There were syringes in the back of the van, along with toys.”

“So they really were going to kidnap Nicky.” Alex clenched her fists on her lap.

“All the more reason to hide him somewhere far outside the city. We have a cover story for the van so the Pyramid won’t get suspicious that you’re working with the police, but we can’t know for sure.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that until this is over, Nicky is staying with Cassie and Mike.”

What he didn’t mention was that he would be sleeping in Alex’s apartment every night until this was over. Just as he wouldn’t trust Nicky’s safety to anyone besides Cassie and Mike, he wouldn’t trust Alex’s safety to anyone other than himself.

Even if the department changed their mind and assigned a skilled policewoman trained in protective service, he still wouldn’t turn this assignment over. Soon Alex would be out of his life forever, but for now he would be the one protecting her. She just didn’t know it yet.

Gray drove in silence, watching the farmland give way to thick forest. There was still a solid two hours before they reached Hopewell Springs. His mind wandered to the damage the Pyramid could inflict on a person’s life. They had murdered an FBI agent. How many others had they killed in the decades since their inception?

“What?” Alex interrupted his thoughts. “You had a look on your face just now. The same look you always get when you’re annoyed with someone.”

Gray glanced at her. “You know me so well?”