Stephanie's POV
Carlos and I spent Sunday together, as he promised. That morning, Carlos dragged me out of bed for a run. He was surprised I could keep up despite the early hours. We ran on the high school's track. It was too fucking early o'clock, but Carlos hadn't received the treadmill he ordered, so running outside was our only option.
"When will it arrive?" I asked Carlos as we stretched our legs after the run. He quirked a brow. I placed a hand on my hip and jutted it out, feeling the stretch in my glutes and hamstring as I bent over. "Did you order a treadmill or not?"
"Yes and no," Carlos replied, earning the first eye roll of the day. His lip curled in amusement. "I bought one a few months ago. My friends are bringing it from Miami."
"Wouldn't it have been easier or at least more economical to buy a new one here?" I queried. Having them drive a day to bring a lousy treadmill seemed like a waste of time.
"The one I wanted wasn't in stock at the fitness equipment supplier. It would take a few months for them to special order it and have it shipped here. I already have one in Miami. It made more sense for my friends to deliver it for me," he replied.
"Were they coming here anyway, or are they making a special trip?" I asked, curious if his friends were part of some secret he was reluctant to share. "Carlos, you can tell me anything. I won't repeat it to anyone."
"Babe, I promise to tell you once I establish my reputation here," he replied. It felt like an excuse to keep me from learning about his plans. Hopefully, whatever he started, I would become involved in it. I wanted to help my husband with anything he hoped to accomplish.
"Do you need any help getting Chief Juniak on your side?" I queried, offering him the one thing I had at my fingertips. I could get Dad and Uncle Joe to spread the word.
"Connie made the introductions to Chief Juniak and a few officers. She also convinced your cousin to hire me. I owed her a favour for the assistance," Carlos replied.
"Ah, so that's the favour she collected when you met me," I reasoned. "She never told me anything about you. Except for the rumours about you and Jeanne Ellen."
"You know those rumours are lies. I'm happy I took Connie's call. I almost ignored it. Since I owed her a favour, I figured it was best to get it over with," he confessed. Carlos didn't seem the type to owe anyone a favour.
"Are you two squared?" I asked. Carlos nodded to my relief. I didn't particularly appreciate owing people favours, either. It often puts you on the spot or in a difficult predicament. He jutted his chin towards the parking lot, where Hector stood, turning the distributor cap from Morelli's Jeep in his hands. "Does that mean he's out already?" I checked my watch. It was only seven in the morning.
We approached Hector. He extended his hand, passing me the distributor cap. "Morelli gets released at eight. I have a few errands," Hector said. Carlos accepted the part before I could take it. He would hide it in his car. I watched Carlos tuck the distributor cap inside the duffle in the back.
"I'm with Stephanie today," Carlos said when Hector pointed to me. Hector nodded and climbed inside his car. I climbed into the Mercedes after Carlos opened my door. It seemed like Hector and Carlos had a silent ESP conversation. I had to learn ESP.
"Why didn't Hector leave the part in his car?" I asked when Carlos sat in the driver's seat.
"He doesn't want to leave you without a vehicle," Carlos replied. "Where he's going doesn't have a secured lot."
"I get my Miata back tomorrow. We should be fine until then," I argued. Carlos raised a brow. I realized he didn't want me using my personal vehicle to retrieve criminals who skipped bail. "We should pick up my POS." I probably should have the Nova towed to the closest junkyard, where it belonged. That vehicle guzzled oil faster than a drunk consumed alcohol at an open bar.
"You can borrow my car," Carlos offered.
"What will you drive?" I questioned, silently begging him to tell me the truth. I was going to scream if he dismissed me again. He immediately promised to answer my other questions on Monday evening. My curiosity was piqued. "Did you purchase another vehicle before meeting me?"
"Yes, Babe," he replied, and I sensed he was purposely giving me the answer I wanted to hear without providing all the details. It was painful pulling answers from Carlos. More painful than getting Daddy to talk about his military life. Was Carlos in the Army Rangers? Did he earn the nickname of Ranger after topping the training charts?
"I'm not asking you to reveal military secrets. Do you trust me?" I demanded.
"I trust you more than anyone else," he replied.
"My spidey sense indicates you're withholding information," I said. "Carlos, I don't want you misleading or keeping important things from me. I can't live without knowing."
"I have three cars getting delivered in the morning to an office building on Haywood," Carlos said. "The garage is inaccessible today until the pavement cures."
"You've rented an office?" I asked, pleased he was finally trusting me with a secret.
"Yes, with the option to purchase after a year. I'm storing the vehicles at the building until the retrofit company finishes constructing the floors per my specifications," Carlos replied.
"And that structure is included in your Monday meetings?" I questioned, hoping I correctly interpreted his response.
"Babe," he sighed, reaching across the console to hold my hand. "I'm meeting with the property owner in the morning, Les Sebring, and the other bail bonding agencies for the rest of the day. I'll be around, but I need you to stay safe. Hector will watch you whenever he's available."
I thought about his explanation during the drive home. When we cleared the apartment and entered the bathroom to strip and wash each other, after having an orgasm or two, I made a connection between the office building and Hector. Carlos distracted me when he walked to our bedroom buck naked. God, I loved seeing him without clothes. He was my personal Cuban Adonis.
Carlos caught my eye and raised a brow. "What? I'm allowed to stare at my naked husband," I challenged.
"You can stare all you want. But that wasn't what caught my attention. I smell smoke. What's on your mind?" Carlos asked while pulling on black cargo pants without underwear.
I wiped the drool from my lip and shook my head to jar my memory. "Hector had to visit the office building you're renting to install security," I said. It wasn't a question. I was putting the puzzle pieces together. Carlos seemed shocked that I had pieced it together. His lip curled into an amused smile.
"You are an intuitive woman," Carlos said. "And?" The spark in his eyes and the slight curl of his lips indicated he was proud I put the pieces together. I suddenly thought his buddies had sworn him to secrecy, but he warned them that he wouldn't lie to me once I figured it out.
"The Haywood building is where you plan to open a business in Trenton. Your friends driving here to bring your treadmill are planning to help you run this company and possibly settle here," I replied, letting my spidey sense guide me. "Are your friends also helping you finance this business?"
His eyes opened slightly, only catching the infinitesimal reaction because I was watching for it. Carlos warred between the truth and a misdirection. Thankfully, he decided to tell the truth. "Yes. Lester, Bobby and Tank are my business partners," Carlos replied, leading me from our bedroom to the living room.
Grinning, I said, "I want to meet them." I sat on the couch, smiling when Carlos sat beside me.
Tipping his head back and laughing, Carlos replied, "The men want to meet you, too. They should arrive Tuesday afternoon. I'll let you know when they arrive."
"It can wait until they settle in. Do they have a place to stay? We don't exactly have room here," I said, sweeping my arm to accentuate the lack of space for sleeping. Carlos and I could move the couch to the wall and shift a few things around to place air mattresses in the living room for the men. If that were what Carlos wanted, I would make it work.
"I rented a furnished apartment when I arrived. The men will live there until the apartments in the Haywood building are suitable for habitation," Carlos replied. "Those should be ready within a few months."
I wasn't expecting to hear that information. Typically, people never lived where they worked unless they were self-employed and set up a room for a home office. It seemed odd that Trenton issued a permit to allow them to combine residential and office. How was that possible? What business was Carlos and his friends opening? "Are you opening a security company?" I sarcastically asked.
Carlos laughed as he pulled me into his arms. I tried to pull away, but he tugged me closer and kissed me with more passion than ever. It took no time for me to melt in his arms. He broke the kiss and answered, "Babe, we're opening a company called Rangeman. We have a branch in Atlanta and Miami. Trenton will be our third company."
Holy shit! Carlos owned a security company with two branches and had a third under development in my hometown. It took lots of cash to own one business, let alone three. My knees felt weak. I moved to sit on the couch, and Carlos pulled me onto his lap. "Carlos, we didn't sign a prenuptial agreement. I don't want people thinking I married you for money," I rambled, blending all the words.
He seemed to find that hilarious and laughed. Carlos looked happier than I had seen him since we met. I loved the sound of his laughter and felt he was laughing at the thought of people assuming I married him for money rather than getting married because of the connection. "Babe, you didn't know I was wealthy when we married. You already know the Mercedes is a short-term lease," Carlos said. "Anyone who accuses you of marrying for money has no idea of our situation."
"You could have told me about Rangeman," I argued. Carlos shifted me until I straddled his lap.
"I planned on telling you everything Monday evening when I gave you a tour of the building. How are you at conducting interviews?" Carlos asked, brushing the hair off my cheeks and tucking the locks behind my ears.
"Whatever for?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him and moving off his lap. Carlos groaned from the loss of my weight. He kissed my cheek before moving off the couch. Carlos returned a few minutes later with his laptop. I patiently waited for him to explain as he unlocked his computer and opened the email program.
Hundreds of resumes, applications and CVs, which I learned was a curriculum vitae similar to a cover letter to give an overview of items on the resumes. "Do you need me to print them?" Carlos asked.
"It would make it easier. I could also use a highlighter or two," I added. Carlos nodded. He passed me the laptop, kissed my cheek, and then disappeared into our bedroom to grab stuff from his plastic crate in the closet.
I noticed an email confirming the termination of employment for Jeanne Ellen Burrows due to inappropriate access to secured information. The other employee whose credential Burrows used was put on probation and prevented from accessing sensitive information. "Babe?" Carlos asked.
"Oh. Sorry. I wasn't snooping. T Sherman marked the email as important," I quickly apologized. "Why didn't you fire the man who breached security?"
"Mateo is my brother," Carlos replied. "My parents would disown me if I fired him."
"Is he older or younger than you?" I asked. "Oh. You don't need to answer."
"Babe, he's your family now. Mateo is a few years older. I have four sisters. Celia is the oldest, followed by Clara, Mateo and Isabella are twins. I'm two years younger, and Sofia is the youngest. She's barely a year younger than me," Carlos said. I wondered if he would introduce me to his family. "In due time, Stephanie. They don't know we're married."
"Does Mateo know?" I asked. Carlos shook his head.
"Only my closest friends," he replied. I giggled, thinking about how much shit Carlos would be in once his mother found out he got married and never told her. Then, I worried whether his parents would like me. That thought sobered me. "Mama and Papi would love you," Carlos warmly said.
"We should sign an agreement that I won't touch your money," I suggested, back on the thought of people thinking I was a gold-digging hussy.
Reading my thoughts, Carlos said, "Babe, Jeanne Ellen was the gold-digging hussy. You are not."
"How do you know? I could be," I sighed, throwing up my arms. He caught the computer before it slipped off my lap.
"You refused to accept your fair share from Eduardo Melendez's capture. I called Tank for advice about what to do if you refused your cut," Carlos chuckled.
I found it amusing that Carlos knew I didn't care about the money he claimed I earned, which I thought was a handout. "What did Tank say when you told him I refused the money?"
"Somehow, I don't think you'll believe me," Carlos said. He removed the phone from his pocket and pressed the second speed dial number. I wondered whose number was one. To prove his honesty, Carlos called after putting the phone on speaker.
"Yo, boss," a deep voice answered, sounding remarkably like Barry White.
Carlos motioned for me to talk. I cleared my throat as the person on the other end chuckled. "Hi. I'm Stephanie Plum. Please call me Steph. Ranger and I were discussing the Melendez capture fee. What did you tell him if I refused my cut?" I asked, feeling braver as I talked.
With a booming laugh, the man replied, "I told him to marry you."
"Is that all you said?" I questioned.
"No. I said Ranger should hire you for distractions since you handled yourself with Melendez," he said. "By the way, I'm Tank."
"What's a distraction?" I asked. I heard others talking in the background, asking Tank who was on the phone.
"Is she hot?" I heard someone ask before another man told him to smarten up with a smack to the head. "Ouch. I want to know about Stephanie," the man whined.
"We'll learn in good time," another man replied.
"Sorry, Steph. Santos doesn't know when to stay quiet. Have Ranger upload a photo for your Rangeman identification," Tank said before hanging up.
"Rude," I mumbled, making Carlos laugh. "What are you doing?" I asked when Carlos untangled my curly locks with his fingers. He left for a few minutes without answering. Carlos returned with a small container of coconut oil, which I had never realized we had in the cupboard, a small plate, and a spoon. He snagged a few tissues from the Kleenex box and set them on the coffee table with everything else. "What are you doing?" I repeated.
"Taming your hair," Carlos replied. "You'll need another shower before bed to remove the coconut oil, but I couldn't find any detangling products in our bathroom. This will have to do." Carlos scooped a teaspoon of oil from the container. I had expected it to be liquid, but it was a white solid. "It will melt when it gets warmer in here," he explained when I asked. Carlos rubbed the oil between his hands, warming it before applying it to my hair.
I moaned as Carlos worked the oil into the curls. He removed the excess oil from his hands before returning his fingers to my hair. Carlos tugged, rubbed and scrunched my hair. When he thought I looked perfect, he snapped a photo. "That won't do," he said. Carlos kissed me thoroughly, making my cheeks flush and turning my lips red. He took another picture as I looked at him, slightly dazed. "Perfect."
"Let me see," I said when he sent the photo to Tank. Carlos passed me his phone, letting me snoop. The only pictures in his phone were of me. I scrolled through his gallery. A message from Lester flashed on the screen. He loved my blue eyes. Bobby's message appeared next, telling Carlos he chose well.
Tank's message was by far the cutest. He said, "Her eyes remind me of Kitty-bang-bang." I laughed when Tank sent a picture of the cutest cat I have ever seen. She was white with brown and black patches, resembling the camouflage pattern on Daddy's old Army uniform. Kitty's eyes were a beautiful blue, a shade lighter than mine.
"Awe. She's adorable. Does Tank still have the cat?" I asked.
"He's bringing her here," Carlos replied. I looked aghast at the problems driving to Trenton with a cat. "Tank is driving a cargo van. The cat will be free to move around the back compartment with her litter box, food and other toys."
"Thank goodness," I replied. "I would be devastated if someone caged Rex without food and water."
"Is that the rat's name?" Carlos teased. I knew he was teasing by the amused tone.
"Hamster," I replied, making his lip curl into a slight smile.
"I fed him a grape while I was in the kitchen," Carlos said. I gestured for him to continue. Smiling, Carlos added, "He shoved it into his cheek pouch and hid in the soup can."
