Stephanie watched a woman on a date with an attractive man. He seemed familiar, but Stephanie couldn't place him. It niggled in her mind where she had seen the man. The woman didn't know the man was dangerous. The man offered the woman a taste of his dessert. She reluctantly opened her mouth to accept the morsel. He purposely pulled the spoon away as she closed her mouth over the chocolate mousse. The food spilled on the woman's shirt. She used the napkin to remove the mess.
"My shirt's ruined. It's silk," the woman said. "I borrowed it from my friend." The woman was upset. She couldn't afford to buy a replacement top.
"I'm a manager at the shop around the corner," the man announced. "I'll give you a deep discount to buy a new one."
"How deep?" she asked.
"Seventy-five percent off," he replied. He knew how to play the woman. She was the type he stalked - a mother with a young son. The woman smiled, giving away her excitement about purchasing the shirt for an excellent discount. Stephanie wanted to warn her, to tell her to run away. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't work.
The woman followed the man to the store. He unlocked the door and deactivated the alarm, proving he had access to the business. It relaxed the woman. He knew it would fool her. The woman had no clue he got the access codes and key through the security company where he worked. She went to the racks to find a shirt matching the colour and style while the man booted the computer system to activate the point of sale machine.
"Do you need help?" he asked.
"I found one," the woman replied, grinning. She carried the shirt to the counter. He scanned the tag, then her credit card, learning where she lived. Using his phone, he snapped a photograph of her address when the credit information appeared. He didn't know her address before that moment. She was too excited to notice his actions. A few weeks later, the woman is found in an alley, beaten and stabbed to death.
Stephanie suddenly felt her son was in danger when a man fitting that man's description started hanging around her family. Her son was fascinated by the man when he offered to play airplane. The man had a deck of cards. He flicked them, one at a time, as Stephanie's son chased after them. Stephanie's son chased the cards as the man gently guided him toward a house. He was leading the boy inside, where there was a pot on the stove boiling a single hotdog. The man sticks his hand in the water, grabbing the wiener. He ate it and asked the boy to move closer.
Stephanie raced into the house after her son. She realized what the man wanted to do and grabbed the boiling water. Stephanie threw it at the man, who laughed. He doesn't feel the burn of the boiling water. Then the man morphs into Ramirez. Stephanie hits the killer with the hot pot. He lunged toward her, wrapping his hands around her throat, strangling her. Stephanie repeatedly hits the man in the head. Her arms were tired, but he was slowing down. A gun fired, then Ramirez collapsed on Stephanie.
"Aaahhh," Stephanie screamed. She sat up in the bed, panting from the nightmare. Jeanne Ellen and Carlos rushed into the room. Stephanie gasped and cried. Carlos scooped Stephanie into his arms.
"Babe. Stephanie, what's wrong?" Carlos asked when she stopped screaming.
"Nightmare," she cried. Stephanie shared her dream. Jeanne Ellen cried.
"It's my fault," Jeanne Ellen claimed. "I told Stephanie I'd be your surrogate when you wanted children."
Stephanie shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I had this dream in the hospital. This time, I saw more details."
"Babe?"
"It's always the same. A man works for a security company, but he's wanted for murdering women and selling their sons on the black market," Stephanie explained.
"Rangeman?" Carlos asked. Stephanie shook her head.
"I got the impression it was a different company," Stephanie said. "It was only a dream, Carlos."
"Our son?" he asked.
"He resembled me more than you," Stephanie replied. "But he wasn't our only son." Carlos raised an eyebrow. "We had another boy, the same age. He held his sister's hand, keeping her with Tank and the others."
"Where are we?" Carlos asked. Stephanie closed her eyes. She opened them and shook her head because she couldn't see anything defining it as a specific region. "I'll tell the others."
Stephanie looked at the clock. Her abdomen ached from the sudden motion, and it was time for more medication. "It was only a dream. It's too late to call them. Did you catch Alpha?" Jeanne Ellen slipped from the room to grab the pain medication for Stephanie. She grabbed the Tylenol and the prescription ones.
"Abuela Rosa once said repeating nightmares is the universe sending you a warning. Yes, we caught Alpha," Carlos replied. Stephanie sensed Carlos was keeping something from her.
"What did he destroy?" Stephanie asked.
"Everything. He shot Hector's friend, who returned fire. Alpha's dead," Carlos said.
"Hector's friend?" Stephanie prayed the man was alive.
"Alpha was a horrible shot. He grazed Jose's shoulder," Carlos replied. Stephanie sighed in relief. She didn't want anyone getting hurt because they were looking out for her.
"But everyone else is okay?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes, Babe. Everyone is okay." Carlos attempted to reassure Stephanie. She kept chewing her lip. "Jeanne Ellen is spending the night."
"We don't have a bed for her to use," Stephanie argued.
"I'll be fine on the sofa," Jeanne Ellen said. "It's long enough for me to fit." Jeanne Ellen passed Stephanie the glass of water. "Which ones? Tylenol or prescription?"
Stephanie smiled at her sister-in-law, thankful to be given a choice. "The prescription one," Stephanie replied. Carlos raised an eyebrow. "You're sleeping in bed with me. I'll sleep better with you. Thanks, Jeanne."
"No problem. I'm going to the sofa. Good night," Jeanne Ellen said, closing the bedroom door when she left.
Carlos climbed into the bed with Stephanie after removing his shirt and pants. His hair was slightly damp from a shower. The scent of the shower gel enveloped her. She loved how it perfectly mixed with his natural scent. He pressed his lips against hers, gently kissing her.
Stephanie stroked his lip with her tongue. He opened his mouth to her, then deepened the kiss. They got caught up in the passion, pouring everything they felt into the kiss. A tingling sensation shot through Stephanie's body, starting at her neck. Carlos gently stroked her cheek before tangling his fingers in her hair. He tugged on the locks, driving Stephanie crazy.
The heat of the moment overrode the pain she felt from the abrasions and stitches. She moaned into his mouth when he stroked the spot behind her ear. Stephanie's hands moved to his hair and she held his face in place. Her body shook as she orgasmed.
"Stephanie," Carlos moaned, breaking the kiss. His boxers were sticky, having cum into them like a teenage boy. "I haven't cum in my underwear since I was fourteen. I have to change."
"Me too," she confessed. "I'm sorry."
"Let's get cleaned up," he whispered. Carlos helped Stephanie from the bed. He grabbed a change of clothes and took Stephanie to the bathroom. Stephanie's face turned red when she saw the wet spot on his boxers.
Carlos grinned as he pushed the underwear down his legs. He was still semi-hard. Stephanie licked her lips. She grabbed a soapy cloth to wash him. "Babe," he growled. His erection grew as she washed and dried him. Her gentle touch and tugs made him hard. Stephanie stroked the length. Carlos pushed the pants and underwear off Stephanie, baring her to him.
"Hang on," Stephanie breathily said. "Let me do this for you." She sat on the toilet, getting him to stand in front. Her hot mouth took him inside. Carlos groaned from the sensation. He held onto her hair as she tended to his needs, giving him the best head he ever had.
"Thank you," he whispered. "You didn't have to do that."
"You were too tense," Stephanie said. "It was necessary."
"I can't reciprocate until you heal," Carlos replied, grabbing a clean cloth to wash Stephanie. He kneeled on the floor to wash her fluids from her crotch. Carlos gently dried her, then pulled the clean panties up her legs.
"Carlos, you took care of my needs," Stephanie insisted. "We can't have intercourse, but you got me to orgasm. It hurt a little, but it was manageable."
"We can't do that again," he warned. "I don't want you tearing the stitches."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. It wasn't any different than a woman having an orgasm after childbirth, provided the husband avoided penetration. She heard one too many conversations in the waiting room from her last gynecology appointment.
Carlos dropped the soiled clothes in the hamper, covering them with towels. Stephanie shook her head. She assumed whoever washed the laundry would find the mess. They returned to bed. Stephanie was exhausted, and the pain meds were kicking in.
She fell asleep when her head hit the pillow. Carlos gently tugged Stephanie against him. He placed his hand possessively on her hip. Smiling, Carlos closed his eyes to sleep.
~~~~
Joseph Morelli couldn't believe his luck. The forensics team found evidence to clear his name. He learned a team got dispatched to the dump to investigate barrels found among the rubbish based on an anonymous tip. Missing women from his previous assault cases were found stuffed inside them. Drugs matching the chemical composition of the stuff on the boat were around the inside seal of the barrels, protected from the elements and decomposing bodies. Six cases got closed in one swift swoop of forensic analysis. Morelli was flying high until the chief called him into his office.
Joe entered police chief Joe Juniak's office the following morning. He was cocky and knew his sidearm and badge would get returned. Morelli could hardly wait to get back to his job. There were many open cases on his desk to close. He knew the pile likely grew during his absence. Joe arrived at the chief's office and found Abigail Strobelli at the reception desk. "I'm here to see the chief," Joe said, winking at the attractive woman.
Abigail suppressed an eye roll. She didn't like Joseph Morelli when they attended high school together. After he cuffed Stephanie to her shower rod, Abigail loathed the man. She hoped Juniak would fire Morelli on the spot. Unfortunately for the police department, Stephanie Plum had not filed charges against the detective. The commissioner and the mayor, both fans of Joseph Morelli, wanted the chief to give Morelli a chance to redeem himself.
Picking up the handset, Abigail buzzed the chief. "Morelli arrived for his appointment," Abigail announced.
"Bring him in. I need you to take notes," Juniak said.
"Very well, sir," Abigail replied, then returned the receiver to the cradle. She grabbed a recording device, a notepad and a pen. Abigail smiled at Morelli. "Follow me."
Joe stared at Abigail's ass as she led him into Joe Juniak's domain. The sound of a throat clearing drew Morelli's attention. Police Commissioner Bruno Magliano and Mayor Sylvester Gianni, old friends of Anthony Morelli Sr, Joe's father, were sitting inside the room. Joe felt unsettled. His ego quickly deflated. Meeting with the big three was not a good sign.
"Take a seat," Juniak ordered. Morelli sat in the chair set away from the others. "Move forward." Joe glared at the chief but moved closer to the desk. Abigail grabbed the empty chair, then moved it behind the others to take notes. She placed the recording device on the table near the door, then poised her pen on the notepad.
"Why am I here?" Joe asked, too impatient for the meeting to start. Magliano and Gianni exchanged a glance. Morelli wasn't winning points with either man.
"We decided you required retraining," Juniak announced. Morelli opened his mouth to speak, but Juniak stopped him by raising his hand. "Mrs. Manoso has not filed charges against you, but don't get complacent. She is still recovering from her injuries and may file when she recovers."
"I wasn't aware Ranger got married," Morelli said.
Juniak smiled, knowing Morelli would lose his shit once he heard the news. "He married Stephanie Plum. The woman you cuffed to the curtain rod." Joe Juniak sat back, watching the colour of Joseph Morelli's face change from pale to bright red. The vein in his forehead pulsated. Silently, Juniak counted down, "Five, four, three," but didn't get to finish.
Morelli jumped to his feet, yelling, "She is not married! I'm supposed to be with her. Cupcake was mine since she was six."
"Sit down," Juniak patiently said. Morelli waved his arms, muttering about Stephanie belonging to him.
"Morelli, sit down, or I will personally walk you out the door," Magliano yelled. "You will remain in your chair and wait for your chief to issue your orders."
"You made my job easy," Juniak said. He wasn't smiling anymore. His face was hard and angry. Morelli knew he crossed the line. "I've assigned Tito Spaulding as your training officer. He reports directly to me. You have three months to get your act together and follow the rules. However, should Mrs. Manoso press assault charges, your career as an officer of the law is over."
Morelli gulped. He mentally noted to speak to Stephanie. It was imperative to explain how the assault accusation would cost his job. "I want to speak to my union rep," Joe demanded.
Juniak passed a document to Morelli. "This," Juniak pointed around the room, "was his suggestion." Morelli felt defeated. Could the day get worse?
"What's this?" Joe asked when Juniak gave him a sealed envelope. Morelli thought it looked too official.
"That's the restraining order to stay away from Stephanie Plum-Manoso," Magliano replied.
"Do I get my side piece and badge?" Joe asked.
Juniak returned the items to Morelli. Joe noticed his badge resembled the shields worn by the rookies. "You have three months to prove yourself. Dismissed," Juniak replied.
Morelli felt that getting forced to retrain for three months was not in the plans.