All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.
"I can't believe you dressed this little guy special for my visit in the outfit I got him," Mary Lou said, turning Jace to face us for the first time since she got her hands on him.
"His Auntie does love him," Steph told her, repeating the words written beside the baby dinosaur on our son's T-shirt. "Why wouldn't Jace want everyone to know it? Just don't tell Val that he's testing out your 'Auntie' gift before the one she bought him. This is actually the first time he's been in pants and a shirt instead of a onesie or pjs. I thought Olive being in preschool would give a new baby their own time with us with them being close enough in age to play with each other, but I failed to picture how hectic mornings would be with one kid who has a schedule and another who refuses to consider one."
"Parenting is always easier in your head than it is in reality," Mary Lou assured us. "Once you get him sleeping through the night, everything will become clearer and go a little smoother."
"We're getting there," I told her. "But Stephanie is as unwilling as Jace is to believe it's alright to sleep."
I physically felt the look my wife shot me. "You carry someone for nine months ... inside your body ... and suddenly be sure he can survive without you. I need a grace period with my kids. And just for the record, to the untrained eye I'm a full-blown adult, yet you watch over me like I'm going to stop breathing or spontaneously combust at any moment."
I leaned down just so I could kiss her. "I'm not criticizing your maternal instincts or your fears; I'm just concerned about you not taking care of yourself as well as you take care of our kids."
"If I wasn't worried about jostling baby Jace, I'd be swooning right about now," Mary Lou unhelpfully added.
"Yeah, my hubby is pretty hot ... even when he's being way too overprotective."
"There's no such thing as being too protective," I told Steph.
She smiled a 'Gotcha' grin. "Exactly. I worry about Jace making it through the night the same way you worry about me making it through the day. It's something you and I will both have to work on."
Mary Lou sat Jace back down on her lap before focusing on us again. "You two should stop worrying so much and enjoy this time while you have it. I tried to hug my boys yesterday and every one of them acted like I'd just hosed them down with skunk stink. Right now, both Olive and Jace still love being with you. Don't borrow trouble, it'll find you soon enough."
"Keep talking like that, and I'm taking my son back," Steph threatened.
"He does stay here when you leave," I reminded Mary Lou.
"If I didn't think you'd actually shoot me if I made a run for it with him, I might've tried. Did you guys plan on having a kid born close to each of your birthdays? Inquiring minds want to hear all about that discussion if it happened."
"More like nosy minds," Steph replied with a smile. "Like her middle name states, Olive's the gift we didn't know we needed. Jace was a decision only as far as we weren't worried if I did get pregnant again. His birthdate was the ultimate birthday present, which I'm sure Ranger would say about Olive."
"I would. Our life has played out like it was meant to."
"I'll agree to that as soon as I feel like I can leave our apartment without playing twenty questions with myself first."
"You took Olivia to school, went to the bakery, and brought in the female FTA Zero and Zip didn't want to touch. And two of those you did while I had Jace. You've hardly been wasting away up here, not accomplishing anything. You've been doing your job plus spending quality time with our kids."
She ignored me and cut her eyes to Mary Lou. "See, I can't even complain about normal mom stuff because I have it so good. But I still worry I'm doing everything wrong, not doing enough, or doing too much away from the kids." She turned her head to me. "You can compartmentalize way better than I can. You catch a skip when you need to and enjoy every minute of your time at home when you have it. I haven't figured out how to do that yet."
"You can discuss whatever you need to with me, Babe. We've agreed to correct any problems that come up, so they don't become recurring ones. You're juggling work, kids, and fieldwork well from where I'm standing, but we will be having a talk about how much you're judging yourself. If I didn't have to leave, we'd be doing it now, best friend and wide-awake baby or not. I should be back in time to get Olivia, but if I'm not … take Tank with you when you go."
"I can keep Stephanie company," Mary Lou offered.
"Can you take out a terrorist cell with only one bullet, a knife, and your fists?"
"No, but I live in a house full of boys and I've kept them all alive while not going insane myself."
I nodded. "That is impressive, but more training is still required when it comes to escorting my family anywhere outside the building."
"I'll promise to take Tank if you promise not to get hurt," my wife told me.
I put my hand on the back of the chair she's sitting in, bent my head, and kissed her again. "I'll do my best."
It's not an outright promise, but in Steph's mind … I am the best so that's all the assurance she needs that I'll be alright. I kissed Jace's head on my way to the door, careful not to touch Mary Lou in the process. My wife informed me that her best friend will have a heart attack if I do more than talk to her or smile while she's in the same room. Mary Lou holding her breath and whispering 'Oh my God' under her breath as I said goodbye to my son, led me to believe Stephanie wasn't kidding in this case. Or maybe Mary Lou's reaction is just a byproduct of my shower gel that hooked Steph.
It took two seconds after I got to the lobby for me to realize I should've switched Brown and Santos' schedules so Bobby would be riding with me today. Love turns some boys into men. In this case, infatuation has turned Lester into a more annoying version of his already obnoxious self.
"Guess who got to help a certain hostess move?" He asked as soon as he saw me.
I cut my eyes to him. "This is what we're doing now?"
"You talked about your new kid when you told me I've been cleared for FTA duty."
"You asked how Jace is doing. I don't freely give information about my family."
"You didn't exactly refuse to answer like you used to."
Stephanie would be angry at me if I shot him so soon after he returned to doing apprehensions, so I humored him. "Since you seem determined to talk, why are you bragging about being asked to help someone move? People tend to go out of their way to avoid agreeing to do that particular favor."
"You've been married too long if you have to ask. It means Ayanna trusts me."
"Or she just appreciates free labor. It could also be that she felt sorry for you because you've been bitching about being bored from the moment you got injured."
"If I was being as annoying as you've implied, she wouldn't want me knowing where she lives now, would she?"
He does have a point, but he doesn't have to know that.
"She knows where you work," I pointed out. "You'd be able to get her new address whether or not she told you where she was moving to."
"You're an asshole."
"And yet here you are after agreeing to watch my back."
"I was bored," he whined again.
"Maybe you should take up knitting and keep Grandma Mazur company."
He snorted. "That broad's hobby is Texas Hold'em. She's not knitting anything unless it's something to hold all her winnings."
"Still complaining about losing last week's game?"
"She cheated ... I just haven't figured out how yet."
"You could just admit she's a better player than you are," I told him. "It won't kill you."
"Yeah, it will ... because I'll off myself before I tell her that."
I was tempted to let him, but that'd delay this apprehension even more than he already has. We took one of the fleet vehicles knowing an SUV would stand out less in that area than my truck.
Lester was thankfully quiet as I drove, only talking when he spotted the same thing I did. "Who the fuck's that? I thought Vince said only Agnello's stupid enough to hang out on this street?"
"Could be a lookout or a friend ready to provide backup."
Whoever is unwisely smoking a cigarette while leaning against an abandoned gas pump would be questioned before we went after Agnello. Not needing to say that our plan just changed, Lester was right behind me as I headed towards the man with my Glock in my hand.
"I'd watch out if I were you. That fucker has something like a panic room in the basement," we were told once we got within ten feet of the guy. "He knows you're coming for him and is plannin' to cause some pain."
"Why the warning?" I asked, not trusting anyone to be helpful without wanting something in return.
He shrugged before grinding the butt of his smoke into the ground with the sole of his boot.
"You have a stake in this?" I pushed.
The shake of his head was measured. "No. I just don't like the guy. You're Manoso?"
"Yes. Your name?"
"Flint."
"Flint what?" Santos pressed.
"That's all I'll answer to. Agnello's got everything but a tank in there."
The way he said 'tank' had me thinking he was referring to Tank, not the military vehicle.
"Does he look familiar to you too?" Santos asked me when the guy walked off and it was just the two of us again.
"Yes. But I can't place him yet."
"Do we trust what he said or that he won't be coming in behind us, thinking we'll be trapped?"
"No, but we keep his suggestions in mind in case they turn out to be true. I didn't think Agnello would be obvious about returning to his home unless he thought he could take me out when I came after him. I want eyes on ..."
"I'm not letting you go into that fucker's funhouse alone while I play 'I Spy' out here. Steph would cut my nuts off if I did that."
"Never mention my wife and your nuts in the same sentence again, though you're likely right about that. Keep your head on a swivel the entire time. I want no surprises and zero injuries."
"Will do."
I made short work of the locks on Agnello's door and we entered with guns drawn and no sound. Santos and I separated to search the two floors only to meet again on either side of a steel door leading to what I know from the plans of the house is a supposedly unfinished basement. It's looking more and more like our stranger was telling the truth. While I opened the door, Santos knew to make noise a few feet away from me as I crept down the stairs. He joined me two seconds later. When we saw no activity, we put ourselves on either side of what had to be the not-so-hidden panel poorly hiding the entrance of the panic room ... and just stood there waiting.
It sounds simple, but unless you've had extensive training ... sitting still when you know you're in danger almost forces your body to move against your will. That's why most people who get lost die before being rescued; their mind screams that finding their way back to safety will save them, when sitting still awaiting discovery is their best chance at survival.
Agnello's only a small-time criminal with no real skills, so he lasted only six minutes before he started getting antsy. He knew we were inside his home, but not knowing where really started to fuck with him. First the 'secret' door opened, and then the idiot poked his head out. That's all I needed. I caught the back of his neck in my hand and squeezed my fingers together so he'd be uncomfortable enough to forget he held a weapon of war in his hands. The rifle fell to the floor as he lost all feeling in his extremities.
"Give me a reason not to kill you," I said into his ear.
He didn't give an answer, but his bladder had an immediate reaction to my voice.
"Damn it," Lester muttered as I zip-tied the asshole's wrists. "We got another pisser. I'll have to cover the fucking seat."
"I may have fucked up a nerve, so you may have to carry him too."
"No fucking way. You break him, you carry him."
I didn't have to. Giving Agnello a moment to regroup and regain use of his limbs had him more agreeable to walking himself out to our vehicle. And ever since Morelli met an 'unfortunate' end, turning my FTAs in at the station took half the time. Tank was just opening the lobby door for Stephanie and Jace when Santos and I were pulling into the Rangeman garage.
"I'm here, so you're free to go over the job with Santos," I told Tank after getting out and tossing the keys to Lester. "Maybe you'll recognize the guy, though the photo Lester snapped isn't great."
"You need me to ID a skip you just caught? Did you suffer a blow to the head or something?"
Stephanie's eyes automatically did a thorough scan of my body. "I'm fine," I told her before addressing Tank again. "But you may sustain a blow later for making my wife worry. There was a guy loitering in the area. It felt like he was waiting for us, and he tipped us off on what to expect. Both Santos and I think he's someone we should know, but I haven't put a name to the face yet and I don't like mysteries."
Steph snorted. "That's funny coming from 'The Man of Mystery'."
"I'm an open book, Babe. I thought you'd know that by now."
"I know you can be full of it sometimes, but I'm still really happy that you're back."
I pressed my lips to hers in a too-brief kiss and then took Jace's car seat from her to secure it in the car.
"Thanks for almost coming with me," she was telling Tank when I re-emerged.
"No problem. I've always been second choice whenever Ranger's around."
To show how much our friendship means to both of us, he's proud that I'm as good as I am ... he wasn't bitching about it.
"You can see Olive when we get back and you have an answer for me," I told him.
He nodded and he and Santos went into the building as Steph and I left it.
Steph helped Jace wave to Junior and Hal after we parked in the preschool's parking lot and exited the Porsche, starting for the school.
Before we reached Olivia's classroom, Ms. Rajos flagged us down. "Mr. and Mrs. Manoso ... I was hoping I'd be able to catch you. Is this Olivia's infamous little brother?"
"It is ... Jace Manoso. I'm sorry if everyone's heard more than they wanted to about him. Having a baby in the house - and a brother on top of that - is a big deal for her."
"She's been adorable talking about him. If you both have a moment, I'd really like to speak with you in my office."
"We'll meet you there," I told her.
She smiled and nodded before walking down the hall.
"Oh ... my ... God," Steph whisper-shouted, "did we just get called down to the principal's office? I'm having all kinds of high school flashbacks. I swear I didn't do anything."
"Yes, we did ... and I'm sure I did do something to deserve it."
We went to collect our daughter while wondering who did what to warrant an office visit or if this had nothing to do with us at all.
"Mama! Daddy! Baby JJ!" Olivia said.
She announces our arrival individually every time we pick her up, like we haven't done the same thing five days a week, over multiple weeks.
I had Jace, so Steph got a two-armed hug from our daughter while I had to settle for a single one. When Olivia didn't release me right away, I stood with my two babies in my arms.
"Guess what, Olive?" Steph said. "Principal Rajos wants to talk to Mama and Daddy. Do you want to come with us? Or would you like to hang out with Uncles Hal and Junior while we visit her?"
"Where'd baby go?"
It was a question Stephanie wasn't expecting so she looked to me for an answer. "The guys can handle anything ... except a crying baby if they don't know how to immediately make him happy, so Jace will be coming with us ... which leaves both Uncles free to play with you."
"I sees my big uncles," she decided.
"They are pretty big, aren't they?" Steph asked her. "Lucky for us, they're as nice as they are big."
"They gives me laughs," she said after a beat, clutching her middle as if remembering how many belly laughs she's survived.
"Good catch, they are really funny too."
I let Olive down so she could get her backpack and then we all walked back to the parking lot.
"Hey, guys, can you do us a favor?"
"Sure," Hal answered without needing to know what Stephanie was about to ask him.
"Principal Rajos wants us in her office, so if you could just keep Olive occupied - and out of trouble - for a few minutes, we'd really appreciate it."
"Getting an invite to her office from the principal sounds like a dream Hal probably had last night," Junior teased.
"Laugh all you want, but I'm getting somewhere with her," Hal shot back. "She brought me a coffee this morning."
"She brought me one, too," Junior countered. "But I was walking around the building at the time. It was lukewarm by the time I was done, which sucked because it was the good stuff."
"It's a good thing you were busy. I might not have scored a date if there'd been an audience."
"I still don't know how you managed that. I wasn't gone for that long."
Hal turned beet red, but still answered Junior. "Layla's a special lady. She told me she would've also brought us something to eat, but she didn't know what we'd like. I jumped on that, saying if she'd let me take her out, she'd have an idea."
"Smooth," Steph said.
Hal didn't respond to her comment, addressing me instead. "What do I owe Mama M. for helping me out?"
"Just be happy," I told him, and then I added a little of my own advice to what I know my mother would've said. "And be yourself. Don't act like someone you're not and won't be able to keep up with six months from now."
I went still as a face flashed in my mind. I wasn't joking about being an open book to my wife, Steph sensed something just changed inside me.
"Ranger, what's going on? You look like you just saw a ghost."
It took less than a millisecond to compose myself. "Not a ghost exactly, but I just remembered where I saw the face I wanted Tank to ID."