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Part 4
He was back at his Rangeman desk going over changes on an existing contract up for renewal. Today was the first time he ever drove one of his cars with a baby and a car seat. Tank gently coaxed Stephanie to drive Ranger's Cayenne while he was away since it was all-wheel drive and had front, side, and overhead airbags for their safety knowing Ranger would insist if he had been here. He liked the additions to it. After Brody's first birthday party on Saturday, he was taking time off to be just the three of them. The portable crib that was removed was back in the corner of his office. The men had a good chuckle during the morning update at his expense or the 'Werewolf's' when the security tape was run. Lorenzo and Fluffette he hoped wouldn't be visiting tonight, he'd be ready or his name wasn't Ranger Manoso, all around Bad-Ass, Night Watchman, and Werewolf of a delusional crazed man in slippers. He was still chuckling at last night. This neighborhood might not be too bad. Lorenzo would provide Ranger with a good test subject of security equipment; he would be able to tweak it just right.
His eyes kept resting on the baby picture Stephanie had on his desk. Brody had a big smile lying on his stomach peeking out from under a blanket. Ranger and Stephanie made one gorgeous baby. His hair and eyes were his father's, but had Stephanie's heart shaped face and her wide eye shape. When his hair was wet it curled at the ends.
A good portion of last evening was spent turning page after page of a scrapbook Stephanie kept of the first year of Brody's life for him from the first photographs in the hospital of a newborn up until his son crawling and attempting his first steps. But, no more would he miss another moment, he contract was fulfilled and he had no where else to be but with Stephanie and Brody. One last photograph was slipped to him, Stephanie told him she was photographed one week before their son was born. It was a dramatic black and white photograph by the photographer who captured all of the portraits. He recognized she was wearing a white shirt of his, he knew because of the initials 'RCM' stitched where the pocket should be. One button was buttoned at her breasts and her very round, pregnant Brody belly was showing above unzipped jeans and her bare toes showing. She had the most serene expression on her face looking down at their soon-to-be born son safe and warm inside her and was never more beautiful with her curls full all around her. It put an ache in his heart, he missed her pregnancy, but that photograph was so damn sexy, he was surprised either one of them could walk today.
Tank sat down in the chair opposite his desk seeing his friend's piercing eyes soft studying the baby picture on his desk and Ranger's attention turned to him.
"He's something isn't he?" Tank asked.
Ranger's response one word, "Yeah," his eyes focused back on the picture again.
He picked up a swishing in the hallway along with 'THUMP'. Ranger laughed hearing Stephanie call him "Crash Boy" and noticed low on the walls touch-ups Luis must have done and a couple of scratches on his desk not that they mattered. Stephanie had a walker for Brody there and he was coming.
"Da," peeking around the door frame.
Holding his hands out, "Brody."
He pushed himself over across the carpet beside his father. Lifting him out and into his lap, "Did you come see me?"
He gave Tank and him a big grin, "No." His brown eyes were on the small jar of 'Cheerios' on the corner of his desk that his mother kept for a snack. There were also boxes of the cereal in the break room the boss noticed. He guessed his men were eating them, too, from the number of boxes. The cereal was healthy.
Opening the jar and laying a few 'O's on the desk within Brody's reach.
"Enjoy your snacks," Tank laughed going out the office. The baby was feeding cereal to his father as he ate.
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"Ranger, are you up there?" Stephanie called up to the small loft over the living room which she had furnished as a simple office with a pull-out sofa bed for any guests. "With Brody?"
'"We're here, Babe."
Stephanie was on the top step. Brody was holding onto the sofa and inching along it, blocks scattered on the floor. Ranger was checking out the desk, fax machine, and wall of bookshelves and storage sections with roll-top fronts.
"Ranger, did you hook the baby gate?"
The gate at the top of the stairs was open. There was one at the bottom also that Frank installed.
He looked at her and his eyes searched out Brody by the sofa, his shoulders slumped, "No, I forgot. I'm sorry, Babe. This baby stuff is so new to me."
Stephanie closed it and walked over to the visably upset man, "Nothing happened. Brody's fine. Come here for a baby lesson," taking his hand and stepping over in the center of the loft. "Get down."
She kneeled down and Ranger did the same.
"Look around at everything at this height. This is what Brody sees and can get into. I keep all the cleaning products up out of his reach or I have baby locks on the cupboards. I also keep the bathroom doors closed so he can't get in there if I'm not there."
Ranger looked around the small area as his son would see it. Covers were on the unused outlets, the side table next to the sofa bed was round, the lower shelves in the bookcase had a few books and just for accent she had a set of big white dice with black dots. A Porsche replica was on a top shelf and any files he kept here could be locked behind the roll-tops away from little fingers. He was getting an education in baby.
Brody took that opportunity to crawl over to a baby size Daddy and climb over him. Stephanie relocked the gate leaving father and son rolling on the floor. "Children," she thought smiling at her two boys.
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Lorenzo had to be a loon. They found a ring of garlic hanging on the front door knob when Stephanie, Brody and he came home after Rangeman. Posted on telephone poles and in the mail box was a copy of a drawing of a snarling fang toting Werewolf with big round glass eyeballs with the message 'BEWARE!'. Ranger thought his nose was a little too big.
Watching the time and lap top, he had some new equipment he just had to try and see if there were any quirks in its workability.
Tonight his laptop was interfaced into the security system; Lorenzo was caught on the camera coming from the opposite direction across the street. He was wearing those white satin slippers and a garlic necklace just like the white puff on legs. He was tapping a stick as he walked. It had streamers of garlic attached to it. If he had read his folklore is was rye and mistletoe which were thought to be safeguards against the creature. There was a thin rope attached to Ranger's foot running out the window and looped around a tree branch. He gave a tug to shake the branch.
"Wh---oo's there?" Lorenzo choked out on the screen.
The branch shook again and the leaves rustled. "The Night Watchman." A voice came out of the night sounding like it was every where. "I'm watching you."
"Pleeeeease! Don't eat me or Fluffette. We're not tasteeeeey," the scared man stuttered back
Ranger tapped a button and green eyes were glowing in the tree and leaves were moving again. Speaking into a micro phone which disguised his voice and threw it, "Did you clean up after that little morsel?"
"Here," shaking a baggie and a tissue. "I always wipe. AUGH!! It's an infestation," the man wearing pink striped bike shorts screamed seeing green eyes in the tree and to right and near the 'STOP' sign. He didn't know which way to run.
"Ranger, what are you doing?" Stephanie call up to him.
"Nothing, Babe."
He heard the front door open, "Oh My God! Lorenzo's lying in the street!"
A couple of the neighbors were out trying to assist the down man.
"Don't eat me! Don't eat me!" He yelled flaying his arms.
Stephanie and Brody were kneeling beside him, her hand trying to steady the frightened man, "Lorenzo! Lorenzo, that's Fluffette. What happened?"
The small poodle with garlic accents was licking its owner's face.
"Fluffette! You're alive. Oh, Precious," hugging his companion.
Ranger come running out, "Babe, what's wrong?"
Two Rangeman vehicles slam to a stop near the crowd. Tank, Bobby, and Lester fully dressed in riot gear jump out with doors left open.
"We picked up something on the monitor that seemed out of the ordinary, Boss," Tank directed at the mastermind.
Lorenzo was on his knees clutching at Tank, "There are hoards of them! Green glowing eyes! They're after our souls! Save us!" He was good and crazed on the verge of hyper ventilating and fainting.
"I'm a medic," Bobby said next to him and backed away at the strong garlic odor. "You're bleeding," holding up his scratched elbow.
"My blood! They'll smell it! "
Tank was trying to hold it together, "Who, Sir?"
"The beasts! We've been invaded by Werewolves!"
"Really?" Lester asks with his pistol drawn. "Where did you see them?"
"There," pointing to the tree. "There," on the street. "Everywhere. We were surrounded! I thought we were Werewolf chews! My nervous breakdown is here! I can feel it."
Bobby patched his cuts, "Can you stand, Sir?"
"I don't know," Lorenzo said leaning on Bobby to stand. "You're strong and have a good bedside manner."
Stephanie grabbed her neighbor because the Rangeman medic was about to drop him. "Lorenzo, can you make it home?"
"I think so. Do you think the creatures were scared off?"
Lester comes back in view leisurely strolling up the street and reported to Ranger, "I did a sweep and the disturbance is gone."
"Good job," Ranger could barely get out. His blank face wasn't happening tonight.
"Everyone, this is Carlos Manoso, Brody's father," Stephanie introduced Ranger to the neighbors in the street. "He just returned from his work overseas."
He was shaking hands with everyone explaining he owned Rangeman who provided their security systems.
"Aren't you that bounty hunter, too, I've read about?" the man seeing monsters questioned.
"Yes," Ranger nodded shaking his shaking hand.
Before he could react, Lorenzo kissed him on the cheek, "I'll be able to sleep tonight! Thank you. If you can catch those naughty crooks, then I know you can drive those terrible, horrid things from amongst us. You're a Godsend!"
Now the Cuban man looked about to pass out, "Lester, see that this man safely back to his house."
"Sure, Boss," he looked ready to bust a seam holding in his laughter.
The neighbors eventually wandered back to their homes since Ranger and Rangeman had 'everything under control'.
Tank, Bobby, and a returning Lester were standing by the small front porch with Stephanie and Ranger holding Brody in his pajamas.
Stephanie smacked his arm, "That poor man, Ranger!"
"What?"
"What? You need help big time," Tank's deep laughter filled the front yard pointing to the rope he spotted looped around a branch leading into the top window.