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Chapter 19

Enjoyed Punches

Stephanie stared at Richard. "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't sure how to get your attention." He explained, running a hand through his hair. "Then Leona wanted to know about salsa I figured I had a shot to get your attention."

"Where is Cami?" Ranger demanded. "What do you want?"

"I want to get her out of there." Richard met his eyes. "I didn't kidnap your daughter but I've been doing everything I can to keep her unharmed."

"Christopher took her, didn't he?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why?"

"I have no idea." Richard shrugged. "I've been trying to figure that out, but so far I've come up with nothing. The only reason I had initially Cami slapped out of me, literally."

"What was your reason?"

"She's not the only prisoner he has." Richard let out a dry laugh. "Chris likes to try finding ways to keep me complacent when he uproots me out of my apartment. The first night I met her I asked her if he had bought her to placate me. She slapped me and then informed me in very irate Spanish that she'd like nothing more than to shove my balls into my throat."

Good girl, Ranger thought with an inner smile. Stephanie spoke up. "But if he wants you to take over the family business…"

"Rest assured, Mrs. Manoso, he does not want me to take over the family business." Richard snapped out. "He wants me to behave."

"And you don't want to behave."

"I don't want a damn thing to do with that masochist." He growled, turning from them. He braced himself on the rail for a minute, taking a deep breath. Facing them again he said, "Christopher only took a real interest in me when he decided my mother would be of use to him. Before that he wanted nothing to do with me." Stephanie angled her head. "We're half- brothers." Richard explained to them what he had told Cami about the events of his father's death and his mother's attempt to get them away from Chris and her untimely death.

Stephanie felt her heart break for him. She walked up to him and cupped his cheek. "You're so young to have so much death in your life." She murmured. When Richard looked at her, she saw surprise in his eyes. He saw where Cami got her compassion. He liked her mother instantly.

"Where is Cami?" Ranger asked.

"I can't tell you." He held up his hands in surrender at the look on their faces. "Not because I don't want to, but because I don't know. When Chris decides I have to go on lockdown, I'm drugged so I have no way to figure out where I am to get away. And I admit most of the time I spend more time trying to escape him. I've done everything from joining gangs, trying to overdose on drugs, even trying to join the military, and I can't get away from him. But I can help get Cami away from him."

"Why do you want to help her?" Stephanie asked.

"No one deserves to be subject to Chris." Richard replied. "Least of all someone like Cami."

"Has he hurt her?"

"He slapped her once, but I intervened and took the rest of it." He shrugged. "Better me than her. I' m more worried about the psychological hurt he's inflicted."

"What do you mean?" Stephanie's eyes filled with concern.

"Um. She likes food a lot." He said. Her parents gave him a look that told him they were well aware of that. "The first night we were there he decided to have a family dinner. She moaned during the meal. Chris told her bedroom noises aren't acceptable at the table and not to let it happen again. She's barely eating anything now. She's fighting so much to keep from enjoying her meals that she can't get through a whole meal. Cami's lost a bit of weight."

Ranger noted the frustration in his voice. Richard seemed to care a great deal for his daughter. "She's starving herself?"

"No. I can get a grilled cheese sandwich into her." He told them. "I'm not sure how long I can keep doing it before Chris realizes what I'm doing."

He was taking care of her, Stephanie eyed him. From the hints they had picked up on in the dining room and what he had told her now, she was willing to bet Richard was in love with Cami.

"You said she was a chameleon when she wanted to be," Stephanie said, "How do you know that?"

"She said that's what you called her." Richard smiled. "She said you teased her that she was just like her father in that retrospect." He sighed and rubbed his neck, his shirt revealing a dark mark that Cami had left on the crook of his neck that morning. "Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, I promised to get her out of there. I told her I would get her back to her family. "

"Thank you for coming to us with this." Stephanie said. Her eyes had caught sight of the mark on his neck. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" The startled look on his face came so fast that she was forced to laugh. "You can't talk to another woman about another woman the way you did with Leona without being in love with them."

"I…" He shrugged. "Yes."

"So we'll have to make sure we help you as well."

"Mrs. Manoso, I told her I would get her back to her family no matter the cost." Richard looked at Ranger met him square in the eye. "I meant it."

Ranger knew. He knew this man had had his daughter in the most intimate of ways. If it wasn't for the fact that he was their only link to Cami right now, he'd kill him. Of course, it was a completely viable option once this was all over, he thought. But he knew Richard was telling the truth from everything he told them. He was willing to risk a lot of wrath from Christopher to ensure Cami's safety. That spoke for him.

"What else can you tell us?" He asked.

"That's it. All I can do is tell you who has her and that's she alive and relatively unharmed."

"We can't go back in there without something looking off." Stephanie said.

Ranger nodded. He looked at Richard. "You'll have to forgive me if I enjoy this a bit." Richard held his ground as Ranger took a solid punch. He caught himself on the rail and raised a hand to his cheek.

The glass door opened. Richard spoke quickly, "I apologize Mrs. Manoso. It won't happen again."

Ranger turned toward Christopher. "You might want to control your brother and keep him away from my wife. I don't share."

"Of course. I apologize." Christopher shot a glare at him. "I'll take care of him."

"But, Carlos," Stephanie said as he took her hand and lead her out of there, "It was so flattering that such a young man could be so charming to a woman my age…"

"I don't share." He replied again.

Christopher stood glaring at Richard. "I told you to keep out of trouble."

"You know me brother, once a playboy always a playboy."

…

"You enjoyed that entirely too much." Stephanie accused Ranger as they drove back home.

"It had to look convincing, Babe." He glanced at her and saw the grin. "What?"

"He's you." She giggled. "Richard reminds me of you."

"Christ, Babe."

Stephanie couldn't stop the giggling. It was such a huge relief to know where Cami was. It was even better that they knew there was someone there helping her, and fighting to keep her safe. "You always took care of me, no matter the cost. He's doing the same thing."

"Babe."

"Carlos." She took her hand in his. "You're not allowed to kill him."

"Babe, I know what they've done! She's too young and—"

"No, Carlos." Stephanie interrupted squeezing his hand. "There's no rule book for love. You and I both know that. We skirted around each other and lost precious time. Would you want that for Cami?"

"I wouldn't mind if she waited until she was thirty." He said flashing a grin at her. "Or never. That's a good option too."

She rolled her eyes. "No, Carlos."

"Babe, they've slept together."

"I lost my virginity when I was sixteen." She shrugged. "Better it be with the man she's in love with than someone who will take it and leave her behind the counter at the Tasty Pastry."

"Babe."

"And when did you lose yours?"

Silence.

"Mm-hmm. I thought so." She settled back into her seat and looked at him. "We can't let Richard stay with Christopher. If he's as bad as he says, there's no telling what will happen if he finds out Richard helped us."

"I know."

…

Cami woke to butterfly kisses. Opening her eyes she smiled as Richard grinned down at her, then frowned. "Oh god, Richard, what happened to your eye?"

"Angry husband." He replied.

She rolled her eyes. "I wish I could scold you for doing that, but I know you had a role you had to play."

"The angry husband was your father, beautiful."

Her eyes widened, "You hit on my mother?"

"No." He kissed her. "But Chris thinks I did."

"Oh." She rubbed sleep out of her eyes. "Wait. Wait. My parents were there?"

"Shh." He whispered. "Not loud, baby."

"Rick!"

"Cami." Richard crawled off the bed and quickly stripped down. He crawled under the covers and cradled her to him. He whispered the events of the night to her. She looked hopeful when he finished talking.

"Oh, Rick, they're coming for us!" She whispered excitedly.

"Cami, they may only be able to get you." He said. He caressed her face with his fingers. "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to go."

"Why not?" Cami looked at him tearfully. "My family can protect you."

"Because if I stay with Chris, it might keep you safe. At least until I find a way to stop him." Richard replied. "If I go with you then there will always be that chance that Chris will try attacking you or your family to get to me. I can't let you go through that pain."

"But you'd let me go through not knowing if you're alive or dead?" She whispered. "How can I live knowing what Chris is doing to you?"

"Cami." He kissed her softly. "This is the way it has to be right now."

She shook her head, buried her face in his neck and cried softly. Richard held her, his own heart squeezing painfully at the thought of having to leave her. It had been too long since someone had shown him what it was like to love. His mother had loved him, but that had been twelve years ago. He'd been filled with resentment and a need to survive since then. He'd forgotten the warmth love brought with it. The love he had for Cami was fueling a fire that he didn't want to extinguish. When it was all over, he hoped he could be with her, but knew it would take a long time before Chris could be stopped.

Cami wanted her parents to make sure they could get Richard too. The idea of losing him made the idea of breathing incomprehensible. She knew all too well that Richard was responsible for the lack of beating she had received from Christopher. She tried to be on her best behavior to keep him from being hurt on her account.

She had hope that her parents would help. Between them and Elise they were bound to be able to come up with something to get both of them out of there alive. Deep in her heart, she admitted, she wanted Christopher to die for everything he had done to Richard.

Cami leaned back and looked at Richard. "Make love to me, Rick."