Chapter 8
My future is looking brighter than it did before I left to train with Nonno. Diesel is the perfect man for me. He's loving, supportive, kind, generous, and hot.
"Don't forget sexy," Diesel whispered into my ear.
I laughed as I swatted his arm. "That too," I added. Diesel is quite adept at reading my facial cues. He could even tell when someone is lying. "Hey, Hector, may I please borrow your laptop?" I asked as I pointed to his computer.
Hector nodded and let me use his computer to check my emails. There was a read receipt in the inbox, indicating Morelli at least opened the message I sent. He didn't bother to respond. Either he read the words and got angry, or he opened the email and decided against reading it. I was betting on the latter.
"Gracias," I said after logging out of my email account. Hector was storing my car and cellphone, but I couldn't collect them until later. He had to finish his shift first.
"De nada," he replied. I kissed Hector's teardrop tattoo and stroked my hand down his face. He leaned into my touch before kissing my palm.
"I need to confront Joe," I quietly said. It wasn't ideal, but the sooner I handle him, the better it would be for everyone. I was planning to meet him at Pino's in an hour.
"We'll be your support," Lester offered for the group. The other men nodded in agreement. It was nice to have so many people watching your back.
"Thank you. Will you take us home, Les?" I needed to shower. Bobby joined us for the ride. My Merry Men never left headquarters without their field partner. Ranger passed me a weapon to store at the small of my back.
We climbed into Lester's car instead of a Rangeman vehicle. I took in my surroundings. I've heard about the employee lot, but I never saw it until now. My car has the designated spot next to Ranger's sleek cars. Lester's private vehicle is a forest green Chevrolet Tahoe.
Diesel could take us home in a snap, but I had a feeling we were going to need Lester's assistance. "What's wrong, Sunshine?" Diesel asked.
"I'm not sure. I have a feeling we're about to be surprised. It's not a good surprise either," I replied. "Hey, Les, may I please borrow your phone? I need to call Eddie." Asking for reinforcements was appropriate. Bobby was typing furiously on his phone. I wouldn't be surprised if he added a few people to our party.
"Sure, Beautiful," he said as he passed me the phone over his shoulder. "You know what to do."
Diesel raised an eyebrow as I spelled 'Beautiful1012' to unlock Lester's phone. "Hey, Eddie," I said as my cousin-in-law answered his phone.
"Hi, Steph. Welcome home. Why are you using Lester's phone?" he asked. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I heard his voice. Getting away was a welcome change, but I was happy to be back home.
"Hector has my phone. He's still working, so I have to collect it tomorrow along with my car," I confessed. "Are you on duty?" If he isn't on duty, I'd need Carl's phone number.
"Sure am. What do you need?" I loved how Eddie was willing to help whenever I asked. He's been an unwavering friend to me over the years.
"I'm on my way home, and I have a feeling someone's in my apartment. Is Morelli at the department?" I wondered. It wasn't just anyone I expected to find in my home. I was suspecting to find Joe. I hope for his sake he wasn't stupid enough to break in.
"Joseph Morelli is on indefinite suspension from TPD. All of his cases are under investigation. He's on the warpath," Eddie warned me. Eddie was telling more than he was saying. I've learned to read his moods effectively. It's what happens when you've been close friends since kindergarten.
"Great. Would it be too much trouble to drop by my apartment?" I asked, hoping he would call the others to help.
"Nope. I'll get Carl and Big Dog to meet Robin and me. What's your ETA?"
"Five minutes," I replied. "Thanks, Eddie." I knew they would park their cruisers on the road. We don't want Joe to know I called the gang.
"Bomber, is everything okay?" Bobby asked as we pulled into the parking lot for my apartment building.
"Not really. I think Morelli's in my apartment," I answered as I noticed the figure standing in my bedroom window. It was the right size and height to be Joe.
"What makes you think that?" Lester asked.
"My bedroom curtain just closed," I said as I pointed to the swinging curtain. I felt Diesel disappear as the pop noise filled the car.
"Where did Diesel go?" Bobby asked as he pointed to the empty seat beside me.
"Diesel is keeping an eye on my uninvited guest. He's probably hiding in the closet," I joked.
"He's going to love your joke." Lester laughed as he repeated, "Hiding in the closet." I could tell Bobby liked my joke too. Diesel will probably find a way to pay me back.
Eddie, Robin, Big Dog and Carl arrived to assist us. We wanted to make sure we gathered enough evidence to charge Morelli. I knew Joe didn't have a key to my apartment.
"Before we confront Joe, does he have a key to your apartment?" Eddie asked. He needed to make sure they had probable cause to arrest him for breaking into my home.
"No. Diesel changed the locks a few months ago when he paid my rent," I replied.
"Do you have proof he changed the locks?" Carl asked.
I reached into my purse to remove my old door lock. "Is this enough proof for you?" I asked Carl as I placed the item into his hands. He looked at the deadbolt and noticed several scratches from picks. Carl produced his key to try the lock, confirming it was mine.
"Why does Carl have a key?" Eddie asked. He didn't even have a key to my place. If Eddie wants to have one, I'll give him one.
"Are you feeling a little left out, Eddie? I'll make a copy especially for you. I gave Carl a key last year when he needed a place to crash," I answered. "Here's the dent from Bernie shooting at my lock." Bobby retrieved an image from his phone to compare. He confirmed with a nod.
Robin and Eddie decided to enter the building through the back door behind me, Bobby and Lester. Carl and Big Dog were using the front door. Bobby was going to watch the elevator. Both stairwells would be covered.
As I approached my apartment, I could hear Joe swearing. He blamed me for sending him the photos. I only sent him a short email saying I'm over it. Diesel sent him the pictures with a detailed email body saying he knows what Joe's been doing for the last few years. Eddie wasn't joking. Morelli is on the warpath.
His inability to control his anger was one of the many reasons our relationship would never work. I deserve better than having my man cheat on me whenever he wanted. To use me as the reason he's cheating is despicable. Ranger may have poached while I dated Joe, but we never crossed the line to intimacy.
I removed the keys Diesel gave me from my pocket and handed them to Lester. He wanted to be the first to enter my apartment. Lester has his weapon ready to defend himself. I noticed Bobby, Eddie and Robin had their guns pointed at the door.
Bobby stopped Lester from touching the doorknob. He pushed Lester out of the way to use the camera app on his phone to take several photos of the handle. A few fingerprints were distinguishable in the picture. Bobby forwarded the image to Rangeman and TPD with a message that my lock got changed months earlier.
We remained quiet in the hallway outside my apartment. Lester waited for Bobby's nod before unlocking my door. The second we heard the click of the deadbolt unlocking, Joe pulled the door open. "What are you doing here?" I snarled.
"Visiting my girlfriend," he smugly replied.
"Joe, I caught you fucking Terry on your pool table," I stated.
"When did you supposedly catch me?" he asked, not convinced I finally saw them fucking.
"The night I left Trenton," I replied.
"Prove it," he snarled.
Lester opened his phone to show Joe the email I sent with the photos. The message indicated the email got sent from my cellphone. Morelli's nostrils flared, his hands fisted beside his thighs. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Joe knew I caught him in the act.
"I created a delayed email for you. What part of goodbye - I'm over it, did you not understand?" I asked.
"You didn't mean it," he answered. "We always get back together after eating pizza and drinking beer. I have both." Joe pointed inside my apartment. He motioned towards Lester and Bobby. "You goons can leave now. Cupcake and I have some catching up to do."
Eddie and Robin practically pushed us into my apartment. "Joe, how did you get in?" Eddie asked.
"I have a key," he stated.
"That isn't possible. My lock got changed, and Dylan doesn't have a copy," I snapped. Listening to his lies was annoying. Diesel stood behind Joe as I approached him for a hug. I wanted to grab the keys from his pocket.
Joe smirked when I leaned in for a hug. He didn't notice my hands move down his back or towards his front pockets. Morelli was preoccupied with feeling my toned back and ass.
His touch made me nauseous. I reached into his pants pocket to snag his keys. "Hey, give those back," Joe growled when I broke from our embrace, the keys in my hand.
Robin grabbed the keys and tried each one in the lock. None of them fit. "Does he have another key?" Robin asked. "These don't work."
Morelli lunged at me. Diesel quickly restrained him as Eddie cuffed Joe's hands behind his back. Eddie searched Morelli's pockets but failed to produce the key he claimed to possess. He removed two guns, a knife, handcuffs and a syringe filled with a mystery substance.
Carl and Big Dog arrived to check my apartment. "I called a forensics team," Carl announced as he exited my bedroom. "Bedroom window screen is cut. The glass got cut near the latch." He showed me the pictures he took. Joe trashed my room.
The dresser drawers were open and empty. Panties with Rangeman embroidered on the front were on my bed. My shoes were missing from the closet. I wondered what happened to my shoes.
"We're not staying here tonight," Diesel said as he hugged me.
"I don't want to stay here ever again," I added. I would offer the apartment to grandma Mazur, but I don't want her in danger either.
"She can handle herself, Beautiful," Lester stated. "I bet the guys breaking in would run away from her." Lester shuddered as an unpleasant thought entered his mind. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know why he was afraid of my grandma.
Edna Mazur took advantage whenever she was around the Merry Men. She always pinched their butts and grabbed their packages. Grandma didn't understand personal space when it involved hunky men.
The forensics team arrived within 20 minutes. They dusted every surface for prints. "I found these on the fire escape. Do they belong to anyone here?" an officer asked. He was holding a pair of purple velvet pumps.
"They're mine," I replied. "Why are my shoes in an evidence bag?"
"A strange substance is in the shoe. We need to cut the fabric for testing," the forensics expert replied.
"Damn. I never got a chance to wear them," I groaned.
Eddie read Joe his rights and escorted him to the cruiser. Carl said Diesel and I needed to find another place to stay until the police cleared my apartment.
"Morelli will go to prison if they match his prints," Lester reminded me.
"Dylan was present when I changed the lock," Diesel added. "I sent him an email asking him to meet me here. He declined a key when I offered."
"We'll need to speak to him. Where is Dylan's unit?"
"On the first floor inside the boiler room. Dylan has a room on the other side of the room," I replied.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms Plum," he said before returning to his job.
Diesel led me back to Lester's car. I wasn't sure where we would be staying tonight. "My house," Lester offered. "I have a guest room you two can share."
"It's a good thing we left our bags in your car then," I joked. "Thanks, Lester. We accept."
We talked about my training while I was away. Bobby attempted to ask questions, but Lester kept cutting off his words. "Why aren't you letting me ask about her training?" Bobby finally snapped.
"Confidentiality," Lester, Diesel and I replied simultaneously.
"Tank, Lester and my dad were the only people to know. Where I was and who trained me are confidential. I was away on a mission of sorts," I explained to Bobby.
"I understand," he acquiesced. "I won't ask again."
"Thank you, Bobby. I hate keeping secrets and lying," I reminded him.
I've been to Lester's house several times before. His home is a gorgeous two-story yellow brick home surrounded by a six-foot wrought iron fence.
The gate entrance has a buzzer, a thumb scanner, a keypad and a camera. Lester went a little overboard with the security, but I could understand his need for safety.
Lester entered the lengthy code followed by his thumbprint. I heard the mechanics of the gate engage. Every time I visited Lester's home, my breath would catch.