Chapter 13
Jayden watched his father leave the house to pick up Julie. He was excited to meet his sister. His mom was in the next room making the beds and dusting. "Hey, why didn't dad ask me to go with him?" Jayden wondered.
"Julie knows about you, but his grandmother doesn't. He probably wants to give your great-grandma time to adapt to the idea," Stephanie replied. Stephanie figured Julie would have told her about Jayden on the trip to Chicago.
"Do you think she'd like me?" Jayden asked. He typically didn't worry about such trivial things, but Jayden was about to meet his paternal great-grandmother. She would be the first member of the Manoso family that he'd be meeting. Jayden felt it was a bit intimidating.
"I don't see why not. You're an amazing boy. Everyone who meets you loves you. I doubt she'd be any different. You shouldn't sell yourself short."
"You're forgetting that your mother didn't like me," Jayden said, reminding Stephanie of the toxicity Helen Plum spread.
"We shouldn't consider her opinion. She didn't like me much either, and I'm her daughter," Stephanie added. "I still receive messages from the guys at Rangeman asking about you. Hector said he misses us."
Jayden smiled as he pulled his phone from his pocket. "I get texts from Hector, Cal, Hal, Lester, Tank, Ram, Woody, Manny, Binkie, Bobby and Junior. Most of those men I had met in passing," Jayden stated.
"See? They wouldn't send you a message if they didn't like you," Stephanie said. She hugged Jayden. Batman and Shadow didn't want to be left out. They pawed at Stephanie's legs until she picked them up. "You guys are feeling lonely?"
"They like you," Jayden observed.
"Of course they do. I didn't send them away." Stephanie cuddled the animals before passing them to Jayden. "I have to finish getting the rooms ready. Grandpa's coming in a few days."
Stephanie had just finished loading the washer when Ranger came home with Julie and his grandmother. Julie was more beautiful in person. She looked more like her father than Stephanie realized.
"You can tell the kids are related," Abuela Rosa said, speaking in Spanish. Rosa approached Stephanie and hugged her. "My child, you bring Carlos much joy," she whispered in English. "Shh. He doesn't know I speak the language." Stephanie wondered what it was with Hector and Rosa, not wanting anyone to know they understood and spoke English.
Speaking Spanish, Stephanie replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Rosa grinned and patted Stephanie's cheek. Her secret will survive the visit. "I'll show you and Julie your room. We're expecting more guests. I hope you don't mind sharing."
"Not at all, my dear," Rosa said.
"Babe?" Ranger asked when he entered the room.
"I thought grandma would feel more comfortable in the double bed. It was rather easy to move," Stephanie replied. "I added the spare twin bed to the room with the bunk beds. Valerie and the girls could stay in there."
"What about Valerie's husband?" Ranger asked.
Stephanie sardonically laughed, "I doubt he'll come. He's a dirtbag. It wouldn't surprise me if he screwed the babysitter." Ranger raised an eyebrow. Stephanie whispered, "He gives me the creeps like Morelli."
Abuela unpacked the suitcases before joining the others on the main floor. She wanted to spend time with the family before retiring for the night. Rosa was tired from travelling, but she wanted to know Jayden. "May I get you something to drink, grandma?" Jayden asked in Spanish. She asked for tea. Jayden went to the kitchen to prepare the drink.
"He's a kind boy," Rosa commented.
"Thank you," Stephanie replied. "My grandparents, aunt and uncle helped me raise him. They always said that he should be kind to others."
"You're not taking the credit for raising a remarkable child. I can see how much you love your son," Rosa added. Stephanie shrugged, not able to form an adequate response. She did the best she could as a teenaged mother.
Jayden returned with the tea and placed it on the table beside his great-grandma. He sat next to Julie on the couch. The two children talked about school, friends, family and anything else they thought to share. It was surprising for Stephanie to see how much they had in common.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Ranger said not to disturb you, but this little guy had an accident at the back door," Blaze said, holding Batman.
"Batman, did you miss your pee pad?" Stephanie reached for the puppy. "Come on, Batman, you have to go outside for a few minutes." Stephanie carried the puppy outside. She set him on the ground and waited for him to finish his business. Blaze stood in the doorway dumbfounded. Stephanie called over her shoulder, "There are cleaning supplies in the closet beside the doorway. If you don't mind, can you clean up his mess before someone steps in it?"
Blaze grabbed the items as ordered and cleaned the floor. He used special pet spray and paper towels to wash the spot. Ranger watched Blaze readily follow Stephanie's instruction. He showed Blaze where to deposit the trash. "The washroom is down the hall," Ranger stated when Blaze looked for a place to wash his hands.
Ranger stood near the back door for Stephanie to bring Batman back into the house. She patiently waited until the dog found a spot to go. Stephanie grabbed a bag from her pocket to scoop the poop off the grass. She dropped the bag into the garbage can by the gate. "Come on, Batman. Time for bed," Stephanie called. The puppy readily followed Stephanie into the house. After Stephanie washed her hands, she carried Batman up the stairs and deposited him into Jayden's bedroom.
"I had never seen that before," Ranger said when Stephanie returned to the kitchen.
"Seen what?" she asked.
"A puppy following instructions. Batman accepted that you're the alpha," Ranger replied. He wrapped his arms around Stephanie. I have something for you.
"You do?" Stephanie asked as she gazed into his eyes.
"Yes. Abuela gave this to me. It had belonged to her mother who gave it to Abuela when grandpa proposed," Ranger replied.
"Technically, I proposed to you," Stephanie reminded him.
Ranger chuckled and said, "True, but it doesn't make our engagement less real. Abuela knows we're getting married. She asked me to give this to you." Stephanie saw the simple solitaire ring with a pale pink stone. It was stunning. The band had tiny diamonds along the length.
"I can't take your grandmother's rings," Stephanie said, shaking her head.
Sensing Stephanie's unease about accepting the ring, Rosa entered the kitchen. "My mother told me to pass the ring down to the next woman who overcame adversity to be with the man she loves. Ricardo, my son, found his Maria, but they didn't go through trials and heartache to be together. You and Carlos found each other as teens. It wasn't your time. Now you are with the love of your life despite how others feel about your relationship. Raising an interracial child isn't easy. I want you to have the gift my mother gave me. You are a deserving woman. I only ask that you carry on with the tradition," Rosa said.
Stephanie wiped the tears from her face. "Thank you, Rosa. I will accept the ring," she replied. Ranger slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. "It's beautiful."
"I'm going to bed," Rosa announced before leaving Ranger and Stephanie in the kitchen.
Ranger and Stephanie held hands as they returned to the living room. Blaze was playing a card game with the children. Stephanie grinned when she saw the stack of snacks in front of Jayden. "Are you winning, Jayden?" she needlessly asked.
"I swear he's cheating," Blaze replied. Ranger growled. "No disrespect, sir. Jayden is counting cards."
"Isn't that hard to do while playing poker?" Stephanie asked.
"I'm not counting cards," Jayden replied. "If we played blackjack, then I could. Poker is a game of chance." Stephanie shook her head.
"Who taught you?" Blaze asked.
"Mom and grandpa," Jayden answered. "I always lose when I play against my mom."
"Why?" Julie asked. "Her face is easy to read. You can see what she's thinking."
"Not when playing poker. Mom, can you play the next game?" Jayden asked, wanting to prove a point to the others. Stephanie readily agreed. Ranger wanted to get dealt into the game as well. He felt if anyone could read his bride-to-be, it would be him.
Blaze, Jayden, Ranger and Stephanie played poker past midnight when Julie fell asleep. By the end of the hand, Stephanie had all the snacks piled in front of her. Ranger was shocked. "I couldn't tell if you were bluffing or serious. You won the last hand with a king of hearts, two of spades, six of diamonds, nine of hearts and ten of clubs. I folded with four of a kind of threes," Ranger said as he displayed his cards.
"Told you," Jayden said. "Julie's sleeping. Someone should carry her to bed." Ranger scooped Julie into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
"You should play against Cal and Hal at the Trenton branch. Those two are card sharks," Blaze stated. Stephanie laughed until she cried. "What's so funny?"
"Uncle Cal and Uncle Hal have never won a game against my mom. I should know because they play poker every time they visit," Jayden replied. He started walking away before adding, "Mom, Cal and Hal have been friends since she got pregnant with me." Blaze was stunned. Neither man had mentioned the gorgeous woman standing in front of him.
Realization struck before he walked away. "You're the single mother they mentioned," he said to Stephanie, stopping in his tracks.
"Probably. Hal and Cal never say my name when talking to other men," Stephanie stated.
"I don't recall them mentioning your son's name either. Cal and Hal referred to you as their sister and Jayden as their nephew." Blaze stopped talking when Ranger entered the room. "Congratulations on your engagement," Blaze said before retiring to his room.
Ranger waited for Blaze to go down the stairs before talking to Stephanie. He pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the couch. "Jayden wants to keep the house. He has too many happy memories here," Ranger said.
"I was afraid of that," Stephanie replied. "Selling this house feels wrong. I love the garden. Grandpa and grandma did everything they could to make it a home for us. But we need the money to purchase a home in Trenton."
"Babe, I have a house fifteen minutes away from Rangeman. I built it when we decided to open the Trenton branch. If you don't like the house, we could sell it to purchase another one," Ranger stated. He leaned to the side to grab the phone from the mesh holster around his waist. "Password is Babe, with a capital B."
Stephanie unlocked his phone. She opened the picture gallery to view the photos of the house. "Wow. It's beautiful. The house looks huge. What's the square footage?" Stephanie asked.
"Ninety-four hundred," Ranger replied. "The property got enclosed by a ten-foot metal fence. I could get Luis to build an area for Batman in the yard."
"I'd like to see it when we go home," she stated. Stephanie looked at the second-level pictures. "You didn't decorate the bedrooms."
He shook his head, "I didn't know what they needed." She thought the children would like to decorate their bedrooms. "Whatever you want, Babe. It's late. We should go to bed."
Stephanie let Ranger guide her to their bedroom. She changed into one of his oversized shirts. While Ranger changed for bed, Stephanie went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Ranger, wearing only black boxers, entered the room as she rinsed her mouth. She watched as Ranger prepared for bed.
When they climbed into bed, Ranger removed his boxers. He pulled Stephanie on top of him while moving his hands up her body. Ranger tugged on her panties until they tore. Stephanie nodded, permitting him to continue without protection. She had the birth control shot handled, and her last STD screen came back negative. If they decided to have more children, then she'd discontinue. Getting caught unaware was not going to happen again. Ranger pressed his mouth against hers to muffle her moans.
~~~
In Trenton…
Hector, Hal, Cal, Tank, Bobby, and Lester worked with Frank Plum to handle Dickie Orr. The man got away with kidnapping Jayden. Dickie said that Jayden went with him to talk. He claimed it was a misunderstanding that everyone thought Jayden got kidnapped.
Unfortunately for Jayden, the judge cited a lack of evidence for the conviction. Cal was furious. "What's the mission?" Cal asked Frank. Hector got everyone to meet at Rangeman to make their plan.
"Operation Siberia. A friend's daughter will lure him to an abandoned underground cave in the pine barrens. There's enough room for everyone to hide. The stairs leading to the cabin are a few miles inside the tunnel," Frank explained. He grabbed the rough map from his pocket. The coordinates are generic for the area.
"How do we move the container?" Lester asked.
"A nondescript, unremarkable van is parked outside the cabin. We need to load the crate onto the truck. It gets driven onto a barge before getting loaded onto a cargo plane and dropped into Siberia," Frank explained.
"Could this get traced back to us?" Tank asked.
"Not likely. The woman will be wearing coloured contacts, a wig, padding in her clothes and makeup to make her honey tone appear lighter. If they crossed paths, he'd never recognize her," Frank replied.
Lester added, "Wear dark clothes. Fibres that don't shed. Balaclavas, leather gloves."
"We take two cars. Hector procured vehicles and hid them inside an abandoned warehouse. Rangeman monitors the property, so driving Rangeman vehicles for patrol would not raise suspicion," Frank stated. "Get dressed. We leave in one hour."