Chapter 50
CHAPTER 50
ARMAN
E llie is in shock. She is operating, but the news hasn’t really hit her yet. I watch her closely but she’s hiding her emotion well and as we head to my den, I cling onto her hand as if she could fall at any moment.
Luka is waiting with Marsha’s purse, the contents scattered on the desk which signifies all that’s left of the woman that fell holding it.
Ellie gazes silently at the objects and I say coolly, “What have you found?”
Luka says with zero emotion, “Nothing except her wallet with credit cards and some dollars. Make-up, perfume and a notebook. Nothing more.”
Ellie asks, “Then he must have wanted her phone.”
I’m impressed with the way she is dealing with this as she turns her attention to the mystery rather than the outcome, and Luka nods. “I’ve scrolled through it and the contacts list is impressive. It will take some time to download the messages, most of which are probably useless, but we may discover something of interest there.”
He points to a bunch of keys lying on the desk.
“I’m guessing these are to her apartment. It may be useful to search it. Then there are her other properties, computer files, and safe to filter through.”
“I will have access to those.” Ellie says with a hint of excitement.
“If I am her next of kin, the cops wouldn’t think twice if I visited her homes.”
She turns to me and her eyes glitter with excitement. “We may find everything you need there. It may solve this mystery and find your father’s killer.”
I swear my heart is full as I stare at this amazing woman as she puts my needs before hers. It’s all she wants. To help me and despite Luka watching us silently, I pull her into my arms and hold on tight, burying my face against her neck and whispering, “I don’t deserve you, malysh.”
She clings onto me as if she’s afraid to fall and Luka says diplomatically, “I’ll go and arrange the visit to her apartment.”
He leaves us alone and I waste no time in pulling back and kissing her long and hard. Needing the contact. Needing my lips on hers. Needing her.
When I allow air to pass between us, she whispers, “I’m okay, Arman. You don’t need to worry. ”
“But she was your mother. It may hit you when you least expect it.”
“You’re wrong.” She shakes her head sadly. “She was never my mother. I just rented space in her womb. My mother died from cancer. She wasn’t targeted by a hitman and left to bleed out on the sidewalk. That person wasn’t my mother. She was nothing to me.”
The ice in her voice tugs on my heart. Ellie is strong. Stronger than I was when I heard of my father’s death. Strong because she dealt with her grandmother’s death on her own and strong because she is surviving what I’m putting her through.
I don’t deserve her and she doesn’t deserve me. She should demand more. She should expect more. The trouble is, I’m a greedy bastard, and she is now stuck with me and it’s up to me to make it worth her while.
Ellie sits beside me as the cops pay us a visit and break the sad news to her officially.
She nods in all the right places and asks the expected questions, and they appear satisfied with her responses.
“What happens now?” Ellie asks, and the officer smiles kindly.
“Her body will be returned to you after we finish our investigations. You may want to arrange her funeral in the meantime.”
“What about the investigation into her death?” Ellie asks. “Is there CCTV footage of the man who did this?”
“We’re working on it, Miss Adams. As soon as there is any information, we will let you know.”
She stands and her colleague smiles his sympathy and as we show them out, Ellie’s hand is clasped firmly in mine .
When they leave, she sighs with relief. “Thank God for that. They know nothing. They don’t appear to have discovered the body of the man your men, um, apprehended. I am so worried you will be in trouble for that.”
I smile and spin her to face me and, staring deep into her gorgeous eyes, I whisper, “That man is a ghost and his body will never be found. We clean up our shit and this will be no exception.”
She shivers as I drag my thumb across her tempting lips. “You’re a bad man, Arman Romanov. Why does that turn me on so much?”
“Because you are the other half of my soul, malysh, and you always will be.”
“Is it wrong to have sex when your parent dies, Arman?” She asks, the longing heavy in her voice and I say huskily, “Fuck what’s right. You’re coming with me.”