Six weeks after giving birth, I got cleared for sexual activities. I met with a doctor named Holly Windsor. Her brother, Halton Windsor, applied to Rangeman. We didn't have a position for him yet, but I promised to contact him when one became available.
Lester was making up for lost time for having sex, which was fine with me. But I wasn't taking contraceptives, and Lester didn't want to use condoms. We figured having another child sooner was better than waiting a few years. Whatever was supposed to happen will.
A week after we reconnected sexually, I made an appointment to get a wax. The guys wondered why I had to reschedule a client meeting. "Um… I have to get groomed?" I posed as a question.
Knowing what I meant, Lester laughed. He caught his breath and said, "It's pretty clean. I even ate there a few times." The guys raised their eyebrows as my face turned beet red.
"Kill me now," I groaned. Realization hit Carlos first, who laughed. He explained it to the others. I buried my face in my hands until the men stopped laughing, then left to search for Mateo.
Vince was changing Mateo's diaper after feeding him. "Hey, are you finished the meeting?" Vince asked, passing Mateo to me.
"For now," I replied. "I think the guys have to leave in a few weeks for a mission. Are you going with them?"
"Not yet," Vince replied. "They need Ram and a few others. I'm driving you back to Trenton when they leave." I was relieved to have company on the way home. It seemed ridiculous for Lester to drive me to Trenton, then turn around to go back. Hector and Rodriguez planned to stay in Atlanta to iron out the bugs in the programs.
Silvio was flying to Miami to meet with my grandpa to organize the renovations on the building Rangeman bought. Everyone agreed it was easier to set up the security inside the building during the retrofit process. Since I couldn't fly with Mateo and Carlos already signed the purchase agreement, I could go home.
In Carlos and Tank's absence, I would oversee all aspects of Rangeman. I had Valerie help with client relations and other accounting issues I would encounter. It wasn't easy wearing about five different hats. Valerie would be the chief operating officer as I took over as CEO and CFO. We only had to fill the other roles for a few weeks.
A few days before their deployment, I met with the lawyers, who was Alejandro Rios, Aria Manoso's husband, and his friend, Geoffrey Gibbons, to get the company signed over to me. It was a tedious process -one I thought was silly- but necessary. We needed a plan for someone to run the company if the other owners died. I shook the thought from my head. My husband and our friends would return.
Vince watched Mateo, giving Lester and me time alone before he had to leave for his mission brief. I appreciated my cousin stepping up to help.
When the time arrived, saying goodbye to Lester was hard. He struggled to say bye to his son, choosing "I'll see you soon, son" instead. Lester kissed me until my knees weakened. It felt like more than a simple goodbye kiss. Something hovered on the horizon. I couldn't pinpoint it. My spidey sense was tingling.
Lester jumped from the car and followed the others onto the base. I waved and cried as Vince drove away. My heart ached as the tingling sensation disappeared.
Vince mapped out the way home. We would take a few days to travel, stopping frequently to feed Mateo and tend to his other biological needs. I wanted to stay in Georgia, but when Vince left, I would need the support of my and Lester's family to run Rangeman and care for Mateo. How did other working mothers do it? Or was that why mothers stayed home to raise their children? I understood my mother's choice. It wasn't the right decision for me. I had other responsibilities like keeping Rangeman afloat. Mateo was my world, but I would go crazy without interacting with other adults.
The drive home took three days, but Mateo was a happy camper. He slept most of the time until we had to stop to feed him and change his smelly diapers. My son was a good traveller. I hoped he remained an easy child.
Vince received the call to serve on another mission. He wouldn't be joining my husband's team. My amazing cousin was worried about leaving me alone with Mateo. I had Mom and Lucinda available to help. Dad had to go for some training thing. Mom thought Dad was on a fishing trip with Javier Santos. I knew the truth. Dad told me to call the base in an emergency. He repeated the message to Javier before leaving with Vince.
Lucinda helped me with Mateo when Vince left. She moved into my house temporarily to make it easier. I could leave home to meet with real estate agents to find a suitable building for Rangeman in Trenton. My son was in good hands with his grandma.
Lester and his Rangers team were away for four weeks. I received a call indicating the men should be home the following afternoon. It was perfect timing.
The pregnancy test I took earlier that morning showed a positive result. I wrapped the test in a box and placed it on Lester's nightstand so he couldn't miss it when he got home. Lester and I were having another baby. I couldn't wait to tell him the news. Mateo was going to become a big brother.
I had a few errands to run and a meeting in the warehouse district with potential clients. The men and women were kind and interested in having Rangeman secure their establishments. I couldn't wait to tell the guys about the contracts. The preliminary paperwork for the warehouses was in my messenger bag. Alejandro gave me several copies of a basic security contract, which was enough to show our interest but not containing enough details about the client's needs. We would discuss the nitty gritty once Rangeman Trenton opened.
The building I wanted for Rangeman finally went on the market. We hit a bit of a snag when I learned they wanted someone with an account in Trenton to purchase the building. Thankfully, Uncle Joe loaned me the money for the deposit until I got an account set up in Trenton for Rangeman.
Everything was going well until I had to pull over on the side of the road. Morning sickness hit me hard. I jumped from the car and vomited in the gutter. Something sharp hit my head, and everything went black.
~~~~~
Lester's POV
My team finished our debrief after the mission. I couldn't wait to see Stephanie and Mateo. Ranger said our handler contacted Stephanie about our return home the following afternoon. It was the earliest he could book the flight for us to leave. I raised a brow when I spotted Frank, my father-in-law, near the helicopter landing pad. He turned to talk to the pilot before running toward us.
The whirring of the helicopter's blades prevented me from hearing what he tried to tell me. Frank ran close enough to yell in my face.
"Santos, follow me," Frank roared.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Stephanie's missing. She never returned home after her meetings this morning," Frank replied. "It took Lucinda several hours to reach me." Mama must have been frantic.
Ranger, Tank, Ram and Bobby ran after me. They climbed inside the helicopter without waiting for Frank's approval. Frank waited until everyone buckled into their seats before giving the pilot the universal sign for takeoff.
I put the headset over my ears. "What do you know?" I demanded.
"Stephanie's car got abandoned two blocks from the Comstock-Stark Street intersection. She must have stopped to throw up on the side of the road. The officers found vomit in the gutter. And her messenger bag in the passenger's seat. Her credit cards are missing. Lucinda called the bank to cancel them," Frank replied. "She said Stephanie only carried her bank and credit cards. Stephanie's other access cards are at home." I knew that about my wife without Frank telling me. Stephanie never spent our money without my presence. It was ridiculous, but it proved to be a wise method. My savings were safe.
"Gang initiation?" Ranger asked, making me feel sick to my stomach. I prayed she wasn't with the gangs. We had many active gang syndicates in Trenton. The largest two were The Comstock Street Slayers and the Bad Killer Cuts. It's common knowledge that the Slayers are affiliated with Crud and Guts, also known as Cat Guts. I prayed my wife wasn't with any of the gangs, especially the Slayers.
"Doesn't seem that way," Frank replied. "Eddie said it was a kidnapping of opportunity." I relaxed slightly, knowing the gang wouldn't kill Stephanie immediately.
"But you think a gang has her?" I asked.
"We know they do," Frank replied. "They painted a paw print on her car with CCG."
Ranger grabbed his phone and furiously typed. He needed Hector in Trenton to find Stephanie. Hector was the only man who could help. It wouldn't be the first time Hector had to save Stephanie from the gangs of Trenton. I prayed it would be the last.
Our flight to Trenton was full of conversation. I sat back and listened to Ranger and Frank planning how to find Stephanie. Ranger said Hector could infiltrate the gang. He used to run with Crud and Guts. It wouldn't be hard to convince the leader to let him return. "Hector arrived in Trenton an hour ago," Ranger announced. "Hector's getting into position and promised to find Stephanie."
I would name my next child after Hector if he found my wife. "Where are we going first?" Bobby asked.
"Home," I replied. "I need to see Mateo and change out of my fatigues. We can't tear apart Stark Street wearing our military uniforms."
"We'll come with you," Ranger replied. "I could use a Mateo cuddle." My lip twitched. Mateo was a calm baby.
Frank's friends, Joe Juniak and Fred Molnar picked us up from the private airfield. I wanted to see my son. Mateo needed to know I was home. He was only a few months old, but I thought it was necessary.
Mama waited in the living room for me to arrive. She rushed into my arms and hugged me tightly. "I didn't know who else to call. The lieutenant refused to patch me through to your commanding officer," Mama explained. "Frank returned my call when I told the officer Stephanie died. I hope I didn't scare anyone too much. It was the only way for the lieutenant to find someone."
Mateo cried in his room. I heard him calling for his Mama over the monitor and raced up the stairs to comfort my son. "Hi, Mattie. It's your Papi. I'm home," I quietly said.
Ranger and the others approached the nursery. I let Ranger pull him from my arms so I could change.
My eyes glanced around the bedroom, looking for anything from before. I found a wrapped box on my nightstand. I opened the gift after changing into black cargo pants and a black shirt. Ranger found me crying on the bed.
"What's wrong?" Ranger asked. He tugged the box from my hand. "Oh. Stephanie's pregnant. We'll find her."
Ranger left me alone for a few minutes while he updated the others. I heard him explain that we must find Stephanie and get her medical attention immediately.
It was time to find Stephanie. "Lester, where are you going?" Mama asked.
"I'm looking for my pregnant wife," I replied. "Please, I need you to stay here with Mateo. Could Dad take time off work to stay with you? I'm taking the guys with me."
Mama passed me Mateo to hug and kiss. "I promise," she whispered.
"I love you, Mattie. Now, behave for Abuela while I find your Momma," I said. I kissed his forehead and nose. After sniffing his hair, I reluctantly placed Mateo into Mama's arms.
Ranger followed me to the garage. I climbed into my SUV with my cousin sitting beside me in the passenger seat. Frank and Juniak drove Bobby, Tank and Ram to Stark Street, leaving the backseat of my car empty.
We went into different gang territories and asked about the curly-haired woman. I thought I saw someone from the Slayers recognize the description of Stephanie, but he shook his head.
Ranger grabbed the man by his neck. He was the leader of the Comstock Street Slayers. The deadly expression on my cousin's face had men pissing their pants. I was impressed the gang leader's pants remained dry unless his bladder was empty. "Where is she?" Ranger demanded.
"We don't have her," the man claimed. "Check with the other gangs. They want to be Slayers but don't have the guts."
Ranger snarled, "You better be telling the truth, or I'll gut you for lying." My cousin released the gang leader after shoving him against the wall.
I felt my inner beast taking control. The rage grew to a dangerous level. Everything had to burn. I removed the lighter from my pocket and flicked it, watching the flame dance across the top. Then I held it to the rubbish beside the door. It ignited. Ranger pulled me away as I watched the Slayer hideaway burn.