Page 99 of Blood Money

Who kidnapped Nicky, and why?

This was too much coincidence not to be related to the Pyramid, but it didn’t make sense.

Dom’s intel had always been balls-on accurate, and with his military-spook background, Gray didn’t doubt his partner’s word for a second. If Dom didn’t think Alex’s marker would be picked up by another Pyramid assassin, then Gray believed it. But again his gut—not facts—told him this was connected. He just didn’t know how.

As he threw on a leather bomber jacket and grabbed his keys, his instincts began firing on all cylinders. He jerked open the door to his condo and paused. There was one possibility they hadn’t considered.

Slamming the door behind him, Gray hoped to hell he was wrong. If he was right, Nicky was in deep trouble.

And Alex’s nightmare was only beginning.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Before the taxi rolled to a complete stop, Alex and Daisy were out the door and running up the front steps of Nicky’s school. As she ran, Alex wiped away the tears, but they just kept coming.

A marked police car and another large sedan Alex recognized as an unmarked unit were parked adjacent to the school. A door at the top of the stairs opened, and the school’s principal, Mrs. McNally, beckoned them inside.

“Ms. Romano, I’m so sorry.” The principal wrung her hands. “I don’t know how this happened. We have strict security policies that our teachers follow to the letter.”

“Then how the hell did it happen?” Alex couldn’t hide the anger and panic in her voice. “If your policies are so strict, how does a six-year-old boy just disappear from school?”

The principal hung her head, giving Alex a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. As soon as we confirmed Nicky was truly gone, we notified the police immediately, then called you. Please follow me. Detectives are waiting for you in my office.”

Daisy grabbed Alex’s hand. “Let’s hear what they have to say. I know you’re upset, but let’s focus our energy on trying to help them find Nicky.” Daisy handed Alex a tissue she pulled from her purse.

“Okay.” Alex sniffled and used the tissue to wipe at more tears rolling down her cheeks. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

Nightmare didn’t begin to describe it.

Four men stood as they entered the principal’s office. Two men wore uniforms and Alex understood the other two men in suits were detectives.

“Ms. Romano?” The taller detective with red hair and a fair complexion held out his hand to her, which she shook. “I’m Detective Shanahan, and this”—he indicated to the man beside him, slightly shorter with dark hair and a kindly face—“is my partner, Detective Grimaldi.” Alex shook the other man’s hand as well. “Principal McNally was about to fill us in. I know this is hard on you, and you probably want to yell and scream and hit someone, but right now we need everyone’s attention focused on doing everything possible to find your son. Can you work with us, Ms. Romano? We can’t do this without you.”

Alex nodded, appreciating Detective Shanahan’s calm, sensible approach and the fact that he instantly understood what she was going through. She really did want to yell and scream and hit someone. “Of course.” She choked down a sob. “What do you need me to do?”

“We’ve already put out a missing person alert based upon a description from Principal McNally,” Shanahan said, “but we’d like to add a recent photo of Nicky. Did you bring one?” Alex fumbled in her pocketbook for the picture she’d pulled from her album and handed it to Shanahan. “Thank you.” He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Let’s all have a seat.”

Alex and Daisy sat on two chairs facing the principal’s desk. Shanahan and the other officers stood to the side of the room. Alex clutched one arm around her waist and covered her mouth with her other hand. Detective Shanahan was more than right. If she didn’t keep her mouth covered, she would scream.

The principal sat behind her desk and took a deep breath. “Nicky and the other children were outside playing during recess. One of the teachers noticed Nicky wasn’t feeling well. His forehead was warm, and she suspected he was running a fever. She sent Nicky back inside to see the school nurse, but after recess was over and the teacher went to the nurse’s office to check on him, he wasn’t there. The nurse said Nicky never arrived.”

Principal McNally pressed her lips together, looking first to Alex, then the detectives. “When he wasn’t found in his homeroom class, either, I was notified and we initiated a room-to-room search. When we still couldn’t find him, I made an announcement over the PA system notifying him to report to my office immediately. I waited five minutes, and when he didn’t show, I called the police, then you.”

Alex began fidgeting in her chair. This was taking too long. Pressure built in her chest. She felt a wail of pain and sorrow rise from her throat and had to press her lips together to keep from sobbing out loud.

Shouldn’t the police already be out there scouring the streets, the rail stations, the airports…something?

“While we waited for the police to arrive,” the principal went on, “I directed every teacher to inquire of their students as to whether they knew where Nicky was, and when the last time was that he’d been seen. None of the other children saw him after he left the playground to head inside to the nurse’s office.”

“Who was the last person to see Nicky?” Detective Grimaldi looked up from his notepad.

“Mrs. Deitz,” Principal McNally said.

Alex rose from her chair, looking around for Mrs. Deitz. “Where is she? She must have seen something.” She crushed the tissue in her hand.

“We’d like to speak with her.” Grimaldi made a note on his pad then gave Alex a reassuring look. “Don’t worry, Ms. Romano, we won’t leave any stone unturned.”

“Th-thank you.” Alex took a deep breath and sat down again.