Page 100 of Forbidden Confessions: Vol. 2
“Yeah. Marco Donzelli is a monster. He specializes in trafficking young women to rich buyers overseas who do unspeakable things to them before snuffing them out when they’ve lost their luster—or their fight. These are sick fucks, so when Ridge came to me with this case, we decided to go into business together. He’s insinuated himself in the organization and is feeding the feds information. I’ve been posing as a rival setting up shop. Donzelli’s right hand, Paul Carboni, was the one who tried to cap me last night. He won’t have that chance again. I made sure of it.”
Meaning he killed the guy? Then again, what was Ransom supposed to do? The mobster wouldn’t have hesitated to off him. “When?”
“This morning.”
He looks really fucking collected for someone who ended another person’s life mere hours ago, but maybe he’s at peace knowing he put a stop to someone who only hurts others. “Wow.”
“That means my part of this case is over. Ridge is almost ready to cash out and end Donzelli. Then it will be done.”
“Won’t there be other capos or bosses or whatever they’re called who want revenge?”
“Donzelli and the rest of the organization think I’m dead, so that solves my problem. Ridge’s situation is a little tougher, but the good news is, I think we have enough evidence to put the heavy hitters away for a long time. The rest are just underlings with no real power. They’re cockroaches who will scamper to the dark cracks of society and disappear. But if I’m wrong…I may be hired in the future to do a little exterminating.”
It’s a lot to take in, and being in Ransom’s life will never be simple. On the other hand, he’s fighting for right, isn’t he? He cares about innocent people. Boys my age only give a damn about getting ass and getting wasted, which is why none of them ever interested me. Honestly, I can’t picture my life with anyone except Ransom. We’ll have challenges to work through, but doesn’t every couple?
“Say something.” Ransom looks tense.
“You ever off anyone besides criminals? I mean, you’re not the kind of guy someone would hire to blow away the cheating spouse they can’t afford to divorce, right?”
He scowls. “Hell no. But the reality is, some criminals slip through the cracks of the justice system. They know the right people, have enough money to buy their freedom, or have lawyers who know how to subvert the adjudication process. They’ll never see the inside of a jail cell, and their crimes are too horrific to let them continue walking the streets. That’s where people like Ridge and me come in.”
“Is this mafia thing the only one you’re working on?”
“It’s Ridge’s only case. For a while now. This has been my main focus for a few months, too, but I’ve got other cases back-burnered. It will be nice to pivot back to some that don’t require me to use my particular skill.”
Ransom has a good heart. It isn’t his words alone that convince me. I see it in his eyes. I feel it in his touch. I know it in the way he’s finished raising Ethan. Ransom is solid. He’s honest. He’s everything I could ever want.
“Thanks for telling me all that. But if you thought that would get rid of me, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m still stuck on you.”
His smile as he pulls me closer is full of relief. “I’m not trying to get rid of you at all, baby girl. In fact…” He pulls something from his pocket, then opens his palm to reveal a sparkling diamond solitaire. “How about marrying me?”
Oh, my god. That ring in his palm—hell, the earnest expression on his face—tells me he’s totally serious.
My eyes widen. I clap a hand over my gaping mouth. But I know what I want. I know who my heart belongs to. “Yes!”
I’ve never considered myself a super-emotional girl, but the joy on his face as he whoops and slides the ring on my finger has my eyes welling with tears. When the band fits perfectly, as if it was made just for me, the drops fall down my cheeks.
Ransom cups my face in his hands. “I love you, Havana. I’m going to make you so happy.”
“I love you, too. We’re going to make each other happy. But you should know…Shadow and I are a package deal.” I gesture to the sleeping feline.
He eyes her with a grin. “If she makes you happy, then she’s coming home with us.”
“Thank you.” Then something occurs to me, and I bite my lip. “What about Ethan?”
“We’ve talked. He knows how I feel. He’s happy for us. And he’ll be starting the next chapter of his life in a few months, after graduation. He just needs to decide whether he’s going to college first or heading straight for the military. Either way, the kid is solid and strong. He’s going to be fine.”
“He is,” I assure him. “But he’s not a kid anymore. He’s a man now. The way he helped me, the way he was so cool under pressure… He’s amazing.”
Ransom takes my hand and stares at his ring winking there. “If I didn’t know better, I’d worry you’re interested in him.”
“Nope. Never really was.” I wrap my arms around Ransom’s neck. “I couldn’t get interested because his father is way hotter.”
Suddenly, he presses his body tight against me and his lips capture mine. Just like our very first kiss in Ransom’s kitchen, he steals my breath—and my heart. I have a feeling the rest of my life will be filled with laughter, love, and the kind of toe-curling passion most of my friends have searched for endlessly in their hookups.
“And Ethan already told me that if I married you, he’d have the hottest stepmom ever. But I’m way luckier. I’ll have the most amazing vet and wife.” He seizes my lips again, wrapping his fingers in my hair and unleashing all his raw passion into the kiss. When he finally pulls away, I’m panting hard, squirming on the granite, and praying he has plans to take me to bed again soon. “So…how fast can we get married?”
“In a hurry?”
