Disclaimer: See previous chapters. I know I said Frank's POV was next, but Ram insisted, and I try not to argue with the Merry Men. I have enough laundry to do!

Locked Up & Pissed Off – pt 14

Ram's POV

I WOKE UP TO a tremendous pounding on the front door and instantly went into alert mode. I shoved myself into my cargos and grabbed my gun and cell phone. It there was an emergency with Cels or the kids, or something on the case with Steph, I'd at least have the basics to deal with it.

I raced to the front door and cocked my gun, holding it ready just in case I'd need to use it in a hurry. After checking through a crack in the blinds, I breathed out a sigh of relief and tucked my gun into the back of my cargos before throwing the locks and opening the door.

Damn! I hadn't seen Marcus in forever, and here he shows up just when the case finally gets to the point I can take a break and get a decent amount of sleep. Celia was gonna have a fit. Just before leaving this morning with the kids she made me promise to get some sleep, and not the catnaps I'd been making do with.

"Hey there Marcus. Long time, no see! Come on in." I held open the door wide and stood back as Marcus came through the doorway, grabbing my hand and wrist in a greeting that was typical of the men in the Manoso family, then engulfed me in a manly hug.

"Jason, bro. How the hell are ya? Had breakfast yet? I could use some coffee and a bite to eat." Leave it to Marcus to think about food first thing. I chuckled, thinking he was so much like Bombshell it was scary. The man was a human garbage disposal; he'd eat anything and everything as long as it wasn't too healthy. Totally the opposite of his brother.

"Actually I just got to sleep" I turned my wrist to check my watch "about five minutes ago. You just missed Celia and the kids." I narrowed my eyes when I noticed the grin on his face. "You saw them leave, didn't you?" I asked suspiciously. The smirk he was wearing confirmed my suspicions, and I sighed. I was a dead man, I just knew it.

"You might as well come into the kitchen. I'll see if Celia left something I can feed you. I'm guessing you just got in. How long you staying?" I asked, running my hands over my face to wipe the sleepiness away. It was gonna be a long morning.

"Actually I'm on an unscheduled vacation. Mama called to see if I could get Ric to take some time off. Apparently he's got some big case he's been practically killing himself on, and she's worried. She said she hasn't seen him in weeks, and he doesn't answer his phone. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" He was smirking again. He knew damn well I'd know what Ric was working on, and chances were pretty good I was working the same case. He was just being nosy.

I was just about to tell him he was worse than his sisters when his phone rang and he held up a hand to delay what he must've known would be a smart-ass comment. It was Ric, and when he passed me the phone and Ric asked about having the meeting with Bombshell's father here, I knew then and there that even if I managed to get Marcus to leave so I could get some sleep, it was still going to be a long time before my bed and I got friendly again. Celia was going to throw a fit, but I wouldn't have it any other way. When she found out this was about Bombshell though, and she would find out, she'd probably want to cut the cop's nuts off herself. She was very protective of her baby brother and his happiness.

Bombshell was the spitting image of my little sister Jennifer, who was in California at college. Aside from the fact that she was the woman who'd stolen Ric's heart, she was also part of our Rangeman family, and there was no way in hell we wouldn't have her back on this. Any one of these reasons alone were enough for me, but taken altogether, a snowball in hell had a better chance of survival than even the mere thought of not giving this my best. The Manoso's and Rangemen protect their own.

I hung up after assuring Ric I'd have coffee and something to eat when he got here, and tossed the phone back to Marcus. He looked at me with a brow raised in question, so I indicated he should meet me in the kitchen while I went upstairs to retrieve a copy of the file. It was a working copy, which meant all the fine details hadn't been included, such as witness locations and CI identities. Photocopies of the depositions and police reports were included, however, as well as the surveillance photos and logs we'd done on Morelli and his side piece. All in all still a damning pile of information, and it would serve to clue Marcus in on just what we were dealing with.

I walked back into the kitchen to see Marcus raiding the refrigerator, and had to grab the container of Papas Rellenas away from him that Celia had brought home last night from my mother-in-law's. We wouldn't even get a sniff of them if he got to them first!

"Hey, that's my breakfast!" he exclaimed before attempting to filch them back from me. I grinned and held them behind my back with one hand and used the other to slap the file against his chest, surprise registering on his face as he looked down at the thick file I had smacked him with. It stopped him from trying to make another grab at the Rellenas, which brought a sigh of relief from me. I was too damn tired to fight him for them right now.

"What's this?" he asked, as he started to flip through the pages. I could see he was skimming the summaries, which every page had in detail at the bottom. I saw a frown cross his face as I turned towards the counter to get started on the coffee.

"Our big case. Have a seat and start reading. Ric should be here in just over half an hour, and he wants you briefed. I'll get coffee and breakfast started while you're catching up." I pulled open the refrigerator and replaced the container I'd rescued from Marcus, then took out eggs, peppers, cheese and some tomatoes, along with a tub of butter and a gallon of fresh orange juice, setting them on the counter that made up the working end of the breakfast bar that took up most of the kitchen space.

After I got the coffee going, I pulled an omelet pan down from the rack that was suspended above me and set it on the stove, turning on the heat and setting the flame to low. I started chopping up vegetables and grating cheese, glancing occasionally at Marcus as I worked. I began cracking eggs into a bowl, whipping them together when I had enough for the first omelet. Just as I was getting ready to pour the mixture into the pan, Marcus lifted his gaze and spoke, his voice slightly irritated.

"Is this the Bombshell Bounty hunter? The one you guys all give Ric shit about?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion along with the irritation. I nodded, pouring the egg into the hot pan and started to add the vegetables.

"And why is Rangeman is in the middle of this? Is he more involved with her than you guys have let on?" He was starting to sound suspicious, so I stalled, adjusting the heat and throwing in some ham that Celia had diced up before she left this morning. I wasn't comfortable spilling Ric's secrets, even if it was family. I shrugged, then looked up at him, staring him straight in the eye.

"You'll have to ask Ric when he gets here, bro. Not my place to tell company secrets." I smirked as he blew out a frustrated breath. He knew he wouldn't get more than that from me.

"Fucker." he muttered as he went back to reading. I grinned.

I dropped some bread into the toaster, then poured two glasses of orange juice, setting one in front of him as I chugged my own. The coffee was done, so I took a couple of mugs out of the cupboard and poured us each a generous amount, sliding the cream and sugar in front of him as I took a sip from mine. I was probably going to need a lot more to get me through our pow-wow, and I'm pretty sure Ric would need at least a pot as well. We'd all been running on pure adrenalin for the past couple of days, along with copious amounts of the hot brew, and even Tank had jokingly suggested we should've bought shares in Maxwell House.

The toast popped up, so I slathered them with butter and placed them on two plates I'd taken out of the cupboard, cutting the omelet in two and sliding half onto each plate. I set one in front of Marcus along with a fork, then sat down to dig in to mine. I noticed as I ate that Marcus didn't seem to realize there was food in front of him, he was so engrossed in the file. Even though it really didn't surprise me on one level, on another it was totally out of character. Food was always a priority with my brother-in-law, so this had to be a first.

Evidently the summaries weren't good enough anymore, because he'd gone back to the beginning and began to read each page word for word. His face started to show signs of a slow anger that began to build the longer he read, and the famous Manoso blank face was history. It said something about the intensity of his feelings that he no longer even tried to hide the disgust and rage he was feeling. I could identify with that, though, as could the rest of the guys. We just had longer to get used to it. Marcus was getting the full story all at once.

I finished up my breakfast, getting up to rinse my plate and refill my coffee. Ric should be arriving any time now, and if I knew him as well as I thought, he probably hadn't eaten since sometime yesterday. I guess it was the big brother in me that wanted to make sure he ate something, and I began to assemble the ingredients for another omelet, omitting the ham this time. Well, that and Celia would throw a fit if I didn't feed him. She may be pissed that we were working instead of sleeping, but not eating would piss her off even more. My wife had her priorities.

I started the omelet cooking, knowing that Ric would probably be earlier than he'd estimated. He always gave himself more time in case of hang-ups, and it was already nearing his estimated ETA. I had just pulled out another mug and was filling it with coffee when I heard the front door open, heralding his arrival. I set the coffee down at an empty stool and looked up as he came through the doorway, exhaustion causing his posture to slump a little.

Marcus looked up then, suddenly realizing there was food in front of him growing cold, and with a sheepish grin began eating. Ric sat down heavily in front of his coffee, letting out a sigh as he took a tentative sip then setting it back on the counter. I withdrew another plate from the cupboard and filled it with his finished breakfast, adding unbuttered toast as it popped out of the toaster and setting it in front of Ric along with a fork. He gave a murmur of thanks as he began eating, chewing slowly. He swallowed, then lifted his gaze to his brother, quirking an eyebrow.

"He's been concentrating so hard on the file, he didn't even see me put the plate in front of him." I grinned as I answered his unspoken question. He grunted, lost in thought as he methodically ate his way through the plate. I pulled out the pièce de résistance, Mama Manoso's Papas Rellenas, warming them a few seconds in the microwave before placing a couple on each of their plates. I set the remainder of them on the table in front of us, sitting down on the stool at the end and grabbing one to munch on as the guys finished their breakfasts. We were quiet as we polished off most of the Rellenas, savoring the quiet and the good food.

Finally replete, Ric leaned back and eyed Marcus, sipping his coffee as he waited for him to begin. He didn't have to wait long.

"So I'm assuming you're asking for my involvement." Marcus started. He quirked an eyebrow in the same questioning gesture as Ric had earlier as he continued. "As a brother, or as an FBI agent?" He sat back, folding his arms across his chest as he waited for an answer. I watched his face as Ric carefully considered his reply.

"Primarily, as my brother. Up to you if want to give your bosses the heads up that the Mob is indirectly involved in this. From what we've been able to determine, it looks like he could've had some support from the Grizolli family, since he's been banging Vito's daughter for the past three years, and they had a prior relationship all through high school." He shrugged his shoulders. "Your call."

Marcus leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked Ric straight in the eye. Here it comes, I thought.

"What's your stake in this, Ric? This isn't just about an employee in trouble, is it?" His eyes bored into Ric's, watching his face for any change of expression. He was in interrogator mode now, and it amused me to see them go head to head like this. My money would normally be on Ric winning this one, except this was about the Bombshell. Normalcy didn't apply anymore.

Ric had more practice at this shit, even though this was exactly what made Marcus such a valued agent at the Bureau. That fact that Ric could read a face better than anyone we'd ever met, including his brother, as well as his skill at extracting information from even the most difficult subject had made him highly sought after by all of the alphabet agencies. Marcus was constantly trying to achieve that status, and loved to test himself whenever he could.

"She's part of the Rangeman family, Marc. I've been her mentor from the start, encouraging her to hone her skills and keep doing this job. She's good at the mental aspect; I've never seen a more intuitive person in my life, and you know I've worked with the best. Her job may be the excuse the cop uses, but there's more to it. He's trying to control every aspect of her existence, including her friends, her day to day movements, her life. He's got her mother convinced that every choice she makes is wrong unless it's what he wants. He's gotten increasingly more dangerous in his methods, and yesterday he almost had her killed to make his point. I won't let that happen again." Ric finished vehemently.

I don't think he realized it, but his impassioned speech gave away more than just his admiration for the feisty bounty hunter we'd all adopted as a sister. His feelings for her were hardly brotherly, and I could see that Marcus had finally caught on to this. Dumb bastard. Celia figured it out weeks ago, and she's had less to go with. Of course, my wife was extremely 'focused' on Ric's private life, whereas Marcus was more concerned with his own. She was the oldest, so she'd say she was only interested in his happiness, but I knew there was more to it than that. My wife was nosy.

Fortunately we'd been so busy the last few weeks that she'd been unable to get Ric on the phone, so he's had a bit of a reprieve from her inquisitions. As soon as the family got wind of this, though, he'd be inundated with phone calls and visits from every female in the family, including Mama Manoso.

I mentally groaned at that thought. Celia would find out how long I've been aware of Ric's feelings for Bombshell, and then she'd let me have it, right after she lectured Ric about keeping secrets from the family. That made me almost laugh out loud. Ric and secrets went hand in hand, and she isn't the only one he kept out of the loop. It wouldn't help that I wasn't one of them.

Marcus leaned back in his chair and grinned knowingly at Ric, his smile widening as he observed his brother's growing realization of how much he'd given away with that little speech. Ric's groan of consternation confirmed what Marcus had already figured out, and I knew he was going to milk that knowledge for all it was worth at the next family get together. Whether as blackmail, or watching from the sidelines as he was grilled by his Mama and sisters, Ric was toast, and he knew it.

He groaned, which caused Marcus to chuckle. He was gonna have to suck it up and deal, because Marcus wouldn't back down unless Ric had something better on him, and right at this moment, I didn't have much hope that he would. He'd been more focused on this case than I've ever seen him, and since he knew Hal, with Tank's help had things well in hand with the rest of the business, he hadn't allowed much to interfere with that focus.

He rubbed his face with both hands as if to wipe away the weariness and frustration he was feeling and sat back again, glancing at me before pinning Marcus with his gaze. He crooked an eyebrow and waited for Marcus to comment.

"Yeah, okay, count me in. What do you want me to do?" he asked as he sighed.

Ric shot me a look before turning back to Marcus. "When Frank Plum gets here and reads that file, watch him closely. I think there's more to the man than he's let on, so I want both of you to see if you pick up on anything abnormal or out of place. We may have an ally we hadn't counted on, and it could change how we go about the rest of this investigation." He sat back to watch the effect his request had.

For some reason, this take on the Bombshell's father didn't surprise me much. Other than Ric, Hector and I spent the most time with her when she needed a bodyguard, and since Morelli and her had been 'off' for the past couple of months, we'd been spending a lot more time with her lately. This included family dinners at her parents house, where we spent considerable time in Frank Plum's company. Even though he seldom spoke, if you didn't include his mumblings about his mother-in-law, you could tell he was always watching, always assessing. Not behavior normally associated with most men. Other than 'special' men, that is.

A look of alarm crossed Marcus's face and he shot forward in his seat, first glancing at Ric, then me and then back to Ric. He obviously didn't like the idea we could have an unknown who might or might not be dangerous. I wasn't too concerned. He'd find out the minute he met the man, if he was what Ric thought. I think he was.

"You mean you never had him checked out?" Marcus asked. He was disconcerted, to say the least. I think he was also a bit surprised. Ric never failed to have someone researched, especially when he got involved with someone, however indirectly. He was too security conscious not to know who he was dealing with.

I grinned, then looked at Ric. We had a silent conversation, ignoring Marcus as he ranted about all the variables we could be dealing with from an unknown. We'd heard it all before. Several times, in fact, so we wouldn't be missing anything earth-shattering when we tuned him out. It was always the same when we included him in some of our less-than-orthodox investigations.

Our 'conversation' was cut short by the sound of a car pulling up out front, which was my cue to greet and show in our guests. He would feel more comfortable if someone he was familiar with met him at the door, as well the fact that it might look odd to a casually observing neighbor if someone other than myself answered the door. It was my house, after all.

"Try not to make him uncomfortable, Marcus. I don't think any of us would fare well." I heard Ric say dryly as I left the kitchen to get the door. I snickered before clearing my face, blank mask in place.

Showtime!

tbc