Happy Easter, again!

A Christmas Wish

Chapter 38

"Babe, it's over," Ranger said quietly as his fingers gently uncurled her fingers from the steering wheel. Stephanie was so traumatized, she never saw him reach in the partially open window and unlock the doors to get her out. The rage he felt moments before melted into relief and concern. He just wanted to hold her and comfort her. His arms tenderly lifted her down. There was a bruise forming on her cheek he saw.

"He threatened to leave Delaney somewhere so I would never see her again if I didn't do what he wanted." Stephanie sobbed in Ranger's shoulder with her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

"Bastard," he muttered but controlled the rage which was rearing again in his body at the mention of the cop. Stephanie would do anything for her daughter's safety. "You are both safe."

Stephanie turned around to catch Delaney climbing over the seats and into her mother's arms. "Are you OK?" A hand was brushing her wavy hair back checking for any cuts on her face or anywhere.

"Mom," she smiled with her animated words over another adventure, "where did you learn to burn rubber like that? I bet Joe has tire tracks on him!"

The 'Burg' girl looked to Ranger for confirmation.

"I think there were some on a shoe I saw, " he chuckled. "He may be in a body cast for a while in a prison infirmary," Ranger smirked in her curls at the cop's mangled form he left behind at the gas station. "He'll be locked up for a long time. He didn't fair to well. The gas pump won."

Delaney smiled broadly at Ranger unaffected by her fast and furious ride, "It's about time you got here, OK Man."

"Plane was delayed, Shark."

Her small fist tapped his shoulder, "Better late than never."

"HONK!" "HONK!"

"It's Grandma and Slim Jim!" Delaney cheered at the grey truck cab driving down the road slowing behind the black Porsche.

Edna Mazur was hanging out the window, "We lost you!"

An eyebrow was up on the Cuban face questioning in his unspoken way.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," the trucker called helping her Grandma down out of the cab. "I was trying to force him off the road when we touched bumpers."

"No, we're all right. We had our seat belts on. Joe didn't and was knocked into the steering wheel," she elaborated. "Thank you," Stephanie said putting Delaney on the seat and hugging her grandmother's trucker friend.

"There was no way Morelli was taking my Baby Granddaughters," Grandma Mazur yelled over the passing vehicles as she hustled over to the red pick-up truck. "He made me miss my lunch at Pino's!"

Ranger got a first aid kit from his Porsche. "Babe, let me look at that now and I'll have Bobby check it out. He gingerly removed the handcuff dangling around her bloody wrist with his universal key. She winced a little when he wiped it with an antiseptic pad and laid gauze over the abrasions.

Flashing lights were coming in both directions as were 18 wheelers lining the edge of the two lane highway. Slim Jim was circling his baseball cap in the air and giving an 'OK' sign with his other hand. Horn is all tones and volumes were blowing.

"Who are all these trucks?" Stephanie asked. They were lined as far as she could see in both directions.

"It our trucking friends, Stephanie," Grandma told her finally able to hug her favorite granddaughter.

She looked at Slim Jim realizing what had happened. "You had all those trucks slowing down, but you don't know us to help."

"Yes, I do," the truck driver told her. "Your Grandma tells me about you and that little lady all the time," he pointed to his truck. Delaney was in it behind the massive steering wheel compared to her small body blowing the horn.

"Mom, look at all the friends I'm going to have when me and Grandma are haulin' in the Rangeman rig," her comical daughter yelled out the window.

She giggled for the first time since the nightmare ended, "You told her, Ranger."

"I guess I'll have to have my car guy on it in a few years," he replied back with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you Stephanie Plum?" a Pennsylvania state trooper asked walking up to the group.

"Yes." Stephanie and Delaney began waving hands to the trucks as they all continued on their ways. "Thank you."

Trooper Donaldson continued as his tag read, "We been following you, but were afraid to get too close. We didn't want Officer Morelli to harm you and your daughter. You must be Carlos Manoso," he shook Ranger's hand. "Thank you for your assistance. Your office kept us updated on their location."

"I am, and I take it you're aware I'm a security specialist," Ranger said.

The trooper held up a hand, "We're not concerned how you knew. You had your reasons," he nodded a silent understanding. "Our concern was this ended without either one being injured. Miss Plum, we are going to need a statement from you and confiscate this pick-up truck as evidence. The State Police Barracks are only a short distance away. I will also need statement from you," pointing to Slim Jim. "I understand you attempted to get Officer Morelli off the road."

"Yes. Slim Jim Beckers," he introduced himself. "I touched bumpers with him. Those are my Sweetie Cakes' granddaughters and my 18 wheelin' friends made the convoy to slow him down."

"We just need a statement. We don't care how you did it."

Ranger noticed Stephanie was around the passenger side door of Joe's pick-up truck. She had her purse and he saw her fold something white and slip it inside before she snapped it shut. Ranger never said a word knowing Stephanie had a reason for doing what she did. "I take it, Officer Donaldson, you will also need this. Joe bragged about stealing this from my attorney," she handed him the folder minus the DNA papers.

"Yes, thank you. Since, Officer Morelli crossed the state lines taking you against you will, this is now a federal offense and the FBI will be taking over the case. A couple of agents out of Philadelphia may already be at our office.

Stephanie looked at Ranger and he nodded confirming what the State Trooper indicated.

Tank's Hummer pulled ahead of the red pick-up truck and all three men came running over in bullet proof vests.

"My company medic is here," Ranger introduced Bobby. "This is Bobby Brown, Thomas Sherman, and Lester Brown, my associates. I would like him to check Stephanie's injuries before you speak with her."

"Of course," the police officer agreed.

"Ranger," Stephanie clutched his arm, "I need to let my parents know we're OK."

He handed his cell phone to her to dial.

"Daddy, we're OK. I sort of ran over Joe pulling out of the gas station when I took the truck. As soon as I can. Bye, Daddy! Officer Donaldson, do you need to question my daughter, too?"

"No," he shook his head laughing at the little girl marveling at the inside of the grey cab. "Possibly in the future, but she's been through enough. After, we get a statement from Mr. Beckers and your Grandmother, then she can go with them if you would like."

"We'll get her back to your family's house safe and sound," Slim Jim assured Stephanie. "She can ride with us if you allow her."

"OK," Stephanie agreed knowing she wouldn't get her daughter out of that big toy now if she tried. 'I need to explain to Delaney what is going on, Ranger," she quietly told him turning to the grey tractor.

"Grandma, can you occupy Delaney until I get to the police barracks. I won't be long. I need to talk to Ranger about something."

"Sure, Slim Jim and I can. It will be OK, Stephanie," Edna hugged her younger granddaughter.

"Mom, you got to see the inside of this. Slim Jim has a TV! I can't wait until we have ours, Grandma," Delaney chattered on from the passenger seat.

"Sweetheart, we have to go to the police station. I'm letting you ride with Grandma and Slim Jim. I have to talk with Ranger about a few things alone and I'll be right there, then you'll go to Grandpa and Grandma's with them until I get there."

"Really? I'll get a feel for the open road."

Grandma laughed at her enthusiasm, "It's a pip, Baby Great-Granddaughter. I bet Slim Jim will let you talk with all his trucker buddies on his CB radio."

"Cool, huh, Mom!"

Stephanie held out her arms and Delaney jumped right in them, "Absolutely."

XXXXXXXX

She hadn't said a word since slipping into the passenger seat of Ranger's Porsche and the moment she was dreading was here. "Please, can we stop for a moment?" Her voice reflected her hysterical emotions at the moment so Ranger directed his car into a picnic area along the roadside. He waved out the window for Tank's Hummer to go to the police barracks following the trucker ahead of him. "I need to tell you something, Ranger," Stephanie kept her head bent focused on her hands in her lap. "This is going to change us forever."

"Babe, what ever it is, it will be OK."

"This is not how I wanted to tell you, but I need to do it before we get to Trenton or the police station." She inhaled looking out the Porsche window in the shaded spot along the highway then turned in the seat to face the man next to her. "I met you two weeks before my wedding to Joe."

Ranger nodded knowing that fact already.

"I was shocked after the wedding to discover I was pregnant even though I was on birth control. It's not 100% perfect they say, but I had been taking the pill for a number of years," Stephanie began and couldn't stop the words from tumbling out her. "I didn't know your name or where you were from and I never believed I would ever see you again. But, there you were injured in Gatlinburg as if dropped back into my life. There were the eyes and I noticed the textures of the hair. Joe confirmed today what I suspected when I thought back before my wedding; he tampered with my birth control pills. I was pregnant when I married Joe." Stephanie was crying shaking her curls so they went in all directions. "Joe isn't Delaney's father, you are! I had some of your hair tested along with Joe's. That's why he was so out of control today after he read this," handing Ranger the DNA results she slipped out of the file stolen from Laura Walter's office. "What you must think of me!"

He was stunned and never said a word as he unfolded a white envelope with Stephanie's name handwritten on it. He slipped the pages out seeing the first one compared Joe Morelli's DNA with Delaney's. There were graphs with up and down lines, but the final sentence gave the results. There was no possible match in them. Flipping that over, the second page was patterned in the same fashion but with overlapping lines on the graphs. This page compared 'CM's DNA to Delaney's and the final line he focused on indicated the match. "Delaney's mine?" Ranger kept reading the final line over and over.

Stephanie only replied with a choking "Yes." She could see the stunned expression on his face taking in everything she told him and he read right in front of him.

"I don't know what will leak out with Joe stealing my file. I wanted you to hear it from me. I didn't want the police to question me about it if Joe said anything. He kept calling me a 'Whore' and Delaney my 'Whore child'," Stephanie was crying in her hands hiding her face.

Ranger gently removed her hands and wiped the tears on her bruised cheek, "This is what you wanted to tell me when you came to my office?"

She nodded moving her face out of his touch. "I've almost let it slip twice. Once when I was dreaming and at the 'Cut n'Curl'. I finally got up the courage to tell you. I'm sorry."

Ranger never said anything. He was angry with himself. If Stephanie had never heard that stupid conversation with his mother, then this horrible incident may never have occurred because he never would have flown to Miami if he had know about Delaney's parentage. He was shocked. "Let's get this over with." He pulled the Porsche back out on the rural road heading in the direction of the police barracks. Thoughts were swirling in his mind and he found it difficult to achieve his driving zone.