by Tee O'Fallon
“I swear to you, I’m telling the truth,” Alex cried. “I didn’t do anything to earn that money, nor would I. Ever. I only spent some because I was desperate. My son needed treatment and I couldn’t afford it. Why won’t you believe me?”
Gray’s gut clenched at the desperation on Alex’s face. “Because there’s too much evidence against you.” And spending some of that cash is the clincher. “Is there anything else you’re not telling us?”
She averted her gaze. “No.”
Shit. Alex had just exhibited yet another textbook characteristic of someone lying. Gray looked up to catch Dom watching her, his eyes narrowed. His partner had picked up on it, too.
“Are you sure?” Gray asked. Alex nodded, but again he picked up on a subtle hesitation. “Do you have any idea how the Pyramid found you, or why they picked you for this job?”
For a moment, Alex stared at her hands in her lap. “I can only speculate that they saw me as an easy target because of my son’s medical needs and the financial debt I face every week. They must know a mother would do anything for her son.”
“How did they find out about Nicky in the first place?” Gray asked.
“You’re the detective.” Alex pierced him with an icy stare. “You tell me.”
Evasive answer.
Gray tapped his fingers on the table. “Since you’ve been working for the department, have you received any other funds from unidentified sources?”
“You’ve obviously been prying into my personal finances, so again, you tell me, Detective Yates.” She crossed her arms.
“Answer the question,” he flung back.
Alex glared at him, her eyes cold. “No, I haven’t.”
Gray couldn’t blame her for being pissed at him, but this wasn’t personal. It was business. Police business.
“For the last five years,” Simonetti interjected, “your annual income averaged thirty-four thousand dollars. With such a modest income and a child requiring costly medical care not completely covered by insurance…” He paused. “I’d say you were a prime candidate to be bribed.”
“I did not get bribed!” Alex outstretched her arms. “I never agreed to take that money. It just showed up in my account. The bank was unable to explain how it got there, and I didn’t know how to give it back. Check with the bank if you don’t believe me. I never agreed to do anything the Pyramid asked, and I did not agree to provide any files.”
“Is there anyone who can corroborate your story?” Gray asked.
“Other than the bank, no.” Alex closed her eyes, a defeated expression on her face. “What can I say or do to convince you everything I’ve told you is true, and that I never had any malicious intent?”
Simonetti shook his head. “At this point, nothing. You are suspended from duty effective immediately. Meanwhile, we’ll consider termination proceedings, while simultaneously presenting your case to the District Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution.”
No, Gray wanted to shout. The thought of Alex in jail about killed him, but the bastard was dead-on accurate. Ultimately, there was no one to back up her story.
Except my gut feeling?
Gray couldn’t allow himself to go down that road and start believing Alex’s explanation was plausible.
There is no in between, only black and white. Do the crime, do the time.
“Let’s not go off half-cocked.” Detective Chavez glanced at Simonetti. “I’m guessing you all know there’s a more constructive option. A way for Ms. Romano to work off some of her obligations.”
This was the plan Gray had been dreading, one that would put Alex’s life at risk. She was backed into a corner. Worse, the detective part of his brain agreed with it. This was a unique opportunity, the first active lead any agency ever had on the Pyramid.
Alex leaned forward, her face hopeful. “What option?”
“I’m sure we’ve all been thinking the same thing here.” Agent Wilson steepled his fingers. “We’ll need time to work out the details, but it would involve you cooperating in the form of placing calls to the Pyramid.”
“I’ll do it.” Alex’s eyes were bright.
“Wait,” Gray interrupted. He knew she would be eager to jump at what seemed like an easy way out, but she needed the complete picture. “You need to hear the rest of what you’ll be required to do, and you need to know exactly what the Pyramid is.”
Agent Tanner began to object, but Gray cut him off. “The NYPD, FBI, and INTERPOL know the Pyramid has been around for a decade, and still no one has been successful at cracking through its veil of secrecy. After all this time, we only know two things about this organization. One: they were founded in the wake of September 11 and are comprised of professional assassins of Middle Eastern descent. Two: the Pyramid is the most elusive cadre of ruthless killers on the planet. Most of them got their homicidal training as terrorists in the Middle East. Now they’re mercenaries, having figured out that being a professional assassin is more lucrative to their personal bank accounts.”
As the eager look in Alex’s eyes slowly faded, Gray pressed on.
“The Pyramid assassin who tried to kill my sister—Ahmed Methopolis—was really Karim Abdul Azim, a terrorist suspected in multiple explosions in Afghanistan that killed marines and civilians. Azim was on the Terrorist Watchlist.”
Gray paused so that his words would sink in.
“Azim was not only on the Watchlist, he was in the top twenty most dangerous.” He pointed to Alex. “This is exactly the kind of person who called you today. Now do you understand how dangerous this is?”
Gray watched Alex’s face turn even paler than it naturally was. He was walking a thin line between giving her an appropriate professional warning and voicing his personal opinion that the risk to her life was too great. No matter what she was guilty of, he didn’t want to see her dead.
“I assume,” Lt. Frye said, “Alex should also be prepared to make an in-person delivery to the Pyramid.”
“I can do that.” Again Alex nodded, this time more emphatically.
“Do you have a will prepared?” Gray intentionally put an edge to his voice. “In case something happens, you need to make sure Nicky is taken care of.” His words might scare her, but that was his point. Part of him wanted her to turn down the offer because she might get killed. The other part of him knew this might be her only way to stay out of jail.
Alex covered her mouth with her hand. Clearly she hadn’t considered the worst-case scenario.
“We’ll protect you every step of the way.” Agent Tanner leaned forward. “Any in-person meet will be covered discreetly by a team of highly trained detectives and federal agents.”
The door opened and closed as Dom came back into the room. “The phone number that called Alex today is a burner phone purchased four months ago at a Bogos Superstore. Bogos already confirmed they taped over their store video for the day the phone was purchased.”
Gray turned to Chavez, hoping Simonetti’s more reasonable partner would play ball. “Would you be willing to put off talking to the DA until this plays out?”
“I’ll give you a month,” Chavez answered, ignoring the annoyed look on Simonetti’s face. “That’s the best I can do. But we still have a problem. Under these circumstances we’d normally place Ms. Romano on suspension and revoke her building and system access codes pending review.”
“You can’t do that.” Gray vehemently shook his head. “If we know one thing about the Pyramid, it’s that they have vast resources. They already have Alex’s bank account information and they know about Nicky. If you suspend Alex and she doesn’t report to work every day, business as usual, chances are they’ll know she either talked to the police, or we found out about the money and fired her.”
“Good point,” Agent Tanner added. “Detective Chavez, do you think you could cut us some slack here? Alex could come to work as usual, but not be made privy to anything confidential. You could erect a Chinese wall around her, restricting her access
to anything confidential or classified.”
Chavez looked at Lt. Frye. “I’d put off filing charges, but IA won’t take responsibility for leaving Ms. Romano in place. Lieutenant, that’s on you.”
Lt. Frye leaned his elbows on the table and sent Alex a meaningful look. “I trust Ms. Romano not to worsen her situation by divulging anything she shouldn’t. We can work out the details later today. For now, you are not to touch any more of that money, or to access any department files. Your computer logon codes will be revoked until further notice. For the remainder of the day, you will sit at your desk as if nothing is amiss. We’ll meet again here tomorrow morning at eight sharp to work out logistics and an ops plan. Between now and then, I suggest you think things through and be certain you want to do this.”
Alex inhaled a shaky breath then nodded. “I want this.” When she glanced at Gray, it was all he could do not to look away from her imploring expression. She seemed relieved at the possibility of digging herself out of the hole she was in, but he doubted she truly understood the potential dangers involved. The Pyramid would kill her in an instant if it suited their needs.
“Gray?” Alex stood. “Could I speak with you privately for a minute?”
The pleading look on her face was so intense Gray nearly relented. “Now’s not a good time. I’ll speak with you tomorrow at the meeting.” It twisted his guts into knots, but no way could he spend another minute alone with her. This was tearing him apart as it was.
“I understand.” Alex turned abruptly and followed Dom out the door.
In those two words, Gray knew Alex did understand. Whatever could have existed between them was dead. Permanently.
When the door closed, Gray let loose with every pent-up emotion he’d been holding in check for the last hour. “It’s too dangerous,” he practically shouted. “And what about Nicky? If Alex is killed, he’ll be alone. She has no other immediate family.”
“We won’t know that for sure until her background check comes back.” Agent Tanner glanced at Simonetti. “She was in a tight spot before she walked in the door, but now that she spent some of that money, this is her only possible get-out-of-jail-free card.”
“What good is being out of jail if she’s dead?” Gray couldn’t keep the anger from his tone. “I say she takes her chances with the DA. Even if she gets charged with bribery, she could say that she was coerced into taking the money in order to pay for Nicky’s medical treatments. It’s a viable defense to the bribery charge. Any defense attorney would know that.”
“That may be so, but you need to consider everything.” Lt. Frye massaged his chin. “In addition to the money in Alex’s account, she lied on her application papers. We don’t know who she really is, and in this post-September 11 world that’s a serious infraction. The DA won’t give her a pass unless she works it off.”
“I don’t like it.” Gray shoved a hand through his hair. “She’ll be in danger every second.”
“It seems to me that you’re the perfect man to protect our new cooperator every step of the way.” Agent Wilson closed his leather folio. “You know her, the FBI doesn’t. You work in the same office and you know her routine. Who better to watch her back and make sure she stays on the righteous path?”
Gray’s breath came out in a whoosh. At the moment, he felt he didn’t know her at all. Hell, he didn’t even know whether to call her Alex, or her real name. Aileen.
“It’s settled.” Lt. Frye stood, effectively putting an end to the meeting. “Detective Yates will be Ms. Romano’s POC for this investigation. Once the op commences, you will stick to her like glue during every aspect of her involvement.”
Gray waited for the other men to file out of the room. “Lieutenant, I’m not the right person for this job.”
“Nonsense. Wilson was right. You’re the perfect man for the job, and the entire squad knows it.” Lt. Frye tucked Alex’s personnel file under his arm as he headed out the door to his office. “But we’ll keep that information to ourselves.”
What the hell?
Then again, he hadn’t exactly been discreet about his interest in Alex, and he hadn’t cared who knew. But things had changed since then.
Instead of making plans for what should have been another hot date with the woman he thought he was meant to be with, he’d probably be logging an arrest.
Chapter Seven
Alex knocked on Mrs. Frattiani’s apartment door. Her elderly neighbor was a godsend, having long ago offered to care for Nicky between the time school ended and when Alex got off work.
Mrs. Frattiani charged significantly less than Nicky’s elementary school aftercare program, and Nicky loved her like a grandmother. A shadow moved behind the peephole and a second later the door swung open.
“Come in, Alex.” Mrs. Frattiani’s bony hand waved her inside toward the kitchen. Her gray hair piled high in an old-fashion spiral bun was the only thing giving the old woman any height over five feet.
The apartment was warm and inviting, with old furniture covered with quilts and photos of Mrs. Frattiani’s family lining the fireplace mantle. The scent of sweet, garlicky marinara sauce became stronger as Alex made her way to the kitchen, where she could already see Nicky shoveling in the last of the spaghetti on his plate. She couldn’t help but smile at his face smeared with red sauce. After his treatments, he hardly ate anything for a couple of days. Seeing her son’s appetite return always gave her a feeling of immense relief.
“Mommy!” Nicky wiped his face and slid from the old oak kitchen chair before running straight into Alex’s arms. “We had spaghetti tonight, and I was so hungry I had two plates.”
“That makes me very happy.” She laughed at Nicky’s exuberance. The healthy glow in his cheeks warmed her heart, obscuring some of the terrible day she’d had. “Now let’s collect your coat and go home. Say good night to Mrs. Frattiani.”
Nicky ran to Mrs. Frattiani and gave her a big hug. “’Night, Miz Frattiani.” Her son’s bright smile was a beautiful thing to see.
In addition to lack of appetite and knee pain, the treatments also made Nicky fatigued and so, so sad. Even a brand-new baseball mitt hadn’t raised his spirits after the last time they came home from the hospital, and baseball was Nicky’s favorite thing in the world. Aside from wanting a puppy, of course.
Rising from her crouched position, Alex put her arm around Mrs. Frattiani’s shoulder. “Thank you for feeding Nicky tonight.”
“He’s a pleasure to have around.” Mrs. Frattiani went to the counter and picked up a plastic container. “Here’s spaghetti and garlic bread for your dinner. You don’t eat enough.”
“Thank you.” Alex accepted the food, not feeling very hungry but grateful for the thoughtful gesture. After an entire day sitting at her desk doing virtually nothing and fretting over what was to come, her nerves were stressed to the max.
Watching Gray come and go without giving her a second glance hadn’t helped, either. Gray’s partner, Dom, gave her an even wider berth. It really was like having leprosy, but she understood their need to sever all personal ties with her. She was no longer Alex the admin. She was Alexandra Romano, police cooperator and possible future jailbird.
She and Nicky said their good-byes and went down the dimly lit hallway to their apartment. While Nicky did his homework, Alex flipped open her laptop and began searching the internet for New York State criminal code websites and related case law.
Two hours later, she massaged her temples with her fingers.
As much as she couldn’t stand Detective Simonetti, the man was right. While the twenty grand was unsolicited by her, she understood how guilty it made her look, particularly after having spent some of the money. She could indeed be charged with receiving a bribe. When she closed the laptop it made a smacking sound, reminding her of a jail cell door slamming shut.
“This is a nightmare,” she whispered. Her stomach twisted into knots as she realized she did need to make out a will. In her real name—Aileen Alexanderson�
��otherwise the document could be construed as invalid. But using her given name in a will presented some very frightening, very dangerous pitfalls.
She’d already asked her friend, Daisy, if she would be Nicky’s guardian should anything happened to her. But if she were dead, her will would still have to go through court probate, and the will would become public record. It could leave Nicky totally exposed, and she wouldn’t be there to protect him from—
Alex felt nauseous imagining the fate that might befall Nicky if he were found.
Time to make new plans. Before all my lies come back to bite me.
Alex had told Gray there was nothing else in her past, but he knew she was withholding something. She’d seen the suspicion in his eyes that night at the restaurant. She’d felt horrible lying to him, but it was necessary. At least for now.
When she’d applied for the admin position, she was fingerprinted and a criminal history and an employment history were run, but luckily that inquiry didn’t go back beyond seven years. Simonetti said they would run a more in-depth background under her real name.
In a few days they’ll know everything. They’ll find out about Nicky’s father.
If that happened, she couldn’t stick around, and cooperating with the police would cease to be an option. Alex couldn’t risk being discovered. The violence was something she couldn’t relive—and there was no way she’d allow it to touch Nicky.
Getting hit by a man as if she was his personal punching bag would never happen again. Not to her. The writing on the wall had been clear: stay with him and risk serious injury, or run. Her unborn baby was the catalyst she’d needed to leave the West Coast and never look back.
No matter how this played out, soon it would be time to leave New York and get a new job. She’d have to buy new IDs and start over. She’d done it before, and she could do it again.
Stifling a yawn, Alex went into the living room and knelt in front of the built-in bookcase. From the bottom shelf she pulled out a large, antique, embossed metal box and set it on the coffee table. She sat on the sofa and ran her hands over the cover, marveling at the exquisite decorations hammered into the metal. The box was an heirloom from her father’s family and contained Alex’s personal documents and mementos, such as newspaper clippings, her old driver’s license, college and high school transcripts, and hers and Nicky’s real birth certificates.