I looked over Julie's issue summaries, and then started to investigate Guido. Interestingly, Guido's last name was the same as Vito's, so I researched the family tree a little deeper. Just as I suspected, Guido was Vito's nephew, which explained to me how the Californian mob boss had known of Steve's father's connections to the mob, and the reason they were able to put pressure on Steve. It also explained to me the Californian mob boss's long reach. He had asked Vito to help him out for personal reasons rather than professional courtesy. That was bad, as family was everything to the mob, and Guido was family.

I added the information to the summary and sent the update to Hal and Ranger. They would not be happy. While we might have been able to talk our way out of Harry's and Jimmy's need to kill them if it was only a professional courtesy, we definitely wouldn't be able to talk our way out of it now that family was involved.

Guido had numerous legal businesses, including rental houses and the operation of several coin laundries throughout California. However, he focused his less-than-legal operations on extortion and blackmail, and the payment of protection fees. Traditionally, protection was from their own gang but, in LA, they also advertised protection from the other local gangs. At the time of Steve's arrest, they were dancing with the local gangs and were, unfortunately, losing in the fight. The young punks had beaten up the mob's enforcers several times. The mob was unhappy about that for a few reasons. One, they didn't like to lose. Two, they didn't want to admit that they were no longer the top dog. Three, they were losing respect both with the other gangs and the other chapters of the mob, and respect was everything.

So the mob was fighting a gang war when Steve was busted for fraud, and Steve's problems probably were considered unimportant in relation to the mob's other problems. Since then, the mob had figured out a way to live in harmony with the other gangs and, although they were no longer only top dog in the state, they were able to share the spot with a few other gangs.

For the last five or so years, everybody was getting along. Then Steve wanted out of jail and to do so, he was willing to finger Guido and identify him as the mob boss. Guido was not so happy with that. Neither was Vito.

Steve probably would have been safe if he had done what the WITSEC program told him to do. But, in his own mind, he thought he knew better and because of that, he was now in extreme danger. I was furious that he had brought that danger to me and my family.

I finished doing the in-depth on Guido and moved to doing an in-depth on Harry. By the time that Julie and the Gurus and I had finished doing all the in-depths, we had found out a lot of useless information. However, we also had a good sense as to what was going on, and I was glad that we had as complete a picture as we had.

Julie and I decided to break for lunch, and as I rolled by the front door, there was a loud banging. "Hello", Julie said as she opened the door. Steve and Val were on the other side and she blocked them from entering.

"We came to see the castle", said Steve. "Steph said we could."

"Actually", I said as I rolled to the door, "I told you to stay away."

"Steph, don't be like that", said Steve. "So Val made a mistake."

"That mistake may mean that I will need surgery, a very painful surgery that will take me weeks to recover from. This is not a simple 'spill-your-milk' sort of mistake."

"And she is very upset by what she did."

"Really? She has not once apologized, not once looked anything other than gleeful. She's not at all upset by what she did."

Julie looked up and smiled at someone. "Eduardo", she said. "Come meet Steph's brother-in-law. I know you know Val from the previous few times that she assaulted Steph." She took out her phone and typed in a message, and I knew that Ranger and Hal would soon be there for support.

"Times?" said Steve.

Eduardo came over and smiled. "I met you at court yesterday", he said. "How are you?" Steve looked at Eduardo and gulped. Eduardo, like the other men on the Rangeman team, was muscular but with Eduardo's tats, he looked especially tough. At first, I had been a little leery of him as well, but then I got to know him and discovered he was an incredibly nice person and I had been friends with him since. I could see the amusement in Eduardo's eyes and thought that he was enjoying Steve's reaction to him. He hadn't liked Steve the day before and, even more, Eduardo was a good friend of mine. Eduardo would consider any chance to make Steve uncomfortable to be a gift.

"Val kicking me wasn't the first time that she assaulted me", I said. "In fact, she has quite a history of it, and when we get back to the States she will have to face charges in Trenton much like she did here."

Steve glared at Val, then turned back to me, charm on his face again. "Steph, I know that what has happened in the past is bad, but can't we start with a clean slate? Val is turning over a new leaf, and so am I."

"Why do you want to see the castle in the first place?" I said.

"I've always been interested in castles."

"Why?"

"I think their construction is fascinating."

I looked at him, assessed him, and decided that he knew how much trouble he was in and was trying to hide from his enemies in our castle. I looked at Val and decided that she didn't have a clue as to what was going on. I sighed as Ranger and Hal showed up. "Hey, babe", said Ranger. "How are things going here?"

I smiled at him. "Just fine. Steve was explaining to me that Val was broken up by what happened and that, despite her being a chronic assaulter, never apologizing, and having hurt me bad enough that I am now going to need surgery, I should give them another chance."

Ranger pulled me back out of the door and he and Hal stepped in front of me. "Interesting", he said. "I've never really followed the 'turn the other cheek' mentality. Leaving it to the Lord to award retribution is not my thing. However, I've long been a proponent of karma. And karma says that Val has hurt my wife. Karma says that you tried twice to assault Steph in the past. So why the hell should I help a couple who both, independently, have a history of hurting someone I love deeply?"

"I didn't try to rape Steph", said Steve. Ranger just stared at him. I could see the sweat bead on Steve's brow as he looked at Ranger's blank face. I would assume that he could see the fury in Ranger's eyes.

"What do you want?" said Ranger. "I don't think it was to remind us of your 'good times' assaulting my wife."

"Steph tried to rape me."

"Yeah, Ranger", said Val. "I saw."

Ranger looked behind Steve at Val. "Really, Val?" he said quietly. "And that's why, when you walked in, Steph was under Steve and he was holding her down?"

Val shut up and glared at Steve.

"What do you really want?" said Ranger.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you are coming to my house when my wife already told you that you weren't invited. So there must be some reason that you are here. You want something from us. What is it?"

"I just want to connect with family again."

"That's nice. Family doesn't want to connect with you. Goodbye." He started to shut the door, and Steve put his foot in before the door closed.

"I told you that Steph is a bitch", said Val.

"Last I checked, Val", said Ranger, "Steph was not the one that was out of control. She did not assault you. She did not yell and scream at you in front of your friends. She did not embarrass you in front of your staff. She in no way impacted upon your life other than to give you money. You were supposed to do things to earn that money, and you refused to do those things and then was abusive, again, when she stopped giving you money."

Val looked resentful as Steve turned to Val. "How much money did Steph give you?"

"Just pocket change", she said.

"Seventy-five thousand dollars is pocket change?" said Ranger incredulously.

"To you, it is."

"Do you think we are made of money?"

"You've got a successful business."

"Yes, and our money is all tied up in the business. We draw a salary, just like anyone else. The difference is that, when we were supporting you, we cut our expenses and lived off my salary and Steph gave her salary to you. It was making a difference to our bottom line but we believed in you, and the way you repaid us was to skip classes and stay home to drink."

"She's my sister. She's supposed to help me out when I need money."

Ranger sighed and shook his head. "The more I talk to you, Val, the less respect I have for you. And that is saying something, because I didn't know having less respect was possible. If you will excuse me, our lunch is ready." He kicked out Steve's foot and shut the door, and he and Hal waited for a few minutes as Julie and Eduardo and I went to the kitchen. When we got there, Grant was taking a tray of macaroni and cheese out of the oven, and Kai was tossing a large salad with a raspberry poppyseed dressing. I smiled. I had told Ranger how much I had enjoyed that dressing the last time that Isla had made it, and it appeared as though he had passed the message along.

Minutes later, Ranger reported that Steve and Val had left the premises as he dished up some food for himself. Julie had already given me a helping, and I was in the process of rolling my food into the dining room.

As Ranger sat and the rest of the team dispersed around the table, Ranger and Julie did an overview of Steve's case and what was going on in his life. Just as Ranger finished the overview, we heard my grandmother yell out as she walked down the hall to the kitchen, "yoo-hoo! Look who we met up with when we were driving in."

I looked at Ranger. "Fuck", I said.

Ranger sighed and looked at Julie. "Jules, would you mind helping the little ones get some lunch dished up?"

Julie smiled. "No problem. Take a deep breath, Dad."

He gave a strained smile. "Good advice."

"It's only good if you do it", she whispered. Ranger laughed, and she gave him a hug and left the room. "Who's hungry?" she said to the little ones.

"I am", said Grace.

"Hunh. You look more like a Grace to me than a Hungry."

The little ones laughed.

Grandma looked at Julie. "Do you know my grandson-in-law? Steve, this is Julie."

"We've met, thanks", said Julie. She lifted the kids, one at a time, to wash their hands.

"Steve is the nicest man that I had ever met", said Grandma. "I know that Steph tried to steal him away from Val a few times, but he has always been dedicated to Val."

"Yet, he had an affair with the babysitter and threw Val out of the house."

Grandma smiled. "Everybody is entitled to a few mistakes in their lives", she said. "Throwing away Val was Steve's."

Julie finished dishing up the food for the little ones. "Is that what you say, Steve? Or are you just using Val as a smokescreen and an attempt to get your money back?" She didn't wait for an answer, and she left the room and helped the little ones into their chairs.

"What is that supposed to mean?" said Grandma as she came through to the dining room with her plate of food.

Julie sighed. "Whatever you want it to mean." She passed Val as Val walked through to the dining room with her own plate. Julie walked over to the glasses and filled three with milk and, as she turned to put the milk back into the fridge, Steve came up behind Julie and pulled her waist into his groin. "What the fuck?" she said loudly, as he ground his penis into her.

Ranger and Kai and the rest of the team immediately popped to their feet. By the time they made it into the kitchen, Julie had flattened Steve on the floor and was applying pressure on his kidneys. As he squirmed and cried, Julie put her head down to his ear. "Don't you ever fucking touch me again. Don't you even fucking look at me, or this little smackdown? It will be a fucking warm-up for what will be coming to you."

Ranger looked at Julie. "You okay, Jules?"

She bounced to her feet. "Steve seemed to have lost his mind for a few minutes. I was just helping him find it."

"On the floor?" said Ranger. I could hear the amusement in his voice.

Julie grinned. "You never know what kind of scum is on the floor. It seemed a fitting place for him to look." She picked up the three glasses of milk and carried them through to the dining room. "Who's ready for milk?" she said.

The three little girls put up their hands. "Me, me!"

She grinned at them and, as she put the last glass of milk in front of Alix, Alix looked at her. "Julie, did you do a smackdown?"

"I sure did. Sometimes people need to be taught a lesson, and I always enjoy being a teacher."

"Is that what you want to do when you grow up?" said Steve as he carried his own plate of food into the dining room. He looked a little disheveled and discomfited by what had happened.

Julie laughed. "I don't think that I am going to grow any more. I am destined to stay 5'1" for the rest of my life. Although I have heard that when I get in my senior years I will lose a few inches. I figure that, if I lose enough, I will be classed as a small person and will be considered short enough to qualify for disability payments."

"Being short is a disability?" said Grandma.

"Last I heard, it was. One of my friends in college is much shorter than even me, and the government paid to have her car modified so that she could drive it. She didn't actually get paid for being short though."

"Blocks on pedals?" said Alix.

"They are actually called pedal extenders, and yes – she used those. She also used a cushion to prop her up so that she could see over the steering wheel, and she had to be careful to buy a car that had an adjustable headrest. She was a good driver though."

"Can you teach me to drive?" said Alix.

Julie kissed Alix on the top of her head. "Not yet, short stuff. In another thirteen years you can drive. And you know what? Dad is the best teacher around. I learned from an instructor, and your Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ron taught me as well. But then I came up here and learned how to really drive. Dad taught me a lot."

My mom and dad joined the group and sat to eat their lunch. "Did you have a successful day of shopping?" I asked them.

"We did", said my mom. "We found this one store right near the river, and it had the best things in it. We bought each of the kids a woolen scarf and a stuffed hairy cow, and some graphic tees." My mom looked around the table and took in the atmosphere, and she settled down and ate her meal with a worried look on her brow.

Ranger looked at Val and Steve. "Okay, so I refused entry to the house, and you conned a gullible and senile old woman to let you in. What do you want?"

"I am not gullible nor senile", said an incensed Grandma.

"Really?" said Ranger softly. "How else would you explain your failure to see that we didn't invite Steve and Val in for a reason?"

"Steve is a good man!"

Ranger looked at Steve. "Do you want to explain to Grandma where you were for the last ten years?"

"In California", said Steve.

"And the name of the building you were in?"

Steve popped to his feet. "You don't know anything about me."

"Hunh. So you didn't reside in a jail for the last ten years?"

My mother gasped, and Grandma leaned forward out of interest.

"I was framed."

"No, you weren't. You cooked the books of the mob's businesses, and you tried to murder someone. That person will have injuries lasting the rest of their life because of you."

"I put a mob boss in jail."

"Yes, after you'd been in jail for ten years, earned your MBA for free, and had decided that you didn't want to be in jail any longer. And then you turned the focus on Val. Her house has burned down, you almost exploded with a car bomb, and now you have brought this fucking mess to my doors. So I'll ask you again. What the fuck do you want from me?"

"Protection, Ranger", said Val. "They're trying to kill us."

"They aren't trying to kill you, Val. You're just collateral damage. They're trying to kill Steve."

"I don't understand why he is being targeted. He did something good. He took the mob boss down."

"And then he refused the government's offer of protection, he went running to you and now it isn't safe for you to be in Trenton either, it isn't safe for you to see your kids, he has blown his chances to work again and all his money is in your name and he cannot access it without your signature. It is only a million which, although it sounds like a lot, is not enough to retire on – especially with how you spend money. Steve has got himself into a bind, and I want to know how he plans on getting himself out of it."

"I don't see why he is being penalized. He took a fucking mob boss down."

"Yes, and then he refused protection. Val, the government thought the same way you did and that is why they offered to put him in the WITSEC program. However, Steve refused the help. He refused to do anything the government experts recommended, and now he has created a mess. And he has brought this mess to my doors. So, Steve, what specifically do you want me to do about it?"

Steve could see the focused fury in Ranger's eyes, and he shivered in fear. "Protection", he said as his voice cracked. "Please, sir."

"What kind of protection?"

"Something where Val and I disappear and can't be found."

"I see." Ranger turned to Val. "Is that what you want, Val?" he said. "To never see your kids again? Your parents? Your grandmother? Your nieces? Even your sister? I know your sister and your nieces probably think that it is a good idea not to see you again, but is that what you want?"

"Steve came back for me", said Val. "He left jail because he couldn't live without me any longer."

"Had you been corresponding with him? Talking on the phone while he was in jail?"

Val glared at Ranger.

"I'll take that as a 'no'", said Ranger. "So this man that you used to live with calls you after ten years of silence and says that he can't live without you. He has recently gotten out of jail, knows that the mob is after him, wants his money, and he draws them to Trenton. Just to make sure that the Trenton mob knows that Steve is there, he contacts them and tells them what? Steve, did you offer your services to them?" Steve turned red. "Okay, so he calls the uncle of the man he just put in jail and lets him know where he is. The mob in Trenton burns down your house, plants a car bomb, and I'm sure there were other things that were done that just weren't reported. And then, when he has wreaked havoc on your life, Val, he comes over here to wreak destruction on mine."

"We just want some money for a fresh start", said Steve. "We didn't come here to wreak destruction on your life."

"Bullshit", said Ranger. "You have a million dollars. You have enough money of your own to start a new life. You will, however, have to work while you are living your new life. We are not supporting you so that you can retire at the age of forty-five."

"But Ranger..." said Val.

"No", said Ranger.

"Steph did it before", said Val.

"And you just about killed her. You are a whiny, abusive, argumentative, contrary and horrible person. Through it, our three-year olds and our five-year old felt they had to protect their mother from your jealousy and misplaced wrath and, when you came in the door, they would situate themselves around the head and torso of their sick mother to better protect her from you. Quite frankly, you have given me no reason to support you and a lot of reasons to throw you out on your ass."

"You have the money, Ranger."

"How do you figure that?"

"You have a successful business, and you live in a nice, big apartment."

"The business is successful because every spare penny Steph and I have is rolled back into the company. Our salaries are purposely lower than is typical for the roles we play, and our apartment is a perk of the job. It is owned by the company, and we pay a hefty rent on it. Not that you deserve an explanation."

"We could live in your apartment building."

Ranger looked at her in shock. "No", he said. "Those apartments are dedicated apartments for various people on staff. They are a safe haven for people who do dangerous jobs. They are not for freeloaders."

"Please, Ranger?"

Ranger shook his head in amazement at her own stupidity. "No." He turned to Steve. "What are your plans?"

"I'm not quite sure", he said.

Ranger turned to his men. "Grant and Gavin, would you please escort Val and Steve to the yellow and cream living room? Give them some paper and a pencil or pen and let them create plans as to what they are going to do and how they are going to fund it. They may want to bounce those plans off you. You are both very good at figuring out strategic plans, and it sounds like they need all the help that they can get."

Gavin and Grant helped Val and Steve to their feet, and they walked with them down the hall to the living room.

Ranger sighed as they left. "Fucking assholes", he said.

"You said a bad word, Daddy", said Grace.

"Yes, I did", said Ranger. "I am very angry, and sometimes it is better to say a bad word than it is to hit someone."

I looked at Ranger, and he was tense and almost vibrating with anger. My parents were leery – they had never seen him that focused and angry before. My grandmother looked enthralled at all the drama and all the men on the strike team looked incensed at Steve's stupidity and selfishness. I thought I needed to dial down the intensity of the atmosphere. "I have a story about that", I said. Everyone immediately turned their attention to me. "Little Johnny was at school, and he was taken to the principal's office for swearing. Little Johnny's mother was called in and, while Johnny was there, she said to the principal, 'why am I here?' The principal told her that Johnny was swearing. 'He said 'fuck' and 'asshole' and 'bastard'. It is inappropriate for him to swear like that.' With that, the mother gets very angry, turns to Little Johnny, and says, 'you little bastard. How many fucking times do I have to fucking tell you? Don't fucking swear!" Everyone around the table laughed and, as I noticed that the mood had lightened and Ranger's face looked more at ease, I looked at Kai and winked. He laughed and shook his head. Kai had commented to me once before that I tended to tell jokes or say something to lighten the mood when Ranger was particularly upset, and that in doing so it helped Ranger cope. I figured that we were a team though – Ranger did the same thing for me.