His hot stare follows the motion. “Oh, I do. But this is too important to get sidetracked. If the conversation goes the way I hope, I’ll definitely be happy to let you distract me, because, damn… The view of your front is even better than the one from the back.”
With a smile, I take his hand. He leads me down the shadowy hall and into the kitchen, then lifts me—bare-assed—onto the kitchen island. Across the room, Shadow lies cuddled on an upholstered chair at the breakfast table. She eyes us, seemingly decides we’re not a threat, then closes her eyes contentedly again.
Ransom spreads my legs and steps between them. His expression turns solemn. He takes my face in his hands. “Havana, here’s the truth: I’m an assassin.”
Since he delivers every word without a hint of humor, I don’t doubt him. And apparently, Ethan wasn’t BSing me. “I know.”
Ransom raises a brow. “You do? And you’re not shocked?”
“Maybe a little. Who do you work for, the mafia?”
“That’s actually who we’re trying to shut down. The truth is, my youngest brother, Ridge, and I went into business together to take cases too dirty for the cops or the feds. Before that, we both served in different branches of the military. I was a SEAL. Ridge was Delta Force. Army. Rand and Rush were marines.”
So he’s not one of the bad guys. My gut told me that all along. It was my head—trying to protect my heart—that filled me with doubt. “That’s badass.”
He gives me a cynical shrug. “It also means we’ve all done things for God and country we never anticipated and we’re not particularly proud of. When an enemy combatant needed ending off the normal field of battle, I was usually chosen. They called me Glacier.”
Ransom looks like he expects me to be horrified and walk away from him. I get the feeling he’s been judged before, so I blank my face and listen. “You were doing your job. And you got out.”
He nods. “About five years ago. Ethan’s mom, Lydia, called to tell me she couldn’t handle him anymore and asked if I wanted full custody. I won’t diss her, because she did the hardest parts, birthing and getting him through the first fourteen years. But she was a child raising a child, and she didn’t always put Ethan first. My hitch was about up, and I’d been contemplating lucrative offers from the private sector. The timing worked out, so I left the navy and took Ethan. A few years ago, Ridge left Delta Force to tackle this bitch of a case. Personal reasons, he said. He wanted to end a mafia operation by infiltrating it from the inside.”
“So that’s what you’ve been doing? That’s who shot you last night?”
“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, babygirl. 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.” 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.”