Chapter 15

Stephanie's POV

Sports cars were the bomb. It was easy to see why so many guys wanted to own one and why so many women were attracted to the men who owned them, especially the nerdy ones. Riding in a sports car was like sex. The vibrations under me had me at a fever pitch before we'd gone a mile, andI was sending surreptitious glances Ranger's way, wondering what he'd think if I had an orgasm while driving his car.

I was doing the best I could to shift, but our hands were forever getting in each other's way. Finally, Ranger placed his hand on the gear shift and, with his free hand, placed my hand on top of his. This made shifting easier, but the heat emanating from him had me worrying even more about the condition my panties would be in when this was over.

As we got closer to our final destination, my stomach started acting up like when something seriously bad was about to happen. My Spidey sense was sending out alerts on all levels. Pressing down on the gas pedal, the car rocketed forward, and it took all my concentration to maneuver us through traffic. As I slowed to pull into the driveway the GPS was indicating, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The driveway was filled with shiny black limos.I turned to Ranger and said, "We're too late. He must have activated the tracker on Luci's phone."

Ranger showed no emotion, his blank look firmlyin place. His only action was to remove the handcuffs from our wrists and lean forward as he snaked his arm between my legs and under the driver's seat. He came back up with two Glock G20s, turned to me, and said, "I don't think it'll do me any good to tell you to stay here, will it?"

I laughed sarcastically. "Not at all. Besides, your chances at getting inside are better with me beside you."

His gaze bored into me for several seconds before he opened the door and exited the vehicle. He didn't wait for me as he made a beeline for the front door.

Two of Alessandro's men were stationed at the front door, standing side-by-side with their arms crossed over their chests and "don't mess with me" expressions ontheir faces. As Ranger approached, they went into action and drew their weapons. What happened next was a blur as Ranger moved so fast, everything was over before it even began. Both men were down on the ground with zip ties on their wrists and Ranger was going through the front door before I even reached the sidewalk connecting the driveway to the front porch.

The door was slightly ajar when I reached it, and I pushed it open farther before stepping inside. I just hoped I'd be able to diffuse whatever situation we encountered.

The first thing I heard were raised voices, and I followed their direction through the house. On my way, I noticed several broken objects, as if there had been a vicious struggle.

Luci's POV

After reading through the information, I handed the folder back to Les. He started to say something, but there was pounding at the front door.

There was a sound like a growl from him as he stood and moved in the direction of the door, saying, "I'm going to kick somebody's ass!"

The pounding continued, and my heart fluttered as I suddenly knew who it was, Iwas too emotionally drained from the past few days to play mediator, and I wondered how I was going to get through the coming encounter.

I heard the front door open, and then Les said, "Just what the fuck are you doing on my property? I know who you are, but I don't have any business with you."

This was going to get ugly quick. As I made my way through the house, I heard my father's response. "Watch your tone with me, boy, because when my daughter is in your house, you will have fucking business with me!"

I walked around the corner to find Lester and my father squaring off. Les turned his head, and the lookon his face would make grown men piss themselves. He was standing in the doorway blocking the opening as my father stood facing him, Vinny and three other men flanking him.

I swallowed hard and said, "I'm here, Dad."

With Vinny right behind him, my dad barged through the door, "Out of my way, Santos."

Lester narrowed his eyes on me, and I knew from the look on his face that he wasn't pleased as he said, "Luci, what in the hell is going on here? You said your last name was Caprio."

My dad pinched the bridge of his nose, and Vinny cleared his throat to let Lester know to watch himself, but he continued on. "Whathappened to not lying and hating liars? I had you all wrong! Come to find out you're a Beretti, of all things."

Vinny grabbed Les and put him against the wall.

Suddenly, the Lester I'd only gotten a few glimpses of appeared and Vinny was in a struggle for his life. The other two men with Daddy came forward, and it was three against one. A hand went to my mouth as I cried out, "Don't hurt him! It was a misunderstanding."

Dad came over and patted my shoulder. "Don't you worry, bella. We'll get to the bottom of this."

I shook my head. "No, Daddy. Don't let them hurt him. Les and I've been talking, and he showed me the information he dug up. He didn't do the things I thought he did."

By now Les and the three men my father brought were out of sight, so I moved in the direction they'd gone. When I reached the sitting room, Lester was seated in a chair with Vinny and the other two men standing over him, their weapons out and aimed at Les's head.

From my father's tone, I knew there was no reasoning with him. He was in his "don't mess with me" mode, andI just prayed that Lester would cooperate so he wouldn't get hurt.

"Santos, you better listen. It's my time to talk. If not, your resting place will be at the bottom of the Atlantic."

Lester snorted. "This is my house, I make the rules here, old man, not you. And don't pull any of that boss man crap with me. I'm not afraid of you."

I bit my lip, worrying about what was coming next. Suddenly there was a blur of movement and something…or rather someone crashed into the three men holding Lester in the chair. The next thing I knew, Lester and Ranger were standing over the three of them with their weapons aimed at them.

Stephanie walked into the room, and our gazes met. We both knew how volatile the situation was, butI wasn't sure what we could do to diffuse it.

Ranger nodded to my father and said, "Mr. Beretti, how about if we all sit down and talk this over?"

Daddy scowled. "Stay out of this, Manoso."

Ranger shook his head. "Not going to happen. Lester is family. I protect what's mine."

Daddy's eyes hardened, but I knew that what Ranger said got through to him. Family was the most important thing to my father. He gave a deep sigh and motioned toward the sofa as he took a seat in one of the chairs.

I moved over, not sure if Les would even want me near him but needing to know that he was okay. I sat down beside him on the sofa, andhis eyes grew soft as he looked at me. It was then I knew everything might be all right.

He shook his head. "Looks like we both have a few things to atone for."

I gave a little shrug. "I don't let many people know my real name. I've gone by Caprio since I started school. It was Daddy's idea to throw off potential threats."

He nodded. "With the work I do, I've found it easier to give a false surname as well. That way there are no complications when things run their course."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I found that out."

Lester put a hand on my arm. "If I'd known the truth, there would have never been a goodbye."

Daddy snorted. "Touching."

Lester glared at him. "Look, Beretti, like it or not, I'm in love with your daughter, and I plan to make a life with her, if she'll have me."

"You're assuming you're going to be around to do that."

Les stood, his hands clenched at his side. "Come after me, old man, and I'll take as many of you out as possible."

Ranger moved on the other end of the sofa where he was sitting beside Stephanie, but before he could say anything, Daddy let out a bark of laughter. He turned to me. "What do you want, bella?"

My gaze went to Lester. I thought about all the hurt I'd felt over the past few months, and then I thought about a life without Les. I shook my head and said, "The heart wants what it wants. What's happened doesn't seem to matter. I love him. Besides, I'm convinced Sheryl's at the root of everything that was happening."

Daddy nodded. "All right, Santos, you have a reprieve. But heed my warning well, boyo. You hurt my baby again, the fish will be eating well."

"And you listen as well, old man. Luci and I won't tolerate interference from you."

I looked over at Stephanie and saw the smile she was trying to hide. I felt like smiling as well. For as much as they were trying not to like each other, I had a feeling that the two men I loved most were more alike than not.

Ranger cleared his throat. "So I take it that means we have a truce?"

Both Les and Daddy nodded, answering at the same time. "For now."

They looked at each other, and I saw the twinkle in Daddy's eyes as well as the slight lift at the corner of Les's mouth as he sat back down beside me.

I felt relief that we'd circumvented what could have been a royal disaster. I placed a hand on my abdomen and felt the baby moving around. I turned to Les and took his hand, placing it over where the baby was resting inside me. The look of wonder told me he was feeling the movement of our child.

Stephanie stood. "Well, now that things have settled down, I guess I'll be going. Don't forget you have a doctor's appointment next week, Luci."

I nodded. "Yeah, and I have to have all the paperwork done."

Stephanie smiled. "I can help you if you want. Do you want a ride back to the apartment, or will you be staying here with Lester?"

I looked at Les, and there was a look in his eyes I'd never seen before. It was as if he wasn't totally sure of where he stood. "I'd love for you to stay here with me, but the choice has to be yours. Luci."

I nodded. "I'd like to stay…and I think the baby would like that as well."

Lester grinned, and my heart melted all over again.

A throat cleared, and we all looked to where Vinny was. His head was raised, and there was a resigned look on his face as he said, "Now that we have that all taken care of, think you can let us up? My hands are going numb."

Lester looked at Ranger, and there seemed to be some sort of silent communication between the two. After several tense seconds, they moved in unison and released the men on the floor.

Ranger lifted the corner of his mouth slightly and said, "You might want to do the same for the two men out front."