Seven
Woody
It was day three of executive and core team training when the all personnel alert sounded on our phones. Of course, our first thought was Bomber had managed to get in some kind of trouble. It had been so long since she had been in the middle of a crazy situation our fear and panic was front and center.
I was not prepared for what was about to come.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" I shouted when Ranger tried telling me that Melissa, Callie, and Mrs. Morelli had been abducted. Ranger tried to be evasive. "Boss, with all due respect, just fucking tell me what happened."
"When Stephanie arrived at the house to pick up Melissa and Callie they were gone. Bob was going crazy in the back yard; the front door was slightly open. She's put teams together and they are working to get details and evidence."
"Fuck, she's in charge of the operation, my woman and her baby are out there, and I have to depend on Bomber to find them. That's all I need. I gotta get the hell out of here and get working on this." I regretted what I said the second it left my mouth but I had lost all control. Ranger grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and shoved me against the wall.
"You will respect Stephanie as your boss and my wife do you hear me?" He shouted in my face, we were nose to nose. "She's more than a friend to you, she considers you her brother, and do you think for one second she would fuck this operation up when someone she loves is in the middle of it?" He let go of me and walked away.
"That was a fool thing to say Woody, you know Bomber better than that." Tank said as he smacked my head.
"I'm sorry Ranger; I didn't mean it. That was fear that came out of my mouth."
My apology didn't stop each of the men from punching me in the gut as they walked by me. I deserved it.
We were being briefed on the situation. I listened as Stephanie explained what had been happening and what she's organized. I was impressed with the operation she's set up in a short amount of time, the men all respect her, and they'll go to the ends of the earth to do as she asks. I regretted the hell out of my comment because I know Bomber; she has tenacity that I've never seen in anyone before.
"Men gather up your gear, Steph has arranged for choppers to pick us up with teams to drive our vehicles back to Trenton. The rest of the training will have to wait." Ranger announced and we quickly got busy with our gear and waited with agitation for the choppers. I had so much frustration and anger running wild in my body.
"I need to go for a run; too much stress in my body is not good." I announced and Santos followed me. Halfway through our run, I stopped, dropped to the ground, and did something I haven't done since I was a kid. I prayed that my Melissa, Callie and Mrs. Morelli are found quickly, safe and sound.
I had no control of the tears streaming down my face. "Woody, you know Bomber, she's relentless when it comes to someone she loves, add Callie to the mix and she'll stop at nothing. We'll find your woman dude."
"Man, Melissa and Callie are the best thing that's happened to me, besides my job and life at Rangeman, but this is totally different. The second I saw her in the hallway when she stayed in the building, I wanted her, but Bomber told me to stand down since she was with Morelli." I stood up with my hands on hips. "Deep down, I knew I wanted her, not that I wanted the cop dead, but she captured my heart." The tears finally stopped and surprisingly, I wasn't afraid that Santos saw the tears. "Mrs. Morelli has been a mom to both Melissa and I, all this fucking sucks because it came out of nowhere."
"I know man, I know. When we find our soul mate and someone to love, they get a grip on our hearts and we're not the same men. They change us inside and out, ya know what I mean?" Santos said with his arm on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Look at how Steph changed Ranger. It's amazing what the love of a good woman will do to fucking hard as shit asses like us." I said.
"Come on dude, let's head back to the ranch, choppers should be here soon." Les said running back.
"While we're waiting for our ride back, let's go over some things." Tank announced as soon as we walked in the door. "Woody, has Melissa mentioned anything weird happening around the house, like someone may have been watching her, anything that seemed off to her?" Tank asked.
"No sir, not a thing. We spend a lot of time together so I would know if something was hinky."
"Is there anyone that would want to do something to hurt you by taking your loved ones?" Ranger asked. "A skip, someone on Stark, and anyone you can think of?"
"No sir, if that was the case, why throw Mrs. Morelli in the mix, people wouldn't really connect her to me."
"Yeah, that's what's weird. Why is she involved in this?" Bobby added.
"The more I think about all this, I want to fucking kill someone." I said slamming my fist on the table.
We spent the rest of the time going over any new cases I've worked on and anyone that may want to get back at me for something, but we all came up blank. Stephanie kept us updated on anything that she and the teams found, no matter how minor; I wanted to know about it.
I never realized fifty-five minutes could take so fucking long to pass. I was starting to get agitated, pacing back and forth, and punching the walls. I felt like a caged tiger. I saw Ranger signaling Bobby from the corner of my eye.
"Dude, calm the fuck down." Bobby ordered as he walked towards me holding an object. "I won't hesitate to sedate you. You're gonna have a damned heart attack."
Thankfully, we heard the choppers. I couldn't get to them fast enough. As soon as we were strapped in, my mind went straight to Melissa and Callie.
When they stayed at Rangeman, I wanted her from the second I set my eyes on her. I tried to hide it, but Bomber caught me staring at Melissa. I laughed when she said, "leave it alone Woody, I don't think Joe can handle losing another woman to a Rangeman." I tried to figure out ways to 'accidentally' run into her without getting the cop all bent out of shape. I knew it was wrong, but she got under my skin in such a good way, I didn't know what to do. After much discussion with Steph and myself, I decided to let it play out on its own. We all knew Morelli's track record with women.
After Morelli died, I made sure to pay extra attention to her and Callie without seeming obvious. Ranger and Steph could read me like a book, but I stood my distance. I was there for her for anything she needed. I even helped Vince with the renovation of the house. She was hurting and I could see what Morelli's death was doing to her. One day I bit the bullet and asked Ranger and Steph if I could take them to the beach house for the weekend. They agreed it would be good for them. I was a nervous wreck to ask Melissa, I was shaking in my boots. I played that day repeatedly in my mind.
"Melissa, listen there's a little bit to finish off at the house, how about I take you and Callie to the beach house for the weekend just to get away and relax." I saw the turmoil going through her mind. "I promise, there are plenty of bedrooms for all of us and Callie will love it." I waited discreetly holding my breath; I figured if she said no, that was my sign to leave it alone for good.
After what felt like hours, she finally responded. "Woody, I'd like that very much. Is it okay to use the house?"
"Yeah, the one we're going to is Rangeman property and it's open to all Rangeman staff and family. So, we're good."
"Okay. Can you take me back to the house so I can pack a bag for Callie and me? When do we leave?" She asked as her eyes danced with excitement and her beautiful smile lit up her face.
"How about we leave tomorrow after my shift, I'm off until Tuesday."
"That works, thank you Woody for everything but especially for being such a good friend." She said as she kissed me softly on my cheek. It was love at first sight but that soft kiss clenched the deal and she now owned my heart, mind, and soul.
Tears rolled down my cheeks at the thought of her missing, possibly dead and God only knows what else. The sex trafficking has grown big time and the targets are women and young babies. If it was just Melissa and Callie, we'd be working on a different angle, but with Mrs. Morelli included, it throws a wrench into the trafficking scenario.
"I'm stumped, I can't fucking think of any connection and any reasoning as to why this happened. Mrs. Morelli is the odd thing about this abduction." I rambled as my brain was going from images of Melissa and me.
Our relationship was changing and Melissa and I were slowly becoming closer and I think she was more cautious because of losing Joe. I noticed that she stopped wearing the engagement ring that Joe had bought her, and I knew she was ready to move on. Callie was staying with Mrs. Morelli for the night and I used the opportunity to have a heart to heart talk with her.
"Listen, Melissa we need to talk." I said sitting her on the couch.
"What's up Woody, are you okay?" She asked with concern.
"Yeah, but not really."
"Huh?" She asked tilting her head to the side.
I was playing with Bob and, giving him belly rubs. "I'm not gonna beat around the bush, I'm crazy about you. I have been since I first set my eyes on you at Rangeman. I didn't want to disrupt what you and Morelli had but the feelings have been there for a long time now." Whew, there I said it.
"Woody, wow. I don't know how to respond to that." She said looking at me. I was not expecting that response, that's for damn sure.
"Okay, I guess that….." She quickly stopped me and moved closer to me.
"Sorry, that didn't come out right. After the weekend at the beach my feelings for you changed." She stopped and put her finger to my lips. "Now before you go thinking negative things, hear me out. They changed in a good way, but I was afraid to show you how I felt because I didn't want to cheat on Joe, even though he's not with us any longer, I still felt that way." She was playing with her fingers and seemed so confused.
I waited patiently for her to finish what thoughts were running through her mind.
"I had a long conversation with Steph, I explained how my feelings for you began to change, and I didn't know what to do or how to handle it."
"What words of advice did Bomber give you?" I asked her smiling, because I knew exactly what Steph would say. "Let your heart choose, not your head don't squash what you feel and don't think of it as cheating on Joe".
"Steph said having feelings for you is not cheating on Joe and that I needed to let my heart choose not my head and run with how I felt. I talked to Angie and she said the same thing. That I shouldn't hold back what I feel for you. As much as she would have loved to see Joe, Callie and I as a family, it wasn't the plan." She played with the hem of her shirt twisting and rolling it, I could see she was just as nervous as I was.
We sat in silence.
"Angie gave me her blessing to move on saying it's what Joey would want, and Woodrow is a good man. She said she would support any decision I made as long as we didn't take Callie out of her life."
"So, we're gonna do this? Our friendship is going to move to the next level, we're gonna be in a relationship?" I asked smiling from ear to ear.
"Yeah." She said smiling back at me.
"Exclusive right?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, totally exclusive, I'm not a loosie goosie. You should know that by now."
We sealed our new relationship with a beautiful, long, and sensual kiss which I had to pull away from because there's no telling where it would lead. I know she wasn't ready for that step yet.
I was so happy, apart from my job; nothing has ever made me happier in my life. I've lived a good life. I have an amazing blood family, my Rangeman family is the best, and I now have my own little family.
Callie is such an amazing little girl. I know she's Joe's daughter, but I love her like she's my own and despite his faults and the way he treated Steph, he was an amazing father and I plan on being the best thing to that little girl. I won't ignore that Joe will always be her father and I will always answer any questions she has about him, even if I have to lie a little.
Our feelings were growing stronger; the physical aspect of our relationship was now added to the emotional. I've had my share of women, plenty of them, but never did I put my heart, mind, or soul into them. One time I had a long lasting thing with a woman who ended up cheating on me while I was deployed, she tried to convince me the baby was mine from our last night together. I told her to fuck off and get the hell out of my life and if she didn't know how to do the math, then she needed to go back to school. From that moment, I was a hard ass using women purely to satisfy my sexual urges and needs. I never claimed to be a prince charming, quite the opposite in fact.
I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Melissa and Callie and felt I needed to clear the path with Mrs. Morelli, she's become such a good friend and is a very loving woman. I explained how deeply in love I was with Melissa and how much I loved Callie. "Angie, I love them with all my heart. I know that it may hurt you to see them with me and not Joe, but I promise I will take care of them, love them, and protect them for the rest of their lives. I will never forget that Joe is Callie's father and he was a good dad. I will do everything in my power to be just as good. Your grandbaby will always know who her father is. I promise you that."
"What are you asking me?" She asked smiling.
"I want permission to ask for Melissa's hand and I want to have her and Callie in my life until I take my last breath."
"Woodrow, I've known you had feelings for Melissa for quite some time and to be honest with you if the two of you hadn't come to the conclusion on your own, I was going to sit you both down and bring up the discussion myself." She laughed. "Of course, you have my blessing and it's an honor that you think enough of me to ask me first. You are a good man and you have a beautiful heart." Her eyes began to pool with tears. "When I see the real you and all the other men especially Carlos, I get so angry at Joey when he constantly called you all thugs. It breaks my heart that he felt that way. But I forgive him because when his time was coming to an end, who did he ask to take care of his family? Carlos and his men. I think he knew all along you were not the criminals and thugs he thought but was afraid to admit it to himself."
She began crying; I held her hands and comforted her. "Joe and all of us at Rangeman were not the best of friends but we all respected him, he didn't deserve to lose his life."
"Woodrow, you promise not to take my girls away from me?"
"Of course, I promise you will always be a part of their life as well as mine. My parents are in Texas so you're a part of our lives and that will never change."
"You have my blessing and I wish the three of you the best life filled with love, happiness, and many blessings."
"Do you want to see the ring I bought?" She smiled. "Stephanie took me to the jeweler her and the boss use and he designed it for me.
"Of course, do you have it with you?"
"Yes Ma'am." I pulled out the box. "I chose a three stone diamond to represent Melissa, Callie and me. The larger stone in the middle represents us as a family and the two on each side represent Melissa and Callie. Its platinum and 2.4 carats. To be honest I have no clue what all that means but Steph said it's beautiful and that Melissa would love it. The owner gave me a huge discount as part of the Rangeman family."
"Stephanie is right, it is a beautiful ring and looks very expensive. I am so happy for all three of you." After I dropped off Mrs. Morelli at home I quickly drove to my apartment and began planning my proposal.
"Finally, we fucking landed." I said quickly stripping myself of the straps and jumped out of the chopper to the awaiting vehicles. I needed to set things straight with Ranger. "Boss." I shouted as I ran towards his vehicle. "I'm sorry for disrespecting Bomber that way, I regretted what I said the second it came out of my mouth. It's not an excuse but I am scared shitless Boss." He stared at me and I had no clue what was going through his complex mind. If he decided to sock me in the jaw, I wouldn't blame him. "I know Steph is doing everything in her power to find my family. I hope we're good."
Silence and his usual blank face had me worried.
"We're good. I never want to hear that kind of talk again. Understood?"
"Understood Sir!"
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