Stephanie's POV
I raised my brows when Hector slipped into the bathroom, pushing me behind the door. "When he leaves your bedroom, go hide inside," Hector whispered. He climbed into the shower and stripped. "Take these with you when you leave." I accepted the clothes and shoes. Hector turned on the shower and used my shower supplies to wash.
My nightstand drawers opened and slammed shut. I heard a few things hit the wall, making me frown. Joe Morelli was destroying my room. A few sharp-sounding items hit the bathroom door. The asshole was throwing my shoes. I put my hand on the doorknob to exit the washroom and stop Morelli from damaging my things.
Hector peeked from behind the shower curtain. "Stay," he hissed. I wanted to ignore him and confront Morelli. Instead, I squeezed Hector's clothes. Something in his pants felt hard. It was too skinny to be his gun. I stifled a giggle. It wasn't the time for my mind to end up in the gutter. I removed the knife from the pocket and tucked it into the waistband of my sleep shorts. Hector had a stun gun in another pocket, which I kept in my free hand.
"Where the fuck is it?" Morelli screamed. He cleared the end table and tossed the furniture in the living and dining rooms. I heard the commotion Morelli caused as he ranted and raved, attempting to find the distributor cap I had never carried into my apartment and the sound of things breaking hooked my anger. I wanted to kick Morelli's ass into the middle of next week.
Joe stormed to the kitchen and slammed those cupboards. Glass shattered against the floor. Morelli broke what sounded like all my dishes. I heard the cans get swiped from the cabinets, landing with a solid thunk on the countertop. Joe was so focused on finding the damn distributor cap that he didn't care what he destroyed of mine.
"There goes my deposit," I whispered, feeling angrier by the second, but I refused to let the emotion dictate my reaction. I quietly exited the washroom, thankfully unnoticed by Morelli. He made a mess in the hallway with my shoes and clothes. I had to steady myself as I stepped over them, biting my tongue when I twisted my ankle.
Armed with Hector's stun gun and cuffs, I waited behind the bedroom door, peeking through the crack at the hinges, to get a jump on Morelli. I had to force myself to remain quiet as Morelli continued to destroy my apartment. He made a massive mess of my bedroom. The screen for my window was hanging in shreds. I let the anger and frustration overtake my senses when Morelli flung the bathroom door open.
It slammed against the wall, probably leaving a hole from the doorknob's impact. Morelli opened the shower curtain and yelled, "Where is it, Cupcake?"
"¿Quién eres?" Hector asked. (Who are you?)
"Where is Cupcake?" Morelli asked.
"No lo comprendo," Hector replied. (I don't understand.)
"Holy shit," Joe grumbled. I assumed he noticed Hector's limp dick and saw how endowed he was while hanging flaccid, knowing it would be more significant than his own.
Morelli apologized and left the bathroom. He wasn't paying attention and tripped over the mess he made in the hallway. I jumped on him to yank his hands behind his back. He tried to fling me off, but I used Hector's stun gun to scramble his brain cells.
Hector had a towel around his waist and used another to dry his hair and chest. He was laughing at Morelli's stupidity. I sat on Morelli's back while waiting for Hector to get dressed, which didn't take too long. Hector tossed Morelli over his shoulder like he were no heavier than a bag of flour. He dumped Morelli in the backseat of his car. We had him at the police station within twenty minutes.
I called Eddie Gazarra since I knew he was on duty. He met us outside with Big Dog and Carl Costanza to help carry Joe Morelli inside. "Is he okay?" Eddie asked.
"He's fine. I had to stun him on the way here," I confessed.
"You shouldn't be telling me that," Eddie teased. "We'll take him to booking."
"You're not going to let him go, right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes to glare at my cousin-in-law.
Eddie rolled his eyes and replied, "I won't let him go. Steph, we think Morelli was telling the truth. He wouldn't discharge his weapon without someone shooting at him." I didn't want to admit it, but I agreed with Eddie. Morelli was telling the truth about killing Ziggy Kulesza. He used his personal gun to fire a .45 hydroshock between Ziggy's eyes at close range. Had Morelli wanted to get away with murder, he never would have used his own weapon. Something about the situation made my spidey senses fire in alarm. There was more to the story than what Morelli shared.
"I have to know, how did you capture Morelli?" Carl asked.
I laughed and explained the situation. Eddie and Carl exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "Do you want to charge him for breaking into your apartment?" Eddie queried.
"Not unless he charges me for borrowing his Cherokee," I replied. Eddie shook his head, warning me I shouldn't have told him that. Hector's phone rang as we walked to the intake desk to collect Morelli's body receipt. He ignored it.
A minute later, my phone rang. "Hello," I sleepily answered. I was fading fast. It was a busy day, and I still had my apartment to put together.
"Babe," he replied. Hearing Ranger's voice woke me up, and I smiled.
We caught up on each other's evenings. When Carlos said, "No. Jeanne Ellen was at the nightclub," my heart broke. Carlos left town to be with another woman. Feeling rejected, I tried to sign off, assuming he would rather be entertaining Jeanne Ellen.
Connie told me about Cat Woman and hinted she was in a relationship with Ranger. It wasn't true, but I couldn't help feeling ugly and incompetent despite capturing Morelli.
Carlos quickly corrected my assumption, claiming only to want me. "Did I awaken you?" Carlos asked.
"Nope. I heard Hector's phone ring. We had to finish up at the police station. Why are you calling so late?" I wondered.
When he mentioned Barnhardt wasn't at the nightclub. I assumed it was Jeanne Ellen's ruse to get Carlos to meet her there. Carlos had a backup plan, but I wasn't sure it would work. He was coming home tomorrow. I couldn't wait to see him. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask about my evening.
I wasn't surprised when he teasingly asked, "Do you have anything you want to tell me?" Hector probably messaged Carlos about capturing Morelli. I climbed into the passenger seat after giving Hector the keys to drive.
Sighing, I replied, "Sit back, Batman, because Wonder Woman has a story for you."
Carlos listened to my story. He chuckled and offered accolades of "Proud of you, Babe," in the appropriate places. I was proud of myself. Hearing it from Carlos made my heart fill with love for the man. His jealousy leaked through when I mentioned Carl Costanza.
I explained leaving Trenton after divorcing Dickie and living in Newark until I heard rumblings that Ernie and Edwin Martin refused to pay the mob for silence. The company's involvement with money laundering wasn't mentioned until the FBI forced them to sell.
"Good, God, no. It's only you, Carlos," I replied as Hector parked in the lot behind my building. Carlos released a barely audible sigh. We talked about nothing in particular. I whined about Hector checking my apartment and wondered how he would know someone was in the unit when it was a mess. Hector refused to leave for the night. He went to the kitchen to start cleaning up the mess made by Morelli.
Carlos whispered, "How soon?" Our relationship was travelling at warp speed. It was too soon for us to get married. But we were soulmates. Why delay the inevitable?
"Whenever we get an available slot. I'll ask tomorrow," I promised while yawning.
I put the phone on speaker to free my hands. After making the bed, I folded the clothes strewn across the floor, dumping the dirty laundry in the hamper. I found Carlos' t-shirt and changed into it, using it as a nightgown.
While we talked, I sorted my shoes and placed them inside the closet. I was too tired to deal with anything else, so I lay on the bed to speak to Carlos. Sometime before our conversation ended, I fell asleep.
In the morning, I stretched, dislodging the blankets and trying to figure out what woke me from my pleasant dreams. I expected my phone to crash to the floor, but it wasn't in my bed. After searching the nightstand, I furrowed my brows and felt angry at Hector for entering my bedroom during the night.
My anger quickly dissipated when I exited my bedroom. The tantalizing scent of bacon, eggs and freshly brewed coffee assaulted my nose. "Sit," Hector ordered. I noticed the kitchen, living room, and dining room were spotless. Not even the broken chair was in the apartment.
Hector placed a few platters on the table. My eyes widened when I saw how much he cooked. I couldn't stop myself from gorging on the food offerings like a glutton. Everything tasted amazing. "Where did you get the dishes?" I asked. Morelli broke all of mine, and the pattern was different. Before he could answer, my phone rang.
"Hello, Mom," I answered, recognizing the number.
"Hi, Stephanie, it's your mother," Mom replied. I rolled my eyes. She always announced it was her, ignoring my greeting.
"I know," I said. "Why are you calling at 6:30 am?" Ugh! Why was I awake this early?
"It's your grandmother," Mom answered.
"Is she okay?" I asked, jumping up from the table while grabbing the empty plate. Hector tugged it from my hand and quickly washed it. He waited until I abandoned the dining room before washing the coffee mug I had left.
"She never came home last night. I'm afraid she's lying dead in some alley," Mom sadly replied. I rolled my eyes at her theatrics.
"Where did she go?" I asked.
"To play bingo with her friends. She mentioned playing cards at the retirement home after bingo," Mom explained.
"Why didn't you call her friend?" I asked.
"It's too early," Mom replied. No shit! She didn't want to inconvenience Grandma's friend, but calling me this early was acceptable?
"I'll go find her," I promised.
"Thank you, Stephanie. I'll see you for dinner tonight," Mom replied. She hung up, leaving me staring at the receiver.
Hector grabbed my phone from its charging stand in the kitchen. He passed it to me with the keys and my purse. I smiled, silently thanking him for cleaning my apartment and cooking breakfast. "Where are we going?" Hector asked.
"The retirement home to see if Grandma's there with her friend. Do you have my cuffs?"
Hector removed them from his pocket. "Get dressed," Hector ordered. I was about to argue that I was dressed when I looked at my bare feet. Oh. My face flushed red as I went to my bedroom to pull on my pants and socks. I changed my shirt and folded the other to place beneath my pillow.
After tucking my gun and cuffs into the mesh holster, Hector and I left my apartment. Hector retrieved the distributor cap from his car, and I raised the hood of the Cherokee to attach it. "Are you coming with me?" I asked.
"No. I'll be like the wind and watch your back," Hector replied. I kissed his cheek and stroked the gang tattoo on his neck.
"Thank you," I whispered. Hector's phone rang as I climbed into the Cherokee. He stopped me from closing the door.
"Estephania, I have to go. It's an emergency. Stay safe," Hector said before closing the door to the Jeep. He took off through the waning shadows of the night to his car.
I drove to the retirement home, unwilling to waste time searching other areas for Grandma without having Hector as my backup. She was about to climb inside when I put the vehicle in park and jumped to her rescue.
Gary Barnhardt shoved Grandma aside and swung his fist at me. I managed to duck in time. Unfortunately, Gary was within striking distance of my knee. I raised it fast, catching him in the nuts. He clutched them with one hand and pulled me to the ground with the other. I flipped him, shoving his face into the sidewalk and hearing the satisfying sound of his nose breaking. "Fucking cunt," Gary cried. He bucked me off and yanked my hair, breaking the elastic restraining the curls. I flipped him back onto his stomach.
When he tried to grab my legs, I touched the taser to his hand. He shook as his hand fell to the ground. I grabbed my cuffs to restrain him. The only secure place I could find was the bench bolted to the ground, preventing people from breaking it.
I ran to the Cherokee to turn it off and grab my keys. "What do we do now?" Grandma asked after I left a voicemail for Connie regarding the apprehension paperwork. I couldn't return him to the system without it. Gary could charge me with assault.
"Wait for Connie to call. I need the paperwork," I explained. "Ranger, my partner, has it. I have to wait for him or Connie."
A car approached the retirement home. I felt a tingling sensation in my neck and realized Carlos had arrived. Expectantly, I smiled and looked at the black Mercedes as it parked at the curb beside us. "Babe?" Carlos asked while exiting the car and reaching for his cuffs.
"Hey, Ranger. Why are you here?" I questioned.
He teasingly asked, "I could ask you the same question." I grinned brightly and explained the situation, covering the conversation with my mom and her concern when Grandma didn't go home last night.
"This guy was leading Grandma from the home, and I recognized him, from your description, as your skip, Gary Barnhardt," I finished.
Ranger glanced at Barnhardt and quirked a brow. "The bitch needs to register that lethal knee as a weapon," Gary gasped.
Grandma demanded, "Who are you calling a bitch?" She twisted his nose, making him scream in agony. I twirled the taser between my fingers.
"Sorry. Please don't taser me again. You scrambled my brain cells enough," Gary cried.
"Proud of you, Babe," Ranger said while giving me his 200-watt smile. I felt my eyes glaze over as I quietly moaned.
Who knows what my grandma expected when she patted my knee and said, "Well, that wasn't disappointing. I always expected something better for you."
Ranger removed the cuff, securing Gary Barnhardt to the bench and shackling him inside the backseat of his car. "I'll see you at home," Ranger said. I was too stunned to speak and nodded instead.
"All that excitement gave me an appetite. Can we stop for donuts?" Grandma asked as she followed me to Morelli's Cherokee.
"Sure," I replied. Grandma got into the Jeep. She waited until I pulled away from the curb before interrogating me.
"What's going on between you and the bounty hunter in black?" Grandma asked.
"Everything," I sighed. "Mom tried telling me he screwed the whore, but he never touched her. How would she even know?"
"Joyce claimed she had a new fish on the line. Your mother heard about Ranger collecting the skips through the grapevine. You know how many lies and rumours the Burg generates. One person tells the truth, the next adds more, and it continues until the initial truth becomes a whisper in the wind. Take everything your mother hears with a grain of salt. Ask your bounty hunter with the big package before believing anything your mother shares," Grandma wisely advised.
"Ranger doesn't have money. Otherwise, why would he need to capture the high bonded skips like me?" I asked.
"Maybe he's using the cash to fund his business venture," Grandma replied. I had never considered that option. Could Grandma be right? Was Ranger building capital to open a business in Trenton? What type of business? Another bonds office? The possibilities were endless, and I could waste time trying to solve the puzzle surrounding Ranger or focus on something I believed to be accurate.
Carlos met me at home as promised. We drove to Newark to file the paperwork for our marriage license. I apologized for not dropping it off the previous day, but he understood and was pleased I waited until we could submit the license together. We soon realized it was going to happen sooner than we anticipated. "You have thirty days before this application expires. When are you planning to arrange your marriage?" the kind woman asked after processing the payment.
"What's the minimum time to wait?" I asked.
"Three days," she replied. "But I have an opening now and can waive the waiting time."
"Can you do that?" I asked, suspicious about her intentions.
Giggling, she replied, "Of course. My father is the justice of the peace." Her fingers clicked on the keyboard. A few minutes later, she smiled at us.
"Well?" I demanded.
"My uncle confirmed your divorce, Stephanie. Ricardo's ex-wife remarried. There isn't anything left to verify," she patiently explained.
"Who is your uncle?" I queried.
"Joe Juniak," she answered. "I'm Hailey Juniak."
"It's a small world. Your uncle is my godfather," I said. Hailey smiled before calling her father, Jeremy Juniak, to perform the ceremony. "Don't we need witnesses?"
"Of course. I'll be one, and Dad's secretary will be the other," Hailey helpfully replied.
I couldn't believe it. Carlos and I were getting married after only knowing each other for a few days. My skin didn't erupt into goosebumps from the thought. "Babe," Carlos said as he gently lifted my chin with a finger. He looked into my eyes. "We don't have to do this today."
"I want to, but only if that's what you want," I replied, suddenly feeling the insecurity cloud my mind. Carlos pressed his lips against mine.
"Babe, we're going to do this, and it's going to be good," he said.
Less than ten minutes later, Carlos and I were married. Eeks! I couldn't believe I married Batman. Carlos chuckled, telling me I said the words aloud.
"And I can't believe I married Wonder Woman," Carlos said, melting my heart.
Hailey had us sign the other paperwork and filed them after giving us a photocopy for our records. She said our marriage would be a matter of public record by Monday morning. We thanked her for helping us.