Stephanie wasn't running. She needed to protect her unborn child. The innocent life never asked to get mixed up in the mess Stephanie called her life. Stephanie would always love Ranger. Sometimes, love was not enough.
Email exchanges and telephone conversations with Rachel taught Stephanie many lessons. Stephanie learned Ranger offered to pay for an abortion. Rachel refused. Ranger married her instead. Rachel thought she was getting the love of her life. It couldn't be farther from the truth. She got a man who only married her out of obligation. Rachel realized her mistake after exchanging vows. Carlos didn't love her. Stephanie was shocked to learn Rachel was not a woman knocked up after a one-night stand as Carlos led Stephanie to believe. Carlos and Rachel have dated since high school. Rachel emailed photographs to Stephanie to prove her claims.
Stephanie thought she was different. Rachel assured her it was how Carlos played. Once the relationship got too real, Carlos bailed. Rachel suspected Stephanie was pregnant but wasn't brave enough to ask. It would all get revealed eventually. Stephanie accepted Rachel's well wishes. Rachel told Stephanie that everything was going to be alright, reminding Stephanie of the song called The Middle by Jimmy Eat World.
"How are you feeling?" Caterina, Stephanie's grandmother, asked, interrupting Stephanie's thoughts.
"The biscuits helped with the morning sickness," Stephanie replied. "I thought it was only supposed to last for the first trimester." Stephanie moved to Italy three months earlier after Ranger cast her aside like a common prostitute. She was happier in Italy but often wondered how everything was going at Rangeman after her disappearing act. Stephanie's father rarely forwarded details regarding the security company.
"It can last longer, especially when you get stressed," Caterina kindly said. She placed a cup of ginger tea on the table for Stephanie. Caterina was worried about her granddaughter since Frank called for advice from a burner phone. Stephanie needed a safe place to endure the pregnancy. He couldn't guarantee Stephanie would keep the baby, though he strongly suspected she would.
Caterina discussed the options with her husband, Francis Sr before they decided to fly Stephanie to Italy to have the baby. "Am I safe here?" Stephanie asked. The Merry Men were resourceful and had connections she couldn't even comprehend.
"Yes. Your father is the only person aware of your location. Nobody will find you unless you want someone to find you," Catarina replied.
Stephanie sipped the tea, turning her nose up at the flavour. Caterina grabbed the honey from the cupboard for Stephanie to sweeten the drink. "Grazie," Stephanie replied. She added a large teaspoon to the tea, stirring it until the honey melted. Stephanie took a sip and grinned. "It tastes better with honey."
"Have you told the father about the baby?" Caterina asked, smiling at her granddaughter. Stephanie glared at her grandmother. They had discussed that ad nauseam when she arrived. During one conversation, Rachel confessed that Carlos demanded a paternity test when Julie was born. She reluctantly agreed to his terms. It was the only way Carlos would marry her out of obligation. Rachel admitted to regretting that decision.
"He won't care," Stephanie repeated. "I doubt he'd even believe me." Stephanie refused to share the intel Rachel willingly supplied.
"Steph, please don't be mad. I sent a copy of the ultrasound to your father. He promised to deliver a copy to Carlos."
Stephanie wiped a tear from her cheek. She couldn't believe her grandmother would do that to her. It felt like a betrayal. However, Carlos had a right to know. "I told you that he wouldn't care," Stephanie insisted.
Inside his apartment in Miami, Ranger opened the letter from Frank Plum. He thought about sending it to the shredder unread, but something compelled him to open it. Ranger read the words Frank Plum wrote on the paper.
Manoso,
I thought you should know Stephanie is carrying your child. Every father deserves to learn about their offspring. Enclosed is the image from the sonogram. Stephanie is twenty weeks pregnant. She doesn't know I'm reaching out to you. My daughter doesn't want your support or sympathy. All she wants is sole custody of the child she carries.
Frank
Ranger looked at the image, hoping to determine where Stephanie was hiding. Then he removed a lighter from his pocket to light the paper on fire. He dropped the sonogram of his child in the fireplace, quickly followed by the letter. Instead of writing to Frank, Ranger called.
"Plum," Frank answered. He recognized the number as belonging to Manoso. Frank wondered if Carlos would be a man and claim his son. Stephanie confessed to taking the pregnancy test the morning after Carlos broke her heart. Mary Lou bought the test and took it to Stephanie. The positive result got Stephanie to contact Frank for help.
"Sir, it's Carlos Manoso. Stephanie can't be carrying my child. She was on contraceptives, and we used condoms. It's a misguided attempt on Stephanie's behalf to forge a relationship that I'm not willing to offer. She needs to move on," Ranger said, unwilling to give Frank time to insert his opinion. "Expect a letter from my lawyer asking Stephanie to keep her lies to herself. I absolve myself of any responsibility for the bastard if, by some miracle, she is pregnant with my child."
Ranger promptly ended the call. He didn't want to hear anything Frank had to say. Frank shook his head at Manoso's stupidity. The man threw away the one person who loved him unconditionally. It was a shame the man couldn't see past his selfishness. Stephanie was wise to leave everything behind and not inform Manoso about his son. He wasn't good enough for Stephanie. Frank's daughter deserved happiness and love. He prayed she would find it someday.
Inside the Miami Rangeman building, Lester sat at the monitors, watching the internal cameras. He noticed Ranger leaving his apartment, looking angry about whatever was in his mail. Following the tracker in Ranger's watch, Lester watched the dot go to the casino, where Ranger would hire a few women to fuck in the high roller's suite. Lester shook his head. The boss was an idiot to let Stephanie go. But Stephanie was wise to leave.
Rangeman provided security for the casino in exchange for keeping Ranger's affairs a secret. The women often fought to have Ranger for a few hours. It was ridiculous and dangerous for Ranger. What if one of his ladies talked to an enemy, unknowingly giving away his location? Lester knew Ranger was too smart for that. He would use a fake name like Don Juan or something equally conceited.
"What are you watching?" Bobby asked, sitting beside his best friend.
"Ranger arranging to fuck some hired bimbos," Lester replied. It wasn't entirely true because Lester couldn't see Ranger approaching the women. Lester knew why Ranger visited the establishment. Ranger tossed money around, and the women were free. "He's at the casino." Lester pointed to Ranger's dot on the monitor, knowing it would remain there for several hours. Ranger would shower away the stench of the hookers before returning to Rangeman.
"He's going to catch a disease or get someone pregnant," Bobby said with a shake of his head. He didn't understand why Stephanie got tossed away like yesterday's trash.
"Not pregnant," Lester claimed. "Ranger got a vasectomy after he came to Miami. I filed a medical claim with the insurance company. Check his latest results. They didn't find sperm in the ejaculate." Bobby's response got interrupted by Tank.
"I've got something," Tank announced. Lester waved to Silvio to take over the monitor. Silvio smiled as he sat on the deserted chair, hoping Tank found Stephanie's location. Hector, Silvio and Manny searched every train station, airport and bus station camera in a failed attempt to find Stephanie somewhere in the videos. Unfortunately, when they realized Stephanie had left, the recordings had already been overwritten or deleted.
"Did you find Stephanie?" Lester asked, hoping it was the "something" Tank got.
"No, Santos. I know why Ranger dumped her," Tank replied. He showed Lester and Bobby the correspondence he found on the offsite server, concealed in a folder Ranger labelled as blue eyes.
"Because he's a selfish prick?" Lester asked.
"Matias Lopez sent Ranger veiled threats to skin and dismember his girlfriend. To protect Stephanie, Ranger ended the relationship. It's why things abruptly ended with Stephanie three months ago," Tank explained.
"What? He couldn't be seen with Stephanie, or her life was in danger? We've hunted scarier men than Lopez. Stephanie made enough enemies with her FTAs," Lester said. He was furious. Lester roughly shoved the chair until it smashed into the wall. He was annoyed with Ranger's shit. Morale in Rangeman declined after Stephanie got banned from the building. Some of the men who loved Stephanie left the company, returning to the military full-time and moving up the ranks. It was something Lester considered.
Lester knew Ranger had visited Stephanie a week before he left for Miami without a backwards glance. Stephanie deactivated her mobile device shortly after. She arranged to have her landline disconnected the day she left. The telephone company was unable to provide more details. Lester never gave up hope that Stephanie would contact them. He kicked himself for not telling Stephanie how he felt. Lester was head over heels in love with Stephanie. He wasn't the only one.
Whenever something funny happened, Lester sent Stephanie an email. Lester wasn't aware Frank Plum was monitoring the account, having the emails rerouted to his secured, untraceable account with the military. Only noteworthy information got passed along to Stephanie.
Tank pressed a finger to his lips. He wanted to know if Matias Lopez still posed a threat to Stephanie. It was a call he made too often regarding the part-time Rangeman employees who still held a military contract.
"Sherman," the man answered.
"Matias Lopez," Tank replied.
The man on the other end laughed. "Fucker's been dead for two years, son," General Sherman replied.
"Are you sure?" Tank asked.
"Yes. I killed the fucker myself," General Sherman replied. "Bloodwork, dental records, fingerprints and birthmark confirmed his identity. Why are you asking about a dead Colombian?"
"He sent threats to the boss under four months ago," Tank replied.
"Not likely. Check the email IP address if it's available. I assure you the man could not have sent the email," General Sherman replied, then ended the call.
Tank explained everything to the others. Someone played with Ranger and won. They successfully got Ranger to dump Stephanie. Who was responsible for the communications?
Lester sent a private message to Hector, asking for the details regarding the hidden emails from Matias Lopez. He wanted to know who orchestrated the scheme to drive Stephanie away from Ranger. Lester suspected it was one of Ranger's many jilted ex-lovers. The number one suspect was Lorena Smith. She lived in Trenton. Ranger hired Lorena to assist with the distractions to capture the FTAs. Lorena never stepped inside Rangeman when it opened. She was disgruntled when Ranger stopped calling her for assistance. How Lorena came upon Matias Lopez was a mystery.
Twenty-four weeks was how long ago Stephanie left Trenton without a trace. Vince got tired of working at Rangeman. Since learning Stephanie was forbidden from entering Rangeman, he didn't enjoy the job. How she left didn't sit well with him. Vince wanted to ensure Stephanie was safe. He felt hurt that she never told him about going. Didn't she trust him?
It was time to move on with his life. Working at Rangeman had run its course. He got the perfect opportunity handed to him when his mom called from Italy. Vince's grandfather had taken ill, and his mom summoned Vince to run the family winery.
He decided to resign in person. Vince took the next flight to Miami to meet with Ranger, who asked where Vince was heading. Unwilling to deceive a friend, Vince replied, "My grandfather is sick. I'm moving to Italy to help at the winery until I hire another manager."
Ranger knew Vince's father had passed away several years earlier. His parents had returned to Italy to work in the family business when Valentino sold his Napa Valley vineyard. Valentino missed working for his father in Italy. He passed away six months after returning home.
"Should I hold your job?" Ranger asked, placing his folded hands on his desk and refusing to accept Vince's resignation.
"No. I appreciate you giving me the job to keep me occupied between missions. It's time to return to my roots," Vince replied. Ranger nodded, then reached for the paper.
Raising a brow, Ranger asked, "Effective immediately?"
"Yes, Sir," Vince replied. "I have to get everything in order."
Ranger conducted the exit interview before dismissing Vince. He wondered if the man knew where Stephanie was hiding. "Where is Stephanie?" Ranger demanded.
"Damned if I know," Vince replied. "I have no idea where she went. Her family and friends have no clue, either. Why do you care?"
"I have my reasons," Ranger answered. Vince wondered if Ranger knew more than he was letting on.
Ranger refused to tip his hand. He wanted to know if Stephanie was pregnant with his child. In Ranger's mind, the child belonged to Joseph Morelli. Ranger refused to believe he had made the same mistake twice.
Closing his eyes, Ranger visualized Stephanie's naked body during their last night together. The areolae were slightly darker and more sensitive. He knew Frank was right about Stephanie being pregnant. Ranger felt Frank's claim of him being the father was a stretch. Stephanie was in a relationship with Joseph Morelli, right?