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A Christmas Wish

Chapter 37

"Ranger, the cop is on 31. We're trying to catch up. It seems like Morelli is heading for the state line! The mountains I bet." Tank yelled into his cell phone now on speaker.

Ranger's angry voice was bouncing off the inside of his Porsche in the short-term parking, "No mountain will stop me! What happened? I just heard the alert coming through the airport!"

"Morelli broke into Stephanie's attorney office for some unknown reason and grabbed them at Pino's. What the Fuck!"

"What?"

"Some crazy trucker driving a rig just blew by me in the slow lane! I'm doing almost 80 in this tank."

One sight of that cop and Ranger knew is always under-control restraint would be gone if he caught him. "I'm calling the control room. Maybe I can intercept them here in Pennsylvania. Contact me through them," he ordered as he disconnected and redialed immediately.

Ram, a former Army man, only heard "Who's monitoring Morelli!? And get me there!" recognizing his boss' voice coming through the call when he answered. "I am, Ranger. Get on 263 north. It parallels 31 towards the state lines. The cop is still on it and for some reason he's slowed down the GPS is indicating.

"I'm heading to 263 and I'm leaving my phone open to keep me up-to-date."

"Yes, Sir."

"Ranger, he's turned on 202 heading for Pennsylvania. When you come to 413 get on it."

"Come on you asshole," Ranger yelled. "Cross the state line and it becomes a federal offense. I'll be waiting!"

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"Get out of my way!" Joe yelled with his head out of his window blowing his horn. There were 18 wheelers in both lanes heading north on route 31 going below the speed limit. He was barely registering 40 miles per hour in the left lane.

The objective was to get across the Pennsylvania state line and into the mountains as quick as possible. Joe's uncle had on old hunting camp in the Pocono's which he knew hadn't been used in awhile. He hoped he still remembered how to get there so he could begin to reclaim 'his' wife. God, he needed a drink! Joe's brain was on overload; he couldn't think anymore and he was shaking.

The pick-up truck lurched forward slightly but her seat belt she struggled to get on with one hand prevented Stephanie from moving much. Joe didn't have his on and the force sent his chest into the steering wheel and his forehead touched the glass.

"What the Fuck!" he gasped to get air back in his lungs that was knocked out. A sweaty palm rubbed the ache in his forehead.

Stephanie turned around as much as she could with her wrist handcuffed to the door handle. Delaney was all right but had a startled expression on her small face. Looking out the back window, there was a dark grey cab of an 18 wheeler behind them. "HONK! HONK!" It was right on the truck's bumper.

"It's Grandma and Slim Jim!" Written in the grill of the truck, Delaney read 'SLIM JIM'.

"What the FUCK!" Joe checked the rear view mirror. "What is that kook of a Grandma of yours doing? Getting us killed!" He had no room to get around the trucks in front of him and there was one on his bumper.

"Coming to get us, You smelly Turd!" Delaney snarled at him.

Joe screamed back at the little girl sinking her back into the back seat as far as she could go to avoid his alcohol reeking breath, "Shut up, Whore Child! I'll make you sorry!"

"You should try Listerine and floss some time," Delaney spat back waving a hand in front of her nose.

He would have to out maneuver them in his pick-up. Joe was swerving the pick-up in both lanes. He made a sharp turn going across the grass divider separating the directions of traffic. There was a ramp for traffic to enter the highway going southbound. He steered for it making their getaway to escape her Grandma and the truckers blocking his path.

"Stop!" Stephanie screamed watching cars and trucks coming towards them and Joe floored the pick-up up the burm of the ramp. Delaney was hiding her eyes screaming "MOM, HELP!"

Stephanie was helpless, but because Joe was so focused on vehicles coming at them from all directions, she increased her vigor tugging on door handle. From her tugging and manipulating the door handle, it was pulled away from the panel enough to slip the cuff off, but she left it on so Joe was not aware she was loose.

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"Ranger, he just turned on to 29 along the Delaware. Stay on 413. Tank is almost at 202!

"Got it!"

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"I hate this truck!" Joe smacked the steering wheel with his fist. "I'm almost out of gas!"

Stephanie kept her face emotionless realizing Joe probably forgot to get that small gas tank leak fixed so it didn't leak anymore because he was pre-occupied drinking and running around before he entered detox. She knew this may be her one opportunity to get them away from Joe. He was a creature of habit and she prayed he still was.

At the top of the ramp, he glanced in both directions. There was a road sign indicating food, gas, and lodging. To his left in a distance there was a tall tower with "GAS & FOOD" on the top so he turned in that direction. Soon they could see the Delaware River and Stephanie realized the Pennsylvania state line.

Joe saw a gas station, but as they drove up, it was closed. "Can't anything go right for me?" He slammed his fists into the steering wheel again. The road was lesser traveled they could see because only one or two cars were on the road.

Crossing over a bridge and the Delaware River, "Welcome to Pennsylvania" and a smiling picture of Governor Rendell greeted them. She was beginning to panic because in all their traveling she had not seen any local or state police to pull Joe over for his speeding. Now they were on a more rural road so it was even less likely. How far would the Rangeman tracker track them?

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"Ranger, he just crossed over into Pennsylvania," Ram informed him. "Coming up on your right there should be state route 15561. Take it and you'll practically be right on them."

"Got it. The Bad Ass is coming for you Morelli! I want my girls! This is a Fucking cow path!"

"That cow path is leading you to them. The cop is pulling into a gas station GSP indicates!"

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"Don't try anything, Stephanie, or I'll make sure you never see your precious whore daughter again!" Joe hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll put her out at the first chance I get!" Joe screamed his warning at both of them turning off the ignition when he pulled into the gas station.

Neither said a word, but she hoped the fear that she was showing in her features was enough to let the cop feel confident he was in charge. Delaney cowered into the back seat following her mother's actions.

Joe slammed the door cursing at the damn truck. Quietly, Stephanie hit the button for the locks. As she hoped, Joe left the keys in the ignition.

"Delaney," Stephanie said quietly hoping to reassure her little girl, "I'm going to get us out of this."

With all the confidence, the little girl told her mother, "I know, Mom. You take care of us."

She had slipped the handcuff off the loose door handle.

"As soon as Joe puts the gas hose back. I'm going to start the truck and pull out of here really fast! Sit back, Sweetheart."

A questioning look was on her small face.

"Joe doesn't now this handle is loose. I slipped the handcuff off."

Her smile was a mile wide, "Go, Mom! He's a turd."

Joe always returned the hose to the gas pump first, and then tightened the gas cap. She was counting on him being a drunken asshole of habit, tired, and having slowed down reflexes. Stephanie noticed he had been sweating. He's probably been experiencing withdrawal symptoms in rehab, but after his drinking binge, his body was reacting to having alcohol in it again.

Stephanie inched over towards the console between the bucket seats. As soon as she heard the nozzle leave the gas tank, she hopped over the middle and was turning the keys.

"Hey!" Joe lunged for the truck. When Stephanie put the older truck into drive, it lurched back before she peeled out. She felt something make contact with the back of the truck. They heard Joe left out a blood curdling scream when the back panel caught him. To make it even worse, when the truck pulled forward, there were tire marks across his old sneaker. He was lying on the ground clutching his left leg she saw in the side mirror.

Delaney yelled out the back window leaving the gas station, "No one calls my Grandma a kook! Take that, YOU TURD!"

In his cloud of dust and gravel, Ranger spun his Porsche on hard pavement again racing into the gas station right ahead of him. He watched the red pick-up truck flying out of the lot. Screeching to a halt, he saw the cop writhing on the ground with a few people looking at him. Lunging out, he went right for the man on the ground.

"Excuse me," he growled past the people. A strong hand grabbed his T-shirt picking him up. He slammed him down into the concrete and picked him up again. The cop let out earsplitting screams of pain and was vainly struggling in the Bad Ass vice-like grasp. "No one takes my girls!"

"Augh!" Joe screamed again as he was shoved with Cuban force into a gasoline pump.

"You will never come near Stephanie or Delaney ever again," Ranger growled into the face of a damaged Joe Morelli. His head was hanging and he was losing consciousness. Ranger tossed him into another gas pump and his broken body slipped to the ground.

"He'll need an ambulance," Ranger called from the driver's seat of his sports car. He could hear police sirens approaching, but took off after the red pick-up truck never looking back at the bleeding semi-conscious man on the ground.

Stephanie's grip on the steering wheel was practically crushing her fingers but as she kept her eyes focused straight ahead on the road and the foot on the gas pedal to put as much distance between her and her daughter and the man she had know most of her life that made it HELL. She wasn't sure which state she was in or ever noticed the black car approaching from behind.

"Mom! Mom, pull over! Ranger's behind us!" the little girl shrieked with relief seeing the Porsche approaching at a high rate of speed to catch up.

She caught the flash of his headlights in the side mirror and began letting up the pressure on the gas pedal and finally slowing down to pull to the side where there was room in the gravel.

The Porsche stopped right behind almost touching the bumper. Her hands were shaking so much, Stephanie was afraid to let go of the steering wheel.

"We did it, Mom!"

"We did it, Delaney!" she cried as strong arms were coming around her.