For disclaimer, notes, etc., please see the "Right Turn From Reality" Table Of Contents
Chapter Two: "Two For The Dough"
The Three Hour Stakeout
(Stephanie)
After the first hour of waiting for Kenny, Stephanie was a bit impatient, but she was spending time with Ranger, so she tried to make the best of it.
One thing she had discovered over the past month or so is that he is not exactly Mr. Chatty.
Still, Stephanie had managed to get him to answer a few questions, most of which were about work and how to be better at her job. At least those answers gave her some insight into his professional life.
When she'd pulled out a Snicker's bar to eat, he had cringed. Stephanie asked what was wrong and his response was simple, “That stuff will kill you.”
What's a Burg girl supposed to say to something like that? She just shook my head and asked what he thought she should be eating.
He told Stephanie that he had recently purged caffeine, sugar and fat from his diet. He was going to eat healthier and had already noticed the difference.
Stephanie blinked. Incredulous would be the closes word to describe her shock. How could a human live without dessert? Could this man really be Caleb's father? It was true, her son did like his vegetables – which was definitely not something he got from his mother – but no chocolate? No coffee? The man had to have a marble loose somewhere.
His answer did manage to shut her up for a while, though.
Of course, that didn't stop the questions from formulating in her mind. Unfortunately, all the questions she wanted to ask were the ones she couldn't: Are you Caleb's father? Do you remember that night? Can I have a DNA sample? Do you want to be in our son's life?
The last question and all the possible answers were what stopped me from asking.
Did she want him to be in Caleb's and her life like that?
This was, truth be told, a very scary man who led a very dangerous life. If, in the few short months she had been a Bounty Hunter, she had accumulated enemies and had problems, Stephanie couldn't imagine what his enemies were like.
Also, did she want to introduce that much more danger into Caleb's life? What precautions would they need to take? Would her boy even have a life?
At least he'd have a father. But what kind of man was Ricardo Carlos Manoso?
Yes, he lived a dangerous life, as a Bounty Hunter. Yes, he had served in the military in Special Forces. Yes, he had continued to help me after originally returning Connie's favor.
That led to a whole slew of new questions which she quickly shut off. She just wasn't going to go there.
But, despite the fact she knew what he did, Stephanie didn't know who he was. Did he have a girlfriend? A wife? Did he sleep around with a different girl every night? Did he have a family already? Was he faithful? Was he kind?
He wouldn't let her in beyond the professional, so she would probably never know.
Would he be excited to have a son, or reject us outright?
Stephanie let out a sigh and he shot her a look.
Settling back, she focused again.
The second hour of waiting led to some more brief discussion of Bounty Hunting techniques and other necessary things she needed to know. About halfway through that hour, her legs began to cramp from squatting and Ranger began to lose patience with her questions.
Hour three left them more than anxious to be out of here and away from each other.
The weird thing was, they weren't even speaking for most of that time and Stephanie began to think it for the best that she didn't ask Ranger about Caleb. She wasn't sure she'd want to spend more time with him.
But then, that could be the cramped muscles and hunger talking.
(Ranger)
Normally on a stakeout of this sort, he would settle into position, and relax into a hyper-aware mental state. That state was something he learned while in the service. It would allow him to be aware of everything that was going on while being oblivious to any pain and discomfort. In some ways it was as if the conscious connection between his body and consciousness was disconnected.
Stephanie Plum wouldn't allow that to happen. As soon as he would feel himself relaxing, she would ask him a question. He supposed they were normal questions, but having been trained to keep information about himself to himself, he was reluctant to answer most of them. The times she asked about something professionally, he answered her willingly.
It was near the end of the first hour when she pulled out a Snicker's bar to eat.
He'd never been a huge fan of dessert and chocolate, but, with the new diet he'd been adhering to, the candy bar had him craving foods he had given up. He hadn't had dessert in weeks. And now, faced with the scent of such a treat, he was having trouble focusing on the task at hand.
When his thoughts began to turn to how easily he could take the candy from Stephanie, he winced. It was times like these he thought himself a sad, sad man. Plotting to take candy from a lady was not normal.
She must have seen him cringe because she lowered the candy bar and asked, “What's wrong?”
He could identify the real concern in her voice, but decided to ignore it. Instead, he responded, “That stuff will kill you.”
Ranger watched as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. The expression was amusing, but also drew his attention from his surroundings to Stephanie. He was once again struck by how beautiful her eyes were. And with her mouth opened just slightly, he couldn't help but think of covering her lips with his own and using the opening to slide his tongue inside her mouth.
Clenching his teeth slightly, he forced those images away. What in the world was he thinking? She was not the type of woman he could be involved with, even if everyone already thought of her as his. Obviously, it was time for another night on the town. Maybe a trip back to Domino's would be in order. Then again, maybe a trip to Miami. It had been a while since he'd been to his hunting grounds there.
“Wha...? Huh? How?” Stephanie sputtered.
A smile twitched at the corners of Ranger's mouth. Obviously he'd stunned her. She couldn't even form a sentence. Amused, he figured he would throw out at least this little portion of private information. After all, it wasn't something that couldn't be observed.
“It's important for us to be in good physical condition. Training is a key not only in capturing skips, but in avoiding getting hurt while doing so. One of the keys to feeling better is eating healthy.” This was a lecture that amused him. Up until he was shot last time he'd eaten just as poorly as he was sure Stephanie did. There were some days he just loved to sink his teeth into a thick, juicy cheeseburger slathered in relish and mustard complete with a side of chili-cheese fries. But those days were behind him, he thought with a mental sigh. Maybe he'd be able to indulge in that once or twice a year, but not more.
It wasn't that the new, healthier food tasted bad. In many cases, the opposite was true. The amazing flavors Ella could create with a few herbs and spices and whatever other magic she had, was stunning. He'd even caught himself moaning in pleasure over a few recipes, not that he would ever admit it, of course.
“Snickers are healthy,” she finally argued back. At the raised eyebrow and skeptical look Ranger gave her, she blushed and weakly offered, “It has peanuts.”
Ranger smiled and shook his head. “Babe, that has sugar and fat in it.”
“Two of the basic four food groups,” she teased back.
Impressed that she felt comfortable enough to tease, he replied, “I know that theory and it's wrong. You could really benefit by cutting out sugar, fat and caffeine from your diet. Eating more salad and vegetables is always a great option.”
The look of horror which crossed Stephanie's face almost made Ranger laugh.
“Are you nuts? What human could possibly live like that?” she demanded.
Ranger met her eyes and answered, “I do.” When she just blinked at him in confusion, he continued, “When I was in the army, we learned to eat healthy. When I left, I maintained that for a while, but eventually found sugar, fat and caffeine slipping back into my diet. I've simply eliminated them again.” He didn't have to tell her he did so at his doctor's recommendation.
He smiled as she just shook her head and muttered to herself about his lack of appreciation for the good things of life.
As she lifted the candy bar to her lips, he had to look away. It was definitely time for a night out.
The discussion about diet must have shocked her enough to keep her quiet for a while. That didn't help too much though. Each time she fidgeted, his attention was drawn back to her. Even with the vest and belt on, she had a pleasing figure. She might not meet the standards the fashion industry dictated, but she was real.
Berating himself for letting his mind wander to her, he forced himself to relax.
That lasted until sometime in the second hour when she started asking questions again.
He did try to answer them patiently, but with his attention diverted and his increasing awareness of her femininity – what was that scent – he was hard put to be pleasant in his verbal responses. His physical responses were starting to disturb him as well.
The two of them had spent time together before and had even done stakeouts before, so why was she getting to him this time?
The thought that it wasn't actually her, but the sugar he knew she had crossed his mind, but he knew that wasn't entirely correct. If he were being truly honest, it was possibly tied to his new diet. Along with increased energy and health from cutting out the sugars and fats, his sex drive was increasing as well. He'd been going out more often to take care of the situation when business and working out stopped distracting him.
He knew that need would be better addressed in a relationship, but his life really didn't lend itself to relationships. He didn't have time. He had no set schedule.
And why was he thinking these thoughts anyway? He wondered, becoming angry with himself for letting his mind wander in those directions. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds before releasing it and repeating the process. By the third breath, he felt himself calm and in control again.
A glance at Stephanie, though, told him that she was uncomfortable.
That was just tough. She would have to deal with it. He was, after all, only doing her a favor.
Of course, why Vinnie gave Mancuso to her instead of someone else was a little baffling, but then, he didn't usually bother with finding out about such a low bond and he knew Stephanie would pay him for his time. It was one thing he hadn't even told her about, she had just done it. He had been surprised when Connie handed him a check for the majority of her first skip. But, he understood pride enough to accept it for what it was.
Ranger had just begun to settle into his zone again when he noticed Stephanie not only fidgeting, but biting her lip as well.
After she bit it, the tip of her tongue would dart out to wet it.
He felt his body respond and started berating himself for his reaction.
By the end of the third hour of waiting, he couldn't wait to get away. It wasn't anything she had done specifically, it was just the fact she was nearby and a woman. He would definitely need to get a handle on his hormones if he was going to continue to work with her on a regular basis.
The last thing he needed was to get involved with a “nice” girl. He'd done that a few times before and it never worked out well. The last time he'd done that, though, had been in Newark. That was a place he definitely didn't want to think about.
Ranger tried his best to ignore Stephanie's fidgeting. Three hours on a stakeout with her was pure torture, and not in a good way.
Happy Halloween
(Stephanie)
It wasn’t the brightest idea she’d ever had and, were things more serious, there was no way she would interrupt her search for Kenny by going to see Caleb, but it was Halloween and, more than catching Kenny, she wanted, no, she needed to spend the holiday with Caleb.
As she drove toward Newark, she glanced briefly at the scenery, thankful that the Indian summer would carry through tomorrow. After that, November would be bringing more seasonal temperatures for a day or two and then cold. From past experience, she was well aware that trick-or-treating in the cold wasn’t half as fun as it was otherwise.
Of course, thoughts of trick-or-treating brought her mind back to Caleb and a smile danced on her lips. He had decided to go as batman this year. One Saturday, the two of them had been watching the old “Superfriends” cartoon while eating their cereal in the family room and Stephanie had admitted to always wanting to be Wonder Woman. She could remember the conversation that had followed.
“Mommy, if you’re Wonder Woman, then I want to be either Green Lantern or Batman,” Caleb said.
“You do, huh?” she asked.
“Yep,” he replied. “They’re both really, really cool.”
“They are,” Stephanie agreed, smiling. “But Batman has cooler toys.”
Caleb looked at her, looked at the screen and then thought about it seriously for a few minutes. She always enjoyed it when he thought seriously. His mouth would frown slightly; his eyebrows would draw down slightly, making him look even more cute than normal.
“Batman it is,” he declared with a nod and a bright smile.
Stephanie offered a mischievous smile in return. “Good choice. But you’re a little young to drive the batmobile, so, maybe you should be ‘Son Of Batman’,” she teased.
“Hey!” Caleb protested. “I’m big enough to be batman,” he challenged and then dove at his mother.
The ensuing tickle fight only stopped when Grandma Plum came in and warned them they wouldn’t get pancakes if they kept this up. Instantly Stephanie and Caleb stopped their rolling around, both lying on the floor, hot and giggling.
That moment had started Caleb’s love of Batman, Wonder Woman and the other Superfriends. It had been cute to see him combining the Superfriends with his Rescue Heroes (along with the occasional Thomas The Train or Bob the Builder character) and having them all rescue the day. Eventually, he had started his Rescue Heroes “Superfriends” as well. His logic was that they were all the characters were best friends, so “Superfriends” fit better.
Stephanie couldn’t remember how many times she had sat playing with him on a rainy day as they “rescued” various people and saved the day. It was good for Caleb, though, that he had developed some good friendships with boys and girls who had similar interests. There was no doubt she missed the time with her little boy, but she was doing this for both of them.
She shifted slightly in her seat, knowing that her continuing with Bounty Hunting wasn’t entirely due to her need to support herself and her son. Originally it had been, but, the more she saw of Ranger, the more she could see the similarities between the two – Caleb and Ranger.
There would only be one real way to tell, but she still wasn’t in a place where she wanted to ask Ranger to take a paternity test. He was still enough of a mystery to her and still lived a dangerous enough life that she wasn’t sure she wanted him involved in Caleb’s life. On the other hand, now that she suspected, didn’t he have a right to know?
Blowing out a sigh of frustration, she focused on the traffic for a few minutes before her mind wandered back to thoughts of Ranger.
In truth, she wasn’t sure what to make of him. He was, perhaps, the sexiest man she’d ever seen. He could have any woman he wanted and, she was sure, had had every woman he wanted, but he hadn’t tried to pressure her into bed.
A snort of amusement escaped her. Of course, he didn’t try to seduce her; there were tons of women out there far more attractive than she.
Then again, he was her mentor, her instructor and, whenever she asked, he was there for her helping her learn the ropes, learn what to do and back her up.
He had gone with her on her first stakeout and explained what they were doing and why. It was the most boring hour and a half of her life. After giving her his explanation, he had sat there, not talking, not moving, just watching.
Of course, the few times she tried to find a topic of conversation, he had shut her down pretty quickly, leaving them to sit in silence. It was hardly a way to get to know the man.
The three hours they had spent together a few nights ago on stakeout for Kenny hadn’t gone well at all. That was actually almost an understatement. By the time Joe showed up, the two of them were more than ready for a break from each other. While she wanted to attribute the stress of the situation and their not knowing each other well for the friction, a small portion of her worried that she and Ranger would never be able to get along and she was better off not letting him into her life.
After all, the only things she knew of him were that he was a good bounty hunter, a decent teacher and not quite the street thug he had originally presented himself to be. The problem was, she had no idea who he really was.
All thoughts of Ranger fled, though, when she turned onto the street where her Grandma Plum lived.
Joy and expectation filled her as she kept her eye on the small house, watching for any sign of Caleb.
As soon as she pulled into the driveway, she shifted the car into park and the front door of the house burst open. A small blur charged right at her calling out, “Mommy!”
She managed to get out of the car in time to catch her son and hug him tightly to her, spinning around in circles for a few minutes and laughing with the boy. “Caleb!” she cheered back. Finally stopping her circles, she planted a big, kiss on his cheek and smiled more broadly as he placed one on hers as well.
“Let’s bring this inside,” Grandma Plum advised from the front walk. Stephanie smiled and walked over to the older woman, hugging her with her free arm as she continued to carry Caleb.
Once inside, Stephanie placed her son on the floor and he immediately went dashing off. “How are you holding up, Grandma?” she asked, her eyes moving from the doorway where her son disappeared to her grandmother.
“He’s a little ball of energy,” she replied, lowering herself into a chair. “Some days I’m not sure how I’ll keep up.”
A flash of guilt flared in Stephanie.
Before she could say anything, though, her grandmother continued. “Don’t you dare feel guilty,” she commanded. “Yes, I’m not as young as I used to be and yes, I get tired out.” Her voice softened slightly. “Yes, we both wish you were here with us and yes, I do wish he could meet the rest of the family. But, Stephanie, I haven’t seen you this alive except when you’re with Caleb in a long time. This isn’t an ideal situation, nor, I’m sure, is it the job you wished to have as a mother, but I can’t help but believe it is the right job for you. We, all three of us, will be fine.”
Whatever Stephanie was going to say was cut off when Caleb returned to the room wearing his batman mask and cape.
“Never fear! Batman’s here!” he cried.
“My hero!” Stephanie teased, clasping her hands in front of her and fluttering her eyelashes.
“Mo-om!” Caleb chided. “You’re Wonder Woman! I’m not your hero.”
“Oh, my mistake,” Stephanie quickly corrected, going over to him and picking him up. “It’s a little early to get ready for trick-or-treat,” she observed.
“I know,” Caleb admitted, looking down and playing with the string that kept his cape on him. “Oh! I heard a song the other day that, and I thought it would be cool to use. It goes ‘nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana Batman!”
“I know that one,” Stephanie informed, singing it through with her son. Grandma Plum stood up looking excited and said, “Wait!” heading for the stairs that would lead upstairs and then to the attic, she said. “I think I still have it. Let me find it for you.”
Mother and son exchanged confused looks, but waited patiently.
About ten minutes later Grandma came down the stairs holding, what Stephanie recognized as, an old record player. In her other hand she had a square piece of cardboard.
Watching in fascination, Caleb was trying to figure out what she was doing, causing Stephanie to smile at his curiosity. That was something he definitely got from her.
Finally, unable to take any more, the boy asked, “Grandma, what are you doing?”
“Just wait a minute longer,” Grandma Plum cautioned. “There,” she said as she placed the arm over the record and turned it on.
After a few minutes of scratchy quiet, the very theme Stephanie and Caleb had just been singing began pouring out of the record player.
“Yea!” Caleb cheered, bouncing along with the beat.
Stephanie just laughed and put her son on the ground where he began dancing around to the song.
Walking over to her grandmother, she asked, “Where in the world did you get this?”
The expression on Grandma Plum’s face softened and became more distant, a hint of pain showed in her eyes. “Your father and his friends were very into Batman as a boy. I might even have some of his old comic books. When the television show came out, he had to have a copy of the theme song. It was only a few years before he went into the army,” she finished softly.
This was another topic her family never had and never would discuss, her father’s time in the military in Vietnam. She respected that and let it slide. Though not usually openly affectionate with anyone other than Caleb, she leaned over and kissed her grandma on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said simply.
Grandma Plum looked at her and smiled, patting her hand. “Go dance with your son,” she advised, heading back to her chair to watch them.
Stephanie smiled and followed the instruction. It was going to be a good Halloween. Kenny, Joe, Ranger and everything else could wait until tomorrow. Now it was time to dance with her son.
(Ranger)
He shook his head at himself as he thought of Tank's comment from earlier. Ranger had asked the larger man to help him spar. In a very uncharacteristic manner, Tank had grumbled under his breath.
“What did you say?” Ranger asked.
Tank let out a sigh knowing his friend would get it out of him one way or another. “I said I should know better than to come down early to the gym on month end days.”
“What?” Ranger replied, confused.
“Man, you are one miserable S. O. B. when you have those month end reports waiting for you and you take it out on your sparring partner. Haven't you ever noticed how scarce people are in the gym during this time?”
Ranger shook his head at the memory. He had noticed that the gym seemed emptier during the end of the month and the beginning of the next month but never realized he was the cause of it. Nor had he realized he was that much more aggressive during those days.
“EOM is worse than PMS,” he muttered to himself, still unable to believe his men said that. But then, EOM, or 'E'nd 'O'f 'M'onth, was horrible for him.
The mention of PMS triggered thoughts of women, which drew his mind back to Stephanie for a moment. She was working on bringing in Kenny Mancuso. He had to admit that her plan to get him to go to his girlfriend's house had been clever. The things he'd heard about Kenny had disturbed him slightly which was why he'd agreed to the surveillance in the first place. Then, when he saw the cop, Morelli, was around, he figured that Stephanie would be alright.
He wasn't entirely positive what Morelli was working on just now, but whatever it was probably had something to do with Kenny Mancuso. With any luck, Stephanie would remember that, as a Bounty Hunter, she wasn't interested in the plot, just in catching the guy and bringing him back into the system. It was a lesson she seemed to be resisting, but was important if she were going to survive in the business.
Shaking his head to dislodge thoughts of the curly-haired brunette, he turned back to the stack of papers on his desk and the list of reports he needed to run.
He needed to get through this by early this afternoon so he could prepare for tonight.
Holidays were usually good days to pick up skips. They had good information on two of their outstanding skips and hoped to be able to bring them in without too much hassle.
The last time they'd tried to get a skip out of a bar it had turned ugly and too large a portion of the bounty had gone to the bar to repair the damages. Of course, any part that didn't get back to Rangeman was too large a part. He would have to think on it a while. There had to be an easier way to get skips out of public places.
Grabbing the top paper from his pile, he pushed that thought away as well. All of that would need to wait.
He wasn't sure how much later it was, when there was a knock on his door, but, as he looked up, Ranger noticed that he had made a pretty good dent in his paperwork. If things kept on as they were, he would be able to finish well before he needed to meet with the teams about tonight.
Seeing Lester standing in the door, Ranger motioned him in and indicated the chair across from him.
“Heard in from the guys doing surveillance on Santini,” Lester reported.
“And?” Ranger prompted.
Lester grinned. “He and his woman got into it on the front stoop this morning. They were loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.”
Ranger just raised an eyebrow, impatient for Lester to get to the point. Normally, he wouldn't mind the more detailed version, but, today, he needed to focus on the paperwork and didn't have a lot of time to spare if he was going to be done in time for the take-downs tonight.
“Seems he agreed to take her to a costume party and is now trying to get out of it.”
“Do you know where and when?”
Lester nodded and smiled. “She's going as Cat Woman and he's going as The Riddler.”
Ranger nodded in acknowledgment.
“So, it should be a nice reunion for you, Batman?” Lester teased.
Shaking his head in disgust, Ranger just glared at his friend. He would never live down that comment from basic. “Set it up,” he commanded. “Coordinate with Tank. We have two other take-downs tonight as well.” Then, turning his eyes back to his computer in silent dismissal, Ranger checked on the progress of his reports.
He waited until Lester was out of the room before leaning back in his chair and sighing as his mind wandered back to the past.
He had run wild in his youth. Gangs were rampant, but he always skirted them. He wasn't looking to belong or for that sort of trouble. He didn't want a lifelong commitment and that's what a gang was – a life long commitment that shortened your lifespan considerably.
So, he had skirted the edges of gangs and one of the ways he'd done that was by wearing all black clothing. By the time he'd gotten to the army, it had become such an ingrained habit, that, aside from a couple of tshirts, he didn't own any non-black clothing. Even his jeans were black.
He and the guys had been out drinking and picking up women. The night had gotten late and they were all well on their way to monster hangovers the following day, when the girl sitting on his lap asked if he dressed in black to be more like Batman or something. The guys had laughed, but Ranger had responded, “I don't need the clothes to be a superhero, honey. Just let me into your bed.”
It was an outrageous boast and one fueled by youthful cockiness and alcohol, but it had gotten him between her sheets. A few days later, Lester had been off-base and had overheard the woman telling her friend about spending the night with 'Batman'.
The teasing Ranger had endured had been annoying as anything. Fortunately, they were done with basic and would receive their assignments at the end of that week, so there would be no time for him to suffer through the gossip spreading.
Of course, he didn't count on Lester, Tank and the others remembering, but they had. And when nicknames were being given out in Ranger school, sure enough, he ended up with 'Batman' as his.
Just then his computer beeped, letting him know his report was finished calculating and was ready to be printed. Shaking off the memories, he hit the necessary keys to print this latest report.
“Cat Woman and The Riddler,” he muttered, shaking his head. He'd been forced to watch the old 1960's version of Batman. He knew there was attraction between Cat Woman and Batman. It wasn't until a month ago, when an old army buddy of his had been visiting, that he'd been reminded of the shows. That night he'd had a very memorable dream where he was dressed as Batman and the red head from Newark was Catwoman. Even now the memory of the dream had him shifting uncomfortably. It was very hot. The only problem was, neither of them had ever removed their masks, so he still wasn't sure what she looked like.
Shaking off the remaining tendrils of that dream, he forced all extraneous thought from his mind and focused solely on his paperwork. The sooner he got it done, the sooner they could start on the take-downs.
Tonight was shaping up to be a very busy night.
Settling behind his desk, Ranger was unable to stop the sigh that escaped him. Month end reports needed to get done today so he could spend tomorrow and the next day reviewing them. This was just one more part of the business that he hated. Oh, the parts he enjoyed still outnumbered the parts he didn't like, but paperwork and reporting, especially, left him cold.
The Night Stephanie Moves Home
(Stephanie)
Stephanie lay in my room, her eye twitching like mad and sleep weighing heavily on her eyelids.
But her mind wouldn't stop thinking about the attack on Grandma Mazur.
Kenny Mancuso sought her weakest spot and attacked. The thing was, Caleb was someone more dear to her than even Grandma Mazur, not to mention more helpless. Add to that the fact that Grandma Plum was less protected than her parents and Stephanie's anxiety levels began increasing.
She had thought that by keeping Caleb a secret, by keeping him in Newark, he'd be safe.
What she realized now was that just not telling anyone might not be enough.
It wasn't exactly unknown in the Burg that there was an estrangement between her father and his parents, nor was it a secret where Grandma Plum lived.
Though she hadn't made a birth announcement in the paper, Caleb's birth was a matter of public record. It wouldn't take someone long to find out about him.
When she was up here in Trenton, she could stay here to protect her parents and Grandma, but there was nothing she could do in Newark.
Stephanie blew out a frustrated sigh and turned over, hoping to find a position that would encourage her mind to settle.
If she was going to stick in this business for any amount of time, she would need to find out a way to protect the ones she love.
Never again did Stephanie want to receive a phone call telling her a loved one had been attacked in order for some psycho to send her a message.
She would have to talk to Grandma Plum about getting an alarm system installed. If nothing else, it would add to Stephanie's peace of mind.
Grandma Plum already had an unlisted phone number, so no one could find her through the phone book. That was a definite plus.
Caleb's school had procedures in place so people had to sign their kids in and out. That meant that only Grandma Plum and Stephanie would be allowed to remove him from school. Stephanie knew she'd have to take a closer look at that too, though. She needed to be sure her son was safe.
Another sigh escaped as she tried to push her worry for her family to the side.
Stephanie had yet to list her number in the phone book or her address. It just hadn't seemed prudent. After all, who in their right mind would put out a big neon sign to psychos like Kenny saying “Here I am!” Of course, Kenny had found and vandalized her apartment anyway as had Jimmy Alpha and Benito Ramirez.
Still, making it easier for them to find her might make them less tempted to go after her family.
She rolled over one more time and forced all thoughts of psychos, security and fear from her mind. Focusing on the fun Caleb and she had trick-or-treating, Stephanie was able to finally fall asleep.
(Ranger)
Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but the customer had wanted to have everything done by tomorrow morning at the earliest. That meant that he, his lawyer and several others had stayed late tonight to get it all done.
But done it was and ready for signatures in the morning.
A knock on his door caused him to look up. He nodded for Tank to come into the office. “What's up?” he asked.
Tank settled into one of the chairs. “Two things,” he replied. “First, I stopped by the other office to retrieve the tape. One message. They might be looking for us to help on that stolen weapons case.”
“The ones taken from the base?” Ranger clarified.
Tank nodded his confirmation.
“We'll have to think about it. I thought ATF was working with TPD on it.”
“They are. Morelli's the lead on it.”
Ranger sat back and closed his eyes. He contemplated that piece of information. He knew Morelli was interfering with Stephanie's attempts to capture Kenny Mancuso. Now he knew the reason. 'How in the world could one little girl from the 'Burg find her way into so much trouble?' he thought. “And the other news?” he asked.
“That girl you've been helping with bounty hunting? He grandmother was attacked by Mancuso today,” Tank informed.
Keeping his face neutrally blank, Ranger cursed internally. Mancuso wasn't the most stable person. The quick research he'd done when Stephanie asked him to help, had shown a streak of sociopathic behavior that was disturbing. To have him so fixated on Stephanie that he would attack her family, and, with his new suspicion that Morelli was after Mancuso as well for the arms theft, Ranger couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.
One glance at Tank revealed the other man watching him closely.
“The two are most likely linked,” Ranger advices.
Tank didn't bother to internalize his curse. “What is it about that woman of yours?” he demanded.
Ranger just shook his head. “If Mancuso is involved with this the theft, we're going to have to keep a better eyes on Stephanie.”
“You want me to put a man on her?” Tank asked.
A few seconds of silence filled the room as Ranger tried to decide what to do. “No,” he decided. “Not yet. Find out what Morelli's doing,” he commanded. “I have a feeling he's using Stephanie to get to Mancuso and the guns. Once we know what he's doing, we'll work a plan from there. As long as he's around, she should be safe.”
Tank nodded in acknowledgment and left the office.
Ranger stared at the ceiling, let out a sigh and asked, “Babe, what have you gotten yourself into now?”
Ranger Leaned back in his office chair and stretched his arms over his head. One of their oldest clients had called earlier in the day to let him know they were expanding their business and wanted to renegotiate their contract with Rangeman.
Roaring Away From Joe
(Stephanie)
Stephanie was still fuming about Joe planting that device on her. It made her feel violated somehow, just not in a good way. But then again, was Joe Morelli who she wanted violating her in a good way?
"Ugh!", she grunted in frustration. For years after she was with Carlos – Ranger? - she was celibate, except for a few encounters with the shower massager. Now, she'd run into Ranger again and he was one very handsome man, but she knew nothing about him and what she did know wasn't always encouraging. The problem was, Stephanie had seen just enough to know there was a whole lot she didn't know about him.
It might be nice to have a night with Ranger where she wasn't three sheets to the wind. It would be nice to remember what actually happened rather than only dream about it and have snatches of memory. Of course, that's assuming that the Carlos from that night was Ranger. All she really could remember clearly from that night was his name and an expanse of mocha latte skin as he pulled on his shirt the next morning.
Of course, Ranger hadn't shown any interest at all in getting to know her better, but being around him and being around Joe was stirring up her hormones.
In many ways, Joe was the safer of the two options. It wasn't that Stephanie wanted to be just another notch in his bedpost, but he'd been exciting and good back in high school and had most likely only improved over time.
Despite the fact she was mad at him right now, she couldn't deny a physical attraction. Would it be so wrong for her to indulge herself in that area? It's not like she would get pregnant again. Stephanie had switched from the pill to the shot, so she didn't have to remember to take one every morning. Not that she wouldn't use a condom as well. The last thing she needed was some STD making her life miserable.
Stephanie blew out a frustrated sigh. Shoving aside all her arguments, she knew that if Joe kept circling, it would only be a matter of time before she gave in to him sexually. Just because he was an arrogant, controlling, manipulative, secretive so and so didn't mean he wasn't hot.
There was also the fact he wasn't quite as “Burg” as most people from here. Stephanie figured that gave him a better than average chance of accepting Caleb should things ever progress to that point. Right now there was about as much chance of that happening as there was that Ranger would show up on her parent's doorstep and tell her his whole life story.
Parking at her parent's house, she got out of the Buick and felt the weariness and exhaustion from her day weigh her down.
Just a few short steps to bed and Stephanie could sleep.
(Ranger)
“Boss,” Bobby greeted when he had his laughter under control.
“Report,” he commanded, needing to know why he was being disturbed. He could hear Bobby taking several deep breaths in an order to attempt to get his hilarity under control.
“I was checking the bug and tracker we put on your woman's car last night,” Bobby began, sounding a little nervous, if still gleeful. Obviously he realized he'd just woken his boss. “Morelli got in with her and confronted her. Things were getting a little hot and heavy between them when she started muttering something about a tracker. We thought she might have meant ours, but apparently Morelli had placed one on her. She didn't react well and threw him out of the car before taking off. She returned to give him his gun for protection before returning to her parents' house.”
Ranger couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. Stephanie Plum was one of a kind.
“But, that's not the best part,” Bobby added before Ranger could hang up. “You know how I said it was getting hot and heavy with them?”
“Yes,” Ranger confirmed, his voice neutral, though his mind had immediately conjured up an image of her chained to her shower rod.
“Apparently, she left Morelli in the middle of the street wearing nothing but socks and his open shirt.”
It was impossible for him to stop the bark of laughter that came out at that thought. Morelli fancied himself a ladies' man, but apparently he'd met one lady who didn't fall under his spell. An emotion passed through Ranger that he couldn't quite identify, but felt oddly like relief. Why he would be relieved that Morelli and Stephanie hadn't done the deed was beyond him. Other than helping her with her skips, there was nothing between them. “Well done,” he said into the phone and then hung up.
Settling back onto his mattress, he closed his eyes, chuckled at the image of an indignant, naked Joe standing in the middle of the road and whispered, “Only you, Babe.”
He drifted back to sleep. Tonight, though, his dreams were filled with a curly-haired, blue-eyes brunette instead of the more familiar redhead.
Ranger was awake instantly when his phone range. He had deliberately gone to bed early tonight because he knew tomorrow would be long. “Yo,” he greeted. He was met with familiar laughter on the other end. It took him only a few seconds to identify it. His supposition was confirmed a few seconds later.
After Catching Kenny
(Stephanie)
Stephanie sat in front of the funeral home with Ranger by hre side. Joe had taken Kenny in for booking and told her that he would need her statement as well.
Looking over at her mentor, Stephanie noticed he was watching the scene, scanning for something. In the flickering lights of the fire and emergency vehicles, the dangerous edge that he wore so openly when dressed as a thug had deepened into something more subtle, something more powerful. He could be a very dangerous man, but she had only ever felt safe with him.
He turned and met her eyes, offering a brief smile which she returned before he was distracted by his cell phone ringing. Taking a step away, he answered it.
Stephanie watched him as he talked. There was something remarkable about Ranger beyond his looks and dangerous edge, something admirable. That thought led her to wonder why it was that she always called him when she needed help rather than calling Joe. Part of it, she knew, was that she called him because not everything she did would fly with the police and could land me behind bars if se wasn't careful. Another part was the safe feeling being around him gave her and another was the need to find out more about the man she believed to be Caleb's father.
But through all that, there was a small voice that she ignored, one that told her that she wanted him there because Morelli took from her and Ranger gave to her.
Stephanie told the little voice to shut up. Sure, the only time she heard from Joe was when their cases crossed and he needed to use her for information or to find something for him, but he also protected her and helped – a little anyway. But Ranger never asked for anything, he taught her, supported her and was there when she needed him.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Ranger hang up his phone. He walked over to her and she smiled at him.
“You OK here?” he asked.
“Sure,” Stephanie replied. She wasn't completely, but she was well enough. Carl had just showed up, so she knew she would be OK.
“Got a line on a skip. See you,” he said before disappearing into the chaos. Stephanie would swear that man was the wind. If he wasn't he was at least that elusive. She wondered if she would ever know him.
(Ranger)
He scanned the area repeatedly, looking for any sign that the guns had not all been stored in the basement of the funeral home and, more specifically, looking to see if he recognized any faces as threats. It was doubtful there would have been any buyers around, but you nveer knew for sure. I twas better to be safe than sorry.
Glancing at Stephanie, he could see she was thinking. From the way her eyes drifted over to him, he surmised that he was the object of her thoughts. Oddly, there wasn't a spark of desire in her eyes, just a thoughtful look as if she was trying to figure him out.
That thought amused him. She could try all she wanted, but even he hadn't been able to fully figure himself out. He wasn't an easy man to understand, even to himself. Beside, he had been very selective in what he'd shown her of himself. He didn't think she'd have a clue what he was really like, but then, she'd seen through his street persona after only meeting him a few times. Very few if any people picked up on the fact that, in that persona at least, he didn't speak street all the time. She had. It was just one of the reasons he continued to help her. She was just as much a puzzle to him as he was to her.
Scanning the area again, he felt his phone vibrate, checked the number and then wandered away to take the call.
He spoke for a few minutes to his ATF contact and was just wrapping up when he heard the tone that let him know he had a call on his call waiting. Ending the first call, he switched over to the second.
“We have a lead on Battle,” Tank informed, not wasting words. “We're ready to apprehend.”
“Where?” Ranger demanded. “Be there in ten,” he informed when he had the address. He would need to be there for this one.
Turning around, he returned to Stephanie. She was looking a little lost. “You OK here?” he asked. He did need to be there for the Battles pickup, but if Stephanie needed him here, he could spare a few minutes and let Tank know he'd be late.
“Sure,” she replied, offering a weak and unconvincing smile. Her eyes drifted to something over his shoulder and he noticed Carl and Big Dog had just arrived. He knew them to be friends of Stephanie's. They had said as much when they discovered he was training her.
Figuring she'd be fine with her friends her, he nodded. “Got a line on a skip,” he informed. Normally he'd just be off, but he felt like he should at least tell her that much. “See you,” he added with a nod before turning and leaving the scene.
As he headed to the site of the apprehension, he shook his head and put all thoughts of Stephanie plum out of his mind.
He had a job to do.
Ranger sat beside Stephanie in silence. Unlike most women he knew who would break down if something like this happened, Stephanie just seemed to need him to be there, to be a calming presence.
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