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Bold section from Chapter 15

Steph's POV

We drove to a falling down building on Stark Street, and Joe unloaded me from his truck. He shoved me up the stairs and into an old one bedroom apartment. The whole building smelled like piss, and this apartment was no exception. The floor was filthy, and a huge roach lay dead by the door. I shivered, repulsed. "Thanks for sparing no expense, Joe!" I snapped at him.

He slapped me and said, "I think I liked you better when you had the gag on," and then proceeded to tie it back around my mouth.

He led me back to the bedroom and opened a closet, shoving me inside.

"I have to grab some of our stuff from the house. I'll be back soon, Cupcake." He brushed a kiss over my forehead and then wedged the closet door shut.

I sat and banged my head against the wall. Come on, Carlos! I silently prayed. I'm putting up the Bat symbol!

Chapter 17

Steph's POV

As soon as I heard Joe's footsteps leave the room, I sat up. I braced my back against the back wall of the closet and tried to push the door open with my feet, but I couldn't get it to move. I had heard him dragging things in front of the door. I was guessing that was why I couldn't get it open. What was out there- a bed, desk, or dresser? Maybe all three? Who knew?

My hands were still cuffed behind my back, but I wiggled around on my butt, feeling for anything that could help me get free. The guys had showed me a few times how to get out of a pair of handcuffs, but I hadn't really paid a lot of attention. I definitely needed to ask for that lesson again!

There was a lot of trash on the floor, and my hands brushed a few dead roaches- shiver!- but I didn't find anything that I thought could help me pick the lock on the handcuffs.

I felt around some more to see if there was anything that I could use as a weapon against Joe when he came back, but that search also turned up empty. I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest. I laid my head down on my knees and tried to think of a way out of the closet. I sat for a long time running ideas through my head, but every one seemed impossible for me to pull off. Finally I thought of something that might actually work.

This building was old and poorly constructed. It was practically falling down. Maybe I could kick though a wall and get out of this closet. I tried the far wall first. Placing both of my feet against it, I tapped around in various places, checking to see if I could feel a spot that was weak. Finding none, I picked a spot in the middle and kicked out hard and fast. No luck. It was the wall against the bathroom, and even if I managed to kick a hole in it, I'd have to maneuver around pipes and wiring. That probably wouldn't work. I scooted around and tried the opposite wall, testing for soft spots and then kicking both feet against it. Still no luck.

Suddenly I heard a loud noise outside the closet door. It sounded like someone was moving the furniture that had me barricaded in. My heart leapt into my throat. Joe was back. I started panicking. Deep breaths, Stephanie! Deep breaths! You need to concentrate and come up with a plan!

I had to figure out a way to attack him. I couldn't let him take me out of Trenton. But I had nothing that I could use as a weapon. I couldn't even run at him and hit, smack, punch, or claw at him! My hands were cuffed behind my back. If I tried to kick him, he'd just grab my leg and knock me over. I bit my lip and struggled to my feet. I'd just have to tackle him to the ground. I'd head butt him and hope for the best. I did have the element of surprise on my side. Maybe I'd knock the wind out of him for a few seconds. That would give me enough time to get out of the building at least.

Running out onto Stark Street handcuffed and unarmed was definitely jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, but I was hoping that somehow I could get away. Maybe one of my skips would feel sorry for me. Or maybe someone would be willing to help "Manoso's woman" pick the locks on her cuffs. For a fee.

The door swung open, and I raced out, head lowered. I was surprised when I didn't make contact with anyone. I heard a familiar voice choke out, "Steph!" and I stopped. Turning around, I saw Lester. Thank God! Tears sprung to my eyes, and my body was almost limp with relief.

Lester loosened the gag, and now the cries that had been muffled became full-blown sobs. I was trying to stop, but I couldn't get myself calmed down. Lester's blank face was gone, and I could see the effect my disappearance had taken on him and probably the whole team. He uncuffed my hands, and just when I thought my legs wouldn't support me any longer, he lifted me up and carried me out into the hall.

He yelled, "I've got her!" and Tank and Junior came running. Before I could ask where Carlos was, he ordered Tank to call him and Cal. Then he walked outside and loaded me into the back of an SUV. He pulled out the medical kit and began to address my wounds. Thank God there weren't very many! I showed him my wrists and the needle marks on my arms. I could barely choke out the explanation for the marks, but Lester seemed to understand. I was guessing that someone had found the SUV. In fact, there was probably a RangeMan team at that location, too. I was sure they had pulled up the tracker when I hadn't returned from the bridal shop.

I paled. Oh, God. I hoped Carlos wasn't at that location. If he had seen the car… the blood. He would have thought…. I let out a choked cry.

Lester finished working on my wrists and arm. "Anything else, Beautiful?" he asked softly.

I pointed to the bright red handprint on my cheek. "I'm sure there's something here. Joe slapped me pretty hard, and it feels tender. But that's it. All in all, this has been a pretty non-violent kidnapping."

I was trying to joke and play off the whole thing with a trip to Denial Land, but Lester wasn't having it. He gave me a knowing look and was just getting ready to say something when Tank came running out of the building.

"We need to head to TPD with Steph. Now." He ordered.

Lester raised an eyebrow at him.

"They're getting ready to book Ranger and stick him in a cell. They need to see with their own eyes that Steph is alive and well."

A lump was lodged in my throat. Oh, God! I guess now I knew where Carlos was. I didn't know if I should be relieved that he hadn't seen the SUV or pissed that Joe's plan had worked so well. From the sounds of it, the TPD had enough evidence to pick up Carlos for my disappearance.

The guys hurried to climb into the two SUVs, and we took off, speeding towards the station.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

I jumped out of the SUV and ran towards the front door of the police department. Lester was running after me, yelling for me to wait, but I didn't even break stride. I kept running full tilt through the door and down the hall towards the interview rooms.

I saw Carl up ahead of me and came to a stop. "Where is he?" I panted. "Where's Carlos?"

Eddie came out of a room down the hall. He did a double take when he saw me, and walked quickly towards me. "Steph! Are you OK? What happened?"

I waved him off. "I'm fine. Where's Carlos?"

Carl and Eddie traded glances. "What happened, Steph? We heard about all of the blood in the SUV."

I let out a frustrated breath as Lester, Tank, and Junior came running down the hall towards me. "I'm fine. You can see that. Where. Is. Carlos?" I bit out.

Eddie ran a hand through his hair. "He's in booking."

I turned on my heel and took off down the hall.

"Steph!" Eddie yelled. "You can't go down there!"

I ignored him and kept running. I skidded to a halt, out of breath, and looked through the windows of the room where Carlos was being fingerprinted. He looked absolutely miserable. I knew that the guys had told him I was fine, but I also knew he wouldn't believe it until he saw me with his own two eyes.

I opened the door to the room, and Carlos looked up. "Babe!" He let out a relieved sigh. I ran across the room and launched myself at him. He caught me and hugged me to him, smearing ink all over my clothes. I didn't care.

The two officers in the room were talking to us, but I had no idea what they were saying. My mouth had found Carlos's, and I was busy reconnecting with the man I loved. His hands were holding my ass, anchoring me to him, and there was no way that I was unwrapping my legs from around his waist.

Finally pulling back for air, I rested my lips against his neck and gave him a soft kiss. I heard snickering behind me, and I turned to see Lester and Eddie standing in the door. The two cops who had been yelling at us earlier were now trying to reason with Eddie, saying things like interference in an ongoing investigation and against procedure.

Eddie let them go for a while, and then he shut them down. "Look, guys," he addressed them. "This is Stephanie Plum. She is the missing person that Mr. Manoso is accused of assaulting, abducting, and killing. Clearly she is alive and well."

He turned to me. "Steph, did Ranger assault you in any way?"

I smiled up at Carlos and brushed my lips against his lightly. "Never." I said, slightly above a whisper.

Carlos leaned down and kissed me again while the cops around us continued waving their hands and yelling. Finally, I slid down Carlos's front and touched my feet to the floor.

"You have no grounds to keep him here. I'm here. I'm alive and well, and Carlos has never hurt me. We're leaving."

As the room erupted into chaos all over again, the chief walked through the door shouting, "What the hell is going on in here?"

He did a double take when he saw me. "Ms. Plum! We were led to believe that you had been murdered by Mr. Manoso here."

I glared at him. "Well, that's clearly not the case. In fact, I was attacked and abducted by one of your officers."

He drew in a sharp breath. "What?" he bellowed. "Who?"

"Joe Morelli."

The chief's face showed his shock and doubt. "I don't understand. Detective Morelli has been nothing but concerned for you since you first came in here. He was the one who wanted to help you when you were first abused. Why would he abduct you?"

I blew out a breath. "I think we need to have a long talk."

The chief shook his head. "I would say so!"

He escorted our group towards his office and motioned for us all to take seats. I went to sit down on the couch next to Carlos, but he snagged my elbow and pulled me onto his lap. I raised my eyebrows at him in question, and he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Your ass is completely covered in ink, Babe. Just trying not to destroy the Chief's couch."

I blushed. At least Carlos's pants were black! They wouldn't show the ink!

Chief Doyle reclined in his seat. "Now, Stephanie, I'd like to hear what is going on between you and Detective Morelli."

I took a deep breath and recounted the stories of Joe visiting my apartment and the traffic stop, explaining that the marks on my shoulders and cheek had been from him. I told the chief how Joe had reacted when he heard that I had stayed the night with Carlos – that he had gotten angry and slapped me.

The Chief frowned. "That is nothing close to the explanation that I was given for those bruises."

I nodded. I had expected as much. "I'm sure that Joe blamed Carlos, but I assure you that those marks were not from him."

The Chief looked at us closely. I was sitting on Carlos's lap, my back pulled tightly to his front. His arms were wrapped snug around my middle, and his chin was resting on my head. I was certain that we looked nothing like a couple with an abusive relationship.

He gave me a stiff nod. "Tell me what happened today. How did Detective Morelli abduct you?"

"He knew that I had been talking to all of the business owners near Market and Elm. I was looking for a security tape that showed the traffic stop. I wanted to prove that Carlos was innocent. Joe had Mrs. Kaszowski call me. She said that her security tape showed the stop and offered to give me a copy of it. She owns a bridal shop, and she said that the RangeMen had scared her brides away the last time they were in with me. She asked me to come alone or to at least have them wait in the car. I had no reason not to believe her, so I went alone. When I got there, she took me back to her office to get the tape. But when we got there, there was no tape. Just Joe. She left, and Joe handcuffed me and drug me out to the SUV."

The Chief interrupted. "Was Mrs. Kaszowski aware of what Morelli was doing?"

I held my hands out, palms up. "No idea. He told me that she thought I was being arrested."

The Chief looked over at Carl. "Pick up Mrs. Kaszowski now and bring her in. I want to know if she was working with Morelli or just got roped into his plan."

Carl nodded and stood up, walking out the door.

Carlos's phone rang, and he answered it with a tense, "Yo!" As he listened, his posture relaxed and a smile played around the corners of his mouth. "We're in the Chief's office. Bring it in." he ordered and then ended the call.

There were several raised eyebrows around the room as we listened silently to his side of the conversation. Carlos locked eyes with the Chief.

"My men were able to download some footage from the SUV Stephanie was driving. It shows Morelli assaulting and abducting her."

The Chief paled and scrubbed his hand across his face. "Are they bringing it here?"

Carlos just gave him a curt nod.

We all waited silently until Bobby, Hector, and Vince arrived. Hector set up the laptop, and everyone crowded around it. I watched as Morelli shoved me into the SUV and used a second set of cuffs to fasten me to the handle above the door. We drove down by the river, and then Morelli climbed out of the car. I knew what would happen next, and I drew in a deep breath. When Carlos saw Joe begin to draw blood out of my arm, he let out an inhuman roar. His arms were so tight around me that I was having trouble breathing. "Carlos!" I gasped.

Immediately, he loosened his hold on me. He stood up, carefully depositing me back on the couch and strode over to the door. He braced his palms against the wall, his head hanging down between his arms. He was taking deep breaths and trying to reign himself back in, but I could tell it was a struggle. The muscle next to his jaw was working overtime, and his arms were spasming, as if his body was trying to rebel against him.

Tank walked over and stood behind him silently. He was the only one who had any hope at all of controlling Carlos if he lost his temper.

I waited until it looked like he was more under control, and then I silently got up and walked over to him. Tank's eyes widened when I approached him, but he didn't say anything. "Carlos?" I whispered softly. I knew he heard me, but he didn't change his position at all. I reached up and lightly brushed his arm. His head whipped around, and he looked at me with tortured eyes.

"I'm right here. And I'm fine." I tried to reassure him.

Carlos took a deep breath. "I know, Babe. But I can't stand to see him hurt you like that." His eyes flashed murderously, and I knew that if Carlos ever found Joe, he would kill him. I wasn't Joe's biggest fan. Especially not right now. But I didn't want him dead. And I didn't want Carlos to commit murder for me. Again.

He finally pushed himself off of the wall and grabbed me into a fierce hug. He buried his face into my hair and just held me for a few moments, as if convincing himself that I really was OK. When he pulled back, we walked hand in hand back over to the couch and finished watching the video.

By the end, the Chief looked like he had aged 10 years. He took a deep breath and stood up to speak. Before he could say anything, there was a loud rap on the door. It opened and Carl ushered Mrs. Kaszowski into the room.

She looked around with wide eyes, clutching her purse to her chest. Leaning over to Carl, she hissed, "What are all of these people doing in here?"

Carl took her arm and guided her to a chair next to the Chief's desk. "They're all here to talk with you about Detective Morelli, ma'am."

She nodded nervously and looked over at the Chief. Chief Doyle smiled kindly at the old woman. "Mrs. Kaszowski, Stephanie Plum tells me that you called her earlier today and led her to believe that you had a security tape she wanted?"

Mrs. Kaszowski nodded. "Yes." She whispered.

"Did you really have that tape?"

"No." she answered lowly.

"Then why would you ask her to come to your store for it?"

Mrs. Kaszowski fidgeted. "I don't understand. Have I done something wrong? Officer Morelli said that she was under arrest."

The Chief nodded. "Can you tell me exactly what Detective Morelli said to you?"

She began twisting her hands. Her eyes darted from the Chief to me as she answered. "He said that Ms. Plum was wanted on several counts, including assaulting an officer. No one had been able to pick her up because her bodyguards were always around. He knew that she had spoken with me about a security tape, so he asked if I would help him bring her in. I was supposed to call and tell her that I had the tape if she wanted to pick it up. He needed to make sure that she came alone, so I said that the brides in my store were scared of the big men she had brought in last time and asked her to come alone. I walked her back to my office, and Officer Morelli arrested her."

Her forehead creased. "Is she not under arrest?"

The Chief patted her arm. "No, she's not. There are no outstanding charges pending against Ms. Plum. Detective Morelli abducted her and held her against her will for several hours today. Fortunately, her bodyguards, as you call them, were able to find her."

Mrs. Kaszowski became very pale. She glanced up at me and swallowed hard. "I didn't know." She whispered.

I stood up and walked over to her. I patted her arm. "That's OK. I understand. You thought you were doing the right thing."

She nodded and apologized before Carl escorted her back out of the room.

I sighed. Poor Mrs. Kaszowski. She was just another victim of Morelli's charm. Thank God the Merry Men had found me before he got back. Wait a minute! How had they found me so fast?

I looked over at Carlos, my eyebrows raised. "Would you like to tell me how you knew that I was in the apartment on Stark Street?" I was pretty sure that I already knew the answer to that question, but I just couldn't imagine where on Earth he had hidden the tracker! My underwear?

Carlos smiled back guiltily. "Your shoes."

"My shoes?" I questioned. "You put a tracker in my shoes?"

Carlos slightly lifted one shoulder. "You usually wear those boots when you go out after your skips."

The unspoken end of that sentence was: and you're usually in trouble when you go out after your skips. I wanted to be upset, but it was kind of hard to be too indignant when his hidden tracker had, in fact, saved my life. Again.

I just sighed and shook my head.

The Chief cleared his throat, and we both looked over at him.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you have a tracker on Morelli as well?" he asked.

Carlos shook his head. "No. But we do have a team running surveillance on him."

The Chief nodded. "And where is he now?"

Carlos pulled out his phone and placed a call. I heard Ram answer with a "Yo!" before Carlos barked out "Morelli's location."

Ram cleared his throat. "About that. We were tailing Morelli, but we lost our visual of him on the interstate.…"

TBC