Chap 1

 

Stephanie impatiently tapped her foot on the hard wood floor. This day was turning into a nightmare and it didn't look like it was coming to an end any time soon. 

First, she had to pick up Mooner and take him in again. Ordinarily, that's a pretty easy thing to do; only this time, she had arrived at Dougie's to find that the boys were exploring an alternative life style.  The sign on the door read "Nudist Cologne".  She shuddered at what the sign implied and, as soon as she explained to Lula that it probably was meant to read "Nudist Colony", she was left standing at the front door all alone. Thank God that when Dougie came to the door he had underwear on. 

"Yeah, Dude, we thought it was sorta weird to be sitting around naked, just the two of us. Once we get more people to join, we'll ditch the skivvies." At least she managed to get Mooner in some clothes so she could take him down to the station.

And now, not 30 minutes later, she stood in the kitchen of a dingy apartment belonging to Rosa Perez. Rosa was young and pretty, very pretty, but stubborn too.

"Miss Plum, I promise to turn myself over to the authorities, just not until after 2:00.  Can it wait until then?"

Stephanie got the feeling something was going on here. With a resigned sigh, Steph plopped in the nearest chair and started to dig through her pocketbook.

"Do you have some coffee? I've had a hell of a morning and I haven't had my coffee yet."

Rosa let out a breath and smiled. "Sure."

"So, you want to tell me why we have to wait until after 2:00? I've got 4 other skips to pick up today."  Stephanie looked up just in time to see Rosa stiffen at the question.

"I have an appointment." Rosa turned to look at Stephanie with desperation in her eyes. "I can't break it." There was a scratching noise at the back door, which drew both women's attention away from the conversation. "That's probably Mister."

"Mister?"

"Yeah, he's a cat that started coming around the other day. I fed him and now he scratches at my door every morning." 

Rosa poured a cup of coffee for Steph and set it on the table. Then went to let the cat in. 

"Good Lord," Steph said, "are you sure that's a cat?"  The thing had to be the size of a small dog.  It strutted in like it owned the place, but the minute it noticed Stephanie sitting at the table it stopped.  For a few seconds it was almost as if the cat was studying her, trying to decide if it was ok she was there.

"What?" Steph said to the cat. "I like animals. I have hamster."

 Finally, Mister turned its head to look up at Rosa, meowed once, started to purr and rubbed up against her leg.  Rosa bent over and gave the cat one long stroke against it's back. "I guess you're approved." She stood and smiled at Stephanie.

Steph smiled back. "I guess so."

For the first time since coming into the apartment, Steph gave Rosa a good look. It was obvious the woman didn't belong in these types of surroundings. She got the first hint of that just by the way Rosa spoke. Now, looking at her clothes, it was very clear.

"Why are you living here?"

Rosa stopped rummaging in the refrigerator and slowly turned her head to look at Stephanie.

"What?"

"I don't understand why you are living here. The way you talk, the way you dress, it's obvious this is not your normal living situation."

Rosa straightened, pulling a container out of the fridge. She walked to the counter and put some chopped up food and a plate and then gave the plate to Mister.
            "It's the best place for me considering the situation."

"What situation?" Stephanie knew it.  Something was going on here and it was more than just a simple shoplifting charge. When Rosa didn't answer, Steph continued on. "Come to think of it, you don't seem the type to shoplift, and even if you did, you wouldn't skip your court date."

Rose turned away from Steph to stare out the window above the kitchen sink. "I have a problem I need to take care of that comes before anything else in my life." She turned back to meet Stephanie's eyes. "Have you ever had something to do that was so important nothing else mattered?"

Stephanie studied the young woman, dressed in the nice clothes with the good vocabulary but standing in a wretched apartment, with concern.  She could see that Rosa was trying hard to hold back tears.

"Miss Plum…"
            Steph cut her off. "Stephanie or Steph, please no more Miss Plum."

Rosa gave a shaky smile and nodded her head.

Sighing, Stephanie stood. "Ok. I'll come back at 3? That ok?"

"Oh," Rosa's face lit up. "Thank you Miss…Stephanie. Thank you."

Once back in big blue, Steph grabbed the other folders on the seat.  Jimmy Holt was next.  His last address was listed as Gossamer Park.

"Swell, he probably lives under the bridge. Bet he smells too," Stephanie said to herself. "Well, I'm not tackling that until I have some McDonald's."

 

***************

 

Stephanie sat back on the park bench and settled in.  She hadn't seen Jimmy Holt under the bridge where some homeless gather, so she thought she'd sit and enjoy the sunny fall day until he happened along.  One of the other guys said he had been around earlier in the day but should be back.  He pointed to a pile of clothes on the ground and said he was watching those for Jimmy so he was sure he'd come around again. So, she sat and waited.

After 15 minutes, her lunch of a Big Mac and fries was making her a bit sleepy.  She stood to stretch. When she twisted around to work a kink out of her back, she caught sight of a familiar sight over by the gazebo. She just couldn't place who it was.

Squinting, she took a few steps forward to try and get a better view. "Rosa?" she whispered, then grunted. "Yeah, something so important nothing else can wait. Like a day in the park?"

Just as she rounded the park bench, Steph saw a large man approach Rosa.  It didn't take long for the conversation to become animated.  Rosa shoved a briefcase at the guy. He took it and drew a gun. That's when Stephanie started to run.

"Rosa! Rosa!" Stephanie yelled, which was not easy since she was running.

Rosa looked over at Stephanie with wide eyes. Mr. Gun-Man hid the gun in his coat and started to back away slowly.

"Rosa," Stephanie yelled again. "There you are! I've been looking for you." The closer Stephanie got, the more the man backed up. When it became obvious that Stephanie wasn't slowing down as she got closer, the guy took off running. Steph followed right behind.

Her lungs started to burn like a son-of-a-bitch, but she still wasn't going to admit to Ranger that early morning running would do her any good.

As the guy rounded a corner, he tipped over a garbage can. If his intent was to slow her down, it worked.  She didn't clear the can when she tried to jump over it. Instead, her foot got caught on it. Stephanie, the can, and the garbage in it, tumbled down a small embankment, landing in a wet pile of leaves and lord knows what else.   It wasn't until something hit her, that she realized she wasn't alone.

"Umph. Jesus."

"Rosa?"

"Yeah.  Oh man…"
            Both woman struggled to their feet, moaning and cussing the entire time.

"Damn, I was just about to pass you and tackle the guy when you went down," Rosa offered as she tried to scrape muck off her arms.'

Stephanie just wiped her hands on the back of her jeans. "What was that all about? He had a gun on you."

Rosa stilled. "Nothing."

"A gun isn't 'nothing'."

Rosa didn't say anything else. A defeated look crossed her face and she simply sat back down in the mud. "It doesn't matter now. Just take me in and collect your money."

Steph sat down right next to her. Why not? She was already dirty.

"What was it about?" Steph said quietly. "I might be able to help."

Rosa snorted a disbelieving laugh. "No, you can't. You shouldn't." Rosa looked at Stephanie. "Just take me in."

Steph put a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "What ever it is, it's not hopeless Rosa. Trust me, I know. I've been in lots of situation where I thought it was hopeless, but it never really was. The key is not to be in it alone."

Shaking her head, Rosa sported a small smile. "Thanks. But honest, it doesn't matter now."  She stood and held a hand out for Stephanie. "But thanks.  Your kindness means a lot. Now, just do your job."

Stephanie smiled up at Rosa and grabbed her hand. Just as Rosa started to pull her up, a loud explosion rocked the park. They scrambled up the embankment to find a car on fire.

"Hey, it's not even mine!" exclaimed Steph.

Rose looked at Stephanie. "It's mine."

Steph turned and met Rosa's stare. "We better get out of here."

 

***********************

 

Stephanie walked out of the police station dirty, but mostly happy.  She had her body receipt and that almost made up for the all the comments about mud wrestling and car explosions. Almost.

She was cross the lot when a black Bronco pulled in.  Ranger got out and headed towards her.  Her hormones immediately stood up and took notice of the tight black t-shirt and the snug black jeans.

"Babe." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Steph rolled her eyes. "Ranger."

"You just bring in a female skip?"

When she looked at him again, he face had become serious. "Yeah, just now. Why?"

"Rosa Perez?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He nodded once and they started towards the building.

"Hey!" she ran after him. "I already have the body receipt. What do you want with her? She's not a high end skip."

Ranger stopped and turned to study her. His piercing stare sent a shiver down her spine. His eyes wandered to her mouth and she felt her nipples get hard.

Stephanie had to clear her throat before she could speak. "Ranger?"

"Babe."

His eyes went lower and she defensively crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop that."

Ranger smiled now. "Have you seen Morelli lately?" His eyes didn't move from her chest.

Stephanie gasped. She knew exactly what he was implying. His words about being back in her bed if Morelli takes too long echoed through her head.  Her hormones screamed.

"N..n…no." She tried to sound annoyed but she didn't think it worked, at least not if his smile was any indication.

Finally he looked her in the eyes. What she saw had her insides melting. They stood there locked in some sort of trance, until finally Ranger said, "I have to go."  He turned and walked into the station.

 

 

 

Chap 2

 

 

The sound of someone knocking on her door jolted Stephanie awake.  They weren't pounding so she doubted it would wake the neighbors, especially with their hearing aides out.  Looking over at the clock she groaned, 2:30 in the freakin' morning.

            Stephanie rolled off the bed on to her knees.  She placed her head on the bed and stayed like that until another knock had her attention.

            "Ok, ok, fine," she mumbled into the mattress.  Pushing off, she got to her feet and stumbled to the door. "What?" she barked as she proper herself against the door.

            "Uh, Miss Plum? I mean, Stephanie?"

            Steph opened her eyes, but her eyebrows creased in question. "Rosa?"

            "Yes!" There was so much relief to her voice in that one word. Stephanie quickly opened the door.

            "Are you ok?" She looked Rosa up and down. "You're not hurt are you?"

            "No, no, nothing like that. I was just…I hate to even be here, but…"
            "Come on inside." Stephanie ushered Rosa inside and sat her at the kitchen table while she made coffee.

            "Are you sure you're ok?" Stephanie wanted to make sure, just because she couldn't see anything wrong on the outside…

            "I'm fine. I was just hoping you'd let me sleep on your couch tonight. I'll be out of your way tomorrow."

            Steph narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with your place?"

            Rosa looked around nervously. "I can't go back there. I just need someplace for tonight." She stood. "But I understand if you don't feel comfortable with me staying here. I can go to a hotel."           

            Stephanie stood as soon as Rosa did. Placing a hand on her arm, Steph asked softly, "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

            Rosa shook her head. Stephanie sighed.

            "Ok. You can stay on the couch as long as you need. I have to warn you," she said as she went to get blankets and pillows from her bedroom, "I don't do early mornings very well and there is never any food in the place."

            "Really, Stephanie," Rosa started, but never finished because Stephanie had disappeared into the other room. When she came back out, Rosa continued. "Really, if this makes you uncomfortable…"
            "Listen, having you on my couch is preferable to some of the people who have slept on it. Trust me on this." Stephanie stopped and turned to Rosa. "You don't wear footed pajamas with cartoon characters on them and carry a lap top, do you?"

            Rosa looked surprised. "No."
            Steph nodded a little. "Good. You aren't really 80 something with false teeth and a wig?'

            Now Rosa really was surprised. "No."

            "You're not here to cut off my nipple?"

            "NO!"

            Steph smiled. "Ok then! See, you're the best one yet."  Well, except for Ranger or Joe, and they don't sleep on the couch, but she didn't want to get into that.

            "Look," Rosa said as she started to back towards the door, "maybe this isn't the best idea."
            "Oh," Steph said, grabbing her arm, "don't be silly. It's fine. Here's your stuff, so make yourself at home." When Rosa didn't move, Steph dropped her hand. "Listen, if you couldn't tell by our few encounters, my life isn't exactly what you would call normal.  You probably thought coming here would keep you safe. Well, I can't promise you that, but there's a good bet your stay will be interesting."

            Rosa smiled. "I don't want to put you in danger."

            Steph took a step closer. "Are you in danger, Rosa? I have a friends I can call..."
            "No, please. Don't call anyone. I'm fine. I just need a place to crash."

            "Then crash." Stephanie motioned to the couch with a smile, then headed for her own bed. "If you can find any thing to make breakfast from in the morning, make some for me too." She paused. "Who bailed you out?"

            Rosa blinked a few times. "Same person as before."

            "And that would be?"

            "Vincent Plum. I meant to ask, are you related?"

            Stephanie made a face. "Yes. He's my slim ball of a cousin. So, did you have any visitors? Any good looking Cubans drop by to say hello while you were locked up?" Stephanie noticed a look of panic cross Rosa's face, but she covered it up quickly.

            "No."

            Nodding, Stephanie let the obvious lie slide. "Ok. Have a good night's sleep."

 

 

            At the first sound of the door lock being picked, Rosa was off the couch. She looked around frantically for someplace to hide. When she spotted the closet it seemed like as good a place as any.  Quickly she gathered up her things, including the blanket and pillow, and squeezed into the hallway closet as quietly as possible, leaving the door open just a crack so she could see out.

            A man entered the apartment and slowly closed the door behind him. He was large but that was about all she could make out from what little view she had. He stopped right in front of the kitchen and turned to look there, before turning and looking directly at the closet where she was hiding. The minute the soft light from the street lamp hit his face, she covered her mouth to suppress a gasp.

            Rosa was going to be sick. It couldn't be him. It just couldn't. How would he know where to find her? How would Stephanie know about the connection? She shook her head. This can't just be coincidence.  Could it?

            Her eyes went wide when it looked like he was going walk over to the closet.  But, something else must have caught his attention since he turned to look down the hall as a smile spread across his face. Without any hesitation, he turned and went directly into Steph's bedroom.

            Slowly as she could, Rosa pushed the door open. She moved quietly to the front door and undid the lock, then slipped into the hallway.  She didn't bother to shut the door all the way in fear that he would hear her leave. She was already taking a big chance just moving around the apartment to get out. But she had to get out. She couldn't stay while he was right there.

 

 

 

            Ranger made his way to Steph's bedroom. He was going to give her apartment the usual once over, but when he heard her moving around in bed, he thought his time could be better used for other things.

            He stood in the doorway and watched her sleep. Her curly hair was spread over the pillows, arms and legs nothing but a tangled mess with the sheets. He couldn't help but smile. He knew first hand how good she'd smell…and taste.  That thought got his "other head" working.  He shifted slightly to rearrange himself, then took a few steps into the room.

            Steph rolled over on to her back and threw an arm over her head, exposing her middle.  He stopped and admired the bare skin of her stomach. Again, he knew exactly how soft and wonderful she would feel.

            Wasting no more time, he stripped to his boxers, hesitating just before climbing in bed.  Suddenly unsure of how she'd react to him being in her bed, he rethought his plan.  The last thing he said to her was that if Morelli was gone for too long, he'd be back.  But, he never asked her about Morelli after that. Word had it that Morelli had been gone for several weeks with no expected ETA.

            His attention was brought back to the woman lying in front of him when she moaned a little and rolled onto her side. With her nightshirt bunched up high around her stomach, he got a clear view of her exposed side.  He remembered how much he liked it when he slowly moved his hand down her side and how it would follow the dip of her waist, only to come back up and caress the smooth roundness of her hip.  He had to close his eyes and clench his teeth to stop himself from ripping his boxers off and taking her right then and there.

  With a resigned sigh, Ranger had to finally admit two things. One, telling her to go back to Morelli probably wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done, and two, he couldn't stay away from her.

            Slowly, he lifted as much of the covers as he could, and slipped into bed. He settled in on his side, and like a magnet drawn to steel, Steph immediately turned over and curled up inside his embrace. For a few minutes, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to soak up the feeling of having this woman in his arms. He inhaled deeply and savored her scent, rubbing his cheek back and forth across her hair.

            He couldn't help it; he tightened his embrace to pull her closer to him.  Stephanie moved around a bit as he did and he wasn't sure if he woke her or not.  She finally stilled, but he heard, and felt, her inhale deeply.

            "Mmm, Ranger?" she sleepily moaned.  He just about lost it.

            "Yeah, Babe?" he whispered, trying to stay in control.

            Stephanie sighed, "Ok," then slipped her arm around his waist and snuggled in.

            He let his hands lazily skim up and down her back, repeating the same hypnotic pattern over and over. But, it wasn't too long before his hands started to wander.  God, he wanted her. There was no doubt about that.  If she were awake, she wouldn't have any doubts either, by evidence of his hardness against her leg.

            His hands made it to her ass and pushed her closer.  Stephanie let out a small moan as one of Ranger's hands changed direction and started moving up.  He pushed her top half back slightly to have better access.  He massaged her breast and watched intently as the nipple pebbled beneath the thin cloth of her t-shirt.

            Had he been more aware of his surroundings, he would have noticed the change in her breathing, signaling that she was awake.  He didn't notice until he looked up and met a pair of deep blue eyes.

            Time seemed to stop.

            "Ranger?" she finally whispered, but neither of them moved.

             He braced himself for the onslaught. "Babe?"

            To his surprise, none came. Stephanie blinked a few times but otherwise showed no emotion.  The quiet unnerved him, but he didn't want to show it.

            "Babe, you awake?"

            "It's kind of hard not to be when you have a hand down my pants and one on my chest."

            He didn't even notice that his other hand started to work it's way inside her pajama bottoms. Christ, what she does to him. "Is that a problem?"

            Stephanie swallowed, and for the first time since she woke up, her face finally displayed her thoughts. Only, the look she had was scared.

            "Babe?"           

            "Why are you here?"

            Ranger moved his hands to a more neutral position, but he couldn't let go of her completely.  He knew how empty it felt when she wasn't in his arms. "I told you I'd be back if Morelli took too long." She narrowed her eyes. Uh oh.

            "And you get to decide how long is too long? I have no say in the matter?"

            He was toast. No matter what he said right now, he would be wrong. He tried to tighten his hold on her, but she only went stiff in his arms.

            "Ranger, let me go."

            He closed his eyes. "What if I don't want to?"

            "What?" Her voice was raised now. "What if you don't…"
            "What if I can't?"  Crap, it must be the lack of sleep talking.  He knew better than to say that.

            She went quiet. She understood what he had just said. He felt her relax slightly and took the opportunity to pull her closer. He sighed with relief when she let him.

            "Ranger, what are we doing?"

            He wanted to say, "laying in bed", but he knew a smart-ass answer would go over like a ton of bricks.  He decided to go with honesty.

            "I don't know."

            He felt her take a deep breath, like she was going to say something, but the phone chose that precise moment to ring.

            "I better get that," she said with a slightly defeated tone.

            He gave her a light squeeze, wishing like hell he didn't have to let go because he had no idea if he'd ever get her back in his arms again after tonight. "Yeah."  He let her go.

            Rolling on to his back, he closed his eyes and listened as she climbed out of bed and answered the phone.

 

 

 

 

            "Hello?"

            "Steph, it's Rosa. Don't say anything. You had a visitor so I left."

            "What? Why? You didn't have to …"
            "Stephanie, please. I don't want him to know I was there, ok?"

            "No."

            Rosa sighed heavy into the phone. "Please."

            "Only if you tell me what's going on."

            Another sigh followed by several seconds of silence.

            "Fine. Can you meet me at the park in the morning? Where we met yesterday? 10:30?"

            "Ok. I'll be there."

            There was no goodbye. Only silence then a dial tone.

            Steph turned to go back into bed, but jumped when she saw Ranger right behind her. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
            "Important phone call, Babe?"

            "No. Not really." She moved around him and headed into the kitchen. She didn't want to talk about the phone call.

            "Who was it?"

            "What?" She really didn't want to talk about the phone call.

            "I asked who it was that called."

            "Last I checked, Ranger, I don't answer to you." She stopped and turned back to him, hands on hips. "As a matter of fact, we don't owe each other anything. I assume that means explanations, too. And if it didn't, well it does now."

            Ranger let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Stephanie…"

            "It's late. I think you better go."

 

Stephanie sat on the steps of the gazebo in the park, and for the 10th time in five minutes, checked her watch. 10:35. She stood and started to pace.

Why does she do this all the time? She trusts people and they let her down. There’s Morelli and yes, even Ranger.  The “ life style = no  relationships” thing doesn’t quiet mesh with “What if I can’t let you go”. God, that was so confusing.

And, what about Morelli? He obviously does care on some level, but he takes off and doesn’t surface for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. Steph sighed and sat back down on the steps. “But then so does Ranger,” she said to herself.

“Who are you talking to?”

Stephanie jumped. “Rosa!”

“Shhh, Stephanie, please,” Rosa scolded as she pulled Steph up the stairs and inside the gazebo.

“Sorry. I was just starting to think you weren’t going to show up.”

“I almost didn’t.” She paused. “I don’t want to drag you into anything and since I saw who your visitor was last night…” Rosa paced a little, becoming agitated. “This was a bad idea. Forget you saw me. Forget everything, ok?” She headed toward the steps, only to stop dead in her tracks. “What the hell?”  She spun to face Stephanie. “Did you set me up?”

Steph’s eyebrows met her hairline. “What? Set you up? For what?” She was honestly confused. She knew next to nothing and now is being accused of setting someone up?

“Is that anyway to say hi to an old friend, Little One?”

At the sound of Lester’s voice, Stephanie's jaw about hit the ground. “Lester?” she asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here? And, what do you mean old friend?” Her head swung over to look at Rosa. “Why would Lester’s being here be a set up? And just how do you know my visitor last night?”

No one said anything. Lester and Rosa simply stood staring at each other. Lester looked a little surprised and Rosa looked pissed.

“Ok, that’s it.” Steph stomped over to the steps where they were standing. “If no one is going to answer my questions, I’m out of here. I don’t have time for this.”  Just as she hit the last step and was about to start out across the park, she heard Lester.

“Ranger said you were in town Little One, but you wouldn’t see him.”

Steph stopped moving and backed up. Maybe some of her questions would be answered. First and foremost, like how does Rosa know Ranger? Then she had a terrible thought. What if Rosa was his ex?

“I didn’t want him to know I was here.”
            Lester gave a short laugh. “You know better than to underestimate him. But he wants to know why you won’t see him.  He’ll find you.”

“It’s best if he doesn’t.”

Ok, Steph couldn’t stay out of this any longer, especially if this is Ranger’s ex-wife.

“Rosa,” she said climbing back up the stairs. “How do you know Ranger?”

Rosa narrowed her eyes and studied Stephanie. “You really don’t know who I am.”

Steph blinked. “No. Well, except what I read in your file, but that wasn’t much.” She looked at Lester, then back to Rosa and crossed her arms over her chest. “Somebody better start explaining…and I mean now!”

Rosa’s shoulder’s slumped. “Ok, fine.” She took a quick look around the park. “But not here.”

“We can go back to Ranger’s.”

“No.” Rosa was firm.

Lester let out a sigh. “Fine.   Come on, we’ll go back to my place.”

Rosa looked wary.

“Little One, trust me.”

Rosa’s look immediately turned sour. “I’m not a baby any longer, Lester. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t call me Little One.”

Lester’s face went blank, but his eyes took a very slow inventory, from the top of Rosa’s head to the tips of her toes, lingering at certain places in between.

Taking a small step so he was close to Rosa, his voice was low and deep when he spoke. “I’m not blind, Little One.  I see exactly how much you’ve grown up.”

            Stephanie could see Rosa’s cheeks heat from embarrassment, her eyes locked with Lester’s.  Steph cleared her throat to try and break the spell. When that didn’t work, she was left no choice. “Ok you two, can it. We need to get out of here. I’m getting a bad feeling.”

            That got Lester’s attention. “Come on. I learned a long time ago never to mess with Steph’s bad feelings.”

            They headed down the stairs and across the park, but Steph suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute. Lester, why are you here?"  Lester kept walking with Rosa, one of his hands was low on her back.

            "Just come on, Bombshell," he said over his shoulder. Rosa tried to stop when she heard the word bombshell, but Lester gently urged her along with his hand.

            Steph walked quickly to catch up, but she wasn't going to drop it. "He had you follow me, didn't he? That no good coward."

            "You'd have to ask him that," was all Lester said, but Stephanie saw his lips curl up in a slight smile.

            "Who are you two talking about?" Rosa decided to chime in.

            Lester and Stephanie spoke at the same time.

            "Your brother."

            "Ranger"

            Stephanie stopped dead in her tracks. Rosa stopped too, despite Lester's efforts.         

            "Your brother?" Steph's eyes were huge with surprise.

            Rosa sighed. "Yes, my brother. I didn't fit it all together until last night when Rick showed up at your apartment. You're his Stephanie."

            "I'm no one's anything," Stephanie barked out, narrowing her eyes.

            "Ladies, can we do this someplace other than in the middle of the freakin park. We're all out in the open here."  The women ignored him.

            Rosa smiled. "He said I'd like you."

            "He talks about me?"

            "Oh for crying…" Lester threw his hands up in the air, letting them fall and slap against his thighs.  "Guys, we need to go."

            "Yeah," Rosa's smile got bigger, "he talks about you."

            "What does he say?" Steph asked quietly as she took a step closer to Ranger's sister.

            "That's it!" Lester yelled.  "I'll carry you both if you don't get moving right now!"  That seemed to get the ladies attention.  Steph and Rosa slowly turned until they were both facing Lester.  That's when he started to get a really bad feeling himself.

            As if connected, both women, at the same time, shifted their weight onto one leg and crossed their arms over their chests.  The look on their faces were clearly saying "oh yeah, I'd like to see you try".

            Now, Lester knew that in a pinch he could carry both of them in a fireman's carry.  Stephanie was tall and shapely, but not big. Rosa…his thoughts went south as he took in her form again.  She had certainly grown up in all the good ways little girls should. Rosa wasn't as tall as Steph, she had all the same great curves.  And her eyes, Jesus…her eyes were big and round and so breathtakingly beautiful.  A noise brought him out of his musings.

            "Hmph," said Rosa. "That's the second time you've checked me out, Lester. Get over it. I've grown up. I have breasts. What's the problem? Haven't gotten laid in a while Santos?"

Stephanie started to laugh.

Lester clenched and unclenched his fists that were hanging at his side. "I see you still have that mouth, Little One."

Rosa smirked.

"Oh yeah," Steph added, "now I understand why Ranger said we'd get along."

"Come on," Lester growled.  He marched up to Steph and Rosa, taking each by an arm. "Move."

The three of them walked at fast pace. Lester in the middle.

Stephanie leaned forward a bit. "We're not done with our conversation."

Rosa leaned in too and smiled. "Not by a long shot."     

Lester rolled his eyes. "Christ."

 

Chapter 4

 

 

"Stop at Genovese."

"No."

Stephanie sighed. "Lester…"

"No."

She looked to Rosa, who was sitting in the passenger seat, with pleading eyes and mouthed "ice cream". Rosa winked.

When they stopped at a red light, Rosa put her hand on Lester's thigh. "Lester." When he looked over, she smiled and blinked a few times. "I really need to stop and pick up a few things."

"Little One, I don't know…"
            Rosa shifted in her seat to better face him and moved her hand a little higher on Lester's leg. His leg twitched.

 

 

 

Minutes after entering the store, both women headed to the frozen section. Lester followed behind.

"Hey," he said when he figured out where they were going. "You had me stop so you could get ice cream?"

Stephanie turned on him, hands on hips. "Yes. We're going to your house so that we can get filled in on what sort of danger Rosa is in. And, she and I need to finish another conversation. That right there is two half gallons."

"Each," Rosa added.

Stephanie smiled big.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud…well, hurry up then," he said as he motioned to the freezers. "I need to go get something too. I'll meet you up front in 10 minutes. No later," he barked. Stephanie saluted and Rosa started to laugh. When Rosa noticed the frown on Lester's face, she walked over to him and stood close.

Putting a hand on his arm, she leaned against him and whispered in his ear. "Condoms are in aisle 3."  She backed away and studied his shocked face. It almost looked as though he was blushing.

Lester shook his head a few times and mumbled, "What a mouth," as he walked away.

The second his back was turned, Stephanie grabbed Rosa's arm. "What did you say?"

"I told him," she started to laugh, "that condoms are in aisle 3."

Steph stopped and looked back, Lester was gone. "Are they?"

Now Rosa stopped. "What's with you and Rick anyway?"

Stephanie met Rosa's stare. "Not that." 

Rosa's narrowed her eyes. "I find that hard to believe."

"Believe what you want," Steph said as she turned to look over the ice cream selections.  “But he’s made himself pretty darn clear.”

“Oh? How exactly?” Rosa stopped in the middle of the aisle waiting for an answer.

“Let’s just say his life doesn't have room for relationships.” Steph stopped and turned around when she realized Rosa wasn’t directly behind her. “What?”

Rosa rolled her eyes and went to stand in front of Stephanie. “Bullshit.”

Now it was Steph’s turn. She rolled her eyes and said. “Whatever. I was there I know what he said.”
            “And what exactly did he say?”

“I just told you.”

Rosa’s eyebrow wrinkled together, but only for a second. Soon she was wearing a very skeptical look. “Bullshit.”

Stephanie sighed and turned to the ice cream freezer. “Here we go.” She opened the door, reached in and pulled out two flavors. “What are you getting?”

Rosa raised one eyebrow and Steph gasped.

“What?” asked Rosa.

“You…you do it too!”

“What?”

“The eyebrow thing. You do it just like Ranger. What sort of freakish family trait is that?”

Laughter erupted from Rosa. “It’s not,” she explained as she picked out her ice cream. “When we were kids, Rick saw some old movie where Humphrey Bogart raised one eyebrow. He thought it was cool. We spent lots of time learning how to do it, and trying to out do each other. Then it became some sort of silence communication between us. Now we just do it with people we are comfortable with.” She turned to Stephanie with her own ice cream, one eyebrow raised. “Are you telling me he does it to you?” Stephanie nodded.

Rosa smirked. “Told ya.”

“You told me nothing. I told you, that he told me, he doesn’t do relationships.”

“He lied.”

She couldn’t help herself; Steph’s eye went wide. “What?”

Again, Rosa laughed, but turned away and started to walk towards the check out to meet Lester. “You heard me.”

Rosa quickened her pace. She didn’t want Stephanie to catch up to her. She wanted the fact that Rick may have lied to sink in a bit. No way was her brother going to cut the best thing that ever happened to him, out of his life, saying he doesn’t do relationships. It’s a good thing Rosa showed up when she did. Rick had been pining away for Stephanie for too long to just push her away because he’s scared. Rosa was positive that what all this was about.

She had been so lost in her thoughts she did even notice the man at the end of the next aisle. Not until he grabbed her and pushed her up against the shelves.

“What the…” Rosa stopped when she saw Lester’s deep brown eyes, only inches from hers.

“I took your advice, Little One.”

She was breathing hard, because of the surprise or because Lester was so close, she wasn’t sure. But she did manage to choke out a word. “Oh?”

“They weren’t in aisle three. They were in four.”

She looked confused and was surprised again when she felt the ice cream cartons being taken from her hands and small cardboard boxes replacing them.

“You might need these later.”

Rosa was still confused but wasn’t given any time to figure it out. Before she could blink, Lester’s lips had captured hers.  She felt herself melt as he delivered the softest, most sensuous kiss she had ever had. She made some sort of small whimpering noise and suddenly he was gone.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him looking over his shoulder at her as he walked away, grinning one hell of a sexy smile.

“I think he likes you,” Steph said.

Rosa jumped at the sound of her voice. “What? God, don’t do that. You scared me.”

Stephanie smiled and rocked back on her heels. “How long have you had the hots for Lester?”

Pushing herself off the shelves, Rosa straightened. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She went to smooth out her shirt and realized she still had the small boxes in her hands. When she looked at what they were, she gasped. “Wh…wha…”

Stephanie laughed. “I hate to tell you, but a man doesn’t give you two boxes of condoms if he’s not interested.”

Rose looked at Steph with wide eyes. “What? No. Don’t be silly. I’ve known Lester since I was 12.” She turned to look down the aisle where Lester had just been. It was empty. “He wouldn’t give me a second look. He's just getting back at me for my smart comment earlier.”  She threw the boxes onto one of the shelves and headed towards the registers again.

“Wait! You know how old Ranger is.”

“Well of course I do.”

“So?”

“So?”

Stephanie grabbed Rosa by the shoulder and stopped her. “How old is he?”

Rosa opened her mouth, but anything she said was drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
 

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

At the first sound of the gunshot, Stephanie and Rosa started toward the front of the store where Lester had headed.  They didn't get more than two steps before he rounded the corner with his gun drawn.

"Come on," he said as he ran to the back of the store. "It looks like a hold up but something else is going on. There are two up front with masks but one is looking for something, or someone."

Rosa stopped in her tracks and was about to say something when Lester grabbed her by the arm. "Don't even think I'm going to let you out of my sight right now. Come on."

The three of them ran into the back room of the store and started to the back door with a small group of others when Lester pulled Rosa and Stephanie aside.

"Let's see if there is another door back here."

"Why?" Stephanie pointed to the door that was so close.

"Because I don't know if there are more of them and if the heist was just a cover for finding someone, the logical thing to do would be to have someone covering the back entrance as well.

Stephanie nodded and started down an aisle that had nothing but boxes and boxes of toilet paper. She reached the end and noticed another door off in a corner.  "There's one."

Rose turned to head over to Stephanie when Lester caught her arm again. "When we get to my place you're going to tell me what's going on." She tried to say something but Lester went on. "No, Little One, you're going to tell me."

There was nothing else to do but nod in agreement. Rosa knew this was not the place to argue. Besides, now she had time to think something up.

"Where are the condoms?" Lester asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?"

He leaned and whispered in her ear. "It's ok. I have plenty at my place."

Her eyes went wide. "W..w…wha…"
            Stephanie's voice cut her off.  "Come on you two. Now's not the time."

"Yeah, there will time later," Lester said while holding Rosa's gaze.

It seemed that in a flash Rosa was being pulled to the door. Before they opened it to see where it went, Lester bent over and retrieved a gun from an ankle holster.   He chambered a round. "I assume you don't have your gun, Steph?" He laughed slightly when he saw Stephanie roll her eyes.  "Here. I'm going to go and get the Bronco. I'll come back and pick you both up." He looked at Steph with a serious expression on his face. "Keep her safe."

Stephanie nodded once.

"Hey," Rosa piped up. "I can take…"
            "Steph's a professional. Let her do her job."

Lester chuckled again when she saw that both women looked shocked. Slowly he opened the door and was relieved when it led to a parking lot. Unfortunately, that's all that was there, no dumpster, no cars, nothing, nothing to hide behind or give them any cover. The line of trees on the other side of the lot suddenly looked far away. He could also hear the sound of sirens.

"Stay here," he ordered. "I'll be right back."

Stephanie blinked and he was gone. Just as she turned to say something to Rosa she noticed someone searching the aisles in the backroom.

"We can't stay here."

"Lester said…"
            "I know Rosa, but someone is over there looking around. I don't have a good feeling about it.  Let's go."

Steph opened the door like she had seen Lester do, slowly and cautiously. When she saw that there was nothing but open space she realized why Lester wanted them to stay put. "We've got to make a run for those trees." She looked back at Rosa and noticed the fear in the other woman's eyes for the first time. "Come on. We'll make it."

They both left the building at a dead run. What seems like minutes probably only lasted seconds, but they made it across the lot. Steph hoped they had gone unnoticed.  She was trying to catch her breath when the Bronco screeched to a halt in front of the door they just exited.  Unfortunately, the man who had been searching the back room opened the door. He stood in the doorway as Lester pulled up.  The man raised his gun and aimed at the Bronco.  She needed to do something so Lester knew they weren't in the building any longer.  Steph brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled loud, just like her Dad had taught her to do at Ranger's games.  She was sure Lester would hear it, but so would the guy at the door.

The gun had been aimed at the Bronco was now aimed at her.  Just then the Bronco moved and headed straight for them. Lester was keeping the truck between them and the gun.  A shot was fired and then the sound of glass breaking.

Lester slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel so the back end of the truck slid around so the doors were facing them. Stephanie and Rose jumped up and lunged at the doors, climbing in as quickly as they could.

"Stay down," Lester barked. Sound from outside sounded loud and it was then Steph realized that the back window had been shot out.

 

 

 

 

“No.” Lester was tense.

Stephanie watched as Lester paced the kitchen.  He wasn’t happy, neither was Rosa. Her pose in one of the kitchen chairs was as determined as his.

“Lester, you can’t tell me what to do. If I don’t want to stay here I don’t have to. Jesus,” Rose popped up from where she had been sitting, “you haven’t changed at all. You were overbearing when we were kids and you still are!”  Rosa couldn’t believe that Lester thought he could order her around. Before Rosa could take enough breath to keep her tirade going, Lester had caught her off guard by charging across the room and backing her into the wall.

Stephanie slipped out since it was clear this conversation was going to be a little more intimate then anticipated.  Neither Rosa nor Lester noticed.

Lester’s breath was hot as he leaned in and whispered in Rosa’s ear. “Yes, you do have to stay here.  Something is going on with you and I’m not going to let you of my sight until it’s all straightened out.”

Rosa’s heart started to beat double time. Lester’s strong, muscular body was pressing against hers and with his lips so close to her skin she could barely concentrate.

“Rosa.” Lester paused as his lips skimmed down her cheek and back up to her ear. “Why did you leave?”

“Hmmm?” Her brain was turning to mush. He laid a gentle kiss against the side of her neck and her breath caught in her throat.

“When you left, ten years ago, why?”

“I…I…there was..”
            “You were beautiful then. You’re gorgeous now…all grown up.” Another soft kiss as a hand tangled in her hair.

Rosa’s eye fluttered closed.  “I…I…had a job waiting. You knew that.”

Lester brought his head up, positioning his lips only inches from hers. “Look at me.”

Rosa opened her eyes reluctantly. Their gazes locked and held. Lester finally broke the trance.

“You left just when you got interesting.” Rosa raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. “You came home from college and I was just beginning to think I had a chance.”

Her eyes went wide. “With who?”

He had to smile.  “You.”

“Me? B…b…but I never thought…”
            “You thought wrong.”

“Y…y…you…m…m…me…” She trailed off when he started to move his head closer to hers. Her stomach did flips and she closed her eyes, ready for her lips to meet his, something she had dreamed about for years but never believed would happen.

It had seemed like this moment would never come…and it didn’t.

“I found her,” Lester said loudly.  Rosa’s eyes flew open.

Ranger’s voice came from across the room. “Good. Now get off my sister.”

Lester’s eyes never left hers. He winked and whispered, “We’re not done here.”

“Yes, you are Santos,” Ranger offered.

Rosa rolled her eyes and Lester laughed.  When she spoke, it was loud so that Ranger could hear but her eyes locked with Lester's. “I never understood how you could be friends with him. He’s a pain in the ass.”

Ranger grunted and Lester’s laugh boomed across the room. “What a mouth, Little One,” Lester said as he backed away.

Rosa suddenly felt cold. The heat coming from Lester was comforting and definitely a turn on, now the contrast was like a slap in the face.

“Where’s Stephanie?” Ranger asked.

“Probably down in the den,” Lester answered. “She’s fine.”

Ranger nodded once, then trained his look on Rosa.  Ok, she needed to get out of here.

Just before she made her getaway, Ranger reached out as she passed and grabbed her by the arm. She stopped and looked up at him. “We’ll talk in a few minutes.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can talk all you want. I’ve said everything there is to say.” Jerking her arm out of his grasp she continued out of the room.

“She never was intimidated by you, man.” Ranger looked at Lester. “Hey, I’m not either so you can stop that.”

Ranger sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know.”

 

Chapter 6

 

Stephanie knew someone was approaching her while she sat on the couch, and she had a pretty good idea of who it wasn’t.  It sure wasn’t Ranger or she would have started to tingle.

“He’s here,” Rosa said as she sat on the opposite side of the couch.

“I know.” Stephanie didn’t move her gaze from the T.V.  So, she had tingled earlier when he got there.

“He wants to talk but he’s with Lester now.”

Stephanie turned to look at the beauty sitting next to her. “You should tell him. Whatever it is, he should know. He can help.”

One of Rosa’s eyebrows went up and Steph groaned. “Stephanie, you don’t understand.”

“That’s because you won’t explain.”

Rosa went quiet staring straight ahead. Steph mentally shrugged and went back to watching T.V.

“I’ll tell you about Ranger.”

Stephanie head whipped around and she narrowed her eyes. “You’re playing dirty.”

Rosa smirked. “He really does talk about you.”

Stephanie hesitated for just a fraction of a second. Screw Rosa’s problem, there was a direct source for information on Batman and Steph wasn’t about to pass this opportunity up. She turned her whole body and drew one leg up and under the other one. “Spill.”

 

********************

"What's with you and Rosa?" Ranger asked while eyeing Lester.

Lester turned toward the refrigerator and sighed. "Nothing."

Ranger lifted and eyebrow. That was an open-ended sentence. "And?"

"And what?" Lester grabbed a beer that sat himself at the table.

"It sounds like you wanted to say something like 'nothing…yet.'"

Lester took a long drink of his beer. "So what? I'm attracted to your sister. Look at her, she's gorgeous. Any man would be."

"I didn't walk in and find any man making a move on her. I found you. Is that all you want? A piece of ass?"

            Lester set his beer on the table with a little more force then he intended. "No! Look man, just stay out of it, ok?" Ranger narrowed his eyes. "Hey, I'd think that if you could trust any man with your sister, it would be me."

            With a huge sigh, Ranger sat down opposite Lester. "I know. I trust her life with you, Tank, Bobby and Stephanie." A questioning looked came over Lester's face at the mention of Stephanie, but Ranger ignored it.

            "I sure hope I don't have competition with all those people. Well, except maybe Steph unless there's something about her we don’t know, like her gate swings the other way…" Lester trailed off.

            Ranger snorted a laugh. "No, that's not an issue."

            "Oh? Care to explain?"

"No." Ranger paused, face blank. "I don't think you'll have any trouble with Tank or Bobby. I'll stay out of it, but don't hurt her Santos." Lester nodded, his face just as serious as Ranger's. "Fine. Now tell me what her problem is and how Steph is involved."

"I don't know, man. All I know is that Steph was the one who picked up Rosa when she didn't show for the shoplifting charge. What did she need with a brief case anyway? How she and Steph got together this morning, I don't know."

"The only two people who hold all the answers to those questions are in the other room talking about us."
            Lester looked surprised. "You think?"

"Yes. See Lester, the thing about girls is…" Ranger's speech was interrupted by a bark of laughter coming from the other room.

 

 

**********************************

 

"He what?" Stephanie couldn't believe her ears.

Rosa sat nodding her head. "He rode his bike off the roof of the house because he wanted to fly like those kids in E.T. He even took the basket off my bike, tied it to his and then strapped in the cat." Rosa stopped as a laughing fit took over.

"Oh, the cat must have loved that!" Steph laughed just as hard.

"You know it."

Both women disintegrated into a laughing fit for several minutes. Stephanie was the first to calm down.

"He sounds like a normal kid. I can't picture that."

Rosa sobered. "Yeah. He was."

"Then…when…how did he…" Stephanie trailed off not sure of how to ask the question.

"How did he get to where he is today?" Rosa shrugged. "It's just the road he's taken. He's seen, and probably done, lots of bad and ugly things. You either let it cripple your mind or you lock your feelings up tight, distance yourself from it.  He chose to do the latter. I know he isn't always legal, but he does what's…"
            They both finished the sentence "…morally right."

Stephanie and Rosa smiled at each other, then became quiet for a few beats.

"He's different at home," Rosa offered.

"That's something I'd like to see."

Rosa paused and studied Steph. "You will."

Stephanie started to shake her head. "You don't understand…"
            "I do more than you do."

Frustrated, Stephanie sighed and tried to change the subject. "You never told me what he says about me."

This got a big smile from Rosa. "He tells me how you blow up cars."

"Great." Steph rolled her eyes.

"And…he tells me how you stick with things and you don't give up."

"Stubborn."

"Yeah," Rosa agreed and smiled, "he used that word a few times. He also says how loyal you are to friends. How you helped that woman who was left on your balcony and those two guys who were kidnapped." They both fell silent.

 Rosa spoke in a whisper. "He also tells me how your eyes sparkle when you smile. How that, when your angry and determined, there's a flush to your cheeks and he can see the spirit, the light inside of you."

Stephanie swallowed. "I thought you said he distances himself from things like that."

"I also said he's different with us. Not as open as he used to be, but still, more then he is here. So, you see, when you say he doesn't want a relationship, it doesn't make sense." Rosa paused. "He came to you last night."
            "He always has. He breaks in the middle of the night or early morning."

"That's not a man who doesn't want anything."

"But he said…"
            "I don't care what he said." Rosa reached out and put a hand on Stephanie's knee. "Actions speak louder than words, Steph."

Steph needed to direct the attention away from this topic. "So, what's with you and Lester?"

"Well…"
"Yeah, Little One, what's with me?"

Both women turned to see Ranger and Lester standing in the doorway. Rosa huffed and jumped off the couch, getting right up into Lester's face.


"You know what, Santos? You're an idiot. The thing about girls is that they don't like being snuck up on!"

Rosa stomped out of the room, down the hall.

Ranger chuckled.

Lester groaned.

"I think she like you," said Stephanie, laughing.

 

Chapter 7

 

No one flinched when the sound of a slamming door echoed back down the hall. It was kind of expected. How else do you finish off an exit like that?

Lester turned to head down the hall and Stephanie saw Ranger open his mouth, as if to stop him. He never got the chance.  A beeping sound came from kitchen. It had to be something serious since it drew both men’s attention.

She followed them into the kitchen where Lester walked over to a control panel on the wall. “They are inside the fence, four sides.”

“Back way?” Ranger asked.

Lester shook his head. “Nope, covered.”

“Upstairs,” Ranger barked.  It was a command, not a question.

Steph was confused. “Upstairs? There is no second story to this house and who exactly is inside the fence?”

Ranger gently turned me toward the hall just as Rosa appeared.

“Now what?” She was pale and looked scared.

Ranger stepped out from behind Stephanie and started to guide Rosa down the hall. “Lester’s room” was all he said.

Once in Lester’s bedroom Ranger went directly to the closet and opened the door.

Steph gasped, almost fainted. “That’s the biggest closet I’ve ever seen!”

Lester chuckled. “Admire it later, Steph. We need to hide.”

“In the closet?” Rosa asked that one. Thank god Stephanie wasn’t the only one not following the plan.

Ranger went to the back of the closet and reached onto one of the shelves that covered the wall. There was a click and the wall swung slightly open.

Lester put a hand at Steph’s and Rosa’s back to guide them into the closet. “False wall,” he explained. “I had this whole house redone when I moved in. There was some extra space so I made it a place to hide. Unless you know the house really well, or have the original floor plans, you’d never know.”

Just as Rosa came to stand in front of Ranger, she stopped as he took her hand. “Don’t worry, el pequeño. Now, go on. Up the ladder and to the left.” Ranger looked at Stephanie. “You go right.” She nodded, not understanding at all. Ranger smiled. “You’ll see when you get up there.”

Steph watched Rosa go up and to the left. When she got to the top of the short ladder and looked to her left. She saw Rosa lying on a couple of planks of wood. There was no room to sit up because the roof of the house came down on each side at a steep angle. To the right was the same set up. She crawled onto the boards on her right, and waited.

Lester’s head came into view and Steph watched as he looked toward Rosa. Ranger’s voice floated up from below.

“Santos.”

Lester looked down and then nodded. She took that to mean Ranger told him what side to get on. Steph’s suspicions were confirmed when he crawled in with her.

There was a click and it was suddenly dark.  Movement could be heard from the other side and Steph figured it was Ranger climbing in with Rosa. Steph was sure Rosa would love that.

 Lester moved around and Stephanie heard the distinct sound of a bullet being chambered. She groaned.

“What? Don’t have your gun, Bombshell?” He was whispering.

“If I had my gun with me, it would be in my pocketbook.” She narrowed her eyes for emphasis, not that he could see. “My pocketbook isn’t up here with me.”

“Want one?”

Light appeared and she saw Lester holding a very tiny flashlight in his mouth.  He pulled on his pant leg and she lifted up just enough to see he had a small gun strapped to his ankle where the light was aimed. She rolled her eyes again, but made no other comment.

He chuckled and the light went out. Everyone lay still for what felt like forever. The quiet was getting to her.

“Guess you got the short end of the stick, Lester, having to crawl over here with me,” she whispered.

“Aww, I wouldn’t say that, Steph.”

She felt him move closer and one of his hands slipped around her waist.

From across the way came a loud whisper. “Touch her Santos and you’re dead.”

“Uh oh, too late.” She thought she said it quietly enough so that only Lester could hear. She was wrong.  Some sort of growl came from the other side. She felt Lester start to laugh. He brought his head close to hers so that he could talk directly into her ear.

“What’s with you and Ranger?”

With a small tilt of his head, her lips were directly by his ear so she could respond. That’s easy. “Nothing. What’s with you and Rosa?”

She felt him take a breath to answer her, but a noise from below stopped him. They both stilled and he tensed. The noises continued and it became apparent that whoever was below was looking for something…or someone.

“Great.” Lester’s head came to rest on her shoulder. “I’m gonna have to clean up. Why do they always have to toss the place? Can’t they just look quietly without breaking stuff up?” There was the sound of glass breaking and Lester’s head started to roll back and forth on her shoulder.  They lay quietly like that for several long seconds until the noise stopped. “I hate to clean,” he whispered.  She tried to hold back the laugh, but he felt her body shake.  “Oh sure, laugh it up. I’ve seen your bathroom.” That shut her up.

 

**********

 

Rosa thought she heard whispering coming from Lester and Stephanie, but she couldn’t tell for sure. She was too busy trying not to notice her brother and the tension that radiated from him.

“Santos.” Ranger barked.

Rosa jumped at the sound, but remained quiet. Well, at least until she heard Ranger growl. Then she started to laugh. She tried to hold it in, she really did.

“You think this situation is funny?” Ranger whispered, his voice calm. Rosa knew what that meant.

She sighed. “No, Ric, I don’t think my situation is funny at all. However, your situation with a certain female bounty hunter, well, yes, I think it’s funny.”

“Cute. But, I don’t have a situation. I want to know more about yours.”

“Yeah. It probably doesn’t matter any more anyway. If they knew I was here, they followed me. So, they probably know you’re here too.”  Ranger didn’t respond so she knew he was waiting for her to continue. “It’s Zepeda,” Rosa spit out. The minute she said the name she felt Ranger tense. “He’s trying to get to you through me. When I first realized he was after me, I ran.  I came here to warn you, but he followed me. I offered him money. He said ok and I was to meet one of his flunkies. That was in the park, when Steph came along.  It wasn’t until my car blew up that I knew he planned on killing me after I turned over the money. He knows where you are now. He doesn’t need me anymore.”

There was noise from below and Rosa went quiet. She moved closer to Ranger and his arm came around her. Once the noise moved off she felt Ranger relax some and give her a kiss on the forehead.  “¿Oh, mi se levantó, por qué usted intenta protegerme?” (Oh, my rose, why do you try to protect me)

            “Me ocupo de usted porque usted es mi hermano y eso es lo que lo hace la familia.”  (I look after you because that’s what family does.) She paused. “I can’t lose anything else, Ric. I couldn’t take it.”

            He kissed her forehead again. “I know, baby. I know.”

            They lay quietly but Rosa couldn’t hold back any longer. “Why does Stephanie think you don’t do relationships?”

            No response.

            “Did you really tell her that?” She was still whispering and tried to sound fierce, but she doubted it worked.

He said nothing.

“Ricardo.”

His chest moved as he took a deep breath. “She’s not wrong.”

She was quiet, until finally, “I may be afraid to lose the people I hold dear, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them and letting them in.”

“It’s not that simple, Rosa.”
            “Yes, big brother, it is. Does she know your lifestyle?” She paused and waited. “Does she?”

“I don’t want to talk about this now.”
            “Tough, we’re stuck and don’t have anything else to do. Does she?”
            “Of course she does.” He sounded ticked.

“Does she accept you knowing what she does?”

Rosa couldn’t see him, but when he spoke his voice had softened. “Yeah. But I have certain terms…”

“Well let me tell you something she hasn’t figured out yet…”

Ranger let go of Rosa and backed away slightly like he was preparing himself.

            “…your terms suck.”

            “Rosa.” His tone was warning and his voice was above a whisper.

            She didn’t care. She poked him in the chest with her finger. “Don’t Rosa me. If Mama were here…”

            “She’s not.”

            Rosa snorted. “That’s what you think. She’s here through me and I’m telling you the same thing she would. You’re being stupid and stubborn.”

            They were both quiet for several long minutes. But, Rosa wasn’t completely done yet. With a much gentler tone, Rosa added, “She’d also be sad that you’ve decided not to risk love at all because of fear. You disrespect her by hiding. She wouldn’t like it.” More quiet. “So, I’ve just decided I’m not going to let you.”

 

**********

Lester and Stephanie couldn’t hear any noise from downstairs and she was getting antsy. “Can we go down?”

Lester answered in her ear. “No. Tank will get us.”

“Tank?”

“Yeah. The alarm signaled Tank and Bobby. They’ll be here.”

Of course it did. “Oh.”

“Why do you think Ranger isn’t interested?”

She sighed heavy. “Because he isn’t, ok?”

“No, not ok. The growl we heard early didn’t come from someone not interested.”

“Maybe it was Rosa who made that noise.” Lester went still and didn’t answer. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Maybe instead of treating Rosa like you did when you were 12, and I have a theory you liked her even back then, you could treat her like an adult and ask her out. Putting boxes of condoms in her hands is the equivalent of pulling on her pigtails to get her attention.”

“I never pulled her…”

She gave him a good shot to the head with her hand. “One word, Lester. Romance.”

He was going to respond but the wall that hid their hiding place creaked open and light filtered up from below. Lester was immediately up on one elbow, gun in his free hand pointed down at the ladder. Stephanie rose up to see Ranger had the same pose. He must have felt her looking because his eyes flicked over and met hers, head on. If she had to interpret the look he gave, she’d say it was definitely not a happy one. That’s all she got to see since Lester pushed her down.

Someone yelled from below. “Clear.”

Tank’s voiced echoed in the small space. “Well, isn’t this cozy. Thanks for inviting us to the party, ladies.”  He must not have known that Rosa and Steph were there because when Steph lifted up again and he saw her, he was very surprised. “Hey, this is very cozy.” His smile was big. “Bombshell,” he said in way of a greeting.

“Tank,” she responded dryly.

He looked over at Ranger and his voice was serious when he spoke next. “Rosa?” He paused. “Someone better fill me in.”

 

 

Chapter 8

 

The silence was deafening. It’s the only thought that went through Stephanie’s head. She’d read that phrase before in cheesy books, but it really seemed to fit her present situation.

Ranger, Lester, Tank and Rosa seemed to be studying the computer screen in great detail.  Once out of the attic everyone was told the story. There was many orders barked into the phone and at each other, but none involved Steph. She was starting to feel out of place.

She did notice Ranger looking at her every once in a while.  At first she met his stare and smiled, but he’d always turn away.  So now each time she caught him, she would kick some of the broken dishes on the floor and pretend they were the most interesting things in the world.

Honestly, she was amazed at the damage. Lester was not only going to have to clean, but replace almost everything he owned.

Finally, with the boredom becoming unbearable, Steph got up to stretch but remembered she didn’t have her pocketbook. The hunt was on.  She eventually found it in the den where she and Rosa had talked before the intruders.

Digging around in the bag she came up with her car keys but suddenly remembered she didn’t have a car. As she came out of the den she noticed Bobby come in the front door.

“Hey,” she said to get his attention. He immediately smiled and headed over.

“Hey, Steph.” He motioned to her pocketbook. “Found everything?”

“Yeah. I think someone went through my purse.”

Bobby looked down at the pocketbook in her hands. “How can you tell?”

Narrowing her eyes, she leveled him a look that would send most running. Bobby laughed.

She sighed and gave up. “You out making the rounds?”
            He nodded. “We’re secure.”

“Good to know. Hey, can you take me to my car. It’s at the park.”

His brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Steph.”

“Look, Booby, they are all in there doing whatever it is they are doing. It doesn’t involve me. Rosa told you guys what is going on and now you and the Super Friends can fix it. Me, I need to get out of here to make dinner by six.”

“Super Friends?” He was laughing.

“Yeah, you know, all those super hero’s got together to save the world. That’s you guys. You’ll fix it. So will you take me?”
            He took her by the elbow. “Come on. I’ll take you.” Bobby grabbed a radio off his belt. “Gotta make a drop. I’ll be back.”

“Ten four,” came back.

“Who was that?”

“Just told the guys outside I was leaving. You want to say goodbye…” he trailed off and motioned down the hall.

“Nah, I don’t want to break their stride. I’d just be in the way.”
            Bobby stopped. “Steph, you’re never in the way.”

“Yeah, well…I’ll be dead soon if you don’t get me to my car. Or better yet, I’ll just let you talk to my mother.”
            A panic look crossed Bobby’s face before he became serious. “Let’s go.”

 

********

“I made it, Rex,” Steph yelled as she entered her apartment.  Closing the door, Steph leaned against it, leftover bag in hand, and let out a deep sigh “I made it.” She pushed off the door and went to the kitchen to check on Rex and deposit the leftovers in the fridge.

“Do you know how exhausting it is to try and convince my mother that my interesting, exciting and dangerous day was not interesting, exciting or dangerous?”

Rex’s butt wiggled in his can.  To her that was a yes. Rex always understood.

Ignoring the blinking light on her answering machine, Steph plopped herself on the couch. “A good dose of mindlessness is what I need.” She flipped on the TV and started to surf, finally landing on some reality show.  It didn’t take her long to realize she just needed to go to bed. After a quick pit stop in the bathroom and a change into pajamas, she was out like a light in no time.

 

 

**********************

 

Ranger approached Stephanie’s bedroom very much the same way he had a few days earlier, quietly and with trepidation.

When he saw her at Lester’s house, it was the first time he had seen her since she asked him to leave her apartment. Well, she kicked him out, but why split hairs?  And, there had been no time to talk to her once Zepeda’s thugs hit Lester’s place.

He stood silently in the doorway and watched her sleep.  Everything Rosa had said kept turning over in his mind.

  “I may be afraid to lose the people I hold dear, but that doesn’t stop me from loving them and letting them in.”

He let out a small sigh at the same time Stephanie stirred. His mind focused back on the woman in front of him.  She was beautiful, inside and out. She was also his if he wanted her.

It didn’t take long for his brain to remind him the reason he had come to see her. She was in danger…and it was because of him… again. No matter what Rosa may think about his relationship policy, his fears were founded in reality.

Right now, he needed to get a job done and that job involved getting a sleepy Stephanie Plum someplace safe.

With quiet steps, he made his way over to the bed. “Babe?” he whispered. There was no response. While brushing some stray hair away from her face, he tried again. “Babe?” A very small noise came from her; it was more like a halfhearted grunt.

Ranger smiled and realized he wasn’t going to move her short of carrying her out. So he did what any other sane man would do when faced with his options. He put his gun on the bedside table, stripped to his boxers and climbed in next to her.

Once settled, she moved into his embrace with an ease and comfort he was smart enough to cherish.

“Babe?” His voice was low and soft.

“Hm?”

“You awake?”

She moved a little and made that grunting sound again. He smiled.

“Babe, get up. Time to go running.”

“MmmHmm.”

Well, this could be fun. “Babe, will you stop eating all the junk food and only eat healthy things?”

Silence.

He brought his lips close to her ear and softly said, “Babe? Will you?”

“MmmHmm.”

“Will you keep your gun on you and loaded?”

“MmmHmm.”

Ranger sighed and stroked her hair. His voice was still low, but much more serious. “If I take you to the bat cave would you stay forever?”

“MmmHmm.” One of her arms snaked around his waist and she pulled herself closer. He froze and waited, but she was still out of it, for the most part, asleep.

As he closed his eyes and started to drift off, his mind wouldn’t let him be. It kept reminding him how his lifestyle didn’t fit forever relationships.

 

*******************

The safe house was quiet and well guarded, but Lester still couldn’t fall asleep. Rosa was only a few doors away and that knowledge had him tied in knots. If he were being honest with himself, his feelings for her were probably the real issue. If he were being honest…

With a resigned sigh, he lifted out of bed and threw on a pair of drawstring pants. He thought about wearing a shirt, but then disregarded that thought. He was only going to make a quick stop outside her door to make sure she was ok. He’d be back in his bed in no time.

Quietly making his way down the hall, he reached the room where Rosa was sleeping. He stood in the murky darkness weighing his options. To make sure she was ok he should go inside.  However, Rosa seemed to get pretty riled at him when he was around. That thought made him smile. He was getting to her and on some level he was making an impact.

He went to knock softly on the door, but the minute his hand hit it, the door slowly swung open. He nudged the door open the rest of the way and took one step inside.  The room wasn’t huge, but managed to fit a bed and dresser. Sparse furnishings, but the safe house was about practicality, not luxury.

Light from outside filtered in through the window and he was clearly able to see Rosa in her bed sleeping. The minute his eyes noticed her arms and shoulders were bare, his mind latched onto the fact she was most likely naked. It gave him an instant erection. He was hard and throbbing within seconds.  His soft cotton pajama bottoms tented out in front of him like he was some junior high novice. He closed his eyes and clenched his fist as his brain wrestled with his body.  Try as he might, he couldn’t get his legs to work and walk him out the door.

“Lester?” His eyes flew open at the sound of a soft, sleepy and sexy as hell voice.

 

 

 

When the man standing in Rosa’s room didn’t respond to her question, she started to panic. But, before she gave into it completely, she tried again. “Lester?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, but his voice cracked so he cleared his throat. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Rosa let out a breath. “Oh, good. When you didn’t answer I started to think…oh, never mind. You need something?” Had she been able to see his face in the dark, she would have seen his pained expression at such a loaded question.  But as it was, she totally missed it. Other thoughts invaded her mind. “What’s wrong?  Is someone hurt?” She raised her voice in panic. “Where’s Ric? He ok?”  She sat up and the bed covers fell away from her chest.

Lester made a strangled sound and turned around.

“Oh god. He’s hurt? What happened? Take me to him.”  He said something, but she didn’t hear him.

“What?” She was confused and couldn’t understand why Lester was acting so strange. “What is the matter with you?”

“The problem is,” his voice was strained when he spoke, “that your sitting there half naked and I’m having a hell of time trying to keep myself on this side of the room!”

Rosa gasped and grabbed the covers and pulled them up to her neck, clutching them tightly. “Oh…oh…I…I don’t have any clothes with me. We left in…in such…” she stuttered, but stopped when Lester unceremoniously walked from the room.

Now that had her confused. He said he was having a hard time staying over there when she was naked, but yet he left? None of this made sense, none of it. This was Lester, her big brother’s friend.  She was nine and he was twelve when they met. He relentlessly teased her and then ignored her while they grew up. Now suddenly he’s after her? It just didn’t fit.

She was about to roll over and forget the whole thing when something soft hit her in the face.  She grabbed at it and pushed it off her face.
            “Put it on.”

Startled, she looked up to find Lester standing in the same spot he had before.  Even in the semi darkness she could tell his teeth were clenched when he spoke and that his hands were fisted at his side. Without a word she lifted the soft material and realized it was a t-shirt.

She met his gaze and immediately realized it was one of his shirts. Oh god. “Turn around,” she ordered, but her tone didn’t fit the words.

 

 

 

In one stiff, jerky movement, Lester turned.  He couldn’t believe she sat up like that! It took every ounce of control he had not to take her right then and there. Jesus Christ.

He took a calming breath and ran a hand over his face, shaking his head a little. That’s when he saw it. A mirror. Without turning his head, his eyes slid to the right. He could see Rosa sitting up in bed and staring at his shirt like it was some foreign object. He wanted to tell her it was only a shirt and not to look so scared, but then she’d know he could see her, so he kept quiet.

Staying very still, he watched her tuck the bed covers under arms and then find the bottom opening of the shirt.  He was about to leave when she stopped moving. Her stillness caught his attention.  She sat motionless with the shirt in her hands, staring down at it. 

Then, at a leisurely pace, she lifted the shirt to her face and inhaled deeply.  She rubbed the cotton against her cheek and inhaled again.

Lester’s entire body twitched, his mouth falling open.  She was caressing herself with the t-shirt he had worn only hours earlier. He had taken a shower late and then went into the kitchen to find something to eat.  He had only worn the shirt for the amount of time it took him to do that. Then he had taken it off and thrown it on top of the dresser in his room when he returned.  He had grabbed it for Rosa because it was the first thing handy.

Now, she was sitting there smiling, like it was the best present someone had ever given her.

That made up his mind. No way was he sleeping alone tonight. No way.

 

***********

 

Stephanie woke and new immediately it was early morning…and that she wasn’t alone. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know who it was, and that he was awake.

“Ranger.”

“Babe.”

Deciding she didn’t want to open her eyes just yet, she knew she had two options. She could get bitchy at the fact he just waltzed in and assumed it was ok to be in bed with her. Or, she could really enjoy the way she woke and maybe tease him a little.

“I have to wonder if I’d wake up for anyone else. I mean, maybe I should test it, have one of the guy break-in and climb in bed with me. See if I wake up for them.” She paused. “I’m sure Lester would do it.” So, the second option it is. “Although I’d probably sleep through him too. He and I were pretty comfy in the attic yesterday.

She felt him tense at her teasing and smiled to herself. Maybe Rosa was right and he lied about not wanting a relationship.

            “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Babe.” His voice was very serious.

            She matched his tone. “Oh, I don’t know. This is a bit disturbing how you can just come in and I don’t even know it.”

            A hand came to the back of her head and gently titled it up. She didn’t need to look to know his face was only a fraction away from hers.

            “Open your eyes.”

            Slowly, lazily, as if drugged, she opened her eyes and met his stare.

            “If I remember correctly, I’m still mad at you.”

            He smirked. “I think you forgave me.”

            “Oh? When was that?”

The smirk dropped from his face and his eyes focused on her mouth.  “Right now.” He captured her mouth with his in a sweet tender kiss.

She let her eyes drift close and pushed all the negative things from her mind, concentrating completely on what she was experiencing in that moment. And oh what an experience it was.  The kiss was soft, warm and full of emotion.  Just as it started to feel like she was floating to heaven Ranger pulled back.

“Babe, we have to go.”

 

Chapter 9

"Go?" Steph sat up in bed. "Go where? Why?"

Ranger sighed and sat up, throwing his legs over the bed, his back now facing her. "Some pretty nasty people saw you with Rosa. You could be in danger."

She opened her mouth to tell him crazies had been after her before and that she could take care of herself. Well, sort of. But just as she was about to speak, another thought raced through her head. He does care. He wouldn’t go to all this trouble if he didn’t. And while this situation is exactly why he doesn’t want a relationship, she also saw it as an opportunity.

"Ok."

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. She ignored it and got out of bed, making her way to the closet to collect some clothes. "How long?" When he didn’t answer, she turned to look at him. He had put his pants on. What a shame.

She repeated her question. "How long will I be gone? I need to know how much to bring."

His face might have been blank but she saw the wariness in his eyes. "Just the basics. Whatever you need other than that can be supplied."

Steph studied him. Dropping the clothes she had picked up to pack, she took a few steps towards him. "One condition." His eyebrow went up again. Steph rolled her eyes. When her gaze settled on him again, he was smirking. "You have to admit something." That wiped his face clean.

Taking another step towards him, she crossed her arms over her chest. "If I can admit that I should go with you because I know you want to look after me, keep me safe, then you can admit I could be helpful."

If asked, she’d swear Ranger stopped breathing. Both eyebrows hit his hairline. It was clear he wasn’t admitting anything. She took the last remaining step to come within inches. She poked him in the chest with her finger.

"Do I help you with cases?" His face went blank. Steph narrowed her eyes and poked him again, hard. Although she was sure it hurt her finger more than his rock hard chest. She spoke carefully, slowly and clearly saying each word. "Do. I. Help. You. With. Cases?" He couldn’t say no, and they both knew it.

His answer was a curt nod.

Backing away, she smiled big. "That’s right. So, I’ll go with an understanding that you’re just trying to make sure I’m ok and you’ll understand that I’m there to help." Her eyes narrowed to emphasize a point. "And I will help. You can either accept that now and give me things to do that will help or," she paused, "I’ll figure out a way to help on my own."

 

 

 

He was screwed. He knew it; she knew it. Damn.

"You don’t understand…"

Steph cut him off. "Then explain," she said as she walked over to the bed and sat down. "I’m all ears. Although, I do have questions about what Rosa said yesterday. Maybe now is the time to talk about them."

He sighed. "Can we do it once we get to the safe house?" She shook her head, smiling. Time for him to get serious. "I could just take you."

The smile was immediately gone and he knew he messed up. When she spoke, her voice didn’t match the anger in her eyes. Her words were soft. "You force me to go and you’ll lose more then just the skin and blood I take when I scratch and fight you every step of the way."

He sighed again and ran a hand over his face. "You don’t understand, babe. If you’re officially helping, Rosa will want to help too…"

"So?"

That response should have been his first clue this was a bad idea.

"Babe…"
"It’s her life, Ranger. There has to be some way she can help. Me too for that matter."

Ranger picked his shirt up off the floor. "Fine. There’s computer work that needs to be done…"

"Umm, Ranger, I don’t…"


"She’ll find it and you’ll look at it. You’re good at putting things together." He was sitting in the chair putting his boots on when he spoke, so he hadn't noticed right away that Stephanie hadn’t moved or said a word. When he looked at her, she was sitting motionless, eyes wide. He ignored her shocked expression and stood. "We need to go."

********

Lester lay awake, wondering what exactly to do now that it was morning. Rosa was curled up against his side sleeping soundly. He hadn’t slept a wink all night. He wanted to savor every moment he held Rosa in his arms.

Gently, he ran a hand through her hair while trying to hold back a chuckle. Every time he thought back to the night before he had to laugh. The look on her face when he said he was staying was priceless.

As Lester watched Rosa in the mirror snuggling up to his t-shirt, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from moaning out loud. Finally, through clenched teeth, he asked, "Are you decent yet?"

He studied Rosa’s reflection as her head snapped up to look at his back. He had to smile at the flush to her cheeks and how she clumsily slipped into the shirt.

"Yeah," she whispered when she was covered.

Slowly he turned around to find her, not only with the shirt on, but the covers tucked back under her arms.

Lester let a sly smile slide onto his face. She began to look nervous. Good, keeping her nervous might just play to his advantage.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Little One."

The room fell quiet and Rosa began to fidget. "Well…" she started.

Lester smirked. " Well?"

"Yeah," she cleared her throat. "I should be getting back to sleep. Thanks for the shirt." She made a production of fluffing her pillow before burrowing down into the covers.

Lester stepped up to the side of the bed and stared down at her. He had to laugh to himself as she tried to ignore him. He knew it was only a matter of time before that Latin temper of hers kicked in. He was doing his best to annoy her. He knew exactly how to push her over the edge.

"Move over."

"What?" she yelped.

Yep, that did it.

"Move over."

"Move over? What the hell for?"

Lester leveled her with his gaze. "Because I’m staying." He was quite matter of fact about it.

She fluffed her pillow again and snorted. "Screw you, Santos."

"Now that’s a great idea," he whispered.

In a flash he had her pinned to the bed. "However, not tonight. We’ve had a rough day and I’m fairly tired." He rubbed his lips against hers. "And, when we do make love, we’ll both want it. Actually, you’ll ask me."

Lester was jarred back to the present when Rosa shifted in her sleep. She was starting to wake up.

He kissed her on the top of her head. "Good morning, sleepy."

"Morning," she mumbled and slipped one of her legs in between his. "You’re warm."

He had to smile. Hot was a better way to describe how his was feeling. With great care he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. She kept her eyes closed. "I’m going to kiss you, Little One."

"Mmm, ok."

The kiss was soft and sensuous. His tongue traced the seam of her lips and she willing opened for him. For several long minutes he took and she gave.

He was in heaven and it was only a kiss.

"Well, this is interesting," came a female voice from the doorway.

*********** 

Once they were settled in the car and headed to the other side of Trenton, Stephanie turned in her seat. "What does Zepeda have against you? I mean, Rosa told us that he was threatening to hurt her if she didn’t tell him how to find you. Instead of doing that, she offered him money. When someone tried to kill her in Miami, she left with only the clothes on her back and the money for Zepeda. She got to Trenton, tried to steal a pocketbook, got caught and was putting off Zepeda the best she could. That’s sort of where I come in. I got her file when she didn’t show for court. I found her trying to hand over the money and intervened when Zepeda’s henchman pulled a gun on her."

Still, Ranger said nothing. Stephanie sat quietly, thinking. Then it hit her. "He knows you’re here." She wasn’t sure, but she thought Ranger shook his head. "He was trying to get to you and get the money. He knew she'd run to you." She glanced at his hands on the steering wheel and his knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on it. "Rosa had to know she'd be followed to Trenton." Ranger swallowed.

More to herself than Ranger, she said, "She believed the money would take care of it. That he’d go away after she handed over the money. Rosa never thought he’d take the money, kill her, and them come after you?" Steph shook her head. "She’s smarter than that."

"People want to believe everything will work out all right. Most don’t plan for worst case," Ranger offered.

Stephanie blinked wildly trying hard not to match up what he was saying with their relationship. She didn’t want to believe she was Ranger’s worst-case scenario. Time to divert this conversation, even though she was mostly talking to herself through most of it.

"Back to my original question. What does Zepeda have against you? Why did he go after Rosa to get to you in the first place?"

The car came to a stop and for the first time in 20 minutes she looked out the window. They were parked in front of gate that lead to a drive, which had to lead to a huge house. Small houses didn’t have drives…or gates.

They sat and waited as the gate opened slowly. Finally, the car moved forward. Steph took in the surrounding trees as they wound their way up the drive. The house at the end of the drive was huge, just as she suspected.

She turned back to Ranger. "Ranger?"

He cut the engine and turned to face her. Leaning casually back again his door, he put one arm on the steering wheel and the other on the back of his seat. He looked calm and relaxed. His words were anything but.

"Zepeda killed my mother and father."

Chapter 10

 

 

 

            “What?” Stephanie was shocked.  Of all the things she expected Ranger to tell her about Zepeda, that was not one of them. Ranger didn’t respond and was in fact, not even looking at her. The look on his face had changed also.

            “Come on,” he ordered as he got out of the car.

            Steph hurriedly got out of the car and followed after him. “Ranger?” He kept moving toward the front door. “Ranger.” She stopped walking. “Don’t tell me something that upsetting and then walk away.” He didn’t stop and was almost to the front door.  “Fine,” She muttered to herself. “I don’t need this.” Turning on her heels she headed to the car to get her bag. “I don’t need this.”

            Reaching the car, she yanked open the door and grabbed her bag from the back seat.  She was still talking to herself as she slammed the door closed. “You think I would have learned. He told me. He was clear in what he said.” She snorted. “I thought I was messed up.”   

            Steph headed down the drive, then abruptly stopped. Her plan was to turn and find no one there, but she felt the need to yell one more time anyway.  She spun around and opened her mouth but what she saw was not an empty front yard. As a matter of fact it was kind of crowded.

            She huffed out a breath, dropped her bag and rolled her eyes. Just what she needed, to be the center of another public humiliation. Standing on the edge of the drive were Tank, Bobby, Lester, Rosa, Ranger and someone she didn’t know.   The unknown woman was gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking.  She stood as tall, if not maybe a smidge taller, than Ranger. She had long jet-black hair and her skin tone was same smooth mocha color as Ranger’s.  Her stance was confident and she seemed to exude a certain kind of presence. But, there was no way to guess her age being so far away.

 Stephanie started to feel something close to dread ball up in the pit of her stomach. Maybe this woman was the reason Ranger didn’t do relationships. No way could Stephanie compete with this Latin beauty.

Steph let out a breath. “I don’t know what’s going on and I’m sure no one will tell me, so I’m going to leave.” She reached down and picked up her bag. When she looked at the crowd again, the beautiful woman had turned her head to look at Ranger. When she spoke it was in Spanish and from the tone, it didn’t sound like she was too happy.

“¿Qué ha hecho usted ahora, hermano pequeño?” (What have you done now, little brother?)

Rosa answered. “Esconder sus sentimientos.” (Hiding his feelings.)

Ranger didn’t respond. The unknown woman moved from the group and headed directly toward Stephanie. 

Steph wanted to move, but couldn’t. She seemed to be glued to the spot. All she could do was watch the graceful and self-assured steps of this new piece to the puzzle. The woman stopped a few feet in front of Stephanie and smiled. It was warm and welcoming. Now that she was closer, Stephanie could clearly see the lines around the woman’s eyes and mouth. She was older, but still stunning.

“Miss Plum,” the woman said, “I’m Ronia Manoso.” 

Ronia held out her hand. “I’m pleased to finally meet you.”

Stephanie took her hand without thinking and Ronia shook it gently then placed her other hand on top so Stephanie couldn’t pull away, and took a step closer. The only thought that Steph’s mind was able to process was “Ex-wife or sister? Ex-wife or sister?”

Ronia’s smile widened and answered Steph’s unasked question. “Nothing to worry about. I’m the oldest of the three.”

Stephanie blinked. “Hi, I’m Stephanie, but you know that already.”

Ronia nodded. “I do. Now, please, come inside. From what I understand, it wouldn’t be good for you to be walking around alone.”

Pulling her hand free, Steph sighed but managed a small appreciative smile. “Thanks, but I think it’s better if I don’t stay.”

Ronia frowned and turned back to the group assembled on the lawn. “Ricardo, what ever you have done, you will fix and you need to start now.” She headed back towards the front door. “I suggest you start treating Miss Plum with the respect she deserves. Quit trying to protect your feelings at her expense.” When Ronia came to the front door she turned, looked at Stephanie and smiled. “May I call you Stephanie?” After Steph’s quick nod, Ronia continued. “Stephanie, if you don’t get answers, come and see me. I’ll answer any questions you have.”

Stephanie chanced a glance at Ranger and could have sworn he flinched at his sister’s last remarks.  When she looked at the others, they seemed to be all smirking at him.  She started to get the feeling that she just witnessed Ranger getting put in his place.

“Ronia?” Stephanie shouted as she picked up her bag again and quickly moved forward. “What if I’d rather get the answers from you in the first place?”

Stephanie took one step onto the lawn and Ranger was immediately in front of her.

“Babe.”

She met his stare but couldn’t tell if it was a question or a warning. It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to listen to him anyway.

“Ranger, I think…”

Ronia interrupted. “That’s fine, Steph. Come inside. There’s chocolate cake.” She laughed when she saw the look on Rosa’s face. “You too, Rosa. Ladies, it’s time for a chat. Guys, make sure we’re safe.”  Motioning to the woman, Ronia leveled a look at Lester. “Santos, we’ll talk later.”

When Steph turned to Rosa to find out what that was about, the younger woman was blushing. “Rosa?” she whispered as they went up the stairs to go inside.

Ronia interrupted again. “Stephanie, call me Ronnie. And, don’t worry we’ll discuss that too.”

 

 

Ranger eyed the three women as they went inside. Once the door softly clicked shut, Bobby started to laugh. “You’re screwed, man.” Ranger narrowed his eyes but it only seemed to fuel the fire. “Hey, don’t look at me that way.” Bobby said as his laughter died. “What I want to know is, who called Ronnie?”

In unison, Ranger, Bobby and Lester all turned to look at Tank. He had the decency to not try and deny it.

 No one said anything for several beats. Finally, Ranger ran a hand over his face and spoke. “We’re screwed.”

All four men nodded their agreement.

 

********************

 

Ronnie sent another piece of cake in front of Stephanie and she moaned. “I don’t think I can eat another. It’s taking everything I’ve got to not undo the button on my jeans.” Rosa chuckled as she dug into her second piece of cake.

Ronnie smiled, sat down at the table and took a sip of her coffee. “What is it you want to know Stephanie?”

Steph had been eyeing the cake but the second she realized Ronnie was getting down to business, her mind started to work overtime. “How old is Ranger?” It just popped out. She had wanted to know for so long it was the first thing she processed.

With an understanding look, Ronia smiled which made the lines at the corner of her eyes crinkle. It was obvious the older woman smiled quite a bit. “Ric is thirty six. I’m the oldest at forty two and Rosa is thirty.”

Nodding, Stephanie said, “Your parents spread things out. My sister and I are much closer in age, but I get the feeling you three are closer that Val and I will ever be.”

“We’re all we have, Steph,” Rosa offered. “Well, us and the guys. David, Lester and Robert.”

“Who are David and Robert?” Stephanie blinked in confusion.

Rosa gave a snort of laughter. “Tank and Bobby.”  She stuffed another bite of cake into her mouth.

Steph rolled her eyes and then a thought caught her off guard. “Why is your last name Perez?” she asked looking at Rosa.

With a shrug, Rosa answered. “It’s just a cover to keep me safe. Or at least that’s what Ric thinks. But since all this happened that’s obviously not true. I’ll start using Manoso again.”

Ronia immediately noticed the questioning look on Stephanie’s face. “Let me explain.” Steph nodded and Ronnie continued. “We are a close knit family. We've suffered some incredible loss.  That can either bring a family together or pull them apart. We chose the first." She paused, "Thirteen years ago our parents were killed.”

Interrupting, Steph said gently, “Ranger implied they were murdered.”

Ronia looked surprised “There is a strong belief that Rafael Zepeda killed our parents. My father was a real estate developer and it was rumored that he and Zepeda fought over a piece of land. Of course my father would never bring such things into the house. My mother wouldn’t allow it. But we were all old enough to hear things from others. You know, whispered conversations and such.” She sipped her coffee. Quietly she said, “Ric took it hardest of all. He and my father were so close…” Ronnie trailed off.

Steph had tears in her eyes. “He never let on…”

Ronnie covered one of Stephanie’s hands with her own. “And, he may never. When he heard the news about our parents he was in the Rangers. He flew home for the funeral and then before he went back, he confronted Zepeda. My uncles tell me they had to carry Ric away before he got himself killed or arrested. Threats were made against Ric as well.” She paused, looking thoughtful. “Stephanie, you’re the first woman he’s mentioned since his ex-wife.”

Stephanie tensed. She wasn’t sure she could handle information on the ex-Mrs. Manoso.

“And no, Steph,” Rosa added, “you’re nothing like her. We’ve never seen him act like this for anybody.”

Now Stephanie snorted. “How can you tell? Besides, I’ve explained…”

“Oh yeah!” Rosa exclaimed and looked over to her sister. “You gotta hear this.”

Both women looked at Stephanie. Rosa was smirking and Ronia was patiently waiting.

            “Ranger and I aren’t together. We aren’t in a relationship.” Steph sighed.

            Now Ronia’s smile was like what a mother would give a three year old who just wasn’t getting it. “Stephanie, I don’t know what he told you. And, I’m not sure what he’s up to, but I can tell you this…”

            “And what exactly would this be, Ronnie?” Ranger growled from the doorway.

           

 

Chap 11

 

Ronnie turned to look at Ranger. Then without a word, stood and walked over to him. She met his intense gaze head on. Steph got the feeling that Ronnie didn’t back down to anyone.

            “This, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, is the fact, that while you may not be good at sharing things because of your work, you are also a man. Sometimes men can be sloooow about the most obvious things. Por ejemplo cuando están en amor.” (For example, when they are in love.)

            Stephanie sucked in a breath and held it. She couldn’t speak Spanish but she knew what “amor” meant. No way could Ronia be talking about her and Ranger. It wasn’t possible.  It was also impossible to tell what exactly was going on between brother and sister. They were both just standing there staring at each other. Someone was going to have back down. Stephanie would lay her bets with Ranger coming out on top.

            After several long seconds Ronnie finally spoke. “Are the grounds secured?” Ranger nodded once. “Good. Now we should probably figure out where Zepeda is so we can take care of this.” Ranger nodded again. “Good,” Ronnie continued. “Let me know what you find.”

            Another curt nod from Ranger, but before he turned away his gaze fell to Stephanie.  For a brief second his look softened, then he turned and left.

            “Huh, I would have lost.”

            “What?” Rosa asked, looking unaffected by what just happened.

            “I would have laid my bets on Ranger in that stand off.”

            Rosa nibbled on some crumbs from her plate. “Nah, Ronnie’s the oldest and the leader of the family. She’s in charge. My mother pretty much secured Ronnie’s position at birth. Her name is Latin and stands for ‘my joy is the Lord’, very important in a religious family. Then there’s the fact she’s the oldest by six years. Had it only been a couple of years," she shrugged, "it might have been different, but Ronia was raised to lead the family.”

            "So," Ronia said cheerfully as she sat back down at the table. "Where was I?"

            "You were about to tell me something about Ranger," Steph said, looking hopeful.

            "That's right. Well, I know my brother pretty well and I think he's…"

            "Ladies?"  Lester said from the same doorway Ranger had just exited through. "We need to put you to work."

            Ronia looked at Lester and narrowed her eyes. "First I think you need to explain to me what exactly you were doing in bed with Rosa."

            Steph's eyes went wide as her head swung to look at a blushing Rosa. "Really?"

            Rosa smiled a little and nodded her head, then slid her gaze over to the gorgeous man standing in the doorway. Stephanie followed the same path and found a smug looking Lester.

            "Ronnie," Lester drawled, "if I have to explain to you what a man and woman do in a bed…"

            "Lester!" yelled Rosa. "We didn't…"

            Ronia didn't want for anyone to finish. She got to her feet and went to stand in front of Lester, much like she did Ranger.

            "Mom and Pop aren't here. So, it's up to me. What are your intentions with my sister?"

            A chuckle came from behind Lester and then Ranger appeared.

            "What's the big deal, Ronnie." He motioned over his shoulder. "He's ok with it."

            Rosa jumped to her feet. "He's ok with what? And who is he to be ok with anything! Jesus, you're all talking like I'm not even here, like it doesn't involve me!"  She threw an angry glance at her brother.

            "Well," Ronia said, talking to Lester, "convince me what I should be ok with."

            Rosa groaned in frustration. “Ronnie,” she whined.

Stephanie put a hand over her mouth to stop her from laughing at the family dynamic playing out in front of her.

            Lester straightened his spin and looked Rosa directly in the eye. "I'm interested in dating, Rosa. I want her to be part of my life. I want us to be together."

            The room went completely quiet. Rosa and Lester stood there staring at each other, in their own little trance.

            Ronia broke it. "You hurt her, Lester, and you answer to me."

            Lester's gaze landed on Ronia and he opened his mouth to say something, but Rosa interrupted.

            "You'd have to get in line after me, Ronnie."

            Without thinking, Lester took two quick steps into the kitchen and grabbed Rosa by the shoulders. "You mean it?"

            Now Rosa was confused. "Mean what? That if you hurt me I'll kick your ass first? Yeah, I mean it."

            Lester's hand went to the back of Rosa's head and he gently rubbed his lips against hers. "I mean, you'll give us a chance?"

            "Oh." Rosa breathed and then melted against Lester, throwing her arms around his waist. "Yeah. I just never thought…"
            "Thought what, Little One?"

            "That you'd want me. You've never showed any interest before."

            "I was stupid before and not very up front with how I felt."

            A noise was heard from the doorway where Ranger stood. Lester spun to face him. "Sure, laugh it up Chuckles. At least now I'm off the hook. You, however, still have to explain yourself."

            That brought Stephanie to her feet. This was not a conversation she wanted to have, ever, much less in a family forum. "Well, I think we should give Lester and Rosa some privacy…"

            "Hey," Bobby's voice came from the intercom on the wall. "I hate to interrupt the latest episode of  'As the Manoso's Turn', but we've got a visitor."

 

**********************

 

Ranger tried to put Stephanie out of his mind as he and Lester headed to the room where the security monitors were set up.   As much as he loved his sister Ronia, she had a similar streak as their deceased mother.  They both thought that they knew what was best for him when it concerned his love life.   But, it was his life and he knew better, right?  He was doing the right thing…maybe.

Lester started to laugh as both men made their way down the hall. “Just give it up, man. You want to be with her, so just do it.”

Ranger came to an abrupt halt and spun to face Lester. “I know what I’m doing.  I want to make sure the woman I…”

Cutting him off, Lester narrowed his eyes and took a defensive stance. “What are you trying to say? I don’t want to keep Rosa safe?”

Ranger didn’t answer. He knew Lester would understand what he was implying.

Lester’s face went blank. “I thought you said you were ok with me and Rosa?”

“I don’t want anyone hurt.”

Lester mouth fell open. “You think I do?” He paused. “You know what man, don’t get my life confused with your screwed up one.  My relationship with Rosa is none of…”

“Exactly.”

Lester let out a sigh and paused. “I hear you, buddy. Loud and clear.”

Ranger nodded and started back down the hall, but stumbled a bit at Lester’s next words.

“Just don’t expect the same from Ronnie and Rosa.”

***********

 

            Stephanie yawned and looked up from all the papers spread out in front of her. “You think they found who was at the back of the yard?”

            Rosa and Ronnie typed away on their computers, busy printing more things for Stephanie to look over. Why they bothered she wasn’t sure, none if it was making sense and it sure wasn’t helping them track down Zepeda.

            “I’m sure they are pouring over the tapes to try and get a good look,” Ronnie answered without looking away from her screen.

            “Maybe it was Zepeda.” Stephanie didn’t believe it, but at least she threw it out there.

            “I doubt it,” Ronnie said. “He wouldn’t be so bold. Probably just one of his hench men.”

            Tank stuck his head in the door. “Ronnie, you’ve got a call from Miami. It’s Brad.”

            Ronia turned to look at Tank and held his stare for a few beats before getting up and leaving the room. Tank followed behind her.

            “Well,” Steph said with a knowing tone, “what was that all about?”

            “Huh?” Rosa turned away from her screen and looked at Stephanie.

            “Tank and Ronnie.  They just had some sort of mini staring contest.”

            Rosa waved her hand. “Oh that. Who knows. Those two have had something going for as long as I can remember. It’s been an on again, off again thing and for the past 5 years, mostly off.” She stopped at looked at the doorway. “Who knows, maybe after seeing him again after so long it will be on again?”

            “Wow.” Steph paused. “Who is Brad?”

            “Brad is Ronia’s law partner in Miami.” Rosa saw Steph’s wide eyed look. “You really don’t know anything about us.”

            “The less I know, the less I can pass on.”

            Rosa huffed out a breath. “That sounds like Ric.”

            “Yeah, well, it’s true. So is what I’ve told you about Ranger and me.  Me not knowing anything about him personally should prove it.”

            “Oh please. All that means is that Ric has been more of a jerk than what we thought.”

            This was going nowhere fast and Stephanie wanted off the subject as quickly as possible. Besides, the “we” implication wasn’t a comforting thought. “Why would Zepeda hide?”

            Rosa turned in her chair to face Stephanie. “Because he knows that Ric is pissed. He knows the finger points clearly at him.”

            “But if he thinks he’s so much better…”

            “Zepeda isn’t stupid. Well, he was stupid to come after me, but he’s not dumb about his protection.”

            Stephanie looked down at all the reports Rosa had printed, credit card statements, hotel guest lists, etc. None of it had anything useful that she could see. She laid her head in her arms on top of the table. “What about the money? Does he still want the money?”

            “I don’t know. Since the day before yesterday I haven’t been back to that apartment…”

            Rosa trailed off just as Stephanie’s head popped up from the table.  In unison they said, “The apartment.”

            Stephanie got to her feet. “What if he’s tried to contact you there?”

            “Surely he knows I’d be with Ric.”

            “I think it’s still worth checking out. You get the guys, I’ll find Ronnie.”

            Stephanie headed out the door and took a right. The same way Ronnie and Tank had gone minutes earlier. “Meet you in the front hall,” Steph said to Rosa. Rosa waved a hand to signal she heard and then rounded the corner on her way to the other side of the house.
             A voice was coming from the kitchen and as soon as she was close enough, Stephanie knew Ronia was still on the phone.  Ronia’s back was to the doorway and Steph stood quietly. The older woman was busy scribbling notes on a pad of paper.

            “I don’t care what you have to do, Brad. That man has to be stopped. He’ll kill her. It’s that simple. I don’t understand why the judge is being so stubborn.”

            Stephanie turned and left Ronnie alone. That didn’t sound like a conversation to interrupt.  Minutes passed before Rosa finally met her at the front door, but she was alone.

            “Where are the guys?” Steph looked down the hall past Rosa.

            “They were there. I suppose they are out back checking things out. Ronnie?”

            “She’s still on the phone.”

            “Well, ok.” Rosa said as she dug in her pocket. “I grabbed a set of keys to one of the Bronco’s.  Let’s go.”

            Oh no. This was a bad idea. Even Stephanie knew that. “Rosa, I don’t think…”

            “Steph, we need to find out if Zepeda has been trying to contact me. No one else is around.”

            “Can we radio the guys or something?” Stephanie was desperately trying to hold onto her common sense. The only problem was the nagging feeling that they had to get to that ratty apartment where Rosa had been hiding.

            Rosa rolled her eyes. “I’m not G.I. Jane, Steph. I haven’t the foggiest idea how to use all that equipment.”

            Giving it one last-ditch effort, Steph pulled out all the stops. “Lester will be pissed if you go out without one of the guys.”

            Narrowing her eyes, Rosa’s voice was tight when she spoke. “That’s all the more reason to go. Lester isn’t the boss of me. I can do what I want, when I want. It’s probably best he learn that up front.”

            Okay, wrong tactic, but Stephanie did have to admire the woman’s attitude. After all, it was the same as Steph’s.

            “I’m going, Stephanie. Are you coming?”

            With a exaggerated sigh, Steph grabbed her purse from the table in the front hall. “Of course. At least I own a gun.”

            “See there, we’ll be fine.” Rosa opened the front door.

            “But I’m calling Ranger right now.” Steph pulled out her cell phone, but then hesitated. “Can you get us out of the gate.” Maybe something that simple could stop this crazy plan.

            “Of course.”

            Stephanie should have known better.

            “Now,” Rosa continued, “come on. Call Ric on the way.”

            Steph shoved her phone back in her purse and headed toward the Bronco that beeped when Rosa pushed the unlock button on then key chain.  It seemed Rosa would leave her behind if she stopped to call now.  She couldn’t let that happen. She was the one with the gun…even if it was at home in the cookie jar.

 

Chap 12

 

            “Hey, look.” Stephanie pointed down the road. “McDonald’s. Pull in.”  Distract and delay, the two important D’s in bounty hunting. Or, maybe that was divide and conquer, but that’s a D and C. It didn’t really matter. Stephanie was jones-in’ for a Big Mac.

            Rosa rolled her eyes like a pro. “We can get food after we check out the apartment.”

            “I don’t have this trouble with Lula,” Stephanie whispered.

            “Who is Lula?”

            “My bounty hunting partner.”

            Rosa’s eyes slid to the side for quick glance at Stephanie. “I thought Ric was your partner.”

            Steph’s shoulders slumped. “It’s complicated.”

            “Obviously. But, don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.”

            There was that “we” again and it still made Steph feel uncomfortable. Time to distract. “Rosa,” Stephanie placed a hand on Rosa’s arm. “Pull through the drive thru. It will give me time to call Ranger and I’m dying for a cup of coffee and a Big Mac.”

            “Fine.” Rosa sounds disappointed, but Stephanie didn’t dwell on it. It was time to face the music.

            Slipping her phone from her purse, she hit the speed dial for Ranger.

            It didn’t even get a full ring in before he picked up.

            “How can I keep you safe if you’re not here with me?” While he didn’t exactly sound angry, he wasn’t what she’d call calm either.

            “It was either go with her or let her go alone. I thought the first choice was best.”

            “Agreed.” He paused and when he spoke next it sounded like he was smiling. “McDonald’s, Babe?”

            Stephanie narrowed her eyes. “How do you know we’re at McDonald’s?”       

            “We had all their locations put into the system.”

            Lester’s voice came from the background. “We figured it’d be easier if we ever had to track you. We can place you in relation to any McDonald’s in a 50 radius.” Male laughter erupted in the background, then Ranger’s voice again. “Bab…” She shut the phone.

            “Jerks.”

            “What?” Rosa asked as she handed Steph a bag of food and a cup of coffee.

            Stephanie’s phone started to ring. “Men are jerks.” She let it ring a few times while she situated her drink and food, then opened it and pushed the end button until the phone turned off.

            “Why’d ya do that?”

            “They’ll find us. But let’s actually make them work at it…at least a little.”

 

****************

 

            Ranger dialed for the fourth time.

            “Face it man,” Lester said from the back seat, “she’s not going to pick up.”

            With a loud thwack, Ranger shut his phone and then ran a hand over his face. “Where are they headed?” he said to no on in particular as he studied the computer screen in front of him.

            “Don’t worry,” Tank said from the driver’s seat. “We’re not that far behind them.”

            Ranger turned to look in the backseat. “It would have been easier had I been able to get out of her where they were headed.”

            Lester grinned.

            “Smile all you want Santos, but the mastermind behind all this was Rosa.”         

            Lester’s smile faltered as that information sunk in. He had been so intent on teasing Stephanie he all but forgot that Rosa was involved too. “It was her idea?”

            “Yeah.”

            With a sigh, Lester rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. “Great. Just great.”

            Front the front seat, Tank added, “So, you’re no better off that this one over here.” He motioned with his head towards Ranger. “You’ve both got your hands full.”  Tank laughed.

            Bobby spoke up for the first time. “What are you laughing at?  You’re not free and clear of the Manoso women either.”

            Tank sobered and switched his concentration to driving.

            “That’s what I thought,” Bobby offered. “At least there are no more Manoso women to go around.” He chuckled, proud of himself for not falling for a woman that was too much to handle.

            “True,” Ranger said, “but there’s a Plum sister recently made available.”

            Bobby’s chuckle turned into a sort of choked cough.

            The car was silent for the remainder of the ride.

 

****************

           

           

            Stephanie balled up the wrapper to her Big Mac just as Rosa brought the car to a stop behind the dingy apartment building. Lifting the coffee cup out of the cup holder, she carefully removed the lid and blew across the surface of the hot liquid.

            “We’re here,” Rosa announced.

            Steph nodded then gingerly took a sip of hot coffee. “I see that.” Another sip and she closed her eyes as the hot coffee made it’s way into her system. “We should wait for the guys.”

            “Oh, we’re only going to look for a message.” Rosa angled out of the car.

            With a sigh, Steph set her drink back in the cup holder, grabbed her pocketbook and opened her door just in time to hear Rosa say, “What could happen?”

            "If you only knew," Stephanie muttered under her breath.

           

            **********************************'

 

            "Looks like the car stopped," Ranger paused, "on Baker St. Isn't that where Rosa listed her address when she was picked up?"

            "Yep," Tank nodded.

            "Why go back there?" Bobby asked.

            Tank gave it some thought, then said, "They must have put something together from all that paper work they were going through."

            "Call Ron…" Ranger started

            Lester interrupted. "On it."  He flipped open his phone and explained to Ronnie what was happening with Steph and Rosa.  When he was done, he closed his phone and looked to the front seat. "Well, I can tell you she's not too happy."

            Ranger snorted. "She have any idea what they could have found?"

            "No," Lester offered, sounding defeated.

            "Ronia got a phone call from her office about a case she was working on.  She must have been out of the room when they found something." Tank looked over at Ranger and noticed the concern on his face. "We're there in seven minutes, man. They'll be fine."

            "Make it five."

            Tank nodded and sped up the car.

            "A lot can happen in five minutes," Lester said.

            Bobby looked out the window and added, "Especially with those two."

            Since no one could argue the point, the car fell silent again.

           

           

Chapter 13

The back of the apartment building was like the back of most dingy apartment buildings. There were wooden stairs that zigzagged their way up to each floor, which housed a backdoor for entrance into the kitchens of the apartments.

Just as Stephanie and Rosa went to open the door to the apartment where Rosa has stayed, there was movement on the stairwell. Both woman jumped, but quickly recovered when they realized it was Mister, the large cat that had adopted Rosa.

"Well, hi there buddy." Rosa said in greeting to the cat. Mister scurried over and began to rub up against her leg. "How have you been big fella? Miss me?"

Rosa bent over to pet the cat, and at the same instant the window in the backdoor exploded.

"What the…?" was all Rosa could get out before Stephanie dragged her and the cat in the backdoor, slamming it closed.

"Stay down and come on," Stephanie said as she crawled towards the front of the apartment. Another bullet rang out and lodged itself in the wall.

"Steph, going out the front door isn’t the best idea."

"You got a better one?" More shots riddled the walls as the women stared at each other. Mister was also making it known he didn’t like being held to tightly against Rosa.

"Maybe we should wait for the guys," Rosa offered. A bullet flew right past Rosa’s head. "They are aiming lower!" She tried not to sound panicked but she didn’t think it worked.

Stephanie moved them all over to an inside corner of the room. "Any other way out of here?"
Rosa’s eyes went big. "Fire escape! Bedroom!"

Stephanie didn’t need to be told twice. She headed to the bedroom with Rosa on her heels. They went over to the window and Stephanie slowly opened it, then quickly ducked. Nothing. No shots.

"The buildings are pretty close together on this side. Maybe they don’t know it’s here?"

Steph nodded.

Mister meowed his dislike of the situation and Rosa yelped from his claws digging into her hip. "Shhhh, it’s ok Mister. We just need to get out of here." She petted him a few times and he clamed a bit.

Stephanie looked at Rosa and started to say, "Rosa…" but then stopped. She knew what lengths she would go to for Rex. If he were here now, he’d probably have bitten her in the hand and locked his jaw, hanging on for dear life. That would have been fine with her, as long as he was safe. So it was for Rosa and Mister, too. "Can you make it down with him ok?" Some glass shattered in the other room. They were still being fired at.

Rosa nodded and clutched Mister a little tighter. Stephanie nodded back. "Well, lets go."

Steph put one leg out the window. "Listen, if something happens to me, then get back inside and hide in a closet or the bathroom. The guys will be here soon."

Rosa stood, her spine stiff. "We go down to the ground together or we don’t go at all."

"Rosa…"
"Stephanie, this whole situation is my fault. I won’t let you, or anyone else, go through any of this alone."

The shots stopped suddenly and both women held their breath. Then there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

"The guys?" Rosa asked, looking hopeful.

Stephanie took only a second to think it over. "No. We wouldn’t hear the guys."

Rosa realized what Stephanie was saying and looked panicked.

"Not now, Rosa. Let’s go…and hurry." She moved off the window and back into the room. "Your first." Rosa looked skeptical. "Go! I’m going to try and shut the window from the outside. You can’t do that with Mister."

Rosa nodded, went out the window and started down the ladder. Stephanie followed right behind. She was able to shut the window, but not all the way. She hoped it was enough so it wasn’t too obvious how they had left.

She whispered loudly to Rosa, "Let’s try and make it back to the truck."

****************************

The Bronco crawled along in traffic. The tension was so thick inside that Tank felt like his head was going to explode. They had been making good time…until the accident. They happened on an accident only minutes after it happened and were now stuck. The whole scene took up all four lanes of traffic. The cops had arrived, and were finally letting traffic through, but only one car at a time, alternating sides.

Tank could feel Lester and Ranger becoming frantic, although they’d never show it on the outside. He was about ready to physically push the car on the left side out of his way so he could at least get moving, even if it was in the opposite direction. But, he caught sight of a cop headed towards them and recognized him as Big Dog. He rolled the window down just as the large cope reached his door.

"Hey, man, what’s up?"

Tank got right to the point. "We need outta here man. Now."

Big Dog’s look became serious and he studied the stoic Ranger in the passenger seat. "You guys working a case?"
Just then Big Dog’s radio crackled to life. "Shots fired on 3340 Baker St. All available units. Shots fired…"

This time when Big Dog looked at Ranger, he saw something he had never seen on the man face before…worry.

"Bombshell," Big Dog whispered to himself.

Without any other words to the men in the Bronco, Big Dog turned and yelled. "Carl, get the squad. We’re moving." Then he pointed at the lady in the red Taurus next to the Bronco. "Yo, Lady, move it. Turn it around and get out of the way." She gave him the all too familiar Italian hand gesture. "NOW LADY! Or this guy’s gonna push you out of the way." He motioned over his shoulder to the Bronco. "MOVE!"

**********************************

Steph and Rosa made it safely to the ground and quickly moved towards the back of the apartment building, hoping to get to the Bronco they left sitting in the alley.

Mister had other plans. He began to wiggle to try and get loose. Rosa had had it. She gently, but firmly, grabbed the cats head and turned it to towards her. Her eyes locked with the cats and she laid out the situation. "Look, I’m trying to keep us safe. Now cut the crap and let me get us out of here." The cat blinked, and to Rosa’s relief, quieted right down.

"If you were to bottle whatever you just did to the cat, every cat owner in the world would love you. Now, lets go you two."

Stephanie led the way and when she reached the end of the building, she carefully looked around the side and then up. "Shit," she whispered and pointed up to the floor they just left. "There’s a guy up there."

She looked around and then pointed to a dumpster just to their right. "Over there and then around to the far side of the Bronco, ok?"

Rosa hiked Mister higher in her arms, held on tight and nodded. The cat started to purr.

Stephanie nodded back and mouthed, "Let’s go."

*********************************************

As the guys approached the building from the front, Tank didn’t see any Bronco parked in front, so he turned the corner and headed to the alley around back. Ranger barked some orders about who would cover the front and the back.

Tank almost missed the turn for the alley and skidded the truck to round the corner. The other Bronco was immediately in view.

"Good," he said to himself.

He stopped his truck towards the end of alley. He was just shoving the truck into park when the whole world rocked. He looked up, shock written all over his face.

The girl’s Bronco had just exploded.

Chapter 14

 

 

Ranger didn’t even wait for the ground to stop shaking. He sprinted toward the flaming Bronco.  It barely registered that Lester was right on his heels.  Both men slowed to a stop when the heat became too intense.

Taking in a lung full of air, Ranger took a step forward to get closer to the vehicle when a large hand landed on his shoulder.

“No, man. Wait.”

He turned his head to find Tank at his shoulder. Looking over he saw Bobby in the same position with Lester.

“Either of you getting hurt right now isn’t going to help anyone,” Tank added in a somber tone.

Ranger didn’t say a word, only looked back to the fire.

“Besides,” Tank continued, “I don’t think they were in there?”

Ranger turned to face Tank and then followed his gaze to the 2nd floor backdoor and it’s missing back window.

“Shit.”

“Yeap, I believe they are, or were, in there.” Sirens wailed in the distance.

Without another word, Ranger signaled who took the front, the side, and went with him up the back. Within half a second, all moved into position, leaving the alley empty, except for the burning truck.

 

*************************

“Hey, can we slow our pace a bit?” Stephanie asked with labored breaths. “I think we’re far enough away.”

Rosa stopped and looked at her. “You think?”

Stephanie tried a smile. “I think.”

Rosa’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief. She switched Mister to her other arm then petted him to settle him down a bit. “It’s a good thing you decided we shouldn’t get back in the truck.” She paused. “Why didn’t we?”

“Not sure.” Stephanie shrugged. “Something told me not to do it.”

“Well, we’re glad you listened, aren’t we Mister.” Rosa ended the comment in baby talk to the cat. She looked back up at Stephanie. “We should probably call the guys.”

Steph’s eyes went big. “Shit. I can’t. I left the cell in the truck. You have you’re phone.”
            Rosa shook her head. “Back at the house.”

Stephanie grabbed her by the elbow. “Come on. There’ll be a pay phone at the gas station down the road.” Then she muttered to herself. “Ranger will have my hide for blowing up another car.”

“No he won’t,” Rosa offered. “He doesn’t care about those kind of things. He’ll just be glad we’re ok.”

Stephanie couldn’t argue since he had said something about things being replaced and how people can’t. “We’ll see,” was her only comment.

“Steph, he really does care about you.”

That stopped Stephanie in her tracks. “Look, now is not the time and I’m not having the conversation with you again.” She was starting to get ticked about having to remind Rosa about the non-relationship status of her, well, relationship with Ranger.

Rosa put her free hand on her hip. “I know you don’t believe I know what I’m talking about, but I assure you I do.”

“What I know for sure is that he said his life doesn’t lend itself to relationships. I’m respecting that.”

“He’s wrong.”
            Stephanie rolled her eyes. “And you know this how?”

Rosa narrowed her eyes. “Because he’s my brother and I know him well. And, Ronia and I have talked about it at length and think he’s being a stupid…dumb….male.” She was yelling by the end.

“Did you ever stop to think he’s right? That maybe he knows what’s best for himself because he lives his dangerous life everyday…which you don’t, by the way.”

Rosa widened her stance, her eyes barely slits. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe he told me something about how he feels for you?”

Stephanie’s jaw dropped. “Wh…wha…what…” Her stammer was cut off by the squeal of tires on the street next to them.

Both women turned in time to see a white van screech to a halt. The side door was thrown open and before either of them could react, two men had them by the arm with guns pointed at their sides.

The one with Stephanie pulled her close and whispered. “Get in the van or I’ll kill you right here.”

“That sounds messy. These are new shoes.”

He looked down at her shoes. “That’d be a shame. I know how my wife feels about her shoes.” Stephanie nodded her understanding.

Then she felt the gun barrel at her side. “But I’m serious.”  Now, she didn’t doubt if for a second. When she tried to turn her head to look at Rosa, she was jerked back. “She’s being told the same. Now, move.”

 

**************************

 

Ranger searched in the kitchen while Tank, Lester and Bobby talked with Big Dog and Carl. The cops had been right on their heels and followed them inside.  He’d let the guys explain while he searched. He knew there were only two choices. They either got away or were taken. He was hoping to find a clue. But, if they got away, they should have called.  In a frustrated move he ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.

“It was probably in the truck.”
            Lester’s voice startled him. “What?”
            “Her phone. He pocketbook. It was probably in the truck. That’s why they haven’t called yet. But I have…”
            Ranger let out another sigh, cutting him off. “There’s pay phones.”

He heard Lester start to say something else, but just wandered off. He didn’t want to listen.

 He went through the living and nodded to Tank as he passed, then headed toward the bedroom. There were no bullet holes in this room. They all seemed to be contained to the kitchen and living room.

He opened the closet door, not really knowing why. If he expected a note telling where they went, he was soon disappointed. When he turned to leave the room is when he noticed the window. It wasn’t closed all the way. He went over and threw it open, looking down.

“Bobby,” he yelled.

A second later Bobby poked his head in the door. “Yeah, man?”

“You lower the fire escape? Climb up it?”

“Nope. Never got the chance. Actually it was down when I got to it, but then I saw those guys running out front and went to chase them with Tank. Then they took off in that van. But Lester’s got…”

Ranger turned from the window and strode into the living room. “They weren’t taken here.”

“They got out?” Lester asked.

“Yep. Through the bedroom window and down the fire escape.”

“That doesn’t mean they are just hiding until it’s clear.” Bobby added.

Tank nodded. “True. But if they’re out there trying to get to a phone or us, they still aren’t safe.”

Lester headed to the back door. “Let’s get looking.”
            “We’ll need a plan,” Ranger said. “We’ll never find them if we just start driving around. We need to call the others and figure out a search pattern…”

“I bugged Rosa.”

The room went silent.

“You’re just telling us now?” Ranger didn’t sound happy.

“I was just coming to tell you when you walked away.” Lester sounded snippy but didn’t care. The woman he loved was in danger too.

“Where?” Leave it to Ranger to narrow it all down to one word.

A smile spread across Lester’s face. “Well, one in her shoes and…”
            Ranger lifted an eyebrow.

Lester met his stare. “And, one in her bra.”

Tank chuckled and started to head out. “Let’s go ladies. We’ve got to get a trace on her.” Bobby followed him.

Ranger tugged on Lester’s arm to hold him back. “When we find them I’m going to want to know exactly what you were doing with your paws on my little sister’s underwear.”

Lester smiled a wolf grin. “When we find them, I’m going to have my paws on more than just her underwear, my friend. You can count on it.” He turned to leave Ranger behind, but then stopped and turned back. “I hope you’re smart enough to do the same with Bombshell.”

 

 

Chapter 15

 

Stephanie glanced at Rosa and noticed the younger woman’s “deer in headlights” look.  Not that she could blame her. They were sitting in the back of a van and a guy had a gun pointed at them. Stephanie had had better times. She was pretty sure Rosa had too.

“Where are we going?” She had to try something.

The man by the front seats didn’t say anything, just grunted and narrowed his eyes.

“I have to use the bathroom. So, maybe you could tell me where we are going and if there’ll be facilities. If not, we need to stop.”

“No one’s stopping you,” the gun guy said. His voice was gravely and low. Steph could only imagine how many years of cigarettes it took to do that.

Stephanie gaped at the man in horror. “Are you crazy? Do you know what my mother would say if I was found dead and with wet panties? I’d go to hell for sure!  She wouldn’t be able to show her face at the deli for months. She'd start ironing the toilet paper.”

The other man, who agreed with keeping her shoes clean earlier, looked back at them from the passenger seat. “She’s right, Lou.” Then he looked at the driver, who hadn’t been introduced yet. “This one’s burg born and bread, no way could she be found like that. What would the neighborhood say?”

            “Yeah, Lou.” Steph chimed in, trying not to show her surprise at the support from the front seat.

            “Plus, her grandmother is Edna Mauzer. You don’t mess with her.” front seat guy added. Then in a stage whisper he said, “She’s crazy,” and made a circling motion with his index finger up by his head.

            Stephanie rolled her eyes and thought Grandma wasn’t the only one. “Listen, I gotta hit the bathroom. Look,” she pointed, “there’s a McDonald’s right there. Just pull over.”

            The man in the driver's seat hadn't really shown his face yet, wearing a hat and sunglasses. Then, to her surprise, he changed lanes and guided the van over to the McDonald's parking lot.

            Once the van was parked, he turned to look at both of them. He removed his sunglasses and Rosa immediately gasped. Stephanie took a closer look and then narrowed here eyes. Just as she suspected, Zepeda.

            "I didn't think you'd do your own dirty work," Stephanie said in a matter of fact tone.

            Zepeda's smile was slow to appear. "How I conduct my business dealings is no concern of yours, Miss Plum."

            Rosa found her voice. "Why don't you just leave us alone?" Mister meowed, adding his two cents. "You should leave before Ranger finds us."

            The smile on Zepeda's face became more evil. "Why would I do that? That's exactly what I'm planning on."

            "We've never done anything to you," Rosa continued. "You're the one who killed my parents." Her last words were filled with venom and Stephanie watched as Zepeda's smile slipped into an evil scowl, his eyes darkening.

            It was time for her to jump in. "Can I use the bathroom now?"  Everyone held a collective breath until Zepeda gave a curt nod.

            Gun man slid open the side door of the van and motioned for Stephanie to get out. She stopped and looked to Rosa.

            "One at a time," he barked and shoved Stephanie forward. "I'll take you and then her."

            As Stephanie walked away, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the door to the van slide closed.

 

********

            "They are where?" Ranger couldn't believe it.

            Lester checked the monitor again. "McDonald's. They were moving right along and now they've stopped."

            Ranger thought for a second. "You sure they weren't walking?"

            Lester shook his head. "Nope. They were moving way too fast. Had to be in a car."

            A deep chuckle had both Ranger and Lester swinging their eyes in the direction of the driver's seat.

            "Knowing Bombshell, she probably got them to pull over for a Big Mac," Tank said between laughs.

            Bobby piped up from the backseat of the Bronco. "I'll take five on that. Anyone else game?" He started to reach into the front seat. "Hand me the radio, I bet Big Dog and Carl want in on this too."

            Ranger growled and Bobby sank back into his seat in a fit of laughter.

            "Forget that and just get us there," Lester said in frustration.

            "I'll take you up on the five," Tank said looking in the rear view mirror, then switched his gaze back to the road. "Don't worry, Les, we're almost there."

            The truck went silent until Ranger said, "He's a dangerous man."

            "We know boss, but Rosa and Steph are tough women," Bobby offered in the same serious tone. "Besides, it's you he wants."

            Ranger nodded once, "Then let’s give him what he wants."

 

 

**************************

           

            "I need a burger." Steph stopped in aisle and looked over at the counter. The gun guy was so close behind her he couldn't stop his forward momentum and stumbled into her.

            Once he got himself under control, he yanked the grip he had on her arm. "Lets go. You don't need any food."

            "Haven't you ever heard of giving someone their last meal?"

            With a determined step, Steph turned and headed toward the counter. Unless the guy wanted to make a huge scene, she knew he'd follow.

            "Can I take your order?" asked the less than enthusiastic sounding McDonald's employee.

            Steph smiled and opened her mouth, but the gun guy whispered in her ear. "You give us away and you're friend gets it, and you will too. Understand?"

            With a nod and smile, Steph leaned forward to distance herself from the slime ball. "I'd like a Big Mac and he said," she motioned over her shoulder, "he'll have a coffee." She heard a groan behind her.

            "That'll be four ten."

            The kid at the counter looked at Steph. Steph turned and looked at gun guy. When he didn't respond she said. "My purse is in the van."

            With a sigh of exasperation, gun guy reached into his pocket, found a five, and threw it on the counter.

            "Let's go," he growled at her as she grabbed the burger and coffee. "We need to get going."

            "Ok, ok," she barked back as she removed the lid from the coffee and started to blow on it to cool it down.

            As soon as they cleared the door and stepped into the parking lot, they both came to an abrupt stop.  Stephanie blinked a few time to make sure she was seeing things correctly.

            Everyone was out of the van and Zepeda was holding Rosa in front of him, his henchman to his side. Talking to Zepeda was Ranger, with Lester at his back.

            Steph knew that Tank and Bobby had to be around somewhere but didn't to let on that others were in hiding.

            "What the fuck?" Gun guy said under his breath. Then, before she could blink, Gun guy had an arm around the waist, gun to her side. Steph froze.

 Pulling her back against him, he whispered in her ear. "We're going to walk over there nice and slow and tip the scales in our favor."

She nodded and looked at the bag and coffee cup in her hand. A plan began to form. "Whatever you say."

"Move slow," he commanded and she nodded.

With his first step forward, she dropped the bag with her burger, giving it only a second glance as it hit the pavement, then as best she could, lifted the coffee threw it behind her, while going completely limp.

 She felt the hot liquid burn her neck and back as she waited to hit the ground, but she never did. As soon as she broke the grasp gun guy had on her, an arm came around and held her up again. It was also strangely quiet, there were no screams of pain from behind her. Just as she was about to try and escape again, she felt a body skim her back.

"Shhh, Bombshell. Just follow my lead."

With and huge sigh of relief, she nodded silently. Tank moved against her back and she winced. The coffee had burned more area than she thought.

"I know, Steph. I saw the coffee go down your back. Just hang on."

Tank moved backward and she stumbled a bit. Finally, he just swept her off her feet and carried her to behind the building near the kitchen entrance. Gently, he set her down on her feet.

First thing she noticed was gun guy unconscious next to the dumpster. His was face was a bright red and he had a coffee stain down the front of him.

"Huh."  She stared down at the motionless body. "It really does leave a nasty burn." She looked up to Tank's smiling face. "Think he can sue like that other lady did?"

Tank chuckled. "No, Sweetheart, they settled that one and put warnings on their cups. He pointed to her hand that held the crushed cup.

The minute she looked at her hand, she dropped the cup and started shaking it. "Damn, damn, damn."

Tank's look became serious as he gently took her hand. "Damn, Steph, you are burnt. Let me see your back." Before she could protest, he spun her around and pulled her shirt up to her neck.

"Tank," she rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. "Could you not strip me at the McDonalds, please? They might not serve me anymore."

He laughed. "Does that mean I can strip you somewhere else? I could think…" He stopped and sucked in a breath. "Oh, man."

She felt him release the shirt. When she turned back around he was talking into his radio. "Steph's burned. She gonna need treatment soon. It shouldn't wait."

That's when the pain kicked it. She hadn't really thought about it until someone pointed it out. "Crap," she yelped as she tried to fan herself by flapping the back of her t-shirt up and down. It wasn't really working.

"Hang tough, sweetheart, Bobby's on his way."

            She suddenly remembered Ranger and Lester. "Oh god, Ranger…Lester." Turning as if to run back out into the parking lot, she stopped when a large hand grabbed her by the arm.

            "Don't," was all Tank said and she stopped.      

            "But…"

            "Steph, it's under control. If you go charging out there…" Tank was cut off as a high-pitched cat scream shattered the quiet.

 

Rosa kept an eye out for Stephanie to come out of the McDonalds, but when she saw Ranger walking straight for the van, her jaw hit the ground.

 

"Seems your brother has found us," Zepeda said from the front seat.

 

"You should just let us go now." Rosa hoped she sounded brave.

 

"I have no intention of letting you go. I don't conduct my business in parking lots," he paused, "not such public ones anyway.  Let's all get out, shall we?" Rosa quickly reached for the door handle when Zepeda's voice stopped her.  "Go slow, Ms. Manoso, slow."

 

She nodded once and was helped out by Zepeda's lackey, while Zepeda made his way around from the driver's side.  He walked up behind Rosa and kept her in front of him as Ranger approached. Mister started to squirm and Rosa rearranged the unhappy cat by holding him like you would to burp a baby. His head rested on Rosa's shoulder and she petted him down his back in one long stroke trying to sooth him. He started to hiss now that he faced Zepeda.

 

“Ricardo,” Zepeda drawled, ignoring the cat.

 

“Let her go.” Ranger’s face was blank but the unspoken threat came through loud and clear.

 

Ranger started to reach for Rosa and she leaned slightly forward, as if she was going to take a step, but Zepeda jerked back against him. In the process, she squeezed Mister and he let out a loud wail followed by a hiss.  Rosa stroked his back again, partly buried her face in his fur and whispered, “Easy, boy.”

 

When she looked back up at Ranger, his face was showing nothing but pure anger and hatred. “You’ve taken the last Manoso life you’ll ever get your hands on.  Let her go, now,” he said with deadly clam.

 

Rosa felt Zepeda’s grip on her arm tighten to the point of pain.  As he started to speak, he also started to jerk her around, which only irritated Mister more and more. She felt his back claws digging into her stomach and a low growl like sound coming from deep within.  It was no purr.  She tried to follow the conversation between Ranger and Zepeda but couldn’t. Between trying to hold on to an angry cat, live with the pain in her arm and keep her balance, she was preoccupied.  It wasn’t until she felt something hard against her side that she went completely still and began to listen.

 

“…right here, right now, so don’t push me.” Zepeda pushed the gun into her side until she yelped and buried her head back in Mister’s fur. 

 

She began to shake and knew her legs wouldn’t hold out much longer. Very quietly she began talking to Mister, if not to clam her down, then to try and sooth him. For some reason, she knew she had to hold on to the cat, no matter what. “Shhh, baby. I know you can probably feel how scared I am. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you while Ranger gets us out of this.”

 

Mister went very still and quiet and Rosa then noticed that all the other talking had stopped too. She took a peek without lifting her head and saw that Ranger was standing with his hands clenched at his side. He was staring at her or the cat, she couldn’t really tell.  His eyes bore into her as if trying to tell her something. That’s when the Manoso ESP kicked in. He needed a distraction and she held one in her arms.

 

She put her forehead against Mister’s head, hoping he’d have telepathic ability too and know what his role was soon to become.  Mister turned his head and licked her on the side of the face. She took that to mean he was ready.  Slowly, she lifted Mister in her arms and brought him slightly away from her body.  She took one last peek at Ranger and while his face was the same as it was before, something in his eyes let her know he understood what she was about to do and he was ready too.

 

Closing her eyes, she counted…one…two…three. She pushed Mister up and over her shoulder, ducking and trying to pull away in the process.  There was one very long, very loud cat meow and then a hiss, then a scream of pain from the man behind her. Zepeda’s grip on her arm released immediately. The minute she hit the ground, she curled into a ball. She thought about rolling away but there was lots of scuffling noise and she wasn’t sure which way to go.  There were a few more loud cat screams, scuffles and finally a thump and yelp.

 

Rosa jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder, then grabbed her arm and started to pull her up. When she looked up she found Lester staring down at her. “Little one,” he croaked and brought her up and into his arms, crushing her in a hug. “I was so scared.”

 

She tried to push him back but he just held on tighter. “Lester…Lester…please,” she begged as she pushed. Finally, he let her go and she looked around frantically. “Where’s…?” she trailed off when she followed the direction of where Lester was pointing.  She saw Ronia climb into a Bronco on the far side of the lot. Ranger was in the driver’s seat. “When did Ronnie get here? Where’s Zepeda?”

 

Lester took her by the arms. “There are going to take care of the problem.” Rosa looked confused for a second until the light dawned. “Oh no, Lester, they can’t. I should go with them.” She headed towards the Bronco and Lester stopped her.

 

“No, you shouldn’t.”

 

“It’s a family problem and the last I checked I’m still part of the family. Besides, I started this whole stupid mess,” Rosa spat at him.

 

Lester’s stern look softened and he brought a hand to her cheek. “They are only taking him and his goons in, baby. Ronia has some connections to make sure he never bothers you all again. He’ll be locked up for good.”

 

Rosa let out a huge sigh of relief, but then another thought struck her. “Where’s Mister?” Panic laced her words but she didn’t care.  She jerked away from Lester and started to search frantically. “Mister? Mister?”

 

“Hey!” Lester yelled. She turned to find him waving her over from a few cars down. “He’s over here, but I don’t think you’ll get near him.”

 

She started to run over, but stopped mid-stride. “Where’s Steph?” Her eyes were wide when she looked at Lester. “I assumed you guys took care of her too, but…but…is she…she ok?”

 

“I’m fine.” Stephanie said walking towards them with Tank in tow.

 

Rosa immediately noticed that Stephanie was moving slow and Tank looked worried. Tank never looked worried. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

 

Stephanie and Tank answered at the same time.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Coffee burn.”

 

Sirens pierced the air and they all turned to look as an ambulance and a cop car pulled into the lot.

 

“Great,” Steph mumbled. “I’m sure someone somewhere has won a bet about me.”

 

“Ow! Damn, cat.” Lester yelled. Rosa rushed to his side to find Mister laying in front of a car several cars down from where she had been holding him. Lester was rubbing his hand. “He tried to bite me.” The minute Mister saw Rosa he started to purr.

 

She knelt down and Lester grabbed her shoulder. “I wouldn’t do that.  A hurt animal can be dangerous.”

 

Ignoring his hand, she got on the ground. “Not this one and not to me.” She held out her hand and Mister started to rub his face against her hand, purring loudly. “I think he’s hurt.”

 

“He was thrown pretty hard over quite a distance. Looks like he hit the hood of the car and bounced off. Probably a few broken bones.”

 

“Hey,” Tank called over. “Me and Bobby are taking Steph to the hospital. Trenton’s finest will be escorting goon #2  there as well.”

 

Lester nodded. “We’re headed to the vet.”

 

Rosa looked up at the man she loved and he turned to smile at her. “We never leave any member of our team behind.” Lester knelt next to Rosa and Mister purred.

 

“It’s ok, big guy,” Rosa said to the cat, “he’s on our side.”  Mister nuzzled her hand and licked it once.

 

Lester took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. “Oh, I’m more than on you side, Little One. Much more.”

 

 

Steph was in pain and didn’t like it one bit. It’s not that the burns were that severe, but they still hurt. It was like having a really bad sun burn, uncomfortable and a nuisance.  She couldn’t wear a bra, and work was out of the question until she healed a bit more. Everyone knew about her episode in the McDonald’s parking lot. Skips knew about her weakness so it was best to lay low. Only, laying low was quickly becoming boring even just after 2 days.

 

Tank had called a few times, and Bobby came by to check her burns and slather cream on her. When he couldn’t make it last night, Lula came over and helped. Once done administering treatment, they got drunk on margaritas.

 

“So girl, Ranger’s got himself a whole family, huh?” Lula slid a sneaky look over to Steph. “That must have been interesting to learn.”

 

“Yep.” Steph figured there was no need to tell too much. Who knew how much Ranger wanted people to know.

 

“So, what’s goin’ on with you and Batman?”

 

Stephanie let out a big sigh. How many more times was she going to have to say this to get it through everyone’s head? “Nothing.” Lula raised a doubtful eyebrow. “Oh, put your eyebrow down and eat your Cool Ranch Doritos.”

 

“Hmph. Girl you got an attitude problem.” Lula crunched a chip. “And, ‘nothin’’ aint what I heard anyway.”

 

That’s it, she had had enough. Steph stood up from the couch, wobbled a bit, and then placed her hands on her hips. “What do I have to do to get you people to understand? NOTHING. N. O. T. H. I. N. G.  There is NOTHING going on between me and Ranger.”

 

“Who you callin’ ‘you people’?”

 

Steph narrowed her eyes. “You, Connie, Rosa, Ronia, my sister and Grandma! Hell, even my mother asked about him and if he likes post roast!”

 

“Well, Miss Thing, maybe WE’RE all right and YOU’RE wrong. Ever think of that?”

 

Throwing her hands up into the air, Steph swayed her way to the phone. She blinked a few times before she focused enough to find the right speed dial button, and then hit it. The phone started to ring on the other end and she turned to Lula, one hand on her hip.

 

She barely waited for a greeting from the other end, when she started in. “This is YOUR fault. YOURS. It all started because of that stupid DeChooch thing. Now I’m tired of telling everyone there is nothing. YOU deal with it for a change. Tell her there is nothing going on!”  With that, she walked up to Lula and shoved the phone at her. When Lula hesitated, Stephanie glared at her. “Take it.”

 

Lula hesitantly took the phone. “Hu..hello?” She was quiet for a few seconds, then nodded. Stephanie rolled her eyes. There was more silence until Lula said, “Margaritas.”  More quiet as Lula listened. Steph was starting to get pissed. He never talked to her that much.

 

Stephanie continued to watch as Lula’s eyes went wide and her head bobbed.  “Uh huh. Yep.”  Then she snorted. “In your dreams.”  Her eyes went big again and she started to fan herself.  “Yes…ok.”

 

Something close to dread started to grow in the pit of Stephanie’s stomach. She didn’t like where this seemed to be going, not that she had the first clue. She reached for the phone and Lula held her off with one hand. “Miss Thing here is trying to get the phone…ok…yep…” Steph pulled the phone from Lula’s clutches, but by the time she got it to her ear, there was nothing but a dial tone.

 

“Well, I gots to go,” Lula said as she stood.

 

“Oh, no you don’t. What did he say?”

 

Lula backed toward the door. “Nothing.”  She grabbed her purse from the table and took a few more steps back.

 

Steph advanced. “You just had a longer conversation with Ranger than I’ve ever had in my life and you tell me it’s nothing?”

 

A smug grin lit Lula’s face, one eyebrow raised high. “Yep. Nothing.” Then she turned and went out the door.

 

If she hadn’t been hurt and slightly drunk, Stephanie would have ran after Lula and made her talk. Ok, maybe ran was a strong word. She would have walked quickly behind Lula to the parking lot. And, well, making Lula talk wouldn’t have been too much like work. Aw hell, never mind.

 

With no other options, she flopped face first on the couch and hit the play button on the VCR. Her arm fell down to the floor still clutching the remote. She sighed as Ghostbusters started to play and then slowly closed her eyes.

 

 

************************

 

Ranger smiled to himself as he hung up his phone. Only Steph. No, only Steph and Lula.

 

“So does this mean you’ve come to your senses?” Ronia asked from the doorway.

 

Ranger spun in his office chair to face her, blank face in place. “What are you talking about?”

 

Ronia moved to the chair in front of his desk and sat down. “What I mean, little brother, is that you’ve finally come to your senses about one Stephanie Plum.”

 

Ranger started to move papers around his desk “There’s nothing…”

 

“Right. Nothing going on between you two,” Ronia finished for him. “That's not what I just heard.”

 

"Eavesdropping is impolite."

 

Ronia laughed. "That's all you got? Your only comeback?"  She laughed even harder when all Ranger did was grumble. "Was that Steph on the phone?"

 

"No."

 

"Oh? Then who?"

 

Ranger sighed. "Being nosy does not become you." When the only response he received was silence, he finally looked her in the eye. "If you must know, Stephanie put her friend Lula on the phone so I could tell her that there is nothing going on with me and Steph."

 

The look on Ronia's face was a thoughtful one. "But you didn't say that." Ranger ignored her hoping she'd just go away. He groaned as she continued. "What you said, and I quote, 'she'll be ok if she stays put'. Then there was a response from the other end and you said, in a low gravely voice no less, 'she couldn't handle what was in my dreams', end quote.

 

He remained quiet, praying that she'd drop the whole topic. She didn't.  "You asked if she was going to be home all night."

 

"So?"

 

Ronnie leaned forward. "So, what is going on with you and Steph?"

 

Time to put his older sister in her place. “No more than what’s going on between you and Tank.”

 

Ronia gave a lazy smile and sat back in her chair. “Nice try, Ric. We’re talking about you, not me. And anyway, there’s plenty between David and me. We admit that and choose to do nothing about it. That’s a little different that saying there’s nothing at all.”

 

Ranger scowled and started moving papers again. Under his breath he said, "That's not Tank's choice."

 

 He heard her sigh at his remark. He thought he was in the clear until she walked around his desk and stood at his side, then waited there until he looked up at her. “What?” He knew it came out harsh, but damn it, he needed to be left alone.

 

With understanding and sympathetic smile she knelt at his side, taking his hand in hers. “Ric,” she started but then stopped as she traced his knuckled with her fingers.

 

“Ricky,” she started again, but this time her voice was warm with memories and love. “Do you remember when we were little and Mama and Papa would have that party late in August? It was so darn hot but everyone always came out for it and had a good time. There’d be food, music, dancing, swimming…”

 

She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, raising his free had to run across her cheek. “Yeah, I do. Mama would get so mad because she’d put us to bed and Papa would just sneak us out.” He laughed at the memory. “We’d all end up falling asleep in lounge chairs as everyone danced to the last few slow songs of the night.”

 

Ronia nodded and looked back down at Ranger’s hand that she still held. “I miss that,” she whispered.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I asked Papa once, why we didn’t have the party in June when the weather was more agreeable in Miami.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

She looked Ranger in the eye. “He said the party wasn’t about the weather being agreeable. People came to the party regardless of conditions because it was special, because it was a party full of love and family.” She paused. “He said people couldn’t turn away from something like that because you never knew if it would come along next year. You had to come and soak it all up when you could get it.” Ranger didn’t say anything so Ronia continued. “Know when I asked him that?”

 

Ranger shook his head.

 

She looked back down at his hand. “The morning of the last party we had, two months before he died.”

 

They were both silent.  Ronnie looked up at him again, this time with watery eyes. "Maybe that's something we both need to think about."

 

 

 

 

Ranger took a deep breath, counted to ten, and then…picked the lock. Slowly he pushed open the apartment door, stepped inside and then gently closed it.  When he turned around, he saw her. She was sprawled face first on the couch, arm dangling to the floor with the remote lightly held in her hand. The TV was black, so whatever she had been watching was over.  With soundless footsteps, he walked over and crouched down, placing his arms in a relaxed position on his knees, so he could see her face. She was taking soft, even breaths and he couldn't help but reach out and tuck some wayward hair behind her ear.

 

Determined not to wake her yet, he lifted her shirt slightly so he could see her back.  He winced when he saw the redness and knew she had to be uncomfortable. It almost made sense why she was face first.  Gently, he lay the shirt back down against her irritated skin.

 

He had thought he could just pick her up and carry her, but not with her back the way it was. It would have to be a fireman's carry and that would be a little abrupt, even for him.

 

"Babe," he whispered. There was no response so he dropped to his knees and propped one hand against the back of the couch and leaned over her to whisper directly into her ear. "Babe."

 

"Hmmm?"

 

He had to smile. "Babe? Come on wake up. I'd just carry you, but you're in no condition."

 

Her eyes blinked open and she lifted her head slightly. "Ranger?"

 

"Yeah, Babe." He smiled. The same strand of hair he had tucked earlier had come loose when she moved, so he put it behind her ear again. "Let's get you into bed," he said as his hand continued to the back of her head, then ran down her hair until it reach her neck where he started a gentle massage.

 

"I'm fine," she mumbled and put her head back on the couch.

 

Chuckling, he stood and took hold of her under her arm. "Come on sleepy head."

 

Steph groaned but came up to her knees and finally off the couch all together. He was helping her shuffle towards the bedroom when she abruptly stopped.

 

"What did you say to Lula?" Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. "Better yet, did you tell her there was nothing going on?"

 

Ranger sighed and dropped the hold he had on her arm. "Stephanie, not now. Ok?"

 

"Not now? Not now? I've had to repeat myself so many times that I'm thinking of having a t-shirt made that says "Nothing is going on between me and Ranger", and you say 'not now'?" She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I think now is the perfect time."

 

Ranger smirked. "A t-shirt Babe?"

 

She rolled her eyes again. "Ranger." 

He slid his blank face into place and said, "Just come to bed."  Then he started for her bedroom. When he reached the doorway, he realized she wasn't following. "You coming?"

 

She looked confused and then wary. "Are you staying?"

 

He hadn't thought about that. Was he staying? He started to shake his head. "Babe, I don't think…"

Stephanie cut him off. "Don't. Forget I even asked," she said in clipped tones and she stomped into her bedroom. "Thanks for waking me, but just go."

 

"Babe…" He started towards her as she climbed into bed.

 

"No, Ranger. Don't. Please."  She paused and adjusted the covers around her and she tried to settle in face down. "Just go."

 

He had opened his mouth to say something but she already had her back to him, eyes closed.  Giving a quick nod, although he didn't know why because she wasn't looking at him, he turned and left the bedroom. Each step he took towards the front door had his heart clenching in his chest.  His mind kept telling him that he was doing the right thing, but his body was telling him otherwise.  

 

Finally, he slowed to a stop only a foot from the door. The internal battle raged on. His mind used the same old tricks, remembering Abruzzi and then threw in something new… Zepeda. The fact was that people who wanted to get him showed no hesitation in using the people he loved.

 

His breathing suddenly stopped and his heart missed a beat. "Fine," he mumbled to himself as his fists clenched at his side. "I love her. I love her enough to walk away." And with that, he forced his hand to the door and opened it.

 

The first thing he noticed was two sets of very familiar brown eyes. 

 

"Where do you think you're going, Ricardo?" Rosa asked as she smiled sweetly.

 

He narrowed his eyes at both his sisters. "Isn't it a little too late at night for you two to be running around?"

 

"Funny," Ronia said, "we were just thinking the same thing about you."

 

Ranger took a step forward and both women quickly wedged themselves in the doorframe. "What are you two doing? Move."

 

Rosa casually glanced at her nails. "No."

 

He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I cane move you myself," he threatened.

 

"Yes, you can," Ronia answered, as Rosa continued to look at her nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world with a smile on her face.  Now Ronia lowered her voice. "You may be able to move us physically, but we'll make your life a living hell from this day forward." His eyes slid over to meet his older sister's, saying nothing, but hoping the look in his eyes conveyed his feelings.

 

"You see, the thing about girls," Ronia went on, obviously not heeding his non-verbal warning, "is that we rule."

 

Ranger snorted and rolled his eyes as he straightened. "Fine, girls rule, now get…"

 

"Let him go," came Steph's voice from behind him, cutting him off. "He doesn't want to be here, so I don't want him here. Just let him go."

 

Rosa looked up at the sound of Stephanie's voice and smiled. "Sorry, Steph. No can do. You two are stuck here."

 

"Don't push me," Ranger growled.

 

Ronia, who had been casually standing in the doorframe, straightened her spine and came up to her full 6 feet two inches, coming eye to eye with Ranger. "Don't push me."

 

Ranger cursed under his breath. The fact was that Ronia was the elder and ran the family. Female or not, she could make his life a living hell.

 

"Don't bother, Steph," Rosa offered, "we've got the fire escape covered too."

 

Ranger spun and no longer found Steph in the living room.  He heard her curse loudly from the bedroom. "Shit!"  She stomped back to the crowd gathered at her front door. "How in the hell did you get Connie and Lula out here this time of night?"

 

Turning back to his sisters, Ranger said, "Fine. We'll play your little game. But you can't keep us here forever. Steph has injuries that need treatment." Just then a box of something came sailing in from the hallway over the women's heads and landed at Ranger's feet. When he picked it up he recognized it as Steph's burn cream.

 

He let out a low growl. "Brown," he yelled, "you'll pay for this."  Several masculine chuckles drifted in from the hallway. "Food? You know she can't go without food for too long."

 

"Hey…" Steph started but stopped when several shopping bags were pushed between Rosa and Ronia's legs. The last little bag was pushed with the end of a broomstick and  Ranger recognized it as being the same kind Steph's mother usually wrapped up the leftovers in.  Steph recognized it too. "Mom?"

 

Valerie's head popped up directly behind Rosa and Ronia. "No, Steph. Just me."

 

"H..h..how did you…?"

 

Valerie laughed. "You look like a fish out of water." She laughed some more but hurried on when Steph put her hand on her hips. "Listen," Valerie waved a hand around in the air, "it was easy. Don't worry about a thing."

 

"Valerie," Steph's tone held a world of warning and Ranger couldn't help put smile just a little. This was all so outrageous he couldn't help himself.

 

"Well, see, Bobby," Valerie blushed and averted her eyes, "came over and asked mom if there was anything she could wrap up for you since you weren't feeling so well." She turned a darker red. "Then he saw me and asked if I'd like to come along. Mom said she'd keep an eye on the girls…so, you know…I said sure. Here I am." She smiled big at the end.

 

Just then Bobby's head flashed behind the woman and Valerie yelped as she was pulled from sight. More laughter came from the hallway.

 

Ronia slid the bags further into the room with her foot. "So, you two are all set." She smiled. "See ya!"   Then within the blink of an eye the women were gone from the door and it was closed.

 

Stephanie couldn't believe it. She was being locked in her apartment with…with Ranger! And now he was smiling. A minute ago he was ready to spit fire and now he's smiling?

 

"Just don't stand there," she said as she breezed past him. "Do something." She started to pound on the door. "Open this door."

 

From the other side, "No."

 

Stephanie couldn't help herself. She whined. "Rosa."

 

"Come on, Babe. We'll just wait them out."

 

She spun around to face Ranger. "Has it ever occurred to you that I don't want to wait out anything with you?"  His smirk never wavered and he just shrugged.  Stephanie threw her arms up in the air and let them fall and slap against her leg. "Fine. You stay and wait out here. I'm going to wait in my bedroom."

 

Not two steps into her grand exit and the front door swung open.  Rosa was in the doorway with a glint in her eyes. Behind her there was scrambling of arms and legs as if those waiting in the hall hadn't expected the sudden exposure. Ranger started for the door and, like before, Ronia appeared at Rosa's side, but had a questioning look on her face.  Ranger stopped.

 

"Stephanie," Rosa started, "remember when we first met and we were at Lester's house?"

 

Steph's brow crinkled in confusion. "Yeah."

 

Rosa smile was so big and bright it lit the room. "You asked me what Ranger had said about you."

 

A slow smile spread across Stephanie's face. "Yes, yes I did. You never told me." She shifted her weight onto one leg and relaxed her pose. "Gonna tell me now?"

 

"Enough," Ranger growled. He started for the door, but before he could reach his sister, she was yanked from the doorway and the door was closed.  He stood stock still facing the door, but then in a sudden movement turned with his 1000-watt grin firmly in place. "You asking about me, Babe?"

 

She rolled her eyes but she couldn't get rid of the smile she had.  They were both quiet for some time and stood there facing each other. Stephanie's mind was going a mile a minute. Ranger had clearly been upset when Rosa tried to goad him into talking, but now he stood there and didn't look like he had a care in the world. This had to end; whatever was going on between them couldn't keep going the way it was.

 

"Ranger," Steph said hesitantly as her smile slipped and her eyes drifted to the floor, "why did you come here tonight?" For several seconds there was no response. In fact, the silence was long enough that she finally had to look at him.  The look on his face made her eyes go wide with surprise. His eyes locked with hers and it was if they were pleading with her.

 

When Ranger finally spoke, it was a low whisper. "What?"

 

Stephanie let out a small chuckle. "Not where you expected me to come from, huh?" She sighed and sat on the arm of her couch and looked at her hands in her lap. She was quiet for a moment, then waved her hand casually in the air. "Oh never mind, we've had that conversation before."  Bracing her hands on her knees, she looked him directly in the eye. "Why did you come here tonight?"

 

"You've never minded my visits before."

 

She shook her head. "Not what I asked, but if you want to start there, fine. Why do you come at all?"

 

"Babe?"

 

Another small shake of her head. "Why?"

 

His body posture stiffened and his face went blank. "Because I want to make sure you're ok."

 

This time she nodded. "Ok." She paused. "Why?" He opened his mouth and she knew he was going to say Babe again. She shot him a look and his mouth closed into a thin line. "Ranger?"

 

"I like to know you're safe."

 

"Why?" She was cornering him and they both knew it. She didn't care. What did she have left to lose?

 

"Knowing you're ok makes me feel better."

 

That was it, a straw she could grasp at. She stood and walked up to him, her face serious. "You feel better knowing things about me?" He didn't answer, just stared. "Ranger? Do you?" She watched his face intently for any sign he might be cracking. Finally, after what felt like hours, she saw a hint of something in his eyes that gave her hope.  She gave a small smile, leaned into him, put her hand on his chest and started to pick off non-existent lint. When his arms slipped around her waist, she sighed thoughtfully and put her head on his shoulder, sliding one arm around his waist and the other over his heart.  He smelled wonderful and to be in his arms was even better.   When she placed her other arms around him and give him a squeeze, placing a kiss on his jaw, she felt him chuckle squeeze back.

 

"Babe."

 

She tensed and waited.

 

"Babe," there was a smile to his voice, "having you in my life makes me feel better."

 

Tilting her head back, she smiled up at him. His mouth was so close. It wouldn't take much to steal a kiss. But first, she had to know something. "We're about to the point where something always stops us. Usually it's you, but sometimes it me. I want you to know, I won't be stopping this time."

 

"Stephanie," he groaned, but pulled her closer.

 

She sighed and put her head back on his shoulder. "This is it, Ranger," she whispered. "Right here, right now is the last chance.  I can't play this game any more." She waited but he did nothing. He didn't release her, but he didn't tighten his grip either.

 

After a quick prayer, she took a deep breath and took the last step. "I love you."

 

They both stopped breathing. She opened completely leaving herself exposed. As the seconds ticked by mortification started to seep in.  Swallowing a few times she tried to fight it off.  She felt her face heat and started to shake. It must have been her moving that snapped Ranger out of whatever trance he had been in. Before she knew what was happening, he had picked her up and carried her off to the bedroom.

 

He laid her down gently. He was being so careful and the look on his face was so…so…so loving.  She felt cherished.

 

Ranger crawled over her and pinned her body to the bed with his. "You're going to have to be more careful." She blinked. "You're not going to live here anymore. I'm not trying to change you, but the fact is this place isn't safe. "He paused and studied what had to be, she was sure, her stunned looked. His eyes had turned intense. "You will learn to handle your gun and some self defense moves."

 

He went quiet and stared. She wasn't sure what to say. When he gave her a little shake, only one word popped out. "Why?" Thank god her brain hadn't lost sight of her goal, because her body sure had.

 

Ranger's look softened and he smiled down at her. "Because I'm afraid you might get hurt. Someone might try to use you like they did Rosa."

 

"So?"

 

She watched and tried not to chuckle as he closed his eye, no doubt praying for patience.  When he opened them again she gasped at what she saw. Her heart started to beat double time. Then finally, he said the words. "Because I love you, Stephanie Plum and I am never," he kissed her, "ever," he kissed her again, "going to let you go."   The last kiss had her knees knocking, panties wet and her body melting into the bed. When he stopped and came up for air, he brushed some strands of hair away from her face. "You know," he said with a far away look on his face, "I think the real thing about girls is that they steal your heart" he paused and smiled, "and a guy can't do anything but let them have it."

 

 

THE END

 

_______________________

 

Tank and Ronia’s Story

 

 

Prologue

 

 

1993

 

Tank stepped off the plane and wiped the sweat from his brow.   The intense heat of a Miami summer was nothing he couldn’t handle. He had been on too many missions in several desert countries to let it get to him.  But, having spent the last few years in Michigan and experiencing all the seasons, he wasn’t sure he liked the heat all that much.

 

As he walked across the tarmac, his eyes scanned the area almost as a reflex. As much as he needed to be aware of his surroundings, he was also looking for his ride.  While he was able to hitch a ride with an army transport from Michigan to Miami, that’s as far the United States Government would take him.

 

His gaze landed on a man dressed in black on the other side of the fence. Lifting his duffle, then throwing it over his shoulder, he headed towards the exit at the far end of the fence. As he stepped through the gate, the man in black approached. 

 

Tank dropped the duffle bag and stared down the other man. “Manoso.”

 

Ranger nodded. “Douglas.”

 

They stood like that for several beats until Tank smiled, took a step toward Ranger, and then embraced him in a manly hug that was all back slaps and spoke of camaraderie.

 

“Oh, man,” Tank pulled back, “thanks for putting in a good word with the old man to get me this job.”

           

Ranger slipped on his sunglasses and flashed a brilliant smile. “No problem.  It’s about time you wised up and got your ass down here.”

 

Tank snorted and picked up his bag. “Yeah, whatever, man. Just get me out of this damn heat.”

 

They headed toward parking lot and Ranger slid a glance over to his friend of many years. “You getting soft?”

 

Tank smiled. “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? You couldn’t kick my ass when we were in the army. You couldn’t kick it now.”

 

Ranger opened the back of the black Ford Explorer in silence and Tank threw in the duffle.  Closing the door, Ranger sported a sly smile. “We’ll see about that.”

 

 

Chapter 1

 

“I can’t stay at your house, man. Just take me to a hotel.” Tank was on the verge of whining. He wasn’t used to having family around, especially one that was as close knit as the Manoso’s.

 

“My mother would have my hide if I took you to a hotel. And, while I might not be afraid of you, you big jack ass, my mother scares the crap out of me.”

 

Both men laughed as Ranger glided the truck to a smooth stop in the driveway of his family home.  Tank let out a low long whistle. “Damn, you didn’t tell me you have money.”

 

Ranger turned to look as his friend with an assessing gaze. The two of them had saved each other’s hides more times then he could count and he considered the large black man a brother. Slipping his sunglasses from his face, he spoke seriously. “Does it matter?”

 

Tank’s eyes were glued to the mansion in front of him. Without turning away, he spoke. “No, but damn man, I’m not gonna fit in here.”

 

Ranger slapped his shoulder. “You’ll be surprised how quickly they grow on you.”

 

As Ranger exited the truck Tank whispered to himself. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

 

 

Tank couldn’t help but gawk at his surroundings as the two men made their way around to the back of the house. The grounds were beautiful with impeccably manicured lawns and landscaping. When they reached the pool area Tank stopped dead in his tracks.   The most gorgeous woman he had ever seen dove into the water from the highest diving board.

 

“That’s Ronia…Ronnie. She’s the oldest.”  Ranger paused, then chuckled. “You’re gonna drool if you don’t shut your hole.”

 

Tank turned to scowl at his friend. “Very funny.” When he turned back around, he sucked in a breath at the sight before him.  Ronnie was lifting herself from the water. He felt his heart slam into his chest and tried hard not to stare at the bikini clad beauty with water trickling down the curves of her body.

 

“Ronnie,” Ranger yelled, “ come meet Brian Douglas.”

 

She grabbed a towel off he chair and wrapped it around her waist as she gracefully made her way over. “Tank,” she said with a knowing smile. “Ric’s told us so much about you.”

 

She held out her hand and Tank stood dumbfounded. It wasn’t until Ranger elbowed him in the side that he snapped out of his trance. “Hi. How did you know…”

 

“We all know about Ric’s best friend Brian who is called Tank.”  Ronnie gave him a once over. “For good reason I see.”  With a wink and a smile, she turned toward the house. “You two better get a move on, Mom has been waiting.”

 

Tank stared at her dumbfounded.

 

Ranger whispered. “That’s my sister, man.”

 

Tank took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

6 months later

 

Tank sat in the front seat of the Explorer and watched the entrance of the bar. His thoughts wandered as his mind raced through the events of the last six months, which seemed to bring him to this point in time.

 

He was enjoying his life in Miami, much to his surprise. The Manoso’s welcomed him into their house like he was one of their own. Not since living with his Grandmother, who passed away when he was just 14, had he felt like part of a family. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it.

 

Ronnie was a constant distraction, but she was a very busy attorney, and since that first day at the pool, he had hardly seen her. He had pushed her out of his mind and concentrated on building his new life in Florida.

 

It wasn’t until a few months ago, though, that he really started to enjoy his time here and his job.  As much as he loved his security job with Manoso senior, it was the jobs he did with Ranger that gave him a thrill.

 

Eight weeks ago, Ronia approached Ranger and asked for his help in locating one of her clients that skipped on his bail. She practiced corporate law and she had a client who was accused of embezzling retirement funds from his company. The minute she talked to the guy, she knew he would run, and he did. So now, she wanted Ranger and Tank to find him before the bails bondsman did. Never ones to turn down a challenge, especially one that would use their skills from their time in the Rangers, they both leapt at the chance. They found Ronnie’s client in less than 48 hours.

 

Ranger decided that chasing skips could be what keeps them keen, alert and in shape.  Their real estate ventures with his father would keep them in money. Tank took only a second to think about it before agreeing.

 

And that’s what had him sitting in a truck in the middle of the night watching the front entrance of a seedy bar.  Ranger was inside the Laundromat next-door trying to charm the owner into letting them camp out in the empty upstairs apartment so they could watch for their skip.

 

Tank glanced at his watch, then rubbed at his eyes. When he focused back on the bar, he noticed a woman and man walking up to the door.  The woman was tall, thin and had long, black cascading hair that almost reached her waist.

 

His eyes went wide. “Ronnie? What the hell?” He got a real bad feeling in his gut. Jumping from the car, he pulled his radio from its holder at his waist. “Ranger, get out here. Ronnie just went inside the bar. She wasn’t alone.”

 

“Right. On my way.”

 

By the time Tank had crossed the street, Ranger was out of the Laundromat and waiting on the sidewalk.

 

“Are you sure it was her?”

 

Tank nodded.

 

“What the hell is she up to? She didn’t mention tracking down any clients.”

 

Tank shook his head. “To me either. I don’t like this. Let’s go…”

 

Just then it sounded like all hell broke loose inside the bar.  Both men turned and started running for the door. Ranger pulled his cell phone out and dialed 911. He barked the address and a short description into the phone before snapping it shut.

 

As they reached the front of the bar a shot was fired. Tank and Ranger crouched low to the ground and looked at each other. Years of training, and a solid knowledge about each other, kicked them into gear. Pulling out their guns, their eyes met, and each man nodded. Then Tank opened the door and they went inside.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

Inside the bar the smoke was thick and chaos would have looked calm next to what was happening. People were running everywhere and shots were ringing out. It was hard to tell who was firing or where it was coming from.

 

Tank eyes scanned the room for Ronnie. He got lucky.  There was a gap in the crowd and he saw her backed up again the far wall, crouched under the payphones. With only one thought in mind, to get to Ronnie, he made his way across the room.

 

When he reached her, rage filled him. Her face was bruised and she had a black eye, but when she looked at him, her determination was clear. He knelt down and shielded her from the may lay going on in the bar.

 

“I’ll kill him,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

 

“I’ll help you.” He was serious and when he met her eyes, he knew she understood.

 

The sharp sound of sirens pierced through the noise of the bar. Tank held out a hand. “Can you get up?”

 

Ronnie nodded. “Yeah, get me out of here.” 

 

He helped her up and then tucked her up close to his side. No one was getting near her unless they went through him first.  The squeal of the sirens became louder.  Knowing that time was running short, Tank glanced around the room and spotted the door to the kitchen.  Moving quickly, he cleared a path so they could get to the kitchen and then out the back door.

 

Several others had the same idea so they moved along with the crowd with Tank making sure he didn’t let go of Ronnie. Just as they cleared the back door into the alley, Cops rounded the corners at either end.  Others tried to scramble over the fence that separated the back yards of neighborhood houses from the alley behind the bar. Tank thought it was a pretty good idea, and he knew he could make it.

 

“Come on,” he said as he tugged Ronnie towards the fence.

 

He started to lift her up and she looked down at him “Is Ric with you? We can’t leave him.”

 

“He can take care of himself.” Of that, Tank was sure. He was even more positive that when Ranger found out Tank had disappeared to help Ronnie, there would be no argument over that it was the right thing to do.

 

It only took seconds to get them both up and over the fence and running away from the bar and all the action. When they hit the street in front of the houses, Tank grabbed Ronnie by the waist and slowed their pace. “Let’s just walk slowly and catch our breath.”

 

Ronia didn’t say anything, but nodded and slowed down.  Then he felt her sag against him for support. Damn, he knew he had to get her someplace safe. He tightened his hold “Just a few block and we’ll hit a main road. I’ll get us a cab, ok? Can you make it?”

 

Ronnie nodded again and whispered, “Yeah.”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

Tank thanked the cab driver and then paid him. Ronia had left the cab and now stood staring at a row of townhouses.

 

“Where are we?

 

He came to stand besides her and then looked down. They hadn’t spoken during the cab ride and she had kept her face away from him, looking out the window. Now, seeing her face again, his gut tightened and anger burned inside him. She wasn’t going to get the guy who did this; he wouldn’t even let her get the chance. He was going to hunt them down and do much worse.

 

The anger must have shown on his face because Ronnie’s eyes suddenly went wide. His anger melted away and he was filled with a warmth and softness he couldn’t explain. Slowly, so not to scare her, Tank lifted his hand and brought it to her face. “We’re at my place. I didn’t think you’d want to go home.  Do you need to see a doctor?”

 

She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek. “Thank you. You’re right, I don’t want to go home, or to my parents. No, I don’t need a doctor, just some ice.”

 

Since she didn’t pull back or move his hand, he kept it there, and stroked her face with his thumb. What she said finally sunk in. “You don’t live at the house?”

 

“No, I have my own place.” She looked a little panicked. “I don’t want to go back there. I can go to a friends if you don’t want…”

 

“No, you’ll stay with me. Come on.” Reluctantly, his hand left her face and he took hold of her elbow to steer her inside. “You’re not going anywhere.”

 

 

 

Tank managed to get Ronnie showered and then comfortable in his bed. Now he was trying to persuade her to eat. “Please, honey, just eat a little.”

 

“Tank, stop babying me or I will go home.”

 

He sighed and lifted off the bed. “Fine, I’ll go get you that ice.” He had to smile at the look on her face. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”

 

Ronnie narrowed her eyes. “I’m ANGRY when I’m angry. Don’t belittle me like that.” In a gesture of frustration she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m angry at me. I can’t believe that I fell for…” she trailed off.

 

Tank sat back down on the bed. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I wasn’t…”

 

“I know,” she cut him off and gave a stiff smile. “I’m just on edge, tired.”

 

She was staring at her hands in her lap, sitting there looking vulnerable. Something he knew a Manoso wouldn’t like.  He had the overwhelming urge to touch her, to comfort her. So he did. He tucked some wayward hair behind her ear and ran his hand down her face.  She looked up, smiled and met his eyes.

 

They stayed like that for several seconds until she broke the spell. “What about Ric?”

 

Tank smiled back. “He’s fine. I told him what happened and where you were. He was going to come get you but…”

 

“But?”

 

“I told him not to. You and I had everything under control.”

 

“You told him about the…” she brought a hand to her face.

 

He shook his head. “No. That’s not for me to tell. I just told him you were rattled and I was looking after you.”

 

Ronia dropped her hand back into her lap. “Thank you…for everything. If you hadn’t been there…” She stopped and the look on her face changed to one of curiosity. “Why were you there?”

 

“Chasing a skip.” He paused. “Why were you there?”

 

She didn’t answer, just closed her eyes and put her head back against the wall.

 

“Ronnie, who did this to you? Who was that guy you were with? Was it him?”

 

“Tank, I’ll take care of it.”

 

He sighed and stood again. “I’ll get the ice, but we will talk about this later.”

 

By the time he came back with the icepack, Ronnie was asleep. He watched her quietly for a few minutes and then set the icepack on the bedside table. Turning, he started out of the room when Ronnie’s voice stopped him.

 

“Tank?”

 

“Yeah?” He didn’t turn around. If he looked at her lying in his bed, all sleepy, he might not be able to control himself. Right now, she needed his friendship, not his lust.

 

“Please don’t leave.”

 

His entire body tensed. “Ok.” He headed for the chair in the corner.

 

“No. Come lay with me. Please.”

 

He went motionless but finally managed to nod. Still, without looking at her, he sat in the chair and removed his boots, but that was all that was coming off. When he was finished, he stood and looked at her. Bad move. He felt too many things at once. He wanted to ravage her, he wanted to comfort her and he wanted to kill the asshole who hurt her.

 

“Tank?”

 

Tamping down all the inappropriate emotions, he went with comfort. Comfort he could do and not get in trouble…he hoped.

 

As he climbed into bed, he smiled at her and then situated himself so he spooned her from behind. He was surprised when she snuggled in and let out a soft sigh.

 

“Thanks.” She laughed a little. “I’ve said that to you quite a bit tonight.”

 

He couldn’t help himself and nuzzled her hair. “No need for thanks. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

 

“Mmmm,” she was fading out, “I’m glad you were there.”

 

He squeezed her gently. “So am I, honey, so am I.”

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

Two weeks later

 

Tank flipped his cell phone shut.  He had just pulled in to his parking lot when it rang with Ranger on the other end. Looking up to the second floor of his townhouse, he knew exactly what he’d see when he went in.

 

Ronnie would be sitting at the kitchen table with papers spread out in front of her, working her fingers to the bone.  In the two weeks she had spent with him, she certainly proved her dedication to her job. She insisted that she be allowed to pick up paperwork from her office. Tank followed her every step of the way to and from the office.  He only let her stay a few minutes to collect her thing and then he would escort her out. It went on like that for several days, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

 

The guy that had beat her up was still out there. Robert Brayden had even been calling her office and home looking for her. This wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot.

 

Two days after the bar incident, Ranger showed up at his house looking for Ronnie. The minute Ranger looked at her Tank knew action would be taken. It only took them a few hours to find out the guys name.  When Tank confessed to Ronnie that Ranger was trying to find the guy, she took it better than he thought she would.

 

She hadn’t been happy about it, but she agreed to let Ranger take care of it. Tank had a feeling she was planning something else, but he had no idea what. 

 

He was amazed she had stayed in his house this long. They slept in the same bed every night and for two weeks now had been living like…like a couple. Just, without the sex. It didn’t seem to bother Ronia, but it sure the hell bothered Tank. He didn’t know how much longer he could go to bed and wake up with a raging hard on. More surprisingly was that other than the sex thing, he liked it. He liked having her around. She made him smile and laugh, but when she cried, he would get so angry at the guy who hit her.  And, then she’d look at him with her soft brown eyes and he’d melt.  Christ, she had him in knots and he loved every minute of it.

 

But now, as he sat staring at his house, it was all going to end. It was over, finally. Ranger had called to tell him that “the mission objective had been reached”. He didn’t know what the details of that covered, but he knew for certain Robert Brayden would never bother Ronia Manoso, or any other Manoso, ever again.

 

With a sigh, he got out of the Explorer and headed inside. He had to tell her it was over, that she could go home and not be afraid.  His steps slowed to a crawl, his brain thinking the longer it took get upstairs, the longer she’d been in his home.

 

When he finally walked in the door she was right where he expected.  She looked up from her stack of papers, reading glasses perched on her nose, and smiled.

 

“Hi.”

 

He smiled back. “Hi.”

 

“I’ve been waiting for you to come home.” She got up from the table and came towards him. “I have something to tell you.”

 

“Oh?” He put his hands on the back of her arms and pulled her close for a kiss on the forehead, even though it wasn’t what he really wanted to do. He really wanted to take her right there in the entryway.

 

She wasn’t surprised by his show of affection since he greeted her this way every time he walked in the door. But this time…this time she did something different. When his lips left her forehead, she took a step closer and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder and slipped her hands around his waist.

 

“Have I told you how much it’s meant to me to be here… for you to let me practically move in?”

 

He brought a hand around to rest on her lower back, his other he ran through her hair. “It’s no problem. You can stay as long as you like.”

 

“I don’t want to impose.”

 

“Sweetheart,” he moved back so she could tip her head back and look at him, “you are far from an imposition. I like having you here.”

 

Her look became wary and she stepped out of his embrace. “What happened? You’re not telling me something.”

 

“Damn, you’re as intuitive as your brother.” She crossed her arms over her chest and put her weight on one leg, pushing out the opposite hip. Tank chuckled. “Ok, ok. I was going to tell you.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “It’s over.”

 

“What?” Her arms dropped to her sides.

 

Tank went forward and took her by the shoulders. “It’s over. Ranger just called and said it’s taken care of. Now,” he raised a hand to stop her from interrupting, “don’t ask me what that means because I don’t honestly know.” But he sure as hell could guess and be 99% sure he was right. “Just know that you’re safe and that man will never bother you again.”

 

“Really?”

 

Tank let her go and nodded. “Really.”

 

“Oh!” she said as she launched herself at him. He opened his arms and caught her just in time. She was hugging him hard. “Thank you.”

 

Eventually, she pushed back and the loss of her hit him like a kick to the gut. “No need, but you’re welcome.”

 

“I have news, too,” she said as she stepped out of his reach. “I quit my job.”

 

“What?” He couldn’t believe she was smiling ear to ear. “Why did you do that? What will you do? You’re parents will kill you.” He started to pace. What had that guy done to her?

 

Ronnie burst out laughing. “Wait, hold on, Tank. Let me finish.”  She waited until he turned to look at her. “I’m not going to stop being a lawyer. I’m just changing my field of focus, that’s all.” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.  Ronia rolled her eyes and continued. “Corporate law isn’t for me. Never was. I’m going to go into family law, child custody, domestic abuse, child abuse cases, stuff like that.” Her look turned thoughtful.

 

His first instinct was to groan. While she didn’t say criminal law there was still a good chance she’d be around psycho’s most of the time. But, as he looked at her, he noticed the spark in her eyes, the color to her cheeks, and they way her whole body radiated excitement; he knew she made the right choice.  What had that guy done to her? Made her angry enough to want to make a difference.

 

“I’m going to lead the family someday. It’s about time I toughen up.”

He smiled and pulled her into another hug. Heck, he’d take any excuse he could get to touch her. “That sounds like a plan, Ronnie. Will you have to take classes?”

 

She tried to pull away but he just tightened his grip. He felt her nod. “Yeah, a few, if I want to be good and know what I’m doing. I don’t have to, but I’m going to.”  Again, she tried to back up and he wouldn’t let go. “Brian?”

 

Oh god, his real name out of her mouth set him on fire. “Ye-yeah?” He had to clear his throat.

 

“I can go home now.” It wasn’t a question.

 

But, he answered it anyway. “Yeah, honey, you can.”

 

It seemed her grip tightened. “Ok.” She mumbled into his chest but didn’t move. They stood like in the entryway for a long time.

 

 

 

Chapter 6

 

Four weeks later

 

 

It had been four weeks since the night he moved her back into her apartment.  Four weeks of pure hell. He hadn’t been eating and he hadn’t been sleeping and it was starting to show. Hell, even Ranger commented that he looked like shit. Of course that was after he tried to talk to him about what was wrong. What could Tank say? I seem to have fallen in love with your sister and it’s killing me that I can’t be with her so I sit outside her apartment every spare moment I’m not working?

 

He laughed and the sound was loud in the small confines of the truck. Had he said that, Ranger would think he was a stalker. Christ, maybe he was. He just wanted to be sure that she was safe.

 

Ronia had found a job in the field she wanted but it took her to seedier parts of town. He wanted to make sure her back was covered. That’s all it was.

 

The radio he was listening too went from music to talk and Tank turned up the volume. He had followed Ronnie home from work and now he’d wait a few hours to make sure she was tucked home safe and sound.

 

The DJ on his radio announced rain for that night and Tank groaned. Just what he needed to put him to sleep, the sound of rain hitting the roof of his truck.  And, while he did need to sleep, he didn’t want to do it while watching Ronnie and stuck in his truck. He leaned forward to look up at the sky and sure enough, no stars. It was going to rain.

 

 

 

 

Ronnie kicked off her shoes and shucked her work clothes. She walked into the bathroom, put her hair up, and washed her face.  Going back into the bedroom, she took off her underwear and slipped her nightgown on. Now she was ready to face an exciting evening of a heat and serve meal, and trash TV.

 

A dull rumble sounded in the distance and Ronia went to her sliding glass door that led to her balcony.  She shoved the door back and a strong breeze blew in.  Moving the screen aside, she stepped out into the warm Miami night.  She got close to the railing and leaned up against it, closing her eyes and putting her face into the wind.  She felt free and happy. Her work fulfilled her and nothing could be better.

 

Her heart interrupted her mind. Nothing could be better, except if Tank were here to share it with her.  The time she had spent with him was wonderful; although the reason she was locked up in his home wasn’t so wonderful.  The night he told her it was over she didn’t want to leave. And after their extended hug in the hall ended, he seemed bent on getting her out of there. She felt crushed but didn’t let it show. The time for her to wallow in self-pity was when she was home alone at night. If he didn’t want her, she’d get over it and move on.

 

A loud thunderclap and sharp bolt of lightening made her jump and when she opened her eyes the entire block was lit for a split second. She managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar vehicle parked across the street before everything went dark again. Just as she turned to see if she could make out the car, her phone rang and it started to rain.

 

She quickly went inside after shutting and locking the sliding door. “Hello?”

 

“Yo.”

 

She laughed into the phone. “Ric, you’re not a punk, why do you talk like one?”

 

He ignored her teasing comment. “Is Tank there?”

 

Her heart started to beat double time. “N-no. Why? Should he be?”

 

Now it was his turn to laugh. “Oh, Ronnie. If you don’t know, I’m not the one to tell you.”

 

She started to sweat. “Ricardo Carlos Manoso,” she managed in a stern voice, even though she was shaking on the inside, “tell me why you would think he was here.” The tone she used worked when her mother used it, and if Ronia ever expected to lead the family, she better learn how use it, too.

 

Silence stretched over the phone. Ric was no dummy. He knew an order when he heard it. The question was, would he follow it?

 

An exasperated sigh finally came down the line. “You two deserve each other.”

 

“Wha..”

“Ronia, my dear older sister, I would bet you all the money I have, that if you went downstairs right now, there would be a black Explorer parked across the street.” 

 

Ronnie’s head started to spin, the flash of lightening and the familiar car swan into view.

 

“And in that black truck, would be one very big black man who has it very bad for you.”

 

Ronnie swallowed and refused to hope. “Ric, this isn’t funny. I don’t appreciate…”

 

Ranger’s tone was serious now. “I’m not teasing Ron. He hasn’t been eating or sleeping and he hasn’t been home on his time off.  He’s down there, go get him.”

 

“You want me to give him a message?”

 

Laughter boomed over the phone. “For a smart woman, you’re really dense. No, I want you to just go down there. What you do after that is up to you.”

 

“Ric, I don’t…” She was too late. He had already hung up.

 

Without a moments hesitation she went around her apartment and turned off all the lights. Then she slowly walked over to the glass door again and tried to see across the street. It was impossible. It was too dark and now raining like crazy. She could see cars and one did look like a SUV, but she couldn’t be sure.

 

At that moment, something inside her snapped. He’d been watching her? What the hell for? Her brain kicked in…there was only one-way to find out.

 

She marched to the door and threw the locks. She opened the door with so much force she was sure she’d have a complaint from the neighbors. Steps away from the outside door she started to have second thoughts, but something other than her brain propelled her through the doors and out into the rain.

 

It took all of a few seconds to drench the flimsy nightgown she had worn. She was about to turn around and go back inside with her tail between her legs when a lighting strike hit close. She jumped and screamed.

 

 

 

Tank tried to see across the street in the pounding rain but couldn’t. The only thing he could tell was that Ronnie made it back inside just before it started to rain and that now all her lights were off. He’d wait another hour before going home. His thoughts wandered to what he just witnessed on the balcony.  Ronia had been standing there letting the wind whip her hair and blow that nightgown tight against her.

 

He shifted in his seat and just as he was settling in something caught his eye.  Someone…no, a woman just walked out the front doors, took a few steps and then stopped. He blinked a few times then squinted and tried to see through the rain.

 

When she turned to go back inside, he recognized her. Ronnie.  A very bright blot of lightening hit and made a loud noise. When he heard her scream, he was out of the truck in a flash. Lightening and thunder be damned.

 

When he reached her she was on the ground, knocked off her feet by the surprise lightening bolt. He was soaked and when he lifted her to her feet, it was obvious she was too.

 

“What are you doing?” he yelled.

 

She wrenched her arm out of his grip. “What am I doing? What are you doing?” She poked him in the chest. “Ric called and asked if you were here. I told him no. And when I asked ‘why should he be?’ he laughed at me!” She narrowed her eyes. “Care to explain?”

 

Tank looked at her, with her dripping wet hair and nightgown plastered to her…oh god, naked body. Hunger rose inside him.  He took another look at her, but this time it was a slow appreciative male look. She had to have noticed, because on the way back up to her face, he saw her nipples pushing out against the wet material.

 

By the time their eyes met, he was lost. “Ronnie, I…” What could he say? She already knew the truth. Her eyes softened and she blinked away water. He realized in that split second that he needed to act now, or never.

 

In one quick move, he hauled her wet, luscious body up against him.  One of his hands went to the back of her head and tilted it up. “Ronnie, I’ve missed you. I want to be with you.” He paused and closed his eyes, when he opened them again, he let lose the heat he was feeling. “And, seeing you stand there wet and practically naked is driving me insane. It was bad enough to sleep next to you night after night and not touch, but this, this is too much.”

 

He waited.

 

She looked stunned, for all of two seconds. Then the most evil, most wicked, most promising grin he’d ever seen on her, spread across her face.

 

“It’s about time.”

 

With that he lost all control. “If we don’t go upstairs now, I’m going to take you right here.”

 

“In the rain?” She didn’t sound horrified.

 

He groaned. “You’re going to kill me.”

 

“Not kill, but definitely torture. You’re right, I’d rather do it in the privacy of my bed.”

 

Tank groaned again and released her from his hold. Then, grabbing her hand, he pulled her toward the door. “Just remember,” he stopped and turned to her just inside the lobby door and kissed her, “I get my turn, too.”

 

“Then quit standing there.”

 

He groaned.

 

With a wink and a smile, she turned toward the stairs.

 

The End