I do not own JE's characters. I just like playing with them.

A/N: My muse fluctuates and this story came out of me trying a twist. I wish I could have a do-over like this sometimes, but I guess I will just make it good for Steph and Ranger.

This fic is a little slow moving as is their relationship. Sometimes, the buildup is better. I am trying to show a new Ranger and a new Steph.

Bear with me and my silly sense of humor. The rating is earned for some language.

Thanks for your messages! Please read and review.

Stephanie POV

Max wakes me up and I see that Chessie is not here. I shake Carlos. He rolls over on top of me and kisses me. "Good morning, my love."

I smile at him. "Yes, yes. Good morning. Take Max out for me. I have to check on Chessie and get her ready to go to the gym before Cat shows up and steals her from me."

I shove him away after two more kisses and scramble out of the bed. I look in her room and she is singing in front of the mirror.

"He had it coming. He had it coming. He only had himself to blame. I didn't do it. But if I done it. I betcha you would have done the same."

She is stomping her little feet and she has a mean expression on her face and she is aiming her gun.

"Chessie, Sweetie?" She turns away from the mirror and smiles at me.

"Heyyy Stephie! You sleep long! So, I had to pee and I came to my bathroom and then I remembered the song and I wanted to sing it!"

I sighed. She was an early riser and she watched Chicago. "Chessie, why did you watch Chicago?"

She walks over to me and puts up her arms. I pick her up and she kisses my cheek.

"Stephie, I told Tia Ella that I wanted to watch a jail movie with women. They are badass, Stephie."

I decide to leave it alone. "Chessie, you cannot kill someone. Jail is not really about singing songs."

She smiles at me. "I know! First we watched Orange is the New Black."

I am not letting Ella babysit anymore. Honestly, she is only three—almost four.

"Come on and get changed, Sweetie. We are going to the gym and then you will come back for your shower and then my mother is taking you with her for the morning. What Rangemen do you want to go with you, Chessie?"

"Oh, right. Well, Manny and Hector said that if they go, they will teach me how to be sneaky and how to open a lock. But, Cal said that he can teach me to swim. It is too cold to swim right now, so I guess that Manny can come and Hal because he said that he will take me to the park to play with Max."

I am amazed that she is already working them. I help her to change into a little tee shirt and shorts and her sneakers. She insists that she wears her guns and I leave her in the living room with a little mini muffin and some chocolate milk and the television on Sesame Street.

I change into shorts and a tee shirt over my sports bra and I am ready to go to the gym. Before I can escape the bedroom, the phone rings. I answer it on my way to the living room and Carlos comes into the apartment without Max. He passed the buck! I will smack him.

"Hello?"

"Estefania? Is it true?" Oh, no.

"Good morning, Woki. Is what true?"

I know, but I need to know if he is alright with it.

"Did you get a little girl and did Tio Ric adopt her and she has guns? Does she like superheroes, Estefania?" Phew!

"Yes to all of that. She likes Mrs. Smith, Woki. Why are you whispering?"

"Because, I took the phone from my daddy and I am hiding in the closet. Your number is number seven. He told me before. What is her name, Estefania and do you still love me?"

He is so adorable. "Her name is Francesca and she likes to be called Chessie. Yes, I still love you, Woki."

He sighs. The poor baby.

"Daddy told Mommy about the little girl last night. He said that Abuelo told him that she is cute and she talks a lot. They talk like I was not in the room, so I listened. Will she like me, Estefania?"

"Yes, Woki. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Si!"

I hand the phone to Chessie, who is glaring at Cookie Monster. What did he do to her?

"Chessie, telephone." She takes the phone and I listen to her side of the conversation.

"Hello. Hi. Yes. Oh that is cool. I will come to the party, but you must come to mine. It is on Saturday. Do you have a gun? I have two and a knife. I know, but you can ask Hector or Cat. They like knives. Really? No, I do not want to be a princess. Si, I like Maxi. You SHOULD get a dog. Ok. I have to go to the gym with Stephie. Yes, we are friends. Bye, Keen!"

She hands me the phone. Woki sounds upbeat now. "Estefania, I have to go. Daddy is calling me! I love you! Thank you for my new friend!" He hangs up. That was nice.

"Come along, Chessie. Why do you not like Cookie Monster?" She lets me hold her hand. I wave to Carlos and she blows him a kiss.

"Stephie, he is a stealer! People were just sitting there with their cookies and he comes up and takes them and eats them! He should go to jail!"

We get on the elevator and it stops at the second floor without us pressing a button.

"Chessie, wave to the camera."

We wave and go into the gym.

"So, what do you want me to do, Stephie?"

Cal solves that by coming over.

"Hello, Miss Chessie. Hello, Bombshell. Chessie, do you want to do exercise with the videos with me?"

She smiles and follows him. Lucky little girl. I get on the treadmill. A few minutes later, Carlos gets onto the one next to me.

"Babe, why are you irked with me? I know I was a little rough last night, but I had really missed you."

I look over at him. Damn, he looks good. How can he think this is about sex? How can he think that I can have a chat while I am running? I slow down my machine and turn to him.

"Carlos, I am not irked because of our sex life. I am irked that you did not walk the dog. You passed the buck. I am also irked that Chessie is obsessed with jail movies and Ella let her watch Chicago. She does not like Sesame Street because she said Cookie Monster has to go to jail. I am mostly irked that my mother is going to show her off to the Burg today. She is not a trophy!"

I turn back to my machine and correct the speed and run until I think I am about to die and then I stop it. I ran 11 miles. Go me. Now if I could only find my left lung; that would be great. I was standing there trying to breathe, when I saw Chessie doing 'Move Your Body' with the guys.

She was so cute, and she apparently wanted to be a cop when she grew up in addition to a spy. I know she wants to jump off of a building, too. She really does need two guards today. She finished her workout and let the guys shake her hand. One guy tried to hug her and handed her a bottle of water that he opened for her. She backed away from him twice before drawing her gun and shooting him in the crotch. She glared at him and walked away.

I met her halfway. "Chessie, what is wrong?"

She huffs and looks at the Rangeman that I honestly do not recognize. I thought I knew all of the guy's names.

"I do not know that guy and he handed me a drink that is already opened, Stephie. He tried to hug me. He is bigger than me. He could knock me out or steal me or something. I got a weird feeling about him, and then I shot him."

I picked her up and we walked over to Carlos, who was sulking at the elliptical machine.

"Carlos, who is that guy over there with the dirty blonde hair?"

He looks at him and shakes his head.

"I think he is a contract worker, Babe. Check with Tank." I should smack him.

"Chessie does not like him. She said he gives her a weird feeling and he tried to hug her. None of the other guys tried to hug her, Carlos. She shot him because he would not back off. "

His expression changes and he shuts off the machine.

"I will handle it, Babe. Good job, mija. Do not leave without saying goodbye to me, okay?"

She finally smiled. "Okay, Ricky." I carried her out of the gym without looking back. We had showers to take and Chessie had to the Burg and I had Morelli this morning. Why me?

Ranger POV

I did not think it was such a big deal that I let Hal walk the dog. I have a feeling that Babe is mostly worried about Chessie going with her mother today. I will have two guys on her. I am worried, too. She is my little girl and she does not like this guy, Weiss. I walk over to him and he is rubbing his thigh. She got him!

"What is your interest in Chessie, Weiss?"

He looks up at me with a smile.

"I like little girls."

No this fucker did not just say that to me.

"What?" He smiles again.

"That sounded creepy didn't it? Sorry, man. I have 2 year old twin daughters, but my ex will not let me see them. They have hair like mine, but it is curly. I just wanted to be nice to little Chessie. I think I scared her. I did not mean to. I just miss my daughters is all."

That is a relief. I thought I was going to have to kill this man. "Weiss, we have lawyers here. Use them. You should be able to see your kids."

He looks at me like I am Santa Claus. "Does this mean that you are hiring me on full time? As a temp worker, I do not have benefits." Dammit!

I look at Tank and he nods and so does Bobby. Lester gives me a thumbs up.

"Yes, Weiss. Go to Rodriguez in HR and I will tell Chessie what you told me. She is a little jumpy and it is not easy for her with so many new people. She will come around."

He shakes my hand. "Thanks, man. She is so adorable, though with her little guns. She shot me! I think she is great. Tell her I know how to jump out of planes."

"Hell no. I told her she cannot learn that until she is 10. Find something else to teach her. She likes cards and board games. Do that with her. I have to go."

I leave the gym and go to the apartment. Chessie is waiting on the sofa in a denim pleated skirt with dark green tights and a dark green blouse and a brown jacket. She has brown furry boots on that come to her shins. She is wearing her guns and her hair is in a high ponytail. I see that she has sunglasses perched on top of her head as well, her backpack is next to her, and she is listening to an Ipod and singing.

"I don't think you ready for this jelly. I don't think you ready for me. My body's too bootylicious for you, baby!" She is really adorable.

I tap her on the shoulder and she turns off her music. "Heyyy Ricky! Where is my kiss?"

I lean over and kiss her cheek.

"Did you talk to the creepy guy? Why would he try to hug me? I do not even know his name? Is he a stealer? Does he want to take me away, Ricky?"

I sit next to her. "No, mija. He just wanted to be nice to you and he said he is sorry for making you feel scared. He misses his little girls. He said they are two years old. He promised to play connect four or something with you later. His name is Weiss. Are you okay?"

She smiled at me and got on her knees next to me and kissed my cheek again.

"Yes, I am okay. So, Ricky. Cookie Monster is a stealer. He takes cookies from people. That is not fair. I do not want to watch that anymore if he is not going to jail. Can you tell Stephie that I can watch Chicago? I like the songs and it is girls in jail that have guns and a knife!"

Dios! "Chessie, baby. I will talk to Babe. You wait right here. We will have breakfast when Tia Ella brings it. Do not leave the apartment, mija."

"Okay, Ricky!"

She turns her music back on and starts singing again. I go in search of Babe and find her dressing identically to Chessie. That skirt is short. Before I can say anything, Cat comes into the bedroom. She is also dressed like Babe and Chessie.

"I will cut you! Ella is also mad, Chica. How could you do this to us? This means we have the rest of the week. I will meet you downstairs at 0730 for the appointment with the pendejo. Batman and Robin indeed."

She stomps away and I see that Babe is laughing. "What was she talking about, Babe?"

She kisses me and I almost lose my train of thought. "She wanted to dress Chessie, but I guess Lester had her occupied. I have to feed her breakfast and I already packed her bag. Hurry up, Sexy."

She kissed me again and damn I want her. I took my shower and dressed in dark blue cargos and a matching button down with my boots.

In the dining room, Chessie is eating oatmeal with peaches in it and Babe is eating a waffle with whipped cream on top. I give her a look and she ignores me.

"Ricky, did you tell her?" Oh, right.

"Babe, Chessie does not like Sesame Street. Can she please still watch Chicago? She already saw people die in Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

She opens her mouth and closes it. She glares at me, but smiles at Chessie. "Okay, Sweetie. I want you to promise not to try to kill anyone, though. If you get scared, you press your panic button and scream fire."

Chessie nods and eats her turkey sausage and drinks her juice.

"Thank you, Stephie. You have the same clothes like me! Tia Ella gave me a lunch that she put into my bag. Ricky, Keen is my new friend! I need a present for him, so can I use my money?"

Dios, did she still have that money in her backpack?

"Chessie, please let me see your backpack. I think that we should leave your money here so no one can steal it. We can put it into the safe. You can take $25 with you to buy Joaquin a present. How is that?"

She looks up from her juice and the Dr. Seuss book she is reading. "Okay. I need to talk to Hector before I leave. Can I have a phone, Ricky?"

I was prepared for this one. I handed her a durable cell phone. "My number is number one, mija. Babe is number 2." She giggles.

"No. Make her number three. No one should be number 2, Ricky." Kiddie humor. Babe smiles at her. I take the phone back and make the change.

"Rangeman is number 4, Chessie. Anybody at Rangeman can help you, okay?"

She nods. "Will Keen get a phone, too? He needs a puppy, Ricky." I smile at her. Celia is getting Woki a puppy today.

"He will get a phone, mija. Put your phone into your jacket pocket. Call me if you need me, okay? Tell Manny and Hal of you have a problem."

She studies the phone. "Okay, Ricky." Just then, her phone rings and she answers it.

"Si, this is Dragon. Quien es? Oh, hello Jack! Okay. I will be down in a minute. Tell her to sit down. Okay. bye!" She hangs up and wipes her face. She gets out of her seat and runs to me and kisses me.

"I love you, Ricky. It is time for me to go. Can you tell Hal and Manny?" I hug her a little longer and nod at her. Babe gets up and grabs her bag and her phone and walks to the door.

"I love you, too Carlos." I hug her.

"I know, Babe. Do not worry. She will have two guys on her."

She sighs and leaves with Chessie. I go to have the morning meeting. Babe, Cat, Wyatt and Hector will not be there. They are going to Morelli's. He had better not try anything.

Helen POV

I got to the building and I called that sweet Calvin to let me in. He carried the bags that I brought with me. They are so chivalrous. Once I was in the lobby, I gave that nice Jack a muffin. He smiled so big. These boys just love a mother's touch.

Today, I am wearing a denim dress and my brown boots. My hair is back on a loose bun and I have on my matching brown jacket. Jack called little Chessie and told me to have a seat and she would be right down. I am so excited to have another little grandbaby to spoil! The elevator dings and she steps off with Stephanie. Wow. We are kind of dressed alike. She sees me and runs over.

"Hello, Granny. Do you have the password?" I look at Jack and he smiles.

"The password for today is fire, Chessie." She smiles at me.

"You are right. Okay, Stephie. I am leaving now. Have fun today and I will see you when I get back."

She hugs Stephanie and Stephanie waves at me. She has not said a word. She must be nervous, the poor dear. Manny and Hal come off of the elevator and we leave. They help me to settle Chessie into her seat and they offer to drive so I can talk to Chessie in the back seat. That is a nice idea, so we take their Explorer.

"I wanted to stop and get churros this morning and then we can eat them and I have to pick up dry cleaning and to go to the market. Is that alright, boys?"

They smile and nod at me. "Granny, I have to find a present for my friend Keen. His birthday is tomorrow. I have money. Can we buy him something? I already talked to Hector and he will get him a knife. That is part of the present." She is so cute!

Sure, Chessie. We can go to Walmart and find him a present. Maybe a movie or something. We got out of the car at the Tasty Pastry and people were staring at us. Whatever. Mother was here, so she came strolling up to us.

"Good morning, Helen. Is this the new grandbaby? Hello, Miss Frankie! I am Edna and I am Helen's mother. You can call me Gram. I like those guns. Do you want to play bingo with me on Thursday?"

Chessie looks at Mother with a raised eyebrow. I lean over and whisper the password to her and she whispers it to Chessie who smiles.

"Sure, Gram. You have to tell Hector about my schedule. Do you have a gun?"

Mother pulls a huge gun out of her bag and holds it in the air. People scream and hit the floor. Poor Katrina just stares at us.

"She is not robbing you, dear. She is just excited to show off her gun. Mother, give that gun to Manuel right now!" She hands it over and he takes out the bullets. Honestly!

"Shut your pie hole, Helen and live a little. No one got hurt. I did not aim it at anyone. So, yes Frankie, I have a gun. I will see you later, Cutie. Bye boys!" She pinches poor Hal on his rear end on her way out the door.

"Gram is funny! We are next, Granny."

I buy the churros and keep apologizing to Katrina. She waves me off like it is nothing. She is such a nice girl. We eat our churros and I wipe Chessie's hands. At the market, I put Chessie into my cart and I explain my list to her. We shop in contentment, only stopping to say hello to people who all exclaim over how pretty Chessie is. We are almost to the checkout counter when we were accosted by Shirley Gazzara. Great. She is such a gossip.

"Helen, hello! Who is this cutie pie?" She says it to Chessie, but I notice she gets this blank expression on her face like the boys do when they are working.

"This is Carlos' daughter. I am watching her for the day, Shirley. She is a little shy and she does not talk to strangers." There I told her something, but not all of the details.

Shirley stares at Chessie. "Do you mean he had a daughter all of this time and did not tell Stephanie?"

I want to smack her and Chessie takes out her water gun. I better wrap this up. "No, Shirley. He adopted this darling girl recently. Stephanie loves her. Well, we must be going now. You have a great day."

We move up in line and I see that the boys have added more cake mix and icing to the cart. They are so silly acting. We pay and take the groceries to the house. Chessie walks around and looks at pictures and bounces on the couches. I take her to the bathroom and we head out to the dry cleaners and the deli.

Nothing happens at the cleaners, but in the deli, I am faced with Bella Morelli. She approaches me while I am asking Chessie's opinion of the chicken or the fish for dinner tonight. She chose chicken wings. She said they are fun, so I get chicken wings. While Maria is weighing them, Bella is chanting.

"Bella, why are you chanting at me?" She glowers at me.

"You turned my daughter in law into a scarlet woman! She sees this Reed man all of the time now and I am sick of it. It is all your fault! He is not even Italian!"

I know, he is a nice mixed race gentleman. He is part black and part white. He is our age and he is a widower. He actually lives near Ana and Ricardo and he plays poker with Ricardo sometimes. He and Bella really hit it off.

"It is not like they will have babies together, Bella. Why do you care that he is not Italian? He is also not a wife beater or an alcoholic. You need to calm down."

"I cannot stand your daughter! It is her fault that my Joey will not have children! She told all of the women that he was small and he had to date a man! And his house!"

I have no idea what she is talking about. How can it be Stephanie's fault that Joseph is not well endowed? What about his house? I just saw him last night and he was smiling at everyone, even Stephanie.

Bella does not like that I am not arguing with her, so she takes it physical. She shoves me and we fall into the tower of cans of creamed corn and it falls down around us. Some people have no manners at all. I push her off of me and avoid her bony arms as she tries to slap me. I am helped to my feet by Manuel and Hal is trying to get Chessie to stop shooting Bella with blue paint pellets. I walk over to her.

"It is alright, Chessie. I am okay now. You can stop shooting her. We need to take this meat home and then we can have lunch, okay?"

She glares at Bella. "You leave my granny alone lady or I will get you!"

I pay for my purchases and the boys fix the display for Maria. She thanks them and we leave. My phone is ringing before I get into the car.

"Hello?"

"Helen, did you really get knocked over in the store and Chessie shot Bella Morelli?"

"Yes, Carlos. She is very protective. I am alright, though. The boys helped me immediately and I got Chessie to stop shooting. We are headed to my house now."

He sighs. "Okay. It has been a rough morning, that's all."

What is he talking about?

"Are you alright, Carlos? Do you want to have lunch with us?"

"Yes. I am on my way. Thank you."

The poor dear. He is probably just worried about Chessie. She is singing and dancing in her little seat, so I remain quiet the rest of the way to the house. Maybe Carlos could use a strong cup of tea? He did just get home from wherever he was. He needs to relax. I notice the air near my home smells a little smoky. What is that about?

Stephanie POV

"Chica, I am telling you. This man does not really like you. He wanted to possess you, remember? He is not to be trusted. Do not take his food or anything. Do not sit on the furniture. I have your back."

I nod at Cat. We had all decided to park a block away and we were walking to Morelli's house. I noticed that his cars were missing. Where was he if he is the one that made the appointment? We stood across the street studying his home. It was painted yellow and white and it was detached. He had a nice size yard in the front and in the back, too. Behind us, a neighbor spoke to us.

"Hello there, Stephanie Plum. Do you remember me? It's Mrs. Miller from pre-K"

I smile at her and we all gather on her porch. I always liked Miss Eva. That is what we called her. I think her name is Evangeline. That was too long for us back then. She has not aged much it seems. Black people do not really get wrinkles.

Her skin is a cinnamon color and her hair is light brown and she has it in a long French braid. She was young when I was in pre-K so she must be almost 60 by now. She is as spry as ever and she is about my height. She quickly sets out a plate of churros and gives all of us bottled water.

"So why are you all staring at Joseph's house? He is not home. Plus I thought he moved out yesterday."

"What? He asked us to come and secure the house, Mrs. Miller."

She shakes her head. "No, dear. Monday is my day that I take care of my lawn and such. I was out here in my coat all bundled up. I do my own chores since Charlie passed on in that car accident." I pat her hand and she smiles.

"It's fine. It was five years ago and I get his pension and all. So I was out here most of the morning and I saw everything. Yesterday, there was a parade of men taking boxes and furniture out of that house. They were nice looking and Joseph was with them. He even took the flags off of the roof. I follow Edna on Facebook, so I took a few shots of them for her on my phone. I have not sent them to her yet, though."

I am intrigued by this story. She sips her tea and rocks a little on her porch swing. I want one of those! Wyatt sat right next to her, too. The brown noser.

"He waved to me when he drove away, too and said that he was going to get ready for that party that I heard about. I didn't go. That is not really my scene, but I did donate money to those little Boy Scouts. They should sell cookies like the girls, don't you think?"

"Yes, Mrs. Miller. I think that they should sell cookies."

Hector gets another churro and smiles at Mrs. Miller. I look at Cat and the guys and we all wonder why we were set up.

"I heard tell that you had a very nice looking Zorro for a date and he that he has a little one. So, you know that I babysit now. If you want to leave that sweetie with me, you can, or I can come to you. It's no problem. I love kids."

I smile at the mention of Chessie. Mrs. Miller did have the best snickerdoodles. "Sure, Mrs. Miller. I will keep you in mind. Let me take your number and give you mine."

She beams a smile at me and scurries into the house for a pen and paper and across the street, Morelli's house goes boom. There are flames everywhere. I look at my watch. It is fucking 8:01am. That son of a bitch!

I call Carlos and he answers on the first ring. "Yo." I sigh.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"We will not be signing up the Morelli account, Carlos."

I see that Cat is calling 911. I nod at her. The fire seems to be centered at the one house. It does not even move to the garage.

"Why not, Babe? Did he make a pass at you or something?"

I sigh. "Nope. We were about to go across the street and knock on his door when his neighbor recognized me and so we sat on her porch talking for the last 10 minutes or so and then his house exploded at 8:01am. We were of course scheduled for 8:00am."

I hear Carlos muttering in Spanish to himself. I continue my mini report. "He also moved out yesterday according to Mrs. Miller, who I think we should hire to hang with Chessie some days instead of daycare. I had her for pre-K and she is awesome. Plus, she is a witness. I bet you Morelli will try to say that we set his house on fire. She has photos in her phone to prove the time and date that he moved out."

Carlos sighs and curses under his breath. "Babe, you are all alright, though right?"

"Yup." That poor pretty yellow house.

"Okay, after you talk to the police and the fire department, bring Mrs. Miller here. She might need a safe house for a few days."

"Okay, Carlos. I love you."

All of this smoke is ruining my outfit, too. I am going to need a shower to wash off this smell.

"I love you, too, Babe."

We hang up and the fire department shows up and the police. I inch over to Mrs. Miller.

"Listen, Mrs. Miller. You are a witness and Morelli might not like that you know that he already moved. Let us have the photos from your phone. That will be proof. We can give it to the Fire chief when he comes to interview us. Let's go and pack you a bag so you can stay with us for a few days. You can meet Chessie after lunch. She is with my mother right now."

"That is fine with me. I live here alone anyway. So can I cook where you are taking me? Tuesday nights are chicken and dumplings nights." Hector moves so quickly, I think that he apparated.

"Let me help you, Mrs. Miller." Wyatt is not to be left out.

"I will help you, too. Do you have many pots to bring? If you give us a list, we will go to the market for you, Mrs. Miller. You should be able to rest. Do you crochet?"

They take her into the house and I shake my head.

Cat walks back over to me. "Chica, that fucker wanted us to either die or get blamed for the fire. He is stupid, though, because we record all of our calls and we have him recorded asking you to come personally. Also, that must have been on a timer. I talked to the fire chief and told him that it was an explosive and it went off at 8:01am. He said that he will come and question us at Rangeman."

I smile at her. "Good call getting us another granny lady. They really hog Ella and your mother has a part time job."

I laugh at her. It takes an hour, but we are able to leave. Morelli never shows up. That is also suspicious. Where the hell is he?

Joe Morelli POV

I look at my watch. Right about now, that house is going boom and Cupcake is either inside or she looks guilty. I don't want her anymore. That is true, but I owe that bitch. I am pretty sure that she is the one that is behind all of the troubles I have had for the past month.

I know I met Andrew and I do really like him, but paybacks are paybacks. I have insurance on the house anyway, so I am not concerned. I had today off and Andrew had to work. He does not know that I set up the explosives in the house. I did learn a thing or two from the Navy.

I moved in with Andrew yesterday. He lives in Hamilton Township, which is away from the Burg with all of its nosey neighbors. I hate those people, always in your business. Any minute now, they will call me to tell me my house is on fire. I get to have revenge on Cupcake, get out of the Burg and get a nice fat check on top of it. It's good to be me. My phone rings and I answer it. It's show time.

Carlos POV

I met Mrs. Miller and she was very nice. The guys wanted to swarm her, but she told them to let her get settled and that she had some cooking to do. She walked off with Ella talking about recipes and maybe alternating nights to cook this week since she would be here at least until the weekend.

Babe had rushed to change her clothes and I understood. Hector took Mrs. Miller's phone and sent more guys to pack up her knick knacks and pictures and her kitchen and her clothes. He said he just had a feeling about it. I agreed. If Morelli would set his own house on fire, he would do it to her, too, to keep her quiet.

Hector said that he convinced her to bring all of her important papers and valuables when they packed. My men are good at what they do, so I left them to it.

I had a meeting with Mr. Venkman about his spa. We reviewed his blueprints and he signed the contract. I was just getting settled in my office when Cal called me.

"Yo."

"Boss, at Givenchy's, some lady, I think it is Morelli's granny, shoved Helen to the ground and Chessie is shooting her." I sigh. I am glad that Maria gave us her account.

I called Helen and she invited me to lunch, so I called Babe to let her know I was leaving. The neighborhood smelled like smoke. I parked and knocked on the door. Hal answered and he had a sandwich in his hand. I walk past him into the dining room.

"Hello, Helen. Thank you for inviting me to lunch."

"Nonsense, Carlos! Sit down. Are you alright, dear?"

I nod and look around for Chessie.

"Chessie is eating in the living room. She wanted to watch something with jail in it, so I put on Law and Order. She said that Ella made her a lunch, so I set her up with a mat. She is so sweet, coming to my rescue like that. I do not know what has gotten into Bella Morelli. I have messages to check, too. Do you know anything?"

"Yes, Morelli's house blew up today. He had scheduled a meeting with Babe. She was across the street with Cat and Hector and Wyatt when it happened. If they had been on the porch at the right time instead of talking to a neighbor, they would have been really hurt."

She gasps and sits down. I get up and pour her a glass of iced tea. "You mean it went off when she was supposed to be there?! She could have died! That Bella had the nerve to try to blame my daughter for this? Do you think it was on purpose, Carlos?"

I pat her hand. "If it was, we will handle it, Helen. For the rest of the week, we will have a two guys on your home. Is that alright?"

She smiled at me. "Of course, it is fine. I had a nice time with Chessie today. She is so inquisitive. We did not get a gift for little Woki yet. I was going to have the boys take us to the Walmart and then to the building so I can get my car. Is that alright?"

"Yes, that is fine." I eat my soup and salad and I even have a piece of cornbread before I check on Chessie.

She is watching Law and Order like it is a Disney film. "Hello, mija." She looks at me and smiles and goes back to watching the show. When there is a commercial, she runs over to me.

"Ricky, the guy had to go to jail because he killed someone! Now they have to go to court. I had fun with Granny. She said after I eat, we can go and get Keen a present."

She kisses me and I set her back down so she can watch her show. Now that I know she is alright, I can leave.

"Okay, mija. I will see you soon. Be a good girl." She smiles and waves me off. She really likes this show. I go back to the dining room.

"Helen, I am going to go now. See you later. Men, watch my babygirl. I mean it."

They nod. "Yes, Ranger."

"Hal, wipe your face." He does and I leave.

It is only 1300 hours and I have already had a long day. I cannot believe that pendejo tried to blow up Babe. Morelli had better watch his back, because I was coming after him.