Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Note: Just an odd little thought that came to mind.
A Theme Song?
By TT
Ranger glared at the two men standing before him, silently reviewing the roster to see if he could live without them for a few months while she shipped them off to Mongolia, Siberia, the Antarctic or somewhere equally welcoming.
He slid his gaze over to Tank and saw that the big man was not amused.
That was good. It meant he would have backup when he took action. He spotted Stephanie pull up in Big Blue just as Bobby and Lester began to repeat the song.
“Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away, hey!” they sang to the tune of “Jingle Bells”.
Despite his dislike of the song, it was oddly appropriate. He and Tank had been after Daniel Jester, a high-bond skip. They had just missed him and had given chase. Ranger had finally tackled him. Unfortunately, he had tackled Jester straight into garbage bags and he did, indeed smell. The two struggled, but the wet, partly decayed garbage didn’t lend itself to good footing and the unidentifiable slime that seemed to coat both Jester and himself wouldn’t allow for a handhold.
Tank, who Ranger knew with absolute certainty was not enjoying the Robin reference, had given chase and accidentally brushed past a small woman, knocking her purse off her arm. The woman behind her assumed he was a purse thief and hit him in a rather sensitive area with her purse. Tank was now mostly recovered. But the delay had allowed Jester to escape.
When they returned to their car, it was to find that they had two flat tires. They had no choice but to call for a ride.
Ranger saw Stephanie approaching, concern and amusement in her eyes. He saw a smile twitch at the corner of her mouth as she caught the song Bobby and Lester were singing. He wasn’t sure what he expected her to say and had no idea how she had found out about this mess, but, as always, he was pleased to see her.
“Are you all right?” she asked, staring directly in to his eyes.
Ranger smiled and nodded. He couldn’t help the warm feeling that touched his heart when he saw her relax upon finding out he was unhurt.
Her eyes ranged over him taking in every detail of his body and he felt himself start to heat with desire. When her eyes met his once more, he could see they were darkened slightly with desire and shone with amusement.
“Having my kind of day?” she teased.
There was nothing for it but to return her smile. “Could be,” he replied, smiling back at her.
“So, did the Batmobile really lose a wheel?” Stephanie asked, the same teasing smile on her lips.
“Two slashed tires,” he informed.
She glanced at Bobby and Lester who were watching the interaction with great interest. “Need a lift?” she asked.
Ranger just grinned. “Thanks, Babe,” he replied, wanting to reach out to tug a curl, but the feel of garbage on his hand stopped him. Glancing briefly at the grinning Lester and Bobby, he added. “Tank will be taking the other Rangeman vehicle back to the office while Bobby and Lester wait for the road side service to show up.”
Twin groans of protest were cut off with glares from both Tank and Ranger.
“OK,” Stephanie said, fiddling with her keys. “Let me just grab the blanket from the back.” With that said, she turned and headed back to her car.
Ranger stayed back for a minute and just stared at Lester and Bobby. The duo looked far from repentant, but he knew his displeasure with their antics had been communicated. Friends or not, he wouldn’t tolerate that sort of disrespect, especially not in public. They would talk about it later, but for now, he needed a shower.
Moving off toward Stephanie’s car, he caught himself wondering if the real Batman ever had days like this. Then, shaking his head at his own thoughts, he let out a low chuckle.
With any luck, he’d be able to convince Stephanie to help him clean up in the shower. After all, she and Morelli had been off again for a few months. Maybe it was time to up the pressure.
End.