Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich. No copyright infringement is intended.
WARNING!: A Dark Fic. Mentions drug use gone wrong, vengeance, etc.
Feedback: Email TT
Cupid
By TT
Joe sat in the plastic chair carefully breathing in and out in the hopes of containing his emotions. This was not the time and certainly wasn't the place to lose it.
Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together. He stared at his linked fingers and worked his way through every emotional control exercise he'd ever learned
Right now he couldn't let go of the anger, anguish, pain and fear. He had to sit here and wait because if he let that control slip even the slightest bit, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop, it was still too fresh, there was still too much uncertainty. Would she live? Would she die? Would she ever be the same? How was he supposed to tell her mother and father? They would be here any minute and it would be his duty to tell.
He lifted his hands and rubbed his eyes, wondering when he had gotten so old. Thirty-two wasn't supposed to be old, not like this.
As he leaned back in his seat, his attention was drawn to the entrance doors. It was movement that had caught his eyes because there was no noise.
His eyes remained steadily locked on the man headed his way. “Manoso,” Joe greeted, not entirely surprised by the evident strain in his voice.
At the sight of Ranger still in his all-black get-up, his mind flashed to earlier that night. He'd been at home sleeping when his pager went off. Checking the number, he'd sworn slightly, but gotten up and slipped into jeans, a t-shirt and some shoes.
He grabbed his badge and wallet, slipping them into his pocket. Clipping his pager to his belt, he grabbed his cellphone and flipped it open, calling in to dispatch to get more information as he headed out.
With the address in hand, he headed to the sight in question. Apparently Manoso had been going after a skip. When he arrived at the site in question, he and his men had stumbled on a Rave. That wouldn't have been so bad, but there were a mix of teens and college students and several of them were under the influence. What had precipitated the call to the station was the number of youths who were either unwell or already unconscious.
After securing the skips Ranger and his men had started offering what help they could and ensuring those who were unconscious were in a safe position.
Joe had arrived and exited his car, before he could get in the door, though, an ambulance crew came rushing out the doors. It took him only a second to recognize the form on the gurney. It was his cousin's daughter, Marie. As with most families in the Burg, his was close and, despite a 15 year age difference, he knew his second cousin quite well.
His captain had been standing nearby with Ranger and, once informed of who the latest victim was, both men had immediately ordered him to go with his cousin. Ranger had even assured Joe that he would have Morelli's car dropped off at the hospital.
He hadn't been so terrified on an ambulance ride in a long time. Marie was the oldest of the family's next generation while Joe was the youngest of the previous one. She was the first baby he had held, the first kid he ever babysat and his shadow whenever their families got together.
They had gotten on well and she had always been so full of life and joy.
The image of the paramedics working on her was burned in his brain. The words they had used, the information they had communicated had washed over him. Her pulse was weak and thready. Her breathing was weak and seemed suppressed. There was so much else they talked about, but he couldn't grasp much beyond the fact she was unconscious, she wasn't doing well and, until they either had a report from the police on-site or got back her tox screen, they wouldn't have a clue what she might be causing it.
Now, an hour after they wheeled his cousin into the examination rooms, Manoso had shown up and was standing in front of him.
“It was a new drug,” Ranger informed, his voice firm and steady, even as anger burned in his eyes. “Doesn't even have a name yet. Something the seller designed himself. We have some samples. It was supposed to be the next best thing to E, only give more of kick to the person's sex drive, make hooking up easier.”
“Who?” Morelli ground out. He needed to know who would do something like this to kids. He needed to know who thought it was a good idea. He needed to make the person pay.
“No name, yet,” Ranger informed, studying the other man carefully. “Just went by Cupid.”
Joe stared deeply into Ranger's eyes, trying to see if he was holding anything back. Satisfied the other man had shared all he knew, Joe allowed his emotions to show for a second before replying, “If I ever get my hands on him, Cupid is a dead man.”
The two men held their eye contact for several seconds longer, asking and answering questions only others like them could know.
“Understood,” Ranger offered before handing Joe the keys to the car and walking away.
As Joe turned his eyes back to the doors through which his cousin had disappeared, he was rewarded by them swinging open. Standing, he walked over to the doctor and waited.
“She'll eventually be fine,” the doctor said. “The drug still needs to work its way out of her system, but she will make a full recovery.”
Joe's head dropped forward and he let out a sigh of relief as he ran a hand through his hair. “When can I see her?” he asked.
End.