Chapter 11
Stephanie heard the men talk downstairs. She pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and changed her shirt before she lifted her child. Ricky fell asleep on her shoulder, his face pressed against her neck.
Mateo watched as a slim, gorgeous woman carrying an infant on her shoulder. He felt the heat as his brother glared at him. "Babe, meet my younger brother, Mateo. Teo, my wife, Stephanie."
"You got married again?" Mateo asked, surprised. Ranger nodded. Mateo took a close look at Stephanie. He realized Stephanie was the same woman Carlos mentioned over the past few years.
"I'm leaving at 0200 for a few months. I need you to keep my Babe and son safe," Ranger replied.
"Rangeman?"
"Keep an eye on Perez. I don't trust him," Ranger growled. His Atlanta manager didn't follow proper Rangeman protocol. Ranger suspected Perez was trying to overtake his company, but he couldn't find the proof. He tried to locate evidence without Stephanie's involvement. Babe and Ricky's safety was his top priority.
"You found the problematic employee," Mateo surmised. Ranger nodded. "Did Rangeman run the security here?" Mateo wondered why Ranger didn't move his family back to Trenton.
"No. I have managed it myself," Ranger replied. "I recommend you keep it that way. We need to uncover Perez's plans before I take my family home."
Mateo accepted his brother's order for security. Stephanie passed her sleeping child to his uncle. "His name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso IV. We call him Ricky," Stephanie stated.
"He looks like Julie except for the curly hair," Mateo stated.
"And the blue eyes," Stephanie added. Mateo snapped his eyes to Ranger, who nodded.
Ranger unlocked his phone to show Mateo the wallpaper image. Stephanie was holding a wide-eyed, smiling boy. "He's going to be a heartbreaker," Mateo said as he nodded towards the child in his arms.
Mateo kept Ricky company in the living room. Ranger and Stephanie went to their room and made love before Ranger had to leave.
Ricky woke from his nap and stared at his uncle. "Hi, Ricky," Mateo crooned when he saw the boy's open eyes.
Carlos and Stephanie made love several times. He tried to get his fill of his wife before he left her behind. Stephanie's body bounced back quickly after she gave birth. Her hips and chest got a bit fuller, but Carlos loved the changes. They weren't trying to have another child, yet they weren't preventing a pregnancy either. So far, Stephanie didn't get pregnant.
Ricky smiled before he grunted. Mateo felt the telltale warmth on Ricky's bottom as the boy filled his diaper. He waited a few minutes until Ricky started to fuss. Mateo quietly carried his nephew to his bedroom to change the diaper. Ricky smiled as Mateo changed the diaper. After he narrowly missed the stream of pee, he managed to get the boy changed.
He looked in the refrigerator for a bottle. When he didn't find one, he called Ranger's phone. "Yo, bro. Ricky's hungry," Mateo announced as Ricky stuffed his fist into his mouth to suck on his hand. The call disconnected. A few minutes later, Stephanie ran down the stairs to feed her son.
Mateo looked away as Stephanie raised her shirt. Ranger looked at his wife and son lovingly as Ricky stared at his mother. Stephanie smiled when Ricky moaned as he ate.
Ranger discussed his plans for Rangeman Atlanta before he left Mateo in charge. After he said goodbye to his son and wife, Ranger left for the airport. He was becoming too old for these missions. It may be time to end his military career.
Stephanie sent her dad, Frank Plum, a photo of her holding a child. "Ricky's named after his daddy. Don't let anyone else know." Stephanie sent with the picture. He went to the lodge and printed the photo. Frank copied the digital image onto a memory stick to store in his safe at home. He loved receiving monthly photos of his daughter and grandson.
Helen got more frustrated as time passed. Stephanie left Trenton a year ago and never called her.
She dressed in her Sunday best to visit Rangeman. Joseph Morelli said they were hiding her inside the building. Helen was going to march over and demand to see her daughter. Those thugs can't keep her from seeing her daughter.
Connie and her husband Lorenzo moved to North Carolina. His parents met them at the airport when they arrived. Lorenzo's mom, Isobel, was thrilled to meet her granddaughter, Isabella. She was happy her Lorenzo found a woman with a child. When Lorenzo Sr and Isobel got told that Lorenzo Jr couldn't have children, they were devastated. He found a beautiful woman and daughter. "Who is the child's biological father?" Isobel asked her son.
"A man called Joseph Morelli. He lives in Trenton, New Jersey. Connie listed me on the birth certificate. She wants to tell him, but I don't," Lorenzo replied.
"The man has a right to know," Isobel repeated.
"I know, mom. Isabella is my daughter."
Connie blocked her number to call Joseph. Isobel and Lorenzo gave their support. "Hi, Joe," Connie replied when he answered.
"Do you want to meet?" he huskily asked. He was hoping to get lucky tonight.
"No. I'm calling to let you know that you have a daughter. Her name is Isabella. She was born on November 18th," Connie replied.
"A girl? You sure she's mine?" Morelli asked.
"Positive. Definitely a girl. I can send you a picture," Connie offered.
"Don't bother. I have no use for a daughter," Morelli stated. "Find someone else to play house with you."
"Would you be willing to put that in writing and get it notarized?"
"Sure. I'll get that done right away and send you the papers," Joe replied. "Does this number work for you?"
"Yes," she replied and hung up. "Joe behaved exactly how I expected. If I had a son, it would be a different story." Within a few hours, Connie received the document from Morelli. He gave up all rights to his daughter, Isabella.
Joe Morelli couldn't believe Connie lied to him last year. She knew about the pregnancy when she gave him the negative test. What the hell would he do with a girl? Morelli wrote a letter and got it notarized. He scanned the document into the computer and attached it to the text for Connie.
When Connie called her family, they were happy she got married and has a daughter. Her uncle suspected she got caught in Morelli's trap but didn't want her to marry the man. He knew the Bartinelli family and felt Lorenzo was the perfect husband for her. Lorenzo is a respected soldier in the military. He could take care of Connie and Isabella.
Cal watched Helen walk through the main door at Rangeman. Her face slightly pinched when she saw him. He waited for her to approach the desk to acknowledge her. "I need to speak to Stephanie Plum," Helen politely asked.
She saw the man with the forehead tattoo. He intimidated her, but she was determined to get what she wanted. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Miss. Plum doesn't work here," Cal replied honestly.
"Joseph Morelli told me that Stephanie works here," Helen insisted.
"Detective Morelli doesn't know what he is talking about. Miss. Plum worked here until April of last year when she disappeared. Nobody at Rangeman has communicated with her in the past year," Cal explained politely before ignoring the woman standing before him.
Cal suspected Hector, Lester and Ranger communicated with Stephanie, but he didn't have any proof. Helen stomped her foot before turning around to leave the building. When she exited, Cal contacted Tank to explain that Helen and Morelli were looking for Stephanie.
Stephanie and Mateo took the time to get to know each other. If he was going to stay with her and Ricky for the next few months, she wanted to know his likes and dislikes. Building a connection with Mateo is imperative to keep her family safe.
She learned everything about Batman's childhood that Carlos didn't mention. "He'll stay safe, Stephanie," Mateo said as they put Ricky to bed.
"I know. What's with Perez?" Stephanie wondered. The mention of his name had her spidey sense going off the charts. She ran background checks on potential employees before and knew all the tricks used to hide their information. If anyone could figure out his plan, she was confident she would be the person to dig up the dirt.
"He's undermining Rangeman. Carlos knows the man is up to something shady, but he couldn't dig too deep. Perez was monitoring everything. We're trying to figure out his endgame," Mateo replied. Stephanie wasn't sure the man had an endgame unless it was to ruin Ranger and his company.
"Why does Perez think he could monitor the boss?" Stephanie wondered out loud.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Mateo answered. She had a feeling Perez thought he was the boss of Rangeman Atlanta. If that is the case, then she needs to get started on the research.
"Do you have a Rangeman laptop with programs? If I can run an in-depth background check on him, I may be able to figure out what he's trying to do," Stephanie offered.
"It would need to be done strictly off the books. Nobody can know you're investigating Perez," Mateo added. Perez was not an easy man to work for in a business setting. He is arrogant and never should hold a management role. Some men can handle it, while others cannot and become bullies. Perez was in the second camp.
"Okay, so no direct link to the Rangeman server. Get me a laptop, and I'll ask Hector how to access the offsite database."
"Can we trust Hector?" Mateo asked. He was reluctant to use anyone associated with Rangeman to prevent tipping their hand to Perez.
"I trust Hector with my life and secrets," Stephanie replied. Mateo waited a few minutes before getting the laptop Ranger brought home.
"Contact your guy," Mateo said as he gave Stephanie her phone. She pressed a finger against her lips as she dialled the number, putting the call on speaker.
"Hola," Hector answered.
Smiling, Stephanie said, "Hey, Hermano. I have a Rangeman laptop, and I need you to hook me up to the offsite database. There's a search I need to run undetected."
Hector was happy to hear Stephanie's voice. He missed her and Ricky. Stephanie emailed him frequently, but it wasn't the same. "Laptop ID?" Hector asked. Mateo was surprised Hector spoke English. He assumed the man could only speak Spanish.
Stephanie turned on the laptop to enter her credentials. When she rhymed off the number, he changed the accessibility. He used his administration credentials to make the necessary changes. Her login credentials were modified, granting her ownership rights to the database.
"How did you know?" Stephanie asked even though she suspected how he knew.
"I buried the information when it appeared on the registration database. It got buried deep. Same with Ricky's birth. How is the little man?" Hector wondered.
"Growing like a weed. I'll send you a picture," Stephanie offered. Stephanie scrolled through her photos to find one of her holding Ricky. It's the same one Ranger placed as his wallpaper.
"My godson is handsome. Give him a kiss from me," Hector stated. "Stay safe and call if you need me. You're all set up." He ended the call.
"Hector speaks English fluently?" Mateo asked.
"He does, but you absolutely cannot tell another living soul. Can I tell you a secret?"
"Is it something I need to hide from Carlos?" Mateo countered.
"No. Carlos already knows. Hector visited me a few weeks before Ricky's due date. He delivered my son," Stephanie confessed.
"I'm impressed. I bet Hector used videos for assistance," Mateo said through a whistle.
Stephanie laughed as she described the horror on Hector's face when Ricky's body slipped from her body. Mateo wondered if there was a video of the birth. "There is, but I would kill Hector and Carlos if they showed anyone," Stephanie stated. Mateo laughed harder.
"I've only known you for a few hours. You wouldn't hurt a fly," Mateo laughed.
"Carlos didn't tell you that I killed two people? Jimmy Alpha and Clyde Cone. I emptied the bullets from a gun directly into their heart," she stated. "It was to kill them or get killed."
Mateo stopped laughing. She shared the stories and why she had to kill the men. Carlos never told him those stories. He was furious that she got shot in the ass, which caused her to empty her gun into Alpha's chest. Clyde tormented her with pictures of dead people, then hunted her in TriBro. Stephanie was an amazing woman. She's been through so much in her life and rose above every situation. The more he learned about Stephanie, the more he realized why Carlos fell in love with the woman.
Stephanie left Mateo to his thoughts as she booted up the programs. Stephanie asked, "Mateo, what is Perez's first name?"
"Darius," he replied. Mateo fell a little in love with his sister-in-law. The woman was resilient, gentle, loving, kind, and she was protective.
She patted the space beside her on the couch to ask him to take a seat while she worked her magic. Mateo watched as Stephanie set up the search. He raised an eyebrow when she selected the option for children.
"Perez has no children," Mateo stated. She shrugged and continued her search. A few more of her selections had him raising an eyebrow. Stephanie is known as the best Rangeman researcher. Mateo had a front-row seat to her process.
He was mesmerized by her intuition. Watching her work looked like a delicate dance. She seemed to know where to dig deeper. Something he would have glazed over, she researched more. If it didn't turn out to be a viable lead, she would select another course of action. More times than not, she chose the correct option the first time.
Darius Perez sat in his Rangeman apartment wondering why Ranger came to town. He owned the Atlanta branch and didn't have to answer to the Rangeman boss. Perez heard that Ranger's sidepiece, Stephanie, ran away from him and Trenton. She was an attractive woman. He wouldn't mind seeing if he could find her for the cop. Maybe Morelli would let him screw the woman as payment.
Stephanie printed off several pages to review later. "Do you mind grabbing those?" she asked as she pointed towards the main floor office. "Mat, who is Myla Martinez?"