Stephanie

Angie and Mary Alice stayed with us for three weeks. Valerie got offered a job as a receptionist, but it was near the warehouse where she got assaulted. I discussed the options and my concerns with the core team. We unanimously agreed to offer Valerie a contract as Rangeman's receptionist. Valerie readily accepted the position. Her first shift wasn't for another few weeks because her jaw was still wired shut. Hopefully, the orthopedic surgeon would remove the wires in three weeks.

Mom attempted to move Valerie and the girls into her house. Valerie was upset because she couldn't tell Mom to leave them alone. It was the primary reason why Valerie and the girls lived at Rangeman an extra week after the stitches got removed.

Ram moved into the house with Valerie and the girls. They were scared to stay in the condo without a trusted male presence. Valerie knew she could trust Ram. I laughed when Ram installed a Rangeman security system at the house. He wanted to ensure their safety. I knew Mom was the driving force for Ram to install a security system.

I wondered how Valerie and the girls would manage when Ram worked the night shift, but Hector and Cal arranged to stay at the house. Valerie appreciated their help. She could do everything except talk coherently to her daughters. I knew the guys helped Valerie with chores around the house. They also found delicious recipes for Valerie's liquid meals. She had to rely on food she could sip through a straw. Ella likely assisted with finding nutritional meals.

Angie and Mary Alice attended a private school paid for by Carlos. After meeting with the principal, we got Angie and Mary Alice enrolled in programs geared around their interests. It took a week for Mary Alice to stop galloping. The teacher promised to buy her a hamster if she could stop pretending to be a horse during class. I thought Carlos would freak out when Mary Alice brought a hamster home. He took it in stride, not allowing it to faze him.

"Deep thoughts, Babe?" Ranger asked, sitting in my guest chair. He sat with his right ankle resting on his left knee. It was the pose I expected when he had unfortunate news.

"Not really. Everything seems to be going well. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," I replied, attempting to joke about the pending announcement of doom.

"I have that shoe," Ranger said. I attempted to raise an eyebrow, earning a smile from my gorgeous husband. "Keep trying."

"Dang. I thought I had it that time," I joked. I knew Ranger had a reason for the mid-afternoon visit. The last time he interrupted my day was to announce Joe Morelli got bailed out by my good-for-nothing cousin, Vinnie. I thought family meant something to him. Earning money was more important than loyalty or familial connections. Daddy was furious, while Helen gloated. I bet she had something to do with posting the bond. Sighing, I said, "He failed to appear in court."

"Yes," Ranger replied.

"Figures," I grumbled. "I bet he found the trackers too."

"He has. They all went offline at the same time."

"Please tell me Vinnie assigned the case to Rangeman," I begged. I groaned when Ranger shook his head. "Barnhardt?"

"Yes." Joyce Barnhardt couldn't catch a fly with flypaper. But she could catch an STI with douche. Ranger tipped his head back and laughed. I must have spoken my thoughts. Oh well, I loved the sound of his laughter. It was music to my ears.

"What's so funny?" Lester asked, poking his head inside the office. Ranger repeated my musing to Lester, who laughed. He thought it was funny. I shook my head when he ran from the doorway to share it with the others on the floor.

Laughter from the other men filled the command room. I grinned at Carlos. "Our family is weird," I said. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Neither would I," Carlos replied.

"Has someone started the betting pool when Vinnie asks Rangeman to go after Morelli?" I asked. Carlos shook his head. "Watch and learn."

I grabbed my notebook to record the bets. Winner takes all - as was always the case. You had to be close without going past the number of days. I stated it would take twenty-three hours for Vinnie to beg us to find Morelli. Joyce would let him slip through her fingers - literally - before getting cuffed to the light post, wearing her BDSM outfit with whips and chains.

Carlos followed me from the office. He plucked the notebook from my hands and laughed, "Babe, you're oddly specific."

"No, Carlos. I'm not. Oddly specific is adding the spiked collar, whipping crop and five-inch black stilettos," I replied. I grabbed my notebook and added the other items. "Should I toss in a used condom stuck to her ass?" Carlos raised an eyebrow. "You're right. That's one step too far."

"Put me down for forty-eight hours," Carlos said. "No additions."

"Your loss," I teased.

"What are we betting on?" Lester asked. Ranger's response piqued his interest.

"How long would it take Vinnie to ask Rangeman to track down Joseph Morelli's ass," I replied. "You have until I go to my apartment at 1900 hours to register the bets." Lester rubbed his hands together. He raised a finger to indicate he needed time to think.

"Guys," Lester said, getting everyone to peek over their cubical walls. It suppressed a giggle at seeing eyes and noses peering over the dividers. Carlos raised an eyebrow when I caught his eye. "Steph is collecting bets for how long Vinnie takes to ask Rangeman to capture Morelli. We have until Steph goes upstairs for dinner to place our bets."

The men lined up to place a wager with their times. Nobody guessed less than twenty-four hours. "Thanks, guys. I didn't expect everyone to jump on the bandwagon," I said.

"It's not often you encourage us to bet against something," Cal explained. "What was your bet?"

"I'll tell everyone in the morning meeting," I teased. Cal grumbled about me ruining his fun. "Uh uh uh, Cal. The betting pool is still active. Until it's closed, I'm not telling anyone."

Carlos walked me back to my office after grabbing a snack and water from the break room. He kissed me before returning to work. I watched his firm, sexy ass leave my office and sighed. To clear my head from sexy thoughts, I opened my notebook to check the baby names. Carlos and I decided against naming our son after him. It would be too much of a reminder of JJ. I loved that Carlos understood how I felt. Smiling, I wrote the newest name in the book.

Valerie begged for something to occupy her time. She was going crazy sitting at home with one of the guys helping her with the chores. I smiled, then asked her to work on the PowerPoint presentation for potential Rangeman clients. We wanted a more visual representation of services offered without letting the clients see the control room floor. When she asked what I wanted, I gave her some charts and graphs, telling her to organize them in a presentable way.

"When do you need it?" Valerie asked via text message.

"No timeline," I replied. "Take the three weeks you have until the wires come off to work on it."

"Pfft. I can have it done before then," Valerie challenged.

"Ask Hector about installations - corporate and residential. You'll need to show both."

Valerie sent a bunch of smiling emojis. "I think I'm finally understanding your vision. You want one presentation concentrating on corporations, briefly mentioning other available services. The same with residential," Valerie replied.

"Absolutely. I know you can do this, Valerie. Thank you." Cal dropped by my office to place his bet.

"I should be the one thanking you," Valerie wrote. "I never dreamed of having so many brothers… and Eric." Valerie had the same feelings for Ram since our childhood. It was a shame Mom interfered. Ram and Valerie made an adorable couple. Anyone seeing them together would know their love ran deep.

"He'll be good to you. If he isn't, I'll have Carlos take him to the mats," I jokingly wrote.

"Ha ha ha. I'll get to work," Valerie replied. "Eric said he's wagering 50 on thirty hours." I promised to record his entry in the betting book. Ram and Cal were the last employees, so I locked the book into the safe hidden beneath my desk.

I still had a few hours to kill. Opening the search program Rangeman used for background checks, I typed the name Benny Gaspick. The information filled my screen. How the fuck did Gaspick get into police academy?

Mom referred to my Merry Men as thugs and criminals. I shook my head, then printed the results, preferring to highlight key points on the paper. The chairs across my desk squeaked as people sat on them. "Hi, Lester, Bobby. How can I help you?" I asked without looking away from my document.

"How did you know it was us?" Lester asked.

I looked at him and smiled. "You love Drakkar Noir. Bobby wears Obsession for Men. I could smell you from the doorway," I replied. "The pregnancy heightened my sense of smell."

"It's seven," Lester announced. Ah. He was too anxious to wait until the morning. I wasn't giving my bet away.

"You have to wait until tomorrow like everyone else," I said.

"What are you reading?" Bobby asked. I passed him the pages containing highlights. He gave them to Lester after reading them. "Helen calls us criminals? How did Gaspick get into the police academy?"

"Someone pulled strings," I replied. "And redacted charges." I flipped through a few more pages. Gaspick had an uncle sitting on the bench. The congressman was his father. Sighing, I gave the paperwork to Lester and Bobby.

"That's not right," Lester said. "It's no wonder why the man hates us."

"Why are we researching Gaspick?" Bobby asked.

"I'm being proactive. I've highlighted the potential hiding spots for Morelli," I replied. "Carlos received a tip that Gaspick would assist Morelli."

"Your intel will come in handy once Vinnie begs us to help," Lester said. His legs bounced in the chair from excitement. Lester had excess energy to burn.

"Babe?" Carlos asked, entering my office. He removed the papers from Lester's hand. "We need this for our meeting in the morning." I finished highlighting addresses on the last few pages before standing.

"HUA," Lester and Bobby replied. I gave Bobby a folder to hold the documents. Bobby would compile the intel and print copies for the apprehension team.

"What's for dinner?" I asked. Carlos placed a protective hand on my lower back. He lowered it to tap my ass as we exited my office. Smiling, I grabbed his hand, entwining our fingers. His thumb lazily stroked mine, enticing my hormones. Moisture pooled between my legs. I needed Carlos. Dinner could wait.

"Ropa vieja," Carlos replied. "Ella has it in the crockpot."

We entered the elevator. As the doors closed, Carlos pulled me, situating my back to his front. His hands possessively wrapped around my waist to hold our son. Carlos kissed the spot behind my ear. My breaths got heavy. I was needy. His erection pressed against my ass. The pressure grew between my legs. I was vaguely aware of the door opening to our apartment. "Carlos, please," I begged.

"Your wish is my command," he said. Carlos scooped me into his arms. We made love until my stomach demanded food.

Joe

I checked my watch. It was my time to appear in court. The charges were bogus. How could I get charged with attempted kidnapping when the woman was my wife? My defence lawyer, a waif of a man named Albert Kloughn, was a joke. No, Kloughn was a clown. I couldn't afford a ruthless lawyer. Representing myself wasn't an option.

Kloughn couldn't defend a flea. He was an ambulance chaser, waffling and fumbling to make a dime. His office was a dingy room beside a laundromat. Kloughn spent whatever money he had giving handouts to the women claiming to have lost money in the machines. What a quack. The loser couldn't see the women taking advantage of his kindness. Albert Kloughn needed to find a better job. Perhaps, somewhere he could ask, "Would you like fries with that?" I laughed, shaking my head. The loser was probably a virgin.

To post my bond, Mom used her house as collateral. I would have used mine, but I have a lien on the house from the mortgage company. My creditors would receive money from its sale before Vinnie could collect his bond.

Angelina Morelli, my sister-in-law, was in prison for interfering in a police investigation. In my opinion, she did nothing wrong. I tried to figure out who tipped off the hospital manager. It had to be someone at Rangeman. I wouldn't be surprised if they hacked the system to collect the intel. The fucking criminals got away with everything, including murder. I've been searching for proof, but they covered their asses.

Maybe I should drop my search. I deleted pertinent details from the police records for my buddy, Benny Gaspick, to attend the police academy. He wouldn't have gone otherwise. Benny was indebted to me for life, and he knew it. I never accepted his refusal to help. The fool didn't know I had hard copies of his crimes, waiting to dump them on the chief's desk if Gaspick betrayed me. It was a clever ruse. Nobody would suspect me of redacting the crimes. Veronica Grimes in the records department would get charged, not me. It was worth fucking the fat cow to gain access to the room. I had to protect my younger brother. It was my last promise to Dad before he died. Nobody knew Benny and I were related. We planned to keep it that way forever.

My ex-wife, Cupcake, was hanging around those thugs and criminals. She married the worst of them all - Ricardo Carlos Manoso. It made me sick. He only married her because she screwed all his men and got pregnant. I had her first. She was mine. Mine!

I continued feeding the paper shredder documents from my investigations. Or should I call it Cupcake's intel? Without my ex-wife's assistance and her wicked spidey sense, I never would have found the criminals involved in the thefts and assaults. We made a good team. I was supposed to become the youngest police chief in TPD's history. All my hopes, dreams and aspirations died with my son.

Stephanie, the Rangeman whore, was responsible for Joey's death. She shouldn't have tried to leave me. I probably sounded like a broken record, but I was only speaking the truth. The only way Stephanie, Cupcake, could escape me was if one of us died. I hoped it would be her and that bastard child she was carrying.

Ah. The last document. I fed it through the shredder. It satisfied me to know nobody would get their hands on the papers. Cupcake's notes are gone forever.

I looked around my home and garage for anything incriminating. The police didn't need more evidence to stack against me. My career as a detective and officer was over. I handed over my badge and sidearm after getting arrested for kidnapping. My car had several trackers, undoubtedly planted by Manoso's goons. I ensured I gathered every device, then dropped them in a bucket of turpentine.

It was time for bed. I set the alarm for an ungodly hour. Vinnie would know I skipped my bail. I unplugged my landline and turned off my mobile phone.

My television on the dresser beckoned me to watch the video one more time. I stripped bare, then climbed into bed. "Sweet," I mumbled, hitting the play button for the DVD player. The image of Stephanie filled the television screen. With a hand on my dick, I tugged and watched myself fuck Stephanie from behind. She was on all fours, letting me pound into her warmth, hard and fast. I usually stopped the video after spewing semen on my hand. It continued to play. Stephanie wiped the tears from her face. She climbed from the bed to clean herself.

"I don't like ass play," Stephanie mumbled as she walked past the camera. The date and time stamp on the video was the day before our son died. I threw the remote at the television, cracking the screen. After wiping my hand on the sheets, I grabbed the disc from the DVD player and snapped it in half. I was a bastard for not considering her wishes, but her job as my wife was to satisfy my wants and needs.

The broken DVD cut the palm of my hand. I went to the sink to wash away the blood. It wasn't deep enough for stitches, but it still bled a lot. I wrapped my hand in gauze to apply pressure. Satisfied it would bleed over my sheets, I left the washroom to get into bed.

I woke up earlier than my alarm. It was time to get far away from Trenton before Vinnie sent a BEA after me. Hopefully, Joyce got my file. I could use a going away fuck. Grinning, I turned on my phone and asked Joyce to meet me at the seedy hotel of Route 1, wearing my favourite costume - leather, whips and chains. I would supply the cuffs. She promised to meet me in a few hours, with a promise to make our time together unforgettable.

Joyce delivered on her promise. A few hours and three condoms later, Joyce went to the washroom to dress. I removed the condom, dropping it on the bed. Then I searched her bag for the documents. Vinnie assigned Joyce my case. Joyce entered the room wearing her sexy costume.

"Thanks for the going away present," I said as she sat on the bed.

"We'll see each other again," Joyce purred. She pulled on her knee-high boots. Once they were secure, she removed the stun gun from her bag. "Joey, I have to take you in."

"Nope," I said, pushing past her. I knew the stun gun batteries were dead. She pressed it against my back. I laughed, then left the room. Joyce chased after me. I went to her car near the light post and let her catch up.

"Thank you for cooperating," Joyce said.

"Not today, whore." I spun her around, then cuffed her to the post. Her barely covered ass was exposed. I took her keys, then hopped into the car. As I drove past, I noticed the used condom stuck to her ass. I burst out laughing.

I called Benny. "What's up?" he asked.

"When are you done work?" I deflected.

"Five," Benny replied.

"Pick up Mom. We're leaving Trenton."

"Done," Benny said before hanging up the phone.