Page 110 of Past Due

Chapter Twenty-Seven

As Aston’s wild laugh bounced off the walls of the penthouse, Besian pushed the door of his home office shut so he could concentrate on his phone call. On the other end of the line, Zec asked, “Hey? Are you still there?”

“Yes, sorry. What were you saying?”

“I said I met with Darko, and we talked about the information you shared with me.”

“And?”

“Darko’s technical advisor had an employee by that name,” Zec said, careful not to say too much. Even with all of the layers of security they used, there was always a chance someone was listening. “The employee’s address you have? It’s old. They were living in Kosovo when they worked for the tech advisor.”

“So, this employee is the connection between our two problems?”

“It seems so,” Zec agreed. “There’s something else.”

“What?”

“The employee is a woman.”

Besian blinked. “A woman?”

“Yes. Funny thing that, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Besian thought about it for a moment. “Of course, the person who identified this employee only heard the name.”

“And if the name ended with, say, -ienne instead of –ian,” Zec suggested.

“Yes. Exactly.” Besian had another thought. “What color is the employee’s hair?”

“Blonde.”

And there it was. Another piece of the puzzle falling into place. Of course, that led to more questions. Chiefly, how did Adrienne end up dead on Marley’s kitchen floor? How did Marley’s mother meet Adrienne? Was Marley’s mother in on the plan to steal the crypto wallets? Did Kim know where they were?

“I’m going to run things down on this end,” Zec said. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Same.” He ended the call and powered off the burner. Planting his hands on his desk, he leaned forward and sighed, dropping his head and stretching his shoulders. The day had been long, and he still had a night of visiting his clubs and checking in on his other illegal operations ahead of him.

He sank down into his desk chair and stared at the neatly arranged stack of account statements and legal paperwork he had pulled together before Zec’s call. Every legal thing he owned was in that stack. It had been a long time since he had taken stock of all that he had accomplished. Years, really.

Seeing it now, thumbing through the accounts and the deeds and miscellaneous partnerships, had been staggering. Seeing the numbers, seeing all that he could offer Marley and the family they wanted someday, filled him with an incredible sense of pride. Even if he walked away from the loan sharking and gambling, his wife and children would enjoy a quality of life he had never imagined possible as a hungry kid hiding in a closet from his vicious mother.

How many years had he wasted with his mother’s cruel voice rattling around in his head? How much self-hatred had he endured because of that horrible woman? He had almost lost Marley because of his inability to let the past go.

No more.

Never again.

He remembered what Marley had said to him that morning in the hotel after he bared his soul and the secrets of his childhood. You are wanted. You are loved.

As much as he wanted to believe that Marley’s love could fix him, he understood why she had tentatively suggested he see a therapist. He had been instantly defensive when she carefully broached the subject over lunch, but she had soothed his raw nerves by explaining she intended to see a therapist again to talk about her mother stealing from her and Spider going to prison. He didn’t like the idea of some stranger digging into his life, and there were things he would never reveal to any therapist, regardless of the doctor-patient privilege.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t talk to someone about his mother. It wasn’t fair of him to expect Marley to fix him. After all, she didn’t expect him to fix her. She took responsibility for her own mental health and had been clear that she wanted to be the best version of herself possible, for herself, for him, for their marriage and someday for their children.

He had to show her that he was serious about being a good partner and husband. Even if he hated it, even if it made him uncomfortable, he had to try. He would keep a secret, but he would go.

He left the neat stack of paperwork on his desk for Marley to look through later. He turned off the lights on the way out of his office and quietly shut his door, not wanting to draw any attention. Aston had brought dinner and friends to cheer up Marley with a belated bridal shower of sorts. He had been banished from every room but the master bedroom and his office. Not that he minded, of course. To see Marley smile and laugh after the last few days was worth any inconvenience.

Inside the bedroom, he headed for the closet and picked out a suit for the night. He showered quickly and shaved again, swiping away his five o’clock shadow. He dressed with his usual efficiency and opted for simple silver cufflinks and a vintage Breguet that he hadn’t pulled out of his watch case in a while. He slipped into his jacket last and made sure to leave cash and a credit card on the dresser for Marley, just in case.

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