All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone.

I placed a call to Rangeman's 'toy' maker as Tank and I took the stairs two at a time down to the garage. Switch had what I needed in my hand before we reached my truck.

"I want you in position by the time we reach Chambersburg," I told him.

"I'm leaving now," Switch responded, and after a nod from me he headed out.

"I could eliminate the asshole once and for all while you keep Steph and my goddaughter occupied inside," Tank offered, as I drove out of Rangeman's gate.

"I've never required someone to fight my battles for me, I'm not about to start now when it involves my wife and daughter."

"You don't think I have a stake in this?" He asked me. "You've been closer than a brother to me. Your fight is my fight ... and that's not even figuring in Stephanie and Olive, who you know I see as family."

Inspiring loyalty in everyone I associate with does have a few drawbacks, like them wanting to make the kill shot that's mine alone to administer.

"Steph would appreciate the sentiment, as do I, but they're mine to protect. This has been a long time coming. Morelli wants to fuck with me as much as he wants to annoy my wife."

"All the more reason for me to end him," Tank argued. "One shot - or neck snap if you're concerned about noise - and he's outta all of our lives."

"You interested in a prison stay?"

He gave a rare laugh as I had intended. "Like you'd let me fry."

He knows me so well ... it wasn't even formed as a question. I'd cut out my own organs before I let one of my people hang for protecting my family.

When I crossed into the Burg, I had planned to pull into Mary Lou's driveway, but the asshole had gotten ballsier and had stopped circling. He's now idling one house up from the Stankovics. Instead of turning and parking behind Steph's car, I moved past it and gave Morelli's truck a 'nudge' with my much more powerful one, shoving it three feet further away from my family.

I got the reaction I wanted, and the cop pulled an un-coplike move and flew out of his vehicle to confront me.

"Do not get involved unless you see Stephanie come out," I ordered Tank.

"Why do you get all the fun?"

"My wife and daughter, my ladies to protect."

"As I've stated, Steph's like my kid sister and Olive's my goddaughter, I should get a piece of him too."

"Fine. You can stand with me, but he's mine," I warned.

A look was all that he gave me. Being a similar type of man, he doesn't like sitting back and letting someone else eliminated a threat. It brought to mind my phone conversation with Stephanie. She also prefers to handle things on her own, but both know I'm the one who issues the punishments.

"You fucking hit my truck!" Morelli screeched, after he had jumped out of his little Matchbox-sized vehicle like his dick was on fire. "I'm going to sue your ass. You purposely hit me!"

I barely raised an eyebrow at his performance as I pocketed my keys and leisurely slid out from behind the wheel.

"To sue me, you'd have to admit you were stalking my wife," I reminded him.

"I was headed home," he said, glaring first at me, and then at Tank who formed a one-man wall behind me.

"Your house is three streets over," I pointed. "And unless you're totally fucked in the head, you don't need to make four or five passes to get the right street."

"I should've fucking known she'd call you."

"My wife called me because she was worried about Mary Lou. She doesn't give three shits about you otherwise. Does it make you feel like a real man to harass an innocent woman?"

"I didn't even talk to Stephanie."

"I know, I was talking about Mary Lou. My wife can chew you up and spit you out without dislodging the curls I watched her put up this morning. If she hadn't called me, worried about Mary Lou being sucked into this twisted obsession of yours, you'd be suffering from more than a dented bumper. My wife does have a temper that tends to run on the hot side. What are you after? If it's to aggravate my wife, it'll take more than a predatory sweep of the Burg to cause a reaction, but I will say if you don't stop bothering her, your mother will be burying you right beside that piece of shit father of yours."

"There are ways to dispose of a body that don't require a burial," Tank helpfully added.

Morelli snorted. "And if I could nail you on one of them, you wouldn't be walking around free, harassing law-abiding citizens."

"You think the Chief would believe that your sudden memory lapse on where you live is law-abiding?" I asked him. "He likes Stephanie more than you do. Who do you think he'll side with?"

"The one who funnels blood money into his department?" He responded.

"Looks like someone doesn't think very highly of the department he's working for," Tank pointed out.

"It doesn't, does it?" I replied. "Maybe you should get out now while the choice is still yours."

"I don't fucking answer to you. You may have brainwashed Stephanie and snowed my boss, but I know who I'm dealing with ..."

"A guy that will blow you to pieces for stalking his wife?" Tank added.

"I'm not scared of either of you."

"Then you're an idiot as well as an abusive asshole," I told Morelli. "No one messes with my family and lives to tell about it. Leave now or you will be turned into fertilizing-confetti. The choice is yours. My wife should be able to visit her best friend without being watched or feeling threatened. If you don't end this problem, I will. And the Chief, as well as Juniak and the Governor, will have plenty of evidence and witnesses to say what happens to you was self-defense."

"Is hearing Steph tell you that you're a piece of shit again ... really worth your job or your life?" Tank asked, his hand resting on his completely legal firearm.

"You'd shoot me in the middle of the day ... and in the middle of the Burg?"

"I would in a heartbeat. Haul your ass back into your truck and take off. Ranger isn't playing, and I'm not either."

"You could try to fight me, Morelli," I told him, "but you won't win. If you fuck with Stephanie, I'm going to kill you. If you frighten my daughter, I'll dismember you first. The TPD is well aware of your 'preoccupation' with my wife, and with one word ... your death can be documented and smoothed over. Leave now and don't think about my wife again.

He paused, not a smart thing to do. It was palpable how much he hated to tuck his tail between his legs and run, but he has no other option. If he leaves now, he'll only receive a reprimand at work and be put under a microscope to ensure that today doesn't happen again. The fact that he still hesitated means his screws have become even looser.

I slid my hand into my pocket to retrieve the gift from Switch and then slapped it and my hand into Morelli's chest after engaging the switch. He looked down and his head shot straight back up when he noticed a credit card-sized device stuck to his shirt.

"What the fuck?"

"Since you seem to have trouble following directions, let's see if you can understand these. You have exactly eight minutes to get back to your house and reach my EOD guy who is waiting for you inside it. If not, you'll go poof."

"More of a boom than just a poof," Tank corrected.

"Clock's ticking, asshole," I told Morelli. "Seven minutes and forty-seconds left. As you're driving home, you may want to remember that Switch currently chilling out with Bob means I can get to you whenever I want and wherever you are. Don't come near my family again or you will pay for that mistake with your life."

It was almost comical how fast he made tracks back to his truck as I heard Mary Lou's door open.

"Da ... da ... da!" Olivia yelled, her kitten-face dress blowing back against her leggings and the rubber soles of her her tiny matching sneaker/shoes smacking unevenly against the driveway, as she wobble-walked quickly in my direction.

I put myself between her and Morelli's view and crouched down to catch her as I caught Steph's eyes above our baby's head. My nod told her that the situation is handled. If Morelli comes anywhere near her, he'll be just a memory in his family's holiday stories.

The revving of an engine as I stood up with Olivia in my arms and Steph's around us, made it clear that even under life-altering stress, Morelli could see how my daughter lit up from the inside out when she saw me. It's the same full-body transformation that happens whenever Stephanie catches a glimpse of me. I got a perverse sense of satisfaction knowing that Morelli, if he doesn't do something to piss Switch off, may be still alive for now, but he'll be awake long into the night knowing the family I have was never going to be his.