Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Pairing: None
WARNING!: Fluffy to the point of drier lint
Rating: Suitable for everyone
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For The Greater Good
By TT

Joe reached over and picked up his ringing phone. A quick glance at the caller ID had him sitting up straight, worry already beginning to fill him. “Morelli,” he barked into the device.

“You need to get to Stephanie’s,” Ranger’s voice commanded.

Already rising from his seat, Joe slipped his feet into his tennis shoes and reached for his wallet and keys. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Are you there now?”

“I’m here,” Ranger confirmed. “And believe me, it’s bad.”

Joe jogged out of his house and slid into his SUV, grunting occasionally to assure Ranger he was listening. It was only a few minutes of description, but Morelli backed out of his driveway and confirmed, “I’m on my way,” before turning off his cell and speeding to Stephanies’s apartment.

When he arrived, he didn’t even bother to knock, knowing Ranger would have left the door open for him.

As he stepped into the familiar space, his eyes were immediately drawn to the couch and Stephanie’s slightly hunched form. Joe’s eyes widened in shock. “Holy Mary Mother Of God,” he whispered.

Ranger just nodded in acknowledgement. “I did what I could, but it didn’t seem to have any effect.”

“And what do you expect me to do?” Joe asked, his shock adding a sharp tone to his voice.

“You’ve known her longer,” Ranger protested. “I just figured you’d seen this sort of thing before.”

“Never this bad,” Joe whispered. Licking his lips nervously, he cautiously took a step forward. “Cupcake?” he asked, his voice soft and soothing.

His query was met with a searing blue glare and what he was certain was a low growl.

Joe scurried back until he was once more even with Ranger. He remained motionless until Stephanie was once more absorbed in her task. “Any idea what set her off?” he asked.

Ranger shook his head. “She stopped by her parent’s house earlier. After about twenty minutes she came tearing out. GPS showed her stopping at almost every grocery store and bakery in the area before returning here. Once it looked like she was going to stay here, I came over to see what was wrong,” he explained.

Jaw dropping in shock, Joe blinked several times before he stammered, “I’ve never heard you use so many words. I didn’t know you could.” That earned him a narrowed glare from the black-clad mercenary. Looking back at Stephanie, Joe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “There’s only one thing I can do to find out why this happened.” When Ranger lifted an eyebrow, Joe grimaced and informed, “I need to call the Plums.”

A pained wince crossed Ranger’s face. Even his blank face wasn’t enough to stop the horrified reaction. Clapping Joe on the shoulder, he replied, “I’ve got your back.”

“I may need to hold you to that,” Joe replied, dialing the number that had been the same his entire life. “Hello, Mrs. Mazur?” he enquired. The faint sound of a female voice floated into the air, too soft for the words to have any definition. As Mrs. Mazur continued to talk, Joe grew more pale by the moment. Eventually, he said, “Thank you, Mrs. Mazur. Goodbye.” Call complete, he flipped his phone shut, closed his eyes and shuddered.

Ranger raised an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, Joe related the pertinent facts. “Somehow, Mrs. Mazur has been signed on to be a bounty hunter for Les Sebring.” He saw Ranger’s skin pale several shades.

“There’s more?” Ranger asked after he had absorbed the information and his color returned.

Joe nodded. “She has her first skip and is trying to get Jean Ellen to mentor her. Supposedly Mrs. Mazur has even bought an outfit like Jean Ellen’s.” He watched a shudder pass through the man in black.

“And Stephanie?” Ranger asked.

Taking a deep breath, Joe explained, “Mrs. Plum is blaming Stephanie.”

Ranger nodded. That last bit of information explained what they were seeing. Blowing out a breath, Ranger stared at the window for a few minutes before asking, “You know what we have to do?”

Joe nodded. Doing this didn’t sit well with him, but they really didn’t have much choice. It would be in everyone’s best interest, including the general population of Trenton. When he promised to serve and protect, he never thought he’d have to protect Trenton from Stephanie. But if they didn’t take action soon, the combined forces of the Trenton Police Department and Rangeman might not be enough to stop the destruction Stephanie would affect. “I’ll retrieve it tonight.”

“Behind the library at 10pm as usual?” Ranger confirmed.

“Better make it nine,” Morelli countered. “The sooner we get this taken care of, the better.”

Ranger nodded in agreement. “Nine,” he confirmed. “I’ll have my housekeeper take care of it.”

The two men took one last look at Stephanie before turning and leaving.

Joe slipped into the driver’s seat and started his SUV. He didn’t like what he was about to do. Breaking a law, even something like this, went against the grain. But he was enough of a realist to know that he was doing this for the greater good and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t return the item.

A shudder ran through him at the memory of what he had seen in Stephanie’s apartment. Her mother had banned Stephanie from having pineapple upside down cake until Mrs. Mazur gave up the idea of being a bounty hunter. Stephanie had stopped by every bakery and grocery store in Trenton picking up pineapple upside down cakes. She had them all stacked on the coffee table in front of her and was eating her way through them all.

Tonight, though, he would retrieve Mrs. Plum’s recipe for the dessert, hand it off to Ranger and take care of having it made.

He only hoped that whoever Manoso had make it was half the chef Mrs. Plum was.

End

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