Chapter 21

My teeth were biting so hard into my bottom lip I was worried I would break the skin, so I pursed my lips and let out a deep breath. We had been sitting at the curb three houses down from the Morelli house for six minutes. It was now four minutes until noon, my expected arrival time. Morelli's green SUV was sitting at the curb right in front of the house where it had been parked since we arrived. I wondered if Grandma Bella was home and if she would be as scary as she was in some of the recent memory flashes I was having. I knew Angie would be there, she was probably bustling around her kitchen right now making the perfect lunch. I wondered how they would react to Ranger being with me, how would they treat me when I announced that I was 'Stephanie Manoso'?

"You don't have to come in." I told Ranger.

"Where you go, I go." He informed me.

"Are you worried he will take me?" I asked.

"He's a loose cannon right now." He told me.

Light split in front of my eyes and I closed them.

I saw Morelli in front of me.

"I don't want you around Manoso, he's a very dangerous man. Not only is he a bad influence on you he is a loose cannon and I don't trust him." He glared at me.

"He's training me and I work for him when he needs help." I explained.

"Sure he needs help." He rolled his eyes. "He's a freaking mercenary Cupcake. The only thing he wants you for is to get into your pants."

"He told me that once." I said when I opened my eyes.

"What Babe?" Ranger leaned in and took my hand in his.

"He…Morelli…he told me you were a loose cannon." I admitted.

"He would be right about that, well as far as he's concerned." He winked at me. "Are you worried?"

"Are you worried I will go back to him?" I asked softly.

"If you would have asked me before Hawaii I would have said yes right away." He paused. "I know you are only remembering small pieces at a time, but I know once you have it all…"

"What was it Rang…Carlos? What was so earth shattering that it changed everything?" I asked

"It wasn't one event Steph. It was our first conversation and each day we spent together after, a true glimpse into what our lives would be like together. I think we both wondered, but never got a chance to test it." He shrugged. "The back and forth crap between Morelli and I isn't really true because I never had you. In Hawaii I had you, and you were only mine."

"You never had me before?" I was confused.

"You were his girlfriend, my friend, my sometimes partner, my occasional lover." He informed me.

"Never your girlfriend?" I asked.

He chuckled. "You were my girlfriend for a couple of days in Hawaii."

"And then I was your wife?" I figured out.

"And then you were my wife." He nodded

"And the vows? We both wanted it? We made the decision to do it? It wasn't just an act?" I asked.

"We both had our eyes wide open Babe. We knew exactly what we were doing and neither one of us hesitated." He smiled.

"Will you tell me about it? Describe it?" I wanted to know.

"Not yet, just give yourself some more time. I want you to remember it on your own." He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips where he placed a kiss on my ring finger.

"You make it sound so…" I couldn't find the word.

"It was Babe, it was" His smile was so big and bright.

"I can do this." I nodded.

"You can do this." He affirmed.

"How will I explain you staying with me?" I asked.

"I'll handle that." He assured me.

"Okay, let's go and get this done." I smiled.

He kissed my hand again before he released it. I unbuckled and opened the door. He met me on the sidewalk, grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. We walked hand and hand towards the Morelli house. I was trying to psyche myself up by chanting in my head. This is going to be fine, Ranger is with me and everything is going to be fine. This is all going to be okay, Morelli deserves to hear the truth from me. He can't hurt me and everything will be fine. It will all work out. He can't hurt me.

"Babe"

I looked up and we were standing at the end of the walkway that led to the front door of Angie Morelli's home. The door opened and Joe stepped out onto the small porch. He had walked out the door with a smile on his face, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Ranger. I suddenly felt really worried that I had disappointed him and released Ranger's hand. The fence that surrounded the yard was chain link and the gate that stood in front of us was the same except for the pieces of green plastic that had been woven in and out like a homemade pot holder. Ranger opened the gate and I walked through it and followed the walk to the porch.

Morelli stepped down the stairs and met me at the bottom. His face morphed from the disappointed look to a smile of satisfaction and he pulled me into his arms. I gave him a hug and then tried to pull away. He held on longer and I was beginning to think this may become a problem. His grip was strong but I suspected he didn't want to make a scene so whether it was because Ranger was there or because we were standing outside he finally let go. He grabbed my hand and started to pull me up the stairs.

"I'll drop her off at Rangeman after lunch." He hollered back towards Ranger.

"That won't be necessary." I heard Ranger's low voice behind me.

Morelli froze and whipped his head around. "You can go."

I felt the heat from Ranger's body right behind me. "I'm staying"

"Listen Manoso, this whole playing house thing ended when you got back to New Jersey so you can let it go now. She is my girlfriend not your wife and we are having lunch with my family. Everything will be just fine and I am quite capable of protecting her." Morelli was glaring now.

"Understood." Ranger nodded to him.

"Come on." Morelli tugged on my hand and opened the door.

"Uhm…" I hesitated.

"What the hell did I just say?" Morelli reeled around when he realized Ranger was still behind us.

"Is that Stephanie?" Angie Morelli called out.

"Yes, it's me." I announced.

"Bring her in here Joseph. Don't stand out on the porch all day." She called out.

"I am just dismissing her bodyguard." He explained.

"Morelli, I go where she goes." Ranger told him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Morelli focused on Ranger.

"Ranger's here too." I called out.

"There's enough for everyone." She hollered back.

"Let's go." Morelli turned away from Ranger and tugged me into the house.

"Don't stand there in the doorway." Angie Morelli called

She was cleaning off her hands on the bottom of the red apron she was wearing as she came through the doorway. She surveyed the situation carefully, all three of us still standing in the doorway. Her head tilted as she looked Ranger up and down before finally focusing on me. I couldn't read her expression and had no idea what she was thinking, and it made me apprehensive. This had been a bad idea. I felt a tingle through my body screaming at me that coming here had been a terrible idea and it wouldn't end well for anyone.

"I'm so glad you brought your friend, I've wanted a chance to thank him." She turned from me to Ranger. "I'd like to thank you for saving our Stephanie. I know Joseph is very happy to have her back in Trenton safe and sound."

Ranger didn't argue or comment on anything that was said. I suspected he was trying to fade into the background as much as possible. He gave Angie a quick nod and she smiled in return. She turned her back to us and headed back to the kitchen. We were stuck together in the small entry way right inside the door. After Morelli froze we had all been stuck in this position. I could feel Ranger's heat behind me and Joe's chill in front of me.

"Joseph? Aren't you coming in?" Angie peeked her head back in the doorway.

"Sure, uhm yeah." Morelli stuttered. "Come on in."

He made no attempt to make room for me to pass so I turned sideways to move by without brushing up against him. He followed behind me and Ranger passed through the doorway without having to alter his step. I stopped when I got to the living room. The couch was red velvet and covered in plastic, and there were two brown vinyl recliners near the TV. I didn't have much of a chance to survey the room any further because I was suddenly focused on the feel of Morelli's hot breath on the back of my neck. I felt his hand on my back as he gestured with his other hand for me to move forward. We entered the dining room and I glanced around. I didn't recognize the room and had no clue if I had ever been in it before. The room had a window but the heavy green curtains covered the sides partially, not allowing in much sun. The walls were painted mustard yellow with dark green accents along the baseboards. The table was already set with white china that had etched fruit decorating the edges. There were four places set and Morelli looked back at Ranger with a frown.

"Is Grandma joining us? There are not enough plates if she is, maybe Manoso should take a rain check." Morelli called out to his mother.

"Set an extra plate." She hollered back. "Stephanie, come help me."

I glanced at Ranger and he gave a slight shake of his head, his response was no. I hesitated as I looked back and forth from the door to Ranger. The door opened and Angie Morelli stepped out carrying a platter with garlic bread. I smiled at her as she carried it to the table.

"Come help with the salad, the ziti is almost done." She told me.

"Okay." I followed behind her.

We entered the kitchen together and the smell of garlic and basil immediately washed over me. This room was much brighter than the dining room. The walls were painted bright yellow and the curtains that covered the window above the sink were sheer. Her appliances were old but well maintained, the counters were spotless. It was as if no one ever cooked in here, even though I know she had been cooking all morning. I saw the bowls of tomatoes, onions, carrot strips, cheese and a big bowl full of shredded romaine lettuce. I made my way to the counter and she nodded to me when I started adding the ingredients. I used two wooden spoons to toss the salad before adding croutons.

"I'm so glad you're here." She patted my hand before handing me the carafe of salad dressing.

"Thank you for inviting me." I gave her a slight smile.

"Next time you plan on bringing a guest I hope you let me know first. I know you have better manners than that." She chastised me.

"Yes, I know…I'm sorry." I stumbled.

"It's okay Stephanie, you're a good girl." She nodded at me.

"Thank you." I spoke softly.

"I hope you know how much we love you." She laid her hand on my forearm.

"Uhm…" I bit my lip.

"You are the best thing that ever happened to my Joseph, and how he feels for you? I'm breathless sometimes at how he talks about you. Seeing the way he looks at you, such heated passion in his eyes. Every mother prays that her son will find a woman who sets his soul on fire and that's you." She patted the arm she had her hand rested on.

"Thank you." I almost shrugged.

"No one will ever love you like he does Stephanie." She clasped her hands together. "That boy loves you with every ounce of his being."

I just nodded in response, stepped away from the counter and carried my items back into the dining room. Ranger and Joe were standing about two feet from each other and both were glowering. I felt as if I had missed a very important exchange and I was curious what they had spoken about but I didn't dare ask either one of them right now. I set the salad and dressing down as Angie squeezed in beside me and set down the ziti. I stood back as she bustled back into the kitchen and quickly reemerged with a bowl of Parmesan cheese with a small spoon inside.

"Lunch time." She smiled.

She moved to sit down and I looked around wondering where I should go. The table was set with six chairs and five place settings, I could see two extra chairs against the wall with a leaf in between them. Morelli sat down at the head of the table and glanced to his right before smiling at me. His mother took my hand and led me to that seat while quickly sliding in beside me. Ranger moved to the other side of Morelli and sat down across from me.

Before serving herself, Mrs. Morelli passed me the salad. I took the bowl from her and scooped up some onto my plate. Then I passed it to Joe.

"So what have you been doing since you got back from Hawaii?" She asked me as she picked up the ziti and passed it to me.

"Taking my time and getting reoriented with my life." I answered as I served myself some ziti. I passed it to Joe.

She picked up the Parmesan and passed it to me. "What kind of things?"

"Just going to some different places and seeing what memories come back to me." I explained.

"So you haven't gotten all of your memories back yet," She questioned.

"They come in bits and pieces. I get more of them when something triggers them." I went into detail.

"What triggers them?" Angie asked with clear curiosity.

I shrugged. "Words, phrases, places, there is no one exact thing."

"So Cupcake, since you can't remember how to do your job you're going to quit now right?" Joe chuckled.

"Um Joe, I'm not trying to make any life changing decisions while I can't really remember everything." I enlightened him.

"But you need the money. Why don't you move in with me and let your crappy apartment go, then you won't have to work at all anymore." Joe persisted. "You won't have to worry about anything and I can take care of you."

"I'm not sick." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"That's not what I meant." He corrected me.

"Joe I'm doing Ok. I don't need money right now." I expounded.

"Cupcake you can't live off of Manoso. Come live with me I can support you." Joe rolled his eyes at me exasperated.

"No Joe, I have money from catching the Rug. So I can be out of work for a while. I'm not living off of anyone." I told him.

"Still you should come live with me. Let me take care of you." Joe almost pleaded.

"I can't do that right now. I need to be on my own to get my life back." I rationalized.

I was starting to relax when I heard a noise from the other room. We all turned to look at the doorway as an older woman entered the frame. The air was suddenly sucked out of the room and you could feel the tension in the air. She was short and wore a long black dress. Her silver hair was resting low in a tight bun near her neck. When she saw me her eyes narrowed and settled on me with a look that could kill. I couldn't hold back the slight gasp that escaped my lips.

"What is this one doing here?" She growled as she pointed my way.

"Grandma Bella, we told you Stephanie was coming to lunch." Angie reminded her.

"Do you remember Grandma Bella, Cupcake?" Morelli asked me.

I shook my head no. I knew I had seen her in one of my memories and I had a vague feeling we had no love lost between us. She made me nervous and put me on edge. The look of disgust on her face made her message to me clear, she didn't approve. She glanced at Joe and her face lit up, her eyes sparkled, and she gazed at him as if he hung the moon. She walked around the table starting at Ranger and glaring at the back of his head. When she got to Morelli she patted his shoulder and kissed his temple. I felt an icy shiver go through my body as she moved past me. She stopped next to Angie and gently patted her shoulder. She stood at her chair and Ranger got to his feet, she looked at him with a blank face and then back to Joe with raised eyebrows. He quickly got to his feet and she nodded before sitting down.

"We waited for you. I fixed your plate." Angie told her as she gestured to the plate full of food in Bella's spot.

"Let's pray." She announced.

I glanced around the table as the Morelli's bowed their heads. I lowered my head but kept my eyes up to see. Ranger was staring into mine and I watched the corners of his mouth lift into a slight smile and a nod. Maybe this would be okay, we could get this over with and get back to our time getting to know wach other better.

"Amen." Joe announced as they all pulled their heads up.

"Now why is the little puttana here?" The grandmother asked. (whore)

"We don't talk like that in my home." Angie warned her.

"Where's the vino? I need vino if I have to eat with these people." The old woman droned on. (wine)

Angie got up and grabbed the bottle of wine from the table. She moved around quickly as she filled each glass. I ignored the wine and took a sip from the water that had already been sitting at my place.

"Grandma Bella be nice. Stephanie and I are going to get married." Morelli held up both hands palms out.

"She's already married." Bella informed him as she gestured towards my left hand.

"No, you don't understand." He began.

"Uhm Joe, we need to talk. After lunch…" I stopped when I heard Angie's fork hit the plate.

"Why is he here?" Bella jerked her thumb towards Ranger.

"He's Stephanie's friend. He brought her back to Joseph." Angie answered her.

"And my Joseph? What is he to you?" Bella asked me.

"My friend." I answered.

Joe chuckled. "I think we're a little more than friends Cupcake."

"Don't be so pushy Joe." Angie cautioned.

"Why is she a cupcake?" Bella asked.

"It's what I've always called her." Joe patted my hand.

"It's a childish name." Bella sneered.

When he touched me I realized I wasn't eating. I glanced at him and smiled before lifting up my fork. This was going to be even harder than I thought and I had already assumed it would be pretty hard. So his Grandmother hated me and his mother loves me. What did they know about our relationship? I wasn't really sure who I was supposed to listen to.

"Is someone after you? Is that why you need a bodyguard?" Angie asked

"I think they're might be this PI from Hawaii..." I trailed off when Joe stiffened.

"PI?" Bella asked.

"Private investigator." I explained

"Why is a private investigator after you?" Angie asked.

"Someone hired him to watch me and it seems he kind of got a little obsessed." I shrugged.

"Who would hire someone to watch you? Does this have to do with the Rug?" Angie asked.

"How did he become obsessed? How do you know? Did something happen?" Morelli raised an eyebrow.

"He had pictures of me all over his office." I stared into Joe's eyes.

"Isn't that his job?" Joe rolled his eyes.

"Pictures as big as posters, pictures he photo shopped himself into and he had personal items." I informed him.

"What personal items?" Bella wanted to know.

"Who would hire someone to watch you like that?" Angie gathered her sweater close to her neck.

"I don't know." I shot a look at Joe and decided to ignore Bella.

"Probably has to do with the Rug." Grandma Bella offered.

"I don't think so." I shook my head.

"You should have left him alone. Leave sleeping dogs lie." Bella nodded.

"It's my job." I told her.

"Your job is having babies." Bella announced.

"I don't know if I ever want kids." I told her.

"Bite your tongue." Angie's hand flew to her chest.

"See Joseph? She's not the one." Bella shook her head.

"When's the date? Have you two set a date?" Angie asked.

"A date for what?" I was confused.

"The wedding Cupcake." Joe pushed back from the table.

"I don't even have a ring remember?" I reminded Joe.

He glanced at Ranger with a smirk, dug into his pocket and went down on one knee. Oh no! Oh no! Please don't do this. I was begging in my head. He grabbed my left hand and quickly shot a look back up at me when he saw the rings were still there. My stomach turned and I felt the wave of nausea waft through me. This was it, I had to tell him. His mom and Grandmother would hate me. I glanced at my Carlos and he gave me a tight lipped smile and a slight nod, he had my back. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Joe reached for the rings on my finger and started to move them before I jerked my hand back.

"Cupcake." His brows furrowed.

"Let me get the camera." Angie clapped her hands together.

"Joe, may I speak to you privately?" I asked him.

"No. I don't want to miss anything." Angie flew from her chair.

"Joe, I really don't want to have this conversation in front of your mother and grandmother." I leaned in close so he would hear me.

"But you don't mind talking in front of Manoso?" His eyes narrowed.

I grabbed his hands and stood up as I pulled him to his feet. Angie came running back into the room and began taking pictures. Morelli's hands turned over and gripped mine tightly. I gasped at the pain and glanced at Ranger giving him a look that I hope told him to stay put for now. I yanked my hands back from Joe and Angie froze. She stopped taking pictures and straightened up from her crouched position. She shot Joe a look of warning and took a step towards him. She smiled and patted his arm before she pulled our hands back together. She looked at each of us with a smile and a nod.

"This is how you two belong. Two Italians over flowing with passion, which is why you both yell and wave your arms around." she giggled. "You are perfect for each other."

"Mrs. Morelli..." I began.

"Call me Angie." she pulled me into a hug. "or mom."

"If she makes you happy I will bite my tongue and stay out of our business." Grandma Bella told her grandson.

"She makes me very happy." Morelli pulled my hands to his chest as soon as Angie released me.

I glanced at Carlos and he raised an eyebrow in question. I gave him a slight head shake. I wanted to handle this on my own. I needed to just bite the bullet and get this over with, waiting wouldn't make it any easier. At least Grandma Bella would be happy.

"Angie, can you sit down for a minute?" I asked her.

"Just take your time to think before you make any big decisions." She had a worried look in her eyes, but moved back to her seat.

"Let's get those rings off so I can finish here. I am sure Manoso is anxious to return them to the store." Joe gave me a forced smile.

I pulled my hands from his and placed my right hand on his chest, holding him away from me. A look of hurt came across his face and then confusion set in. He tilted his head and waited for me to talk.

"Joe, I can't take the rings off." I spoke softly.

He paused for a moment and then smirked and nodded his head. "Tracker? Okay, we'll get you a new tracker planted in something else."

He reached for my left hand. "No Joe, Ranger and I are married."

He laughed. "No Cupcake, that was just for the case."

"We're married for real, we attended a vow renewal service and it was real. We said "I Do." It was legal." I dropped my hand as I felt his heart race.

"Do you remember the ceremony?" He asked me.

"Not yet." I admitted.

"How do you know he's not lying to you?" He snapped his head and shot Ranger a nasty look.

"It's true Joe, I'm sorry." I whispered the apology.

"I can't believe this. You can't do this. You don't remember yet. You don't know how much you love him, you don't know how good you two are." Angie begged.

I spun around to face her and took a step towards her. "Oh you would be surprised what I remember."

She gasped and clutched at her shirt. "You're not seeing clearly."

"I'm not sitting around for this." Bella stood up. "I put the eye on all of you."

"Grandma Bella?" Joe asked her.

"You should all get exactly what you deserve." She rolled her eyes and left the room.

"She's had some dementia lately." Angie slumped down to sit in her seat.

"Stephanie, Cupcake, I love you. I have loved you my whole life. Marry me. Marry me and be my wife, be the mother of my children, be my everything." Joe pleaded as he moved onto his knee again.

"I'm already married Joe. I am married to Carlos." I explained.

"Carlos?" Joe said it like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"You know I'm talking about Ranger. You know you and I don't belong together. I do remember some things Joe. I remember what happened before I left for Hawaii." I spoke my words barely above a whisper.

He hung his head and his breath caught. I wasn't sure if he was having a panic attacking or crying. His body was shuddering and his breath was catching in his throat. I could hear Angie crying behind me. I glanced at Ranger but his face was blank, absolute stone like there was nothing going on around him. I felt the tears that stayed just behind my eyes and fought to keep them away. I patted Joe's shoulder and moved down to kneel in front of him. I kept repeating to him that it was going to be okay. I kept repeating that things would get better, but he never looked at me.

"Joe, you need to get help. You have this family history that haunts your life and you need help. You can be happy and find the right person, you will find that person." I assured him.

"Like you did?" His head snapped up.

I hesitated. "Yes."

I closed my eyes for just one second and the room went crazy. There was a loud growl, a thud and a feminine gasp and the next thing I heard was silence as I felt the muzzle of his gun pressed into my forehead. I closed and opened my eyes a few times because I thought I might have been dreaming or had another memory. My eyes shot to the left and Ranger was standing, the chair behind him on the floor. To the right there was no one, I assumed Angie was still sitting in her chair. I looked up through my lashes without moving my head. Morelli and I locked eyes and I held the connection.

"Morelli." I heard Ranger's voice.

"How could you do this to me?" Morelli was speaking only to me.

"I didn't…I'm sorry…I" I couldn't seem to focus on anything else except the cold medal pressing into my forehead.

"Cupcake, we had it all." His voice shook with rage.

"I didn't plan this Joe, but I am his wife." I admitted.

"You can get an annulment, a divorce, something." His voice was tight in his throat.

"Joe." I used a calming voice.

"Cupcake, don't you know how much I love you?" He asked me.

"You don't yell and scream at people you love, you don't try to change them. I do have some memories Joe and not many of them have been good." I told him.

"There's so much more to remember, over twenty years of history between us." His hands were steady.

"Like you hurting me? Like you hitting me?" I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum." Angie gasped.

I started to turn my head to face her but was stopped by the pressing of the gun against my skin. I used my eyes to plead with Morelli, but he had on his cop face. He showed no emotion. I felt myself beginning to sweat and I was focusing on taking slow breaths so I wouldn't pass out.

"Italians have so much love and passion inside of them Stephanie. It's the best and worst quality at the same time. You have to understand how powerful that love can be. Sometimes it just explodes out because it's too much to contain." She moves closer as she spoke.

"No Angie, no that's not right. That night you came to Joe's house when I was hurt." I sniffled.

"Which one?" She asked.

"Which one?" I repeated.

She suddenly seemed to realize that she had given me information I didn't already have. My eyes closed and she was there with me in Joe's house.

I was on my knees in front of the toilet throwing up with Angie's hand in my hair. As soon as I got control myself I sat back onto my heels and took the wash cloth she held out for me.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"Joe said you just passed out on the couch and then said you felt sick." She told me.

"I don't remember. I came over to watch the game and eat some pizza. We had an argument about a skip and I needed to leave I turned to get my bag and then I don't remember anything." My hand flew to the back of my head.

"Joe said you had a bump. He thinks you got hurt during the day and might be suffering a concussion." She informed me.

"During the day? Where is he? Why are you here?" I asked.

"He got called out for a case but didn't want you left alone" She rubbed my shoulder.

"How many times?" I asked her.

"I don't know what you mean Stephanie." She sounded hesitant.

"How many fucking times did you cover for him? How many fucking times did you help him cover up hurting me? How many fucking times did you enable him?" I nearly screamed at her.

"Stephanie please, he loves you." She pleaded

"I made mistakes." Joe whispered. "I will get help."

"No." I tried to shake my head but he pressed the gun harder against me once again forcing my head back.

"Cupcake." He pleaded.

"Shut up Joe. Shut up." The tears exploded from my eyes.

His eyes narrowed and fixed on me with a glare before he spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't push me."

"Stephanie, you need to get yourself together. Joseph needs you and you need him. You two belong together. He loves you." Angie's voice was laced with sadness.

"You know we belong together, we can fix this. Quit that job and settle down. We can make some beautiful babies. Cupcake, I love you." He whispered.

"Joe you're holding a gun to my head. You don't hurt and threaten the people you love." I supported.

He didn't speak. We were both on our knees face to face. My arms hung dead at my sides and he had both hands surrounding the gun he had aimed at my head. I couldn't believe he had a gun aimed at my head, this isn't love. My eyes darted to Ranger he seemed frozen, but only for a second. I quickly realized he had been moving closer and closer, centimeter by centimeter. He was almost at the point where he could kick out and hit Morelli. I needed to buy time, I needed to get my crap together and figure out how to get the gun away from Morelli. I saw Ranger move just a tiny bit and then Morelli started to glance to the side. I had to do something to distract him.

"Let me go. Put your gun away. You would lose your badge. You would lose everything. You would go to jail for life." I told Morelli.

"Don't you want me anymore?" He asked.

"Joe, stop this." I implored him.

"Damn it Cupcake. Don't make me do this." He shook his head.

"Make you? I am not making you do anything." I glared at him.

"Joseph, you can't do this. She'll never marry you with a gun to her head." His mother pleaded coming closer.

"Momma she can't marry me if she's married to him." Joe said.

"Honey, she loves you. She just can't remember everything right. When she gets her memory back she'll remember how much she loves you." She was standing next to Joe now and bent over putting her hand on his arm.

Joe looked at me and studied my face. He glanced at his mother out of the side of his eyes, unwilling to turn his head away from me. I could hear her stepping away from us.

"You'll get your memory back and remember you love me. That we're supposed to be together. You just need to stay away from Manoso." Joe announced.

"No Joe. You've hit me, you've hurt me-""You are going to divorce him. You are going to come back to me." He commanded.

"No, I will not." I spoke through gritted teeth.

His eyes grew wide with surprise and then dark with anger. "If I can't have you, no one will."

I closed my eyes trying to center myself and keep calm. Before I could take my next breath the room exploded and the gun went off. My head jerked back and my eyes shot open. I looked at Morelli, Ranger was behind him with his forearm wrapped around Morelli's neck. I looked down and found the gun on the floor in front of me. I grabbed it and jumped to my feet. I looked around and quickly noticed Angie was slumped back in her chair. My eyes focused on the blood, the red liquid that covered the hand she had clutched to her chest. I dropped the gun and rushed to her. I grabbed the cloth napkin from the table and pressed it into her chest.

"Oh my God! Joe what did you do!" I cried out.

"I don't…I didn't…He grabbed me…It's all his fault." Joe stammered starting to struggle against Ranger.

I grabbed another napkin and pressed harder as I heard the distant whine of sirens. Morelli began arguing with Ranger as he struggled against his unbreakable hold. I blinked and fought against the black dots that swam around in my vision. My ears were filled with the loud sound of my heart, no more sirens, no more of Morelli's voice, just the incredibly fast thuds of my pulsating heart.

*******************************THANK YOU*******************************

Wow Donna! Thanks for the long well thought out review, your ideas made me smile.

Thank you so much Cornfedfiddler for enjoying what I do and for being pretty awesome with your work.

Thanks Jenn!- You know why!