Chapter 14

Stephanie woke up in Carlos's arms. She was getting tired of having fun every night. She had to do something to calm him down because of the situation.

"I have to talk to him about this" Stephanie told herself.

She got up slipped on one of his T shirts and then went downstairs only to see his mom making French toast.

"Oh, my word, that looks so good" Stephanie said as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thank you, and here you go something sweets for you and the baby." Anna said.

"Is my son up yet" Anna asked her.

"No, he is still sleeping and that is a good thing. He has been so overworked lately I am worried about him." Stephanie told Anna.

"I am sure his father did not mean for it to go this far. I mean this situation." Anna continued, and I feel bad that you and Carlos are in the middle of it."

"Don't worry we can handle it, we have been in a lot of different situations before, and we are used to dealing with this kind of stuff." She got a tingle down her back, "your son is here" Stephanie said as she felt her husband's hands rubbing her shoulders.

"I figured you would be down here, and I smelled my momma's French toast." Carlos said as he took a plate of his own.

"I thought you only eat healthy." Stephanie said to her husband.

"It is not often I get my Momma's French toast." Carlos said with a large grin on his face.

Just then Ranger heard the door open and Tank saying "Something smells great."

"We are in the kitchen" Carlos yelled to Tank.

"Hey Boss, are you kidding me are you really eating French Toast?" Tank said in shock.

"Yup, and I am enjoying every minute of it." Carlos told him.

"Pierre, come sit and have some. Everyone else is." Anna told him.

"Oh, If I don't, I will hurt your feelings so all right." Tank sat down and had some French toast too.

"Well, I am going to work at the gun shop, so I hope it will be busy." Tank said to everyone.

"We need the money for Ricardo's bond." Anna cried.

Carlos came up to her put his arms around her, "It will be all right Momma, I will somehow fix everything."

"Carlos even you are not superman you can't fix everything." Anna said.

"Momma I promise I will do everything I can try not to worry." Carlos said to her. "Now Tank and I have to go and talk in my office for a few minutes so why don't you go rest."

"What about the dishes" Anna asked

"I can load them in the dishwasher" Stephanie said and added 'Carlos is right you need to rest too."

"Okay, Boss." The boys went to Ranger's office to talk things over.

Stephanie loaded the dishwasher, and looked out the window to see two men she did not know making their way to the house with ski masks on.

"Oh no here we go." She heard shots and bullets started to fly. She got down on the floor and saw Ranger and Tank running into the kitchen and fired back. They got one guy but the other ran into the woods.

"Tank go and see if we know that guy" Ranger told him.

"All right but Boss don't you go looking for the other guy in the woods, you will not find him trust me." Tank told Ranger as he looked through the window that had bullet holes in them now.

Anna came down stair and said, "Was that shooting?"

"Yes, Momma a couple of guys came here and started to shoot at us." Carlos told her and added, "but they are gone now." He went up to Stephanie and asked, "Are you all right Babe?"

"Yeah, I don't think I have been shot." She answered him, then got up. Ranger checked her up and down for bullet holes but did not find any.

Tank entered the house again." No clue who the two shooters are. But we got one. I have never seen him before." Tank told them.

"Tank you need to get to the shop, and I will stay here with Momma and Stephanie." Ranger told Tank.

"Got it" Tank gave Momma a hug and left.

"Momma are you all right, were you hurt?" Carlos asked Anna.

"No, I am fine, but I don't think I will go back to bed for a while." Anna told everyone.

"Okay you can sit in the living room and watch some TV for a while. I need Stephanie with me in the office to go over Dad's paperwork." Ranger said Stephanie gave Anna a hug and went into the office with her husband. Once there she said, "Carlos we need to talk, I don't know how to tell you this, but I am tired and I can't keep having sex with you, I need to rest. I need a break from the physical bedroom stuff. You need to find another way to get out your frustration out." Stephanie told him bluntly.

"Steph was that the only reason you were having sex with me was to keep me calm?" He asked her with a grin on his face.

"Okay not the only reason. Being with you the sex is fabulous, but I am tired I need a break darling please try to understand." She put her arms around Carlos.

"I get it, I guess I was using you to get out my frustration, I need to find a better way, I am sorry and you know something, I am tired too. You are right you need your strength so I will keep my distance in the bedroom" Carlos told her while he was holding her.

"Well, I just hope you don't put too much distance between us in the bedroom, darling" she kissed him softly on the lips.

Promise, I won't put that much distance between us." He said down in his chair and asked, "Now can we please do some work?" He asked his wife.

"Of course," She pulled up a chair and they went through the gun's shop paperwork.

"Carlos, I think I found something." Stephanie said. Carlos came and looked over her shoulder. He asked "Who is that Jake Barns and why are there checks made out to him for five thousand dollars apiece." Carlos said out loud.

"I don't know but there are five checks made out to him, could he be the black mailer?" She asked him.

"Good catch Babe," He nuzzled her neck.

"Carlos remember out talk earlier" Stephanie remined him.

Ranger got on the phone to Lester, and said "I need you to check out a Jake Barns and get back to me" Ranger hung up.

"Right, why don't you go back to bed and sleep for a little bit I will take care of it from here." Carlos said, He watched his wife walk out of the office and go upstairs.