CHAPTER 21

Present Day New Jersey and Pennsylvania

"I'm sorry, Connor, that I can't go back to Ohio with you. I'll be there for Corrine's funeral, but with Eric's immunity compromised, I can't leave him right now for any extended period of time." Chase ran his hand through his hair, his concern evident.

"I understand, Uncle Chase," Connor told him. "You need to take care of your son. He needs you. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. "

"There's still a lot to be done once you get back to Ohio. I think having Carlos Mañoso go with you is the best thing. He can help not only with the funeral arrangements, but with closing out your mother's bank accounts, and handling things like insurance and taxes. It can get quite complicated and time consuming."

Connor's eyes narrowed at the mere mention of Ranger. "I don't want that man's help. I can drive the truck back and handle whatever I need to by myself."

"That truck is older than dirt. I doubt it would make another long trip." Chase put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Connor, I know you're hurting, and still grieving. And then, learning about your father in the way you did wasn't easy, but..."

Connor shrugged off Chase's hand. "He's not my father! My father's John Madrid."

"Of course, and John will always be your father," Chase replied. "But Carlos Mañoso is your biological father. And, like you, until a few days ago Carlos had no idea that he had a son. It's been a shock to him as well. Please, give yourself some time to get to know him."

"I don't need time," Connor spat out. "If my mother had decided she didn't want him in her life—or mine—then that's good enough for me."

"That was a long time ago. You don't know all the details. She also didn't tell you about me," Chase said, looking at his nephew intently.

Connor didn't respond, other than angrily shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Connor, but it's already been decided. Carlos Mañoso will drive you back to Ohio. And then, you're coming back here. It's your decision whether you want to return with me or with him."

Connor shook his head. "I don't want any of this."

"I know. But you can't stay in Ohio by yourself. You still have to finish high school and the best place to do that is here, with family."

"I can get a job..."

This time it was Chase who shook his head. "Without a high school diploma, you can't get a job that would pay enough to support yourself, and besides, you need to concentrate on finishing high school right now. It's important for your future. I'm sorry you can't do your senior year in Ohio, but I spoke with your mother's friend, Teresa, and she's unable to take you in for an entire year. And again, it's your choice whether you want to live with Sylvia and me or with Carlos and Stephanie. Either of us would gladly have you stay with us for as long as you need."

Connor threw up his hands and stomped back to his room, slamming the door. Chase let him go, knowing his nephew needed to blow off some steam and think things through.

...

The doorbell rang and Chase answered it. "Come in, Carlos. Connor's packed and ready to go."

Ranger moved past Chase and entered the living room. "My vehicle's downstairs. Let's get loaded up. Kipton is a good eight-hour drive from here."

"I should forewarn you. Connor is still not happy about having to make the drive back with you," Chase informed him.

"If I was in his shoes, I probably wouldn't be either."

Connor came into the living room, duffel bag in hand, and a sullen frown on his face. He shot a quick glance Ranger's way and then focused on Chase. "Thanks for putting me up, Uncle Chase. And please, tell Aunt Sylvia how much I appreciated her making my favorite dinner last night. Will she be able to come to the funeral with you? I think the best day for it will be this coming Saturday, if the arrangements can be made."

"I don't think so, Connor. Until Eric is able to leave the hospital, Sylvia doesn't feel comfortable leaving him for even one day. But please, know that she'll be sending her love."

Connor acknowledged his uncle's comment with a head nod, then he shifted the duffle and started for the door, ignoring Ranger. Ranger shook Chase's hand and followed his son out the door.

When they reached Ranger's black Cayenne, Connor settled himself in the SUV's back seat directly behind Ranger. He donned sunglasses and earbuds, and had his smartphone in hand. His self-imposed isolation suited Ranger as well. At least they weren't fighting, Ranger mused. Before he could pull out into traffic, his phone chimed.

"Yo," Ranger answered.

"Your tracker on the Cayenne is caput," Tank told him. "It's one of the new ones we're testing out, but we're having problems with the battery shorting out. Stop by RangeMan and we'll swap it out. It'll take two minutes."

"Be there in fifty," Ranger responded. He disconnected and spoke over his shoulder. "We're taking a detour to my company in Trenton."

Connor pulled off his earbuds and complained, "Great. More fucking time wasted."

Ranger found himself rolling his eyes, and then he chuckled to himself. Stephanie was rubbing off on him. That made him think of his wife, home alone with Julie for the next week or so. Julie had seemed to take the news of her new half-brother well, after they'd had their late night talk. At least he had no worries about that part of his life. He knew Stephanie could handle anything Julie threw at her. Glancing back at Connor, he wondered if he could say the same for his tenuous relationship with his newfound son.

Mentally, he shook his head. He was still processing the fact that he had a seventeen-year-old son. He thought he'd been thrown for a loop when he realized he was going to be responsible for an emotional teenager all summer when Julie came to live with them, but now ... he was unexpectedly responsible for an angry, grieving teenaged son who hated him. His thoughts turned to Stephanie again. She'd always been supportive and encouraging regarding his relationship with Julie, but he hadn't had time to talk with her about adding Connor to their suddenly expanding family. How did she feel about his having two teenaged children? Hell, how did he feel about it?

Fifty minutes later, he pulled into RangeMan's underground garage, telling Connor, "We'll be back on the road in two minutes."

Connor didn't respond, but he did take off his sunglasses, taking in the impressive fleet of expensive vehicles parked in the garage. He watched as two well-muscled men in black t-shirts and black cargo pants climbed into a black Ford F-150 Raptor, while another similarly dressed man was vacuuming out a black Porsche Carrera. He almost made a joke about Ranger's obsession with the color black, but bit it back when a massive black man burst out of the stairwell. He was the largest human being Connor had ever seen.

Ranger stopped the vehicle in front of the stairwell door and got out, joining the black man at the front of the SUV. They both ducked down for a minute and then Ranger got back in behind the steering wheel. The black man followed Ranger to the driver's side and glanced at Connor. His eyes widened slightly and then he cut his eyes back to Ranger.

"That should solve the problem," Tank said. "As for signing on Red Roof Inns, I'll handle the initial meeting, but they're going to want to meet with you before they sign on as clients. You'll be back by next Monday?"

Ranger nodded. "Yes. We should be able to wrap things up in Ohio by late Saturday and drive back on Sunday. Go ahead and set up a meeting with Red Roof for Monday. And Tank, why don't you have Stephanie sit in on your initial meeting with Red Roof. She'll give them the royal treatment, and I think they'll appreciate Stephanie's insights into their customer needs."

"Will do, boss." Tank glanced again at Connor, his head dipping slightly in acknowledgment. "We'll handle anything that comes up here. You concentrate on taking care of your son through this difficult time. If you need anything, let me know." He slapped the vehicle's roof once and turned back toward the stairwell.

After leaving Trenton, Ranger took Interstate 78 west instead of Interstate 80, but the total travel time was the same. They would arrive in Ohio by early evening, as planned. Neither Ranger nor Connor spoke a word for the next four hours.

Needing to refill the gas tank and empty his bladder, Ranger exited the interstate and pulled into a roadside stop, somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania. As he got out of the vehicle, he threw back over his shoulder, "This is the only stop before we reach Kipton. I'm going to get some lunch. You're welcome to join me."

Connor stayed in the car for another five minutes before his stomach protested loudly. He slid into the booth across from Ranger and opened the menu, avoiding looking at his father. When the waitress came by, they each gave her their order and then they lapsed into silence, looking anywhere but at each other.

When the food arrived, each tucked in, ignoring the other. Finally, Ranger spoke up. "How's your burger?" Connor shrugged his shoulders and took a big bite. Ranger waited for a verbal response, but none was forthcoming. He finished his meal, picked up the check and threw down a tip, swiftly walking to the register.

Connor didn't leave the diner until Ranger put the gas nozzle back into the pump. He'd cut it close, as Ranger wasn't good at waiting for anyone. Ranger glanced over as his son walked toward the vehicle. He frowned and blocked Connor from getting in the car. "Give me the knife, Connor," he said.

Connor looked surprised at first and then got angry. "It's no business of yours what I carry," he spat out. He tried to step around Ranger, but his father sidestepped, blocking his path again.

"The knife," Ranger insisted, holding out his hand.

"No." A defiant Connor glared at Ranger.

In a flash, Ranger shoved Connor against the SUV with one hand while reaching down with the other and removing a wicked-looking knife from Connor's boot. It was a five-inch, dual-edged steel blade—not something an inexperienced, hot-headed teenager should be carrying. The whole incident took less than three seconds.

"You can't do that. That's mine!" Connor cried, reaching for the knife. Ranger shoved him back against the vehicle.

"Your knife?" Ranger said, challenging his son. "It looks just like the one Chase wears. Are you saying Chase gave you his knife?"

Connor tried to maintain eye contact, but couldn't. His cheeks flushed and his gaze dropped.

Ranger opened the backseat door, his gaze not wavering from Connor. Angrily, Connor ducked into the SUV and resumed his original posture, sunglasses and earbuds on, smartphone in hand. The rest of the drive to Ohio was done in silence.

Present Day Trenton

Stephanie smoothed the dove gray skirt over her hips. Was it fitting just a little tighter than when she bought it? She'd be hitting the RangeMan gym on a more regular basis, she vowed. She remembered her mother's dire warning that the Hungarian genes would take over her hips sometime in her thirties. Well, she was in her thirties.

She glanced at Julie and couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips. She had no desire to traverse her own teenage years again, but it would be nice to have a young firm body; to not think twice about how many doughnuts she'd inhaled at breakfast. To be completely fair, she'd noticed that Julie had inherited Ranger's dietary tendencies. The girl always chose a bagel over a doughnut. Stephanie never chose a bagel over a doughnut. Maybe it was time to rethink her food pyramid. She shrugged on the matching jacket and turned to Julie.

"How do I look?" she asked her young office assistant.

Julie turned from where she was organizing business cards in a rolodex and took in Stephanie's appearance. "You look great. Professional and beautiful. And your shoes make you almost as tall as me!"

Stephanie looked down at her Jimmy Choo pumps. The suede heels had cost more than a month's rent on her old apartment, but she was representing RangeMan and she wanted to look good. This meeting with the Red Roof Inn people was her first big new client meeting and she knew she had to look competent and confident.

"Are you nervous?" Julie asked. "You said business meetings were kind of new for you?"

"Maybe a little," Stephanie admitted. "I've handled meetings with existing clients, but Red Roof is a new client. It's easier knowing that Tank will be with me, and this is just the preliminary meeting. Ranger will be at the next one when all the contract signing is done."

"You shouldn't be nervous about a meeting," Julie said. "It's way easier than bringing in fugitives like you used to."

Stephanie smiled. "You have a point. What are you going to do while I'm out? Do you have enough to keep you busy here?"

"Probably not," Julie said. "But Lester said I could hang out with the guys in the monitor room if I'm quiet and don't disturb their concentration. And later, he's going to let me ride along when they go to check some camera placements at a new installation."

There was excitement in Julie's voice and Stephanie bit back a smile. It didn't sound like the kind of day Stephanie would have enjoyed at Julie's age, but she recognized Julie's desire to be part of her father's life and Julie's enthusiasm would please Ranger, whether he'd admit it or not.

Julie opened the file cabinet in front of her and straightened the files. "You said Dad would be home in time for your next meeting?" Julie asked, careful not to make eye contact.

"Yes," Steph replied. "He thinks he can get everything done that needs doing in a few days. Corrine's funeral is on Saturday."

"It's got to be hard on ... Connor," Julie started, lifting a folder out. "He and Dad must be ... bonding." She still hadn't looked at Steph.

"I hope they are getting to know each other, though I'm sure it's awkward for both of them. They're virtually strangers." Steph scooted her chair over so she was in Julie's line of sight. "Julie, Ranger developing a relationship with his son will not impact your relationship with him. He loves you. Nothing is going to change that."

"I know he loves me, but Connor is his son. Sons come first to a man," Julie scowled. "I found that out the hard way with Ron."

"Ranger is not Ron," Steph told her, trying to reassure her. "The bond you and your dad have is special. No one is going to come between you and your dad. Not even Connor."

Julie nodded, but still wouldn't meet Steph's eyes.

A shadow fell across the room. Stephanie looked up to see Tank filling her doorway. He was dressed in RangeMan black, but not the typical uniform. He was wearing a suit, complete with vest and tie. Ranger wasn't the only one who could pull off the tone on tone look. He had to have had the suit custom-made. It was perfectly tailored and, surprisingly, it gave Tank a man-of-the-world vibe.

"Wow," Julie said. "You look handsome, Tank."

"I concur," Stephanie said.

He grimaced and raised a hand to adjust the Windsor knot at his neck. "Let's get going," he said to Stephanie. "The sooner this meeting starts, the sooner it's over and I can get back to my normal clothes."

Stephanie picked up her small Jimmy Choo clutch, the price of which made her shoes seem like a bargain. "I don't know if I'll be back before lunch," she said to Julie. "I'll have my phone on vibrate if you need me."

"Don't worry," Julie said. "I'll be fine. Knock 'em dead, Steph!"

"Don't knock them dead," Tank said dryly. "They haven't signed yet. And don't worry about Julie. Lester is looking after her."

"Hey, I don't need a babysitter," Julie protested.

"Of course you don't," Tank said with a smirk. "I'm counting on you to keep Lester out of trouble."

…..

Stephanie dropped her clutch on her desk and kicked her pumps off. Expensive or not, they still pinched her toes. She sat in her chair and for the first time since before the meeting, relaxed. It had gone well. Tank had, once again, proved his worth to RangeMan, and she'd been able to assist in his presentation. The meeting to sign the contracts had been scheduled. All they needed now was Ranger, and he should be back in good time to be briefed and attend the next meeting. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she'd been later getting back than she'd planned. Her hand went unthinkingly toward the desk drawer.

The crumpled Tastykake fell from her hand to the desktop as Lester entered her office and slammed the door behind him. "We have a problem, Beautiful." Her face paled at the grim set of his mouth. Immediately, she thought of Ranger. At the look on her face, Lester shook his head.

"It's not the boss, and no one is injured—yet, but there is a situation that has to be dealt with," he told her firmly.

Relieved, Stephanie tore open the Tastykake package and took a big bite. "Okay," she said after she'd chewed and swallowed. "Is it something I need to deal with specifically? I mean something for me and not for Tank?"

"Yep. It all yours to deal with," Lester said. "It's okay for Ranger to threaten to send me to Alaska. He'd probably never follow through on it. I'm his cousin, after all."

"You are," Stephanie agreed, not seeing where he was going.

"There are a couple of new guys who could lose their jobs over this and it's not right. Ranger is usually a fair guy, but I'm thinking he wouldn't be fair about this."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Stephanie said. She popped the rest of the Tastykake into her mouth and sat back to listen to his explanation.

"No idea, huh?" Lester said. "I'll tell you then, and I can show you." He moved around to her side of the desk and nudged her chair aside. His fingers were deft on her keyboard, and suddenly an image of the monitoring room appeared on her screen. "The boss's daughter is a major cock tease," he said bluntly. "And someone needs to rein her in before all hell breaks loose."

"That's crude, Lester. She's just a young girl. You shouldn't say that!"

"Sorry to offend your sensibilities, Steph. You're right. She is a young girl and that's the problem. She may be a kid, but she looks–and acts–like an adult. See for yourself." Lester pointed to the live feed showing on her screen.

Stephanie frowned as she saw Julie leaning over Jimmy, the newest hire, who was sitting in front of the monitor. At first glance Julie was just observing, but after Stephanie watched for a few moments she saw Jimmy turn back and say something to Julie. Julie laughed and then she leaned in close and laid her hand on Jimmy's shoulder in a gesture that was more of a caress than a pat. And at once, Stephanie realized Lester was right. Julie was flirting. But surely simple flirting wasn't to be described as graphically as Lester had. She frowned as she turned to Lester, but before she could say anything, he continued.

"She's been doing this all morning with all of the guys. Most of us can deal with it, but Jimmy is a new hire with lots of potential. He doesn't have a military background, but Ranger saw something in him that he thought was worth taking a chance on. The kid is a hard worker with good instincts. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the instinct to stay away from the boss's daughter. Ranger threatened to send me to Alaska for looking sideways at Julie, but he won't do that because I'm family and he needs me here. Jimmy is a different story."

"You think he'll send Jimmy to Alaska?"

"Hell, no. I think he'll fire him, at a minimum. And that would be a shame. If she's going to be working here this summer, her unprofessional behavior can't continue. You need to talk to that little chicklet, Beautiful. She needs to understand the consequences of what she's doing."

Her sigh was big. She hadn't any experience parenting a teenager, but she could remember being parented. There were certain things she wouldn't do or say, but Lester was right, she had to say something. "Will you go tell her I'm back and I need to see her? I guess we'll have lunch and do some talking." Then she picked up her phone and called Ella.

...

"This place is unique," Julie said as she slid a tray onto the chipped laminate tabletop.

"Unique is a nice word for it," Stephanie replied. "But you can't beat the chicken here. Cluck-in-a-Bucket is good, cheap and quick. When I was bounty hunting, Lula and I used to eat here all the time."

"Is Lula going to have lunch with us today?"

"No, not today. Today it's just you and me, because I want to, well, I have some personal stuff to talk to you about."

Julie's left eyebrow rose in a way that was so reminiscent of her father that Stephanie's breath caught. What was she nervous about? She was the adult here.

"I guess I'm kind of like your stepmom," Stephanie said. "Not officially because you know your dad gave up parental rights so Ron could adopt you?"

"Yeah, I know he did. And my mom has explained why he did it, but I wish he hadn't. Does that mean I can't come live with you permanently?"

"Not necessarily. Your dad, Ranger I mean, would like to have you here. Before, when you were younger, he didn't have the lifestyle to keep you here. He thought you'd be safer living with your mother and Ron."

"I understand that, but Ron is not my father. He doesn't love me like he loves his own children, and as soon as I'm old enough, I'm changing my name back to Mañoso."

Stephanie was quiet at Julie's admission. She hadn't planned on talking with Julie about her Miami family, but it was obviously something Julie wanted to discuss.

"I don't know much about your life in Miami, Julie, but both Ranger and I respect your wishes to stay here. Have you considered how much you'll miss your mother and your brother and sister?"

"Yes. But it's not like I'll never see them again. I'll go visit them on holidays, but I want to live with my dad and you. I want to be the only child instead of…" she quit speaking mid-sentence, and Stephanie realized Julie had just remembered the existence of her half-brother.

"Ranger finding out about Connor has no effect on the way he feels about you, Julie. I said that earlier, and I meant it. It has made the situation a little more complicated though. He hasn't had the time to approach your mom and Ron about your coming here to stay permanently. You're going to have to be patient with him."

"I can be patient if you're sure he really wants me." Julie upended her soda cup. "I'm gonna get a refill. Do you want one?" she asked Steph.

"No, I'm okay." She picked up her cup and swirled the remaining Coke and took a long tug on her straw. If you're sure he really wants me, Julie had said. Ranger did really want her to live with them. To say he had a lot on his plate was an understatement. Stephanie would have to step up and take the lead. She'd do some quiet investigating and see if she could get an accurate picture of what Julie's life in Miami was like. There must be something going on at home that made her want to leave, and while it was really Ranger's place to find out, Ranger was otherwise occupied.

Stephanie watched Julie return from the soda fountain. The girl had a casual grace and carriage worthy of a supermodel. She attracted attention, no doubt about it. The talk she'd originally been planning on having came forefront in her mind.

"Back to what I wanted to talk with you about," Stephanie said as Julie slid back into the booth across from her.

"I was watching you on the feed at RangeMan and … this is kind of embarrassing for me, but I have to ask. Were you flirting with Jimmy while he was working the monitors?"

She saw the faintest flush rise in Julie's face.

"Maybe, a little, I guess. That's probably against the rules, but it's fun. He likes me, I think."

"It is fun," Stephanie agreed. "I've been known to flirt myself, but there can be unwanted consequences. I'm not meaning to give you a birds and bees talk here…"

"You don't need to," Julie broke in, smiling at Stephanie's discomfort. "I've already got the facts on that." She giggled and that brought up another immediate worry for Stephanie.

"Julie! You're not, I mean it's your decision, but you're only thir…"

"I'm not sexually active, Steph. But it's okay that you're asking me. Most of my friends are."

"They are? At thirteen?"

"Yeah, they are. I told Melissa, my best friend, how stupid she was. She had unprotected sex and it happened when she'd been drinking. She worried for a whole month she might be pregnant. That's how I got into the trouble that made Mom send me here early. I was trying to save Melissa from doing it again."

"You're a good friend to her," Stephanie said.

"I am, and I'm smarter than her, too. I'm not going to have sex without protection, and I'm not going to have sex unless I really, really like the guy and he really likes me. Melissa hasn't got it figured out yet. She thinks the only way to get a guy to like her is to hook up with him."

"I'm glad to hear you're smart about it," Stephanie told her. "The thing is, you have to be careful around RangeMan. It's a business and the people who work there not only have to maintain a professional appearance, they have to behave professionally, too. It's not easy to get hired on at RangeMan. Flirting on company time could be a reason to get fired, especially if the flirting is done with the boss's underage daughter."

Julie gave a slight frown, so Steph upped the ante. "Your father is very protective of you. And like most dads, he feels it's his job to look out after you. But he also has to look out for his business, too."

"I get it," Julie said. "I'll tone it down. It's just kind of fun to watch grown men go goofy-eyed at me."

"It probably is fun," Stephanie agreed. "But the men at RangeMan are at least two times your age. You look way older than your years, you know. Jimmy probably doesn't realize how young you are."

"Don't tell him!" Julie pleaded. "It would be kind of embarrassing. I'll stop. I promise."

"I won't tell him," Stephanie assured her. "I'm glad we are talking about this, because I wanted to make sure you understand that making grown men go goofy-eyed can have big consequences. There's a term, cockteaser, have you heard of it?"

Julie's eyes widened and she nodded. "You don't mean me?" she asked.

"No," Stephanie said quickly, feeling only a twinge of guilt at the remembrance of Lester's words. She wouldn't hurt Julie by admitting that was what she meant. "It's just that you want to make sure your actions don't give the wrong idea. Especially to guys who are older and have had some, uh, experience."

"No, I don't!" Julie exclaimed. "I'll stop, really I will!"

"You don't have to stop flirting altogether, Julie, just not at RangeMan. And please, when you do flirt, pick someone your own age … and don't do it in front of your father!" They laughed together, and Stephanie breathed out a mental sigh of relief. That hadn't been so hard.

"You're doing a good job in the office," she told Julie. "I called Ella today and told her to get you some regulation RangeMan uniforms to wear. If you're going to be there you might as well look the part."

"That's great!" Julie said and Stephanie thought, yeah, great. A monogrammed polo and loose-fitting cargo pants would take the threat down a notch or two. She knew she could count on Ella to come through for her.