There was no one at the pool when we arrived, and after I set the towels on a chair and slipped off my flip-flops, I stepped into the warm water. Ric went to the controls and turned the jets on, giving us thirty minutes to sit and relax. We both went to jets that hit the perfect spot for each of us. I hadn’t had a hard day or even had to sit in a car for hours, but the hard spray of the water felt good nonetheless.
"I think I might be ready to start teaching again," I said.
"Oh yeah?"
I lifted a shoulder. "I'm not sure how to get a license out here yet, but I've been thinking about it. It might take some time before I can drive myself, but I think I want to go back. I miss it."
"Whatever you want to do, you know I'll support you. Momma and I can drive you. It won't be a problem."
I smiled and moved across the round hot tub to straddle Ric's lap. "And that's why I fell in love with you. You always have my back." Even the night I had thought he was going to take me back to the warehouse, I'd come to believe he had been telling me the truth because I'd never known him to lie to me.
"For the rest of our lives." He captured my lips with his and ran his hand along the sides of my bikini bottoms, cupping my ass. I deepened the kiss, not caring if any neighbors were watching. He groaned. "Better be careful, or I might fuck you right here."
"No one can see under the water." I bit my lip.
Ric smirked. "Tempting, but I have other plans for us."
"Oh?"
He nudged his head toward the chairs where our towels were. A little black box was sitting on top of my hot pink towel.
My head snapped back to him, eyes wide. "Ric?" I breathed.
He smiled and stood, my legs still wrapped around his waist. I hung on as he walked up the steps and then set me down in front of the lounge chairs. He reached for the box as my heart hammered in my chest.
He opened the lid and got down on one knee, water dripping from both of us. I looked down to see a pear-shaped diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds on a silver-colored band. "I think I'm supposed to have some long speech about how you swept me off my feet or how it was love at first sight, but our love story doesn't go like that. Ours is long, heartbreaking at times, and unforgettable. There hasn't been a day in the last eleven years when I haven't thought about your beautiful face or smiled when I heard your voice each morning. You make everything worth living. Will you marry me, baby?"
I nodded, tears rolling down my cheeks. "The answer will always be yes."
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ric
One Month Later…
After everything had gone downthatday, Marcus, Tyler, and all the men who had worked for Frank and Saffron vanished. I didn't know what had happened to them. They had no reason to turn on me, Frankie, or Zell, given Saffron and Frank were dead, so I tried not to think about them. If anything, it would be one of the ladies who would need to turn them in, not the other way around.
Momma sold her house after many months on the market. As soon as the check came in, she gave me money to get Erin a ring."When I die, it's all yours anyway."She wasn't dying anytime soon.
Someone that did die was Marco. Momma received a call three months ago from his neighbor that Marco had died from a blood clot in his leg. The clot broke off in his sleep and traveled to his brain, killing him instantly. Neither Momma nor I shed any tears.
Everything seemed to be going well until I got a text from Frankie as I was getting ready for work. I hadn't heard from him since Christmas when we'd had dinner with him and his family.
Frankie:Thought you'd want to see this.
There was a link attached that read:DecomposedTorso Washes Up On Shore of the Hudson.
My stomach dropped. How long did it take for bodies to decompose in water? Wouldn't the flesh have been eaten already? Maybe someone else had a thing for killing people and throwing them into the harbor, and it had nothing to do with us.
Me:Keep me updated.
Frankie:Will do.
Not only had the police been looking for Frank and Saffron because of the women and Martin, but Quinn had filed a missing person's report. After some time, she had been able to get a divorce from him, and Frankie and Quinn had sold or rented out everything they owned before also moving to California.
I walked out to the living room and handed Erin my phone. "Frankie just texted me this."
She took it and read it before looking up at me with wide eyes. "Is it …?"
