Page 62 of Blood Money

Alex nodded and smiled. “She’s the sister I never had. I’d do anything for her.”

“I can see that.” And he could. Alex had already shown him she was a tigress when it came to protecting her son and her best friend. “I also see you could do anything you put your mind to.”

“Thank you.” She laughed softly. “I have lofty aspirations. I only hope I’ll have the opportunity to pursue them.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything, but the unspoken words hung in the air.

If she doesn’t go to jail. If the Pyramid doesn’t kill her.

Sadness shone in Alex’s eyes. “I should apologize,” she said. “All we talked about tonight was me.”

“I don’t mind.” Gray took another slug of wine, relishing the relaxing effect of the alcohol on the tension he and Alex were both under. In fact, he found himself unexpectedly…content? There was no other word for it. He was content sitting in Alex’s kitchen, eating spaghetti, drinking wine, and talking. The easygoing rapport between them was a soothing balm to his typically intense and stressful job.

I could get used to this.

The pregnant pause in the conversation cast a shadow over the evening’s peace and quiet. When Alex began fiddling uncomfortably with the stem of her wineglass, Gray instantly regretted not keeping the conversation going.

“I suppose we should go to bed.” Her eyes widened with horror, as if she suddenly realized what she’d said. Averting her gaze, she added quickly, “I mean, it’s getting late and the briefing is first thing in the morning.”

“The ops meeting isn’t until nine o’clock.” Gray collected their plates and put them in the sink.

Alex gathered their glasses and put the food away while Gray did the dishes. “I guess you’ve got it all figured out.”

“As much as I possibly can.” He paused in the middle of washing a dish to follow Alex’s nervous movements as she finished clearing the table. “But we have to be flexible and prepared for unexpected deviations.”

“What do you mean, deviations?” Alex stood at the open refrigerator door, her eyes questioning.

He set the last plate into the dish rack. “What I mean is that no matter how prepared we are, or how much we review procedures, things happen that we can’t control. Any good cop learns to expect the unexpected.”

“Oh.” She shut the refrigerator door and leaned against the counter, facing the cabinets. “If—if something happens to me tomorrow, will you help Daisy with Nicky? She agreed to be his guardian if anything ever happened to me, but working full-time and being a single mother isn’t easy. She’ll need a good support system.”

Gray was tempted to say that he’d take Nicky in, then a strong protective urge came to him with powerful clarity. He clasped the edge of the counter. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

Still staring at the cabinets, Alex nodded. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll go to bed. Good night.”

He watched her head down the hall to her bedroom and heard the door close. He knew she was upset and worried, and she had every right to be. If she changed her mind between now and the meet tomorrow, he’d be relieved. But he knew she wouldn’t.

Gray rechecked the flimsy door locks then made up the green velvet sofa with the bed sheets he’d left there this morning. He tugged his T-shirt over his head, turned off the lights, and lay down.

This is gonna be one long-ass night.

The only sounds came from outside. An occasional car driving down the street. The muted beeping of a car alarm blocks away. A shaft of streetlight streamed into the living room through a gap between the window and curtains, providing sufficient light so that Gray could still dimly make out the furnishings.

Alex really did have a talent. Not that he knew shit about decorating, but he found her apartment warm, comfortable, and pleasing to the eye. In guy-speak, that was a major compliment.

He plumped his pillow and turned onto his side. Sleep didn’t come easily. In fact, it didn’t come at all. When he heard the shower turn on in Alex’s bathroom, he gave in to the inevitable and stopped trying. Ironic, since he’d learned years ago in Afghanistan to fall asleep with a mortar fight going on half a mile away. But here in the peace and quiet of Alex’s apartment… Not happening.

Images of water streaming down her creamy skin, caressing every delectable curve of her body, were killing him. Every second of the next ten minutes—until the water shut off—was sheer torture. He let out a sound that was half groan, half growl then shifted again on the sofa, struggling to find a comfortable position.

If things didn’t end tomorrow night after Alex fulfilled her obligation to the Pyramid, he’d be here every night until they stopped blackmailing her. If it took a month for that to happen, then he’d go without sleep for a month. If it took a year, he’d be sleep-deprived for a year.

A loud crash came from Alex’s bedroom.

Gray’s heart seized.

He bolted from the sofa and tore down the short hallway. He cranked the knob to her bedroom and threw open the door. All the breath left his lungs. Blood pumped like an automatic weapon through his veins.

Alex stood next to a lamp that had fallen off the bedside table and broken. Light from the bathroom illuminated broken shards on the floor.