I told myself I wasn't going to publish this as soon as I got it back from Heather, and here I am publishing it.

This is still slow going... So no regular updates. All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 13

Steph POV:

"What if we turned this over to the feds?" Ram asked.

"These are illegal; we're not supposed to be working the case. They'll charge us with obstruction, tampering, invasion of privacy, a whole slew of fucking charges," Rage answered.

"What if we turned it in anonymously?" Les suggested.

"Who else has the tech to listen in on Morelli, and has something against him to do so?" Carlos asked, shutting them all up.

"We can't use any of this to try and charge him," Tank growled rubbing a hand over his head.

I sighed, and Carlos rubbed my stomach again. "We'll figure this out," he told me reassuringly.

"We won't have to if I kill him," I said back.

"Relax, Babe. Don't want to be stressed out with the baby," he said. I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Then what do we do?" Bobby asked.

"We wait. We watch. My contact with the state police says they are close to busting a ring of corrupt cops. I can see if we can get in on it. We still wouldn't be able to use the call from Morelli; we'll have to figure something else out. For now, we're going to listen in to see what he's planning, but that's all this is useful for," Carlos said. "Let's take a break and then get back on this. Go get breakfast."

The guys, dismissed, left. I rested my face in Carlos's neck and he pressed a kiss to my temple. "We'll figure this out, Babe." He paused. "Will you stay in the building as much as possible?"

I sighed. "Only if you promise to do the same. He wants to kill you, Carlos."

"I promise, Babe."

My hand settled over my stomach. "It's going to be a boy," I told him softly.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I just have a feeling," I answered, just as softly as he had asked.

"We have about three weeks until we get to find out," he said. I smiled.

"You want to bet?" I asked him, grinning.

"No, I'm not betting against your Spidey sense," he chuckled. I laughed softly.

XXXXXX

I sat at my desk, my head in my hand, thinking. I needed to figure this out. There had to be some fucking way to take Morelli down. There was a knock on my door and Carlos poked his head in.

"Did you get lunch, Babe?"

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost two."

Just then my stomach grumbled.

"Ella is making lunch. Come upstairs with me?"

I nodded and walked to him. His hand rested on the small of my back as we walked to the elevator. "How're you feeling?" he asked me.

"Claustrophobic," I answered. He smiled softly.

"I'm feeling the same, Babe." He kissed me softly once the elevator was going up. He lead me into the apartment, where Ella had food waiting.

"Have you talked to the state police?"

"They don't want us involved because we both have a history with Morelli," he answered with what sounded like a sigh.

We sat down across from each other, uncovering our dishes to see what delicious food Ella had brought us.

I nodded. "Figured as much." I sighed, picking up my fork.

"What if," Carlos started, "what if we had someone pose as a hitman? Offering to take care of Joe's problem?"

My stomach churned at the thought. There was no telling who Joe would reach out to; I would rather have someone on our side be in contact with him then some low life looking for a quick buck. I nodded.

"Who would it be?"

"I could call up one of the men from Boston or Miami," Carlos suggested.

"I don't want someone connected to you or the guys in case someone runs a search. Is there anyone that would be a better choice? One with no direct link to you and Rangeman? I think that would be the best way to pull this off."

"I've got a friend that's a mercenary," Carlos said. "I met him years ago on a mission. He's Russian. He owes me a favor; I can see if he will come out."

"Are you sure he can't be traced back to you?" I asked. He nodded.

"There's no trace of any connection between the two of us," He assured me.

"Contact him. Let's get some ears out on the street to see if he's looking for someone. It would be weird if some random man contacted him."

Carlos agreed. After lunch we both went back to our offices, Departing with a kiss. Rage sat in the guest chair in my office.

"Did you two figure anything out?" he asked.

"We're going to try and send someone in offering to take care of Morelli's 'Problem'. Carlos is going to have some of the guys put their ears to the ground to see if he's looking."

"Who's he putting in?" Rage asked.

"He said he had a friend," I said. Rage nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"The guys are really fuming over the recordings," Rage said.

I leaned back in my chair, the ultrasound in the frame on my desk catching my eye. "I'm not happy, either," I said, "I never thought Joe would stoop this low."

"I know you've known him your whole life, but he's sick in the head, Steph."

I nodded my agreement. "I know, I think I've always thought I could help him. I think that's why I stayed with him for so long. I loved Joe, but he was my friend; he was never meant to be my husband. Now, I see that he's always had something off with him. Now after what he's said I know he's not the boy I grew up with."
Rage studied me and nodded. "Let's get your mind off of this for now." He got up and shut the door. "I owe Lester. Do you want to help me get him back?"

I laughed softly. "What'd he do?"

"Cuffed me to the power rack this morning in the gym. I had to bribe one of the guys to come unlock me," he said.

I laughed again. "What I would have paid to see that!"

Rage shook his head. "Got any ideas?"

"Damn right I do." I grinned. "Here's what we're going to need."

XXXXXX

Rage and I finished with a fist bump. It was eight o'clock at night and my husband was waiting upstairs for me. "Lester is going to throw a bitch fit." I grinned. He chuckled.

"He will be terrorized tomorrow, no doubt." He chuckled.

"We still have a few more things to pull off tomorrow, but it will be easy."

"As long as he doesn't run crying to Ric."

I grinned. "He won't. He's too manly for that. Carlos said as long as we don't hurt him."

Rage shook his head. "See you in the morning."

"See you in the morning."

I rode the elevator up to the apartment. Opening the door, I saw Carlos lounging on the couch. His short hair was wet from a shower, his chest bare, joggers on his legs, and his laptop in his lap. He smiled lazily at me.

I leaned over the back of the couch and kissed him softly.

"Everything ready for tomorrow?"

I nodded with a grin. "And it's not going to injure him?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Not unless he does it himself. All of them are safe," I told him. He nodded.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"I'll be here, Babe." Carlos said. "Ella put dinner in the oven to stay warm."

"Mmm."

He chuckled and watched me leave. I stripped and tossed my clothes in the hamper. I turned on the water in the shower, waiting for it to warm up. I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror, turning to see if there was a bump yet. Logically I knew there wasn't, but I wanted there to be. I couldn't wait to start showing, to see a physical sign of the baby growing.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body, easing my tense muscles. I knew I needed to talk to Carlos when I got out. I was anxious to see if he had gotten in contact with his acquaintance.

When I did get out, I dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of flannel pants. When I emerged from the bedroom, Carlos was sat on the couch, his laptop closed, the TV turned down lower. A plate waiting for me, still steaming. I smiled, sat down, and kissed his cheek before picking up my plate.

He had the Rangers game playing. I grinned and dug into the meal Ella had left. When I finished, I curled into Carlos's side; he held me to him.

"Did you get into contact with your friend?"

"I talked to Viktor," Carlos said. "He's going to fly into New York so he can be on standby. Now we're just waiting for the CIs to confirm."

I nodded. "I can't wait for this to be over," I told him.

"I can't either," he answered, kissing me softly.