A/N:I do not own nor do I profit from the works of JE. As you will be able to tell, Haz, is all mine.
Chapter 1:
The mere fact I was alive, was a miracle in itself. What was left of my new car was burning at the bottom of the half demolished bridge, leaving me dangling onto the edge like a sad little monkey. A sad, bleeding, pissed off, but tired, little monkey. This little monkey's name is Becca, but you can call me Haz. Haz is short for Hazard, because according to my friends that's exactly what I was. I fell over non existant things, I crashed perfectly good cars, I accidentally set fire to five star restaurants and I accidentally broke my ex-boyfriend's leg. Twice. After we broke up. Anyway, so... here I am hanging onto a few rusty pieces of rebar to prevent myself from plummeting a good sixty feet to my possible yet probable serious injury or death. How did I get into this situation, you ask. Well it all started a year ago...
After catching a guy peeping into my third story apartment window, I threw on a half length robe over my over sized sleep shirt and hit the pavement running. After losing sight of the perp, I screamed in frustration as I turned the corner and found my baby violated. Now, I was sitting on the curb watching the tow truck haul what was left of my car away. I had left it parked overnight outside my apartment and before I knew it, there was nothing but a frame, two axles and four cinder blocks holding it in place where my entire car should have been.
When I asked the cop about the report number, he scoffed at me and under his breath muttered that they had to change the numbering system for reports because of my friends and I. One look at the report number and any cop in the city could tell if we were involved or not. Anyway... I was told to call my insurance company and give them the report number the cop gave me. Depending on the coverage I had, they would send me a check for the value of the car. Thankfully, I had just upped my coverage a few months prior, so I was set in that department. As to whether I still had transportation... not exactly. First there was my friends, who would never let me live this down or I could walk or take the city bus. And I wasn't going to ride the city bus. Lets's face it, nobody rode the city bus unless you needed a warm dry place to catch some sleep. Glancing down at my feet sighing, I didn't exactly exercise voluntarily in any way, so why start now?
So, I guess I should call one of my friends to come get me so I can make it into work. Hmm? Who's the lucky winner? Without looking, I flipped through my little address book without looking and dropped my finger to find the lucky person. I had stopped in the R section, glancing at the name I had selected, I rolled my eyes then grimmacing. This is going to be just peachy. FYI: You should be sensing some sarcasam with that last comment. The man I had selected, was a giant pain in my ass and never let me forget it. My fingers flew over the dialpad before I waited for the ring. " 'ello?" Yeah, elquent isn't he?
"Hey, it's me. Can you pick me up for work?" I asked, trying not to pick at the horrible patch job I had done to repair the wall next to the phone.
""I guess." He yawned, "Wha' time is it?"
"0313. I'll tell you about my fantastic night when you come and get me." He grunted like he was agreeing with me while trying to fall back asleep. "Can we stop and pickup coffee and donuts? I'll pay for both of us."
"M'kay. I'll be there at 0440. Be ready." I heard dial tone after that. Guess I should be thankful I got as much as I did out of him. He partied too hard last night and I know he'll be a bear in the morning. Oh, well. He should learn not to party on a worknight. Dumbass. I settled back into bed, setting my alarm for 0415. Plenty of time to get ready, and fell fast asleep.
I hopped into the truck, thankful my friend had been awake enough to process the conversation from last night in his mind. "Thanks for getting me. Some asshole stripped my car. Didn't find it until some jerk was peeping in on me." A low grunt came fromt he drivers seat and I tried not to smile, it didn't happen. I held out a twenty and smiled at him, "I buy, you fly?" He grunted again and I rolled my eyes. GOD! Men could be such assholes.
We pulled back onto the road after he picked up the order from the bakery I called in a few minutes before. Thankfully, the girls there knew us well and always had time to throw eight dozen into boxes, along with a huge bladder bag full of steaming hot, proprietary blend coffee. I inhaled and smiled at the smell of fat, sugar and coffee. Ahh... nothing like those three for breakfast in the morning. It starts a day off just right.
We pulled into the underground garage parking in the assigned spot my friend had, before I exited carrying four of the boxes of donuts. A few seconds later, more friends appeared and unloaded not only me, but the rest of the boxes and the bladder of coffee for me. I love having hungry friends. We walked up the stairs and headed for the breakroom to chow down. Unfortunately, nobody informed Ranger that I was treating the office to fat, sugar and empty calories. I stood there under his piercing gaze, making me conscious of the fact I had a bead of sweat rolling down the center of my back. I fought the urge to shift so the bead of sweat stopped, but not wanting to draw more attention to myself, I resisted.
"Who?" He demanded, before my, now not so loved, friends pointed to me and ratted me out in the matter of seconds. "Office, now." I wordlessly followed him to his office, glaring at all my friends before flipping off my best friend who didn't even try to defend me. Asshole. Yeah, I know. It's my favorite word these days.
He slammed his office door shut and I mentally cringed. Shit! "What did I say last time, Haz?" He demanded in a pissy tone.
"Not to?" I stated more as a question than an answer. So I had a hard time remembering what he said to me last time I brought in donuts. For the record I was distracted by the fact there was fat and sugar calling my name in the breakroom. He frowned and stormed up to me pounding his fist onto the door for good measure. "I told you not to forget!" He was rolling full steam ahead now. I decided to let him work himself into a tizzy for a while before placating him.
"I'm sorry, Sir!" I stated loudly and inwardly smiled. Sometimes it was too easy. I'd just let him yell and then take the punishment. For some reason, I never was afraid that I'd get fired. Knowing I was spacing out, Ranger glared at me and I began to get nervous, knowing he could be very vindictive when he felt the need. I hoped and prayed he wasn't in one of those moods.
"It won't happen without permission again."
"Yes, Sir."
He stepped into my personal space, our faces milimeters apart. His eyes were alight with fire as he lit into me like nobodys business. After a good ten minutes, I slunk out of the office after being dismissed. I ignored several attempts at appologising from my friends who ratted me out. They'd get theirs. Oh yeah, I'd make them pay good. I flopped down into my chair at my cubicle and pouted. Man, why is it I'm always the one getting into trouble with the boss anymore? Suddenly, two double chocolate glazed donuts were held before my frowning face along with a steaming cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar. Do I forgive him and take the peace offering or do I pout some more? My stomach growled loudly before I inhaled both donuts in a matter of bites and drained the coffee in fifteen seconds flat.
"Am I forgiven?" Ram asked kissing my cheek,before sitting his huge self onto my lap. I groaned under the weight and tried unsuccessfully to shove him off.
"Ge' owf!" I wheezed, unable to breathe. He leaned forward allowing air into my chest, but not getting up. I pinched his ass and he grinned at the contact. "Asshole, get the hell off me." I grabbed a pencil and poked him in his right ass cheek, making him shoot up off of my lap, rubbing where I had dented the near perfect bun.
"Watch it or I'm going to glue your dick to your ass." I laughed knowing that would never happen.
"Not before I do it to you." I warned, he paled. I glared at him, "What's with ratting me out? Wha'd I do to you?"
"Sorry. I can't get into trouble for another month, remember? I'm still on disciplinary probation after I got in trouble for messing with the TV's in the conference rooms. How was I to know that Mrs. Ultra Conservative Republican Senator was the next client on the list for consultation. I have 28 days left until I have my freedom back. There's no way I'm jeopardizing that for anything." He admitted, looking a little ratteled from that last incident.
"Pussy." I baited him waiting for him to call me an Old Hag, but it never came. Something must be wrong, he seemed a little spooked and nervous about something. "You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'm okay." He seemed to want to change the subject. "You feel up to going out later?" I shrugged, not sure I really wanted to or not. "I know this really great place, good pizza, great atmosphere. What do you say?" He waggled his eyebrows and made me laugh, like it or not.
"Fine. But let me change at your place before we go. I hate going out in my work clothes."
"Alright." He jumped up, fist pumping, before glancing around sheepishly and sitting back down in his chair in the cubicle next to mine.
"Meeting in five." I warned him as I chucked my empty paper cup over the cubicle wall and into the trashcan in his cubicle.
"Guess what?" I rolled my eyes and said nothing, hoping he'd continue. "I got the shipment in late last night. It took me until two to get them all catalogued, tagged and put away." So that's why he was grumpy this morning when he picked me up.
"So no date with Brittany last night?" I asked, trying not to sound like I was being pissy. I failed. He shook his head and looked at me over the wall. "I broke it off with her almost a year ago. You know that." He sighed and started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I haven't dated a chick in over eleven months." He swiveled his head towards the conference room and sighed. "We better go. We got less than 2 left."
We sauntered over to the conference room and entered to a chorus of chuckles. "Fuck you all and the horses you rode in on." I snapped. I flopped down into my normal seat three over from Ranger's right side, propped my feet up on the table and began to clean under my fingernails with my boot knife. After a good ninety seconds, Tank walked in to find me sitting at the table, hands folded and looking like such a school girl. He smiled down at me and patted me on the shoulder. Honestly, we had this little thing going between us. I pretended to be a good little angel while he pretended as if I never got into trouble and in return I would help take care of his cats when he went on vacations. He hasn't had one in a looooong time and to tell the truth, he needed one bad. It was a wonderful arrangement, besides he was like a very protective older brother to me. He even beat my own brother to pieces for being a dick to me. Notice, I'm wiping an immaginary tear away from my eye. God love him.
Ranger walked in surveying the group before him and maintained a blank face even though I was sure he had stared at me a milisecond longer than anyone else. "Report!"
Tank began the whole rundown of what happened ovenight. "2330 over-due shipment came in. Catalogued, tagged and put away by 0230. 0314 alarm at Garrets Jewelry. Break-in, perps apprehended while exiting building. TPD responded, arrived 0329, took perps into custody, we left scene 0331. 0331 on, no reports or incidents as of 0600." He finished before sipping his cup of coffee. Coffee, I noticed, I had brought in.
"Schedule for the day?" Ranger asked, having no trouble trying to maintain his blank face.
"Same as yesterday. Same partners, same hours."
"Acceptable." He turned to the men surrounding the table. "It has come to my attention that certain persons who shall remain nameless, have repeatedly brought contraband into the building without prior knowledge or permission from managment. It must be stated again, for all those employed here, contraband is just that, contraband. It must be okayed or it will be confiscated."
Nobody moved, nobody even breathed. We waited out the stare down from the bossman. As soon as it started, it ended with him getting up and walking out. A deep "Dismissed" was uttered from Tank. It was then that I walked over and kissed his cheek. "You really need a vacation. You're wearing yourself too thin." I rubbed his bald head and hugged him gently before walking out with the other guys coughing and muttering about being a suckup under their breaths. Assholes.