When Superheroes Fall
I was sitting on the scarred, stained couch in Vinnie's office, listening to Lula complain about the state of the file drawer, when the phone rang. "Vincent Plum Bail Bonds," Connie answered, clicking a pen in her fingers. "I see. Yes, of course. I'll pass it on." Connie hung up the phone and turned to look at me. "That was Tank," Connie said. My eyes widened. Tank was Ranger's right hand man. "Wanted to remind you to call him if you hear from Ranger."
Lula turned on her heels and whistled. "Are you telling me that man hasn't contacted you at all?" Lula asked, glaring at me. I shook my head.
No one had seen Ranger for two months, ever since Eddie Abruzzi had committed "suicide" in the van he had used to kidnap me and my sister, Valerie. He had vanished without a trace. Ranger had never gone this long without contacting me, and I had been getting worried. Okay, I'd been worried about a month and half ago, two weeks after he called Vinnie, and said he wasn't going to be reachable for awhile. Every day or so, Tank called me, just to make sure I didn't hear from Ranger. I didn't take this as a good sign, if his right hand man couldn't find him, where could he be?
"Maybe he's running guns in Columbia," I said, more to myself then Lula and Connie.
Lula sucked her breath through her teeth. "Maybe he got shot, and he's dead! We may never find out! Omigod!" Lula did the sign of the cross. I rolled my eyes. Lula was Baptist, and she had adopted the Catholic habit. It was beginning to get old.
"He's not dead," I snapped, getting sick of the morbid ideas Lula developed.
"How do you know?" Lula demanded, sitting back on her haunches.
Because I am mentally in tune with the Wizard since an incredibly magnificent night alone. Yeah, right. I was going to say that. "I just feel it," I replied.
My comment was met with stares from both women. Finally, Connie said, "What's going on with you? I haven't heard about Morelli in over a month, and you get crabby every time we mention Ranger. Are you pregnant?"
I glared at Connie, and jumped to my feet. "I swear! You two need new topics of conversation. I'm going home!" To my Tastycakes and hamster. I stormed out of the office, angry at Lula, and Connie. More at myself then them, and pissed off at Ranger.
On the way home, I was fuming silently, with Metallica blaring. I didn't know what kind of reaction I was having to the Ranger situation. I had called off almost all contact with Morelli, and had pretty much kept to myself. With the exception of a few FTA's, I had basically vanished from the social scene. My mother still called me every day, trying to get me to come over for dinner, and every once in awhile I would agree.
My apartment building looked calm and docile in the evening light. Once again, the only available parking spot was by the Dumpster, so I locked my new Mazda, and strolled across the parking lot, enjoying the twilight skies. Inside the building it was a bit drearier. I hit the button for the elevator, and expected Mrs. Bestler to greet me. The doors slid open and Ranger stood in front of me. He grabbed the lapels of my jacket and yanked me in. As soon as the doors shut he hit the hold button.
"You could kill a man, did you know that?" Ranger demanded. I was so astonished at the fact that he was standing there, I couldn't even answer him. "Babe," he said, grabbing my shoulders. Finally I blinked. "I have no idea what to do with you," he continued.
I reached over and smacked the hold button, then pressed for my floor. "You could start by telling me where you've been," I retorted. "Wait, let me guess. You can't say." Ranger was the Man of Mystery. No one knew anything about him, and he never told anyone anything about himself. I turned to look at him as the doors slid open.
For the first time, I took a good look at him. His black hair was back in his ponytail, but his face was worn, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked, grabbing his jacket sleeve and pulling him across the hall to my apartment. I muscled the door open and pushed him onto the couch. "Talk," I said, in a tough guy, Clint Eastwood kind of way.
Normally, Ranger would have come back with some kind of retort, but now he just sat there, staring at his hands.
"Earth to Ranger," I said, kneeling down to his eye level. "Have you been on Mars for the past two months?" That would explain the way he was acting.
His mocha colored eyes lifted to meet mine, and I felt a shiver run up my spine. "Why didn't you look for me?" Ranger asked, his eyes wide, his voice a whisper.
The question rocked me, and the way he said it. Ranger always had a soft tone when he wanted one, but this was a whisper. "I suppose I was convinced that you would come to me, you always have." Even when Ranger was in trouble, he always appeared to me. Sometimes to me alone. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, and I had a feeling I had walked into this conversation in the middle.
"Look, Steph. I don't know what I'm doing here," Ranger said, his gaze still locked into mine. "I thought I might have something to say, but maybe I was wrong."
My heart started to hammer in my chest and I grabbed his wrist. He was shockingly cold, and he seemed to lost some of his size, not that he wasn't still immense. "Talk to me, Ranger. Are you in trouble?" He nodded, glancing down. "What happened?" I asked, trying my damndest to keep my hands from shaking. If Ranger was in deep shit, I wouldn't know what to do to get him out of it.
"I made a big mistake, Babe," he said, his voice deep and thick with raw emotion.
"Does this have to do with Abruzzi, because you aren't even suspected."
"This happened before Abruzzi," Ranger said. Uh-oh.
"You can't mean." I trailed off, staring at the top of his head.
Ranger lifted his head and stared deep into my soul, "I lied to you when I said I didn't want an emotional attachment." I sucked in my breath, and rolled back onto the balls of my feet.
"Are you saying..." again, I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it.
Ranger nodded, his dark eyes melting in a show of passion. I felt his hands come around my waist, and he pulled me into him. Everything fizzled away until all that was left was me and Ranger. The strength that he had lacked in that first few moments came back full force once he had his arms around me. He kissed me urgently, and it slowly grew more intense and passionate. His hands traveled down my back, and came up under my shirt. He pulled me closer, tighter, and I didn't want him to let me go.
"Ranger, I." The doorbell rang. "Shit!" I exclaimed, pulling away. Ranger turned to the window and glanced down.
"Morelli," he said.
My heart sank, and continued hammering. I wanted Morelli to go away, I wanted Ranger to come back across the room, I wanted him to sweep me away in his black Mercedes and never bring me back. "Nothing's going on with Morelli," I whispered, more to myself then Ranger. But by the stiffening of Ranger's stance, I knew he heard me.
A key clicked in the lock, and I glanced to the door for a second. When I glanced back to Ranger, he had vanished. Like smoke. Morelli stepped inside, and glanced around. "Sorry, I thought you might have been in the shower, or something," He said, stopping short.
"A few more minutes, and I would have," I retorted, suddenly angry. Morelli stared at me, his brown eyes dark.
"Are you alone?" he asked, glancing around the living room. He started looking behind curtains, and checking closets.
I glared at him, my anger showing around the edges. "You want to check under the couch cushions? You might find some stale Cheerios," I said, glowering at him.
"What the hell's your problem?" Morelli demanded. "I came over here to see if you were okay. A uniform was driving by and he said it looked like you were in trouble here. He said it looked like there was a big guy here with you. I was worried."
I did some internal eye rolling, and said, "I'm fine, Joe. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I'm safe, I'm alive, I'm alone."
Morelli came a bit closer to me, and said, "Look, Stephanie. I know the past two months have been tough on you, with Ranger missing, and Vinnie pressuring you with all the skips, but maybe we can talk out whatever it is that's bothering you. I mean, you know Ranger won't be back. He's a drifter, this is what he does. I know he was your mentor, and your friend, but he's gone now."
I turned away from him, glad that Ranger had vanished. I didn't want him here to listen to what I had to say. "Ranger wasn't just a friend, Morelli," I said, my hands shaking. "He was something else, something more. I just don't know what." I didn't want to sound like a kid, and say something like I knew he would be back, it sounded cheesy. It made me feel like I was in a bad movie. Morelli didn't move behind me, silent in his thoughts. "Can you just let me alone, for now. I need to think." I heard the door open and close. Morelli was gone.
I closed my eyes, and sighed. The whole apartment was silent for almost forty-five seconds. "What am I, Babe?" Ranger asked from behind me. I wasn't startled, I wasn't even surprised. I was completely exhausted.
I shrugged, my head hanging down. "You're the Wizard. You're Batman. You're."
"Right here," he finished, slipping his hands around my waist and turning me to face him. Suddenly I was overtaken by the urge to have him hold me. I fell into his arms, enjoying the warmth he provided. Without another word, he lifted me off my feet and carried me into the bedroom. Okay, so it wasn't the Mercedes, with a promise of someplace exotic, but it was good enough for me.
The next morning dawned bright and brilliant, spilling across the bed in slants of yellow. Ranger lay beside me, his arm holding me tight. This time there was no watch alarm, only startling brown eyes that seemed more intense in the day then they could have at night. He smiled at me, and pulled me tighter. What was going on here? Ranger, the man Lula thought had to be from Mars, and could fly, was cuddling up next to me.
"I have to get to the office," I said, carefully rolling over to face him. I kissed his lips lightly, then his shoulders as I rose. "I have a skip I have to tail. How can I get a hold of you?" I asked, moving to gather clothes off the floor. Ranger grinned, obviously enjoying the view. I smiled back. "So, should I tell Tank I haven't heard from you?"
"Are you going to let me keep coming to see you?" Ranger asked, his dark eyes sparkling.
I had never seen him like this. He was almost. uncertain. "Could I stop you?" I asked, leaning down across the bed to pick up his black nylon shirt.
He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down on top of him, then kissed me passionately. "Probably not, but I figured I'd ask," Ranger replied. I felt myself melt. "Go. Give Tank whatever he wants. I'm calling him today anyway. And say hi to Lula for me." I grinned and rolled off of him. He caught my wrist once more as I was sliding out of bed. "And, Babe, don't forget your gun." I laughed. We both knew I'd leave my gun right where it was, in my cookie jar.
On my way out I said good-bye to Rex, and grabbed my gun from the cookie jar. I turned to the front door and found Ranger leaned against the wall, grinning at me like a fool. I smiled back, in a better mood then I could remember. I shoved it in my handbag, and slung the bag over my shoulder. I paused briefly to look up at him. Without a word, he bent his head to kiss me intently. "Catch you later, Babe," Ranger said, and he was gone before I could inhale.
The ride over to the office would have been quiet, had it not been for the Green Day shaking the windows of my Mazda. I pulled into the back lot of Vinnie's storefront office, and instantly recognized Ranger's black Mercedes. When I stepped in the front door, Connie opened her mouth to say something, and I held up one hand to silence her. "Yeah, I knew he was back," I said, before she could speak. "But I only found out after I left here." And then had sex all night, but Connie and Lula didn't need to know that.
The door to Vinnie's office opened, and Ranger strolled out. He grinned when he saw me, then winked. "Catch you later," I retorted at his back as he pushed the door open.
He froze for a moment, and swiveled to look at me. For a second I could have sworn her was going to sweep my up and carry me back to my apartment and ravish me, or better yet, the Bat Cave. But he raised an eyebrow, and said, "Damn straight you will." Lula and Connie fanned themselves behind his back.
After he left, Connie swiveled in her seat, and Lula looked like she was going to body slam me if I didn't say something. "Okay, fine. You win. I'll talk." I said, throwing my hands into the air. Lula plopped down on the couch, and leaned forward, always ready for a great Ranger story. "Ranger showed up in my elevator last night. He had a lot on his mind, so we talked."
Lula moaned, "What happened after that?"
"Morelli showed up," I replied.
Now Connie groaned, "What did Morelli do when he found the long lost Ranger in your apartment?"
"Ranger vanished. In the two seconds I glanced to the door, Ranger was gone," I continued. I left out the part about making out, and him carrying me off to my bedroom like some kind of princess. I figured that would have been a little extravagant for my little story.
"That's damn depressing, girl," Lula said, glaring at me. Connie nodded her agreement.
My cell phone rang, and I jumped to answer it. "Yo," I said, feeling a little too much like Ranger then I should have.
"Stephanie," Morelli said, an edge to his voice. "I just saw the strangest thing driving down the road."
"Wasn't two dogs behind the wheel of a Bimmer, was it, because I'm been looking for them too," I said, smiling into the phone.
"Stephanie," Morelli warned, his voice getting darker. I could only imagine the color of his eyes.
"Let me guess, black Mercedes, looked like Ranger," I continued.
"Yeah. You know anything about him?" Morelli asked.
"You want to know if Ranger was the guy the uniform saw me with last night?"
"That would be my guess."
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement," I retorted.
"Damn it, Stephanie! You could kill a man," Morelli growled.
"Funny," I growled back, "You're the second guy to tell me that." I snapped the phone shut and stuck my tongue out at it. Real mature, Steph.
As soon as I put my tongue back in my mouth, my cell phone rang again. Lula lifted her eyebrows in question. "Yo," I said again, this time with more feeling.
"You want to see the Bat Cave?" Ranger asked, his voice hot and demanding. I inhaled sharply. Lula rose to her feet and stared at me. I knew I had gone pale, and I'm sure my ears were smoking. Connie stopped clicking her pen and stared as well.
"Are you going to have to kill me after?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Lula's eyes widened as Ranger's Mercedes pulled up in front of the office. The passenger side window rolled down and I saw Ranger's lips form the words that echoed through my ears. "Not if you promise me you won't go to pieces, or faint."
"Why would I do either of those?" I asked, my heart hammering against my chest. From the way Lula was looking at me, I knew she could hear it.
"Because I'm in love with you," Ranger finished, a slight smile on his face.
"Oh, shit." I sank into the couch. I saw the concern on Ranger's face through the window of the Mercedes. "Hey, I didn't faint, did I?" Ranger started laughing, laughing so loud my phone vibrated.
I was sitting on the scarred, stained couch in Vinnie's office, listening to Lula complain about the state of the file drawer, when the phone rang. "Vincent Plum Bail Bonds," Connie answered, clicking a pen in her fingers. "I see. Yes, of course. I'll pass it on." Connie hung up the phone and turned to look at me. "That was Tank," Connie said. My eyes widened. Tank was Ranger's right hand man. "Wanted to remind you to call him if you hear from Ranger."
Lula turned on her heels and whistled. "Are you telling me that man hasn't contacted you at all?" Lula asked, glaring at me. I shook my head.
No one had seen Ranger for two months, ever since Eddie Abruzzi had committed "suicide" in the van he had used to kidnap me and my sister, Valerie. He had vanished without a trace. Ranger had never gone this long without contacting me, and I had been getting worried. Okay, I'd been worried about a month and half ago, two weeks after he called Vinnie, and said he wasn't going to be reachable for awhile. Every day or so, Tank called me, just to make sure I didn't hear from Ranger. I didn't take this as a good sign, if his right hand man couldn't find him, where could he be?
"Maybe he's running guns in Columbia," I said, more to myself then Lula and Connie.
Lula sucked her breath through her teeth. "Maybe he got shot, and he's dead! We may never find out! Omigod!" Lula did the sign of the cross. I rolled my eyes. Lula was Baptist, and she had adopted the Catholic habit. It was beginning to get old.
"He's not dead," I snapped, getting sick of the morbid ideas Lula developed.
"How do you know?" Lula demanded, sitting back on her haunches.
Because I am mentally in tune with the Wizard since an incredibly magnificent night alone. Yeah, right. I was going to say that. "I just feel it," I replied.
My comment was met with stares from both women. Finally, Connie said, "What's going on with you? I haven't heard about Morelli in over a month, and you get crabby every time we mention Ranger. Are you pregnant?"
I glared at Connie, and jumped to my feet. "I swear! You two need new topics of conversation. I'm going home!" To my Tastycakes and hamster. I stormed out of the office, angry at Lula, and Connie. More at myself then them, and pissed off at Ranger.
On the way home, I was fuming silently, with Metallica blaring. I didn't know what kind of reaction I was having to the Ranger situation. I had called off almost all contact with Morelli, and had pretty much kept to myself. With the exception of a few FTA's, I had basically vanished from the social scene. My mother still called me every day, trying to get me to come over for dinner, and every once in awhile I would agree.
My apartment building looked calm and docile in the evening light. Once again, the only available parking spot was by the Dumpster, so I locked my new Mazda, and strolled across the parking lot, enjoying the twilight skies. Inside the building it was a bit drearier. I hit the button for the elevator, and expected Mrs. Bestler to greet me. The doors slid open and Ranger stood in front of me. He grabbed the lapels of my jacket and yanked me in. As soon as the doors shut he hit the hold button.
"You could kill a man, did you know that?" Ranger demanded. I was so astonished at the fact that he was standing there, I couldn't even answer him. "Babe," he said, grabbing my shoulders. Finally I blinked. "I have no idea what to do with you," he continued.
I reached over and smacked the hold button, then pressed for my floor. "You could start by telling me where you've been," I retorted. "Wait, let me guess. You can't say." Ranger was the Man of Mystery. No one knew anything about him, and he never told anyone anything about himself. I turned to look at him as the doors slid open.
For the first time, I took a good look at him. His black hair was back in his ponytail, but his face was worn, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked, grabbing his jacket sleeve and pulling him across the hall to my apartment. I muscled the door open and pushed him onto the couch. "Talk," I said, in a tough guy, Clint Eastwood kind of way.
Normally, Ranger would have come back with some kind of retort, but now he just sat there, staring at his hands.
"Earth to Ranger," I said, kneeling down to his eye level. "Have you been on Mars for the past two months?" That would explain the way he was acting.
His mocha colored eyes lifted to meet mine, and I felt a shiver run up my spine. "Why didn't you look for me?" Ranger asked, his eyes wide, his voice a whisper.
The question rocked me, and the way he said it. Ranger always had a soft tone when he wanted one, but this was a whisper. "I suppose I was convinced that you would come to me, you always have." Even when Ranger was in trouble, he always appeared to me. Sometimes to me alone. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, and I had a feeling I had walked into this conversation in the middle.
"Look, Steph. I don't know what I'm doing here," Ranger said, his gaze still locked into mine. "I thought I might have something to say, but maybe I was wrong."
My heart started to hammer in my chest and I grabbed his wrist. He was shockingly cold, and he seemed to lost some of his size, not that he wasn't still immense. "Talk to me, Ranger. Are you in trouble?" He nodded, glancing down. "What happened?" I asked, trying my damndest to keep my hands from shaking. If Ranger was in deep shit, I wouldn't know what to do to get him out of it.
"I made a big mistake, Babe," he said, his voice deep and thick with raw emotion.
"Does this have to do with Abruzzi, because you aren't even suspected."
"This happened before Abruzzi," Ranger said. Uh-oh.
"You can't mean." I trailed off, staring at the top of his head.
Ranger lifted his head and stared deep into my soul, "I lied to you when I said I didn't want an emotional attachment." I sucked in my breath, and rolled back onto the balls of my feet.
"Are you saying..." again, I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it.
Ranger nodded, his dark eyes melting in a show of passion. I felt his hands come around my waist, and he pulled me into him. Everything fizzled away until all that was left was me and Ranger. The strength that he had lacked in that first few moments came back full force once he had his arms around me. He kissed me urgently, and it slowly grew more intense and passionate. His hands traveled down my back, and came up under my shirt. He pulled me closer, tighter, and I didn't want him to let me go.
"Ranger, I." The doorbell rang. "Shit!" I exclaimed, pulling away. Ranger turned to the window and glanced down.
"Morelli," he said.
My heart sank, and continued hammering. I wanted Morelli to go away, I wanted Ranger to come back across the room, I wanted him to sweep me away in his black Mercedes and never bring me back. "Nothing's going on with Morelli," I whispered, more to myself then Ranger. But by the stiffening of Ranger's stance, I knew he heard me.
A key clicked in the lock, and I glanced to the door for a second. When I glanced back to Ranger, he had vanished. Like smoke. Morelli stepped inside, and glanced around. "Sorry, I thought you might have been in the shower, or something," He said, stopping short.
"A few more minutes, and I would have," I retorted, suddenly angry. Morelli stared at me, his brown eyes dark.
"Are you alone?" he asked, glancing around the living room. He started looking behind curtains, and checking closets.
I glared at him, my anger showing around the edges. "You want to check under the couch cushions? You might find some stale Cheerios," I said, glowering at him.
"What the hell's your problem?" Morelli demanded. "I came over here to see if you were okay. A uniform was driving by and he said it looked like you were in trouble here. He said it looked like there was a big guy here with you. I was worried."
I did some internal eye rolling, and said, "I'm fine, Joe. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I'm safe, I'm alive, I'm alone."
Morelli came a bit closer to me, and said, "Look, Stephanie. I know the past two months have been tough on you, with Ranger missing, and Vinnie pressuring you with all the skips, but maybe we can talk out whatever it is that's bothering you. I mean, you know Ranger won't be back. He's a drifter, this is what he does. I know he was your mentor, and your friend, but he's gone now."
I turned away from him, glad that Ranger had vanished. I didn't want him here to listen to what I had to say. "Ranger wasn't just a friend, Morelli," I said, my hands shaking. "He was something else, something more. I just don't know what." I didn't want to sound like a kid, and say something like I knew he would be back, it sounded cheesy. It made me feel like I was in a bad movie. Morelli didn't move behind me, silent in his thoughts. "Can you just let me alone, for now. I need to think." I heard the door open and close. Morelli was gone.
I closed my eyes, and sighed. The whole apartment was silent for almost forty-five seconds. "What am I, Babe?" Ranger asked from behind me. I wasn't startled, I wasn't even surprised. I was completely exhausted.
I shrugged, my head hanging down. "You're the Wizard. You're Batman. You're."
"Right here," he finished, slipping his hands around my waist and turning me to face him. Suddenly I was overtaken by the urge to have him hold me. I fell into his arms, enjoying the warmth he provided. Without another word, he lifted me off my feet and carried me into the bedroom. Okay, so it wasn't the Mercedes, with a promise of someplace exotic, but it was good enough for me.
The next morning dawned bright and brilliant, spilling across the bed in slants of yellow. Ranger lay beside me, his arm holding me tight. This time there was no watch alarm, only startling brown eyes that seemed more intense in the day then they could have at night. He smiled at me, and pulled me tighter. What was going on here? Ranger, the man Lula thought had to be from Mars, and could fly, was cuddling up next to me.
"I have to get to the office," I said, carefully rolling over to face him. I kissed his lips lightly, then his shoulders as I rose. "I have a skip I have to tail. How can I get a hold of you?" I asked, moving to gather clothes off the floor. Ranger grinned, obviously enjoying the view. I smiled back. "So, should I tell Tank I haven't heard from you?"
"Are you going to let me keep coming to see you?" Ranger asked, his dark eyes sparkling.
I had never seen him like this. He was almost. uncertain. "Could I stop you?" I asked, leaning down across the bed to pick up his black nylon shirt.
He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down on top of him, then kissed me passionately. "Probably not, but I figured I'd ask," Ranger replied. I felt myself melt. "Go. Give Tank whatever he wants. I'm calling him today anyway. And say hi to Lula for me." I grinned and rolled off of him. He caught my wrist once more as I was sliding out of bed. "And, Babe, don't forget your gun." I laughed. We both knew I'd leave my gun right where it was, in my cookie jar.
On my way out I said good-bye to Rex, and grabbed my gun from the cookie jar. I turned to the front door and found Ranger leaned against the wall, grinning at me like a fool. I smiled back, in a better mood then I could remember. I shoved it in my handbag, and slung the bag over my shoulder. I paused briefly to look up at him. Without a word, he bent his head to kiss me intently. "Catch you later, Babe," Ranger said, and he was gone before I could inhale.
The ride over to the office would have been quiet, had it not been for the Green Day shaking the windows of my Mazda. I pulled into the back lot of Vinnie's storefront office, and instantly recognized Ranger's black Mercedes. When I stepped in the front door, Connie opened her mouth to say something, and I held up one hand to silence her. "Yeah, I knew he was back," I said, before she could speak. "But I only found out after I left here." And then had sex all night, but Connie and Lula didn't need to know that.
The door to Vinnie's office opened, and Ranger strolled out. He grinned when he saw me, then winked. "Catch you later," I retorted at his back as he pushed the door open.
He froze for a moment, and swiveled to look at me. For a second I could have sworn her was going to sweep my up and carry me back to my apartment and ravish me, or better yet, the Bat Cave. But he raised an eyebrow, and said, "Damn straight you will." Lula and Connie fanned themselves behind his back.
After he left, Connie swiveled in her seat, and Lula looked like she was going to body slam me if I didn't say something. "Okay, fine. You win. I'll talk." I said, throwing my hands into the air. Lula plopped down on the couch, and leaned forward, always ready for a great Ranger story. "Ranger showed up in my elevator last night. He had a lot on his mind, so we talked."
Lula moaned, "What happened after that?"
"Morelli showed up," I replied.
Now Connie groaned, "What did Morelli do when he found the long lost Ranger in your apartment?"
"Ranger vanished. In the two seconds I glanced to the door, Ranger was gone," I continued. I left out the part about making out, and him carrying me off to my bedroom like some kind of princess. I figured that would have been a little extravagant for my little story.
"That's damn depressing, girl," Lula said, glaring at me. Connie nodded her agreement.
My cell phone rang, and I jumped to answer it. "Yo," I said, feeling a little too much like Ranger then I should have.
"Stephanie," Morelli said, an edge to his voice. "I just saw the strangest thing driving down the road."
"Wasn't two dogs behind the wheel of a Bimmer, was it, because I'm been looking for them too," I said, smiling into the phone.
"Stephanie," Morelli warned, his voice getting darker. I could only imagine the color of his eyes.
"Let me guess, black Mercedes, looked like Ranger," I continued.
"Yeah. You know anything about him?" Morelli asked.
"You want to know if Ranger was the guy the uniform saw me with last night?"
"That would be my guess."
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement," I retorted.
"Damn it, Stephanie! You could kill a man," Morelli growled.
"Funny," I growled back, "You're the second guy to tell me that." I snapped the phone shut and stuck my tongue out at it. Real mature, Steph.
As soon as I put my tongue back in my mouth, my cell phone rang again. Lula lifted her eyebrows in question. "Yo," I said again, this time with more feeling.
"You want to see the Bat Cave?" Ranger asked, his voice hot and demanding. I inhaled sharply. Lula rose to her feet and stared at me. I knew I had gone pale, and I'm sure my ears were smoking. Connie stopped clicking her pen and stared as well.
"Are you going to have to kill me after?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Lula's eyes widened as Ranger's Mercedes pulled up in front of the office. The passenger side window rolled down and I saw Ranger's lips form the words that echoed through my ears. "Not if you promise me you won't go to pieces, or faint."
"Why would I do either of those?" I asked, my heart hammering against my chest. From the way Lula was looking at me, I knew she could hear it.
"Because I'm in love with you," Ranger finished, a slight smile on his face.
"Oh, shit." I sank into the couch. I saw the concern on Ranger's face through the window of the Mercedes. "Hey, I didn't faint, did I?" Ranger started laughing, laughing so loud my phone vibrated.