Chapter 33
"I have an agent looking for a house," he said on our trip back to Rangeman.
"Big enough for Jeanne Ellen, Lester and Robbie to live with us?" It was one of the requirements I wanted. In order to accommodate everyone, we needed at least eight bedrooms.
"Babe," he sighed. I took that as 'yes, big enough for our entire family.'
"Silly me, I should have known better." We drove another block before I noticed something in my mirror. "Brown car at five o'clock. Started following about half a block back."
Ranger's phone rang, he picked up the call, "Yo."
"Picked up brown Ford Taurus with plates Brown John Alpha four six one Delta. Plates not registered to the car. Driver resembles Morelli from my Navy days," Mike announced.
"Keep car in sight. Request backup," Ranger ordered. I contacted Eddie to give him the heads up.
Eddie said Morelli was investigating a sexual assault case. Women were being raped and mutilated by a local boxer. It was hard to prove the boxer was responsible because there wasn't any evidence. The women who pressed charges ended up dead. What was he hoping to achieve by following me and my husband?
A few more Rangeman SUVs arrived. Carlos sped up slightly as one of our men went between our car and Morelli's car. We managed to make it through the next light just before it turned red. Morelli was stuck behind a Rangeman vehicle and couldn't follow us through the light. He was becoming a huge problem.
"I think it's time to open a new Rangeman office," I thought out loud.
"Where?" Carlos asked.
"Boston."
"Okay. I'll make it happen." He lifted our joined hands to kiss my knuckles. Trenton was closer to the Manoso clan, but I didn't feel safe living here anymore. My spidey sense started humming and the feeling of danger started growing stronger.
"Can we leave tonight? Maybe visit Uncle Alex in Georgia?" I asked. He didn't say anything. We parked in our usual spot near the elevator. Carlos used his phone to send a message before exiting the car.
When we arrived in our apartment, Mama was packing our suitcases. She gently tapped my cheek then moved to grab clothes from the closet. I went to Julie's room to pack her suitcase. Carlos came into the room and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "We're leaving in an hour," Carlos whispered.
"Where?" I asked.
"Georgia."
I nodded and turned to face him, "Thank you."
"Your spidey sense is humming. I can see the goosebumps on your skin," he observed.
"You don't mind leaving?" I had to ask.
"Babe. You and Julie are more important to me than Rangeman." He kissed me deeply until I nearly forgot my name.
A knock on the door caused us to separate. Lester's face was pale. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing yet. I packed a bag for Robbie. Can you take him with you?" he reluctantly asked.
Carlos nodded. "Of course we'll take him," I answered.
"Thank you. Something feels off," he stated. I completely agreed with him. My spidey sense was telling me to leave soon.
Hector, Tank, Lester, Bobby, Ram, Cal, Hal, Jeanne Ellen, Carlos and I sat around the dining room table while Mama watched Robbie and Julie. "Men, we are going to Georgia to visit General Palmer. Lester, Stephanie and I sense something is about to happen here. We need to leave immediately."
"What's the threat?" Tank asked.
"I'm not exactly sure. We were returning from my appointment and I caught Morelli tailing us. My spidey sense started humming, but it's getting worse by the minute. I have a feeling I need to get my family to safety," I explained.
"Morelli the threat?" Hector asked.
"I can't say for sure, but he's certainly involved," I replied.
"We'll keep Rangeman safe. Don't worry about us, we know how to stay out of harms way," Ram said. Cal and Tank reassured us too. They would go about business as usual. Hopefully Morelli would make a move soon.
We made more plans. The men would handle all our new hires at Rangeman. For now only me, Carlos, Julie and Robbie were leaving. Once the threat is neutralized, we'll come home.
Carlos' phone chimed. He read the message and announced, "It's go time." We walked up a flight of stairs to the roof. A black, nondescript helicopter was waiting on the landing pad. Mama and Papa brought Julie and Robbie to us. They were promptly loaded onto the helicopter and secured in their seats. After a few teary goodbyes, we boarded the chopper. Lester told Robbie to behave.
Our pilot, a man nicknamed Axe was going through the preflight checks. "I finished my contract with the Air Force where I was in the Delta force division," he said after our introduction. "We'll be landing at Fort Benning," Axe said as he finished the checks.
We lifted off and headed west. Once we were clear of New Jersey, Axe flew us towards Georgia. It was dark when we finally arrived. Both kids were hungry so Uncle Alex took us to the mess hall. Julie was surprised so many people could fit into the cafeteria. A few soldiers gave up their seats so my family could sit together. Uncle Alex and Carlos left to grab us food.
I told Uncle Alex what happened in Trenton from the time I arrived last February to boarding the helicopter. "Stitches were already removed. I have to wear the bandage for another week," I explained the reason behind the bandage across my nose.
"Momma brave," Robbie added. Uncle Alex raised a brow.
"I'm not really his mom. Do you remember Kiera Jenkins?" I asked. After he confirmed with a slight nod, I added, "Robbie is her son with Lester Santos. He calls me momma because Julie calls me momma."
"He's here because Santos wanted him away from potential danger," he stated with understanding.
"We'll lay low and wait for intel," Carlos told him our plan and confirmed the likelihood of us being in danger.
Christmas Eve arrived without us hearing anything from Rangeman. Lester arrived bearing gifts. He didn't want to spend his first Christmas, as a father, away from his son. "Daddy," Robbie shouted before launching himself into his dad's arms. We gave them time alone.
I helped Julie with her bedtime routine. Lester was doing the same with Robbie. We are staying at Uncle Alex's house until it's time to leave. The children were exhausted from their very busy day and fell asleep when their head hit the pillow.
We waited a few minutes to make sure they were sleeping before retreating to the living room. "Morelli arrived at Rangeman yesterday demanding to speak to Stephanie. Claims she is wanted for questioning in an ongoing investigation," Lester informed us.
The only ongoing case involves him kidnapping me. I seriously doubt he's the lead detective on that case. My daughter's kidnapping attempt was already resolved. Another parent testified to put Randall Bartoli in jail. "Did he say what investigation?" I asked. I couldn't believe he would stoop this low.
"Negative. He's the prime suspect in your kidnapping so he wouldn't be the investigator," Lester said.
"You think it was a ploy to get to me?"
"Affirmative."
Back in Trenton...
"How did that little bitch get away?" Helen Plum yelled as she paced around Joe's apartment.
"I don't know. Those thugs got between me and their car. They seemed to be heading back to Rangeman, but I can't be certain." Joe reached his hand towards Helen, hoping she'd give him what he needs.
"What does that mean Joseph? They either made it back to Rangeman or they didn't. It's all your fault. You and that... that... sick bastard Dickie Orr had to fuck Stephanie in the parking lot like a common whore. Then you have to write about it all over Trenton. What were you thinking?" Helen continued to rant.
"I wasn't thinking. All the guys wanted Stephanie. I got her first and had to brag," Joe defended himself. He knew it was a childish prank.
"Because of your stupidity, you lost her. If it weren't for your poems, you would be married to her already. All this careful planning and you just threw it all away." Helen's anger dissipated. It was pointless to rehash the same old crap.
"I'm sorry," Joe said before pulling Helen into his arms. "We just have to be more creative to be together." He looked into Helen's eyes. They were the same colour as Stephanie's and they had the same curly hair. Helen has her hair chemically relaxed every few years. For a woman in her early fifties, she was still in decent shape. She's a bit more filled out than Stephanie, but she was soft in all the right places.
He imagined he was with Stephanie. They undressed each other as their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Joe massaged and pinched her nipples. It was a bit rougher than she liked, but it turned on Joe so she didn't complain. Whatever made him hard and pound into her, she was willing to do. He pushed her onto the bed, flipping her onto her stomach. She rose to her knees, anticipating what Joe wanted. Joe pounded into her and pinched her clit to get her to orgasm. Helen fell to the bed satisfied. "I'm not finished," he whispered into her ear.
"Do whatever you want," Helen said giving him carte blanche. Joe reached into his nightstand to grab the lubricant. He rubbed it on himself and massaged it between her cheeks. Her chest was pressed to the mattress. She was on her knees with her legs spread. He massaged a few lubricated fingers over her anus, pressing a few fingers in to stretch her. Helen moaned and began panting. Joe pushed himself into her and fucked her hard. He came with a loud shout of 'Cupcake' while she collapsed on the bed.
"Get dressed, we're done," Joe said as he tossed her clothes to her. "It's the last time we do this here. We'll need to meet at the motel off highway 1."
"I'll help you find her," Helen promised.
In Georgia...
"There has to be a reason he's so persistent," Uncle Alex suggested. "I could call my old friend Edward to see if he heard anything."
"Do you mean Edward Gazarra?" I asked.
"I do. We went through basic together. He'll be discreet."
"It's worth a try." I wanted to know what Morelli and Helen were up to.
I followed him to the home office. He closed the door and put the phone on speaker. "You reached Ed," Edward answered.
"Hey Ed, it's Ace. How's it going?" Alex asked.
"Great buddy. What do you need?"
"You've always been a straight shooter. Just wondering if you heard intel on a certain cop and his married mistress," Uncle Alex carefully left out names.
"Married Burg woman seen leaving cops apartment looking a little ruffled. Like she spent time rolling in the sheets with him. She wants her daughter to marry the cop so she has a valid reason to be around him," Edward stated.
"To carry on the affair?" Alex asked.
"Bingo. That's all I have. Is she safe?" Edward suddenly asked.
I was compelled to answer, "I am and so is my family."
"Take care of yourself. Don't come back to Trenton, it isn't safe for you," warned Edward.
"Thank you. I'm not planning to return, but..." I started.
"You don't want to tip your hand. You're secret is safe with me," he promised. "Take care of your family. I'll talk to you later Ace. Stay safe," he said before hanging up.
New Year's Day arrived faster than we expected. I started feeling sick within a few days. Absolutely nothing would stay down. We weren't sure what was happening, so Carlos took me to the hospital.
After a few hours and what seemed to be too many tests later, the doctor returned to my room. "Congratulations Mrs Manoso, you're pregnant." I was completely shocked. The doctor said it would be challenging for me to get pregnant, yet here I am pregnant just a few weeks later.
Carlos reminded me of the dream I had several years ago. "We are running our company together. I'm still running the occasional mission because I'm the best at the job. Our daughter resembles me, which she does. A younger son who looks just like a mini you."
"I can't wait until we have our little boy," I confessed. "I'm looking forward to meeting our little man. Have you considered any names?" I wanted to follow tradition. Carlos was named after his father and grandfather. As each new Cuban American generation's first Manoso male is born, they are to be named Ricardo Carlos Manoso. I secretly hope we could have a third child, another boy, to name how we want. It's a little selfish, but it's what I want.
"Would you like another child after our son is born?" he asked completely on the same wavelength. He was convinced this one is a boy. I had to agree.
Laughing I replied, "I was just thinking the same thing. If we have a third child, I hope it's another boy."
"So we can name him without worrying about following tradition," he finished.
"Exactly," I readily agreed. I'm barely pregnant with our second child and we're already planning a third.