Page 69 of Blood Money

Alex clasped her shaking hands on her lap, hiding them from view so no one would see how nervous she was. The part she was to play in this operation was simple—hand off a thick envelope to whoever was at the meet location then walk away. Easy enough.

Between the NYPD and the FBI and HSI agents, there would be five teams of armed officers—a total of twenty men and women—monitoring and recording the meet and protecting her if something went wrong. Despite all that protection, the only thing giving her confidence was Gray.

After a quick but sensual shower at her apartment, one that almost ended in them being late for the briefing, they arrived at the precinct. Instead of their usual suits, Gray and the other men wore cargo pants and long-sleeve dark shirts. At his suggestion, Alex wore dark slacks, a button-up blouse, and flats. The only other garment she would wear to the meet was her coat. She wouldn’t even have a pocketbook with her, just the envelope she would hand off to the Pyramid.

They had less than an hour to complete the briefing and attach the locator transmitter before Alex drove to the meet location. Traffic on the Belt Parkway was iffy any time of day, and Gray seemed concerned enough about the meet being so far from Manhattan.

“Let’s finish up, people.” Gray stood tall and imposing at the head of the table, looking good enough to eat, in Alex’s opinion. She loved the way his thickly muscled arms and chest filled out his black shirt. The only thing she loved more was the way all those muscles had felt beneath her fingertips that morning as she soaped up his incredible body in the shower.

While Gray continued briefing his team on logistical issues she didn’t need to focus on, Alex’s mind drifted back to the horrific things he’d confided last night. He’d been through hell and survived. It didn’t take a world-class shrink to understand where his mistrust came from.

As much as she’d needed to tell him some dark things about her own past, last night hadn’t been the time to unload her problems. That conversation had been about helping him, not her. But tonight it would be her turn to come clean.

Gray pointed to a street intersection on a large map tacked to the wall behind him. “Team one is already set up at the location recording anyone who comes and goes. Teams two through four will leave immediately after the briefing to get in position.”

A dozen officers nodded in unison.

“Team five,” Gray continued, “you’re with Dom and me. We’ll surveil Alex the entire time from the moment she leaves One PP. After she makes delivery, teams one through four will follow whoever takes the package from Alex. This is a delivery only, so she’ll wear a locator transmitter, nothing else that might be picked up by a receiver. She’ll be driving a rented blue Ford Taurus to the meet.”

Gray recited the sedan’s license plate. “Any questions?” The room remained silent. “Then roll out.”

Oh my God. I’m really doing this.

While the room emptied, Alex pushed her chair from the table and leaned over, sucking in deep breaths.

Gray knelt before her and rested his hands on her knees. “I’ll help you through this, and I’ll be there every step of the way. We all will. Twenty of the most highly trained officers and agents in the business will be guarding your beautiful backside.”

She raised her head and saw something in his eyes. Love? No, concern. But was there more?

He cupped her chin in his hand. “Talk to me.”

“I’m scared.” She grabbed Gray’s hand and squeezed. “If something goes wrong, don’t let Nicky’s father get custody. I didn’t run from him just for my sake, I had to get Nicky away from his…his…” Alex didn’t want to voice what she suspected Jan was becoming. “His influence. Please. Promise me again that you and Daisy will take care of Nicky.”

He squeezed her hand in return. “Nothing. Will. Happen.”

“Promise me.” Alex sat up. “I need to hear it.”

Gray released her hand and held the sides of her face. He met her gaze dead-on. “I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

Alex pulled his hands away and clasped them firmly in hers. “That’s not what I want to hear. This isn’t about me.”

Gray shook his head. “I won’t talk about the future without you in it. You’ll be fine. All you have to do is hand over the package to whoever is waiting for you.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath as he handed her a thick brown envelope. “What’s in here?” she asked, knowing the department would never hand over genuinely sensitive information.

“Fabricated reports and other intel that contain just enough truth to pass muster.” Gray’s mouth was set in a hard line.

“What’s wrong?” Alex was better able to read Gray’s moods with each passing day. “C’mon, detective. It’s my ass on the line here, so don’t hold back.”

He smiled at her nervous attempt at humor, but his smile faded. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something about the meet doesn’t make sense. This all seems like a dangerous, unnecessary exercise. The Pyramid is risking one of their own being tailed, and all for documents that you could easily have mailed to a temporary drop box of their choosing.”

Alex stiffened in concern. “Then what do you think this is really about?”

“I don’t know.” He rubbed her knee. “Could be they want to see you in person to verify the documents really came from you. They could be counting on you not double-crossing them at the risk of Nicky’s safety. That’s why we included real department intel in the documents. This could all be a test of some sort.”

A chill crept up Alex’s spine. “If this is a test, then what do I have to prove?”

“Good question. This could very well be nothing more than it seems. An exchange of information in return for them leaving you and Nicky alone. But what bugs me is that they’re willing to risk exposure just to see you in person.”