Chapter 9 - THE COFFEE RING
Six months later.
The sun was blindingly bright as it reflected off the Pacific Ocean. The salty breeze blowing through the open windows of the sprawling beachfront house in Carmel, California, carried the scent of jasmine and warm sand.
Nakia stood at the kitchen island, chopping fresh strawberries. She was wearing comfortable linen pants and a loose white blouse, her bare feet pressing against the cool hardwood floor. She hummed a bad pop song under her breath, the same one she used to hum while dusting the penthouse in Chicago.
But Chicago felt like a lifetime ago.
Outside, the sound of childish laughter echoed from the beach. Nakia looked out the massive bay window.
Leo was running along the shoreline, a bright red kite trailing behind him in the wind. He was taller now, his cheeks flushed with healthy color, the shadows of the terror he had endured entirely erased by months of sunshine and safety. He was laughing, completely carefree, shouting something at the massive, muscular man walking a few paces behind him.
Marcus, wearing shorts and a tight t-shirt that did nothing to hide his intimidating frame, gave the boy a thumbs-up, looking completely out of place on a beach but entirely content acting as Leo’s personal bodyguard and designated kite-retriever.
Nakia smiled, a profound sense of peace settling over her.
Her sister’s murderer was dead. The Volkovs had retreated back into the shadows after the disastrous shootout at the pier. And the FBI, armed with the ledger Elias’s lawyer had anonymously mailed to them, had systematically dismantled the remnants of the Mercer criminal empire.
The darkness was gone.
Nakia picked up a mug of coffee—heavily dosed with sugar—and walked out onto the expansive wooden deck overlooking the ocean.
Sitting in a plush armchair, reading a thick hardcover history book, was a man in a crisp white linen shirt.
He looked up as she approached.
Elias Mercer’s face was tanned, the harsh, icy lines of the crime boss softened by the coastal sun. He still moved a bit slowly, a lingering reminder of the bullet that had shattered three ribs and nearly destroyed his liver, but his eyes were bright, clear, and alive.
He hadn't died on the pier. It had taken ten hours of emergency surgery, a month in a private, heavily guarded ICU, and entirely too much of Nakia screaming at doctors, but his stubbornness had prevailed.
When he had finally woken up, the first thing he saw was Nakia sitting in the hospital chair, clutching the silver family ring.
He had kept his promise. He walked away from the underworld entirely. The ring controlled a vast, legally acquired fortune, and he had used it to buy this sanctuary in Carmel, moving Nakia, Leo, and Marcus far away from the blood and the rain of Chicago.
"You're squinting," Nakia said, setting her coffee mug down on the glass patio table next to his chair. "You need your reading glasses."
Elias closed the book, marking his page. "I do not need reading glasses. The glare from the water is simply intense today."
"Sure," Nakia teased, leaning against the railing. "And the fact that you held that book an arm's length away is just a stylistic choice."
Elias smiled. A genuine, warm smile that still made Nakia’s heart flutter every time she saw it. "How is the boy?"
"Exhausting Marcus," Nakia laughed, nodding toward the beach. "He asked Marcus to build him a sandcastle. Marcus is currently applying structural engineering principles to a moat. It’s terrifyingly efficient."
Elias chuckled, standing up slowly. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as they watched the waves crash against the shore.
"He's happy," Elias said softly. "You made him safe."
"We made him safe," Nakia corrected, leaning back against his chest. She reached up, tracing the faint, jagged scar visible above the collar of his shirt. "I think he likes having you around. You’re much less intimidating when you're wearing linen."
"I am still highly intimidating," Elias argued, though he kissed the side of her neck, entirely ruining the effect.
"Whatever you say, tough guy," Nakia smiled, closing her eyes and leaning into his warmth.
They stood there in comfortable silence, listening to the ocean. The ghosts of the past—Maya, Silas, the flooded basement—still haunted them occasionally in the dark, but in the daylight, they were just memories. They had built a new life from the ashes of the old one.
Elias reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, velvet box and set it on the railing in front of her.
Nakia’s breath hitched. She stared at the box, then turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide. "Elias..."
"You already have the family ring," Elias said, his voice dropping into that smooth, controlled tone, though she could feel his heart beating rapidly against her back. "But that was given to you in blood and fear. I want to give you something in the light."
Nakia turned around, her hands trembling as she reached for the box. She opened it. Inside, resting on white velvet, was a stunning, flawless diamond ring, elegant and understated, perfectly matching her style.
Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Elias..."
"I am a difficult man, Nakia," Elias said, looking deeply into her eyes, completely vulnerable. "I am demanding. I am rigid. But you are the only unpredictable thing I have ever wanted in my life. You brought chaos into my penthouse, and you brought light into my soul. Let me take care of you. Let me take care of Leo. Let me be the family you both deserve."
Nakia let out a wet laugh, a tear spilling over her lashes. She looked at the man who had burned his entire empire to the ground just to keep her safe.
"You are a difficult man," she agreed, smiling through her tears. "But you're my difficult man."
She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. Elias held her tight, his hand burying in her hair, the ring box crushed safely between them.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were smiling like teenagers. Elias took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.
"Hey!" a voice yelled from the beach.
They looked down. Leo was waving frantically, Marcus standing behind him looking mildly embarrassed.
"Are we going to get ice cream, or are you guys just going to kiss all day?" Leo shouted.
Nakia laughed out loud, leaning her head against Elias's chest. "We better hurry. He's very demanding."
"I'm used to it," Elias said, kissing the top of her head.
He turned to grab his book, but as he looked down at the glass patio table, he stopped.
Nakia’s coffee mug was sitting directly on top of the glass. Beneath it, a dark, perfectly round ring of condensation was forming.
Elias stared at it for a long second.
Nakia watched him, holding her breath, a playful smirk on her lips.
Elias looked at the coffee ring. Then he looked at Nakia.
May you like
He smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on," Elias said, leading her toward the stairs down to the beach, leaving the coffee ring exactly where it was. "Let's go get ice cream."
