You'd think I owned something by now, but they tell me I don't
Warning: Angsty chapter ahead. Read at your own risk.
Chapter 53
Steph's POV
Okay, this isn't really happening. I'm really at home, curled up in Ranger's arms, and this is all one crazy, fucked up dream. No way have I just been kidnapped from Rossini's by my mother and Joe Morelli. It must have been the banana peppers. They're giving me weird dreams now.
I had my eyes shut tightly and I was repeating over and over that it was just a nightmare. Wake up, Stephanie. Lay off the peppers.
"Cupcake."
Shit. It wasn't a dream.
I've just been kidnapped by my very own mother and Joe Fucking Morelli! I'm in the Twilight Zone.
"Steph, please open your eyes."
"What the fuck is WRONG WITH YOU!" I screamed, opening my eyes to glare at Morelli. "You just fucking kidnapped me! Damn it, Joe, you're a cop! You know better than to pull this kind of shit!"
"Ranger is the one who kidnapped you when he took you to Puerto Rico," my mother spoke up, stepping up beside Morelli. "Joseph is trying to save you."
"Save me from what? A happy life?" I was beyond pissed. Who the hell did Ellen Plum think she was? Did she honestly believe that she was rescuing me?
"Don't raise your voice to me, young lady!" Mom's voice became shrill.
"You've just committed a federal offense by kidnapping your adult daughter and you have the audacity to lecture me on etiquette?" All I could think of was that she had truly lost her mind. No sane person could act like that.
"Cupcake, please," Morelli reached out to me, but I stepped back out of his reach.
"Don't call me that," I hissed, glaring at them. "And don't you ever touch me!"
"Stephanie, please. I know what's going on. Please, let me help you." Morelli's voice became pleading.
"Listen to him, Stephanie. He loves you."
I shook my head. This couldn't be happening. This was beyond fucked up.
"Manoso's brainwashed you. I don't know how, but I'll do everything in my power to fix it." Morelli reached out for me again and I held my hand up to stop him.
"If you come anywhere near me, I'll scream so loud they'll hear me in Philadelphia!" I couldn't even think of what to say to these freaks. I guess my mother had passed the brainwashing idea on to Morelli. I guess he'd believe anything she told him if he were drunk enough. Even with a few feet separating us, I could smell the liquor on him.
"Carlos hasn't brainwashed me. I chose to be with him. I chose to marry him." I glared at my mother. "You may not approve, but I don't give a shit. You're a sad, lonely woman who can't handle losing control over someone. Well I'm sorry to tell you, Mother, but you've lost all control over me. I'm a grown woman and you have no right to do this to me."
"You see, Joseph," she ignored me and turned to Morelli, her eyes wide. "She was never like this before. That man did something to my daughter! We have to get her away from him!"
"Come on, Steph," Morelli held his hand out to me. "Just walk away with me right now. Manoso can't hurt you anymore. You can divorce him and marry me. I'll raise your child, Cupcake. We'll have our own family." His bloodshot eyes bore into mine. "I never stopped loving you."
"You've lost your fucking mind!" I shrieked. "I'm married, Joe! I married Carlos because I love him. I'm in love with him! I've never felt that way about anyone, not even you!" I turned to face my mother. "And you! What on Earth were you thinking! You could go to prison for kidnapping! Have you completely lost your mind?"
"I'm not the one who gave up the perfect Burg life to marry a cold blooded killer!" Mom's eyes glazed over and I knew that nothing I could say would get through to her. There was something seriously wrong with her. "You could have had everything if you married Joseph! You could have stayed home and had babies and taken care of your house! How are you going to do that being married to a mercenary? How are you going to take care of your children while you're off chasing those damn skips?"
"I have a husband. I have a home. I have a child on the way, and you are endangering that child by doing this to me!"
Mom turned to Morelli. "I can't talk to her like this. You keep her out here and I'll get the car."
"What car? What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I made a break for the door, but Morelli reached out and grabbed me. I tried to scream, but he clapped his hand back over my mouth. I watched in horror as my mother ran off toward the parking lot.
"Calm down, Cupcake. I won't hurt you." Morelli whispered, holding me tightly against him. I let out an angry scream and sent the heel of my FMP into his shin as hard as I could. He grunted in pain, but didn't lose his grip on me. Huh, I guess that much alcohol can really lessen any pain. I wonder if he would feel it if I clawed his eyeballs out.
"I love you so much, Steph," he murmured, running his lips over my hair. I cringed and struggled even more. "We'll get you a divorce and then we can finally get married. We'll have our own children and I'll take such good care of you. I promise, Stephanie, you'll be so happy."
This man was seriously off his rocker! He actually thought that I would divorce Ranger and marry him!
"I don't know what he did to steal you away from me, but don't worry. I forgive you."
Oh hell no, he did not just say he forgave me! He forgave me?
"Manoso's dangerous, Cupcake. He'll get you and your child killed. You have to get out now, while you still can."
I moved my jaw around, trying to get one of his fingers in my mouth. If I could get his fingers in my mouth, I could bite them off and he'd let go of me. Unfortunately, my little plan wasn't working.
"God, I've missed holding you," Morelli pressed his lips to my ear. I let out a muffled shriek and jerked forward. His grip tightened, almost painfully. "Damn it, Stephanie! Stop fighting me! We're meant to be together and you know it! I've loved you ever since we played choo-choo in my father's garage. It's fate, Cupcake. We're destined to be together."
The fear was coming now, replacing the disbelief, and tears filled my eyes. I had been frightened by Morelli before, but this was a completely different level of terror. I was being kidnapped by people I had once trusted. People who had told me for years that they loved me. And this was how they were showing their love.
Carlos, please help me! I need you!
I heard a car pulling up and I could just see my mother behind the wheel. I tried to scream, tried to dig my heels in the ground to slow him down. Joe had the strength though, and dragged me towards the backseat of the car.
Ranger's POV
I was thrilled by how the evening was going. My parents and my wife were joking around as if they've known each other their entire lives. Steph was pregnant with my son and soon, the entire world would know it. I couldn't be happier.
Before dessert came, Steph excused herself to use the restroom. I knew she couldn't stand the thought of not putting her full attention on the tiramisu and that couldn't happen if she had to pee.
The second Steph was out of earshot, Mama turned to me.
"I'm so happy for you, Carlos. You deserve the world and Stephanie is just the woman to give it to you."
"She is. And she already has." I could be honest with Mama. She could always tell when I was lying, and I didn't want to get slapped upside the head in the middle of Rossini's. It would destroy my reputation as a hard ass.
"I'm hoping that you two can come over for dinner sometime soon," Mama continued, refilling her wine glass. "The rest of the family can't wait to meet Stephanie. Abuela Rosa is flying up from Miami just to meet your new wife."
"Don't let her get the tickets, yet," I told her, sipping my water. "I'll send a private jet to pick her up."
We talked for a few more minutes until the waiter brought our dessert out. I was surprised that Steph wasn't back yet. She would never miss a second of dessert.
Mama noticed my worried expression. "Don't worry, hijo. I'll go check on her."
I nodded, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach. I suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Mama came back a minute later, the worry evident on her face. "She wasn't in the ladies room."
My conversation with Frank Plum suddenly came to mind and I shoved my chair back, jumping to my feet. Shit, could Morelli and Mrs. Plum have gotten to her?
I ran to the restrooms, prepared to walk in on any woman inside. Before I could, though, I noticed another door. From its location, I guessed that it led outside.
I burst through the door and heard an animalistic roar of rage. I guessed that it came from me.
There was a car in the alley and Mrs. Plum was behind the wheel. Morelli had Steph around the waist and a hand to her mouth to muffle her screams as he dragged her towards the backseat. Steph was struggling furiously, tears streaming down her face.
I didn't think. I reached for my gun.
"Let her go!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the night. Morelli looked up in fear and Mrs. Plum just looked outraged at the interruption.
"No, Joseph!" She screamed, revving the engine. "Get her in the car now!"
I could hear my parents behind me, but I didn't care. I shot out the passenger side tires.
"Dios mio!" Mama shrieked behind me.
Steph wrenched free of Morelli's grip and ran to me. She was sobbing as she flung her body into my arms. I held her tight, my eyes on her abductors.
"Are you okay?" My voice was trembling with emotion. Those bastards had almost kidnapped my pregnant wife!
"I tried to get away, I tried to scream!" Steph was sobbing, her body wracking from the force of it.
"The police are on their way, Carlos," Dad's voice spoke up behind me.
"Babe, I want you to stay with Mama. I'll be right here," I promised, gently passing her off to my parents. Mama enveloped Steph in her arms and began whispering to her in Spanish.
The next thing I knew, I had Morelli thrown against the trunk of the car, my gun pressed to his head. "You fucking son of a bitch! I warned you to stay away from my wife and what do you do? You fucking try to kidnap her from a fucking restaurant! Tell me now why I shouldn't put a bullet through your worthless drunken head!"
"Somebody, HELP!" Mrs. Plum started screaming from the front of the car. "He's a murderer! Help us!"
I shoved my fist into Morelli's face, sending him sprawling to the ground. I turned to my mother in law, my eyes filled with a murderous rage.
"You are one sick, twisted bitch!" I hissed, dragging her out of the car. Thankfully, I kept myself from pointing my gun at her head. "You just risked the life of your unborn grandson with this little stunt! What is so wrong in your life that you have to make your daughter's miserable? I won't let you hurt my wife again. I will kill you before you get that chance!"
Her eyes widened in fear and her body began to tremble. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
"I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your worthless, miserable life behind bars. You had the nerve to come to my business and harass my pregnant wife. Do you even realize what that does to Steph? Do you understand how much damage you could cause her and our baby? That's your grandson growing inside of her, and you risked his life to get your way!" I crouched down so my eyes were level with hers. "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you, but you'd better get it checked out. If you don't, I'll do everything in my power to see you rot in prison for kidnapping. I can't believe that you'd risk your daughter's happiness just to see her marry some worthless alcoholic who can't control his temper. I guarantee that if Steph had married Morelli, he would beat her every night in one of his drunken rages. Is that the kind of life you want for your child?"
"Carlos, the police are here," I heard Dad's voice right behind me. I stepped back from Mrs. Plum and looked back at him. His eyes were dark and I could feel the anger coming off of him. He was staring at Mrs. Plum.
"I don't know you, but if you ever come near my daughter in law again, I will be helping my son end your life. You are a cruel, calculating bitch and I hope to see you rotting behind bars." Damn, I had never heard my father talk like that before. He almost had me scared.
Mrs. Plum was beyond terrified. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground. Dad pulled me back and I looked over at Steph. She was sitting on the ground, crying in Mama's arms. I rushed over to her and took her in my own arms.
"It's over, querida, you're safe now," I soothed, running my hands over her hair and body, trying to prove to myself that she was physically all right.
"What the hell happened here?" Carl Costanza's voice broke through Steph's sobs. He looked at the scene in disbelief.
"Those two just tried to kidnap my pregnant daughter in law!" Mama's voice was filled with anger as she pointed out Mrs. Plum and Morelli. "The poor thing is terrified!"
I watched as Big Dog and Robin Russell went to deal with them. Eddie Gazarra came over and kneeled down beside me and Steph.
"Steph, are you okay?" The concern was thick in his voice.
"I am now," she managed to choke out between sobs. I held her tighter, running my fingers through her hair.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I…I was coming…out of the bathroom…" she gasped out the words, trying to talk through the tears. "Someone grabbed me and covered my mouth…they dragged me outside…it was them!" She broke down again and I felt my own tears building up. Two people who supposedly loved her had hurt her and broken her trust. Mama was kneeling on the other side of Steph, her brown eyes overflowing with tears.
Through her sobs, Steph managed to tell Gazarra what happened and every word that had been said. I was shocked and appalled and my trigger finger was itching to deal with the problem myself.
"What did I do wrong, Eddie?" Steph sobbed then, looking up at Gazarra with her tear filled blue eyes. "What did I do to them to deserve this? Am I so horrible?"
Gazarra's eyes filled with pain as he placed his hand on Steph's arm. "You did nothing wrong, Stephanie. Your mother is sick, she has been for a long time. Morelli's been drinking for a while now, and none of that is your fault." He sighed and stood up, looking down at me. "I take it you want to press charges?"
"I want them charged with attempted kidnapping and assault and endangering the life of an unborn child," I ground out. "I want a restraining order keeping them both away from Steph. I don't want either one of them near her again."
He nodded and looked over at his fellow officers. They had Morelli and Mrs. Plum in handcuffs and were leading them to their police cruisers. Mrs. Plum was screaming at the top of her lungs.
"That man threatened to kill me! He's a murderer! You can't arrest me, I was trying to protect my daughter! Get these damn things off of me!"
Steph's sobs became louder and more violent and I pulled her into my lap, rocking her back and forth. "It's okay, Babe. You're safe now. They'll get the help they need and everything will be all right. I promise, Steph, everything will be all right."
Mama leaned forward then and began singing softly. I recognized the Spanish lullaby that she used to sing to me when I was a small child. I held Steph tight while Mama sang, her hands moving gently over my Babe's hair.
After a few minutes, Steph's sobs began to quiet down. I could feel her relaxing in my arms as Mama continued to sing. I looked over to find Dad sitting on the ground with his back against the building. Our eyes met and I could read the rage in them. Rage that someone as wonderful as Steph had to suffer at the hands of her so-called "loved ones". Rage that people like that had the power to break her with their cruel words and atrocious actions.
Finally, I felt Steph go limp in my arms. She had fallen asleep, her head hanging back off of my arm. I cradled her head against my chest and brushed my lips across her hair.
Mama met my eyes. "Is there an apartment available in your building for your father and I? I would like to be close to Stephanie tonight."
I nodded slightly. "One of my men moved into his own place this week. You can stay as long as you'd like." I turned to my father. "Can you call Tank and have him call Dr. Marshall? I'd like her to check on Steph tonight."
He nodded quietly and stood up, disappearing into the restaurant.
"That was her mother?" Mama whispered in shock. "How could someone be like that? How could someone treat this wonderful girl like that? I just don't understand it."
"I don't understand it either, Mama, but it won't happen again," I closed my eyes and buried my face in Steph's hair. I had failed her again. I was here with her and Morelli and Mrs. Plum had still managed to hurt her. It seemed like all I did was fail my wife and it was tearing me up inside. I had vowed to protect her and she still got hurt.
I had been entrusted to protect senators and presidents and mobster's daughters. I had been successful protecting strangers.
So why was I failing to protect my own wife?
Okay, I had no intentions of updating so quickly, but your reviews rocked! This chapter is pretty angsty, but I'm a Babe and good things will come to those who wait. LOL. I hope I am forgiven for the cliffhanger in the last chapter. Please let me know what you think. Thank you so much for your amazing reviews. I'm still doing a happy dance.
