I Should Have Known Better

by misty23y

Stephanie finds herself in a situation that she doesn't know how to change. Her head and her heart are not aligned. What will she do? Eventual HEA for Steph. Adult Language, Adult Situations, sexual abuse, SMUT

14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Anything familiar belongs to JE.

Warning: adult language, adult situations

Chapter 14: March 2016 (Frankie 15 months)

Stephanie's POV

We returned to Miami three days after the New Year. But before we left Trenton, I managed to delve into the life and times of one Chief Ramon Perez of the Miami-Dade Police Department. What I found shocked me as well as Ranger, which is almost impossible to do. It turns out that Ramon was Rachel's high school sweetheart. When she and Ranger had their one night together, she and Ramon had just broken up two days prior. When she discovered that she was pregnant with Julie, she went to Ramon first. He refused to have anything to do with her once he discovered that she was "damaged goods" and broke off all contact with her. Only after this occurred did Rachel get in contact with Ranger. I knew that I had to talk to Rachel, without Ranger. There are things that a woman will say to another woman that she wouldn't say to a man, even if that man were the father of her daughter.

Flashback

I arrived outside of Rachel's home. The Martine's lived in a very cute colonial house in a nice development. Ranger had checked out the development before Ron and Rachel moved here, making sure that it was secure. When the contract for the development's security came up for renewal, Rangeman put in a bid and won the contract. Therefore, Ranger can have his men monitoring Julie remotely when she's home, which gives her more of a semblance of a normal life. I called Rachel to let her know that I was coming by to speak with her. The kids were all in school, and Ron was working. I parked my Cayenne in her driveway before walking to her front door. Before I could ring the bell, she had the door opened for me.

"Hi, Stephanie. It's wonderful to see you. Julie told me that you guys had a great time in New Jersey over the holidays."

"Yes, getting together with the Manosos is always fun, albeit chaotic. Julie seemed to fit right in with all her other cousins."

"I'm glad that she's finally able to have the relationship that she deserves to have with her father and his family," Rachel replied.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries and settling at the kitchen table with coffee and cake, we got down to the purpose of my visit.

"Rachel, I'm sure you heard that Marco has been arrested and charged with murder. It appears that the Miami police chief, Ramon Perez, is responsible for the charges brought against Marco. In researching Ramon's past, I found out that you and he were involved when you were in high school. What can you tell me about your relationship?" I ask her.

Rachel sighs before responding, "Steph, Ramon was my first love, my high school sweetheart. I thought that he and I would be together forever. He was the first person who I made love to, it was on the night of our Junior Prom. We didn't use a condom the first few times we were together. I'm surprised I didn't wind up pregnant. Then, when we went off to college, we were in different schools in different parts of the state. Ramon decided that he didn't want to be tied down to me, that he wanted the opportunity to date other girls. I was heartbroken. Two days after he broke up with me, I went out with a bunch of my girlfriends, and that night I met Carlos. I don't need to tell you that the attraction to him was instantaneous. He was and still is, the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on in my life. He took my breath away. He was on leave, so his hair was military short. He wasn't as muscular then as he is now, but his body was still perfect. I wasn't looking for a relationship; I wasn't even looking to hook up. I only wanted to drown my sorrows over my break up with Ramon. When Carlos showed me attention and took an interest in me, I was flattered. We flirted, danced, and kissed during the night at that club. Finally, he asked to take me home. We went back to my room. A group of six of my friends had rented a house our freshmen year. I brought him to our house, to my room. We had sex, a few times that night. It was nothing more than sex, though it was fabulous. I didn't expect him to stay the night. I knew that it was a one-night stand. We used condoms, except for one time when we had sex in the shower. That had to be the time that we conceived Julie. When I found out I was pregnant, at first, I thought the baby was Ramon's. But then I realized that we hadn't made love in over a month. It suddenly hit me that this one-night stand was my baby's father.

"I went to Ramon, to let him know that I was pregnant and that I still wanted to be with him. He told me that I was a whore and a slut, that I disrespected him by sleeping around with another man. That since I sullied myself, I was no longer worthy of him. I was devastated once again. I thought he would take me back, accept me still because we always talked about starting a family. Somehow, I managed to locate Carlos. When I told him, we decided to get married, for the sake of our baby. While we never loved each other, we respected each other, and at least Carlos respected our vows. I cheated on him; I was angry at him for leaving me with Julie to go on his mission, I was angry at him for getting me pregnant, I was angry at him for causing me to lose Ramon. It was only years later that I was able to understand that we were equally at fault, and to see what a good man Carlos was to have married me and do right by his daughter, even after I forced him to give her up. Shortly after Julie's birth, we both realized that it would be a mistake to stay together in a loveless marriage, so we divorced. However, I didn't hear the last from Ramon.

"When Julie was six months old, I bumped into Ramon at the local mall. She was with me, in her stroller. Julie was a beautiful baby, with Carlos' deep, dark eyes and perfect hair. I dressed her to the nines, with dresses and coordinating bows, barrettes, and hats. She looked like a doll. When Ramon saw me with her, he was furious. He said that I should have taken care of the problem, that she was born in sin, and that if he could, he would destroy that man who destroyed me and brought a bastard child into the world. I never told him Carlos' name. He must have found out about him during the Scrog incident. I don't get why he hated him so much, I mean, he broke up with me. Then I discovered that the only reason why he broke up with me was to be able to join a fraternity. To pledge, he had to screw three different girls in three nights. He wouldn't cheat on me, so he broke up with me instead. He was planning on getting back together once the fraternity accepted him. He was such an ass." Rachel finished her story near to tears.

"Wow, I can't believe that, I'm sorry." I can't imagine what that felt like to Rachel, to have the love of her life reject her. "I can't even begin to think how I would have felt if Carlos would have rejected me while pregnant with Frankie, words can't describe how that would feel," I respond.

Rachel thought for a moment before answering carefully, "Carlos and I never loved each other. It was a marriage of convenience, a marriage for the sake of Julie. I think we could have learned to like each other, and maybe fall in love with each other, but it would never be what you and he have together. Carlos would never abandon you; he loves you too much."

I left a short time later, armed with more information about Ramon Perez. Rachel confirmed the information I gathered, adding that ever since her pregnancy with Julie, he's had a vendetta against Ranger. He blamed Ranger for ruining Rachel, for causing her to be permanently unavailable to him, which was part of the reason why Rachel cheated on Ranger while they were married. She wanted Ranger to feel as betrayed and hurt as she was because of their one-night stand. When I returned to Miami HQ to update everyone, I could see that Ranger was hurt. I don't blame him. I know all too well the feelings of betrayal, of not being enough, of losing the trust of someone that you should be able to trust. I know that Ranger and Rachel were never in love with each other, but they did want to try to make a relationship work, to provide Julie with a mother and a father in a stable home. It was evident that the reason Rachel made Ranger relinquish his paternal rights was that she wanted Julie to have a father. With Ranger being so involved in his army career, he wasn't around to be Julie's father. When we spoke later, he confessed that he was never planning on being a career Army guy. He was originally going to complete his two years, then leave. But once Rachel forced him to give up his daughter, a part of him, that's when he decided to join the Rangers and immerse himself in the Army. He felt that if he didn't have a family, he had nothing to live for, and therefore, nothing to lose. I felt bad for Ranger that he was made to feel insignificant and inadequate by Rachel.

From that intel, we were able to make many more surprising connections. It turns out that Ramon's wife was none other than Theresa Morelli, Mooch's sister, and Joe's cousin. Once we discovered the connection between Joe and Ramon, we knew that we would have to tread carefully. We contacted the FBI and stumbled upon a drug-running enterprise that was in the works between Miami and New Jersey. The DEA asked us to work with them to bring the ring down. It seems that up until about a year ago, the drug running was from Miami to Trenton before the drop location changed to Jersey City. Ranger, I and the rest of the Trenton team immediately saw the connection between Morelli and Perez. When we shared our information with the feds, they agreed to a joint operation in which Rangeman would be the lead, with Ranger at the head of the mission. Rangeman and Ranger are going to be paid handsomely for our role in the operation.

I also discovered that Joe has been traveling to Miami once a month since we've been here. From some sources on the street, he is trying to obtain information against Ranger and me, to regain custody of Frankie. He still hasn't given up on that fact that he has no claim to Frankie. Ranger and I spoke, and we agree that I need to have a strictly business role in Rangeman, no more skip tracing or distractions for me. All we need is for one screw up or mistake, and Joe might be able to swoop in and steal my son from me. I won't give him the opportunity.

Through our investigations, we have discovered that there are at least ten dirty cops here in Miami. The Trenton Rangeman branch is flushing out the Jersey City and Trenton Police departments. Next month, I'll be heading up to our home in Boston. Ranger will be coming with me, but because of this joint operation and Marco's trial, he will be spending Monday through Thursday in Miami. I considered staying in Miami, but the heat is not agreeing with my pregnant body. Toni and Rocco will come with me to Boston, and Ranger will stay at his penthouse here in Miami. Bobby will be in Boston with me for the duration of my stay, to be available in case the baby decides to make an early appearance while Ranger is unavailable. Ranger will travel up with Julie every weekend. So far, Rangeman has discovered that the Trenton PD has at least four dirty cops, working with Joe. Two didn't surprise me at all, but the other two had me floored. Our point of contact in Trenton is Eddie Gazarra. I know that Eddie will be floored when he finds out the identities of the dirty cops.

I am now five months pregnant with my second child. We found out three days ago that we are having a boy. We've already decided we're naming him Ricardo Carlos Manoso, III. We will be calling him RC, especially because Ranger's father goes by Ricardo. We don't want to create any confusion for the family. My second pregnancy seems to be a mirror of my first, with minimal weight gain. The only major difference is that I am craving vegetables. I see a cake, cookies, and other desserts with no desire to eat any of them. I don't know what is happening; I can only blame RC, which is why his name is perfect for him. The fact that I'm not eating desserts is amusing Ranger. I know that he is secretly hoping that my new food cravings or lack of, become a permanent part of my life and diet.

Frankie, on the other hand, is all over the place. On our one-year anniversary, Frankie started walking. Since then, he won't stay in one place longer than ten minutes. He's been climbing out of his playpen, knocking down gates, and being a royal pain in the ass. When I bring him to the office, I have plenty of honorary uncles to keep him occupied and tire him out for his nap. At home, especially if Ranger is working, he's much harder to manage, especially as my pregnancy progresses. He has started to talk, mostly saying 'Ma,' 'Da,' 'Ulie,' and 'Oni.' He understands Spanish as well as he understands English. His ability to understand the language spearheaded my desire to learn even more, so I've been taking lessons from the various Miami Merry Men. I can now say that I can carry on a full conversation in Spanish. Maybe while here in Boston I'll take some formal classes to widen my vocabulary and comprehension. Frankie is a true 'Mama's boy' and rarely lets anyone take him out of my sight for long. It's amazing how I have learned to ignore Frankie and his uncles while they are making fools of themselves playing in my office each day.

Lucia is doing great in her position. She managed to pass the Rangeman field test so that she can go out on takedowns. She is glowing and incredibly happy. It also seems like she has gotten close to Miami's second in command (when Ranger is not in town, that is) Rico. Rico was also in the Army and discharged due to disability. He lost his right arm below his elbow. Rico has a prosthesis, so he and Lucia bonded immediately over their battles to get the appropriate fit for their limbs. At first, I thought that she and Lester were going to be an item, but it turns out that they are too similar to each other, both with the same sense of humor and flirtatious ways. They are great friends, with Lester training Lucia eventually to partner with her until he heads back to Trenton after this case is over. I am fully confident that she can handle the job as Miami's Personnel Director when I leave for Boston. We have already hired a Personnel Director for Trenton and for Boston. I will be training both of those individuals together when I arrive in Boston.

Ranger's POV

I love my weekends with my family. Julie and I are getting closer every week. I can tell that she is starting to confide in me more and more. She has recently started to date Angel. At first, I wanted her to have nothing to do with him, not because I didn't like him, but because I didn't want my little girl to be dating. However, as Stephanie said to me, Angel is a good kid, not like myself or Lester when we were his age. He is a perfect gentleman. He seems to truly care about Julie for who she is, not because of her outer beauty or money. I haven't seen them kiss or touch inappropriately yet, so I feel better about the situation. Then again, Lester and I did talk with him early on, explaining what would happen if he were to hurt my daughter in any way. It's a good thing that his aunt is Army because he might have had a heart attack on the spot if he wasn't used to the drill sergeant persona Lester and I projected.

Flashback

Tonight, Angel will be joining us for dinner. Stephanie insisted that we invite him over, as she believes that he likes Julie and she likes him. I don't want her dating. She's too young, but Stephanie tells me that I'm unreasonable. Huh. Unreasonable my ass. When Stephanie was Julie's age, she was raped by Morelli at the Tasty Pastry while Lester and me were getting as much skirt as we could. She doesn't understand how the mind of a teenage boy works. However, she did inform me that if I didn't openly accept Julie and Angel that they were more likely to go behind our backs, which could lead to a greater likelihood of something undesirable occurring. If we allow them time together, in our home and under our supervision, we could prevent them from progressing too far too fast.

Lester and I are waiting for Angel outside. We're pretending to adjust the security cameras. We see him arrive with Lucia. We asked her to join us as well, but she had a date with Rico. When Angel exits the car, he has flowers for Julie and a box of chocolate for Stephanie. Smart kid, getting on Steph's good side. He walks over to Lester and me, shaking our hands.

"Good evening, Mr. Manoso, Mr. Santos. Thank you for inviting me to join your family for dinner tonight," Angel says.

I got to give him credit; he has respect. "Angel, we're glad you could make it. However, there are a few things we would like to discuss with you before we go inside." I could see him swallow and visibly get uncomfortable.

"Yes, sir. What would you like to discuss?"

"Julie is my daughter. Though we haven't been very close until recently, she is still my flesh and blood. I, along with Lester, her uncle, were teenagers once. I know what you have thought about doing with Julie. You will not act on any of those thoughts. You will treat Julie with respect, you will not force yourself on her, and you will not, under any circumstances, ruin her reputation. I promise you if you disrespect my daughter I will hide your body, so no one will ever find it. Do I make myself clear?" I ask Angel.

"Sir, I like Julie a lot, I have for a long time. She is one of the only girls in school who has never given me a hard time about my Tia. She understands some of the issues my Tia has, and because of that, we are very close. I would never do anything to hurt her. As for the other issues, I have no desire to risk becoming a father at sixteen. I have too much I want to accomplish in my life before I marry and start a family. I will respect Julie. Even if we were to break up tomorrow, I will always protect her and honor her."

"Good. Let's go inside," I tell Angel.

So far, Angel has held up his end of the bargain. He's treated Julie the way she deserves. I am glad that they found each other. After getting to know Lucia, I understand that Angel's family raised him with strong values and a solid amount of respect for those around them.

Since Christmas, I give Frankie his bath every night. He prefers the big bathtub as opposed to the sink. Stephanie is uncomfortable leaning over the tub. It is a great time for us to bond with each other. He doesn't say many words yet, but from my research, I know that because we are raising him bilingual, speech may come later. He does understand Spanish, which is great. I spend our 'man' time telling him how wonderful his mother is, how she has saved my soul, how she is the best woman I have ever met. I tell him the importance of loving his mother and watching out for his mother, protecting her and any sisters he might have. It's never too early to instill respect in a child. Lady is forever glued to Frankie's side, always in whatever room he's in; she even sleeps on the floor in his nursery. At first, I was hesitant to have a dog, after all, they are a lot of work. But I can't resist my daughter and wife for too long. I enjoy my silent running companion in Lady. Lady doesn't need me to talk to her and can keep up with my pace. I trained some dogs when I was in the Army to detect drugs and weapons, as well as to bodyguard. I was considering training Lady to be a sniffer, but I decided against it. Instead, I will be training her to be a bodyguard for Frankie and Stephanie.

With Lady being a herding dog, she has an inherent instinct to protect her flock. In her case, her flock will be Frankie, RC, once he arrives, and any other children we may have along with Stephanie. She will be trained to look for anything suspicious and warn us. I want to encourage Stephanie to take Lady with her and Frankie whenever possible. Tomorrow, I get the joy of bringing Lady into the veterinary office to have her spayed. She will stay there overnight. I hope Frankie will be okay. Since we've had her, he is constantly on the lookout for his best friend. Lady even joins us in Rangeman. The guys love her, fighting over who gets to walk her when she is at HQ.

Bobby will be joining Stephanie in Boston, which gives me piece of mind, especially since I will be in Miami most of the time, at least until the situation with Marco, Perez, and Morelli is cleared up. I know Bobby will keep Stephanie safe while making sure that her pregnancy is progressing along. He has already agreed to take over Lady's training as well as her running program. He will also continue Chris' training program for Frankie.

On Thursday, we will be leaving for Boston. I'm trying not to get too crazy. I know that my Babe will be safer there then she is here in Miami, but I can't shake this feeling that I have that something is about to go down. I'm meeting with the local business association. They want me to talk to the owners about the importance of security. About half of the businesses are current clients of Rangeman or one of the other security firms here in Miami while the other half have no security. Recently, there has been a rise in burglaries at many businesses. The local business association wants me to discuss the importance of having adequate protection, how the extra cost for monitoring could save the companies thousands of dollars. I have no problem speaking, as I hope to gain many new clients.

Stephanie is planning on running some errands, namely buying Boston appropriate clothes for Frankie and herself, then going to the bank. She is meeting Toni and Lucia for lunch at the local pizzeria. About halfway through the meeting, I get a call.

"Boss, Stephanie's panic button went off. She's at First National Bank on Fifth Street. An announcement of an armed robbery came across the police band right before I called you." Tico told me.

"Is Frankie with her?" I ask.

"Yes. We have two teams heading there now. Lester with Rico and Blaze with Chris."

"I'm on my way. Keep me posted." I hang up the phone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry, but I received a call on an emergency. Someone is holding up First National Bank on Fifth Street while my pregnant wife and young son are there. I promise I will return for the next meeting if you would like to hear more. Thank you for your time and understanding." I get up from the table, practically running out the door.

Stephanie's POV

Why me? Why can I not even do the simple task of going to the bank without there being a problem? I am here, with Frankie, depositing accounts receivable checks for Rangeman when these assholes decide to rob the bank. I'm following along with what they are telling me to do. I can't risk Frankie's safety, nor the safety of RC.

"Everyone, on the floor. Ladies pass your bags to us, gentlemen, give us your wallets. NOW!" Masked man Number 1 says. Shit, I have my stun gun and cuffs in my bag. I must try to get them into the diaper bag without them seeing. Fortunately, at that moment, some guy tries to play hero. Masked men Numbers 1 and 2 turn their attention towards him, and I hide the gun and cuffs in my pants in case they ask for my diaper bag too. I have both bags away from me by the time they turn around. I had pressed my panic button the moment I realized what was happening. The guys should be here any minute. Masked man Number 2 collects the bags, going through them, taking out our money and credit cards. He gets to my bag.

"Wow, check this out. This one here has a black AmEx. We can have a field day with this card." He then reads my name. I see a scowl form even with the mask covering most of his face. "Shit, we're in trouble."

"What do you mean? No one is here yet; they didn't even trip the alarm." Masked man 1 says.

"The name on this card is Stephanie Manoso, Ranger's woman is here. If he finds out, we're as good as dead."

"Which one is she?" Masked man 1 asks as he walks over to masked man 2. They look at my driver's license before searching the floor for me. I try to hide my face, holding Frankie as close to me as possible.

"There she is, with the kid." Masked man 1 says. Suddenly, they are on either side of me, grabbing me and pulling me up by my arms. Frankie starts to cry as they pull him away from me.

"Please, let me hold my son. He's only a baby. He'll calm down once he's in my arms." I beg.

"No way. You're our bargaining chip out of here," Number 1 says as we hear the sirens approach. He looks out the window, seeing the bank surrounded. I see some black fleet vehicles and one Turbo 911 approaching.

"Listen, my husband is outside right now. If you hurt our son or me, he will never let you live. If you let us go, you'll have a chance of getting out of here alive."

"I don't think so, sweetheart." Number one replies.

They are both so fixated on Frankie and me that they don't even notice that the others are leaving the building. When they see their hostages missing, they turn, only to see the muzzle of a gun in their face. They immediately let go of Frankie and me. As Rico and Blaze cuff them, Lester is holding Frankie while Ranger has his arms around me.

"Are you okay, Querida? Did they hurt you or Frankie?" He asks me.

"No, Carlos, we're fine," I reply, before kissing him. Once we break apart, Lester hands Frankie to Carlos while pulling me into a rib-breaking hug.

"Thank Dios you're safe. It's been too long since we've had to bail you out, we're out of practice, Beautiful," Lester said.

"It wasn't my fault," I reply.

We are stuck at the bank for another two hours while I wait to give my statement. Finally, we can leave.

"Babe, only you can go to the bank and get caught in a robbery attempt."

"I know. I tried my hardest to blend in, to not bring attention to myself or Frankie. I listened to everything they said, did everything they asked. I was fine until they saw my name on my credit cards and realized that I was your wife. That's when the shit hit the fan."

"Maybe you should change your name back to Plum," Carlos suggested.

"No way. I'm your wife. I'm proud to be your wife. I'm better trained now than I was before. If I wasn't pregnant, I could have taken them out, but I didn't want to do anything to harm the baby. I will always and forever be a Manoso, Carlos. I love you."

"I love you too. I don't want to see you hurt because of me."

"I think I was more protected because of you. The two idiots didn't want to harm me out of fear of you retaliating against them. They were planning on using me as leverage, so they would be able to leave without being arrested, or at least without being harmed by you."

"Babe let's go home."

Joe's POV

Good. I finally got what I needed, the information I need to get my son away from the slut and the thug. Here on the news is Cupcake in the middle of yet another disaster, an armed robbery. Best of all, my son is there with her, being held by one of the perps. Time to go down to court to sue for custody, yet again. Maybe the judge here in Miami will be more sympathetic to my plight.

My Miami lawyer, Elizabeth Fuselli filed the custody papers for me in Miami Family Court two weeks ago. I know that the courts served Stephanie two days ago. We are scheduled for a new custody hearing tomorrow. I am confident that I will finally get custody of Frankie. The courts here will see how inept Stephanie is, and knows that Manoso is a thug. Ramon is willing to testify as a character witness against Manoso. He's well respected, with his word carrying a lot of weight. My lawyer though is not as confident in a positive outcome. She states that with two failed custody hearing already, I do not have a very good chance of a Miami judge overturning the other rulings. She claims that my evidence is weak, clearly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Stephanie. She doesn't know her like do. I brought with me the four-inch file of incident reports involving Stephanie over the years from Trenton. That should help to convince the judge that I'm the more appropriate parent. I make sure to take out my new suit. I spent $400 on this suit and shirt, hoping to look as polished as possible. Ramon informs me that Miami PD hates working with Rangeman, often convincing people to terminate their contracts with Rangeman for one of the other security firms in the city. That's great news for me.

In Trenton, those involved in law enforcement view them as assets; they are superheroes who swoop in to save the day. When they hurt the people they bring in or are involved in an incident, such as a shooting, everything is swept under the proverbial rug because Rangeman is perfect, untouchable. Being in Jersey City, I don't ever run into the Men in Black. I only see them when I return to Trenton to visit my Mother and Grandma Bella. I can't see any judge agreeing to let those two crazy people raise my son.

I watch as Stephanie and Manoso arrive. She's wearing a turquoise sundress that has a high waist. As with her first pregnancy, she doesn't seem to be gaining much weight. On her feet are matching sandals that have about a one-inch heel. Manoso, on the other hand, is wearing what has to be a $2000 black suit with white pinstripes, a white button-down shirt with a gray and black tie. The suit looks like it was custom-made for Manoso, the sad part is, it probably was. I don't see my son anywhere. Entering behind Manoso and Cupcake are a few men in black that I don't know. Must be Miami workers. It's pathetic how they walk around with bodyguards as if they are celebrities or something. I can tell that Manoso is angry, Cupcake looks hurt. I don't understand what her problem is, I mean, it is MY son. I should be allowed to see and interact with him. A few minutes later, the bailiff asks everyone to take their seats before standing as the Judge enters.

Judge Emilia Villas-Vargas enters the courtroom. She's an attractive older woman of Hispanic descent, I'm guessing in her fifties. She has streaks of gray hair running through her black, straight, shoulder-cut hair.

"Mr. Dowd, Ms. Fuselli, welcome. We are here today because Mr. Joseph Anthony Morelli, of Trenton, New Jersey, is seeking to remove a minor, Francis Stephen Manoso, from the custody of his mother, Mrs. Stephanie Michelle Manoso and his adoptive father, Captain Ricardo Carlos Manoso, Jr. Is that correct?"

"Yes, your Honor," both attorneys reply.

"It is my understanding that in October of 2014, while Mrs. Manoso was still pregnant with the child, Mr. Morelli relinquished his parental rights as part of their divorce decree. Is that correct, Ms. Fuselli."

"Yes, your Honor, it is correct."

"Is it also true that Mr. Morelli had sued again to reinstate his right in December of 2014, and that the courts in New Jersey upheld that original agreement?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"So then why is Mr. Morelli here? He decided, before this minor child was even born, that he didn't want to be a father to him. Now, over a year later, he is trying to gain custody of a child who doesn't even know who he is; to be torn away from two loving parents. What is his reasoning for trying to destroy this young child's life?"

My attorney sighs before responding. "Your Honor, Mrs. Manoso is married to a dangerous man, a man who is a trained assassin and killer. He is often involved in nasty business, that a civilian shouldn't be involved in. Due to his past, Mrs. Manoso was held at gunpoint by armed robbers in a local bank with her son. The robbers singled out Mrs. Manoso and young Francis because she is the wife of Mr. Manoso. Her association with that man, who the Miami Police Department has on a watch list, is placing the life of Francis in jeopardy."

"Mr. Dowd, what you have to say," Judge Villa-Vargas asks.

"Judge Villa-Vargas, part of what Ms. Fuselli said is true, I won't deny it, but her facts are wrong. Firstly, Mr. Manoso is the owner of Rangeman Securities, a well-respected security company in Miami, Trenton, New Jersey, and Boston, Massachusetts. All three offices have a good, strong working relationship with the local police departments. Secondly, Mr. Manoso is a decorated veteran, a former Army Ranger and Special Operative for the government. Rangeman often receives government contracts to help bring in and apprehend dangerous drug dealers, gun runners, and other criminals. Through his company, Mr. Manoso has worked with the FBI, DEA, CIA, Homeland Security, and other organizations. They have never failed, nor have they ever killed. To say that Captain Manoso never killed someone during his work as a Special Forces Operative, an Army Ranger, or a soldier, I can't say. That information is classified. However, in his civilian role as owner and operator of Rangeman Securities, he has never killed someone in cold blood. No charges, other than charges for carrying a concealed weapon, were ever brought against Mr. Manoso. Finally, Mrs. Manoso went into the bank that morning to complete normal transactions. She doesn't go to the bank at the same time every week or fall into any pattern. Mr. Manoso is usually the one who handles their personal finances, while the accounting department usually handles the business side. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Under normal circumstances, Frankie is always with either his mother or father, at the Rangeman offices or home. When his parents cannot be with him, he is cared for by the Manoso's housekeeper/nanny, Mrs. Toni Ramos or a member of the Rangeman staff. The child is never in harm's way."

The judge listened to everything that Cupcake's attorney said. She is thinking about her response. "I remember that incident at the bank. If I am correct, I remember that it was Rangeman who worked to get all the other patrons out of the bank before they could be hurt. Once the others were out of the building, they apprehended the two robbers. No one was injured. Mr. Morelli, you have no case. There is no reason for young Francis to leave the custody of Mr. and Mrs. Manoso. To me, this case seems like a case of vengeance against a woman who decided she didn't want to be your wife because of the abusive way in which you treated her. I have no sympathy for you, and, furthermore, I am glad that you have no rights to your son. I strongly recommend that you stop trying to gain custody of baby Frankie in the future. Your case is dismissed. Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, I'm sorry that you had to give up your valuable time to be here. Go home to your son."

They both nodded their head, thanked their attorney, then turned to leave. Cupcake had a huge smile on her face, and even that robot Manoso was smiling. Don't worry, Cupcake, neither of you will be smiling for much longer.