The
Rook
by Mere (aka
OrangeSweetie)
Prologue
My name is Stephanie Plum and half an hour ago, my life changed.
I was standing in front of the counter at Plum Bail Bonds, where my two friends Lula and Connie had staged a surprise birthday party, complete with cake and balloons, staring down at a diamond solitaire set in a 24 karat gold band. Joe Morelli, my boyfriend of three years, was on one knee, waiting for my response.
Except I didn't have one.
"Cupcake?" Joe asked. A thin veil of uncertainty was clouding his eyes. He hadn't expected me to take so long to answer. Hell, it was surprising to me too. I wanted to marry Joe. At least I thought I did.
Until now.
"Um..." I stuttered, not sure what to say. My mind was telling me to say Yes! Yes! Yes! But there was something holding me back.
Like maybe Ranger.
Ranger is my friend and mentor, and sometimes my boss. He owns a lot of black and a security company downtown. Once upon a time he was a bounty hunter, just like me, but he's been spending more and more time with his daughter Julie and his business since Julie was kidnapped last summer. I didn't blame him for wanting to get his life straightened out. In fact, I was almost envious of his steadfast determination to become a good father and legitimate business owner. But at the same time, i was a little hurt and pissed off because I hadn't seen him around lately. And god help me, I missed him.
Joe cleared his throat, still waiting on my answer, and I crashed back to reality. He was looking at me, expectantly.
Shit, I thought to myself. I'm as bad a girlfriend as I am a bounty hunter.
I nodded at Joe and slipped my left ring finger through the ring. Joe let out a breath of relief and slid it the rest of the way down. He got up and kissed me, eliciting cheers from Connie and Lula.
"You had me scared for a minute, cupcake," Joe said, ruffling my hair playfully.
I kissed Joe lightly on the mouth and brushed his hair out of his face with my fingertips. "I was just surprised. I didn't expect..."
Joe smiled and took my hand in his, both of us taking in the feel of the ring on my hand, and what it meant. We had been engaged before, but it didn't work out. There hadn't been a ring involved that time, though. A ring made it serious...and scary.
"It's going to work out this time, Stephanie," said Joe, reading the look of worry on my face. "I'm sure of it."
He pulled me into a lover's embrace, and I clung to him, hoping, but not convinced, that he was right.