Stephanie
A man knocked on our hotel suite door. Carlos opened the door and gave the man a partial hug and handshake combo.
I could tell they were close. When Carlos closed, then locked the door, I approached the man. "Hi, I'm Steph Lewis," I said. He shook my hand briefly. Was attractiveness a requirement to work at Rangeman? The man smiled. I noticed a twinkle in his eye and realized I said my comment aloud.
"Marco Alvarez," he replied. I followed him to the dining room area and sat across from him at the table. He removed the documents from his briefcase. "I met with Edna Mazur this morning. She is pleased you decided to claim your inheritance. Though, I'm afraid the genuine stones in the jewelry are gone."
"What jewelry?" I asked. My heart beat wildly in my chest. Did I inherit grandma's beautiful jewelry as she promised?
"The diamond earrings, rings and necklaces. Your grandmother Isabelle Plum had many heirlooms." Marco read off the list of items I inherited that were missing in part of completely gone.
"What possibly can be gained by touching things that don't belong to you?" I shouted.
"I got informed by Edna Mazur that Helen Plum sold the gems for cash. The jewelry in the safe deposit box has paste stones. Edna got them appraised," he replied. Helen was a greedy bitch. I swear she only married General Plum to inherit the wealth he amassed while running missions and investing in the stock market.
Hector's research indicated Frank was independently wealthy before he joined the Army. Frank had a knack for selecting profitable stocks. He invested under his father's approval when he was fourteen. I was surprised grandpa Plum assisted his venture. Frank earned nearly half a million dollars before he met Helen. He could have purchased his home outright but decided a mortgage was the best option.
I know I wasn't supposed to see his background information, but Hector thought I had the right to know. It surprised me when I learned Frank assigned me as his only beneficiary for his stocks and bonds. Helen wasn't even on his military pension. Why? Did Ranger know?
"Where do I indicate who inherits my wealth when I die?" I asked.
"Here," he replied, "I left a space for you to fill in the details."
"Okay. I'd like to leave everything to my husband," I said. Marco stared at me.
"You're married? Why didn't anyone tell me?" he asked, then glared at Ranger.
I giggled and produced the notification of our marriage registration that Hector left in the folder on the table. "Yup. I got married without having to go through the headache of the spectacle a church wedding creates," I said. "It appears to be legal, but I'm not the lawyer here." Marco used his laptop to verify my claim.
"It's legally binding and registered in the state of New York. Congratulations, Ranger. Your wife is beautiful," Marco said, making me blush. Ranger nodded at his friend. He sat beside me as we completed the paperwork. I gasped when Ranger gave me the power to make medical decisions and assigned me as his beneficiary. Shouldn't Julie get his estate if he died?
He stroked my face from temple to chin before he kissed me. "What's mine is yours," he replied. "Marco, can you reverse the adoption of Isabelle Morelli and custody to Joseph Morelli?" His eyes never left mine.
"Who is Isabelle Morelli?" Marco asked.
"My biological daughter," I replied. "Helen Plum, the viper who birthed me, forced me to sign over my rights. I was eighteen and didn't know better. Here's a copy of my assets, stocks and investments. I have more than enough money to provide her with a happy, financially secured life."
"Did you want to let your sister," Marco paused to read the name on the paperwork, "Valerie Morelli, adopt your daughter?"
"No. I didn't know I could lose my rights by declaring myself temporarily insane," I explained. "She used the power of attorney to get her way. The power of attorney got reversed when I completed my community service hours. It was too late to get Isabelle back."
"What? Is that how Helen got you to relinquish your parental rights?" Marco shouted. I cringed from the change in his tone. "Helen manipulated the situation to serve her purpose. It was wrong and unethical. The power of attorney is used for making medical and financial decisions, not for filing adoption, removing custody or relinquishing your parental rights. I'll have to file an injunction in the higher court to reverse the order. It may take time before we receive a trial date."
"Do I need to hire another lawyer to handle my personal needs?" I asked.
"My partner will handle everything," he promised. Marco sent an email to his colleague.
"Carlos, just how many lawyers does Rangeman have on retainer?"
"A department with every legal discipline. Marco handles our wills and estates. Carmine does the corporate aspects. Paul is our family lawyer. Jandro is our criminal defence lawyer. Each man has four employees working beneath them."
"Marco, could we have Paul manage the custody issues once we remove the threat against my life?" I wondered.
"Sure. I'll ask Paul to prepare the documentation. He could access the court records from the time of your plea. We will get your daughter back into your custody."
"Thank you." Marco gave me the account numbers and bank deposit box key for the First Trenton Bank. I wanted to transfer everything from that branch. He provided me with the online access codes to move the money.
"Edna wants you to access the accounts and empty them," Marco said. He shook my hand before turning to Ranger. I watched Carlos walk Marco to the door and shake his hand.
As he returned, Carlos grabbed his laptop for me to use. I logged onto the bank account site, then stopped. Where would I move the money? I didn't want to use my bank in New York. "May I?" Carlos asked. I nodded. He went into his account at the Chase Bank of Miami. They had branches throughout the United States. I watched him select the option to open a new account.
"Don't you need to prove your identity to open an account?"
"Typically. I added you to my account, provided the marriage certificate and your digital identification. The bank will allow my wife to open personal chequing and savings account without proof of identity. When you want to visit a branch to withdraw money, I will go with you." I was about to ask how he added me to the accounts, when he replied, "Hector handled it while we were otherwise engaged." He meant while we were screwing like bunnies.
"Is there anything he can't do?" I asked. Carlos grinned and rendered me speechless. "I can't believe we are legally married without exchanging vows."
"Stephanie, I vow to love you every day of my life. I promise to communicate my feelings through words or actions. I promise to help you fly. You are my soulmate. My partner. My lover." Carlos kissed me between statements. The way Carlos said my name made my heart race. I hated my full name until I heard it roll off his tongue. Instead of filling me with hatred and anxiety, it filled me with love and adoration. "You make me a better man. I loved you from the minute I saw you on the beach. There is no other woman better suited for me."
His last statement confused me. We met a few weeks ago. He went from wanting to kill me to orchestrating a digital marriage of sorts, then ending with his declaration of undying love. The emotional whiplash threatened to overwhelm me. Carlos held my face between his hands. His calloused thumbs brushed across my cheeks to remove the tears that leaked from my eyes. I could see the love for me in his eyes. Carlos didn't attempt to hide behind a blank face. He showed me his heart which encouraged me to talk.
"I couldn't have said it better, Carlos. I vow to share my thoughts and feelings before running. I promise to let you fly. I promise to listen when you explain the need to assign more bodyguards for me. I promise to stand by your side," I replied. He started to interrupt me. I pressed my lips against his to stop him from speaking. "You are my soulmate. My partner. My lover. My heart's staying where it belongs. Where have you been all of my life?"
"Waiting for you, Babe," he replied. "We are connected. The bond is stronger now."
"It is," I agreed. I felt our souls join as one when we made love.
Connection
Adoration
Devotion
Elation
Love
Everything was fine until I remembered Ranger's mission. "Shit!" Ranger raised an eyebrow.
Various emotions flickered across Ranger's face. He felt everything I felt. I wondered how General Plum would react to our news. "Shit!" I snapped.
"Babe?"
"I doubt General Plum would appreciate you marrying me," I replied. Ranger grinned. "Do the guys know?" A slight lift of his chin indicated a nod. I rolled my eyes. We stared into each other's eyes. His hand cupped my cheek, and I leaned into the touch. He leaned in to kiss me.
A phone rang, breaking us from the intimacy of the moment. Ranger answered it in a clipped tone. "Manoso." I looked at him, hoping he would say who was on the line. He gave me a sloppy salute. Ah. General Plum. "You want me to put you on speaker?"
Ranger put the phone on speaker to let me hear their conversation. Tank, Lester, Hector, Cal and Bobby entered our suite. "Everyone is here," Ranger replied.
"I didn't want to repeat myself to your team. There was a fire at Stiva's Funeral home," Frank explained. It was strange hearing his voice after so many years. "Morelli, with your men, Ram and Woody, entered the location. Mancuso and Spiro each fired a shot. Ram got tagged in his left shoulder. Woody and Ram got out of the building before the munitions exploded, and fire ravaged the basement. Two casualties. Mancuso and Spiro Stiva."
Too bad it wasn't Morelli. Nobody commented. Thank goodness I didn't say that out loud. I wondered if Morelli made Ranger's men enter the basement area first. "Who was the lead?" Ranger asked.
I bet it was Ram since he got shot. "Ram," Frank replied, confirming my suspicions. "Woody sent photos of the basic caskets containing the munitions before Mancuso and Spiro discharged their weapons."
"How did the fire start?" Lester asked. "Where was Morelli?"
"While Woody gathered evidence, Spiro shot at Woody, which went wide and hit one of the caskets. Woody returned fire, shooting Spiro in the forehead. He didn't make it out alive. Mancuso is presumed dead since they retrieved two burned males from the carnage. Morelli was questioning Constantine Stiva outside, in front of the funeral home." I wasn't surprised that Joe Morelli left Ram and Woody in the line of fire. Was he helping Mancuso? The intel was negative, but Morelli protected his family above all else.
Did that mean I could lose the bodyguards? "Operation Pumpkin?" Ranger asked. I rolled my eyes. It was Frank's nickname for me when I was a child. Using it as the military project made me think he still cared and supported me. I knew that couldn't be true.
"Active."
"Bogymen?"
"Neutralized a few days ago."
"Then why is Operation Pumpkin still active?" Lester asked.
"He's not the man after me," I replied.
"No, Stephanie, he is not," Frank confirmed. I sensed a hint of pride in my father's words. Woah. When did I start thinking about him as my father again?
Ranger
Noah Bogymen, also known as Javier Ramirez, was dead. Who was after my Babe? When Frank answered her question, she grabbed the laptop to log into the Rangeman system. She smiled when Hector produced access codes for her to use the computer. I raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.
Hector whispered to her in Spanish, directing her where she needed to search for the information. I listened as Hector helped Stephanie navigate the sites we used to identify suspects from a photograph or sketch.
Stephanie was distracted and didn't hear when General Plum asked, "Your file got updated. Imagine my surprise when I noticed you married my daughter. I hired you to protect her, not seduce her. What do you have to say for yourself, soldier?"
I took him off speakerphone to discuss the topic privately since he had moved away from the mission parameters. Frank didn't receive an answer until I was behind the closed door of the bedroom. "Sir, it was the only way to keep my men at the hospital to protect her. I got a high-quality forged certificate and marriage license to prove I was married to Stephanie. A local judge who owed me a favour attached his seal. She filed the paperwork with the records department," I replied.
"That doesn't surprise me. Once Stephanie makes a decision, she carries it through. Are you the man Edna mentioned during one of her Gypsy rants?"
"Yes." There was no point in denying the connection I had with Stephanie.
"I expect you to respect my favourite daughter," Frank barked.
"Yes, sir. May I ask a bold question?"
"Go ahead, son."
"Why didn't you support Stephanie when she needed you most?"
"Everything I did in the past was to protect her," Frank replied. I heard the telltale sign the call had disconnected. Frank's words made everything fall into place. It added another layer to the protection detail. Who did Frank protect Stephanie from? Her mother? Joe Morelli? Or the unknown person from whom we are guarding Stephanie? It could possibly a combination of the three.
Stephanie and Hector were staring at the laptop screen. She briefly looked at me and smiled, then returned her focus to the computer. "What are you searching for?" I asked.
"My sketch returned a possible match," she replied. I sat beside Stephanie to look at the screen. She turned it slightly to show me.
"You have nearly twenty matches."
"Yup. That's the problem. I won't know the man until I see him face to face." I didn't want Stephanie to meet the man. The less exposure she had to the suspect was ideal. "Until the noise in my head mutes, I can't focus on the minute details to give me a solid lead," Stephanie explained.
"Are you running background checks?" I asked.
"We are. All of the men live in either Trenton or surrounding areas. Though, none of them live in the Chambersburg sector," Stephanie replied. I wondered why Stephanie added the qualifier. She smiled at me and leaned against my side. "In the Burg, everyone gossips with their neighbours. They rarely share the dirty secrets with occupants outside the community."
"What does that have to do with the man after you?" Lester asked.
"He set his eyes on me outside the Chambersburg area. People who live in the Burg tend to shop locally whenever possible and they rarely see outsiders shop in the establishments. The photograph of me sitting on Frank's shoulder got taken at the Philadelphia zoo. I think that's when he saw me for the first time. On that day, Frank took me to the zoo while Helen took Valerie to her dance recital," Stephanie explained. She smiled at the memory of visiting the zoo with her father. Stephanie shook her head, then continued. "Frank was my idol and hero. I planned to join the Army when I turned eighteen. Those plans got kiboshed when I got pregnant."
"Why didn't you enrol when Morelli got awarded custody?" I asked. Stephanie opened and closed her mouth several times without answering. She never considered that option.
"Meh. Too late now," she simply replied. "I wanted to get away from Frank too. It's a shame I didn't consider joining the Marines instead. Oh well. That's all water under the bridge now."
I watched as Stephanie chewed on her bottom lip. Dios! Does she know what that does to me? I had my answer when she winked at me. The little minx liked to play with fire. "Burn, baby, burn," she whispered. I fought the urge to carry her back to bed.
"Do you want to hear my story?" Lester asked. Stephanie turned to face my cousin and smiled. She motioned with her hand for him to continue. Everyone else in the room knew the story. They were surprised Lester was willing to share. He looked at me and waited for my approval to share the part that involved me.
"It started when I was fourteen. Carlos got shipped to Miami to live with our Abuela Rosa. He got caught hot wiring a car for the Los Hombres gang in Newark. His parents didn't know what to do to change the path Carlos followed. Abuela Rosa asked them to send Carlos on a train bound for Miami. I know he could have jumped off the train at any time, but the fear of disappointing Abuela kept him on track," Lester said. He smiled at his clever pun.
"You stole a car?" Stephanie asked. "That's badass. I stole a motorbike."
"What make?" I asked before I could stop myself. Stephanie blushed. I assumed she didn't mean to mention the motorcycle.
"A black 2001 Ducati Monster 600," she replied. My heart skipped a beat. Could it be? Was she the person who stole my bike from Rutgers? "I got dared to lift a bike after a soccer match between Rutgers and Marist College. The forward on the Rutgers team had a kick-ass bike. My roommate said I couldn't start it without a key. I proved her wrong. I wore my head-to-toe black and blue leather biker gear I got to keep after a photoshoot. With my hair tucked under my helmet and jacket, you couldn't see the colour." Stephanie smiled. "I rode it to Point Pleasant and left it locked to the light pole along the boardwalk."
I couldn't believe what I had heard. Stephanie was the woman who took my bike joyriding. "How did the owner know where to find it?" I asked. Stephanie grinned at me.
"I left a note under a brick where the bike was parked. It said, "You will find me where earth meets water, and the walk never gets boring beneath the man-made light." I thought it was a great clue," Stephanie replied. She studied my expression and burst into laughter. "Please, tell me your nickname wasn't Ricky Man-whore." I lowered my head in embarrassment. It was true. I banged many women during college and my early military career. I earned the reputation, but I was not proud of the achievement.
Stephanie passed the laptop to Hector. She kissed his cheek, then stood up. I felt her tug my hand and allowed her to pull me into the bedroom. When we were behind the closed door of our room, she pressed her lips against mine. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to laugh at you. Whatever you did in the past stays in the past. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. I trust you."
"Babe, you ruined me for all women. There was only you since the day we met. To be honest, I haven't been with another woman in over a year. Mi Abuela said I would meet you soon. I didn't want to risk losing you before we got the chance to be together." I tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Only you, Stephanie. Siempre." (Always)