Disclaimer: I don't own anything, sadly.
Note: Hello! How's everyone? On the Plum related world, I heard a few good things about the new book. I'm still waiting for my copy. I've also joined the Babe_Squad, which I found by coincidence. It's a great group, though I have mostly been lurking around, reading all the interesting discussions (these are very smart ladies). Anyways, I will like to thank everybody for reading and reviewing. I would like to thank JessicaRenae for editing this chapter for me, thanks to her Ranger knows about Casper. And, thanks to Ladyofkeegan for her support. I'll be in touch soon, and hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks!
Chap. 15 Home Invasion
I took Mrs. Manoso back to RangeMan safe and sound, thank God! We walked over to Ranger's office, and I watched in disbelief as she opened the door unannounced. The image that welcomed us melted my heart; it was definitely one of those "aww" moments.
Ms. Manoso pulled a camera from her purse and took a few pictures of them. The flash alerted Ranger, and his eyes snapped open.
"Mom."
He was lying on the sofa, holding on to a sleeping Ricky in his arms. I'm quite sure there was a good reason for why my son was dressed in a batman costume.
Carefully, Ranger sat up and rearranged our son in his arms. Mrs. Manoso planted a kiss on Ricky's head, and then Ranger's.
"I love you," she said to Ranger, "but I have to go. Don't be upset."
Ranger arched an eyebrow, "funny."
"Stephanie, dear," she said turning to me. "I'll expect you two for dinner, once the case is over."
I smiled awkwardly, "It will be my pleasure Mrs. Manoso."
"Call me Lorena," she reminded me. "Goodbye, Carlistos."
"Adios Mamá," Ranger replied.
"Play nice," she sang before leaving the room, "and enjoy the new toys."
"Toys?"
"You don't want to know," I muttered. Ricky snuggled into his father's arm with a sigh, hiding from the light in the room.
"Did you have a good time?" I asked gingerly, suppressing a smile.
"He spent most of the afternoon asking each of my employees if they would come to his birthday," he explained, running a hand through his hair. "Then, around five he transformed into batman."
"I can see that," I answered. "Is this Ella's handy work?"
"Partly," he said standing up. He laid Ricky on the sofa, removed the mask, and used the cape as a blanket.
"I heard you brought in four FTAs today," he said. "Is it true?
"Yes."
"Sofia trained you well," he commented more to himself, than to me. "I don't think I ever helped you much."
"I learned a lot from you," I said thoughtfully, "but having a child was a good motivation. It gives you perspective on the importance of your life."
"I ran another search on Matta," he said changing the topic. "He's clean. If he's hiding something, then he's doing a great job."
"I don't like him," I stated. "He has this look in his eyes…"
"Mommy," Ricky mumbled staring up at us. I glanced at the clock.
"He's probably getting hungry, I'd better get him home," I said to Ranger. "Are you hungry, baby?"
Ricky nodded pulling himself upright on the sofa.
"Stay for dinner," Ranger offered.
"Sofia's expecting us," I explained.
"I'll have Tank follow you home," he replied quickly.
"About my babysitters," I inserted. "I'm not comfortable having them around all the time. Most importantly, it's not fair for them. They have more interesting and important things to do than follow me around."
"I pay them well," he replied. The phone on his desk decided to interrupt my response.
"This is important," he said, glancing at the caller ID.
I nodded and let myself out of the office, deciding to pay Tank a little visit. I left Ricky sitting on Ranger's couch, content, for the time being, with playing his Nintendo DS.
I'd never seen Tank in office mode before; he sat at his desk typing quickly on his laptop. Startled and caught off guard, I stared at him fascinated. He had on a pair of reading glasses, although he wasn't using them. Instead, he was reading the text on his screen through the bottom of his lenses. It reminded me of my father reading the menu at a restaurant. Tank must have sense my presence.
"Bomber," he said, still typing.
"Tank." He looked up from the screen and grinned.
"Would you mind training with me?" I asked timidly. "I need to improve my methods of self-defense."
"Why? Sure, bomber," he said, "gladly."
"You on Bomber duty today?"
"Nope," he said giving me a mischievous grin before going back to his typing.
"Good," I replied and made my way back to Ranger's office. My suspicions became real. The Merry Men are revolting against Ranger.
"We have a situation," Ranger stated flatly when I came back into the office. He buzzed Cal and Tank from his phone and they joined us within seconds. He asked Cal to take Ricky to the bathroom and to get a snack. He waited for the door to close before continuing.
"The FBI is determined to go public with the kidnapping of Leticia Movio, Sara Federico, and the three other girls," he said. "They sustain they have enough evidence to go public, hoping to scare the Link or whoever is behind the kidnapping."
"How do they know these cases are connected?" I asked.
"They all disappeared around the same time," he replied. "Three of them are from Jersey, one girl is from Texas, and they come from very low income families. Leticia is the big exception. She doesn't fit the typical human trafficking profile. They are doing us a favor by dropping her name with the others."
"What does this mean for our investigation?" I questioned. "Wouldn't that make them more careful? I'm not sure I like this."
Ranger sat back in his chair, his eyes wandering around the room. Tank sank on the sofa, leaning forward with his hands clasped together.
"We should have acted more quickly," Tank proposed.
"We've only being on this for a week," I said, "even if it does seem like forever."
"I know what you mean," Tank groaned. He seemed deep in thought, concerned.
"Let's move the distraction job forward," Ranger said. "See how our perspective changes. Stephanie has something on Matta. I want a man on him."
Tank nodded while standing, "and the Kennels?"
"We should follow them too," I suggested. "They seem to be one step ahead of us and we need to figure out what they want from Matta."
Tank opened the door to leave, as Cal was about to knock. They exchanged a barely noticeable nod and Ricky watched Tank leave with curiosity painted on his face.
"Mommy?" he asked casually.
"Yes, baby?"
"Uncle Cal's Boss is a meany," my son sighed.
-rs-
When we arrived home, Sofia and Lester were making their way out. I had completely forgotten about their date. Sofia was wearing a pair a dark jeans and t-shirt, Lester looked a little more put together.
"Steph," Sofia called out and hurried over to us. "I got a detailed charge report on the credit card you gave me."
"Anything interesting?"
She nodded, "it's not his card. It's under the name of Mario Alconde. Are you sure this is the credit card he used?"
"He made a private order," I answered. "Sally was sure it was him. Unfortunately, they don't have security cameras in the store."
Lester opened the car door for Sofia. She glanced his way with uncertain eyes.
"Lester and I are going to a haunted house, I'll see what I can get off his computer when I get back." she said before making her way over to the car to get in. "Don't wait up."
"Have fun," I shouted as they drove away, "and behave!"
I pulled my half-asleep son out of the car, and carried him into the house. I sat down on the sofa, holding him closer to my body, enjoying the ability to snuggle while he is still small enough to let me.
It was one of those still nights; silent and calm. There was a cold breeze sweeping through the house, which gave me the impression that it was going to rain. Ricky was fidgeting his way out of sleep, slowly becoming fully awake and alert. Silently and shamefully, I regretted not accepting Ranger's dinner invitation.
What to do about dinner, I could make a peanut butter and banana sandwich, I thought. Maybe not, Ricky needs real food. Maybe Sofia cooked dinner. I placed Ricky on the sofa and wandered into the kitchen. There was no food. I opted for pizza and turned on the television. The pizza arrived half an hour later, so did Ranger.
"Babe," he said watching the delivery boy pull away.
"Change of plans," I said defensively. "Sofia and Lester had another date."
"Of course," he said walking into the hallway. He dropped a duffel bag next to the door. I stared at it questionably waiting for an explanation. My ESP must have been off; instead of answering, Ranger made his way into the living room. I was left no other option but to follow him. Ricky was fully awake by then.
"Pizza!" he exclaimed as the smell of Pino's goodness drifted into the room. Ricky jumped off from the couch looking towards the entry way. I knew the moment his eyes landed on Ranger, "Daddy!"
I'm not sure which one he was most excited about, the food or his daddy. Probably, it was too close of a race to tell who the winner was.
"Ella sent you empanadas," he told Ricky, putting a bag of food on coffee table. Ricky wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. Ranger must have informed Ella that Ricky liked empanadas, unless he expected us to stay for dinner.
"What's with the duffel bag?" I asked curiously, placing the pizza box on the table.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," he answered, repeating the words he said to me when my car exploded.
"You're sleeping here?" I asked alarmed.
"That's the plan," he said taking a slice of pizza. I stood dumbfounded for a moment, staring at the slice of heart attack in his hand before remembering that Ranger's body was only a temple four days a week. And today was obviously not one of those days. I wish I had the same will power and dedication.
"Ranger!"
"Stephanie," he enunciated.
"Daddy, you're sleeping here with me and mommy," Ricky asked excitedly, trapping Ranger's face between his hands. Ranger nodded and Ricky did a happy dance that had both of us laughing.
"Doctor Rex, Daddy's sleeping here," he informed an old and tired looking Rex.
"I don't understand," I admitted. "I can take care of Ricky and myself. I have always taken care of us."
"We said that we'd do this together," he commented darkly.
"And we will," I replied indignantly. "I'm not taking him away from you."
"Babe."
"Ranger."
"Can you stop calling me Ranger, Stephanie?" he inquired with sudden restrained emotion. He was angry. What is going on?
I had a few guesses. He wanted to keep us safe, but the Merry Men were not cooperating. Also, he wanted us close to him, but… Did he think I would run away when I had a chance? Was he afraid of losing Ricky? What's going on at RangeMan?
"Daddy, don't yell at mommy," Ricky reprimanded his father, his eyes narrowing in the process. "Don't yell at mommy or you go," he said with his soft voice, and pointing at the door.
"Sorry, kid," Ranger said.
Ranger doesn't apologize to anybody, but he apologized to Ricky. He drew him into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Do you want empanadas?" He asked him. Ricky nodded silently. "Let's have some food."
We gathered around to watch the television while we had pizza. It was a nice moment until Leticia's face came on television, followed by pictures of the other missing girls including Sara Federico. The news anchor explained how Leticia disappeared. They briefly mentioned RangeMan as a highly known and trusted security and private investigation agency, now studying the case.
"Mommy, she looks like Leti," Ricky noted concernedly. He looked up at me with worried eyes, tears forming around the edges. I hadn't wanted him to know that his backup babysitter was missing.
"We'll find her honey," I whispered, rubbing his back. I stared at the television like it was my enemy. "Let's watch the movie."
Ricky is afraid of ghosts; it's his only known fear to date. I couldn't watch Ghostbusters with my son anymore. We finished dinner together and watched The Princess Bride. The movie was funny and lightened the mood. Even Ranger seemed more relaxed by the time the movie ended. The lines around his eyes always betrayed him. Ricky liked the fighting.
It was a cute and funny movie, but it didn't live up to my Ghostbusters standards. It claimed that true love endures and survives anything and everything. How I wished it were true.
After the movie, I got Ricky in the bathtub while Ranger cleared the dishes out of the living room. Then, I prepared Ricky's bedroom for Ranger, hoping to make him as comfortable as possible, seeing how he would have to make do with a twin sized bed. My son would be sleeping with me.
Ranger didn't protest. He gave Ricky a goodnight kiss, grabbed his duffel, and walked into the bedroom without hesitation.
The wind whistled through the window as a laid in bed. I couldn't sleep. My mind was still running wild. Ranger was sleeping under my roof, just a door away. I wanted to comfort him instead of feeling upset about his angry outburst.
I wanted to tell him that I love him.
My decision made, I scrambled out of bed and closed the window. I gathered a few things that I wanted to show him and made my way to Ranger's room. I knocked lightly.
"Carlos?" I whispered
"Babe," he rasped. I opened the door slightly. Ranger was sitting against Ricky's headboard. He looked tired, but relaxed.
"I want to show you something," I said. He motioned me to come in, so I padded into the room, silently closing the door behind me. Ranger's eyes followed my every move.
I sat next to him on the bed, and gave him Matta's Pleasure Treasure bill. I opened up Sofia's computer so I could show him the latest we had came up with.
"Handcuffs, dildos, bondage toys, and special orders by the dozen," Ranger read, running a through his hair. "Is he opening his own shop?"
"Why would he buy from the competition?" Ranger glanced my way, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. Ranger humor, great! I wasn't used to him being sarcastic.
"Sofia managed to get the credit card history of the card he used to buy all of these," I informed him.
Ranger studied the history on the Sofia's computer screen. I handed it to him and readjusted myself on the bed.
"Mario Alonde," he read. "He has used this credit card all over Stark Street. All of these companies are on that street; restate, car rental, and grocery. And who's Mario Alonde?"
"Sofia was in the process of…" I yawned, "of hacking into his personal computer."
"We can do that," Ranger approved, opening tabs on the computer.
"You know how to do that?" I asked sleepily, laying my head on the pillow. "Of course, is there anything you can't do?"
"I'll have Silvio do it from Florida in the morning," he answered, "but for now, there are a few things I can try."
I stayed with Ranger using the excuse that I wanted to learn the tricks of the trade. In reality, it was his smell; the scent of Bulgari was like a drug to me. Sofia's computer was equipped with a Casper program.
"Casper," Ranger explained, "is used by large companies to push updates to their users. We use Casper to remotely backup a suspect's hard drive. It allows us to see his surfing history and the files that he accesses most frequently."
I stared at Ranger amazed at the info he openly shared and the familiarity he had with the program. I glanced over at the nightstand checking the time on the galaxy themed clock. It was way past midnight and way past time my bedtime. "How's RangeMan?" I asked nonchalantly.
Ranger turned his head towards me, searching for my eyes. I rubbed them and yawned unconsciously.
"You should get some sleep," he said.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, staring blankly at the screen. I was asleep in minutes.
-rs-
The next morning, I woke up twice. The first time, I woke up to Ranger detangling himself from me. Apparently, I managed to entwine our bodies somehow during the night. Once again, I blamed it on Bulgari.
"Sleep, Babe," he whispered, leaving me along on Ricky's tiny bed. The blanket of warmth hosting me abandoned me when he left.
The second time, I woke up to the sound of sweet guitar music and my son's laughter. I blinked a few times, hoping the light would go away, but it didn't. The house felt alive, somehow. I lay there, contemplating my life, listening to the music until it ended. It was then that I accepted that I wanted Ranger back in my life, but I wanted him permanently. However, I couldn't just come out and tell him just yet.
-rs-
I forced myself out of bed with a sigh, and silently walked down the stairs.
"Stephanie, honey," my mother greeted me with her mouth full. She was sitting next to Ricky. "About time you woke up, dear."
"Hey, mom," I greeted confused. Ranger stood behind the stove, cooking? Ranger was cooking… Well, at least he looked like he was cooking, and he couldn't look hotter.
Ladies, Batman cooks!
I think ruined my panties as I stared stupidly at him. He was wearing one of those breezy sport's shirts, exposing his muscles. If this was Ranger's house, he'd probably go around wearing shorts for modesty, only if Ella was around. Otherwise, he wouldn't care. I licked my lips, thinking of Ranger walking around the house naked. I shook my head shamefully. It has been a long time.
"Ranger offered us breakfast," my mother continued. "Omelette à la française, I couldn't refuse."
My mother glanced at Ranger with smile when she said, "Omelette à la française." She had that look on her face. It was new.
"Mother!"
"Please, call me Carlos, Mrs. Plum," Ranger said giving my mom a glass of water.
"Thank you Carlos."
I groaned.
"Would you like an egg white omelet, Steph?" Ranger asked me.
"Uhmm? Sure," I said walking towards Ricky. Sofia and grandma came into the kitchen carrying bags and suitcases.
"Stephanie, my beautiful granddaughter," grandma said giving me a hug. "Thanks so much for letting me stay here with you. I promise I won't be in your way."
"What's going on?" I asked my mother. She took a sip of water and said something inaudible. "Mom, we have to talk in the backyard."
Mom followed me into the patio and I closed the door behind us.
"Why is grandma staying here?" I asked again.
"Your father found her..."
"What?"
"Sex toys," she mouthed in disbelief. "I don't know how and where she got it, but I can't have her in the house. I don't like the idea of my mother doing…well, you know what I mean. Your father and mother had an argument. He left the house and won't come back until she's out. He just needs time to get it out of his system."
"Mom," I breathed. "I can't have grandma in the house. What if she does the same here?"
I glanced briefly through the kitchen window. Ranger was trying to get Ricky to eat some fruit. What about Ricky? What about Ranger?
"I told her she has to be more discrete," mom continued. "This is only until your father calms down. You owe me."
I sighed and hung my head, "fine!"
"I didn't know he was staying with you," my mother said suspiciously. "Are you two living together?"
"No," I said slightly annoyed. "It's only a temporary arrangement. This is why grandma shouldn't stay here."
"Oh honey, you'll figure something out," she responded patting my cheek. "You always do."
My mother walked back into the house, and I followed her to kitchen.
"Thank you for the wonderful breakfast, Carlos," she said enthusiastically. "Stephanie, I'll keep your grandmother occupy during the day. You won't even know she's here."
"I could give her my room," Sofia offered. She smiled and grabbed her guitar. "What do you think?"
"No, I can't do that to you," I explained. "You like your privacy and your room. I can't keep taking advantage of you. Grandma can take Ricky's room."
"Let's go put your stuff upstairs," Sofia instructed to grandma.
Mom got grandma out of the house, and promised she would have her back by ten. I gave her a copy of the house key just in case.
Ranger put a white egg omelet in front of me, half a cup of strawberries and blueberries on the side.
"Thank you," I said swung by emotions. This is exactly what I needed. Why is it always him taking care of me? Could I do the same for him? Could I take care of him? He arched a curious brow, watching me eat. The ESP was sending him signals.
"Omelette à la française," I muffled, "you would make an excellent housewife."
"I prefer the word chef," he replied.
"Men are chefs and women are cooks," I said, "it's not fair."
"It makes us feel manly."
"Of course, because you need reassurance." Ranger didn't need reassurance.
"You're playing with fire."
What's wrong with you Stephanie? I questioned myself.
"Did you find anything on Matta's computer?"
"I did," he responded, "and it isn't pretty. He has definitely moved to the top of the list."
"What kind of things?" I questioned.
"Children," he said looking at our son, "innocent kids."
We silently watched Ricky eat, taking him in. Our son was definitely a miracle to me, and he's ours. Ricky is so young and innocent, unaware of the dangers and unfairness of the world. I ran my fingers through his hair, envying him for it.
"Videos?"
"Yes," he said, "and more."
"Did he make them?" I asked sadly.
"I don't know," Ranger replied. We finished our food quietly, and updated Sofia once Ricky was out of hear-shot. Apparently, Ranger didn't sleep all night, browsing through Matta's, or Alonde's computer. It was under the name of Mario Alonde, so we didn't know for certain that it was Matta's computer. Nonetheless, all analysis indicated that Matta could be the link.
"I think we should look at his business," I suggested. "Sofia, want to join me?
"Are you kidding me?" She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "I'd love to go with you."
"Babe," Ranger said, like he was about to protest.
"What?" She asked flatly, looking at Ranger.
"No offense, Sofia," Ranger started, "but I'd feel better if someone else went with Stephanie. The two of you together is double the trouble. It's dangerous."
"I feel offended," she said darkly.
"Same here," I added.
"Stephanie and I will go inspect Matta's house," Ranger stated. "I'll have someone go with you to interview Matta at the club. I'm sure Lester will volunteer."
"Ranger, if you're worried about my safety," I said, "then you should know Sofia is one of the best for that task."
"She's also another target for trouble," he responded businesslike, "with very unique enemies."
"Okay, fine," She snapped, and ran up the stairs. "I'll get my weapons."
"You have big enemies too, Ranger," I reminded him reproachingly.
"What do I have to do for you to stop calling me Ranger?" he questioned, crossing his arms, and looking into my eyes.
"Can I call you Ranger when we're in business mode?" I asked innocently. "It still feels weird saying it in front of people."
"That doesn't make sense," he reasoned.
I bit my lip, "it feels..." I paused searching for the word I wanted, "intimate."
"Babe."
"Carlitos," I said referencing his mother. Ranger's eye softened in realization.
"Smart ass," He looked like he was thinking about smiling, the corners of his mouth curled up faintly. I stared at his lips, and licked mine. I wanted to kiss him.
-rs-
Ricky: *sighing* Mommy, I think I'm in love.
Steph: *shocked and scared* *then nervously* Really, baby?
Ricky: Mommy, I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy.
Ranger: Babe
Steph: Ricky, are you sure?
*Ricky nods*
Steph: Ranger, he's… he's in love.
Ranger: He's talking about Pino's pizza, babe.
Ricky: *chewing* It's good.
Steph: Oh! *Blush* Good... I knew that.
Ranger: Babes, I'd love a review, comment, or suggestion... Let me know what you guys think.