"Babe," Carlos said when Stephanie's leg shook for the tenth time.
"He's taking too long," Stephanie whined. Carlos raised an eyebrow and checked his watch. "Fine! He only left forty minutes ago. I'm impatient." Carlos shifted on the couch to see Stephanie's face. He tucked a foot beneath his leg.
"How are you feeling besides impatient?" Carlos asked, caressing her cheek. Stephanie smiled at her husband. She leaned into his touch.
"Not much pain today. I only took Tylenol this morning," Stephanie replied. She reciprocated his affection by touching his chin. Carlos leaned to press their lips together. They kissed until Stephanie's needy moans filled his ears. "How much longer?"
"At least four weeks," Carlos replied. Stephanie sighed. Everything she wanted involved waiting. She rolled her eyes when Carlos reached for his phone. He read the message. "Bobby's on his way up. He wants to see if the sutures are ready to come out."
"They are," Stephanie replied. "The skin started growing over a few." Stephanie excused herself to change. She shook her head when Carlos offered to assist. The abdominal incision ached at times, but she could handle the pain. It wasn't hurting too much. However, the itching was annoying. She wore a tank top and shorts to make removing the stitches easier for Bobby.
"Steph said the stitches are ready to be removed," Carlos said as Stephanie entered the living room. Bobby motioned to the table. Stephanie shrugged and sat on a chair. Bobby kneeled on the floor to check her thighs.
"Do you have a small glass bowl?" Bobby asked. Carlos nodded and grabbed the item. He placed it on the floor beside Bobby's knee. Stephanie stared straight ahead as Bobby tugged the stitches from her legs and dropped them into the bowl. Bobby cleaned the area, then covered it with gauze. "It's only for a few hours."
"The ones on my chest need removing, too," Stephanie said. Bobby swallowed before getting to work. Stephanie watched her husband's expression, making funny faces to stop him from scowling at Bobby. "He's just doing his job, Carlos."
Stephanie's face was red from embarrassment. She knew getting the stitches removed was inevitable. "I thought the doctor was removing these in three days," Bobby said, gently covering Stephanie's breasts with gauze.
"Yes, but she also said if the skin started growing over the sutures, I needed you to remove them immediately," Stephanie argued. "I'm not exactly happy that you had to touch my breasts." Bobby felt his face overheat. He collected the supplies without looking at Stephanie.
Carlos was familiar with seeing her naked. He helped with her daily showers once she came home. Stephanie tugged the tank top over her head to cover herself. She left the men to talk while she pulled on sweatpants and a shirt.
Stephanie's phone rang. She grabbed it off her side of the bed and answered. "Hey, Daddy. Did Hector meet with Tito?"
"Yes. The guys are getting to know each other. I think it's a soulmate match like you and Carlos. Did Carlos get the search programs working?" Frank asked, getting to the reason for the call.
"Yup. Hector and Silvio got everything online. Do you need us to check something for you?" Stephanie wondered, knowing he rarely asked for assistance.
"Only if Carlos doesn't mind. Your mother and I are worried about Valerie. Steve's been hiding money, and her credit cards got declined. I sent her funds to purchase groceries," Frank replied. Stephanie wanted to kill her brother-in-law for doing such a despicable thing to Valerie and the girls.
"Are you sure it's Steve?" Stephanie asked.
"Positive. Everything points to Steve getting ready to run," Frank replied. Frank told Stephanie everything Valerie shared with Helen. Stephanie promised to discuss it with Carlos and get the team working on a viable solution for Valerie. "I heard Angie is like her mother, and Mary Alice takes after you."
Stephanie giggled. She was happy Valerie got to experience raising an overactive child. "I'll let you know what we find. I got Carlos to pay out my apartment lease. Lester and the guys cleaned it, and I got them to purchase second-hand furniture. Since the rent got covered for five months, did you want it for Grandma?"
"Pumpkin, you have made my day," Frank replied. "I'll tell her at dinner tonight."
Smiling, Stephanie left the bedroom. Carlos noticed Stephanie wearing his shirt. He rushed to her and pulled her against his body. Carlos kissed Stephanie, ignoring Bobby in the other room. "You look sexy wearing my clothes," he said.
"I thought you'd like it," Stephanie breathily said. She was buzzing from the passionate kiss.
Carlos tugged the phone from Stephanie's hand. "Is there something you need to share?" Carlos asked.
"Mmm hmm," she replied. "Are Tank and Lester available?"
"Should I stay?" Bobby asked.
"Yes," Stephanie answered. Carlos called Tank and Lester to the apartment. They could spare a few minutes to discuss Stephanie's dilemma.
Tank and Lester arrived within a few minutes. Ella brought snacks and drinks to keep everyone happy and fed. Stephanie loved her aunt by marriage. Once Ella cleared the door, Carlos focused his attention on Stephanie. "Babe?"
"Daddy called. There appears to be a potentially precarious situation for my sister Valerie and her two daughters, Angie and Mary Alice. Steve, Valerie's husband, likely siphoned money from their bank account. Daddy didn't know how long ago it started, but during the past few weeks, Valerie's credit cards got denied, and she had insufficient funds in her bank account," Stephanie explained.
"Do they have a joint account?" Tank asked. Stephanie shook her head.
"From what Daddy described, Steve deposits money into Valerie's account to cover groceries and bill payments. Everything like their mortgage, home and auto insurance payments, utilities and property taxes got withdrawn from her account. The last deposit was a month ago. That money is gone. So is all of Valerie's earnings from her part-time job."
Stephanie looked at the men. They wore matching scowls. "Do your nieces have college fund accounts?" Lester asked. "So help me, he better have left that money alone."
"I started college funds for them when I worked at E E Martin. Every month, I add to the funds," Stephanie replied. "Crap. I left my laptop in the bedroom."
Carlos ran to grab the device. Everyone moved to the table for Stephanie to be comfortable. She logged into the account and gasped. A tear slipped down her cheek. Someone emptied the accounts. Tank tugged the laptop and checked the balance transferred. "Son of a bitch stole over thirty grand from his daughters," Tank snarled.
"When?" Carlos asked.
"Two days ago," Stephanie replied. "I transferred the remaining money from the capture fee to the college funds two days ago. He withdrew it immediately. Can we reverse the transfer?"
"No," Tank replied. "You had twenty-four hours to stop the transfer." Tank grabbed his phone to call Silvio and Hector. He ordered them to the seventh floor with secured laptops.
"What are we going to do?" Stephanie asked.
"Nail that fucker to the wall," Lester snapped. Stephanie thought Lester's reaction was over the top. She looked at Carlos, who shook his head. It wasn't the time to ask Lester questions. Stephanie made a mental note to talk to Lester after the Valerie debacle. To Stephanie, it seemed Lester was speaking from experience. She wondered what bitch broke his heart and robbed him blind.
Hector and Silvio arrived. "Hey, Steph. Hector tells me I have you to thank for going home two months early," Silvio said.
"Actually, Lester gave the website details to Eddie. You should be thanking him," Stephanie deflected. Lester waved off the thanks.
Carlos described the situation to Silvio and Hector. They were furious with the actions of Steve. "Full names," Silvio demanded.
"Steven Elias Sutton and Valerie Helen Plum," Stephanie replied. Hector entered Steve's name on his laptop, leaving Silvio to run the background check on Valerie.
"Stephanie, did Valerie open an account with Sterling Trust and Loan in LA?" Silvio asked.
"Give me a few minutes to find out," Stephanie replied. She called her sister on speakerphone.
"Hello," Valerie cheerfully answered.
"Hi, Val. It's Steph. Are you alone?"
"One second, Diane. I have to check my calendar before swapping days," Valerie replied. She heard Valerie's heels clack across the tiled floor. A door opened, then Valerie went down some steps. "Okay, Steph. I'm alone. What's going on?"
"Daddy told me about your situation. I have a question. Did you open an account at Sterling Trust and Loan?" Stephanie asked.
"Where is it?"
"The address shows as a block from LA City Hall," Stephanie replied.
"Hell no. I never go that far into town. The traffic is insane. When did I supposedly open the account?"
"March 24th," Stephanie replied.
"Not possible. I took the girls to Disney for March break. We left on March 21st. Steve couldn't get the week off work," Valerie said, her voice shaking. "Who opened the account?"
"That's what we're trying to determine," Stephanie answered. "Val, Daddy asked me to get Rangeman to check. We're going to check under every rock."
"Do the girls still have their college funds?" Valerie whispered.
"No," Stephanie replied. "Valerie, we'll recover the money somehow, okay? Please don't let on that you suspect anything. I don't want you and the girls living off the streets."
"Okay," Valerie snuffled. She took a few deep breaths. Valerie's heels clicked on the wooden steps and across the tiled floor. "I'm sorry, Diane. I have an appointment that day. Have you asked Lois? Oh. I really am sorry. My appointment can't be switched because I had to reschedule it. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"What was that nonsense about Lois and Diane?" Silvio asked.
Stephanie grinned. "Steve doesn't know I'm Diane, and Valerie is Lois. We use those names when we can't talk freely," Stephanie said.
"Diane and Lois?" Carlos asked, grinning. He caught onto the Wonder Woman reference.
"Yup," Stephanie replied. She giggled. "Diane Prince and Lois Lane. The appointment we can't reschedule is code speak for someone is listening."
"And trading shifts?" Lester asked.
"She promised to find a safe place to talk."
"That's brilliant," Silvio said. "How long have you been speaking code?"
"Since we were kids. Mom never figured it out. Daddy gave me the idea." Stephanie laughed. Her comment piqued the men's interest. Carlos and Tank exchanged a glance and grinned. Stephanie's eyes twinkled. She knew the guys understood her cryptic clue.
"Babe, is he Tiger?" Carlos whispered. Stephanie kissed his cheek, telling him he was correct. Her dad was the master of code speak without using military jargon.
Carlos would never look at General Frank Plum the same way. Tiger was the epitome of Rangers. The man everyone hoped to emulate. His father-in-law was his role model. "Are you going all fan-girl?" Stephanie whispered.
"Babe," Carlos warned. Stephanie smiled and kissed his cheek. "You'll pay for that comment." She gave Carlos her puppy dog eyes and stuck out her bottom lip. Stephanie willed tears to fill her eyes. Tank watched Stephanie, then laughed when Carlos caved. Carlos glared at Tank, making him laugh harder.
"Okay, Big Guy. It's time to figure out where Steve hid the money," Stephanie said. "I have an idea." Stephanie outlined the plan. Carlos contacted his buddies living in Atlanta.
Hector grinned. He loved the idea. Silvio and Hector worked out the kinks before setting the carefully laid trap.
"Proud of you, Babe."
~~~~~
Steve grinned as he accessed Valerie's bank account after he received a deposit notification. Her father transferred twenty grand, probably to help pay the mortgage and bills. He heard her crying the blues to Helen, his mother-in-law, about money problems. "Smother-in-law is more like it," Steve mumbled.
"What are you doing?" Valerie asked. Steve slammed the laptop shut when Valerie approached.
"Checking my emails from work. They need me to visit with a client tonight," Steve lied. Valerie frowned, wondering why Steve suddenly had to work. She knew he was up to no good. Steve always used the company cellphone to check emails. Why was he on the laptop? He never worked on Saturdays unless he went out of town.
"Oh. I thought you were staying home to watch a movie with us," Valerie said. They couldn't afford to hire Bethanne to babysit the girls for date night. Valerie didn't trust Bethanne after Angie said she caught the babysitter in bed with Steve.
"Sorry, Val. I've got to go," Steve insisted. He took the laptop with him, which was not unusual when he had to work. But it was Valerie's computer. Steve left before she could mention he had the wrong laptop.
"What should I do?" Valerie asked the empty room. Valerie found the cordless phone charging on its base. There was only one thing she could do. Call her mom.
"Where did Dad go?" Mary Alice asked. Valerie returned the cordless to the base. She'd call her mom another day. The girls needed her.
"He had to work," Valerie replied.
"Whatever," Mary Alice said, rolling her eyes.
"Mom, may I borrow your laptop to write my book report?" Angie asked.
"Your father took it by accident."
"Probably stealing more money," Mary Alice mumbled. Valerie stared at Mary Alice. She went to the kitchen to check the calendar. Payday was the following Thursday. There wasn't any money unless her dad sent some to pay the bills.
Valerie returned to the living room. "How about we watch our movie?"
"Sure," the girls replied. Angie was devastated she didn't have a computer to use. She would have to submit a handwritten report. Angie grabbed the paper and a pencil to write while she watched the movie with her mom and sister.
"Mom, why do you keep looking at the kitchen?" Mary Alice suddenly asked. Valerie felt her face heat from getting caught.
"I'm expecting a phone call, and I don't want to bring the phone in here to interrupt our movie," Valerie replied, trying to save face with her daughter. Mary Alice shrugged, accepting her mother's explanation.
Angie, who lay on the floor to write, glanced over her shoulder. She didn't buy what her mom attempted to sell. "Don't tell Grandma. She doesn't understand. Mary Alice and I don't like her suggestions, either. I think we should move to Trenton before Daddy takes everything we have," Angie said. "You should ask for a divorce."
Valerie was stunned. Shocked. Flabbergasted. Divorcing Steve was not in the plans.
Steve sat in the apartment he rented for his hookups with Bethanne. He opened Valerie's laptop to enter the credentials when the door opened. "Hey. I didn't think you'd make it," Steve said.
Bethanne smiled. "I told my dad I had to babysit for the night. He dropped me off at the door," Bethanne replied. "Daddy doesn't know I'm meeting you."
"Baby, I don't want to get caught. Our relationship would get classified as inappropriate by the authorities," Steve warned. He set the laptop aside to ravish Bethanne. "Good Lord," Steve groaned when Bethanne removed her shirt and pants. Bethanne wore a skimpy bra and panties set, leaving nothing to the imagination. She was a virgin before Steve had sex with her. He loved teaching her how to pleasure him.
"Do you like them?" Bethanne asked. She had news for Steve. Her period was a week late. Steve was going to be a daddy to her baby. Bethanne used an online pregnancy due date calculator. Her sixteenth birthday was a week before the due date.
"Absolutely," Steve replied. He tore off the lingerie, then shoved Bethanne on the floor. Steve didn't have enough patience to carry her to their bed. He pushed his pants to his knees, not bothering to get naked. A few minutes later, Bethanne screamed her release. She waited until Steve climaxed before telling him their news.
"Steve, I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby."
Everything stopped. The world stopped rotating on its axis. Steve felt the air in the apartment thicken. It got hard to breathe. "What?" Steve shouted. He pulled himself together when he saw Bethanne's bottom lip quiver. "You're supposed to be on birth control."
"Sorry," Bethanne said, looking through her dark lashes. She wasn't taking contraception. It was a lie to get Steve to go bare during sex. Bethanne wanted a baby. She wanted Steve's baby.
"I don't want another child," Steve grumbled. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do.
"It was an accident. I only missed one pill," Bethanne cried, lying through the tears. Steve consoled her for a few minutes. "Mom and Dad will kick me out."
"I'll move up the date. How much time before you start to show?" Steve asked, deciding a life on the run with Bethanne was better than spending the next five to ten years in prison for statutory rape.
"I'm only a week late. We have a few months. At least, that's what the internet said," Bethanne replied. She opened her suitcase to get dressed for bed.
"Go shower while I solidify the plans," Steve said. He watched Bethanne's sexy ass as she walked toward the washroom. "Okay, Steve. It's time to man up and leave Valerie," Steve mumbled to himself.
Steve logged into Valerie's bank account. He grinned as he transferred the money to the holding account at Sterling Trust and Loan - the account he got Bethanne to open in Valerie's name. It took a few minutes to move the funds to his Cayman Island account. Steve entered the online portal to check the balance. Steve's face blanched when he noticed the account got emptied. His last transfer triggered something. Steve panicked. The twenty grand was a trap. He had to get out of LA fast.
The door burst open before Steve could leave. Seven men wearing fatigues entered the apartment, followed by a few police officers. "What the fuck?" Steve yelled.
"You're busted, asshole."