Thank you for the nice reviews. They have been so sincere and kind, and funny! Sorry I have not had a chance to respond and say hello to all my new readers. Believe me, I know who you are, and I know you're there. Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the story.

Are you enjoying the Ranger POV? I think it makes the story very unique for a change. He can't drop that blank face on us now. Ha!

Talked to a buddy yesterday who was ready to have Ranger knifed, castrated and disappeared. I reminded her of the premise of this story, and the fact that the baby won't get help if we let Stephanie do that. LOL This is my answer to her.

Let me ask you a question. Have you not done things that wronged someone, either unintentional or not in your life, that you are ashamed of?

I have. Most people have. Are we bad people at our core? No. Do we deserve redemption? Yeah. Whatever higher power you hold dear, tells us that if we want it, there is hope for us.

You know why? Because we all have our own demons that dog us, and make us do stuff that is unlike us.

There is my message. His sister makes a small point of telling him he's good deep down in the last chapter. You can safely read the rest. He's going to get the brunt of the pain from here on out. In his fine Cuban ass. lol

Thanks alix33 for having my back and coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation issues. You my girl!

Chapter 8

I was sitting here fidgeting in my chair and waiting for Dominic to speak, and fidget is something that I never do. I'd just gotten finished spilling this whole mess, minus the part where I'd picked Stephanie up, paid her, and stupidly fucked her six ways to Sunday.

He was scratching his head and making faces, and I wanted to reach out and slap him hard across the face, which was the safest of the choices in my mind at the moment. "Dom, this can't be impossible to do. We have how many thousands of illegal immigrants working and living in this country, and some even get government assistance? How do they get the documents they need? Then there is the fact that we have money and resources available to us."

He sighed and said, "Ranger, this is an infant. As many questions will be raised as a murder investigation."

"You're well aware I have government contacts. Maybe..."

"Those won't help you here. This is touchy. Especially, if you were to hint that she wasn't born here. They would question whether she was bought and paid for. You understand what I mean? Babies are a business. Unfortunately, they do come here illegally from all over the world, and it's a hot topic."

"Well, how the hell do those people get documents when they buy a baby?"

"Ranger, this is not my area of expertise, and I'm sure that all of us in your attorney pool are going to sorely disappoint you on this one, but the fact is, there is no easy way to do this legally."

I furrowed my brows. "Well, what's the fucking hard way, Dom? Just bring it already. It's not like I'm not used to being given all the bad news up front on my missions, and told to deal with it or die."

He actually looked like he had a little fear in his eyes before he said, "Ranger, there is only one way that I can think of right now to get the child a birth certificate and social for the baby, and that is legal adoption."

I was losing my patience. "How the fuck can Stephanie manage that? I just explained to you..."

"Not Stephanie, you."

"What?"

"It would have to be you."

"I'm not..."

"Ranger, I'm not finished. You're chances would be even better if you marry her."

The fucker knows I carry a loaded gun. I took a few breaths. "Marry her. If I was dumb enough to even consider that one... Then what the fuck after that?"

"You go to Social Services or Child Protective Services. You tell them the truth about how and where you found her. You become foster parents first, and then you adopt. As long as you have no criminal record and have means, it should be easy."

I growled out. "Dom, not only do I have no criminal record, I have hardly any records. I don't need a low-level agency like this looking up my ass! Not only that, I can't explain this clusterfuck to my handler and superiors!"

"You asked for my help, and I'm telling you the only way I know of that this woman can keep the baby."

I got up and stomped out mumbling over my shoulder that I would be in touch. This was nothing less than a fucking nightmare.

I got in my car and slammed the door and my phone rang. "Report"

"Ranger? You promised you would call. I'm sorry about yesterday."

I groaned. "Aleida, I don't really have time to talk. I have a lot going on."

"Please, baby. I just… I don't care if you don't want to talk. I just want to see you."

I was frustrated, angry, pissed off, and stressed to the max, at this point. I looked down as my groin tightened, and then my jeans became uncomfortable. Maybe what I did need right now was a good fast fuck, and I was going to get far from that at my house.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes. Be ready with cuffs, and gag." I didn't want to talk, I wanted to fuck and relieve a shit-load of stress.

"I'll be ready."

Aleida was naked, cuffed, and thankfully now was gagged. She'd erupted with a string of fifty questions as soon as I'd walked in the door. Now she was blessedly quiet, and on her knees, ready for me. I was one second from slamming my rock-hard cock into her when my phone vibrated loudly through my pants on the wood floor. I closed my eyes and grabbed Aleida's ass. The second time it buzzed, it bounced out of the pants pocket onto the wood floor. The third time, it travelled, and when I opened my eyes, I was now looking down at it. How the hell can I seriously concentrate on fucking when my phone is chasing me around the room? I growled, released her ass, and reached for the damn thing.

"Report, and quickly!" I snapped.

"It's Lula, and how much faster you think I can talk? What are you doin' anyway? Took you long enough to answer the damn phone."

My dick was already half deflated before she'd even finished her smartass greeting. "Is there something you need from me right now, Lula? You have a credit card with virtually no limit. I would think that should be enough to keep you busy for a while."

"It would have if this bitch didn't start a fight with us at the Babies "R" Us."

I sighed. "That's why you're calling, a fight? How many have you and Stephanie been in before? You can handle that without me."

"Fuck yeah, we can. We're just not in the Babies "R" Us no more."

I was very quickly losing my patience and most of my hard-on."Well, where the hell are you?"

"The police station, and you gotta hurry cuz' I'm about to get the runs. Well, I already did get the runs, but they caught me."

It was obvious the only person that was going to be fucked today, was me, and it wasn't the pleasurable kind. It was the kind that gives you heartburn and gas. I dropped my phone on the bed, pulled my pants on and tucked my dick away. When I was ready to leave, I uncuffed Aleida, and left the gag, making my escape before the whining and questions began again.

Before I pulled out of the lot, I called one of the bail bondsmen that Rangeman did work for and asked for the guy to meet me at the police station.

When I walked into the station, the bondman was already there. Rod turned and looked at me. "Hey Ranger. Two are being released with no charges filed, and the other one is in line to be arraigned."

"Where is the baby?"

"What baby?"

Dammit. "One of the women has a six month old baby. Where is the fucking baby?"

A side door opened and Betina stepped through, half-sniffling and half-cursing in rapid Spanish while waving her arms around. Stephanie walked out next, with her hands over her face sobbing. I sighed and looked at Rod, "What's the charges on the other woman?"

He made a face and looked at me. "Assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and the big one is carrying concealed with no permit. That was a big ass deadly weapon too. The gun was taken as arrest evidence."

Shit. Lula has no idea what she's in for, but she was about to find out. I got the attention of the desk sergeant as Betina stomped up to me. I put my hand up, "Just a minute, Betina."

"Can I help you, sir," the police sergeant asked.

"Yes, one of these women had a baby with her when she was picked up. Where is the baby?"

"Well, let's see. Let me grab the paperwork." He walked away and came back. "What's the name of the parent arrested?"

"Stephanie Plum, but she wasn't booked, she was released."

"Then there won't be any paperwork."

I slapped the desk. "So what are you saying? The baby has disappeared because you don't have any paperwork?" I gave him the glare that had made more than a few men piss themselves and growled, "Check, and tell me where the baby is, now! You can't just lose an infant."

I turned to Betina. "Did you see what they did with the baby?"

"Another police car came and they took el bebè from Stephanie. Señor Manoso, it was terrible how she screamed for the little thing. And that other woman, such behavior…" She grimaced ,and I totally agreed times many of those.

"I'm sorry Betina, that you were caught in the middle of whatever happened. I'll add some hazard pay to your check for this month."

Then she grinned a little. "This was actually kind of exciting. I've never been arrested before..."

I did a mental eye-roll. How long did it take for Lula to corrupt my housekeeper? Under different circumstances, I might have considered that slightly humorous.

Suddenly a scream erupted in the room and we all turned. Stephanie was wild-eyed, and red-faced. "I want my baby!"

"Babe, we're..."

"I WANT MY BABY!"

The desk sergeant poked his head through the window. "What the hell is that?"

"That is the woman whose baby you lost. Find it please. Now."

"Alright, alright. I'm waiting on a call back," he said as Stephanie screamed she wanted her baby again.

I swear, when Lula gets out of jail, I'm calling Tank to come get her ass out of my hair. We've barely gotten anything accomplished, and even when we do find the baby, it's still going to be fucking naked.

I turned to Betina. "Had you purchased anything yet?"

She said, "No. We had a basket full when the police came."

I pulled out my wallet and another credit card and handed it and my car keys to her. "Would you mind going back to the store and purchasing those items and anything else the baby needs that they didn't get, please?"

She nodded. "No problem. That I can do for you." She headed out the door, and I called the Rangeman office, and asked for whoever was available to bring me a fleet vehicle.

The desk sergeant came back and said, "The officers on the scene couldn't determine if there was a spouse or relative to call for the baby, and the woman was acting peculiar. We have a social services person on call, and another car was called to get the baby and meet this person."

I was fucking pissed now. "You didn't even arrest the woman and you sent her baby to social services?"

"Are you her spouse or the father of the baby?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The 'jump in', and severe beating I'd received as an inductee into the gang when I was a teenager, was not as bad as the mess I found myself jumping into now.

I opened my eyes again and looked at the sergeant, and...lied. "Yes, and I want that baby back now." Stephanie screamed and began sobbing again behind me.

We waited for two hours while Stephanie wailed for Lula to be brought back after her arraignment and be bonded out, and for the social services woman to arrive. She looked me up and down and said succinctly, "There's something wrong with the baby that was brought to me, and my report says the mother was acting odd. Because I have some questions, I've decided that a home visit is warranted under the circumstances before I can return the baby to you."

I leveled my eyes on the bitch and I said coolly, "There is something wrong with the baby, and the mother is grieving because she just found out today that her baby girl is deaf. You will release that baby to me now. You may call her pediatrician, Dr. Sara Torres, to verify this information."

There was a pregnant pause, and then she changed her physical and verbal stance to one more reticent. "I was not told that. I'm sorry of course, for the baby, and family."

"Thank you. We want to take Angel home with us now, please."

"Angel is a beautiful name. She looks like you."

I heard another sob come from Stephanie and turned to glance at her, and then back to the woman. "Yes, thank you, again. Our baby, please."

"I'm...uh, sorry. I won't be able to get her until tomorrow."

I'm going to pull my sidearm and put a bullet in her simple brain. I pointed to Stephanie. "That woman there is grieving and distraught, not only because she found out that her baby was deaf today, but also because she was forcibly taken from her. Now, you dare to tell me that she cannot take her home tonight?"

"She's in an emergency shelter home for the night. I'm sorry."

I glared at her."This woman was not arrested, she just happened to be with a woman that was involved in an argument in a store while shopping for the baby in question. You made that decision without a single sheet of paperwork to back it up, and without having ever laid eyes on or spoken to this woman. No one bothered to call me until all of this had already taken place. My housekeeper was with the women which leads me to believe that no one really tried to find me, so there is negligence involved. You will retrieve her and bring her here or to my home tonight, or I will call my attorney and file a formal complaint against you." I pulled out my phone. "Your decision. My patience is now at an end."

She gulped and said, "Let me step away and make a call sir."

TBC -