Stephanie's POV

Dad arrived when the rice finished cooking. Carlos fluffed it with a fork and dumped it into a serving bowl I didn't recognize. He decided the meat had to simmer for another few minutes.

"What's in the bag?" I asked when Dad passed it to me.

"Carlos said you needed hair products. I visited Alexander's in the mall and asked for the items for your hair. He noticed my hair was a little frizzed," Dad said, running his fingers through his short, curly hair, which bounced back without getting frizzier. "Alexander said these products would work best for you."

I pulled the items from the bag and laughed when I found several with coconut oil. "Carlos used coconut oil in my hair to get these curls to cooperate," I said, tugging on one. It didn't feel as oily as I expected. However, I wanted to shower before going to bed.

"Dinner smells delicious. What are we having?" Dad asked.

"Ropa vieja," Carlos replied. "Stephanie and I prepared dinner together." He gave me more credit than I deserved. I only cut the peppers and garlic. Carlos did everything else.

We walked through the living room. Dad noticed the papers on the coffee table. "Are you working on a project, Pumpkin?" he asked, smirking when he saw they were colour-coded in stacks.

"Carlos is opening a security company in Trenton. We need to hire ten men to begin training. I was helping him review the applications," I explained.

"You've always been a good judge of character unless something piqued your curiosity," Dad laughed. "Has Vince applied?"

"Yes. Why did you ask?" Carlos asked.

"He wants to move home," Dad replied. "Vince and Stephanie were nearly inseparable when they were younger. She had difficulty when they moved to Atlanta when she was sixteen."

Carlos caught my eye and raised a brow. I nodded. Vince moved a few weeks before the Tasty Pastry incident with Morelli. "He must have heard I was working for Vinnie," I suggested. Dad chuckled and agreed it went through the grapevine. "Why are you here for dinner?" Dad never visited me for dinner. He would invite me to Pino's, but we never ate together in my apartment.

"Something's going on with Valerie," Dad said. I pressed a hand to my chest and gasped.

"Are Angie and Mary Alice okay?" I asked, suddenly worried about my nieces.

"As far as I know. Your mother's been sending her money for groceries," Dad announced.

"I knew that already. But why isn't Steve paying for them?"

"There's never money in the joint account," Dad said.

Carlos stepped forward, "Is this why you wanted to meet with me tonight?"

"It is," Dad confessed. My stomach grumbled, reminding us that dinner was getting cold. The timer sounded, accentuating it was time to eat.

"Take a seat. I'll grab the food from the stove," Carlos said, leaving me with Dad.

"What do you think is happening with Valerie?" I asked, suspecting Steve was hiding money to run away with a lover.

"I think you're right about Steve having a lover," Dad said. I never realized I said that side comment aloud.

"Is that what you need me to check, sir?" Carlos asked, carrying the rice and meat to the dining room table. He set them in the middle of the table. I darted to the kitchen to grab the serving spoons, noticing Carlos left them on the counter. Carlos had put the pan in a sink filled with soapy water, making our cleanup easier. It was thoughtful.

I returned to the dining room and placed the spoons in the appropriate bowl. Dad insisted that I serve myself first. Since I wasn't sure about the food, I took a scoop of rice and added a scoop of the meat sauce. Carlos patiently waited for Dad to serve himself before taking his share. The flavours hit my tongue, and I couldn't stop the moan from escaping. "Carlos, this is delicious," I said.

Dad took a tentative taste. He preferred Italian cuisine or the standard meat and potatoes. "She's right," Dad said, "This is delicious."

"What about Steve?" I asked since I missed the answer when I left the room.

"We'll discuss that after dinner," Dad said, dismissing the subject. Dad tucked into his meal. I was surprised when he went for another serving. Thankfully, Carlos cooked enough for six.

Carlos smiled and offered me more food. He gave me half of the remaining ropa vieja and took the rest for himself. We wouldn't have leftovers. I patted my stomach after eating everything on my plate. "We don't have dessert. Sorry, Dad," I said.

"The main dish was filling. I don't need dessert," Dad assured me. I collected the plates and took them to the kitchen. Dad chuckled when Carlos followed me.

"Go talk to Daddy. I'll handle the cleanup," I said. Carlos raised a brow and passed me the dish towel. He was washing. We exchanged small talk with Dad to learn more about Valerie's situation. "Have you heard this from Valerie?" I asked.

"Your sister has always been closer to your mother. I called Angie on her birthday and heard Mary Alice crying in the background. Angie said her parents were fighting a lot, and he left to take the babysitter home," Dad answered.

"It seems reasonable to drive the babysitter home. What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Steve was gone for three days," Dad said. "I talked to Mary Alice, and she mentioned that her dad left for the weekend after promising to spend it with her and Angie."

"How old is the babysitter?" Carlos asked.

"She has to be eighteen, or Steve could be in a lot of trouble," Dad replied. I understood that the age of consent in California was eighteen. Having sex with someone younger, despite the circumstances, was prohibited.

"Would you like a beer?" I asked Dad. He nodded. I grabbed three bottles, one for each of us. Carlos and I sat on the couch, leaving Dad to sit in the armchair. He got comfortable and explained the situation with a few more details. I knew Mom was sending Valerie money and care packages. "Valerie should leave Steve before he takes off with the babysitter," I suggested. "Can we find the money Steve hid?"

"That's why I'm here. Valerie is entitled to half the marital assets and up to forty percent of Steve's income for child support. I suspect the babysitter has her claws in Steve's finances. She may have access to the money Steve stashed. Your mother told Valerie to stay and make her marriage work," Dad replied.

Oh boy. "We should move Valerie and the girls here before school starts. Someone needs to get them out of the situation before it gets worse. Do I need to fly there to help with Angie and Mary Alice?"

Dad gave it some thought before answering, "It can't be us." He was right. Steve seeing Dad or me would make him bolt like a frightened deer.

Carlos nodded and left the room. He spoke rapid Spanish, likely providing one of his researchers with the details necessary to search Steve and the babysitter's backgrounds thoroughly. Carlos abruptly ended the call and sat beside me.

"Rodriguez is digging into Steve's finances. We can't retrieve the money Steve moved, but we can stop him from taking more," Carlos explained. "Mateo said we should move Valerie and the girls here soon. He will escort them once you give us the word."

It sounded as though history was repeating itself. I got the same vibes from Dickie before we divorced. Hopefully, Valerie would get out of there with more than the clothes on her back. The only pressing issue was where Valerie would live.

"I'm giving your mother the house for our divorce settlement. She won't have access to my pension or other assets," Dad said. Dad may not look it, but he had a sizeable nest egg stashed from training Rangers recruits.

I studied Dad and Carlos, noticing they held themselves the same way. It was indicative of their military training. However, I suspected there was more to the similarities. Without filtering my thoughts, I asked, "Carlos, are you ex-special ops? Your street name is Ranger. Does that have anything to do with serving as an Army Ranger?"

Dad chuckled, "She doesn't miss a trick."

"So I'm right?" I asked.

"Yes, Babe. My contract ended a few months ago, but I still get called as a mercenary," Carlos replied.

"Pumpkin, your husband is the best of the best. He earned the nickname of Ranger by beating every record and successfully completing every mission. It would be best if you kept yourself safe. A lot of his enemies are lurking and waiting for the chance to exact retribution," Dad said.

"Dad," I whined, "You and Carlos gave me panic buttons. I know how to stay safe because you taught me well. My spidey sense will alert me to danger. Besides, Carlos has Hector watching my back."

"Do you need help?" Dad asked, pointing to the paperwork on the table.

"Are you still active?" Carlos questioned.

"I am. Which men are you worried about?"

"Carlos served with a lot of those men. I'm concerned about the ones with the pink highlights. Without accessing their military medical files, I don't know if they spoke to a therapist after messed up missions," I explained.

"And you know this?" Dad asked.

"Not with certainty, but I felt there was something in what they didn't say in their CV," I tried to explain. A few were borderline with digging deeper or arranging an interview.

Dad picked up the stack, which was thicker than the other two. He smiled at a few and set other ones aside, likely agreeing with my preliminary assessment. "These three men are incredibly private and shy. They will follow an order without question," Dad said, passing me the applications. He picked the ones I classified as borderline. "Those other men challenge rules and protocols."

Carlos and I watched Dad in amusement as he checked the other two piles. "Sir?" Carlos asked.

Looking at me, Dad teased, "Your spidey sense is still sharp." He glanced at his watch. "I should head home. Mr. Donovan needs a ride to New York early in the morning."

I walked Dad to the door. He hugged me, which was rare. We weren't the hugging type of family. "Thanks for your help," I whispered.

"Keep me informed about Valerie," Dad told Carlos as they shook hands.

"Yes, sir," Carlos replied.

We locked the apartment door and returned to our task of reviewing applications. More had arrived while we cooked and ate dinner. I printed those and got busy sorting them. Carlos used the laptop to send messages to the others about interviews. It seemed like a nightmare, considering most men didn't live in New Jersey.

"Skype," Carlos said.

"Huh?"

"You were worried about how we would interview the men living in the other states," Carlos patiently explained. "We set up Skype interviews."

"Nice." It made perfect sense. Why fly to Trenton for an interview when you can talk over a computer video program? I read a few more applications. "Carlos, we have an application for a maintenance position," I announced.

Carlos grinned as I passed him the application. "I was planning on asking them to work for me," Carlos said.

"Do you know them?" I asked.

"Ella and Luis were my neighbours growing up," Carlos replied. "They don't have children and often watched us whenever Mama and Papi went out for the night."

"You can't hire them on the spot, Carlos. It wouldn't be fair to the other applicants," I argued. I found a few more applications for the maintenance job - those I immediately dumped into the discard pile. I snorted when I found applications for an office manager and personal assistant. Joyce Barnhardt wanted to work for the man in charge and service his needs, which was how she explained her interest in the company. "What job positions have you posted?"

Carlos opened the Rangeman website and showed me the posted openings for security specialists, IT services, maintenance and cleaning services, and customer relations. "Babe, are you interested in applying?" he teased.

"I'll be your personal assistant and service your needs," I joked, passing him Barnhardt's application. I grinned when Carlos shivered and tore the papers in half.

"Babe, only you," he said. "I want you working for me. Barnhardt has no place in my company."

"I don't want to be chained to a desk," I argued. "Chasing after FTAs is exciting."

"You could work in that department and suggest how to capture other FTAs. We could use your insight," Carlos explained.

"I'll think about it," I promised. Carlos emailed the potential hires and sent a copy to his friends for the interviews beginning on Wednesday morning.

I yawned and stretched after reading the last application I printed. We had more than enough men to interview for Rangeman Trenton. Carlos placed his hand on my exposed abdomen, where my shirt rode up. "Babe," he moaned.

"I need a shower," I said, hoping Carlos would join me. He let me take two steps before tossing me over his shoulder. I squealed and giggled as he carried me into the bathroom. We quickly stripped and climbed over the tub's edge to stand beneath the hot water. Carlos washed my hair, shampooing it twice to remove the coconut oil. I loved when he gently scratched my scalp with his short nails.

Carlos let me return the favour. His groan of pleasure hit me in the core. I needed him. He must have sensed what I wanted and lifted me into his arms, thrusting inside me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Neither of us noticed the water getting cold until we separated. "Every time gets better," Carlos said, resting his forehead against mine.

"I never thought it could be this way," I agreed.

"Only with your soulmate."

"We should get to bed. I have to pick up my Miata in the morning," I said, yawning.

"I have a meeting at 0800," Carlos replied. "Hector will accompany you."

Carlos smiled when I used his shirt as a nightie. He never bothered wearing boxers to bed. My Carlos loved to sleep in the nude. I wasn't brave enough for that, but I never wore panties with his shirt. We cuddled in bed and fell asleep.