The day Erica left was cause for celebration. She warned me to be careful and not to lift anything heavy. I rolled my eyes and agreed. Having her in my apartment for nearly forty hours was forty hours too long. But her presence kept Ramirez and Morelli away. She wanted to accompany me to Mom's house for dinner, and I shot her down. The less involved Erica became in my life, the better. Explaining why I brought a woman to dinner was not something I had on my bucket list. Mom would have blessed herself with the sign of the cross and muttered something stupid about me becoming a lesbian.
I wasn't having much luck today. Mom had invited Bernie Kuntz for dinner again. He was polite and didn't seem bothered by my broken nose. "The pot roast is delicious. It's the best I ever tasted," Bernie told my mom. I thought it was overcooked and dry. It took nearly half the gravy Mom set on the table to make it palatable.
"Thank you, dear," Mom smugly replied. I resisted the urge to tell her I had eaten a better pot roast. Carlos and I didn't eat a lot of red meat. When we did, it contained less fat than the slab on my plate.
"Why did you invite Bernie for dinner, Mother?" I asked through clenched teeth.
"I went to the appliance store to order a new stove," Mom replied. "They were giving away margarita machines to the first twenty customers. I don't need it, but Bernie brought it here for you to take home. You weren't home when he tried dropping it off."
I wasn't home because I had my post-operation exam with the surgeon at Helen Fuld Hospital. He removed the bandages to let me breathe through my nose. "That doesn't explain the dinner invite," I said.
"Don't be smart with me," Mom argued. "He dropped over after work, and I invited him to stay."
"More like begged him," Grandma muttered. I could always count on Grandma to give me the truth.
"Mom, why?" I asked again, getting tired of her lies and manipulation.
"You need a man to protect and take care of you," Mom snapped.
"I can take care of myself," I argued. I have a husband who loves me unconditionally. He was my protector. I wasn't shopping for a replacement.
"Your broken nose and black eyes prove you can't," Mom retorted.
I pushed away from the table and stood. "Thank you for dinner, Mom. It was delicious. I would love to stay, but I must leave," I said.
"You barely touched your dinner. Sit down," Mom ordered. I obeyed her order and quickly shovelled the dry, gravy-covered meat into my mouth. Once I ate the last forkful of mashed potatoes, I stood, deposited my plate in the kitchen and left through the back door.
"Wait," Bernie yelled when I started the Jeep. He ran down the sidewalk to catch me before shifting the car into drive. "You forgot the margarita machine."
I rolled down the window and said, "Drop it into the back."
"It comes with strawberry margarita mix," Bernie announced as he moved the box from his truck to mine.
"Thanks," I mumbled when he closed the hatch. I waved and rolled up the window. Margaritaville, here I come.
A silver Porsche followed me until I was a block from home. It turned down the dead-end street off St James. I couldn't see who was driving since the windows were tinted. They should ban tinting the windshield. It appeared darker than the allowable limit. I shivered before exiting the Jeep, indicating that someone was lurking in the shadows. A cat strolled out of the bushes with its head held high. It leaped onto the lower rung of the fire escape and ran to the apartment above mine. I looked around, and the sensation of someone being nearby disappeared.
As I took two steps from the Jeep, I stopped and turned around. I unlocked the Jeep to open the hood. Removing the distributor cap was easy. Even with keys, you couldn't turn over the engine without it. I was glad Dad taught me that trick. Bringing it to my apartment would be stupid. I had the distributor cap hidden in the azalea bushes beside the building. Nobody could see it hidden inside the thick tangle of branches, which scratched my arm as I placed it. Hopefully, I would be able to find it tomorrow without too much trouble.
It was after 22:00 when I heard someone trying to pick their way past the locks and into my apartment. Morelli's Jeep was in the lot, parked beside the dumpster. I looked outside and couldn't see anything past the rain soaking the window. The fire escape creaked. I grabbed my gun and stepped away from the window. If someone smashed the glass to get inside, I wouldn't get cut by the shards.
My apartment door swung open. Carlos entered and raised a brow. He wasn't surprised I had prepared to defend myself from an intruder. I lowered my weapon and tucked it into the waistband of my sleep shorts. "You scared me," I hissed.
"Sorry, Babe," Carlos replied. "You left this in the Jeep." He grabbed the box he set on the floor outside the door.
I brushed past him to lock the door and secure the chain, which I swore I slid into place. "It was too heavy," I said. Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "Why are you here?" He wasn't supposed to be available until tomorrow.
Carlos doesn't answer. He goes into the kitchen to unpack the margarita machine. I watched in amusement as he used soapy water to clean it. With a wink over his shoulder, Carlos set everything up to make me a drink. He opened the freezer to get the ice cubes Erica made while she was tending to my nose. It was my turn to raise my brows when he added more than a single shot of rum. Passing me the frozen daiquiri, Carlos answered my question. "Al mentioned the surprise dinner guest when he called me."
"How does Al know?" I asked.
"He drove past when Kuntz ran from Helen's house," Carlos replied. "Al circled back as Kuntz deposited the box in the Jeep. He called to ask if I was coming here tonight."
"Have you put off your meeting again?"
Carlos gave me his sexy side smile. "The meeting happened," he said. "It ended earlier than I expected."
I tilted my head to the right. "A meeting with the alphabet agencies ended early," I said disbelievingly. "You're joking, right?"
His melodic laugh filled the kitchen. Carlos poured himself a glass of daiquiri. It wasn't his favourite drink, but he didn't want me to drink more than I could handle. He washed the machine and motioned for me to leave the kitchen. Carlos waited until we settled comfortably on the lumpy couch.
"The FBI director had to attend his granddaughter's dance recital. We didn't waste time nitpicking the contract. Rangeman has full access to their criminal database, and we assist their team in arresting the fugitives," Carlos explained.
"Is that all you negotiated?"
"They want you to validate their research before dispatching a team," he replied.
"I thought we already had that contract with the FBI," I said.
"Rangeman renewed their contract with the organization. We are working directly with Quantico instead of the auxiliary branches. I don't have to contact Quantico whenever Rangeman needs to move out of our jurisdictions."
"So the director in Quantico will notify you when they need assistance," I said, ensuring I understood.
"And the director will contact their auxiliary branches to order their cooperation," Carlos explained while gently stroking my inner thigh.
My hormones went into overdrive, heating my body from the inside. I sipped my daiquiri, enjoying the mix of rum with strawberries as it bathed my tongue before sliding down my throat. The ice-cold slush wasn't enough to cool the heat building in my body. I drank more of the sweet, cold drink. My head ached from the brain freeze. Carlos chuckled, took the drink from my hand, and placed it on the coffee table. He pressed his lips against my chin. My breath hitched as he gently kissed the tip of my nose before moving to the spot behind my ear. I groaned as he gently sucked on the skin.
Carlos ran his hands down my arms, then trailed them back up. Without hurting me, he pulled me onto his lap with my back to his chest. His hands brushed mine, gently stroking them before entwining our fingers. My breaths grew heavier and more desperate as he continued kissing and nibbling my neck. I squirmed on his lap, feeling him growing harder beneath my ass. "Carlos," I moaned.
He released one hand and splayed it on my stomach. The heat from his palm permeated the thin fabric of my sleep shirt. "I need you," Carlos murmured. He nibbled my ear.
"Take me," I gasped as he gently bit my shoulder. I got lost in the sensation, letting Carlos do whatever he wanted.
My body ached in all the right places. I smiled as I opened my eyes. It was still dark outside, so I checked the time. I rolled over in bed to face Carlos. He sleepily opened his eyes and smiled. His watch alarm chimed. Carlos silenced it. "How's your nose?" he asked.
"It's fine. My nose isn't where I'm feeling sore," I replied. "I hope my screams didn't keep the neighbours awake."
"Babe, they removed their hearing aids for the night," Carlos said, making me giggle.
He placed a hand on my hip and tugged me closer. We had to be careful kissing since my nose was still tender. I could breathe easily, but Carlos and I often got carried away during our intimate moments. "Do you think my neighbours are awake?" I asked.
Carlos rolled me under him and gave me a proper wake-up call. My legs were like jelly. He helped me climb from the bed. I held his hand as we walked naked to the bathroom. Carlos washed my hair, gently scratching my scalp and making me moan. I loved having his fingers in my hair as much as he loved tugging the locks as we made love.
We quickly rinsed when the water got cold because our shower turned sexy. I stepped over the tub's edge and into the towel Carlos held open for me. He wrapped it around me and tucked the edge into the space between my breasts. I rolled my eyes when Carlos prepared my toothbrush, squeezing the tube from the end. We never fought over insignificant things like that. I might squeeze the toothpaste from the middle, but I always fixed it after returning the cap and rolling the end until the tube was perfect. Carlos passed me the cup of water to rinse my mouth. I took a swig of water and passed the cup to him. He followed suit by spitting out the water and turning on the tap to rinse the sink.
I towel-dried my hair and applied gel to keep it from getting frizzy. Carlos helped me brush my hair into a ponytail and expertly threaded it through the elastic to hold it in place. He gently tapped my ass and left the bathroom.
"I can't wait until you can stop pretending to be single," Carlos said when I entered the bedroom.
"Me too. Are the Burg women throwing themselves at you?" I teased, glancing at the wedding band adorning his left-hand ring finger. I rubbed my finger and frowned. My finger felt naked without my rings. I didn't enjoy pretending to be unattached.
"Not recently. The women get Mateo and me confused. It's a blessing because the women leave me alone and a curse when he flirts. I made it clear that I wasn't available. Mateo is visiting Mama and Papa for three days. I'm returning to Miami for a few days to spend time with Alex and Jillie. They miss you."
"I miss them too," I confessed. "They haven't seen me with the bruises."
"Stephanie, my love, you need to let them see you," Carlos said. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and chewed on it. Carlos placed his calloused thumb on my lip and tugged it free. "Alex and Jillie are awake. We'll call them together."
Carlos and I got dressed. We walked to the living room to sit on the couch. I smiled when Carlos's phone rang when he unlocked it. He answered the video call from our children. "Hola, Papa," Jillian and Alex said when Carlos accepted the call. "How's Mama?"
I rested my head on Carlos's shoulder so the children could see me in the frame. "Hola mis hijos," Carlos replied as I finger-waved.
"Oh, Mama," Jillian cried, wiping a tear from her eye. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetie. The bruises are starting to go away," I replied. "It looked worse the day after surgery."
"I told you she was fine," Alex said, glaring at his sister. Jillian bumped his shoulder. "Is the boxer in jail?"
"He got arrested and released on bail yesterday," Carlos replied, clenching the hand not holding the phone. I stroked his knuckles until he released the fist.
"When are you coming home?" Jillian asked.
"I'll be home this afternoon, but your mother has to stay here until she solves the case," Carlos explained.
"How much longer?" Alex asked before Jillian could form the question.
"It could be a few days to a week," I replied. Morelli's bond would expire in six days. I had that long to solve the case and apprehend Morelli for skipping his court appearance. Jillian slouched her shoulders. She needed to see me face-to-face and not over a video conversation. "Jillie, I'll work my hardest to solve the case and debrief so I can come home."
"Okay," she whined. "I love you, Mama."
"I love you, too, sweetie," I replied.
"Hurry up and catch the bad guys so you can come home. I love you, Mama," Alex said.
"I love you, Alex," I said. "I'll call tonight."
"Thank you, Mama," Alex and Jillian said. I waited for Carlos to give our children his love and promise to be home this afternoon before allowing my emotions to consume me. Jillian was scared. I hated frightening my children with my injuries.
"Jillie will be okay," Carlos said. "She must remember the last time you got injured on the job."
"I thought she had forgotten. Jillie was only three," I replied.
"Some traumatic events have a lingering effect on children. She might not remember seeing you battered and bruised, but the ingrained memory is feeding that fear. Jillie will calm down when I get home," Carlos said. "Please stay safe while I'm away, Babe."
"I'll try. Al will have my back. I can always ask Lester or Bobby for help," I replied, assuming Tank would travel home with Carlos.
"Call me if you find yourself in trouble," Carlos said.
"I will," I promised.