Chapter 14
As Silvio talked to Perez, he received a confidential message from Tank.
Tank: Strike 1 - calling you. Keep him talking.
Silvio: HUA
"There is no reason. I'm the owner of Rangeman Atlanta. Ranger sold me the branch six months ago, promising to cover all expenses," Perez said as he unknowingly confessed to his crime. Andrews and Michaels were impressed Silvio got Perez to confess.
"I'm impressed. Ranger didn't mention selling the property," Silvio stated. Silvio knew Ranger was gone on a mission six months ago. When Ranger planned to open a new branch, he sent a notification of intent.
"He's probably waiting to make the announcement. I've got proof," Perez snapped as he forwarded the document to Silvio.
Stephanie got linked to Silvio's computer and phone. Whatever Silvio said, the rest of the team could hear. When he received the attachment, Stephanie could retrieve the information. She opened the document and noticed only one signature.
Stephanie: Silvio, all four core member signatures are necessary for the sale of a property.
Tank: Strike 2 - sending you the forged document. Keep him talking.
Silvio: HUA
"This is interesting," Silvio stated as he read the signature pages. "It only has Ranger's signature. Your document is missing three signatures."
"What do you mean?" Perez asked.
"You need four signatures to purchase any Rangeman branch. The document you gave me only has one," Silvio spelled out for him. "Rangeman Atlanta is not your branch."
"Ranger sold it to me," Perez insisted. "Ask Myla Martinez and Dickie Orr. They witnessed our signatures." Stephanie gave Andrews a copy of Ranger's deployment dates.
Andrews smiled as he read the date Ranger supposedly signed the property title. Manoso was overseas during the time of the supposed sale. Perez implicated the Martinez woman and the lawyer.
Tank: Ball 1 - partially implicating his posse. Keep him talking.
Silvio: HUA
Stephanie: We have proof Ranger was away. He did not sign the paper. His signature got forged.
"Darius, Ranger was on a mission when he supposedly signed the document," Silvio added.
"Whatever. Orr said Ranger's signature was the only one we needed. Martinez signed on behalf of Ranger. He gave her signing privileges when he got deployed," Perez stated as he suppressed the panic bubbling to the surface.
Stephanie furiously typed on the laptop. She uncovered hidden files on Perez's backup. Before they called in the feds, Hector backed up all Rangeman computers. The folders got stored on the offsite server. "Mat, grab the papers," she ordered. Stephanie discovered the document got created on Perez's Rangeman computer under his credentials.
Mateo read the document as he returned to the living room. He smiled as he gave it to Andrews. "Perez is an idiot," Mateo told the team. Mateo saw the fake document that gave operating control to Martinez. It was a letter printed on Rangeman letterhead. Once again, the signature got forged.
Andrews got a search warrant from the DA. Every inch of Rangeman Atlanta, including computers, would be searched for evidence. Perez and Martinez's bank accounts, homes and safety deposit boxes got included in the warrant.
Stephanie: If Ranger left Martinez in charge, she would have signed her name.
Silvio suppressed the laughter as it threatened to break through. He cleared his throat to get himself under control. Perez slowly tightened the rope around his neck while he threw Martinez and Orr under the bus.
Tank: Almost there.
Sandra Michaels got their teams in place. Armed with search warrants, the men and women surrounded Dickie Orr's law office, Myla Martinez's home and Rangeman Atlanta.
Silvio smiled before asking, "Why didn't Martinez sign her name if Ranger left her in charge?"
"Because Dickie and Myla said the sale would get processed faster if Ranger signed his name," Perez replied without a second thought.
Tank: Strike 3 - rolled over on his posse.
"Wow," Silvio stated from shock. "You are in way over your head. Good luck." Silvio hung up on Perez after he got him to confess to his crime and implicate his partners in crime.
"Trenton team is in place," agent Parker announced.
"Rangeman Atlanta team is ready," agent Sanders reported.
"Martinez team got organized," agent Travers stated.
"Go!" Andrews shouted into his phone when Michaels gave him the thumbs up.
In Trenton, the FBI barged into Dickie's office. They seized his computer and phone. Another team entered his house to collect the laptop, burner phone, safe and files.
At Rangeman Atlanta, the FBI team entered the building. All Rangeman staff got moved into the largest conference room for interrogation as the FBI team confiscated Perez's computer, phones and files. Perez didn't have an offsite location.
Martinez screamed when the FBI broke down her front door. She grabbed her daughter and ran towards the back of the house. They apprehended Myla and called child protection services to get a placement for Selena Martinez.
"Call Ricardo. He's Selena's father," Martinez shouted. "Don't put her into the system." She didn't want her daughter to get raised by anyone but her father, Ricardo Manoso.
Andie Barrows cooperated with the FBI when they requested the content of Martinez and Perez's safety deposit boxes. Andrews removed everything, noticing both had thumb drives and SD cards. He wondered what incriminating evidence he'd find.
Hector paid close attention to the information the FBI accessed. Rangeman operated above the law, and Hector knew they wouldn't find anything to incriminate Rangeman. They only took evidence about the fraud and embezzlement.
Stephanie and Celia worked together to dissolve Rangeman Atlanta after the core team decided not to sell it to the current employees. The other security firm in the city offered to purchase the client contracts. They even offered to hire the men Stephanie recommended. Stephanie contacted the clients before she committed to the sale. Each of them planned to change to the new company once their contract term ended.
Tank sent a company-wide memo to announce Stephanie was Rangeman's CEO in Ranger's absence. The Trenton office was happy to get their girl back.
Stephanie, Mateo, Rodriguez and Silvio ran background checks on all of the Rangeman employees. She wanted to be one hundred percent sure nobody else got involved with Perez's scheme. Tank was relieved once everyone got cleared. The only men working at the previous Atlanta branch were men hired by Perez. All of Ranger's hired men transferred to other branches. Ranger's friends were safe.
Lester, Tank and Bobby signed the documents to sell the Rangeman branch to Atlanta Security. "We should head home," Tank stated once the sale closed. They stayed in Atlanta with Stephanie for the four months it took to get everything settled. Ranger's deployment got extended when a target appeared during his mission.
"I'm going to miss you, Ricky," Lester said to the boy.
"No, you won't," Stephanie stated. "We're coming home with you. Carlos built a house north of Trenton. I'll text him to let him know we moved." Stephanie could stay in the apartment at Rangeman, but she didn't want Morelli or her mother to know she came home.
Myla Martinez felt angry and betrayed. Her baby daddy cost her everything she had, including her two-year-old daughter, Selena. The child protection service discovered Manoso was not the child's biological father, and Perez, the man involved with the scheme, is Selena Martinez's dad. They contacted his family to ask them to take the child. Despite popular belief, the CPS wanted to keep the family together whenever possible.
Mario Perez received a call from the child protection service in Atlanta. They claimed his son, Darius, had a biological daughter named Selena. Due to her parents' arrest, they wondered if Mario and Celine would raise their granddaughter. He readily accepted the responsibility. The agent promised to bring the girl to California within a few days.
"Argh!" Joseph Morelli screamed. "Get off me!" Morelli felt the burn sensation in his balls.
"I was almost there," Joyce pouted. "Just a little longer." She started to move again until Joe shoved her away. "What the fuck, Joe?" Nobody ever pushed Joyce away.
"My balls are on fire. It feels like someone is castrating me," Joe groaned. "Call 911. I need help." The pain radiated through his abdomen and down his legs. He was unable to move.
Joyce snatched Morelli's phone off the nightstand and used the emergency call option to call 911. She put the device in his hand. "Call yourself," she snapped before she left Morelli alone in his bed. He could barely talk to request an ambulance.
The dispatcher sent an ambulance and TPD cruiser to detective Morelli's house. She didn't know what type of service Morelli required. She hoped the officers and emergency techs could sort it out.
Talia Evans and her partner Michael Platt got dispatched with the TPD officers Eddie Gazarra and Robin Russell. They walked into Morelli's house together to see how they could assist. Eddie and Robin entered the house with weapons drawn. Dispatch wasn't sure if Morelli was in danger or required medical assistance.
Once they cleared the main floor, Talia and Michael entered the home with the backboard and gurney. "Up here," Eddie yelled down the stairs.
Eddie noticed Morelli's house was dirty. Joe's kitchen sink got filled with dirty dishes. Half-eaten garbage littered the rooms. Bob, Joe's dog, laid in the corner as he panted. He ate something he couldn't digest. No doubt the dog would vomit soon.
Robin opened the back door for Bob to take care of his business. She watched the friendly dog bound out the door and squat. Her nose wrinkled from the stench of week-old garbage. Morelli's mom usually stopped by twice a week to clean. Angie hadn't visited in a while.
Talia and Michael grinned when they saw the state of Morelli. His condom covered penis was still erect. He clutched his balls and cried. They could tell he was in pain.
Michael placed the backboard on the bed beside Morelli. He moved to the other side of the bed to pull Morelli onto his side so Talia could slide the board beneath him. Eddie helped lift the backboard onto the gurney and strap Joe in place. Talia grabbed the bottom of the sheet to pull over Morelli as she tucked the sides underneath his body. Joe clutched his balls tighter as they jostled him down the steps on the gurney. Michael jumped into the back to keep Joe secured.
"I don't understand why they call him the Italian Stallion," Talia Evans said to Robin after she got into the front driver's seat. "He's Italian but not a stallion."
"Neither do I," Robin confessed. "If you want an Italian Stallion, hook up with Vince at Rangeman. That man is well endowed if you know what I mean."
Talia raised an eyebrow. "And you know this because?"
Robin looked around before she whispered, "I slept with him when he first came to town. I'm talking at least ten inches here, and he knows how to use it."
Giving Robin a quick wave, Talia drove towards the hospital. She felt the Italian Stallion was about to get put out to pasture.
Angie Morelli received a call from Eddie Gazarra, "Joe's in the hospital. He's about to go into surgery. His house is a mess, and someone needs to watch Bob."
"My Joey is in the hospital? What happened?" Angie tearfully asked.
"We don't know. I suggest you come to the hospital to speak with the doctor," Eddie replied. She hung up the phone to get ready to visit her son.
Angie sat in the waiting room to get updated by the doctor. Nobody had any information for her. Bella gave everyone the eye as they approached the women.
Several hours later, the urologist entered the waiting room. "Mrs. Morelli?" he asked as he approached the women.
"I'm Joey's mother. What happened to my son?" Angie shakily asked as she stood to face the man.
"He got a blockage in his vas deferens. We had to remove the damaged area before it ruptured. I'm afraid your son can't have children," he announced.
Angie fell back onto the chair. Her Joey would never have children, and it broke her heart. All those women her Joey bedded didn't produce offspring. She heard Joyce aborted the baby, Charmaine had an ectopic pregnancy, and Sandy miscarried. Karma paid her Joey back for his indiscretions.
Morelli woke up alone in the recovery room. His balls felt like they got pulled through the eye of a needle. He felt intense pain as the pain medication wore off. Joe looked around the room and realized he was in the hospital.
A nurse entered the room to check on Morelli. "Good, you're awake. I'll send your mother in and let the doctor know," she kindly said.
Bella and Angie entered Morelli's recovery room. Angie sat in the chair beside the bed. She grabbed Joe's hand. "Joey, I have bad news. The doctor had to give you a vasectomy before the vessel ruptured. You can't have children," Angie said as she cried.
Joe was stunned. The Italian Stallion can't have kids? How did that happen? "I want to see the doctor," Joe stated. He wondered if there was more to the surgery than his mother got told.
Dr. Sullivan entered the recovery room. He dismissed Joe's family for a private conversation. As he sat in the chair beside the bed, Dr. Sullivan explained everything he discovered during surgery. "You had untreated chlamydia. It damaged your prostate and caused blockages in the vas deferens from the swelling. I put you on strong antibiotics to clear the infection," Dr. Sullivan explained.
"My mom said you gave me a vasectomy. What are you trying to tell me?" Joe asked.
"We had to remove your prostate," Dr. Sullivan stated.
"I thought you only removed the prostate for advanced cancer."
"There are other reasons for removing the gland. Your prostate was twice the normal size. It was too late to use medication to reduce the size," Sullivan explained. "If I didn't remove it now, you would develop kidney problems."
Joe needed to know one thing, so he asked, "How will it affect my ability to have an erection?"
"It could take up to two years before you experience another erection," Dr. Sullivan stated. Morelli didn't bother asking about the worst-case scenario. He already knew what that would involve. The Italian Stallion got put out to pasture.