Chapter 42
RPOV
I always found it strange how Steph would react with an unexpected move. That she wanted to visit with Edgar was one of those times. I wasn't sure what her motives were but had to trust her motives and not question her decision. Not an easy thing to do. I wasn't sure if the colonel or even her father knew any more than me but each of us supported what she obviously needed to do and ensured for it to happen. She'd made the request at the end of the meeting and from how she was behaving I could tell that not only was she serious about it happening but somehow seemed melancholy at the same time. Seeing as Edgar was being extradited the following evening the colonel made the arrangements and I was charged with getting her to the FBI offices where he was being held.
As I drove that morning, I became very aware of how annoying it was to sit with someone who never spoke a word and the nearer we got to New York City the more concerned I became. I thought that I'd gone through every possible reason for her wanting to see Edgar but couldn't come up with a valid idea. What worried me the most was that Steph being responsible for Eldrich's death was behind her thinking and that she needed to somehow confess to Edgar. I knew that Steph wouldn't tell me so I would do my best just to support her and hope the outcome of her meeting with Edgar consoled her. Her only response was that she'd tell me after she'd spoken with Edgar.
Waiting for Steph to return to the room where I was waiting for her was one of the hardest things that I'd ever done. I knew that she would be safe from Edgar, Grant had assured me that Edgar would be secured and unable to get anywhere near her. It had been Grant who had guided her from the room and assured me several times that he would be keeping an eye on her. He was looking a lot better after his ordeal and would be accompanying Edgar to Europe. I so much wanted to listen in to her conversation but even I wouldn't go against her wishes of not having a mic on her.
Ninety minutes later I stood up as the door opened and Grant returned with Steph. She was immediately in my arms because her face showed a myriad of emotions, from sadness to an acceptance. As she wiped her eyes and buried her face against my chest I heard her give me some sort of explanation.
"I'm okay. Just a lot to think about"
Being inside the FBI building wasn't conducive to ask her any questions so I bided my time as I guided her from the building toward where my car was parked. As I opened the Porsche and helped Steph in I noticed Grant leaving behind us with three other agents wondering where they were going in such a hurry. Once driving I turned to look at Steph expecting her to start to talk to me but what she said totally confused me.
"Can we go straight to my parent's house. Everything will become clear when we get there"
I made to open my mouth to start to ask her questions but seeing her place her elbow on the ledge of the window and stare out knew that she wasn't ready to talk to me. I made sure that Santos and Bobby were following us before returning to Trenton and the Burg.
As I stopped the car Steph had the door open and was stood on the grass verge before I even got to her. Dressed in a dark brown jacket that went mid calf I watched her as she stared down the street. Her hair was blowing in the wind and as I stepped up to her it was obvious that her thoughts were miles away. A door opening behind us had us both turning toward it seeing her mother stood on the doorstep.
"Stephanie, get inside now before all of the neighbors see you"
I heard Steph sigh next to me and saw the look that her mother gave me as we walked up the path and through the door. As we passed the front room Frank was soon following us as we walked through and into the kitchen. Mrs. Plum was busy placing mugs on the kitchen table with a pot of coffee and a plate that held what looked like chocolate cake. Not a word was said until we were all seated at the table and after her mother had placed a large piece of cake in front of Steph.
"Why am I hearing that Joseph is moving away to a new job? Are you going to be going with him?"
I watched as Frank sat back in his chair obviously waiting for what was going to be coming.
"No. I already told you that Joe means nothing to me. I came to have a talk with you mum"
"Really. What trouble are you in now, seeing as he's with you and there are black cars parked in the street?"
Steph was looking down at the plate in front of her and slowly moved it away from her which didn't go unnoticed by her mother. That the woman hadn't even acknowledged me didn't surprise me.
"You worried what the neighbors will think mum? Or that it insults your Burg pride?"
I saw the look that Steph gave to her mother, a look that I wouldn't want directed toward me, a look that implied that she was annoyed with her mother.
"There's no need to criticize how things are around here"
"I know how things are around here mum, but I never really understood before how toxic it was"
Her mother didn't appreciate that description and I could also sense that it had annoyed her.
"We maintain a level of expectation, how the people of the Burg should behave. Then again you never have been someone to understand that. You have always pushed against it and tried to upset the balance that we have tried to maintain"
I had no idea where this conversation was going or why Steph felt the need to confront her mother about it now. I knew that Steph hated how some of the older women would try to manipulate and control the expectations on anyone they could. Steph had always been under fire for what she did, but she'd fought it and whilst yes, some of the gossip upset her, she'd managed to break free.
"I've had reason to think back to when I was a kid living here. How you would try and define who I was and how I behaved but it's only now that I truly see what you were doing"
"It's taken you long enough so maybe now you'll actually start to listen to me"
"Why did Angie Morelli allow herself to be abused by her husband?"
That had all three of us suddenly turn to look at Steph, her last question seeming to come from thin air. Mrs. Plum frowned as she obviously digested the words and took a sip from her mug before looking directly back to Steph.
"Well. She had her children to think about and a good Burg wife maintains a modicum of dignity with regard to her family. I'm sure using the word abused it totally exaggerated"
"So you didn't know what her husband put her through?"
That had Mrs. Plum placing her mug down on the table her eyes staring at Steph as though she couldn't quite believe what Steph had asked her.
"A wife's place is to support her husband, you know that Stephanie. Afterall had you supported Richard better then there would never have been the need for a divorce"
That was a low blow in my opinion and totally a warped understanding of how a relationship should work. Did Mrs. Plum really believe that a woman should bow down to how a husband treated her, just accept it and continue in a marriage?
"So you believe that a woman should meekly accept how her husband treats her. That she should accept infidelity or abuse?"
"Yes. That is the role of the wife and it's obviously her fault if it's happening"
Steph was slowly stirring her spoon around and around in her mug as though thinking through what she'd heard. I knew that Steph would never succumb to that type of behavior from a man and I would never treat a woman like that.
"Do you remember Molly Lando?"
The surname certainly was a name that I knew which made me wonder where Steph was leading this conversation.
"No, should I?"
"The family used to live down the street. There were two brothers, Edgar and Eldrich"
Again, the frown was back as her mother looked at Steph. There had been so many changes in direction from Steph that I was pretty sure her mother was struggling to keep up.
"That was years ago. Those boys were hooligans, that mother had no control over them, it was disgusting how she let them run wild"
It seemed Mrs. Plum was totally oblivious to the anger that came across Steph's face and I was more than sure now that Steph's conversation with Edgar this morning had something to do with it.
"You remember her coming to see you, to ask you for help?"
"Of course not. Why would I help her anyway? She wasn't a woman that I would want others seeing on my doorstep"
"So helping someone who was in desperate need of help was below you all because you didn't want the neighbors seeing. Would the neighbors be impressed that you belittled her and sent her packing? Back to a husband and son who beat her death?"
Ah shit, so the behavior from Eldrich and his hate of women grew from the behavior of his father.
"Don't be stupid Stephanie, you're always dramatizing things. She ran away like the weak and pathetic woman that she was"
I was curious what Steph was reading on her phone when a message came to mine. Taking it from my pocket I read a message from Bobby informing me of a commotion down the street. Before I even decided that maybe Steph might be in danger Steph was suddenly on her feet.
"Why not join your friends then, so you can see first hand the results of your Burg attitude"
I was next to Steph as she walked out of the kitchen and through the hall, the constant ringing of the phone in the background. Frank had his wife in front of him which led me to believe that he knew exactly where we were heading for, though from the look on her face she was totally confused with where she was being taken. I made sure to stay at Steph's side as she quickly walked across the street and down to where a crowd had gathered. It seemed that we were expected because a crime scene tape was raised for us to under and walk down the path at the side of a house. I was surprised to see Grant stood there with a shackled Edgar on his knees by his side but even more surprised at the scene that everyone was looking at.
The ground had been dug up and even as we watched the crime scene techs working in the soil it became evident that there were bones amongst the soil. Not a few bones but a full skeleton with shreds of material still evident. Mrs. Plum had her hand over her mouth as she looked at the scene, obviously shocked at what had been found.
"You sent her back to her death mother"
After bending down and exchanging some words with Edgar I felt her take my hand and turn us back toward the street.
"Let's go home"
It was after when we were in the apartment on seven that Steph eventually told me her story. We were sat on the couch, her wrapped in my arms with the men surrounding us. Not my doing, she had insisted that they had a right to know about the history of the Burg and the sordid detail of what had been covered up.
"I hadn't remembered about the two boys who used to live close to me and how they looked at me and spoke to me. They actually unnerved me slightly. At first, I just put it down to the fact that we were closing in on them but seeing the two brothers together had me remembering them. I'd always got on well with Edgar, chatting as we sat on the side of the street, not so much Eldrich. I remembered that their mother just disappeared and believed the rumors that she'd ran away leaving them. After thinking through everything that happened the other day I couldn't understand why they seemed to hate me so much so that was when I decided that I needed to talk to Edgar"
I closed my eyes at the idea that those two men hated Steph when she had no idea why though I had an idea why after what had transpired this afternoon.
"Edgar told me how he'd talked his mother into talking to my mother. He said that he assumed that she would help her because of how well we got on, that my mother would be as kind as I had been. Molly ended up going back to her home, but her husband had been watching her so demanded to know why she'd gone across the street to a neighbor. He beat her up in front of the boys and while Eldrich joined in Edgar hid and watched. Molly was buried in the back yard and the rumor put out that she'd run away and left them. They grew up with Eldrich emulating his father's hatred of women and Edgar blaming women like my mother for his mother's death, never trusting anyone enough to get close to him"
Which was why Steph had needed to confront her mother this afternoon. I wasn't sure that Mrs. Plum would take on board how her actions had been instrumental in Molly being killed and was quite certain that she would strongly deny any complicity. I could also understand now why Steph had felt the need to talk to Edgar because she would have felt responsible for her mother's inability to help Molly or the boys. Was Steph wanting to set the record straight with Edgar, maybe and hopefully when we were on our own then she would feel comfortable about talking to me.
"Beautiful. What happened isn't your fault. Hell, you were just a kid then"
"I know but it made me realize just how toxic her ideas are and how much those outdated beliefs could ruin someones life. She should have helped Molly not berated her and sent her home"
Listening to how Steph responded to Santos I knew that she still felt guilty because of her mother even though she herself had managed to remove herself from the poison that ensconced her old neighborhood. I was pleased when the men took me looking at them as a hint for them to leave. I wanted time on my own with Steph. In fact I wanted her to forget everything that she'd found out today, not that she'd forget about it totally. As soon as I'd shut the door behind Tank I felt arms around my waist and the touch of lips nuzzling my neck. Before I'd even turned around I also heard the whisper of a word close to my ear.
"Thank you"
Turning around I was looking into my Babe's blue eyes wondering why she'd said that.
"You let me work through things today and never questioned what I was doing"
I smiled and then kissed her lightly on the forehead before resting my head next to hers, my hands running through her hair to hold her.
"You needed to take that journey on your own but I'm here for you now"
I nearly added "to help her forget" but I knew that would take time to happen so instead I tilted her head so that it gave me full access to her neck, so my mouth moved to her neck and nibbled on the sweet spot just above her shoulder while my hand moved under her shirt to her breasts. Before I knew it, I felt as her legs came around my waist enabling me to carry her through to the bedroom. It was a blur of movement as we each lost our clothes, my eyes intent on the look of her as she laid below me. So sexy and so beautiful making it impossible to spend a second more without touching that soft smooth skin.
Her moans assaulted my ears, the softness of her skin and the taste of her body intoxicated me. Control didn't stand a chance when my fingers swept across her, finding her so wet and ready for me. It seemed that Steph was eager for something more when she pushed me over onto my back, straddling my hips before she sank down onto me. As she lifted herself and moved herself against me, I knew that I couldn't exist without her. She was a part of me.
Even as she arched her back and I felt the sweep of her orgasm folding around me I pulled her down to me, my mouth over hers, absorbing the cries of extasy that both of us were experiencing. As we both relaxed, I held her to me.
"I love you Babe"
"I love you too, Carlos"
Her sultry voice and the sound of my name from her had a feeling so deep overcome me and then the voice of realization hit me. I hadn't used a condom but to be honest I wasn't as bothered as I thought I would have been. The idea of her carrying my child felt right, something that I had never experienced before.
I sat up with her still straddling me and kissed her gently, wanting her to know that those words were exactly how she made me feel. That was when we both looked down as her stomach rumbled and that was when she noticed that I hadn't used a condom.
"Oh shit. I was on the pill but with everything that's happened I haven't taken any"
I could see the concern on her face so pulled her down to me, repeating that long slow passionate kiss.
"What happens, happens. I wouldn't be upset, would you?"
I watched her face as she looked down to her stomach and her hand rubbed across it, a lot of thoughts going through her mind so when she did eventually speak it was as soft as a whisper.
"No, I wouldn't be upset, as long as I have you with me"
"Always"
Was my quick response seeing the smile that I was giving her reflected on her face.
I woke to the dawn of a new day, still on my back with Steph sprawled over my chest fast asleep. To be honest it felt strange that there was nothing of vital importance that we needed to do. No bad guys to chase or hide from, no threats hanging over us. I knew though that I needed to get back into a routine. A work out was needed before breakfast and then catching up with the work here at Rangeman. I knew that Tank had mentioned that new contracts had been put on hold so they would have to be followed up on.
Even as I laid there, not wanting to move, I felt as Steph began to woke.
"Morning Babe
"Mmm, it is a good morning"
Feeling her snuggle closer to me.
"Stay here while I shower and sort out breakfast"
Hearing only a murmur I was pretty sure that she'd fallen back to sleep. I decided on a quick work out so was surprised when I returned to the apartment that Steph was up and dressed.
"What are you up to today?"
Not really knowing what she had planned but hoping that she wasn't thinking of returning to her old job as a bounty hunter. I would never say that to her and knew that whatever she decided then I would support her.
"I'm meeting up with my father and Uncle Art. He leaves for Washington today"
Seeing her leave the apartment left me feeling bereft, hell, she'd been by my side just about every day while we were in Italy. Okay, apart from when she'd been kidnapped, but watching as the door closed took a lot not to follow her out. I met with Tank once downstairs, and we soon had a schedule in place to get the business back on track. Okay, I admit it, I sought out any trackers that Steph may have had with her letting out a sigh of relief when I spied it just outside of Trenton. Did I keep my eye on it? You bet I did.
