Page 127 of Playboy Billionaire's Fake Marriage

Carmen wipes away a tear. “But that was still not why I left.”

“What? There’s more?” I gasp.

“It gets worse. Over the following months, I started snooping around, looking for other things he could be mixed up with. The signs of drug trafficking were pretty easy to pick– having been on the streets myself. But what broke me was a stash of CDs I found.”

Ryan questions, “CDs?”

“Yes, a collection. Thirty or forty, each clearly labeled by date. I thought they were his favorite albums or something. But no, turns out they were like the video he’d been watching the other night. He’s a monster.” She finishes in a shaky voice.

Antonio finally speaks in a cold flat tone. “He’s a dead man.”

Ryan’s tone is equally chilly. “Death would be too merciful.”

“Not the way I do it,” Antonio argues.

“Baby?” Ryan nudges me to ask what I think. I can’t believe he’s actually asking me for permission to order a hit on Don. His cousin. A part of me desperately wants Don’s physical suffering, but I can’t bring myself to approve this. “I–No.”

Ryan nods. “Alright. Get your head back in the game Antonio. Don will live to face the music. Looks like we will find plenty to nail him. Carmen, do you know where he keeps this CD collection?”

“There’s a large safe in his library. I know the combination.”

Ryan points out, “That was four years ago. He would have changed it.”

Carmen only shakes her head. “That’s the thing though. He has a pattern he never strays from, that’s how I figured out the combination in the first place. He changes it every thirty days, but he keeps the pattern the same. I know the pattern, and I dare say I can get the combination.”

“Good. Shaping up much earlier than I thought it’d be. Antonio will get you to the library safe then.”

“But hasn’t Don moved to Seattle?” Carmen asks.

Ryan replies, “Only about a week ago. Somehow, I doubt he’s had time to transfer any ‘precious’ cargo.

Carmen blows out a steadying breath. “Okay. I’ll come to New York.”

“Thanks, Carmen. And, you can rest easy. Don is going to prison. My friends and I will see that he stays there for the rest of his life.

Antonio adds, “And mine will see that he dies there.” His words carry a chill and an unshakeable resolve that even Ryan doesn’t argue.

Mouth tight, Ryan only nods at Antonio, then says to Carmen “I’ll see you in New York tomorrow. Best prepare to stay for a few days, a week tops. You’ll need to give your statement to the police.”

“Okay, Ryan,” Carmen replies and then addresses the other man. “Antonio, does that mean you’re coming to Mendoza today?”

“I’ll be there at midnight. Be ready to leave immediately.” He clips, and then his screen goes off.

Carmen shoots a nervous laugh. “Someone’s mad. But when isn’t he mad?”

“Don’t I know it?” Ryan bites out. “The last place the man wants to go is Argentina. He wishes like hell he could point his jet to Seattle and go have a talk with Don. But he’ll do as he’s told. For now.”

I hear what Ryan isn’t saying. It’s in his sigh of resignation.

Antonio will eventually kill Don.

Carmen says her goodbyes. “Guys, I have to go pack. It’s going to be fucking freezing in New York. Ugh.” Her face disappears from the screen.

I’m still sitting in Ryan’s lap, his hand splayed low on my belly, fingers stroking the soft skin under my shirt when he asks, “Are you still up for our friends to come in tomorrow?”

“Yeah. But I’m just thinking, Carmen will be here too? Would meeting the guys not blow her cover?”

“She doesn’t need to hide anymore since Don is going down. But my worry is that Carmen is likely to show up with the tapes. So they need to know about those too.

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