Thank you for the nice reviews. I think that I surprised some of you with the humor in the last chapter. I didn't really intend for him to get with his ho and, thought more punishment for him, and a humorous distraction would give you an angst breather. Sorry if it confused you. There is a point being made about Lula's behavior. I know you have tons of questions still, but remember they are just a day into this mess. I didn't plan on a mega story, but this is going to take time to unravel and move to a satisfactory conclusion for all the characters.

Thanks Proudofyoubabe for your blurp in your review about child endangerment charges added to Lula's total. That one is a biggie that I missed, but I told her that it was a good one, and I was going to take it, and use it this chapter. Thanks again, chick!

See, it's okay if you steal stuff and at least leave a thank you note. Snicker. (And this is why my 14-year-old son says I'm a good mother, but a bad role model.) Hahaha!

It is hard trying to write solely from a male POV. They think about different stuff than we do, like sex (all the time), money, aggravations, and play time. They're simple and use less brain than we do. LOL Plus, I find myself backing out Ranger dialogue a lot, and putting it back in his head, because in canon he really doesn't talk that much.

I really had a hard time with this chapter. There is so much dialogue and stuff going on for one day. I had a buddy look at it and she edited some on it. Thanks M! Alix33 has been coming up behind me and cleaning up my punctuation too. Thanks girl!

Chapter 9

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath as the side door opened and I heard her mouth before I even turned to look in that direction. "We gotta get the fuck outta' here, I'm allergic. Already broke out with the hives and shit. I can't hang with the fuzz. Makes me itch." Then I turned just in time to see her scratch her neon and spandex covered backside.

It was then I noticed that I also had an itch, and my hand was currently resting on my weapon. So I reached deep down for any microscopic shred of repose left inside me at this point, because if I didn't find any, Lula would find her itching issue gone and a new one in its place. Another hole next to the one she already has.

I asked her, "Do you know where my Cayenne is, Lula? Is it still at the store or did they impound it?"

"Still at the store as far as I know. Let's bounce. I'm stressed and I gotta eat."

"We can't leave, Lula. Your immaturity and irresponsibility caused them to take the baby."

"Oh. ...Wait a damn minute here." She put her hands on her hips and struck a pose. "What did you say? I'm what?"

"You heard me right. I said you were irresponsible. It's the same shit you and Stephanie used to get into bounty hunting together. Recklessly shooting off your mouth and your gun. The only reason you were never arrested was because she was fucking Morelli, and Juniak is her godfather. Last, you had my influence..."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "I don't think Tank would like to hear you talkin' like that about me, and you got no room to be callin' anybody names, bat fucker."

I said bitingly, "Tank doesn't know you were waving your gun around and just got arrested for carrying concealed without a permit in the state of Florida which carries a third degree felony penalty. Let me translate that for you in case you didn't understand the judge. That could mean five years in prison, or five years of probation, or five thousand dollars, and if the judge is in a bad mood the day of your sentencing, you could get all three. Did I explain that clear enough for you to understand?"

We heard a growling like noise and turned. Stephanie slowly rose to her feet, her eyes wild. "Shut up! Just shut up, both of you! I want my Angel back, and then I want to go back home. All both of you have done is make everything worse!"

That was the first time Stephanie had spoken since arriving in Miami. I looked at Lula, and finally saw a reasonable reaction in her. She'd paled and then she gulped. "I think I might want to go home too, white girl."

"That's the bad news for both of us, Lula. Unless I can get these charges dropped, you can't." Then I spoke to Stephanie. "Babe, I'm trying. You can't in good conscience go back and take that baby knowing she has special needs, and you don't have the means to care for her. You stay and keep her, or you go and give her up. Unfortunately, there is no easy choice for you here." Fuck, there was no easy choice for me either here.

Stephanie began to sob again, and I stepped away and called Betina. "Betina, did you see my Cayenne in the parking lot there at the store?"

"No, come to think of it, I didn't."

"Fuck me!"

"Perdón? Señor Manoso, are you talking to me?"

"Yes. No, I'm sorry, I'm talking to myself. Thank you, Betina. Don't worry about dinner tonight. Just drop off the purchases and then you can go on home."

I heard another voice behind me as I disconnected. "Mr…?"

I turned. "It's Manoso."

"I'm going to get the baby. Where will you be in an hour?"

I said, "I would like to be home. Can you bring her there please?"

"Certainly. Just give me the address." I gave it to her and turned to the desk to take care of one more thing so we could finally go.

I got the desk sergeants' attention again. "Can you tell me where my car, a Porsche Cayenne was towed from the Babies "R" Us store when this arrest took place?"

"Need the name of the accused who was arrested."

I turned a glare on Lula. "Tallulah Jackson."

He came back in a minute. "It's at the main impound lot located on NW 7th Street. They close at four in the afternoon though. Sorry."

I looked at my watch. It was now 1700 hours. I wouldn't have expected anything less today. I told Lula to get Stephanie and we headed to the Rangeman SUV that had been dropped off for us. My next call was to Dom, again. I gave him Lula's name and the arrest information to begin the task of trying to make at least this arrest mess go away.

Last order of business this day before I called Tank. I looked in the rearview mirror, "My credit card please, Lula." She made a face and flipped me off like I didn't see it. Then made a production of digging through the bag with her personal items they'd given back to her on the way out. Eventually, she slapped the card in my hand over the headrest.

When we got back to the house, Betina was still there. She was in the kitchen preparing a salad and making sandwiches. She looked at me and smiled. "I called my husband. I told him you needed my help a little more tonight. He's a big boy and can cope. I'll stay for a little while longer to help you."

I sighed. "I appreciate that very much. Your husband is a good man."

The social worker arrived with Angel while we were eating. Stephanie ran into the foyer and retrieved her, then disappeared just as quickly. The social worker stared at her back with an odd expression. I decided it was time to make nice with her in case we needed her in the future, and invited her in. She introduced herself as Sylvia Martin. "Ms. Martin, have you had time to have a meal? We're just having a casual one, but you're welcome to join us."

"Actually, I haven't. Thank you. You have a beautiful home here."

"Thank you and I appreciate your bringing Angel. Come into the kitchen, we're just having salad and sandwiches."

Betina spoke to her and gave her a plate, and asked her about a choice of drink. When she was settled and began eating, she asked, "Do you mind me asking how this all happened today?"

I glanced over at Lula. "I haven't yet heard the whole story myself. The two women and my housekeeper here, Betina, had gone to shop for some items for Angel. I think there was some kind of altercation between our out of town visitor, Lula here, and another shopper."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why couldn't the store handle it? Why did they call the police?"

Lula swallowed a bite and said, "The altercation part was when I was forced to pull my gun outta' my purse and tell her to remove her hands from our merchandise, and back up before I busted a cap in her ass."

Sylvia looked even more perplexed. "You pulled a gun on someone over store merchandise?"

"It wasn't just that. It started in the parking lot when she wanted our parking spot. A space is mine when I first lay eyes on it. Bitch threw a hissy fit, and followed us in the store cussin' at us. Good thing Angel couldn't hear all she said. She followed us around grabbin' at the same stuff we was. There was only one badass stroller left like we wanted and she ran up and grabbed the box. That's when I'd had enough."

I cleared my throat. "Lula here, is from Trenton, New Jersey. She doesn't realize that in Miami we have an abundance of parking spaces and stores to choose from."

Sylvia looked at Lula. "Were you booked for endangering the welfare of a minor?"

Lula cocked her head thinking about it. I did my mental eye-roll and said, "No. The worst was carrying concealed without a permit."

Sylvia leveled her eyes on Lula and said, "You should have been. There were probably more children in that store. It is incredibly wrong and irresponsible to flippantly wave a handgun around in a public place. If an off-duty policeman had been around, do you realize that you could have lost your life? I would think such behavior shouldn't be appropriate or allowed in any state."

Lula's mouth flew open to speak, and surprisingly, nothing came out. Sylvia continued. "Even though no harm came to the baby, you would have been charged, and it typically is a felony charge because Florida law takes any abuse or endangerment to children very seriously. Even if the charges were bargained down to a misdemeanor by an attorney, your sentence would be at least one year in the county jail. Does that make clear to you the seriousness of what you did?"

Sylvia looked over at me and pushed her plate back. "I'm sorry Mr. Manoso, if I've spoiled your meal. I take this kind of behavior and disregard very seriously. I think I should go. Good luck to you with the charges, Ms. Lula."

I glanced at Lula and got up to walk Sylvia to the door. "Do you have a card, Ms. Martin?"

She kind of laughed. "I certainly hope that we don't meet again under these circumstances, Mr. Manoso."

I gave her one of my smiles, Stephanie used to call the 200-watt smile. "You never know what surprises life can drop on your doorstep. Right?"

I went to my study and called Tank. "El socio, how goes it?"

"A part of me wishes I'd never passed that corner at that moment, and stopped. Everything is a fucking mess, and Lula is not helping. I want to send her home, but she's going to have to come back. She got arrested today."

There was silence on the line a moment. "For what?"

"Same old shit, Tank. She pulled out that big fucking gun and waved it around in a public place. She just got her ass chewed by a social worker and she deserved it. Do you realize that it could have been Lula that shot one of us one of those times with Stephanie, pulling that gun, and carelessly shooting at everything in sight. She's still bounty hunting sometimes, and you still run when she calls for help. I worry about your safety, man. Hindsight is a bitch, and we were wrong to protect them the way we did."

"What's her charges?"

"She got assault, resisting, carrying concealed without a permit. She didn't get endangering a minor. Still, no permit means third degree felony here."

"Fuck! What have you done so far?"

"I called Dom. He's going to try to pull strings to get the charges dropped and make this go away. We don't have the PD connections and relationship here that we do in Trenton. We can't make evidence disappear."

"Man, I don't know if Stephanie will stay without Lula. How's she doin'?"

"Not good. She's barely spoken since she got on the plane till today. We took the baby she named Angel to see Sara this morning. Tank, Sara thinks she's deaf."

"Aww, no."

"Here is the rest of the bad news. We can't get her treated until we've got the public records straightened out. We need a birth certificate to start. Dom says it's almost impossible to do it other than the legal way."

"What did he suggest?"

"Adoption."

"She ain't able to… Aww fuck..."

"Yeah, fuck me. The man's got balls. Then he suggested that I marry her."

I heard a choking nose. "You're fucking kidding?"

"Is that something that I would joke about, Tank? I'd rather be naked, running zigzags in the desert, dodging a shit-load of bullets and being chased by Al-Qaeda on camels."

"Man, you need help. I talked to Santos, and I'll call him again. This sitch' has moved to Defcon level urgent. Sorry, but you need Lula for a couple more days. Go get her and put her on speaker."

I retrieved Lula who was back to eating everything left on the table, and now was blubbering at the same time. I told her to follow me that Tank was on the phone, then hit the speaker button. She snuffled and blew her nose loudly. "Hey, babycakes..." I raised an eyebrow.

"Lula, I'm disappointed in you, girl. Did you not learn a damn thing after Bobby died and after Stephanie's whole ordeal? I thought this kind of shit was over and done with."

Lula boohooed even louder. "I'm sorry I let you down, sugarbooger. I let Stephanie down too. They gon' put me in jail and Ima' be somebody elses sugartits." Aww, man. Come on...

"Stop cryin' Lula Belle. Ranger's workin' on it. You gotta behave while you're there and help Stephanie and Ranger."

"I promise I'll do better. I love you Tankie bear..."

"We gonna have a long talk when you get home, baby girl."

That was...disturbing, hermano. I was thinking about taking a long hot shower, and jerking off before bed. Not happening now… Thanks for nothing, pal. Sigh.

TBC -