Ranger's POV
I was seething. Rachel and Jordan stole from my company's reserves. Only the core team should have access to that account. I paid Rachel support for Julie despite being forced to relinquish my paternal rights. The only reason for agreeing was to continue my military career while protecting Julie. It was something I had to rectify. My daughter would not stay with Rachel for another day. I could only pray the family court would reverse the adoption and let me take Julie away from the toxic environment Rachel had created because of her greed.
Florida doesn't allow reunification with a parent who relinquished rights. Julie must ask the courts to overturn that ruling. I sent the documentation to Mateo to begin the process, praying Julie would want the same as me. The money I unnecessarily sent for support went to pay for Rachel's other children to attend private school. Julie was forced to attend public school. Everything I had done to improve Julie's life without having me in it, her greedy mother, gave to the other children.
Stephanie answered the phone when it rang. She was talking to Julie. I wanted to ensure she was safe and was pleased when Stephanie put the call on speaker for me to hear. Stephanie was pleasant to my daughter and genuinely concerned for her well-being. I grabbed my phone to call Mateo, but Stephanie contacted him first. Instead, I sent Mateo a text message containing Stephanie's cellular number. I loved how Stephanie took charge. She ordered Mateo to collect my daughter and take her to the precinct to file a complaint against Rachel and Ron.
"Hector, did you find the missing money?" Stephanie asked. I raised a brow and waited for her to explain. "Carlos, I discovered more discrepancies in the Rangeman accounts. Hector looked into it to see if he could find a money trail."
"He found it," I replied. Stephanie looked at the screen and shook her head.
"How did Jordan get access to that account?" she asked.
"During my last deployment, I took Tank, Bobby, Lester and Ram with me. I trust them more than the others within the Rangeman branches. Jordan and Mateo had access to the accounts to cover payroll and other incidentals while the core team was unavailable. Mateo stopped checking the accounts when we returned. It seemed Jordan changed his access passwords and hid his actions from the IT department and accountants," I explained.
"Does Rangeman have an accountant?"
"We hired a company in Miami," I replied.
Stephanie thought briefly and asked, "Does that firm have an account key holder for Rangeman?"
"Babe?"
"Someone who only manages Rangeman accounts and taxes?" she explained.
"No. Are you suggesting we hire someone to manage the accounting in-house?"
"Well, yes. You have a lawyer working for the company. Why don't you have an accountant?" she reasoned.
"We would need two employees for the accounting department. One for accounts receivable and the other for payable."
"Carlos, you already have Tank managing the payables. Hiring another man who could do the other paperwork for receivables makes sense. The starting wage of your employees is more than enough for a beginner accountant. I'm sure one of you knows someone who wants to get their feet wet in the corporate world," Stephanie said. I suspected she had someone in mind. Before I could ask, Stephanie slid an application to me.
Sofia, my youngest sister, just graduated from Rutgers with her CPA. She had tests to write, but starting at Rangeman would give her the start she needed to succeed. "You want to hire my sister?" I asked.
"She's smart," Stephanie replied. "Sofia will keep an eye on the other branch's spending habits. Tank should be interviewing her in a few minutes. He never met Sofia, and I changed her surname on the application he received. Why don't we wait to see what he thinks?"
"Babe," I said.
"Don't Babe me," Stephanie snapped. "You put me in charge of Human Resources. I'm doing my job and making this company successful. To do that, we need to cut the redundancies and take control of our finances. That firm you hired in Miami never mentioned Jordan's sticky fingers. They should have informed you immediately. It was unprofessional and irresponsible. I will not let those assholes take your hard-earned money. At least hire Sofia to do an independent audit."
"What would that prove?" I asked, curious about how her mind worked.
Sighing, Stephanie replied, "That she will catch everything your accountant in Miami missed."
Tank called, and I answered, "Yo."
"Little Girl forwarded an application for an in-house accountant. I've asked her to conduct an audit of our books. I'm hiring her if she finds everything Lawrence and Smith missed."
"I'm putting you on speaker," I said. "Repeat."
Stephanie burst out laughing after Tank repeated his statement. "What's so funny?" Tank queried.
"I just told Carlos the same thing," Stephanie laughed. "How long would the audit take?"
"Two weeks. Sofia will audit our private accounts, too, since the accountant pays our bills," Tank replied and ended the call.
"Another one of your family members will uncover our secret, Carlos. We should call your mom," Stephanie suggested.
Hector left the situation room. He closed and locked the door, ensuring us privacy to contact my parents. Stephanie was right; we had to tell Mama. She answered on the second ring, "Mi hijo. Is something wrong?"
I put the call on speaker for Stephanie to hear. "Everything is great, Mama. I'm calling to tell you I got married to a wonderful woman. Her name is Stephanie Plum," I replied.
Mama paused a few seconds and asked, "Is she pregnant?" Stephanie found that hilarious and started laughing. "She has a beautiful laugh." Stephanie wiped the tears off her cheeks. One day, I hoped to see her expand while carrying our child.
"Stephanie isn't pregnant, Mama. We have a connection like you and Papi," I explained.
It sounded like Mama was crying. "I'm so happy for you, Carlos. Please bring her home soon," she said. "We will celebrate your birthday and have a reception."
I was about to decline when Stephanie said, "That would be wonderful. I'm looking forward to meeting you, Mama."
"We should go shopping," Mama offered. Stephanie grinned and made arrangements to shop at the outlet mall the following week. I realized Stephanie wanted to handle Julie's situation before meeting my mother.
Stephanie's phone rang. She answered it cheerfully before asking the person to hold. "Carlos, we have to deal with this right now. It was a pleasure talking to you, Mama. I'll see you next week."
"We'll talk soon," Mama promised and hung up.
"Hang on, Mateo. I'll put you on video so the judge can see I'm real," Stephanie said, shifting the call to see Mateo. She smiled pleasantly at my brother. "What's the emergency?"
"Mrs. Manoso, I'm Justice Vogelsang, and I must know your relationship to Julie Martine," he announced. Mateo turned the phone to include the judge in the view screen. I sent Mateo copies of our identification, proving we are who we claimed to be.
"I'm married to her biological father, Ricardo Carlos Manoso," Stephanie replied. I called Javier and ordered him to provide our marriage certificate to the family court in Miami.
"Are you willing to assume guardianship of Julie Martine?" Vogelsang asked.
"Yes, Your Honour. I don't have children, but I would love to care for Julie," Stephanie replied. I loved her more than ever. She was willing to raise my daughter, produced from a one-night stand. "However, I live in Trenton, New Jersey. Would that be a problem?"
"No, I'll allow it. The circumstances at her home are dire. It would be best to remove her from Florida for her protection," he explained.
"Does Julie want to come here?" Stephanie questioned. Mateo moved the phone so Stephanie and I could see Julie. She appeared to be malnourished and had bruises covering her beautiful face. My inner beast reared its head and prepared for a fight. Stephanie touched my arm and tamed the beast.
"Could I? I promise not to be a burden," Julie cried.
"Jules," Stephanie said, calling her by her preferred nickname, "you will never be a burden. I would love to have you live with me. Sir, how will she get here?"
"Unaccompanied minor. The flight attendants will take care of her until she's in your care," Vogelsang replied.
"Your Honour, given the situation, I would like to accompany my niece to Trenton. We will notify the local police upon our arrival," Mateo suggested.
"Does that sound reasonable, Mrs. Manoso?" Vogelsang questioned.
"Yes, Your Honour. Thank you for letting Carlos and I take care of Julie," Stephanie said.
"I'll ensure Julie brings the appropriate paperwork to prove you have interim custody."
"Thank you, Your Honour," I replied.
Justice Vogelsang asked someone to take Julie from the room. Mateo showed us it was a woman from the child protection services. Julie looked lost and broken. "She's been living in the shed for the past several months. Julie's sister and brother brought her food whenever they could sneak it from the house. They also left a door unlocked for her to shower when Rachel and Ron were away from home. Julie always ensured the locks were engaged once she left. I'm surprised the school never sent anyone to check on Julie. She missed the last few months of classes," Justice Vogelsang said, giving us all the information Julie shared during the emergency hearing.
"Excuse me, Your Honour. Are you telling us nobody from the school, including her friends, checks on Julie's welfare?" Stephanie asked, voicing my concern. She seemed to be reading my mind.
"Mrs. Jeffries with the CPS will investigate the matter and report to me," Vogelsang replied. "Someone will keep you informed. For now, Julie needs a safe home and has asked to live with you, Mrs. Manoso."
"Thank you for taking the time to explain the situation. We will contact Mrs. Jeffries once Julie arrives in my care," Stephanie said.
"Have a great day, Mrs. Manoso," Justice Vogelsang said before disconnecting the call.
"Wow," Stephanie sighed. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was hard to keep her emotions under control while the judge explained Julie's dire living conditions. I wanted to make Rachel pay for neglecting my daughter. "I hope that bitch loses custody of her other kids. Carlos, call the accountant and stop all support payments to Rachel Martine."
I was vibrating from anger. Rachel and Ron were supposed to be caring for Julie. Parents are supposed to protect their children. I wondered what had happened to poison them against me and, in turn, harm an innocent child. Javier called before I could contact my accountant. "Sir, I cancelled child support and other allowances you permitted for Rachel to raise Julie. I delivered a copy of your marriage certificate to the courts." Stephanie rolled her eyes when I ended the call without saying goodbye.
"Does Julie need clothes?" Stephanie asked while texting Mateo. "Never mind," she hurriedly said. "Mateo sent her sizes. Julie only has the clothes she's wearing. I'll forward the list to Ella."
Stephanie and I reviewed everything Julie needed. I planned to change Julie's surname to Plum-Manoso. We must register Julie for school and hire a therapist to help Julie move past this trauma. "Babe?" I asked when Stephanie touched my arm. She pushed my chair back and straddled my lap.
"Carlos, everything will work out as it should. Julie belongs with us. I think Jeanne Ellen started this mess," Stephanie quietly said. "Even dead, that woman is creating drama and chaos."
"What makes you think that?" I asked.
"Hector found a diary of sorts on Jeanne Ellen's phone. It was a series of recordings and audio files. You need to listen to the one he emailed us," Stephanie replied. She brushed her lips across mine, offering comfort more than needing a passionate distraction. I raised my hands to cup her face, and I kissed her until she rocked against me. "You're such a tease," she joked.
"Nobody can see in the room. We can have some fun before Julie arrives," I offered.
Stephanie briefly considered it before shaking her head, "We have too much to do before Julie arrives. Ella promised to put Julie's clothes in the apartment we're using. I need our apartment ready by yesterday. Isabella promised to soundproof our bedroom."
I chuckled, thinking of how Stephanie explained why it was necessary to soundproof our bedroom. She wasn't one to discuss what happened behind closed doors. It never mattered to me, but I know Stephanie wouldn't want me to share details of our sex life with the men. Stephanie thinks it was bad enough they could tell when we've had a lot of sex. She lights up like a Christmas tree.
"Babe, don't you have an appointment today?" I asked. She was supposed to get her birth control renewed.
Stephanie countered, "Do you want me to keep it?"
"As much as I would love to have a baby with you, it's best to wait until Julie settles in with us," I replied.
She smiled and slipped off my lap. "We'll revisit in three months," Stephanie said. She gently touched my cheek. "Listen to the audio. Hector said it would explain everything."
"Have you listened to it?" I wondered.
"No. It doesn't involve me, but I will if you want me to. However, I need to go, or I'll be late for my appointment," Stephanie replied. Before I could remind her to take back up, she added, "Hector's coming with me." Stephanie locked the door when she left, giving me the privacy I would need to listen to whatever Jeanne Ellen had concocted.
Rachel had called Rangeman while Jeanne Ellen was in the building. Jeanne Ellen had to review the details of the skip we were chasing. Since it was a high bonded FTA, I needed to be in Atlanta for the capture. While I was arranging everything with the local police department, Rachel called. Jeanne Ellen must have used my office and answered the phone when it rang. I listened as Jeanne Ellen answered the call on speaker. "Hello," Jeanne Ellen said.
"Oh. Is Ric there? I have an important issue to discuss with him," Rachel asked.
"I'm sorry, honey. He's unavailable to you. Ric is my husband, and I would appreciate it if you did not call him about your petty issues," Jeanne Ellen replied.
"You're not married to Ric. He would have told me," Rachel argued. "What's your name?"
"Jeanne Ellen Manoso. Listen, because I'm only going to say this once. Ric is mine. He doesn't want anything to do with you or whatever issues you are supposed to discuss with him. What are you to him?" Jeanne Ellen demanded. She never gave Rachel a chance to reply. "I'll tell you what you are, and this is in his words, honey."
Jeanne Ellen played something that sounded like me talking. However, I recall saying the words to a needy one-night stand. "I don't want anything to do with you or any other scheme you concocted. Stop calling. What we had is over, and I don't want to hear from you again."
"Now, go off and kill yourself. Ric doesn't want you or whatever you're trying to offer," Jeanne Ellen snarled.
"Oh," Rachel whispered. "I'm sorry to bother you." The call ended.
"And that, ladies, is how you fuck up a woman trying to get your man," Jeanne Ellen laughed.
It was a complete lie. I checked the recording date, which coincided with Julie's disappearance from school. There was only one way to confirm that Rachel had called my office at Rangeman Atlanta. I accessed the phone records and discovered Rachel called using her cellphone. She had the Rangeman numbers saved in her phone. Rachel never wanted my private number. It was easier for her to reach me at Rangeman.
As Stephanie said, Jeanne Ellen was still messing with our lives. Had I known Rachel called Rangeman that day, I would have talked to her to ensure her that Jeanne Ellen was a lying, conniving and manipulative bitch. I listened to other recordings and videos Jeanne Ellen made. She had a pretend life with me, including paperwork to show we were married if anyone asked for proof. Everything was a forgery. Even in the videos, they lacked the embossed stamp and watermarks consistent with legal documents.
Before dealing with Rachel, I had to get Rodriguez to check if Jeanne Ellen had a safe deposit box somewhere. That paperwork in the wrong hands could mean a lot of trouble for Stephanie and me. We were secure in our relationship, but I never realized Jeanne Ellen was that delusional and fucked up. She lived in the world of make-believe after her parents died, and it consumed her so much that it made her crash her car. The world was a better place without Jeanne Ellen.
I raised the receiver from its cradle and dialled Rachel's number. "Hello?" Rachel answered.
"It's Ranger," I replied, using the name I preferred when talking to my ex-wife.
"What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be with your wife, Jeanne Ellen?" Rachel snapped.
"I am not married to and have never been married to Jeanne Ellen. Whatever she told you was a lie," I replied.
"And the message that you wanted nothing to do with me?" Rachel demanded.
"A private conversation between me and a woman who thought going out for dinner meant a commitment," I replied, giving her more information than she deserved. "Is Julie there?"
Rachel lied, "She's living with my parents. After hearing that message you left for me, I sent her away."
"You'll be hearing from my lawyers. Goodbye, Rachel," I replied and hung up. I needed Stephanie to tame the beast. Sensing I needed her, Stephanie called.
"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked when I connected the call without my customary "yo."
"I need you," I whispered.
"I'm on my way back. I'll be there in a few minutes." Stephanie told me about her doctor's appointment to keep me on the phone. Hearing her voice helped calm the beast, threatening to break free. "Okay, Batman. I'm here. I'll meet you in our apartment."