Stephanie sat with her thumbnail between her teeth. She remembered reading about Binkie's background. He joined the Army at age twenty-two after suffering a personal tragedy. Stephanie brushed the tears off her face. She may have told Bobby about her past, but Stephanie had no intention of repeating the story.

Edna sat beside Stephanie, then tapped her leg. "What's bothering you?" she quietly asked.

"Nothing," Stephanie automatically replied. Edna knew her granddaughter was lying but didn't call her on it. Instead, she embraced Stephanie in her arms.

Bobby pulled the food trolly into the room and announced, "Breakfast is here." He stopped short when he saw Stephanie's shoulders shake in Edna's arms. Bobby kneeled in front of Stephanie and rubbed her legs. "Hey, Steph. What's got you so upset?" He pressed Kleenex into her hands.

"Binkie," she replied. Stephanie wiped her nose before using the back of her hand to rub her eyes. "I'll have to tell him. It feels like I'm ripping the wound open many times, and it's never going to heal." Bobby suspected there was another reason for her trepidation.

"Maybe it's because you have to face your fears and demons," Bobby calmly said. Bobby knew it wasn't the time to press Stephanie for more details. "You helped me more than I can express in words or actions. I'm free of nightmares. The ghost of Sid is no longer haunting me. I have you to thank for freeing my mind and soul from the clutches of my past. I'm forever in your debt. Come on. I ordered you chocolate chip pancakes."

"Thanks, Bobby," Stephanie said. She turned to look at her grandmother. What would she do without her rock? Bobby helped Stephanie and Edna stand, then went to the table to place their food on top. Everyone sat and ate in companionable silence.

Stephanie helped Bobby place the dirty dishes on the trolly. He pushed the cart into the hallway, where the hotel room service staff would collect it. Stephanie went into the bedroom where she and Edna slept to grab the luggage. She carried them to the door.

Edna removed the bucket list from her purse. She crossed off New Orleans - Mardi Gras, and then there were nine.

~~~~~~~~~~

Joyce sat inside her red SUV, waiting outside Vinnie's bond office for Ranger to appear. She knew he always dropped by at 10:00 to collect the files. Why does Ranger want Stephanie when he could have her? Joyce brushed the invisible crumbs from her leather top. It was still too cold to be outside without a coat. Her nipples pebbled from the chill in the air. Joyce turned the car heater up to full blast.

Ranger parked in front of the bond office with one minute to spare. Joyce waited until he went inside before leaving her car. She stared at his firm ass until it disappeared inside the building. "Wow. He has a sexy ass. I would love to tap that," Joyce said. Ranger looked like the type of man who could last for hours before ejaculating. Joyce wanted to experience it for herself.

"Did you clear your files?" Connie asked when Joyce entered. Connie knew a few of Joyce's outstanding bonds were due by midnight.

"I need help," Joyce whined. Ranger stiffened as Joyce touched his ass. He could smell sulphur when she entered the office.

"Maybe Lula can help?" Connie suggested.

"Please. As if that fat cow could possibly catch anything besides a disease," Joyce scoffed. "I need professional help from Ranger." Joyce would never admit that Stephanie was a better BEA.

"I doubt anyone could help your sorry ass, Joyce," Connie said. Ranger listened as the two women insulted the other.

"I'll call Vinnie later," Ranger said.

Ranger was about to open the door when Joyce pressed against his back. "Let me be the Eliza Doolittle to your Henry Higgins," Joyce purred. Ranger wondered where she learned about his pet name for Stephanie. "Please teach me everything you know."

"About bounty hunting?" Ranger asked.

"That too," she replied. Joyce pressed her breasts against Ranger's arm when he turned slightly. He took a small step away from her, creating a distance.

"No," Ranger said, then walked away, shaking off the leech named Joyce Barnhardt.

Joyce couldn't understand what had happened. Helen said Ranger couldn't resist a woman in distress, but he brushed her off like a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe. "Are you trying to piss him off?" Connie asked.

"Where's Stephanie and Edna?" Joyce asked, ignoring Connie's question.

"No clue," Connie replied. Was Joyce really that stupid? It didn't take a rocket scientist to know Stephanie and Edna went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Connie wondered if Helen or Joe would figure out that Stephanie would be at a Cinco de Mayo celebration. She googled where they were holding the event, then laughed. Stephanie and Edna could be anywhere. Helen would never find them.

"What's so funny?" Joyce demanded.

"Nothing. Goodbye." Connie checked the files for more FTAs. She hoped someone at Rangeman would capture the skips in Joyce's folder. In the two months that Stephanie had gone away, Joyce only caught one FTA. Connie was thankful that Rangeman picked up the slack.

Joyce got frustrated when none of the Rangeman employees would give her the time or day. How was she supposed to find Edna? She tried to get the intel for Helen, but nobody was talking. Someone at Rangeman had to know where Stephanie was hiding. Joyce wanted Helen to be proud of her for tracking down Joe's fiancée and Edna. She stomped her foot before returning to her SUV.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Did you convince him to tell you?" Helen asked.

"No, Aunt Helen. He practically ignored me," Joyce replied. Helen smiled. She loved her role as an aunt almost as much as being a mother. Joyce's mother was a narcissistic bitch. Marion only cared about whichever wealthy man would permit her to slip between his sheets. It was no wonder that Joyce grew up to behave in that manner. Her mother should have been a better example. Helen was the perfect example of the ideal mother and woman. Why couldn't Stephanie see that?

Helen shook her head. When Stephanie returned home, Helen would ensure Stephanie and Joseph got married and started their family. Helen couldn't wait to see her grandsons with Joseph. She knew he would be the only one to give her and Frank the boys they wanted. Unbeknownst to Helen, Valerie and Albert were having a boy. "Are you even listening to me?" Joyce asked. Helen shook her head to clear her mind.

"I'm sure you could get one of them to tell you," Helen said. "Show a little more skin. They are men, after all."

"I can try again, but I doubt it would work," Joyce replied. She lowered her visor to reapply her lipstick. "I have to go, Aunt Helen. The tall, dumb blond walked into Vinnie's office."

"Let me know how it goes. Take care, dear," Helen said, then hung up. Helen washed her hands and returned to her routine of preparing lunch for Frank. He should be entering the house in a few minutes.

Helen pulled the plastic container of meatloaf from the refrigerator. She grabbed the provolone and BBQ sauce. After reheating the meatloaf in the microwave, she made Frank two BBQ meatloaf and provolone sandwiches. Helen made one without the BBQ sauce for herself.

Frank entered the house as she placed the food on the table. "Smells good," Frank said before taking his seat. Helen sat across the table and waited for Frank to start eating.

She waited for Frank to say more about the meal, but he kept his head down to eat in silence. "It's quiet without mother here," Helen said, attempting to spark a conversation. Frank remained silent. "I wish we could call Stephanie to see how everyone is doing." Helen tried calling Stephanie's phone, but it went to voicemail. She left several messages for Stephanie to return the call. Stephanie had not phoned home.

"Are you still calling her ten times a day?" Frank asked after eating the last bite.

Helen rolled her eyes. "If that ungrateful daughter of mine would answer the phone, we would be sitting here discussing it. Why me? I raised her to have better manners," Helen snapped. "I'm embarrassed. Why does Stephanie have to mistreat me?" She wisely remained quiet regarding Morelli.

Frank failed to see why Helen would be embarrassed by Stephanie. His youngest daughter was loving, generous, honourable and kind. He couldn't be more proud of her. Stephanie always took care of the underdog or underprivileged. She loved to eat, yet she would share her lunch to prevent someone from going without food. Frank hoped Helen would stop pushing Stephanie to marry a Burg man. Stephanie was not Burg. She needed a man like Manoso to help her fly. It was a shame he wasn't Italian, but he could see the man loved Stephanie. Now, only if he could screw his head on straight to claim the girl.

"Well? What do you think?" Helen asked. She raised her glass to drink her iced tea. Frank watched Helen's face as she swallowed the room-temperature drink. He wondered when Helen got used to the taste of whiskey.

"Can you repeat it?" Frank asked.

Helen took another sip of tea before replying, "I said we should force Stephanie to get home. It's time she settled down to get married and raise children. She's not getting any younger, and you want a grandson, don't you?"

Frank slammed down his blank face. He rose from his chair to approach Helen. She didn't know what to do. Frank pushed her glass of iced tea, which was really whiskey, away before trapping Helen against the table. His hands were on either side of her as he leaned over her back. "You will do no such thing. Stephanie is doing something wonderful for her grandmother. Your mother. Her friends at Rangeman financed the trip to make your mother's last years memorable. I would never take that away from Stephanie. I'm proud of the woman she became. Helen, you will stay out of Stephanie's business. She let you force her to marry Dickie, and we know how quickly it became a train wreck. Whatever you're planning with that bastard daughter of Arnold Schroder, forget it. Your plan will never work. Joyce Barnhardt was cut from the same cloth as her mother. I'm disgusted you would help that woman, and I am using that term loosely, attempting to steal Manoso from your daughter. Was it not bad enough that she slept with Stephanie's husband?"

Helen said, "But if she," but Frank cut her off before she could finish the sentence. Anyone looking into the kitchen would assume Frank was having a tender moment with Helen, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Enough," Frank growled in her ear. "Don't give me that line about satisfying her husband's sexual urges. It's bullshit." Helen didn't sate Frank's sexual desires, but he never cheated on his wife.

"What man would wait for a woman to stop sleeping with another man to be with her? Ranger is an attractive man. He has to be satisfying his needs elsewhere," Helen said in defence.

"Manoso is too honourable of a man to hurt Stephanie that way. That man, Joseph Morelli, who you want Stephanie to marry, had cheated on her multiple times. It's not a life I envisioned for my daughter. Wasn't one cheating husband enough? You, Helen, are one of the lucky women in the Burg, and I guarantee there aren't many. I had never cheated on you." Frank released Helen from the cage of his arms, then turned her to face him. "If I ever catch you conspiring with Joyce Barnhardt or Joseph Morelli to trap Stephanie into a life she does not want, I will make you pay."

What Helen saw in Frank's eyes scared her. She had never seen him act that way before. It was all Stephanie's fault. Helen would never be in that position had Stephanie toed the line. "For years, you never said a word. Now, you're telling me I'm not doing a good job raising my irresponsible daughter? How dare you, Frank?" Helen snapped. She refused to admit their argument turned her on.

"Stephanie is not a child. She can make her own decisions. I will not let you force her into the housewife and mother mold you are comfortable living inside," Frank replied. "I am the man of this household. I wear the pants in this marriage. Whatever I say, goes." Her panties got soaked as Frank laid down the law.

Helen surprised Frank by kissing him. He hesitated for a second before returning the kiss. Frank felt Helen unbuttoning his shirt. It had been months since they had sex. Helen undid Frank's pants and slipped her hands inside. He groaned from her touch. As angry as he was, he was still a horny Italian man. Frank let Helen push him into the chair for her to straddle. "Yes," Helen hissed as she lowered herself onto her husband. "I love when you take charge."

Frank had to admit he missed that side of Helen. She was a wildcat in bed. Frank grunted as Helen screamed. The sex didn't last long, but it was enough for Frank. "Don't think for one moment that having sex in the kitchen would dissuade me from sticking up for Stephanie," Frank warned as he tucked himself into his pants. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Sorry, Frank. I wasn't trying to change your mind. Hearing you stand up to me got me hot and bothered," Helen said. Frank kissed her cheek, then left the room. Helen used a paper towel to clean herself. After thoroughly washing her hands, she cleaned the kitchen.

In the early days of their marriage, they couldn't keep their hands away from each other. Over the years, they slowly drifted farther apart. Frank couldn't help but notice it started when Stephanie initiated her freedom from the Burg customs. He should have done or said something sooner. Though, breaking through tradition was difficult. Men supported the family by working to provide a roof over their heads and food on the table. Women ran the household and disciplined the children.

Frank walked from the washroom to the bedroom wearing a towel slung around his hips. Helen came up the stairs to wash from their sexual encounter in the kitchen. He smiled, knowing she didn't like the feeling of damp underwear. Frank nearly laughed when his phone chimed. "Ride 'em cowboy. Next time, close the curtains." He recognized the number as Stephanie's burner phone.

"How did you know?" Frank texted his daughter.

"The guys are monitoring the back door in case Morelli suddenly appears," Stephanie replied.

"Who saw us?" Please, don't say Albert. Frank knew Albert got a job at Rangeman. He was impressed his son-in-law found a way to support his family.

"Al. He was covering Junior's lunch break."

"How much did he see?"

"Mom removed your shirt and sat on your lap. He flipped to another view when he realized what mom was doing," Stephanie replied. "I'll call the house phone after dinner."

"Talk to you later, Pumpkin," Frank texted before erasing the conversation. He didn't want Helen to get ahold of Stephanie's number.