Chapter 75 Percy
Percy’s POV
I paced the length of the living room with my phone practically glued to my ear as I barked orders at every private security contractor I still had on the payroll. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Tiny methodically check the locks on the glass windows, but my real focus, the only thing that actually mattered, was sitting on the edge of the sofa.
Adeline had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs as she stared blindly at the television that I was pretty sure was off.
Just hours ago, she had been out laughing with Zara, finding a piece of a normal life. Now, all that happiness had been drained out of her, and I felt so freaking useless.
I was wealthier than most generations combined together, yet I couldn't do something as simple as give my woman peace of mind.
My phone buzzed violently against the glass coffee table, and it yanked me out of my thoughts.
I snatched it up, my heart seizing when I saw the caller ID. "It’s Miller."
I answered the call and put him on speaker so Adeline could hear. "Tell me you have a lead, Detective."
"Stand down, Akilov," Miller’s voice crackled through the speaker.
"Stand down?"
"Call off your dogs."
I frowned. "What are you talking about? Has Kozlov been spotted?"
"Kozlov had nothing to do with this."
Adeline and I blinked in surprise, and she moved closer to me. "What do you mean? Vance gave you Ilya's location. He’s the only loose end."
"Yeah, well, it turns out Vance had a lot of loose ends," Miller replied dryly. "The autopsy just came in. Vance wasn't assassinated; he was beaten to death with a baseball bat. It was so incredibly sloppy there was no way it could have been professional."
"A baseball bat?" I repeated, knowing that if that was true, then there was no way it could be Ilya. "Who killed him, Miller?"
"We already have the guy in custody," Miller said. "NYPD picked him up twenty minutes ago trying to run. His name is Sal Maroni. He’s a loan shark operating out of an illegal shop."
"A loan shark?" Adeline breathed, the disbelief evident in her soft voice.
"Vance had a massive gambling problem," Miller explained. "He hid it well from his firm, but the guy owed Maroni more than a hundred grand. Maroni sent two of his muscle guys to collect last night. They were supposed to break his legs to send a message, but things got out of hand. One of them swung too hard, cracked his skull, and they panicked."
"It’s a coincidence, Percy, an ill-timed one but a coincidence. As far as the NYPD is concerned, Ilya Kozlov is still completely off the grid."
"Understood," I said quietly. "Thank you for the update, Detective."
For a long moment, neither of us moved. We both let the adrenaline that had spiked in us crash. I stood perfectly still before I very slowly raised my trembling hands and dragged them over my face to exhale very loudly.
"A loan shark," I whispered, shaking my head. "I was ready to lock you in this penthouse for the next six months. I had Tiny pulling all his best contacts, and for what? A bookie from Queens?"
She stood up and wrapped her slender arms around my waist, resting her cheek against my chest.
"We're jumping at shadows," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in the crook of her neck. I held her impossibly tight, breathing in the soft scent of her perfume. "God, Adeline. I am so terrified of losing you that I’m letting the absence of that man dictate every move we make."
"It’s okay," she soothed, running her hands in a calming rhythm up and down my back. "It’s okay to be scared, Percy. We have every right to be."
"No, it’s not," I countered softly, pulling back just enough to look into her beautiful eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Because if we live like this, if we jump at every shadow and lock ourselves away every time a door slams, that means Ilya doesn't even need to come back to New York to win. He’s already destroying our lives without lifting a finger. He could be dead, but his fear still lives on in our minds."
She looked up at me with a new conviction in her eyes. "You're right. We can't allow him to do that to us."
She took a step back, reached down, and picked up the shopping bags. Tiny had dropped in the foyer hours ago.
"What are you doing?" I asked, watching her with a confused smile.
"I am going into the bedroom to try on the ridiculously expensive suit my new friend bullied me into buying," she declared, tossing the bags over her shoulder with a smirk. "Then, we are going to order Chinese or Thai takeout, open that bottle of Macallan, and enjoy our Saturday because I refuse to let him ruin my night."
It occurred to me then how completely devoted I was to this woman. She was it for me.
"I love you," I smiled, the warmth finally returning to my blood.
"I know," she sassed before turning toward the hallway with a sway of her hips. "Now, go tell Tiny to stand down before he accidentally tackles the delivery guy."
An hour later, Tiny had retired to his quarters. The heavy security shutters he set up had been removed to reveal the pretty Manhattan skyline, and a massive spread that we ordered was laid out across the coffee table.
I looked up when I heard the click of heels on the floor, and the breath completely left my lungs. My woman looked absolutely stunning, and more importantly, she looked like she could take anybody on in the suit she had on.
I had to give it to Zara; she knew what she was talking about. She had left her hair down around her shoulders, creating a pretty contrast to how fierce she looked in the suit.
"Well?" she asked, doing a slow spin. "Zara said I shouldn't try to blend in anymore. She said I needed to show them the teeth."
"Zara is a genius," I murmured, setting the glasses down and standing up. "You look incredibly beautiful, Adeline. You look like you could take over Royal and Associates tomorrow."
"Don't tempt me," she laughed, walking over and wrapping her arms around my neck.
I pulled her in for a slow, deep kiss, letting the anxiety of the day completely wash away.
When we broke apart, she quickly ran inside to remove it before we both dropped down onto the plush rug and enjoyed our takeout.
For the rest of the night, we spoke about everything and anything except the bad things.
We talked about Zara, about the firm, and more importantly, we laughed until my chest physically ached and tears rolled down her eyes.
I sat back, watching her gesture animatedly with her fork as she recounted Zara's absolute destruction of her oops.
In that moment, I realized Ilya Kozlov had already lost because he wanted us to be terrified, but watching Adeline laugh and snort made me realize that we were free.