Page 67 of Blood Money

“Maybe you’re right.” He leaned over and gave her a long, soul-searing kiss that made her heart beat faster. When he looked down at her from those beautiful silver eyes, she felt as if she were standing on the edge of a steep cliff, holding her heart in her own hands. If she took that giant frightening leap, it could either be her emotional downfall or a wonderful life filled with love, passion, and magical possibilities—the kind of life she’d never thought possible before meeting Gray.

He trailed his fingers down her shoulders, skimming the tops of her breasts visible above the sheet. “Trust doesn’t come easily for some people.”

“Do you believe in me?” she asked. “More importantly, do you believe that I didn’t use you? Please, Gray. I need to know.”

She held her breath, realizing that if he didn’t believe in her, then they had no future together. When his eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

…

I do believe you, Gray wanted to say, but something held him back.

In his heart he truly wanted to trust Alex, and to believe in her, but his police detective brain still struggled with the certainty that she wasn’t telling him everything.

Gray turned on his side to face her, and his heart squeezed at the thought of losing her. He was facing a life-altering decision. He either had to have faith and trust his heart, or walk away and never look back.

He stroked her cheek, reveling in its softness, wishing like hell he could say the words she wanted to hear, but he wasn’t ready.

When a lone tear slipped from the corner of her eye, it yanked at his heartstrings. “What is it? You can tell me anything.” He kissed her tear away, tasting salt on his tongue.

“Nothing, I just—” She swiped at another tear. “I wish we could start fresh, as if none of this had ever happened. But I know that’s not possible.”

Gray felt something shift discernibly in the very core of his being. “Maybe not, but we can try to move forward.”

He knew what he had to do. It was time to move forward, and with the secrets he’d kept from his own family for years, he had no right to judge Alex when he’d been doing the very same thing.

Holding back.

“God knows I hate sounding like an attorney…” He grimaced. “But in the interest of full disclosure there are things you should know about me. About my past. It’s ugly, and you should hear it.”

As soon as he said the words, Gray was thrown back in time. He was there again. That place he never wanted to return to—the mountains of Afghanistan.

The soft touch of Alex’s hand on his chest was a lifeline, holding him to the here and now, keeping him grounded in a way only she could do. He threaded his fingers through hers. Somehow he always knew it would be like this with her, and it felt right that she was the first person he would confide his worst sin to.

“Dom and I met in Afghanistan. I was in the Marines and Dom was Army. At least I think he was.” Gray shook his head. “Truth is, I don’t really know who Dom worked for. I only know that what he did was beyond secret. Figured he was half military, half spook. Probably part of a black ops unit. We hit it off and began sharing intel. He needed a safe place for a doctor to set up a makeshift children’s hospital. Turned out there were a lot of kids with serious injuries suffered during explosions. TV news shows loved to broadcast U.S. troops injured by mortar fire and IEDs, but the public never got to see how many native Afghani were injured in the process, many of whom were children.”

“That’s terrible.” Alex squeezed his hand.

“Most of the children had already lost their parents. Dom’s doctor friend—Anika—was all they had. She was looking for a new location to set up her hospital, since the last one she operated out of got hit by mortar fire. She also needed basic medical supplies, everything from gauze pads to operating tables and units of blood.”

Blood. The one thing that was never lacking in Afghanistan. Sadly, most of it was either seeping out of someone’s body or already absorbed into the ground.

“Dom came to me for help finding a hidden location for the hospital. I used my best Afghani informant, Marina, to help me find the perfect spot. I ponied up a lot of money for that information, but it was worth it. The building she found was hidden in the middle of an abandoned village not far from one of our encampments. Anika set up shop, and Dom managed to get all the supplies she needed, except for one thing: blood.”

He still couldn’t believe the sequence of deadly events that followed.

“Many of the children’s injuries involved severed limbs and amputations, so the need for blood was at a premium. Supplies of all blood types were running low. I came up with the idea to have our troops donate blood for the hospital. Marina even helped out by entertaining them with her exotic dancing while they waited in line. Things went well for a few months.”

The vivid and horrific scene came to him in less than a heartbeat.

Fire and smoke. The stench of burning human flesh filling his nose and lungs. Children’s cries pounded his skull as if he was standing right outside what was left of the hospital remains.

“Go on.” Alex smoothed her hand across his brow.

“The explosion was so intense we heard it from our encampment. The enemy used rocket launchers and targeted the hospital. By the time we pulled up, there was nothing left but rubble and smoke. Everyone was either dead or dying. Eighteen children, most of my unit, and Anika.”

Gray squeezed his eyes shut. Not a single body remained intact. “There wasn’t much left for burial.”

Alex gasped. “My God. What kind of monsters would intentionally target a hospital filled with children?”