Page 46 of Blood Money

Alex cued up Gray’s cell phone number, but as with the text message, her call didn’t go through.

She and Nicky were alone. Stuck in a sea of commuters.

Alex shoved her phone into her pocket. Gray and Dom would be waiting for her about three blocks from where the subway would let them off. She prayed she could at least get Nicky up to street level before the men closed in on them. Then they’d run like hell.

The lights in the subway car flickered as the train began moving. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, the train coasted to a stop in the next station.

Two more stops to go.

The subway car’s doors opened. People got off, people got on. The two men remained, inching closer, Alex noted with mounting fear. More sweat trickled down her back. They had her flanked, three feet away on either side of where she and Nicky sat.

The next stop was theirs.

When the train pulled out of the station and accelerated into a turn, people standing swayed back and forth. Alex knew the route well, having taken Nicky to school via subway every weekday since he began kindergarten. She waited for the train to straighten, as she knew it would right before the stop where they would get off.

Easing the straps of her purse onto her shoulder, she clasped Nicky’s hand.

“Sweetie,” she whispered into Nicky’s ear, “we’re running late, so we’re going to stand up and get right in front of the door. When it opens we have to hurry. Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand. Okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.” He smiled up at her.

Alex clenched her teeth.

If those fuckers hurt my child, I’ll kill them. Somehow, I will kill them.

Until that moment, she didn’t fully realize the intensity of the violence she was capable of. It was a mother’s instinct to protect her child to the death.

Even on the straightaway, the subway car lurched side to side, making it difficult to walk. They made it to the doors that would slide open in either direction when the train stopped. Somehow Alex kept her balance without holding on to anything other than Nicky’s hand.

The train pulled into the station. The platform was jammed with commuters waiting to board. For once, she was counting on peoples’ inherent rudeness at trying to board while others were still exiting the train. It would assist in putting more bodies between her and the men following them.

Alex felt his breath on her neck before he even spoke.

“Come with us, and don’t make a scene.”

She turned slightly, identifying the man with the woolen cap. Bastard must have picked up on her plan for a quick getaway. Alex’s heart rate rocketed. She clenched her teeth. “Don’t touch me. Don’t touch my son.”

“If you value your son’s life,” the man said in a low voice, “do as I say.”

People amassed behind them in the subway car. More lined up outside on the platform, waiting to get on.

As the doors opened, Alex said loudly enough that other passengers heard, “Fuck off.”

She bolted from the car, dragging Nicky with her and began screaming. “Help! Somebody help! These men are attacking me.” She indicated with her head to the man in the woolen cap and his companion. “Call the police!”

Throngs of people stared at her and the two men. When the man reached out to grab her, some of the onlookers moved in to circle the men, preventing them from following her. You gotta love New Yorkers. Out-of-towners might say they were cold and unfriendly, but when you needed assistance, they rallied like nobody’s business. She didn’t wait around to find out what happened next.

Zigzagging between the masses of commuters heading to the platform, she and Nicky made it to the stairs and up to the street. The cool outside air was a welcoming embrace. Freedom. Safety.

Maybe.

Alex glanced behind her down the steps to see both men pushing their way through the crowd. She grabbed her phone from her pocket, clinging to Nicky with her other hand.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” His eyes were wide with fear, something that tugged at Alex’s heart. “You said a bad word. Are you angry with those people?”

“I’m sorry, baby. You’re right, I did say a bad word.” She’d done this to her child, placed him in danger. She would never forgive herself.

Alex walked briskly in the direction of Nicky’s school. She would have run, but Nicky could never keep up. She was about to pick Nicky up and carry him when her phone rang. Still walking and clutching his hand, she managed to answer the call.