by Tee O'Fallon
“Nicky, no!” Alex ran after him, grabbing his arm and pulling him gently but firmly from the mitt before he could touch it.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Nicky sent her a confused look.
With her arm around his shoulder, Alex looked behind her, certain that someone was about to shoot her in the back or hit her over the head with a pipe. “Did you and Mrs. Frattiani take your mitt from your bedroom today?”
“No.” Nicky cocked his head, a lock of hair falling in front of his eyes.
“Let me get it.” With her heart racing, Alex cautiously picked up the mitt.
Again, Nicky asked, “Mommy, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, sweetheart.” She forced a smile. “I forgot I have to pick up some milk at the grocery store.”
Tugging on Nicky’s hand, they headed back down the hall to Mrs. Frattiani’s apartment, Nicky’s mitt safely tucked under her arm. Alex knocked on the door. When it opened, the old woman must have picked up Alex’s sense of urgency.
Her gray brows bunched. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I forgot to get milk plus a few other things at the grocery store. Would you mind watching Nicky a bit longer?”
“Not at all, dear.” The old woman smiled as Nicky scurried inside, no doubt happy to resume whatever game he’d been playing with Mrs. Frattiani.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” Just before turning to leave, Alex stopped. “Mrs. Frattiani, did you and Nicky take his mitt from my apartment?”
“No, dear.” The old woman shook her head. “Why?”
“Oh, nothing.” Again, Alex gave a forced smile, sensing the old woman was savvy enough to know something was amiss but discreet enough not to press the matter.
After leaving Nicky with Mrs. Frattiani, Alex returned to her apartment and unlocked the door. She turned the knob slowly. The door creaked as it always did. She hesitated before entering, not really sure what to expect. The place looked the same. None of the furniture had been moved. Nothing ransacked. The apartment even smelled the same. Stuffy, since the windows were always closed during the winter.
A quick tour of hers and Nicky’s bedrooms confirmed no one was inside save her. Yet someone had been inside, grabbed the mitt, and dumped it in the hallway where Alex would be sure to see it.
She sat on a kitchen chair and gently set the mitt on the table. For a few minutes, she stared at it then finally picked it up, turning it over and over several times before she saw it. The paper jammed deep inside one of the finger pockets.
With trembling fingers, Alex pulled out the note. As she unfolded it and got her first look at the words typed on the white paper, her heart nearly stopped. She could swear, just for a second, that it actually did.
Good girl. Do as I say and all will be well. If not…
In that instant, she knew.
The Pyramid had been in my home.
Gasping, she dropped the note and watched it drift to the floor. She shouldn’t have touched it. There might be fingerprints. No, an organization such as the Pyramid would be too smart to leave prints. The full impact of the note and the use of her son’s toy to facilitate the message were not lost on Alex. The bastards were telling her they could get to her and Nicky any time they chose. It was a warning not to betray them.
Or they would kill Nicky.
She stood so abruptly the chair she was sitting on tumbled backward, clattering onto the floor. She grabbed her cell phone from her shoulder bag and punched in Gray’s name. She was about to hit the call button but stopped. They could have bugged her apartment. The last thing she wanted was to alert the Pyramid that she was cooperating with the NYPD.
Trying not to scream in panic, Alex pulled a sandwich baggie from a kitchen drawer and tucked it beneath her sleeve. Returning to the table, she leaned over and, while righting the chair that had fallen down, grabbed the note from the floor. Using the table as cover—in case her apartment really was bugged—she slipped it quickly into her pocket. Then she left her apartment, walked down the hallway, and out the front door onto the street.
A few minutes later, she pushed open the glass door of the little bodega where she picked up basic items like milk and cereal. When she reached the rear section of the store in front of the dairy case, she tugged the plastic baggie from beneath her sleeve and carefully deposited the note inside. Then she pulled out her cell phone and called Gray.
“Alex.” Gray’s strong, deep voice came through clearly. “Did they call?” When she didn’t respond immediately, he asked, “Are you all right?”
“No.” In a shaky voice, she told him about finding the mitt outside her apartment and the note tucked inside. Lastly, she told Gray about her fear that her apartment was bugged.
“Stay calm,” he said. “I’m still at One PP. I’ll grab a tech guy, and we’ll sweep your apartment. I need you to go home, and in forty minutes, go to the rear service door and let us in.”
Alex couldn’t believe this was happening. What had she gotten herself into?
You know the answer. You did something stupid, and now you’re involved with a group of cold-blooded murderers.
“Okay.” Alex was about to hang up when Gray’s voice stopped her.
“I’ll get you through this. I promise.” Then he was gone.
As she slipped the phone back into her purse, the danger and uncertainty of hers and Nicky’s life slammed home. She tightened her coat belt then hustled out the bodega door and back to her apartment. During the two-block walk, she vowed that if they really made it through this, somehow she’d take charge of her life again. If that meant leaving the country, so be it.
Back in her apartment, she took off her coat and waited. The ticking hands on the antique wall clock seemed to take forever to move. Briefly, she considered calling Daisy and confiding to her friend what was going on. Normally, they shared everything. Not now. Alex could never tell Daisy the truth. Not only would her friend blow a floral gasket, but it was too dangerous to put someone else in harm’s way. Worrying over Nicky’s safety was bad enough.
When forty minutes had passed since she’d spoken with Gray, Alex went back out the door, down the rear hallway steps, and unlocked the service door. As promised, Gray, Dom, and another man who seemed familiar stood outside. All three wore workmen’s coveralls. Dom and the other guy carried toolboxes. Gray slung a duffel bag over his shoulder and led the way inside.
“Thank you.” She stopped him by clasping his forearm. Beneath her fingers, his hard muscular strength reassured her that he would do as he’d promised. He would get her through this. “Here’s the note.” She pulled the plastic baggie from her coat pocket and handed it to Gray.
“We’ll check for prints, just in case they were careless.” He shoved the baggie into the pocket of his coveralls, pausing to look down at her.
Their gazes locked, and that same shiver of anticipation she always experienced at his nearness shot through her. The strong-boned features of his handsome face softened the way they used to.
“Where’s Nicky?” he asked, breaking the spell.
“Down the hall with a neighbor,” Alex said. “I thought it would be better if he didn’t see a bunch of strange men in our apartment.”
“Good call.” Gray hesitated then brushed past her, followed by the other men, whom she also thanked for coming to her rescue.
Once inside her apartment, the three men went silently from room to room, scanning every piece of furniture, looking under the beds, checking every light fixture for hidden cameras and microphones. Watching from a distance, Alex couldn’t help but admire the way Gray’s coveralls stretched tightly over his broad, muscular back, and his long, strong legs.
Next, the men went into the hallway and searched there, too. Gray, Dom, and the tech guy, whose name was Stan, returned and began packing up their bug-sniffing gadgets.
Gray sat at the oak kitchen table across from Alex. “Give me your cell, we’ll check that, too.”
Alex handed her phone to
Gray, who passed it on to Stan. Unable to look directly at Gray, she clasped her hands tightly and watched her knuckles whiten. “I’m scared,” she admitted. “I’m really scared. Not so much for me, but for Nicky.”
“I know.” Gray began to reach for her when the doorbell rang.
He jerked his hand back. Dom and Stan looked first at the door, then to Gray.
He rose swiftly from the chair, both he and Dom drawing handguns from the top portion of their coveralls. “Expecting anyone?”
Alex shook her head. “Not unless Mrs. Frattiani decided to bring Nicky home, although I told her I’d come get him myself.”
Gray looked through the peephole. “Who is that?” He tipped his head, indicating she should look herself.
Alex peered through the small glass hole in the middle of her apartment door. It was Daisy.
“Well?” Gray stood to the side of the door, still gripping his gun.
“It’s okay. It’s my friend, Daisy.”
“Does she normally show up this time of night?”
Alex looked at her watch. It was eight o’clock. “Sometimes.”
Pounding came from the other side of the door. “Alex, I know you’re in there. I can see your shadow.”
“I have to let her in.” Alex smiled wanly. “If I don’t, she’ll think something’s wrong and probably call the police.”
“Fine.” Gray let out an exasperated breath. “Let her in, but tell her nothing.”
Alex planted her hands on her hips. “How do I explain three armed detectives in my apartment at this time of night?”
“Don’t tell her we’re detectives.”
“She’ll never buy that.” Alex shook her head. “She’s seen your picture, and Daisy never forgets a face.”
“When did she see my picture?”
“It was on my phone.” Alex pointed to the cell phone Stan was examining. “From the precinct Christmas party.”
“Alex!” Daisy pounded on the door. “Open up, for Christ’s sake.”
“Shit. Do you trust her?”
“With my life.”
“Then let her in before she alerts the entire building.” Gray and Dom shoved their weapons back into what Alex assumed were shoulder holsters hidden by the coveralls.
As soon as Alex opened the door, Daisy burst inside. Taking in Dom and Stan first, her eyes widened, and she reached inside her shoulder bag, whipping out a can of pepper spray.
“Daisy, no!” Alex cried.
Ignoring her, Daisy took aim at Dom. With a quick movement, he easily disarmed her, knocking the canister to the floor. When she balled her fists, Dom wrapped his arms around her torso, pinning her arms to her side. Immediately, she began struggling in his grip.
“It’s okay.” Alex rested her hand on Daisy’s arm. “They’re not here to hurt me. They’re the police.” Daisy froze, suspended in mid-air, her feet dangling inches above the floor. She was tall, nearly five foot ten, but Dom held her as if she were no heavier than a tissue.
“The police? Seriously?” Daisy cast a suspicious glare at Dom. “Put me down, you big oaf.”
Gray chuckled.
“Take it easy.” Dom leaned closer to Daisy’s ear. “If you promise not to attack us again, I’ll let you go. Okay?”
Daisy nodded, and Dom slowly released her. She spun and parked herself between Dom and Alex.
“Aren’t you the protective little wildcat?” A face-splitting grin came to Dom’s face, reminding Alex how handsome Gray’s partner was.
Daisy breathed heavily, making her bosom rise and fall above the V-neck of her fuchsia shirt. Even beneath her open leather coat, no one could deny Daisy had the body of a voluptuous model. Sure enough, Dom’s eyes were glued to her breasts. To Alex’s amazement, Daisy only stared back at him. No scathing remarks, as Alex fully expected from her outspoken friend.
“What the hell is going on here?” Daisy asked, turning to Alex. As Gray closed the door, she finally noticed him. “You must be Gray.”
Gray smiled. “You were right,” he said to Alex.
“Right about what?” Daisy looked back at Gray, then to Dom and Stan.
Alex tipped her head in Gray’s direction. “I told him you never forget a face.”
“Oh, that.” Daisy placed a gentle hand on Alex’s shoulder. “So give, girlfriend. Something is very, very wrong here. I can smell it. Must be that cop smell.”
There it was, the no-holding-back Daisy that Alex loved. “Well?” Alex looked to Gray, not really wanting to involve Daisy in this but realizing her friend would see through any lies.
“You can take off,” Gray said to Stan. “Dom, stick around.”
Without hesitation, Stan grabbed his toolbox and went out the door, clearly happy not to be a part of whatever was coming next. Alex couldn’t blame him. Daisy could be quite a handful, but that was what made her successful at her job. Being a florist, she not only knew more about flowers than anyone Alex had ever met but had a boisterous personality and could sell a hairbrush to a bald man. She and Daisy were polar opposites, but Alex loved her like the sister she’d never had.
“Let’s all have a seat,” Gray suggested, but in reality, it was an order.
Dom pulled out a chair for Daisy, waiting until she’d primly seated herself before taking the chair next to her. Gray’s lips tilted upward ever so slightly as he, too, watched Dom fawn over Daisy.
“I don’t know where to start,” Alex began.
“Alex.” Gray subtly shook his head, and there was a distinct warning in his eyes.
“No.” Alex grabbed Daisy’s hand and squeezed it. “I can’t keep my best friend in the dark. You may have a big family, but I don’t, and Daisy’s family. If something happens to me, she’s all Nicky has. She needs to know what’s going on.”
“Whoa.” Daisy held up both her hands, staring at Alex. “What in the hell is going on?”
“Shit,” Gray exclaimed, then cast a warning glance at Alex. “Before you do a TV exposé”—he gave her a pointed look, then gave the same to Daisy—“what you’re about to hear is confidential police business. Blabbing this to anyone could get you, Alex, and Nicky killed.”
“You’re kidding.” Daisy dipped her chin, staring at Gray.
“I never kid about people dying.” Gray pointed to Daisy. “You do not mention a word about what you hear at this table. Understand?”
Daisy nodded then looked over her shoulder toward the hallway leading to Alex and Nicky’s bedrooms. “Where is the little squirt?”
“He’s fine.” Alex placed a hand on Daisy’s forearm. “He’s down the hall at Mrs. Frattiani’s.”
Daisy leaned back in her chair. “So talk. And don’t you dare leave anything out.”
Twenty minutes later, Daisy said, “Oh. My. God.” She turned to Gray. “You weren’t kidding about not kidding. Alex, you should have told me sooner.”
“No, she shouldn’t have,” Dom interjected. He’d been watching Daisy intently the entire time Alex had relayed her situation. “Just knowing about this puts you somewhat at risk.”
“Me?” Daisy jabbed a purple-painted fingernail at her chest. “Who’s going to protect Alex and Nicky? I’m staying here tonight, and every night until those bastards are arrested. They shouldn’t be alone in this apartment.”
“I agree.” Gray stood and picked up Daisy’s coat from where she’d draped it on the back of her chair. “That’s why I’m staying the night. You’re going home.”
Alex stared at Gray, dumbfounded. “You’re going to sleep here?”
“Yes.”
That’s when she realized this had been part of Gray’s plan from the beginning. The duffel bag he’d carried inside didn’t contain tools. It was an overnight bag.
Dom likewise stood and easily pulled out Daisy’s chair with her still on it. The chair’s legs scraped lightly on the floor. “How did you get here?” he asked.
“I cabbed it.” Daisy looked first to Dom then narrowed her eyes at Alex. “Are you
okay with this arrangement?”
“I’ll be fine. I promise.” Alex hugged her friend, hoping her last words were true. “But thank you for worrying.”
“I’ll take you home.” Dom took Daisy’s coat from Gray, draping it over her shoulders then guiding her to the door.
“Call me.” Daisy pointed her finger at Alex. “If you don’t, I’ll call the FBI, or the CIA, or the NSA to look for you.” She shot Gray a stern look. “And you, tough guy, if you hurt her, I’ll—”
“Say good night, Daisy.” Dom opened the door and gently urged her into the hallway. Over his shoulder, he grinned and rolled his eyes at Gray.
Gray shut the door behind them. Soon Alex would have to pick up Nicky at Mrs. Frattiani’s, but for the moment they were completely alone. And he was spending the night.
She met Gray’s gaze and swallowed. Hard.
How the hell am I supposed to get through the night knowing Gray—the man I’ve dreamed about for nearly a year—will be sleeping in my apartment?
Chapter Ten
Standing in Alex’s open doorway, Gray watched her walk down the hallway to her neighbor’s apartment. He’d shed his coveralls but still wore dark dress slacks, a light blue business shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his shoulder holster.
Alex sent him a worried look as she knocked on the other apartment’s door and was invited inside. Christ. All the woman had to do was look at him and his restraint nearly went out the window.
The only one who knew how messed up in the head he was about Alex was Dom. They never talked much about personal shit, but Dom knew. They’d been friends for a long time, since they first crossed paths in Afghanistan, and there wasn’t much about Gray’s life that his partner wasn’t privy to.
A few years after Gray got on with the NYPD, Dom also joined the department. Since then, Gray learned Dom was the most perceptive sonofabitch he’d ever met. Sometimes it was like the guy could see into Gray’s blackened soul and read things others couldn’t. Sure enough, when Dom ushered Daisy out the door, grinning over his shoulder, he knew damn well what was pinging around in Gray’s brain.
