The Magic Kingdom
Just a short tale adapted from Turbo Twenty-three with a Ranger POV. As much of a HEA as Ranger will allow...this time around. Pretty much a spoiler for the whole book. Babe, as always. Actual quotes are in italic.
Ranger's POV
We'd been following leads on Harry Bogart ever since he disappeared from Trenton a few days ago, following the murders of two of his employees. My gut told me they were all dead ends. We had his wife and daughter's cell phone coordinates and they were both down in Florida. The wife, Susan, near Disney World and the daughter in South Beach. Reasons of deduction placed Harry there, too. Hiding in plain sight.
This could look bad for Rangeman and I wanted to make sure our rep wasn't tarnished in any way, even though he hadn't signed on the dotted line for our security protection yet. We were still in the preliminary stages when he disappeared. But that hadn't stopped slanderous allegations before.
I'd asked Stephanie to join me in a search of his home tonight. I'd cleared it, tentatively, with TPD and had already arranged for a Rangeman SUV to be patrolling the area to provide coverage. For all his neighbors knew, he'd already signed us in place. And that was the appearance I was working to achieve.
This was also an excuse to get close to Steph again. And the truth was, even if I was afraid to admit it, I wanted that. I knew she was having mixed feelings about the cop after he ditched her a few months ago. Yes, they were supposedly 'back together', but their 'together' was like a broken piece of china that had been Elmer's-glued back in place. It would fall apart again after the first washing. Engaged to be engaged my ass.
I was picking her up in ten minutes. I'd texted her as soon as I got the call that my men were in position in front of the Bogart house.
She was waiting in the rear lobby of her building when I pulled in. I could see she was 'dressed', but whether or not there were bullets in her gun was another story. Maybe one of these days I could get her to feel comfortable carrying a loaded gun. I'd already secured a concealed carry permit for her. An actual gun that suits her better would be up next. But knowing Steph, it was probably wishful thinking on my part. I had a feeling no matter how trained, no matter how elusive the permit and no matter which gun, it would remain in her cookie jar.
It only took us a few minutes to reach the Bogart home with Manny and Ram still parked in front. I pulled into the driveway and Steph and I both got out and walked up the front steps together. I used my pick and we were inside within twenty seconds. It was always best to appear as though you belong. In fact, if I saw a neighbor I'd engage them in conversation. Might even get some information or a new account out of it. ADT doesn't offer this kind of home security.
"No computer," I told Steph after walking into Bogart's home office and closing the drapes for privacy.
"Maybe he took it with him? Although your cameras caught him wearing a pajama top. If he forgot to put a shirt on, chances are, he forgot his laptop, too."
I called Tank to have him check the office security feed. Seems unlikely he'd take a trip and leave his laptop behind. I get a call back 5 minutes later. He had a computer case and a brown paper bag filled with God knows what when he left Bogart's Ice Cream 3 days ago.
After a successful, albeit messy, capture of one of her skips, I drove Steph back to her building. As we pulled into her parking lot I caught sight of Morelli's truck. A lot could happen between here and her apartment, especially since she had been receiving accusatory threats on her door. Cop or not, I escorted her up the second floor and waited while she disengaged her locks. The ever-sharp cop eyes caught sight of me immediately and I nodded a hello to him. We both acknowledged it as the silent signal which meant Steph was now on his watch. I hated this shit but kept my blank face in place as I bid them both a good night with the suggestion of tomato juice to rid her of the bacon grease odor she was currently sporting. I had no desire to see him place a territorial kiss on her lips in my presence. Like it or not, I was going to have to do something about this.
...
Not what I was expecting, but a call came in from her neighbor's apartment at 5:47 am. A distraught-sounding Stephanie was on the other end of this call.
"Can you come over and help me with my rodent problem?" she asked, the fright evident in her cracking voice.
"Does this rodent have a name?"
"Clowny." The Bogart ice cream Jolly clown.
"Someone will be right there," I may or may not have said to her as I disengaged and ordered a team to her apartment.
Steph doesn't call if she thinks she can handle a situation on her own. Things seemed to be escalating. Shit.
I got there minutes after Calvin and Jones, two newer hires. Steph had already bonded with Calvin so I knew things would be under control. Her door was open and my men were in the hall standing guard. I briefly spoke with them, more intent on seeing Steph. I closed the door behind me and she ran into my arms as soon as she registered that I was there. The waterworks followed immediately.
We held each other close and I kissed her to calm her down. I took her pulse. It was racing.
"Wish I could get your heart-rate up his high," I told her, only half-teasing.
We held each other close for a few minutes while I waited for her breathing to return to normal. Steph was the first one to break from the spell.
"I'm ok. I was scared but I feel better now."
"Too bad, I like this," I told her, not realizing that I said that out loud.
"Me, too," she answered as honestly as I had been. "My nose is running, I need a tissue," she added as an excuse to break apart.
She told me about the intruder, his knife and the attempt to choke the life out of her while I took a look around her bedroom. There was blood on her lamp which made me smile, Steph could take care of herself.
"And I may have kicked him in the balls. He groaned and dropped the knife and I used the distraction to get away and run upstairs."
"We need to talk," I told her, wondering how I could convince her to come and stay at Rangeman with me while this lunatic was on the loose.
"Can we do it over breakfast? In order to distract myself I've been thinking about pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon. I told myself you'd take me out for breakfast."
Seriously, bacon? After last night?
We ended up going to the diner in Hamilton. Less chance for one of TPDs finest to show up and alert Morelli.
Steph and I talked out all the what if scenarios while she ate and I came to the same conclusion that I did last night. "I think we need to talk to Mrs. Bogart. If I can get us a plane we can be in Orlando by noon."
I think I made that seem harder than it actually was. Rangeman is a partial owner of a NetJets jet and we usually have one on standby. Since Tank was pulled aside for gunpowder residue on a flight to Vegas, I can no longer take the chance of flying on a commercial airline. Private is the only way we'll fly and Steph has been with me on the Citation before. I knew it made her feel like a minor celebrity.
I had work to do on the flight but I noticed Steph deep in thought. Could be about her narrow escape but the smile that formed on her lips had me thinking otherwise. In many ways I was glad she got over things so quickly.
"Babe?"
"Um, I know this is about work but do you think we could pay a visit to the Magic Kingdom?"
"I'd rather set myself on fire."
...
Steph and I found Harry Bogart staying with his wife at the Contemporary Resort. He told us the truth and promised to tell his family just enough so that they would come back to Trenton with him. I'd secured a very nice safe house in Bergen county for their arrival tomorrow and promised to fend off the police for as long as possible. And now, Steph and I were eating frozen yogurt, walking hand-in-hand and going on selective rides at the Magic Kingdom. Yes, I was a hypocrite.
"Can we stay for the fireworks, Ranger?"
I was going to have to stay anyway so that I could bring the Bogarts back in the morning but Steph was free to go. Although I really didn't want to see her leave.
"We'd have to get a room?"
"Yes! That would be awesome."
Looks like my luck just changed. I called the Contemporary Resort and swapped out the room I'd reserved for a suite. Nothing was too good for my little Disney princess.
"I'm going to need to buy some clothes for tomorrow," she told me, pulling me into a souvenir shop.
"Everything has the mouse on it, Babe."
"Not everything. There's some Disney Princess t-shirts and Tinkerbell t-shirts. And I'm going to need some undies. Look," she yelped, "Buzz Lightyear boxers. You sure you don't want these?" Steph asked, taking them from the shelf to show me.
"I'll go commando," I told her. No way was I going to wear anything with cartoon figures on it.
"I think it has to be illegal to go commando at Disney. I can take you to infinity and beyond if you're wearing these," she teased.
"Think you're going to take me there anyway," I told her. After all, she'd just happily consented to spend the night with me.
I could see her getting a little flustered but the allure of fireworks quickly erased her unease. She paid for her overpriced purchases and we headed back out onto Main Street. We walked around and went on a couple of rides but I took a hard stand when she stopped in front of the Teacup. No way was I getting on that. We stayed for the fireworks, then leisurely walked to the pier to get a water taxi to take us back to our hotel. If I examined this closely, I'd probably not like what I saw. But I wasn't planning on examining anything at the moment; I was under the spell of Stephanie Plum.
I checked my email and listened to voicemail as we sped through the man-made lagoon to the Contemporary. I had an arm around Steph and she was purring contentedly as the backsplash from the boat gently sprayed us. I leaned down and gave her a kiss. It was supposed to be gentle, to let her know that I was happy being here with her, but it quickly turned heated.
"Wow," she said when we broke apart.
Yeah, wow. "Appetizer, Babe."
I let things cool down as we took the elevator up to our bay-view suite. The decision to be intimate had to come from Steph and I had a feeling she was having second thoughts. She got quiet but was looking at me intently as I called Hal to check on Bogart.
"He's still there and we'll get a call if either of them move," I informed her. She was still looking stupefied and I was pretty sure it wasn't from the kiss we shared earlier. "Babe?"
"It's our goals. They're different," she mumbled out of nowhere.
"Not at the moment," I told her and she made a pissy face that could only have come from something she'd been thinking.
Since she reads my body language so well I raised an eyebrow to get her to explain.
"One of my long term goals, although fuzzy, is for marriage and kids. There's no marriage in your future."
"This is true," I told her honestly. At least as honest as I wanted to be with her right now. Although, sometimes I think about her and I cohabiting.
"I need a man who shares my goals."
"Do you have someone in mind?"
"Morelli."
I had to smile. Once again she was using him as an excuse so she wouldn't have to sleep with me. If it were really true, I'd respect it but I knew he was a piss-poor reason for this discussion.
"He's been stringing you along since you're five. I don't see him any closer to marriage today than he was then."
"We might be engaged to be engaged."
"You're not sure?"
That must have struck a chord with her because she got quiet again and I could see her thought processes working. Suddenly, again out of nowhere, she yelled out.
"Sonovabitch."
I watched her go from introspective to raging beast. And I was aware that all her energies were now focused on me. Her eyes were dilated into fight or flight survival as she launched herself at me.
"Bring it on," she said. "Let's see what you've got."
Never one to back away from a challenge, I made quick work of pinning her to the wall so I could kiss her thoroughly. She was rubbing herself against me and since I wanted to be the one in charge of our destiny, I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, discarding some clothing along the way.
Steph mentioned earlier that this was the happiest place on earth and while I wouldn't necessarily agree with that statement, I was pretty happy at the moment. She had practically torn the clothes from my body, which would have been kind of sexy if I had something else to replace them with, and was currently licking her way down my chest. I knew where she was headed and I'd put a stop to it if it meant my pleasure before hers. I was not looking for a quick release. In fact, I'm a firm believer in slow and steady winning the race.
I flipped her over and took control. She was arching and bucking under my skillful fingers within minutes.
"Ranger," she moaned, coming for me.
I let her heart rate return to normal before continuing to appreciate her and all the wonderful things her body could do. We'd spent time in bed together before and I knew she could keep up with me. We were recovering from yet another round of some of the best passion I have ever had when I heard her mumble under her breath. "Fucking billiards table."
"Babe?"
"Sorry. It's nothing. I didn't mean..."
Of course she did or she wouldn't have said anything. I could pursue it now or I could have Tank do a little snooping. I was sure this was related to the cop in some way and I was about to give Tank an assignment. Good thing I could compartmentalize things or I'd be angry at the way Morelli treated her. Instead, I opted to concentrate on the pleasure we were giving each other.
I awoke a little before 3 am. I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling until I saw a curly mass of tangles leaning over my lower body taking my manhood into her mouth. It seemed that Steph wanted another go around. Of course I reciprocated.
I was fully awake at 5 and went down to the gym at the resort. I was hoping Steph would still be asleep when I returned. I didn't want her to think I'd run out on her after a night of what I can only describe as phenomenal sex. I still had mixed feeling about sending her back the cop every time we got close, and now was no different. If my life wasn't what it is, I'd claim her for myself and let that dick Morelli try to figure out what happened. I'd already texted Tank to see if he could find anything out about the 'billiards' comment but so far no answer. Not that I'd be expecting one before first rotations of the day started anyway.
I headed back to the room after an hour of weights and cardio. It was the minimum to get by but it would have to suffice. We had a 9 am flight and I needed to pack up the Bogarts. Thankfully the daughter came back here last night so we didn't have to go down to South Beach to get her. For once things were progressing smoothly.
I took a quick shower, then went back to the bed to wrap myself around Sleeping Beauty. I pulled her close and breathed in her scent. Heavenly.
"Ranger?" she asked, waking to the ministrations my fingers were performing.
"It's only 6:30 you can sleep another half hour," I told her, currently way too comfortable for my own good.
"Mmmm, thank you, Ranger," she mumbled, nodding off again.
I guess I nodded, too. I woke up with a start when the alarm on my watch went off at 7, my hand still cupping her naked breast.
"If you want to take a shower and grab something to eat, we need to get up."
"Ok," she said, pulling the covers away immediately. I was sure it was the allure of breakfast that got her out of bed this morning.
I was dressed and checking my email and texts when I heard the shower turn off. Minutes later Steph was standing before me.
"Are you coming to breakfast with me? Goofy might be there," she asked me seriously, as if Goofy was a real person.
"I'll pass. I'll have something sent up."
"You'll be sorry. You'll miss the Mickey Mouse waffles."
It was then that I looked up at her. Her hair was in a ponytail, mascara was on both eyes and a tight Tinkerbell t-shirt was showing off her lovely breasts.
"Nice t-shirt, Babe."
"That's nothing, look at this," she said, unzipping her jeans to flash me the Tinkerbell underwear.
I pocketed my phone as my body focused on the prize.
"Are you really commando?" she asked.
"Only one way to find out. How badly do you want those waffles?"
It didn't take her long to decide. She launched herself at me in seconds.
Good thing we didn't have anything to pack and I'd already settled the bill. The buzz from my phone told me that Hal and our car were already downstairs. We were going to be late. I don't do late.
The two of us cleaned up together and met Hal and the Bogarts in the lobby. I didn't say anything about our tardy arrival and Hal knew better than to ask. It was a short ride to the airport and we drove straight onto the tarmac. Everyone boarded and we were safely in the air minutes later.
There were pastries, donuts, coffee, bagels, smoked salmon and low fat cream cheese in the small kitchenette of the plane and we all served ourselves. I couldn't help but laugh at Steph who piled at least one of everything onto her small paper plate.
"This is soooo good, Ranger," she said between bites. "How did you know we were going to be hungry?"
We? "Just a guess, Babe." We gave up breakfast for sex this morning so I texted NetJets from the car. Extra provisions, please.
We landed at Trenton-Mercer on time and Steph asked to be driven directly to the Bond's office. I had some things to look into, including that 'billiards table', so I kissed her goodbye with the promise of seeing her later and yet another invitation to stay at Rangeman until the killer was apprehended. And yes, Hal caught the whole exchange. Good thing he knew to keep his mouth shut. Well, at least where Steph and I were concerned.
"Got the billiards story," Tank texted me just before my arrival into the garage at Haywood.
"And?"
"The cop put his dining room table out with the trash last Wednesday and a top of the line, custom, billiards table was delivered on Thursday. Lula thinks Steph assumed he was saving his money for a ring."
Now it made sense. Morelli was an ass, although I wasn't sure what I would do had he actually bought her that ring. I took the stairs to five and was met by Tank before I even opened the stairwell door.
His hands were folded over his chest and he looked intimidating, even to me.
"Man up Rangeman or you're going to lose her and I don't want to be here for the aftermath."
I was pretty sure they'd be no aftermath since I was pretty sure there'd be no engagement. I went about my day and got a call from Steph around 4.
"Just checking in. Any news?"
"I have the Bogarts in the safe house and Harry handed over all the documents I'd asked for. So far I'm not seeing any connection, although I have someone tracing offshore holding companies and keeping an eye on his business. Feels mob related."
We disconnected and much to my disappointment Steph never mentioned anything about seeing me afterward.
The call from Morelli came an hour later.
"Lula just called me from Stark Street. They've taken Steph. Do you have any men in the area? I'm ten minutes out."
I put out an APB and knew my men would respond. I dropped my paperwork, grabbed Tank and the Cayenne and headed out too. Manny and Cal called as we were minutes away. They found Lula and had also found people on Stark willing to talk. Steph was chasing a man down the street with her gun out when she was hit by a black Mercedes. Brett and Ernesto found the car in front of a funeral parlor with its front quarter dented in. The car was registered to Jeff Soon, the very recent COO at Bogart ice cream. I went straight to the address they gave me. Morelli's POS cop car was out in front as well as Lula's Firebird, 2 TPB black and whites, 3 Rangeman SUVs and an EMS truck.
Lula had already burst in and was making her way down to the cold storage. The cop and I were right behind with an EMS team. Lula fearlessly pulled open drawers. On her 3rd attempt she came face-to face with Stephanie who opened her eyes in shock. Lula passed out, right into the arms of Tank. The cop took over, releasing Steph's holdings and roughly pulling her into his arms.
"My leg," she yelled as he drew her to him, "I think it's broken." If it wasn't before, it would be now. Doesn't that man know how to be gentle?
He seemed to be running the show so I backed off. But not before I was sure that Steph was going to be alright and knew that I had been there.
Once again my heart was hurting. Maybe Tank was right. Maybe it was time for me to man up.