Stephanie's POV
Our time in Georgia was brief. We were there for less than twenty-four hours and more than twenty hours. Hector, Manny and I visited my Grandma and Grandpa Plum while Dad debriefed his team at the base.
The mission was only an extraction. Carlos and his team didn't waste time to rescue the men. Before getting released by their Commanding Officer, the men had to spend the night at the base until the General reviewed the statements for inconsistencies.
Manny, Hector and I spent the night at my grandparents' house. Grandpa and Grandma love Carlos. They find him intelligent, handsome and perfect for me. I realize they met Carlos at our wedding, but visiting their house felt more intimate. I'm happy they got along with my husband. We couldn't stay for long, only long enough for brunch, since we had to head to Trenton for the visitation at the funeral home. Grandpa Plum promises to exchange war stories at a later date.
I'm not looking forward to seeing Mom, but I couldn't wait to see Grandma Edna. Our plane lands at the private airfield outside Trenton in the early evening. The sun is setting, casting breathtaking reds and oranges across the horizon. Carlos breaks my attention as he kisses my neck. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to hold up the line," I mumble. I hold the handrail for the steps leading from the plane to the asphalt of the feeder lane closest to the hangar.
"I'll refuel the jet," Roger announces. "Give me a thirty-minute warning. Here's my number." Roger passes me a card. I smile when Carlos plucks it from my fingers to tuck away in his wallet.
"Buying the jet was a risky investment," Carlos says as we climb into the backseat of Uncle Joe's SUV. Dad sits in the front.
"It's only a year old. We got a deal," I reply. "Roger's dad was anxious to sell, and we can write it off as a business expense. It's easier to transport our weapons without jumping through the security hoops."
"We still need to declare our weapons," Carlos reminds me.
"Yes, and display our permits. But this way, the other passengers won't be suspicious. Also, we can talk freely about business and personal matters," I argue.
"You're right, Babe," Carlos says, grinning.
"Saving a few hundred grand in travel expenses annually is just the icing on the cake," I joke. I shiver as Uncle Joe drives closer to his house outside Burg.
"Babe?" Carlos whispers.
"My spidey sense is off the charts," I reply. I check my surroundings and find nothing amiss.
Carlos and I remain in the car until the garage door closes. He waits for me to slide across the seat and exit from his side. I smile when he kisses my temple and touches my lower back. Uncle Joe and Dad grab our duffles and garment bags.
"The guest room is up the stairs, and the second door is on the left," Uncle Joe announces. "Frank, you can have the room beside the kitchen."
I make to grab my bag from Dad, but he brushes my hand aside. "I'm pregnant, not crippled," I gripe.
"Until we know those babies are going to stick, I don't want you to lift anything," Dad argues. I shrug and let him carry the bags upstairs. Carlos and I follow Dad up the steps. We had a few hours to prepare for the visitation at the funeral home.
Sandra Juniak prepares finger foods for dinner. She smiles when we arrive on the main level. "You look radiant," Sandra gushes, hugging me tightly.
"Thanks. Did Uncle Joe tell you the news?" I ask. Sandra blushes. I knew Uncle Joe would share. He doesn't keep secrets from his wife. "It's okay. I can trust you to keep it a secret."
"Are you feeling okay?" Sandra asks.
"I'm fine. The nausea isn't so bad if I take my time standing," I reply. Sandra passes me a lightly breaded turkey bite. I smile and pop it into my mouth. The flavours are mild until the saltiness of the pickle hits my tongue. "Oh my gosh. This is delicious," I exclaim before grabbing a few more.
"How about I send the recipe to Ella?"
"Wise decision," I joke. I have a feeling I'll be craving those in a few months. She hands me a napkin to wipe my hands.
Carlos selects some fruit, vegetables, diced turkey and plain rice. Sandra smiles and grabs a fork for my husband. I continue eating the other food options, including breaded mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce before it's time to leave.
After I ate the last mozzarella stick, I used the washroom on the main floor to wash my hands. Carlos follows me into the bathroom. He chuckles as I stare at him while I rinse away the soap. I step aside to let him use the sink. With the running water, I have to empty my screaming bladder. "I'll give you privacy," Carlos says.
"You can stay if you want," I reply. Carlos smiles and slips through the door. I groan as I re-wash my hands.
The house sounds empty as I leave the washroom. Carlos is leaning against the wall near the bathroom door. "Where is everyone?" I ask.
My handsome husband smiles as he tucks a loose curl behind my ear, "In the garage, awaiting our arrival. Manny and Hector are outside Stiva's, watching for Morelli."
"Is he free?" I wonder.
"Juniak is getting stonewalled by the warden. He assumed Morelli got released a few days ago," Carlos explains, eliciting a grumble from me. Bumping into Joseph Morelli isn't high on my list of things to achieve today. I hope he leaves us alone.
"How will we know for sure?" I ask. Carlos touches my chin, raising my head to look into my eyes. "Oh. Someone has to visit the prison."
I shake my head. Visiting the local prison isn't on my bucket list. I open my mouth to speak my thoughts when Uncle Joe announces, "We're here." Uncle Joe parks behind Stiva's in a spot closest to the door, allowing us to leave unhindered once the visitation ends.
Carlos gently kisses me as he rubs my rings. I smile and rest my forehead against his. His breath tickles my lips, calming my nerves. "Thanks, Carlos," I whisper after breathing in his scent. I peck his lips before unbuckling my seat belt.
"My door," Carlos quietly requests. I nod and shuffle across the seat to exit. Carlos wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me against his side. The possessiveness of the action is a warning to those watching to stay away more than claiming ownership over me.
I follow Dad and Uncle Joe to the largest viewing room. Constantine Stiva must be expecting a sizeable crowd from the Burg. The curious group would want to view the dead and judge their makeup, haircut, style and clothes. I think it's pathetic. They treat the dead like some caged animal on display at the zoo.
Grandma Edna stands by the coffin closest to Grandpa's head. I hug my aunts before moving up the line to hug my mom. When I hugged Grandma, she kissed my cheek and thanked me for coming home.
My grandma is wearing a navy blue dress. I see is displeases Mom. Internally, I'm laughing my ass off. Leave it to Grandma to piss off Mom. I brush a tear from my eye.
Mom keeps glaring at me. Thankfully, she's polite and minds her manners by remaining silent. She catches the ring on my left hand and shakes her head. Mom isn't happy about my marital status. Hissing, she asks, "Did you marry that man?" She glances over my shoulder at Carlos.
"Yes. It's none of your business," I politely reply and pull my hand from hers. Mom watches me walk around the room to speak to the other guests. I can feel her gaze burning a hole into the back of my head.
Valerie enters, looking frazzled. She smiles when she sees me. I watch Valerie approach Mom and Grandma to offer condolences and grieve our Grandpa's death. Valerie catches my eye and walks across the room to speak to me. She looks exhausted from travelling.
Halfway through the visitation, Hector enters. He sees me standing with Carlos, who has his arm around my waist.
Joseph Morelli enters the room a few minutes after Hector. Everyone gasps and attempts to catch my eye, looking for a visceral reaction. It's annoying that his first place to go after his release is my grandpa's visitation. I roll my eyes and lean closer to Carlos.
Hector snaps twice. Joe's eyes go round as he attempts to cover his crotch. "I give it an eight," Grandma whispers in my ear. "Too short, but the width looks promising." I snort, unable to stop myself. "Your grandfather was hung. He's a twenty on the scale of one to ten."
"Grandma, I don't want to hear about Grandpa's dick," I whine, quickly stopping her from giving me the details. I feel Carlos silently laughing as he tucks his head into my neck. Laughing at a visitation isn't appropriate.
"Dang it," Grandma complains, "he's put it away."
Throughout the remaining hour of the visitation, Hector follows Morelli and snaps twice at the most inopportune moments. Joe got a boner while talking to his mom and grandma Bella. Another one while talking to my cousin Vinnie. The best was when it happened while hugging my mom. Her reaction had to be the best.
"Oh my!" Mom gasps, licking her lips. She fans her face to reduce the heat. Joe Morelli is visibly mortified. He escapes the visitation before things get worse.
Hector, Carlos and I are silently laughing. I bury my head into Carlos' chest to hide the grin. Carlos uses my neck to hide his smile. Hector? He's openly laughing with Grandma.
I had to look at Mom. Her face pinches from disgust. She's talking to Valerie, who is attempting to maintain her composure. "Come on, Val. It's funny," I silently will her to snort, laugh or do something besides working her facial muscles to keep the sad expression.
One minute before the visitation ends, Valerie snorts and laughs. "Honestly! What is wrong with you and Stephanie? Laughing at your grandfather's funeral is unacceptable. What would the neighbours think?" Mom snaps.
"Who cares?" Valerie retorts. "You know they will distort the truth and make it seem like Morelli was screwing you against Grandpa's coffin."
"They wouldn't dare!" Mom gasps.
I'm too tired to get involved with their conversation but couldn't resist saying, "Yes, they will. The Burg bitches did that to me." Mom's hand quickly moved to rest on her chest. Nice. "Oh. You did that to me. What happened to protecting your family first?" I shake my head in disgust and leave. Mom doesn't try to stop me.
"Babe?" Carlos asks.
"Let's go home," I reply.
The following morning was the funeral mass. Interment would immediately follow. I have an appointment in Boston to view their business real estate listings. It couldn't wait if we want to meet our self-imposed deadline for opening a new branch.
Joseph Morelli wisely kept his distance. He walks to the open casket to express his condolences. Joe closes his eyes as he says a prayer for the dead. Someone snaps their fingers twice. I watch as Joe looks to the ceiling and shakes his head.
People entering the church talk about Joe Morelli getting turned on by death. "And a man to boot… oh my… what will the neighbours think?" I quickly slam my blank face when Joe catches me walking past.
"Oh my," Mabel Markowitz says. "His own mother turns him on. Has prison done that to him?" Hector and I snort. My silent laughter doesn't go unnoticed by Joe Morelli.
"Joey, why do you have an erection," Angie whisper-yells. Everyone stares at Joe's crotch. He catches Stephanie giggling. "Get rid of it," Angie demands.
"Joe escaped to the washroom to release the pressure," Hector whispers, sliding onto the bench to sit beside me.
Angelita and Anthony's oldest son, Tony, uses the washroom before sitting in the pews. "Mom, I think Uncle Joe is masturbating in the bathroom," Tony Jr says. Angelita loudly whispers to her husband. "Do something about your brother! He's whacking off in the men's room inside a church, of all places. Your son heard him."
Anthony begrudgingly slides from the pew to deal with his brother. A few minutes later, he returns with an angry Joseph Morelli at his heels. Joe glares at me. He points to his eyes and motions to me, saying he's watching me. I roll my eyes and focus on the funeral mass.
The immediate family follows the casket to the hearse, waiting at the cub. I nod in appreciation when I notice Dad, Uncle Joe, Tank, Lester, Manny and Bobby carrying the coffin. Carlos offered to help, but Grandma insisted that he stay with me. She doesn't trust Joseph Morelli.
When I kiss Grandma's cheek, she says, "Congratulations. Keep my great-grandchildren safe." How does she know? Is it one of her gypsy tricks? "I just know you," she whispers.
"I'm sorry, Grandma. We have to leave. I can't attend the burial," I quickly apologize.
"It's okay. I'll visit soon," Grandma promises, gently tapping my cheek. She hugs Carlos before climbing into the limousine I rented for her to use.
Joseph Morelli catches my eye and swipes his finger across his neck. Carlos growls and protects me with his large frame. It isn't every day you get threatened by your ex-boyfriend. Does he think I had anything to do with the psychosocial thing he experienced in prison? I know Hector's friend set that in motion. It isn't my fault.
I climb into Uncle Joe's car. Again, Carlos slides into the backseat with me. Dad plans to travel with us. I'm lost in my thoughts as Uncle Joe drives us to the private airfield.
Our visit to Boston is a success, yet exhausting. It was an emotionally charged day. We found a building to house Rangeman Boston. Carlos and the others are pleased with our selection. Setting up shop is going to be exciting. I can't wait.
Thirty minutes after our jet takes off towards Miami, my phone rings. "Hello," I answer with a smile because because it's Valerie calling.
"Oh. Thank God you answered. I'm in trouble," Valerie whispers. "I can't get a hold of Steve, but I left him a message. Please take care of my babies. Oh, God. NO!"
I hear Valerie scream before her call disconnects.