For disclaimer, notes, etc, please see the Table Of Contents.
Interlude One
Stephanie Gets A Stun Gun
(Stephanie)
Dropping Rex off in the apartment, Stephanie walked over to the bedroom and tossed her weekend bag into her room. There wasn’t much in there that she needed right now. She kept clothes both here and at Grandma Plum’s house, so she didn’t have to worry about carting them back and forth too much. It was mostly just toiletries and the occasional comfort item of clothing that made the trek to Newark with her - that and Rex’s hamster food.
With her bag taken care of and Rex settling in for the day in his soup can – a temporary home given to the furry guy by Caleb – Stephanie grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
She wasn’t really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the car again, having already driven through rush-hour traffic to return to Trenton, but she needed to turn in her receipts from Friday and see if there were any new files.
She still had a stack of them left over from the previous weeks, but, she had managed to bring about 50% of the ones she’d been given in to the police. Of course, most of them were getting close to the deadline where Vinnie would lose his bond, so she would need to get in touch with Ranger and see if he could help her with them.
Since the incident with Jimmy Alpha, and with Eddie’s encouragement, she still brought her gun with her, but it was as frequently unloaded as it was loaded and, if she had anything to say about it, it would stay that way. Having experienced the effects of using her gun, she had no desire to use it. Maybe Ranger would have some other suggestions. Or maybe Eddie or Joe would.
Joe. Now there was a thought.
As she started the engine to her Wrangler, she blew out a breath. Joe was… something.
The two of them had never been friends growing up and she wasn’t sure they were now.
The incident at the Tasty Pastry still hung between them, but she couldn’t deny he was an attractive man and it had been a very long time since she’d had a social orgasm. Still, he had always been a player, sleeping with as many women as he could.
But he’d changed. Well, he’d changed a little bit. She had noticed that when they first worked together on his case and then later, when he told her the entire interaction with Jimmy Alpha had been recorded and she was cleared.
It was Joe’s help as much as anything else that helped her deal with the aftermath of that night, of that whole week, actually. He was becoming a good friend.
But was she ready for his friendship?
Shaking her head, she forcefully changed the direction of her thoughts.
Caleb was still excited about her job. He thought it was even better than being in the police.
Stephanie didn’t really have the heart to tell him how much trouble she had doing the job or that the money she was barely making was less than what most officers made. The warmth that her son’s approval gave her was enough to encourage her to continue.
Of course, Grandma Plum, like her parents, had been worried and unhappy to learn she’d been shot. The two of them had spent a long time talking into the night about the risks and rewards of the job.
Eventually, though they made peace with Stephanie’s new career. Yes, there were and would be risks, but, for the most part, Stephanie wouldn’t be taking on high-end skips. That meant that she shouldn’t be facing that sort of danger. Combined with the real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction she received from doing her job, and there had been no other option, really. For too long Stephanie had wasted herself on jobs that didn’t suit her, that slowly sucked the life out of her and killed her spirit. This was the first job she’d had that made her feel alive.
It was Grandma Plum who convinced her that, for all she had sacrificed for Caleb over the years, she deserved to do this for herself.
That discussion had happened on Friday night when she had driven down to Newark. Saturday she would devote to being a mother to Caleb and Sunday the three of them would spend together.
With her more reliable car and a little bit of money stashed away from her capture of Morelli, they had actually been able to get away on Saturday morning and tramp through the woods a little bit. On the way home, they stopped by the stores and picked up a gift and wrapping for the party Caleb was going to that afternoon.
Stephanie recalled the conflicted emotions she’d had as she drove Caleb to the party. Her little boy was growing up. She was happy that he had made some new friends at preschool, but seeing him become more independent tore at her heart just a little. She was glad that would be able to do a normal “Mom” thing and meet the other kids and their parents, but was worried about what they would say when they found out her new profession.
In the end, she needn’t have worried.
There had been no discussion about her job, Caleb’s father or anything else. Caleb had a wonderful time and had checked on her a few times to make sure she was there.
One of the parents had a camera with them and had taken a number of pictures of all the kids playing. They had promised Stephanie copies of the pictures and she made a mental not to get a camera so she could take some pictures of Caleb.
Of course, she wouldn’t be able to bring those pictures with her to Trenton. The thought of Ramirez and Jimmy Alpha breaking into the apartment still haunted her. If they had found out about Caleb, he could have been in danger as well. No, it would be better to make sure that there was never any sign of Caleb in Trenton.
The rest of the weekend had flown by, filled with fun, laughter and just normal “mommy” moments. Who would have guessed she would ever take comfort in arguing with Caleb about his bedtime?
This morning she had dropped him off at preschool with a kiss, a hug, and a promise to call him later. With any luck, she would be able to catch the rest of her skips this week and get home again on the weekend.
The trip to Trenton had been horrid, as she knew it would be, and now she was running later than usual on her way to the bonds office.
Stephanie parked her Wrangler outside the bail bonds office, grabbed her bag and headed inside.
“Hey, Connie!” she greeted with a smile.
“Hey, Steph,” Connie returned as she filed her nails.
“Got anything new?”
Connie waved at a few folders on the corner of her desk. “Two,” she informed.
Stephanie grabbed the files and settled on the couch to look at them. She was just about to ask Connie about them when the door to Vinnie’s office opened and Ranger stepped out.
She blinked twice to clear her mind. It still startled her to see him and not for the reason that it affected most women. Most women saw him and lost all higher brain function because the man was almost too attractive to be real. Stephanie’s mind always hiccuped because she always had the impression that she was seeing what Caleb would look like when he was grown up.
She offered a smile of greeting and a soft, “Hi, Ranger.”
He smiled back and Stephanie found herself stunned for the more usual reason – he was a very attractive man.
“Babe,” he greeted, picking up a file from Connie’s desk. “You all set with your skips?”
“Um,” she replied looking away. The truth was, she was struggling a bit and could use a little help, but after the last time, she was reluctant to ask again.
Seeing her reluctance to say anything, Ranger tipped his head toward the door and commanded, “Walk with me.”
Not knowing what else to do, Stephanie stood and followed along behind him. One portion of her mind was relieved to see him walking without a limp or other evidence of the mishap with her gun and another noticed exactly how nice the view was as he walked ahead of her.
When they reached the sidewalk, Ranger turned to look at her. His eyes ran up and down her figure. “You got your gun, Eliza?” he asked.
Stephanie winced. She never brought her gun to Newark and she hadn’t gotten a gun safe. Right now she stored her .38 in the cookie jar Mable had left in the apartment. She’d gotten the idea from an old television show and it seemed to work.
“Didn’t think so,” he said, crossing his arms. “You gotta have protection with you when you go after skips,” he admonished.
Stephanie met his gaze and could see he wasn’t happy with repeating himself. They had gone over this once before, on the first day when he was helping her get outfitted. But ever since first he got shot and then the incident with Jimmy Alpha, she wasn’t all that keen on carrying it.
Something of the reluctance she was feeling must have shown in her face because, when he next spoke, Ranger’s voice was soothing.
“Maybe we should look at an alternative,” he said softly.
Glancing up at him, Stephanie asked, “Huh?”
Throwing an arm around her shoulders, Ranger clarified, “Stun gun, Babe. Non-lethal, easy to use and not likely to do any permanent damage.”
“A stun gun,” she repeated. She liked the non-lethal part of them, but inflicting pain on someone just didn’t seem to be in he nature. Then again, there was the incident with Morelli and the Buick, so maybe if she was properly motivated…
Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being handed into a BMW.
Ranger ran around to the other side and slipped behind the steering wheel. They set off as Stephanie was buckling her seatbelt.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Ranger just glanced at her and focused on driving.
Letting out a huff of frustration, Stephanie turned and looked out the window. It didn’t take her long to realize they were very close to Sunny’s.
She turned a puzzled look upon Ranger, but received no response.
As he parked, he simply encouraged, “Let’s go, Babe.”
“I do have a name, you know,” she grumbled quietly, releasing her seatbelt and exiting the car.
They duo walked into the main building and Ranger signaled to Sunny. He spoke for a few minutes and explained what they needed.
Before she could take in what was happening, there was an entire array of stun guns and their instruction manuals laid out in front of her.
Once they were displayed, Ranger started going over each stun gun, it’s benefits, drawbacks, uses, risks and other information. The one thing he didn’t mention until she prodded him was the cost.
She knew she should be happy with the help he was offering, that Ranger was only looking out for her, but she had been too long out of work and her mindset was still on saving money, not spending it.
Still, Ranger had taken the time to help her get better equipped and he felt a stun gun was the best way to do that. On the other hand…
“That gadget costs how much?” Stephanie asked in disbelief.
Ranger just nodded.
“And I really need it?” She asked, knowing she would be getting it. The truth was, she was more comfortable with the idea of a stun gun than with a real one. At least with a stun gun she couldn’t kill anyone. Probably.
“I think it’s a better fit for you right now,” Ranger stated. “Less chance of damage should a skip somehow get a hold of it,” he finished with a slight wince as he shifted his weight off of the newly scarred leg.
Stephanie looked at the floor, feeling a blush color her cheeks as the guilt over losing her gun and Ranger getting shot with it filled her once more. “Okay, but I’m not happy,” she stated, shooting a glare at her mentor to try and cover her embarrassment.
Motioning to Sunny that she had made her decision, Stephanie glanced at the instruction manual that came with her new tool. It seemed like every bit of new technology that got added to her life just resulted in more and more reading for her. She already knew she would only understand about half of what was written and it probably would break within a month. She had the absolute worst luck with technology and machines of any type. “God damned technology age,” she muttered under her breath.
The low chuckle that escaped Ranger earned him a glare from Stephanie. He just held up his hands and grinned at his student in his own defense. “Just thinking about what’s best for you, Babe,” he replied.
Stephanie turned her attention back to Sunny and quickly paid for the stun gun and batteries. Placing her purchase in her bag, she turned to Ranger and asked, “What’s next?”
“Next is a look over your skips and figuring out who to go after next. You do have your files and cuffs on you, right?”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Of course,” she replied as they headed back toward his car.
(Ranger)
He paused at that thought. In truth, he didn't need to play the role, he was a successful businessman. He had branches in two cities and was feeling out the possibility of expanding north into Boston.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he wondered what Stephanie would say if she saw him in the suit, working a deal in the boardroom. He imagined it would blow her view of him. She only knew him as a bounty hunter and something of a street thug, though, she had noticed his slip from street talk after only meeting him a few times.
Shaking off those thoughts, he moved down to where his cargoes hung.
Today was the day he was taking her to get a stun gun.
His leg was completely healed from the bullet wound and therapy was finished as well. He was back to his previous level of fitness. He'd actually been able to get around for a while, but business in Miami had kept him from working with Stephanie, but the decision he'd come to - to get her another form of weapon - was one he would stick to and today was the day.
Slipping his weapons into their correct holsters, he tucked in the ends of his pants and tied his boots.
A quick walk into the outer area of his apartment, and he settled at the breakfast bar, removing the cover from the tray Ella had left him, he smiled at the egg-white omelet he found there.
He had eaten healthy since he first entered the army, but in recent years had tended toward selecting richer foods. Though he knew that high-cholesterol ran in his family, he hadn't really given it much of a thought until a few weeks ago when he was shot and his doctor fussed about his cholesterol levels.
They weren't that high, with all the exercise he got, it would be odd if they were, but given the family history, the doctor had been concerned and recommended changing his eating habits. He had discussed the issue with Ella and she had agreed to find healthier alternatives for him to eat.
Now, just a few weeks later, he was a complete convert. Ella was a wizard in the kitchen and made even the healthiest of foods taste delectable.
As he ate his breakfast, he reviewed his schedule for a day as well as some paperwork he had brought upstairs with him. He paused in his heating to make some notations on a few of the items and wrote himself a note to speak to the sales department down in Miami. Things were going well, but there had been a downward trend there in the past few months that he wanted to put a stop to before it got out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to have a crisis down in Miami when he was needed here in Trenton. Maybe he could send Tank for a while.
Preliminary work done, he straightened up his paperwork before cleaning up his breakfast remains. He would need to head down to his office and make sure that things were set for the day.
Though she hadn't asked for it, he was planning to spend the day helping Stephanie. After her capture of Morelli, and her insistence on sticking with Bounty Hunting with or without his help, he decided to take his role as Professor Higgins more seriously.
Today they would get her a stun gun and then spend time going over her skips, and then work on planning. She seemed more a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type girl, and, while a certain amount of adaptability was necessary in the job, planning was the key. If the takedown was planned and you accounted for the details, even the small skips would be easier to collect.
Settling at his desk, it took him only a few minutes to finish the few things that he needed to complete before heading to the Bonds Office.
He knew Stephanie would be there shortly. She usually came in fairly early on Mondays.
When he arrived, he noticed her car wasn't there yet. It wasn't surprising since he was a few minutes early. That was OK, though, he knew Vinnie wanted to talk to him and Ranger had a thing or two to tell Vinnie as well. Bailing people out of jail might be Vinnie's business, but there were some people that he needed to refuse.
It was a conversation the two men had before, and Ranger really hoped they wouldn't have again, but given Vinnie's greed, repetition of this discussion was only to be expected.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been in there when he heard her enter.
Finishing his conversation with Vinnie, he opened the door to the office and stepped out.
He scanned the room, his eyes taking in all the details. A slight smile curved his lips as he saw Stephanie blink twice at the sight of him. Sometimes he wondered if he affected her at all. It was nice to be appreciated.
"Hi, Ranger," Stephanie greeted.
He smiled back, enjoying the stunned expression that momentarily passed over her face. Ranger didn't have any intentions toward Stephanie, she was the type of woman who came with strings and entanglements. He could tell just by looking. Right now there wasn't room for that sort of trouble in his life.
"Babe," he greeted, walking over to Connie's desk and picking up the files he'd left there earlier. "You all set with your skips?" He waited for an answer. Her slight pause was all he needed to know the truth.
"Um," she replied
It was easy to see she didn't want to admit needing help, especially not from him, but, since he had set out today to help her, he would.
Tipping his head toward the door, he commanded, "Walk with me."
He waited and hoped she would follow behind. He didn't really doubt she would, but she was different than pretty much anyone else he had ever dealt with, especially professionally. A little bit of tension he didn't know he had eased when he saw her following.
Walking out of the building, he could feel her eyes on him, watching him walk and couldn't stop the grin on his face if he had a gun in his head.
When she stepped up beside him on the sidewalk, he turned to face her. Having felt her check him out, he decided to return the favor and ran his eyes over her. She may not be a knockout, but she certainly was easy on the eyes. Mentally reminding himself that this was business, not pleasure, he asked, "You got your gun, Eliza?"
He watched her wince and then avoid his eyes, trying not to admit that she didn't have it on her. That was something they would have to work on - the carry and the avoiding. He could understand why she was reluctant to carry he gun, but in their line of work, she needed to be prepared.
Is she were one of his employees, he would know how to deal with her, but he'd never had women under his command either in the army or at Rangeman. He wasn't entirely certain how to handle a woman professionally. Deciding to put aside the question of her carrying her gun, he softened his tone and suggested, "Maybe we should look at an alternative."
“Huh?”
Ranger felt himself wanting to smile. What a perfectly Stephanie response to that statement. Figuring he needed to move things along, he threw his arm around her shoulders and guided her to my BMW. “Stun gun, Babe,” he explained. Seeing she still seemed a little puzzled, Ranger thought he'd give her the points that would be important to her, “Non-lethal, easy to use and not likely to do any permanent damage.” Of course, given some of what he had seen, there was the possibility that she would stun herself, but he was hoping not.
“A stun gun,” she repeated.
Ranger let a grin slip out as he watched Stephanie mull over the idea, fascinated by the expressiveness of her face. He could almost tell what she was thinking. Reaching the BMW, he opened the door and handed her into it. Closing the door after her, he jogged around the front of the car and slipped in behind the wheel.
Buckling in quickly, he turned the car on and slipped into traffic, heading toward Sunny's.
“Where are we going?” Stephanie asked.
Ranger slid a look her way, but didn't answer, instead, focusing on the traffic and surrounding area. Life before and in the army had taught him to always be vigilant, to always be aware of his surroundings. More than once in the past few years he'd been driving down the road or in a store or somewhere and spotted a skip. The number of enemies he had also made vigilance a necessity.
Seeing the lack of response was making Stephanie impatient, he hid a smile drove on, quietly amused. It was fun to mess with her on these little, harmless things. Besides, since she grew up here and he knew she'd been to Sunny's frequently, he had no doubt she'd figure it out in no time.
When they finally arrived, he almost laughed at the puzzled look he sent her way, but couldn't help the hint of frustration as well. When they had come here a few months ago to get her a gun, all of the weapons Sunny sold were on display. He knew that she was clueless about guns, but to not have noticed anything else spoke both to a dislike of weapons – something she would need to get over in this line of work – and inattentiveness. The latter could easily get her hurt or killed. He would have to see if he could find a way to correct that trait.
“Let's go, Babe,” he encouraged.
“I do have a name you know,” she grumbled quietly as she got out of the car.
Ranger just smirked. He was well aware that she had a name, but 'Babe' just seemed to fit her. Besides, the nickname kept things friendly sounding but distant. It wouldn't do to get to close to her or anyone else. It was why he would never ask her to call him Carlos.
Guiding her inside, he signaled to Sunny. When he had her attention, he explained that they needed to look at stun guns. Preferably something small that carried a good charge, but would allow them to choose various settings.
Since Sunny had supplied a number of guns not only to Ranger but to Rangeman, she quickly understood what he needed and quickly set out an array of various guns.
One look at Stephanie showed him that she felt overwhelmed. With an internal sigh, he set about showing her each gun and detailing the benefits and drawbacks of them. Though her eyes showed trepidation about the new weapon, he could tell she was listening.
At one point, he saw a dark shadow pass behind her eyes. A moment later, she straightened her shoulders. He knew the image of Jimmy Alpha was haunting her. It would for several months yet. That was just one reason they were looking at the non-lethal alternatives and he hoped she would see the benefit of it.
Having watched her all through the discussion, he knew which model had caught her eye. She kept looking back to it. Finally, when he realized she wasn't going to say anything, he picked it up and handed it to her.
“Feel good?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she agreed, sounding a little surprised and a little reluctant. Then she caught sight of the price, “This gadget costs how much?”
Ranger blinked once in surprise. It was a very reasonable price for the gun in question. He supposed it might be the shopper in Stephanie. They had known each other long enough to know she liked to shop.
“And I really need it?” she asked, sounding much less surprised and relucant.
“I think it's a better fit for you right now,” he informed. Then he thought he'd lighten the mood by teasing her a little, “Less chance of damage should a skip somehow get hold of it.” He then faked a wince and shifted his weight to the other leg.
He cursed himself when he saw her the flush of guilt cover her face and her eyes seek the floor. Women were just too hard to figure out. Any of the guys he'd trained would have picked up on the teasing and gone with it. They would have understood they were forgiven and he was trying to help them. Stephanie seemed to have taken it as criticism.
“OK,” she finally answered. “But I'm not happy,” she added, shooting him a glare.
He lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk and breathed an internal sigh of relief. Maybe she had figured out he was just teasing.
Ranger stood back as she made the purchase. When Sunny handed her the rather thick manual, he heard Stephanie mutter, “God damned technology age.”
He couldn't help but chuckle at her objection. Personally he hated reading manuals, but had long ago discovered how important it was to do so. When Stephanie glared at him, he held up his hands and soothed, “Just thinking about what's best for you, Babe.” He picked up on the sharp look Sunny gave him and their eyes locked for a moment. She nodded her understanding that he was claiming Stephanie as his and he knew Sunny would begin to spread the word. Spreading the word hadn't been his primary objective in coming here, but it was a nice benefit. The sooner word got out that Stephanie Plum was one of his, the sooner the protection offered by that knowledge would kick into action.
With the transaction completed, Stephanie turned to Ranger and asked, “What's next?”
Ranger placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the building. He had cleared his day to spend with her. It was time for him to do some mentoring. “Next is a look over your skips and figuring out who to go after next. You do have your files and cuffs on you, right?” he asked. Already knowing the answer about the files, he'd seen them in her bag.
“Of course,” she responded with an eye roll, as if that should be obvious.
Ranger smiled slightly at the response. If nothing else, working with Stephanie plum was entertaining.
Ranger stood in his closet and looked at his clothes. His eyes drifted to the new suit he'd just had fitted the day before. He looked good in the suit, felt good in it. They still weren't his favorite thing in the world to wear, but they helped him play the role of successful businessman.
Unexpected Gifts
(Stephanie)
Wednesdays were the hardest days for Stephanie. When she'd been in school they'd always call this “hump-day”, the half-way mark in the week. Once you got past Wednesday, the rest of the week was all down-hill and smooth sailing until the Friday night football or basketball game or the party of the week. Then two days free of school before the drudgery began again on Monday.
Of course, now she looked forward to the weekends for a completely different reason. She loved her job, really enjoyed the challenge of it and the sense of success she got each time she brought a skip in, but the weekends meant she got to see Caleb. The ideal situation would be to have him in Trenton with her so she could go home to him every night, but she didn't want to bring him into the firestorm of gossip and emotions she knew would greet him if he came to Trenton, not to mention the fact she would have to take him out of school. So, for now, the best option was still to leave him in Newark with Grandma Plum and keep working in Trenton.
One of her coping mechanisms for Wednesdays was to meet with Eddie, Carl and Big Dog for lunch at Pino's.
Pino's had been a constant in her life for as long as she could remember. People might argue that there were better tasting pizza's out there, and they could be right, but those other pizza's would never be anything more than food to her. Pino's was home and comfort.
As she settled into one of the chairs to wait for the guys, she scanned the room, nodding to many familiar faces. She was able to match names with most of the faces and made a few mental notes to greet those she could identify. After all, the more people she knew, the more information she could gather on her skips.
Before she could take action and walk over to one of the familiar faces, Eddie walked in carrying a large box with a big red bow on it. He was followed shortly after by Carl and Big Dog, each carrying a box as well, only much smaller.
“Presents for the pretty lady,” Eddie teased, setting the box in front of her on the table. The other two officers followed his lead.
“For me?” Stephanie asked, staring dumbly at the boxes before her.
“For you,” Carl assured, settling into the chair opposite Stephanie. Big Dog settled next to his partner and Eddie settled next to Stephanie.
Signaling to the waitress that they were ready to give their order, Big Dog encouraged, “Well, are you going to open them or what?”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Stephanie stammered, still stunned from the gifts. Picking up the first box, she slipped the ribbon off and opened it. Inside was a small canister. Puzzled, she spun it in the box. Her Berg manners kicked in and she said, “Oh, thank you. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before.” The waitress appeared at the table just then and Stephanie took the opportunity to lean over to Eddie and whisper, “What do you think it is?”
Eddie started chuckling and it soon changed to laughter at the highly disgruntled look on Stephanie's face. Eventually, he was able to calm himself down. “It's defense spray, Steph,” he replied. “Open the other boxes and then we'll explain.
“OK,” Stephanie agreed, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't figure out the canister.
Opening the second box she found some sort of weird belt. The third of the smaller boxes was quite heavy. When she opened it, she found a very large flashlight. At least she knew what it was, even if she couldn't understand why she might need it.
Finally, she opened the largest of the boxes. Inside was something black. Lifting it, she was able to identify it as a bullet-proof vest. “Wow,” she said blinking. She may not know what everything was, but she knew it must have cost.
“I can see you're worried about these. Don't,” Big Dog commanded.
“Mindy Jensen left the force on maternity leave and won't be coming back afterward. When she started, we didn't have belts or vests small enough for her so she bought her own. With her giving up the force, she figured that she wouldn't need them anymore. She was thinking about selling them until she heard us talking about needing to get you better outfitted. Since you're more or less the same size, she figured you could use her vest and belt. The defense spray and flashlight were our additions.,” Eddie explained.
Stephanie smiled. She was touched by their thoughtfulness and made a mental note to send Mindy a thank-you gift. “Thanks guys,” she replied. Putting her gifts away as their pizzas arrived. She watched them all dig in before taking her piece, thankful for such good friends.
(Ranger)
Finishing his response to the last email, he turned and looked at his friend, raising in eyebrow in inquiry.
“Was down at the station when I saw Gazarra, Big Dog and Costanza heading off to lunch with a bunch of boxes,” Tank informed.
“And?”
“Asked them what was up. Turns out they're brining gifts to your woman,” Tank said, a faint smile on his lips.
Ranger frowned. He'd meant to spread the word that Stephanie was one of his, but obviously it had gotten turned around so that she was now seen as his woman. It was something he hadn't intended. The connotation of her being 'his woman' was different than simply being one of 'his'. It would add a combination of danger and protection at a level he knew she wasn't ready to handle. Running a hand through his hair, he decided to let it go. It was too late to correct it now.
Realizing Tank had more to impart, he prodded, “And?”
“They're giving her Mindy Johnson's vest and belt. They have a Maglight and defense spray for her as well,” he informed.
A nod was the only response Tank got. It was good that she had those things. In truth, he had wanted to get Stephanie completely geared up before she started getting serious about her skips, but money seemed to be an issue at the beginning and when they went to get the stun gun, so he hadn't pushed. She must have been struggling longer than he thought if she was that broke. It was true that she hadn't brought in anyone else at Morelli's level, but she'd certainly been making enough to support herself.
Shaking his head at his thoughts, he forced them away. What in the world was he doing worrying about Stephanie Plum, let alone her finances? Women just messed everything up.
He saw Tank waiting patiently for an answer, so he simply said, “Good.” Then, turning his attention back to the latest email he'd received, he asked, “What can you tell me about the Garibaldi account?”
“The diamond store?” Tank clarified.
Ranger nodded and settled more comfortably into his chair for this discussion.
Ranger was sitting in his office reviewing his emails when Tank walked in and sat down. Since he'd left his door open, it wasn't expected that Tank would knock. Of course, given his dislike of office work, any interruption was welcome.
On To "Right Turn From Reality" - Chapter 2: "Two For The Dough"
To the "Right Turn From Reality" Table Of Contents
To TT's Story Index
Email TT at ttsmiscellany@yahoo.com