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Interlude Five
Giving Thanks
(Stephanie)
Stephanie leaned back on the couch and let out a contented sigh. She couldn’t help but chuckle when Caleb mimicked her, right down to the sigh. She felt a small tug at her heart as she looked at him. He was growing up so fast and she was missing so much of it.
She had managed to bring in all her skips who were due in and take the whole week off. She would need to go back on Monday in order to avoid Vinnie’s wrath, but the frenzy of the previous week had been well worth it. She was able to attend Caleb’s Thanksgiving play and had some wonderful pictures of him. She smiled to herself as she thought about going over the pictures with Carlos someday. The smile faded slightly as she realized first, that might never happen, and second, that Carlos might not be happy to find out he had a son. After all, he already had a daughter that he only visited occasionally, ‘when he was in the area’.
She didn’t want either her or her son to be an obligation, to be an afterthought. She wanted Caleb to be the center of his life, not a distraction on the periphery.
Of course, Ranger had been particularly scarce recently. There were rumors of a big deal going down and Ranger being involved, but the word on the street, while reliable with regard to the general, rarely hit the mark in the specific.
Before the seemed to disappear into the wind again, he had been different… tender. It was as if he was showing himself interested in her, but in a way she had never felt before. Not even Morelli had inspired such feelings with in her and the two of them had been getting close. To be honest, she was still thinking of him as marriage material. And that idea was coming up more and more frequently.
Of course, if she was being honest with herself, it was safe to think of him as marriage material because he didn’t want to marry her. Well, not really. He had twice mentioned something about marrying him, but it was more a way to get her to move in with him and keep her safe than any real desire to settle down with her.
Ranger had agreed that getting involved with him was a bad idea. But then there was the kiss he gave her.
That kiss terrified Stephanie. More specifically, what it promised terrified Stephanie.
“Mommy, are we cheering for Dallas? I forget,” Caleb interrupted her reverie.
“This year we are, kiddo,” Stephanie agreed. She wasn’t a huge fan of football, but it was Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving, after stuffing yourself, there was some sort of unwritten rule that you had to watch both the Dallas and Detroit games. Mostly, Stephanie enjoyed checking out the players and how well their uniforms fit, but Caleb loved the time together and he seemed to enjoy football as well. She just hoped he never asked to play.
They watched as the quarterback passed the ball, only to have it dropped by the receiver.
“Do you want to go Christmas shopping tomorrow?” Stephanie asked, turning to look at her son. She smiled and chuckled softly as she took in the look on his face. “I’ll take that as a no,” she said before turning her attention to the game. She was thankful it was the third quarter already. That meant she didn’t have to watch too much more. “What do you want to do after the game?”
Caleb rolled his head so he could look at his mother. His eyes drifted to the window, but the weather was discouraging at best. Releasing a sigh, he suggested, “Want to play Superfriends?”
“Sure,” Stephanie agreed with a smile. She’d never had tea parties with dolls when she was a kid, but playing Superfriends was something she could definitely do. She idly wondered if Carlos would play Superfriends with them, but just couldn’t picture it. Joe, on the other hand, Joe she could see sitting on the floor with Caleb plotting how to capture the evil villain of the week.
With some effort, she forced thoughts of Ranger and Joe from her mind. She wasn’t going to allow either of them to ruin her time with her son. Far too soon, she’d be headed back toward Trenton and the life she was creating there; a life that seemed to belong to someone else, to another world.
No, she didn’t want to think about Trenton right now. Right now she wanted to be a mother.
(Ranger)
He’d been right in his estimation of when the Plantation job would wrap up. There were still arrests to be made, data to be sorted and all the other work that was generated after a bust of this magnitude.
Aside from the money he and his company made, taking down an organization that was poisoning his country - earning him praise, opening the door for more jobs and doing all of that while maintaining a low profile that didn’t even cause a ripple in his Ranger persona - he was thankful that he could now focus on his business. With the free time he had, he could actually build the security into this company and its finances that he had planned on doing earlier. His business degree from Rutgers wasn’t going to go to waste if he could help it. Of course, he had to chuckle over the fact his old professor had called asking him to come in and be a guest lecturer. “Professor Manoso”, he whispered. It had an interesting ring to it. Maybe someday when he was ready to slow down a little he’d think about it. There was just too much to do right now.
The branch in Boston was consuming a lot of his time and he would need to go up there shortly. Oddly, that branch, which was in a building that wasn’t even habitable at the moment, was becoming more and more key to the other job he had going on right now. With any luck, that one should be done by April. There were hints about another upcoming job that might be headed Ranger’s way, but he was in no hurry to take on another one. Not with the current one he had still on-going. Besides, his heart whispered, not taking the job means more time with Stephanie.
Ranger shook his head briefly. More time with Stephanie was not an option. He had been serious when he agreed it was a bad idea, but she was the woman who had haunted his dreams for five years and he didn’t know why. He needed to solve the mystery that was Stephanie Plum in his life. Unfortunately, to solve that mystery, he would need to spend time with her. Spending time with her was in direct conflict with his promise to himself not to get involved with anyone right now. He was the sort of man who wanted to give his best to any endeavor he undertook. Right now, he couldn’t dedicate himself to a relationship, so he wouldn’t pursue one, no matter how tempting it might be to do otherwise.
Turning his attention back to the screen in front of him, he pushed aside all thoughts not related to work and began reviewing the layout of the Boston office.
Ranger sat in front of the monitors, a turkey wrap on a plate next to him along with a bottle of water.
A Saturday In Mid-December
(Stephanie)
Both Caleb and Stephanie were furiously scanning the area for a parking space.
The one part of shopping around Christmas time that Stephanie hated was the parking. There were never any good spaces. Some days, there weren’t any bad spaces either. Today, even though it was only mid-December, even the valet parking area was full, not that she could really afford to have her car valet parked, but it would have been nice to at least have that option.
So, they were driving around the parking lot, hoping someone would pull out of a space.
Caleb was the one who suggested they make it a game. Stephanie smiled at the simple rule: whoever spotted the parking spot first got to open one gift on Christmas Eve.
It was a rule in their house that they would wait until Christmas morning to open gifts. But, Stephanie clearly remembered the excitement and agony of having to wait to open a gift. She could remember trying every argument imaginable on her parents and grandparents to try and get them to agree to let her open just one gift. She’d never thought of this game, though.
Valerie had never had this problem. Thought her parents would say she was lying and Valerie would deny it to her dying day, Stephanie had, on more than one occasion, seen her older sister open up a package before Christmas to see what it was and then re-wrap it. The part she really hated was that when Valerie was done re-wrapping the gift, no one could tell it had been unwrapped. The one time she had tried it, she had torn the paper and her mother had spotted it right away.
“I found it!” Caleb called.
Stephanie glanced at her son, “Where?”
“Up there,” Caleb informed, pointing to the end of the row.
Stephanie looked to where he was pointing. The car that had been parked in the spot closest to the stores was just backing out. Moving forward and turning on her turn signal so the people behind her would know she was claiming the space, she couldn’t help but shake her head and smile. Apparently he inherited his father’s parking karma, too, she thought to herself.
Ranger’s ability to always get a good parking spot was something Stephanie envied. Her parking karma was about the same as her car karma – not good. If she didn’t know better, she would think that there was a conspiracy among cars and parking spots to make that aspect of her life miserable.
Sliding into the recently vacated parking spot, Stephanie shifted into park and turned off the car.
“Yes!” Caleb shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
Stephanie was unable to stop the giggle that escaped her. “Good eyes,” she complimented.
“And I get to open a gift Christmas Eve!” Caleb retorted.
Laughter escaped her at the sound of smug victory in his voice. It was quite a coup for a kid and she was proud of him. “Of course, that’s only if you get gifts,” Stephanie teased.
“Mo-om,” Caleb whined.
“Have you been good enough to deserve presents? Will Santa be by this year?” She asked, trying to sound stern as she unbuckled and got out of the car. She moved to the back door to release Caleb from his set.
“Mom,” Caleb replied, sounding exasperated. “You know I’ve been very good and even if Santa didn’t come you’d still have to buy me a gift.”
“Have to?” Stephanie asked, locked the car doors before taking Caleb’s hand and heading into the press of people.
Caleb looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. “Of course,” he insisted. “I’m your precious boy.”
Stephanie tipped her head back and laughed. ‘Precious boy” was a term of endearment she used whenever he was hurt or scared. “That you are,” she assured. Then she let out an overly dramatic sigh. “I guess that means I have no choice.” She watched as Caleb rolled his eyes.
“You already have gifts for me,” he informed. “Grandma won’t let me anywhere near the attic door and that usually means that the Christmas gifts are up there,” Caleb informed. “And she told me that she still needs to go shopping for me, so that means that you’ve already gotten my presents.”
Stephanie shook her head. “You are so smart,” she told him, pride and love evident in her voice and her eyes. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Caleb beamed up at his mother.
They stepped into the main entrance of the mall and found a quiet spot near the fountain. “So, where should we begin?” Stephanie inquired.
“Grandma,” Caleb said, his voice sure.
“Do you know what you want to get her?” Stephanie asked.
Caleb thought about it. “I want to get her something pretty to wear to church,” he decided.
“A dress, a sweater, a blouse or an outfit?” Stephanie asked.
“Let’s look at dresses first,” Caleb decided.
“OK.” Taking Caleb’s hand, Stephanie led navigated her way through the crowds to Macy’s. She let her son over to the dress area and let him begin looking.
As she stood waiting for Caleb to sort though a rack of dresses on sale, she scanned the area, her protective instincts in high gear. Anytime the two of them went out in public, she was always cautious to scan the crowd and always had been.
When she had been taking birthing and childcare classes, there was a special speaker, one night, who told the story of how, while shopping in a grocery store, she had turned her back on her daughter for just one moment and when she turned back, her little girl was gone. She’d never been found.
The thought of losing Caleb was the most terrifying thing she had ever contemplated. She loved her son fiercely. She had determined then and determined each day since, that no one would take her son from her.
As she scanned the area, she spotted a couple walking through the area. They didn’t send out threatening vibes, but they were an interesting pair. She was short, maybe five feet even. Her hair was spiked and colored red and green. She was wearing combat boots, torn fishnet stockings, a frayed denim skirt, and a leather jacket. Stephanie could easily identify five piercings from where she stood.
The man was really, really tall. His girlfriend or wife only came up to his chest. He was dressed in what looked like combat boots and wore faded, torn jeans and a leather jacket, but it was his baled head and the flaming skull tattoo in the middle of his forehead that caught her attention.
As if sensing her eyes on him, the man turned and met her gaze, nodding once and continuing on his way.
Shaking her head at the odd moment, Stephanie looked down to see Caleb had stopped his sorting and was looking at a particular dress. Though her spidey sense hadn’t gone off at the sight of the couple, she was still glad that Caleb had been out of sight behind the dress rack.
Taking in the dress her son was contemplating, she had to admit that her son had good taste. The style was on that would be flattering on Grandma Plum. The color was Caleb’s favorite and, while not one she could ever remember her grandmother wearing, Despite the fact it wasn’t one of Grandma Plum’s colors, Stephanie knew it would be worn with pride. “It’s beautiful,” Stephanie assured her son.
Caleb beamed up at her. “That was easy,” he said. “Do I have enough to buy it for her?”
Stephanie smiled down. Money was tight, not nearly as bad as it had been in October, but it still made her sad to think that her son was concerned about it. “Yes, son,” she assured. “We have enough.”
“Cool!” Caleb responded. “Now, who else do we need to get?”
(Ranger)
Rescue missions weren’t his favorite things to do, especially when he was given only 48 hours to plan it, but this one was too important for him to refuse.
Two days ago, he had been leaving the Trenton Police Department, when his cell phone rang.
Answering the call, he could still remember the conversation.
“Yo,” Ranger answered.
“It’s Horace,” a deep, rough-sounding voice replied. “Caution needs a lift.”
Ranger froze mid-step. “Details?” he demanded.
“On their way for hand delivery,” Horace informed.
Ranger waited a moment, knowing that the other man had something to say, otherwise he would have hung up. Eventually, his patience was rewarded.
“He’s been officially denied,” the other man admitted. “I’m financing,” Greeley added before hanging up.
Shaking his head, Ranger headed to his car. He needed to get back and start planning.
Shifting on the floor of the plane, Ranger reviewed the information he had once more, trying to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.
Ranger knew he would be taking the mission as soon as Greeley informed him it was Caution who was in trouble.
Caution, more commonly known as John Carter, was as close to Ranger as a fellow soldier could be. They had started out together in basic and pushed each other further than either expected to go. John had earned the nickname ‘Caution’ because that was what he always advised. Ranger had been less cautious when they started out and had earned the nickname “Reckless”. When they were both selected for the Rangers, their nicknames were always run together. They made a great team as “Reckless Caution”.
Together, they had seen and done some awful things; things they both wanted to forget. Eventually, though, John’s focus shifted when he met Grace. The man had it bad and accepted a job shift from the Rangers to Intelligence so he could be home more. Ranger had been left without his long-time partner. It was then that Ranger’s ability to command had come to the fore and he was eventually assigned to lead Tank, Bobby, Lester and the others.
Caution was an invaluable member of the intelligence group. Because of his past in the Rangers, they would, occasionally, send him out on missions every bit as dangerous as the ones they had done together.
Horace, or Joshua McIntyre, had been a close friend through basic, but hadn’t been interested in pushing himself into the Rangers. Instead, he’d somehow ended up working on press releases and earning himself the nickname Horace, after Horace Greeley, the newspaperman.
Joshua’s call had shaken Ranger. It had been a long time since he worried about his friend. He didn’t want to know what Caution was doing that not only left him stranded, but denied.
When he got the details on the mission, he had felt worry slowly crawl through him before he shut the emotion off. Worry was unproductive. Ranger knew better than to let his personal feelings become involved in this.
As it was, he was going to need his team with him to pull this off.
He had first approached Tank. When the larger man agreed, the two of them had sat down and planned out the mission, focusing on what they needed to accomplish the rescue.
The only positive thing about this mission was that Caution wasn’t being held hostage. With any luck, and should everything go according to plan, they should be out and back within a week. Ranger had made sure everyone was packed for two.
One way or another, he needed to be back before Christmas.
The job he was working on for the government was turning out to be more complicated and far more delicate than he had imagined. Things were getting complicated and dangerous. At the rate things were going, being finished by April was looking more and more like a pipe dream.
The one thing he couldn’t do on that job, though, was fail. He had invested far too much time and energy in the case to see it end any way other than successfully. He would just need to be patient as all the pieces fell into place.
Frustrated at having let himself think about the government job, Ranger once more tried to push those thoughts out of his mind.
Closing his eyes, he tried to do some of the meditation exercises he had learned and practiced. It had been long enough since he’d done this sort of work that he needed to use every advantage he had.
As his thoughts began to calm once more, his heart finally found an opportunity to speak up. It did so by bringing forth an image of Stephanie Plum.
Ranger struggled against the image for a few moments before giving in to it. They were still at least four hours out from the drop point, so he should have time to think of her for a little while and then get his mind back on the job.
He allowed his mind to linger over the image his mind had conjured. She was a very tempting woman. As he imagined her, he could almost feel the texture of her lips against his. That kiss… What had he been thinking? No, he knew exactly what he was thinking. Since he figured out who she was, Ranger had a burning need to touch her, to be with her. Normally he was able to keep it under good regulation, but that night, when he’d seen the tear… That tear had just ripped through his defenses and he’d slipped.
For the first time in a long time, his control slipped and he needed to taste her lips, to see if her kiss came anywhere close to what he had been dreaming for so long.
It had exceeded anything he had dreamed. The problem now, was that he wanted more. He wanted to experience that night and the fantasies it spawned with her. He wanted clear memories of it, not just reminders, not just dreams. His body remembered hers. He wondered if hers remembered him.
It wasn’t an option, though. Maybe in a few years when he was in a place he would be able to pursue her, but not now, not with his business and especially not with this job. He was putting her in enough danger right now just by letting people believe she was his woman.
There was part of him, though, a well-buried part, that dreamed of waking up with her each morning and going to sleep with her each night. On the vague fringe of that half-formed dream which his conscious mind refused to acknowledge was a child’s laughter. But that couldn’t be. Not now. Not yet.
The plane hit some turbulence, jostling Ranger.
The physical movement broke his train of thoughts.
Having allowed himself a few minutes indulgence, though, he was able to focus on the job once more.
With deliberate moves, he pulled out his gear and began checking over everything to make sure it was packed properly. There was no room for error.
Ranger dozed off to the droning of the engine, trying to let go of all of his thoughts and concerns drift away. He needed to focus on the upcoming mission.
Snow Day!
(Stephanie)
Stephanie reached over to slap off the alarm. She hated Mondays and always had. Mondays when she had to head back to Trenton and leave her son for another week were the worst.
She was beginning to hate the separation from her son in a way she would have never guessed was possible. It hadn’t reached the point, yet, where she resented her job enough to quit it, which was probably a good thing given the economy still hadn’t picked up, but it was only a matter of time before it did.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the radio blared again. She groaned as she realized she’d only hit the snooze button and not turned it off. As the words the announcer was saying penetrated her conscious mind, a smile began to grow.
“With the amount of snow that fell last night and is still falling, it’s no wonder so many schools have declared this a snow day.”
It was as if magic words had been spoken.
Stephanie was suddenly wide awake. Allowing the radio to prattle on in the background, she bounded from her bed and pulled the curtain back to look outside. Sure enough, everything was covered in snow. There had to be at least a foot on the ground with more snow falling fast. “So much for getting only rain from the Nor’easter,” she murmured. Thrilled that she now had an excuse to spend extra time with her son.
A glance at the clock told her it was too early for Connie to be in yet, but she didn’t care. She would just leave her friend a message.
Grabbing her cell, she quickly dialed the office and waited through the message. “It’s a snow day, Connie. I’ll be in tomorrow to pick up any files. Call and let me know what’s waiting for me.”
Message left, she shut off her cell phone and quickly scrambled to get dressed.
Opening her door, she practically bounced into the hallway and over to Caleb’s room.
Stephanie cracked the door open a little and smiled at the sight of her son sprawled across the bed.
Quietly making her way to his closet, she quickly selected pants and a flannel shirt. Moving to his dresser, she retrieved two pair socks and a warm sweater.
She set everything on the bed and then shook the boy. “Wake up, Caleb,” she called.
“Mmrmfph,” was the response she received.
Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek and whispered, “It’s a snow day.”
Sleepy eyes blinked up at her, barely opening wide enough for him to see anything. “Snow day?” he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.
Stephanie grinned at the sight and then grinned wider as she realized this was the first snow day her son had ever had. “Snow day,” she confirmed. “It means there’s no school today because there’s too much snow.”
“Oh,” Caleb replied, sounding a little disappointed. “I like school.”
Stephanie blinked at her son’s statement. That was something he definitely didn’t get from her. She wondered if Carlos was a good student. He had mentioned going to college and he was pretty smart, so, maybe it came from him. “I know you do, kiddo,” she assured, smiling. She would much rather have her son like school than not. “But it also means I don’t have to go back to work. And if I don’t have to go to work, it means…”
She watched as his eyes grew wide at the realization of what she’d said.
“You get to play with me?” Caleb stated, excitement and joy on his face. “All day?”
“All day,” Stephanie confirmed, laughing as her son launched himself into her arms. She hugged him tightly and swung him around in a circle. Setting him on the floor, she instructed, “Get dressed in what I put out and come downstairs. I’ll get our boots and coats ready. I think we’ll need to start by making some snow people.”
“Yeah!” Caleb agreed running to his clothes as he stripped his pajama top off.
Stephanie laughed at his enthusiasm and headed downstairs. Today would be fun. It was just what she needed to combat the Winter blah’s.
(Ranger)
But, instead of walking into a busy office, he had received calls from three of his employees telling him that they wouldn’t be in until the snow, sleet and freezing rain let up.
Ranger wasn’t a foolish man and understood the need to be cautious in such weather, but it was wreaking havoc with his plans for the day which had included sleeping in, drinking tea, eating toast, maybe working a little on paperwork from up here while wrapped in an afghan or blanket followed by some chicken noodle soup, a mid-afternoon nap, possibly a little paperwork, a light dinner, some medicine and an early night.
He really, really hated being sick.
The thought that it might not be so bad if Stephanie was there to care for him flitted through his mind, but was quickly dismissed. He really needed to find a way not to think of her. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his hands, and his lips to himself when they worked together. The fact that he had been using her more as a lure combined with the help she had requested from him meant that they were spending quite a bit of time together.
“Besides she’s probably stuck in Newark,” he whispered to himself, his voice sounding rough and gravelly even to himself.
He and his men had been good about keeping trackers on her cars and he had noticed several patterns in her travels. The first was dinner with her parents at least once a week, usually more than that. The second was her trips to Newark almost every weekend and sometimes mid-week. He wondered at her being so devoted to her grandmother. Then, again, he understood family feuds. Most likely Mrs. Plum had no one else and given Stephanie’s gentle heart, she would want to take care of her grandmother.
Trying to breathe in, he discovered his nose was too stuffed to do so and had to settle for breathing through his mouth.
With people out or late, he needed to get ready to go downstairs. He wasn’t fit for fieldwork, but could help out on the monitors as well as get some paperwork down.
Shuffling over to his bathroom, he looked around for the medicine he was fairly certain he had placed there the night before.
Eventually he located the pills and read the directions, uncertain if he was supposed to take one or two and praying they wouldn’t make him drowsy. It was going to do enough damage to his image to show up sick, but to fall asleep while working would be worse.
Placing the requisite number of pills in his hand, he filled a glass with water and downed them.
He shuddered slightly at the aftertaste and turned on the shower. It was time to drag himself downstairs and work.
Ranger clenched his teeth as he hung up. He understood that the mixed precipitation had made the roads hazardous, but he issued SUV’s with four wheel drive, anti-lock breaks and all the other bells and whistles for his employees so they would be able to make it in on days like this. After all, criminals weren’t smart enough to stay in on days like this and they needed to be ready in case a customer account showed trouble.
President’s Day
(Stephanie)
Stephanie slipped into her seat in the auditorium, the one Grandma Plum had saved for her up front. She has stopped by the office earlier and picked up her files and something from the back room. After that, she’d taken off and driven like a maniac to get to Newark in time.
Each year the kindergarten and primary classes at the school performed a president’s day play. Though the speaking parts always went to the third grade students, it was Caleb’s first big play. He was going to be in the chorus.
Shifting so she could see around the parent in front of her, she waited impatiently for the kids to enter.
She counted it lucky that a few days before she had spotted a very nice looking video disk camcorder in the back room at Vinnie’s. She knew it had been given as collateral against a bond, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
A stop by a local drugstore had yielded blank DVD-R disks for her use. She had slipped one into the recorder as soon as she was in her car.
Now, she just had to wait for things to begin. Fortunately, she didn’t have long to wait.
Before long, the curtains opened and the younger students trooped out onto the stage.
Stephanie hit the record button, smiling and waving at Caleb when she caught his eye.
The performance itself was just about what she would expect. The singing was mostly in-tune, something she appreciated since she, herself, had trouble carrying a tune. The lines were mostly delivered correctly and only a little prompting had been necessary.
All in all, it was a wonderfully sweet performance that the parents loved and that the kids would be blushing over once they hit their teen years. And she had it all on DVD.
Turning the camera off, she stowed the recorder in her bag and rose to go find her son. She had plans to take him and Grandma Plum out for an after-play luncheon at Belle’s.
A smile spread across her face as she thought of their favorite restaurant. Caleb had managed to do enough jobs to take her out again for Valentine’s Day. As with the year before, they went to Belle’s and had a wonderful evening.
Waiting with the other parents, she watched the students coming out of the various rooms and chatted with those around her.
She was just speaking to the head of the PTA when a small missile launched into her side, wrapping arms around her waist.
“Mommy! Did you see me? I sung on stage!” a very excited Caleb told her.
Stephanie leaned down and lifted her son up, hugging him tight, even as she noted he was getting a bit big to do that too often. “Yes, I did see you, Caleb,” she assured. “You were wonderful. And, I got it all on a DVD.”
Her smile broadened as a look of amazed awe spread across her son’s face.
“You mean I can see myself on TV?” he asked, his voice bubbling with excitement.
“Absolutely,” Stephanie assured.
“Just as soon as we get home from your after-play party,” Grandma Plum inserted.
Caleb’s smile broadened as he leaned over to hug his great-grandma. “I get a party?” he asked, surprised.
“We’re going to Belle’s,” Grandma Plum informed, patting his cheek.
“Yes!” Caleb exclaimed, his excitement evident. He wiggled to be put down.
Placing her son on the floor, Stephanie smiled when he took her hand and began pulling. She knew it wouldn’t be too much longer before he wouldn’t want to hold her hand or hug her in public, so she was going to enjoy every minute of it she could.
“Come on, Mom!” Caleb encouraged. “We have a party to attend!”
Stephanie laughed as she let her son drag her out of the school.
(Ranger)
He wasn’t surprised by much of it, but he had hoped events wouldn’t proceed in this direction. There were too many variables, too many actors in this play and too many organizations involved. That was what worried him the most.
The organizations had more bad blood between them than was healthy. They had struck uneasy truces over the years, but it wouldn’t take much to tip the scales one way or the other.
Now was not the time for anything to go wrong. Now was not the time for anything to tip the scales.
Ranger was walking a very fine line at the moment and it made him both invaluable and vulnerable. It was a position he didn’t like.
It was true he had his men at Rangeman to help him, but, despite his involvement with the various government agencies, they wouldn’t step in to help him out if he got in trouble. They wouldn’t send in at team or search for him if he disappeared.
The person leading the meeting took his seat and cleared his throat.
Turning his attention to the man, Ranger listened intently as he began.
A while later, they broke for a few minutes when several phones rang at once. Ranger knew the meeting was over for now while the men went to deal with whatever emergency had arisen.
He gathered his information together as they were dismissed and planned to head back to his hotel room to get some Rangeman work done. It was almost disturbing how much of his time he spent on the computer.
Exiting the building into the Washington D. C. winter, he stopped and stared at the man walking up the sidewalk. He was about to disappear when the other man spotted him.
“Manoso,” Joe greeted, his eyes betraying his confusion.
“Morelli,” Ranger returned.
A thick silence hung between them while they stared at each other. Morelli’s eyes eventually took in Ranger’s appearance before shifting toward the building behind him.
Ranger watched as the detective began to make connections. He could see that Morelli eventually came to the right conclusion.
“Well, sh--,” Morelli began, cutting himself off when a matronly woman who was walking by glared at him.
Ranger just stared at him, neither confirming nor denying the conclusion.
Shaking his head, Joe simply smirked slightly and said, “I still think you’re a psycho.”
A bark of laughter escaped Ranger. “You’re not the only one,” he replied, offering the slightest of smiles in return.
Letting out a sigh and running his hand through his hair, Joe looked away and then back. “I’ll back off,” he assured. “If you’re what I think you are, I’ll help if you need it.”
Surprised by the offer, Ranger allowed some warmth to creep into his smile and soften his eyes. Nodding at Morelli, he simply said, “I appreciate it.”
With a final nod, the two men headed their separate ways.
Ranger sat at the conference table; reviewing the information he had just been given.
A Few Days Before The Start Of Hot Six
(Stephanie)
Stephanie sat outside her skip’s house watching and waiting. This was the part of the job she hated the most – the waiting.
The downtime gave her too much time to think. If she had been able to convince Lula to come, at least she would have someone with whom to have a conversation.
If she’d asked Ranger to come she would have had magnificent eye candy, but would have been too tempted to give in to the desires that had been building for the past year and a few months. The man was hot and she could still remember the kiss from the parking lot.
Unconsciously, she lifted a hand to brush her lips.
Shaking her head, she tried to put those thoughts aside. Ranger was dangerous for her and not in the way that most people meant it.
Growing up, and even now, she had always thought Morelli was dangerous. But, he was familiar and what she felt with him was comfortable.
Ranger, on the other hand, was anything but comfortable. He caused her to feel things she never thought she’d experience. The depth of emotions she associated with him terrified her. Sure, she’d read about such things in a few bodice rippers she and Mary Lou had read in high school, but no where in those books did anyone say how terrifying it was.
No, Ranger was too scary to contemplate, even if he was Caleb’s father.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her mind wandered back to a few months ago where she’d set up her seduction and drawn a name out of the hat. Yes, she’d peeked, but she wasn’t ready for Ranger. Given her usual state of things, it would be too easy for her to let something slip about Caleb and that would never do.
But that was in the past. Neither man was much in her life at the moment. And that was fine with her. She had enough to worry about elsewhere.
Her parents were beginning to make demands on her time, more than she would like. It was getting harder and harder to find excuses so that she could slip off to see Caleb.
Her skips were gradually getting more difficult as well. She’d had to ask Ranger for help a few times recently.
The only positive that came from the more difficult skips was the fact that her payoffs were larger. That meant the portion she set aside for Caleb was growing. With any luck, she should have enough for next year’s tuition in time to make the payment. It was a lot of money, but already she could see how he was blossoming at the school. The struggle to make rent and buy food was well worth it to her if it meant her son was happy.
Before her thoughts could continue in that vein, she spotted movement at the side door. Her skip was just leaving.
Slipping out of the car, she made sure she had her stun gun and cuffs at the ready.
(Ranger)
A knock sounded at his office door. “Come,” he commanded.
Tank opened the door and stepped into the office. The large man stopped in the doorway, looking at his friend. Years of working closely together had taught the men how to read each other in most situations. Knowing that nothing good could come out of the look on his friend’s face, Tanks stepped into the office, closed the door and then moved to settle in a seat across from Ranger.
Ranger stared at his friend, knowing the big man would wait for the explanation. It was a good quality to have in a friend because words weren’t always easy for Ranger, especially when dealing with intangibles. “Ramos called,” he informed.
“Alexander?” Tanks asked, surprised.
A negative shake of Ranger’s head denied it. “Hannibal.”
Tank’s face grew much more serious.
Ranger saw his friend’s expression change and couldn’t help but agree with it. Hannibal Ramos was bad news, but the worse news is that the rumors about Homer trying to hook up with Stolle seemed to be true. That in and of itself wouldn’t be bad, but this was happening right in the middle of their case and at a rather delicate time. The entire task force was getting ready to wrap everything up. The timeline was suggesting a mid-April finish. If this job went well, they might still be able to accomplish that. If it didn’t go well they could lose everything.
Taking a deep breath, Ranger explained, “It’s about Homer. I’m to be the intermediary, the neutral party. It sounds like a simple exchange, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Do you know where it’s supposed to take place?” Tank asked.
Ranger nodded his head.
“Give me the details and I’ll get the place wired for sound,” Tank assured. “If you’ve got a bad feeling, we need to be sure you’re covered.”
Ranger felt some of the tension that had been building within him fade, even as the sick feeling in his stomach remained. “Do it,” he confirmed, handing Tank a sheet of notes he’d written down about the job.
As Tank rose from his seat, he stopped and looked at his friend. “This going to interfere with your court appearance?”
Ranger shrugged. “If things go smoothly it shouldn’t,” he replied.
“And if they don’t?”
“If they don’t we’ll have more things to worry about than a missed court date,” he said, his voice grim.
A smile tugged at the corner of Tank’s mouth. “Aren’t you worried they’ll send Miss Plum after you?” he teased.
A bark of laughter escaped Ranger.
“You know all she’d have to do is come up with a plausible explanation and you’d go with her,” Tank teased. A lascivious gleam came into his eye as he added, “Of course, I’m sure you don’t need to skip to convince her to handcuff you. Or, let you handcuff you.”
“Tank,” Ranger snapped in a warning tone.
Tank realized he was pushing it and became more serious. “You really should do something about it before the cop snatches her up for good,” he advised. “You’ve dreamt of the woman for years now, man. Maybe it’s time to give in, especially since she’d been dropped right in your lap, figuratively speaking.”
Ranger just stared at his friend. “It’s not that simple, Tank,” he finally replied.
“It never is,” Tank assured before leaving the office.
After a moment Ranger shook off those thoughts and focused on the folder he had before him. The most recent information was going to need to be updated again. He was positive no one would be happy about this latest development, either.
Ranger hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He had a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling.
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