Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers. Any other character is a figment of my imagination and any similarities to real persons is merely a coincidence
This story is definitely AU. The characters have the same physical appearance as in J.E.'s books; however I have changed ages of some characters. This will eventually be a Babe HEA and Cupcake fans may not be happy as Joe is not a good guy. Frank Plum fans may be upset as well, as he is not portrayed favorably, nor is Helen Plum. References may be made to any of the books in the series so if you haven't read them all, you may want to wait to read this. That said...
Chapter 1: FTA
I can't believe this shit is happening! Three weeks ago that fucking bastard Joe Morelli pulled me over and said I was speeding. That was a lie because my current POS car couldn't go over 30 fucking miles an hour because the motor was on it's last string. He told me if I didn't want to be taken in on a reckless driving charge that I could service his "boys". The fucking bastard! I told him to shove it up his ass and rotate it. Needless to say he didn't like that too well and he pulled me out of my car and threw me against my car. Luckily for me my cousin Eddie pulled up in his cop car and asked what was going on. Joe told him I was speeding and when he pulled me over I tried to assault him. Eddie looked at me and I knew he didn't believe Joe, but since he had no proof Joe was lying, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. I asked Eddie if he would drive me down to the station instead of Joe doing it and he nodded and told Joe that was a good idea. Joe wanted to argue with him, and he gave me a glare that would have made a lesser mortal piss their pants. But he didn't scare me...at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
My name is Stephanie Plum and I just turned 20. I'm 5'7" tall and weigh in at 115 pounds. I have curly brown hair that reaches shoulder length and my eyes are blue. Morelli had nearly 100 pounds on me and 12 years. He was known as the Italian Stallion and this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get into my pants. He'd been trying for the past 4 years but I was able to elude him. The first time he'd tried, I'd just turned 16 and went to a party with some friends. Joe had come to the house as he was related to Mooch who was hosting the party. Mooch was an okay guy in my book. Morelli had come in and after looking around his eyes landed on me. He motioned to me and I heard him ask Mooch who I was. Mooch told him and he replied he wanted a piece of me. Mooch shook his head and told him to leave me alone. He told him I was a friend and also under age. Morelli made the comment, "Just the way I like them." I wasn't sticking around to see what he had planned. I went and found Mary Lou and told her I was leaving. She was having a lot of fun but she just nodded and said, "Sure." I told her about what had happened when we were in the car.
My second run in with Morelli was two weeks later. He'd pulled me over then too. I was on my way home from a night class, yes at 16 I was taking night classes. I had graduated high school two years before and was currently going to university. That's what happened when your I.Q. was as high as mine was. It was a deserted stretch of road where Morelli had pulled me over and I had my driver's license and insurance card ready. He just smiled that oily smile and let his hand stroke my cheek. I slapped it away and told him if he didn't keep his fucking hands off me I was going to have him charged with assault. Oh was he pissed. Before he could do anything though, a car went racing past us and nearly ran him over. He gave me a dark glare and said, "You just got lucky." He got in his car and went after the other car.
When I got home that night, I sat down in the living room and told my parents what happened. My mom was furious. She accused me of acting like a slut to get attention. My dad didn't say a word the whole time she was reading me the riot act. This was standard operating procedure for my mom. Everything that happened was always my fault. See, I wasn't the daughter she wanted. My older sister Val was her perfect child. Val was 5'2" tall with a pocket Venus shape and the perfect child. She did everything mom asked her to do and she did it perfectly. Me, I had no interest. I was more into books, computers, and video games. Anyway, to make a long story short she grounded me for three months. I thought this was a little unfair and had no intention of putting up with her making this out to be my fault. I stopped at my grandma's house the next day and told her about Morelli and what mom said. Man was she pissed! She told me I was to go home and pack, I was moving in with her. When I asked her if she thought mom would let me she said leave mom to her. I never knew what she said or did to get my mom to agree, but I was allowed to move in with her that very week.
Morelli had a habit of turning up at various times in my life. He never did anything as blatant as he had the first time he stopped me, but anytime he could give me a ticket he did. Then three weeks ago he pulled me over and I ended up being arrested. Eddie took me down to the station and on the way I told him what had been happening over the past four years. He told me I needed proof. Without it there was only my word against Morelli's, and him being a cop...well, he didn't have to say anymore. I was booked and when I got my phone call, I called grandma Mazur. She called my cousin Vinnie's wife Lucille and asked her if she could get Vinnie to help us out. Lucille told grandma she'd talk to her daddy and make sure we had money for bail. I couldn't believe it when bail was set at $1 million dollars! What did I look like, a serial killer? My lawyer explained to me that the fact I was supposed to have assaulted an officer is what made the bail so high. So okay, Vinnie paid my bail and my court date was set. I was to return to court this morning.
No sweat, right? Wrong. A close friend of mine called me early this morning and warned me that if I went to court this morning I'd get off on the charge because Morelli planned to tell the judge that he'd decided to be lenient and drop the charges against me. He just wanted me to realize you can't attack a police officer and he thought I've learned my lesson. But, there was a plan in place to abduct me after I left the courthouse and Morelli was going to get his piece of me before turning me over to Ramirez. Cold chills ran down my back at the mention of his name. I'd had a previous run in with Ramirez. He was a boxer on Stark Street and I'd come across him one night working over a hooker by the name of Lula. I fired a couple shots at him making sure not to hit him, but if necessary I would have shot him. He ran away and I'd helped Lula into my car and taken her to the hospital. He'd nearly ended her life that night. It was Lula who'd called me. She was standing in the shadows and heard Morelli and Ramirez talking. I thanked her and told her I'd think of something.
I called Vinnie's office and his secretary Connie answered. I quickly filled her in on what Lula had told me. She told me not to go, that she had a friend who was a bounty hunter and she thought she might be able to get him to help me. She also warned me this guy was the best and he'd probably draw the file to bring me in anyway, but she'd see if she could get him to talk to me first and give me a chance to get away if he decided not to help me. I thanked her and hung up. I decided to take a shower and pack a few things in case things went south. I pulled out a duffel bag and threw in as many of my clothes as I could. I'd moved into my own apartment 18 months ago and didn't have many possessions so I wasn't worried about any of that, but I wanted enough clothes to last awhile. I also made sure to include my laptop. That done I stripped down and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I had no idea how soon Ranger would be here, but I wanted to be ready to move once he left so I didn't waste time getting away.
Lula's POV:
I was standing in a dark alley, back in the shadow because I'd seen that psycho Ramirez. He was joined by Joe Morelli and I heard them talking. Morelli promised Ramirez he could do what he wanted with Steph if he helped Joe abduct her and let Joe have first crack at her. No way! No fucking way was I gonna stand by and let them get by with it. If it hadn't been for white girl I'd be dead. I had to get to a phone and warn her.
Connie's POV:
That fucking Morelli! I'd love to call daddy and tell him to plant that sucker 6 feet under. He was a fucking police officer! He was supposed to serve and protect and here he planned on raping a young girl and handing her over to the likes of Ramirez! Fucking piece of shit! Ah, here's Ranger now. I glance at the clock and see Vinnie has probably gotten the news that Steph is FTA. I just hope Ranger will help her. That kid needs someone in her corner. I bide my time till Ranger comes out of Vinnie's office. Vinnie is with him and tells me to give Ranger Steph's file. I nod and wait for the weasel to go back in his office. I hand Ranger the file and ask him if I can talk to him. He nods. If I'd have blinked I would have missed the nod.
"Here's the file Ranger. I need to ask a favor though."
He raises an eyebrow and waits for me to continue.
"She called me this morning before her court time. I told her not to go. She had a good reason Ranger. I'd like you to talk to her and see if you can help her. I'm also asking if you decide not to help her that you give her a chance to get away. She's at her apartment waiting for you."
Ranger's POV:
What the fuck? First Vinnie tells me he has an FTA he doesn't want me to find because if I do Lucille will make his life a living hell, then Connie asks me if I'll listen to this FTA and help her, but if I won't help her to give her a chance to get away. Not only that, but Connie told her not to make her court appearance. I took the file from her and weighed my options. It's none of my business why an FTA doesn't show. I just find them and bring them back into the system. I didn't have time for this shit. I looked Connie in the eyes and told her, "I'll listen to her and see what she has to say. No promises. If I decide not to help her I'll head back to Rangeman and hand the file off to one of my men. I'll also tell them I know she was in her apartment and the time I last saw her. That's all the time she gets. It won't take them long to find her."
Connie nodded, "I can't ask for more."
With that I left. I checked the file for the address and aimed my car in that direction. There was a spot by the door so I pulled into it and headed inside to see what all the fuss was about. Her apartment was on the second floor and it took me only seconds to reach it. I got a weird feeling as I neared her door and instinctively reached for my gun. The door swung inward silently and I swept the room. There was a minimal of furnishings and nothing matched. Slowly I moved into the apartment and silently made my way to the next closed door. I heard the shower running and headed in that direction. If this woman thought my seeing her naked was going to sway me she had another thought coming. The door I reached led to a bedroom. A functional bed and small T.V. were about the only furnishings. I looked around but saw no reason for my heightened awareness. The next door I came to was slightly ajar and I crept over to it and paused. I was able to see a young girl of maybe 20. She was standing in the tub naked and she was handcuffed to the shower rod. What the fuck? I slowly pushed the door opened and saw she wasn't alone. A TPD detective Joe Morelli was standing before her leering.
I heard Morelli say to her, "You are making this too easy Cupcake. You just gave me the perfect reason to come after your ass. You should have turned up in court today."
Something told me I needed to get this on tape. I had a wire I quickly got in place and activated. I had to admire the girl. I couldn't tell if she was scared or enjoying his attention, but she didn't let anything show. I heard her say, "I heard you had plans for when I got to the courthouse."
The bastard laughed. "Yeah Cupcake. You couldn't win on this one. Ramirez was there waiting for you to come out of the courthouse. He would have taken you to Stark Street and waited for me to come. After I took my turn he was going to have his go at you. By you not showing up I get to cut him out. We are going to have a long time together. When I get done with you, you are going to be truly broken in right."
"I'd rather take a bullet now."
I could tell he didn't like that. He moved closer to her and I silently moved in with a finger to my lips. I know she saw me, our eyes locked for a second but she gave nothing away. Morelli had reached out towards her to grope her genital area and she lifted one of her legs in a round house kick taking her weight on the shower rod. I couldn't help but admire her for fighting back. She connected with Morelli's head and I hit him from behind. He went down and was out cold. I nodded to her and told her, "I'm Ricardo Carlos Manoso. My street name is Ranger. That's what you can call me. Connie sent me."
"Are you here to help me or take me back to jail?'
I couldn't help but smile at her, "Well Babe, I don't think going to jail would be safe for you. If you're ready I have a place you can stay till we get this taken care of."
"Do you think you could grab his keys and get these cuffs off me? I'm freezing."
I winked at her and bent to retrieve the keys. After unlocking them I handed her a towel which she wrapped around herself. She went out to the bedroom and I cleaned up things in the bathroom so there would be no negative evidence for her to explain. I fished my cell out of my pocket and hit speed dial.
"Yo."
"Did you get it?"
"Firmative Rangeman."
"Have Manny get over here and make sure only the right things are found."
"Will do. What now?"
"I'm bringing her back to Rangeman. Have my lawyer meet us there."
"You got it."
I knocked on the door and heard her tell me it was okay to come out of the bathroom. She'd dressed in jeans that fit her ass like a glove, the pant leg tucked into knee length black boots. She wore a blue tank top that brought out the blue of her eyes and she'd put on just enough make up to emphasize her beauty. I couldn't help but remember how she'd looked in the shower. I hooded my eyes so she wouldn't be able to read my expression. "You ready?"
She nodded. "I packed first so I'd be ready to bolt if you decided not to help me."
"Let's go then. What are we taking?"
She pointed to the duffel on the bed. "Just that."
I lifted up the duffel and we headed out. She locked up her apartment and we made our way towards the door to the stairway. I raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. We made our way to the ground floor and outside. She stopped and looked at me. I motioned to the Porsche turbo and could have sworn she moaned in delight. I opened the door for her and helped her inside. I tossed her duffel into the back and then went around to get inside. I backed out and made my way towards Haywood. It didn't take us long to get to Rangeman. Once I parked, I grabbed the duffel again and led her up to 7. I fobbed us into my apartment and set the bag down.
"You hungry?"
She smiled at me and replied, "I'm always hungry."
"Help yourself."
I showed her to the kitchen and she looked into the fridge. She wrinkled up her nose at what she saw in there. I raised an eyebrow. Just what was she looking for? Finally she sighed, "Don't you have any peanut butter, olives, or maybe some syrup for pancakes?"
"Babe, that stuff will kill you."
She turned and her eyes went wide, "You don't have any?"
I shook my head no. "If you can't find anything in there, I can have my housekeeper make you something."
She shook her head no. "Don't have her go to any trouble. I'm sure I'll find something."
I watched her root around for something to eat for fifteen minutes. I couldn't believe it. She poked through everything in the fridge, freezer and cupboards. She finally came up with an assortment I had no idea what she planned to do with. I watched as she got out a large bowl and started breaking up the ingredients as she put them together. She stirred the mixture and then got out a frying pan and put it on the stove. I watched as she put the stuff from the bowl into the pan and carefully fried it. She seemed almost afraid of the stove. She let the stuff cook for a while and then she put it into another bowl and grabbed a couple of plates and silverware and took it to the table. She grabbed a couple of waters out of the fridge and set them on the table too. Then she sat down and started digging in. I joined her at the table but declined her offer to share the food. It didn't look recognizable.
I got a call and answered it, "Yo."
"Ranger your lawyer is here and we got all the evidence."
"Bring it up to 7."
"You got it."
A few minutes later the door opened and Tank entered along with Jamison, the Rangeman lawyer. I nodded to them and they joined us. I was still watching my guest eat. I'd had to readjust my cargos several times. Every time she took a bite of food she moaned and it went directly south. She looked up as the two joined us and pointed to the concoction in the bowl. "Would you like to join us?"
Tank winced at the contents and shook his head no. Jamison on the other hand was a junk food junkie and no amount of pressure was going to change him. He sniffed and a look of joy crossed his face. He grabbed a plate and helped himself. He took a bite and declared, "Brilliant! This is excellent. How did you do this with what Ranger has on hand?"
She shrugged, "I just broke down the components and mixed everything together. I think I forgot something but I can't figure out what though."
They continued eating till the bowl was empty and then she proceeded to lick her fingers. I lifted my head as I smelled something burning. She must have smelled it at the same time because her eyes got big around and she said, "Uh oh."
"What?"
"Do you have a fire extinguisher?"
"Yes."
"I think you're going to need it." At that moment the pan on the stove went up in flames.
I jumped up and grabbed a fire extinguisher. I paused when she yelled, "NO! That's the wrong one."
She stood and raced to the stove. She looked around and grabbed the other fire extinguisher and after pulling the pin she aimed a stream at the burning pan. The flames were quickly put out but not before the sprinklers went on and water started pouring down on the four of us. Her eyes grew huge and she turned to look at me. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face. All I could say was, "Babe."
Her eyes narrowed, "Are you laughing at me?"
"Not at all. Guess we figured out what you forgot. I'll call Luis to clean this up. Why don't we go down to the conference room on 5 and we can talk there."
Stephanie's POV:
I was just finishing my shower when the curtain was torn off. That bastard Morelli was standing in my bathroom leering at me. I went to grab a towel but he quickly cuffed my wrist and then grabbed the other and cuffed me to the shower rod. He was going on about what he was going to do to me and I tried not to panic. Keep it together I told myself. He tells me I played into his hands by not showing up for my court date and now he can cut Ramirez out and he plans to keep me and break me in right. I told him I'd rather take a bullet. He didn't like that and came at me. I grabbed onto the rod and let it hold my weight and I gave him a roundhouse kick. I'd seen another man enter and he had a finger to his lips. I was hoping this was the guy Connie asked to help me. He hit Joe from behind when I gave the roundhouse kick and Joe went down and was out cold. He introduced himself and told me I could call him Ranger. I asked if he was there to help me or take me back to jail. He told me jail wouldn't be too safe for me right now. He unlocked the cuffs and wrapped a towel around me. I went into the bedroom to get dressed. He knocked before he came into the bedroom; I'd told him I was dressed. He asked if I was ready and I told him I was. I'd packed before so I'd have maximum escape time if he chose not to help me. He grabbed my duffel and we headed out. I think I surprised him when I went to the stairs instead of the elevator. When I saw his car I moaned. I loved power cars. It took us no time to reach his building and he led me to his apartment. He asked if I was hungry and I told him I was always hungry. He told me to help myself and showed me where everything was.
Crap! No peanut butter, no olives, no syrup. I scrounged around some more and came up with the basic ingredients to make one of my favorite meals. I used his frying pan and it actually turned out well. I put it in a bowl and got plates and silverware and a couple of waters. I asked him if he wanted to join me but he declined. I moaned with my first bite. I listened to one side of a phone conversation and knew we would have visitors soon. When the two men joined us, I saw one of them was a huge black man that looked like he was built like a tank. The other man was in a suit. He was 6' with a lean whipcord build. I asked if they wanted to join me. The big black man winced and shook his head but the other man joined and I could tell he enjoyed his food as much as I did. He asked how I did this with what Ranger had on hand. I told him I just broke down the components and mixed everything together. I also told him I thought I forgot something but couldn't figure out what it was. Suddenly I smelled something burning and I remembered what I forgot.
"Do you have a fire extinguisher?"
"Yes."
"I think you're going to need it." At that moment the pan on the stove went up in flames.
Ranger jumped up and grabbed a fire extinguisher. He paused when I yelled, "NO! That's the wrong one."
I stood and raced to the stove, looked around and grabbed the other fire extinguisher and after pulling the pin aimed a stream at the burning pan. The flames were quickly put out but not before the sprinklers went on and water started pouring down on the four of us. My eyes grew huge and I turned to look at Ranger.
He laughed and said, "Babe."
My eyes narrowed, "Are you laughing at me?"
"Not at all. Guess we figured out what you forgot. I'll call Luis to clean this up. Why don't we go down to the conference room on 5 and we can talk there."
I followed them from the room. We went down to the 5th floor and Ranger led the way to a conference room. Once we were all inside Ranger closed the door. "Have you listened to the tape Jamison?"
"Yes. I'd say we have all the evidence we need. I can take this to the D.A. And get things started." He turned to look at me, "That is if this is what you want. I won't presume to make decisions for you. But were you my daughter I would recommend you press charges."
"I have every intention of pressing charges. He's given me nothing but grief for the last four years. I'm sick of it and sick of him."
Jamison's face became livid, "Four years? How old are you?"
"I just turned 20. The first time I met Morelli I was 16 and at his cousins for a party. He made some comments and Mooch told him to leave me alone because I was his friend. He pulled me over a couple weeks later and ran his hand down my cheek. I slapped it away and thought he was going to hit me when another car almost ran him down. He chased after the other car and I went on home. I told my parents and my mom thought it was my fault. I told my grandma the next day and she went to talk to my mom and I got to move in with grandma. I think grandma thought if she didn't get me out of that house my mom might let him get away with raping me. Anyway, grandma Mazur insisted I take some self-defense classes as well as the other classes I was taking."
My gaze went to Ranger and my eyes widened. I got the feeling he was royally pissed about something. Jamison asked, "What happened this time?"
"Three weeks ago Morelli pulled me over on a speeding charge. I couldn't have been speeding because my POS car wouldn't go over 30 m.p.h. The motor was shot. He told me if I didn't want a reckless driving charge I had to service his "boys". I told him to shove it up his ass and rotate it. He pulled me form the car and slammed me against my car. My cousin Eddie pulled up in his black and white and asked what was going on. Joe told him he pulled me over on a reckless driving and I tried to assault him. I know Eddie didn't believe him and I asked Eddie if he'd take me to the station because I knew if I went with Joe I wouldn't get there in the same shape I was in at the moment. Eddie drove me and I told him what happened. He said I needed proof because otherwise the judge would believe Joe. Once I was processed I called grandma and she called Lucille. Vinnie posted my bail."
"Why didn't you keep your court date?"
"My friend Lula called me..." I paused because I saw Tank stiffen at the mention of Lula's name. I turned and looked at him. He was looking at me in the weirdest way.
"You're white girl?"
I grinned when he said Lula's name for me. I nodded, "That's me."
Jamison cleared his throat, "Lula called you and?"
"She overheard Morelli and Ramirez talking. She said Morelli promised Ramirez he could do what he wanted with me if he helped Morelli abduct me after court. Morelli said he'd tell the judge he'd like to withdraw the charges and give me a second chance. Ramirez was to get me and take me to Stark Street and once Morelli got first dibs, Ramirez could have his turn. I called Connie and she told me not to go to court."
"Will Lula testify?"
"You can't ask her to do that. Ramirez almost killed her. I came across them on Stark Street because I was taking a short cut home after a late meeting. I saw what Ramirez was doing to her and stopped. I fired a couple of shots at him and he ran away. I put her in my car and drove her to the hospital. She was in bad shape for a while."
Jamison looked to Ranger, "We have enough with what's on the wire. You have the file and were rightfully going after an FTA. We can use it."
Ranger nodded. "Let's do it then."
"I look for them to let Morelli out on bail. We need to make sure she stays safe. In light of this new evidence, I think they will drop all charges against her."
"She can stay here. She'll be safe. We have an empty apartment on four."
Jamison nodded, "Good." He turned to look at me, "It was a pleasure meeting you Stephanie. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."
"Nice meeting you too and thanks. Will I need to take time off work?"
Jamison frowned, "It might be best. The less exposed you are the better it is. What exactly do you do?"
I winced, "I can't tell you that."
His eyebrows rose, "It's not illegal is it?"
I smiled, "Not at all. Just classified."
I got another weird look from Ranger and Tank. I sighed; this was turning out to be a very long day. "I brought my laptop. I can work on it and email my boss the info if that's okay. It's not like I have to be in the office to work. I can work anywhere as long as I have my laptop."
Jamison nodded, "Whatever you and your boss think is best." He stood and shook my hand.
He'd just left when I had a sudden thought, "What about grandma? Do you think they might go after her to get to me?"
Ranger paused for a nanosecond and then said, "Ask your grandma if she would like to take an all-expense paid trip for a while."
I took a deep breath and nodded.
"If you like I can show you to the apartment now."
I met his gaze for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you want to let me have the apartment?"
Ranger's gaze held mine and he raised an eyebrow, "Babe. I don't make a habit of offering things I don't want to."
I nodded and stood. I followed him to the elevator and we went down a floor. He showed me to an apartment halfway down the hallway. It was a hundred times better than my own apartment. For one thing the color scheme was earth tones, nothing hideous in this apartment. It was fully furnished and the furnishings matched. Wow! I turned to Ranger and asked, "How much do you charge for this place."
He shook his head, "No charge."
"I have to pay you something."
"No need Babe."
"But..."
His eyes narrowed and I stopped. He looked at me for several moments before giving a miniscule nod of the head, "If you insist on repaying me, we could use some help on skip tracing. You know how to work a computer?"
I grinned, "I would definitely say I know how to work a computer."
"Okay, follow me and I'll show you to a cubicle." He handed me a set of key fobs and I put them in my jeans pocket. I followed him back up to 5. I felt several pairs of eyes on us as we made our way through what he called the control room and he showed me to a cubicle. He showed me how to use the programs and what was needed. I stayed quiet, letting him explain. It was easier then telling him I already knew these programs. I didn't want him asking questions. He finally turned to go saying, "I'll have your bag put in your apartment. Jamison will let us know what happens with Morelli."
I nodded and met his gaze, "Thanks Ranger."
He winked at me and went towards a door leading to an office. I guessed it was his.
It didn't take me long to get through the files in my in basket. There was only one file left and I was currently working on it. Something was off with this one though. My spidey sense was on heightened alert. I let my fingers fly over the keyboard and before I knew it I had what I needed. When I took a good look at what I was reading, my first thought was 'Oh shit!' I printed out the information. This was need to know and I knew instinctively this was something Ranger needed to know. I grabbed the file and stood. I was handing this to him personally. I walked to the door where he'd disappeared earlier and knocked.
I heard a muttered "Oh man! Guys, this is going to be good. She's interrupting Ranger."
I winced. Obviously this wasn't the done thing. Too bad. I couldn't just give this info to anyone. I would give it to him because of what he'd done for me. I felt more eyes on me. I took a deep breath and knocked again. The door was pulled open with force and Tank stood there glaring. When he saw me the glare magically disappeared and he smiled. "Hey little girl. What can I help you with?"
"This is where Ranger went earlier. I thought this might be his office."
"Come in Babe."
Tank moved aside so I could enter the room. I went in and saw Ranger was behind a desk. He motioned me to a chair. "What can I do for you?"
Although his voice was polite, I heard an underlying edge. He wasn't happy to be interrupted. I sighed, "Sorry to bother you, but I just finished a file and thought I should show it to you."
His eyes looked into mine, "Remember, I told you to put them in the out basket and they would be collected."
Oh yeah, he was definitely pissed. I nodded, "Yes. I remember. But this is need to know. I can't just give it to anyone. I brought it to you because of all you have done for me."
He put his blank face on and reached a hand out. I handed him the file. He opened it and scanned over the report. When he finished, he looked up at me and narrowed his eyes, "Where the hell did this info come from?"
"I don't think you want to know."
"Wrong Babe. I want to know now."
I took a deep breath and answered, "I hacked into the Pentagon."
You could have heard a pin drop. Both Ranger and Tank were looking at me like I was insane. Finally, Ranger broke the silence, "What in the fuck possessed you to hack into the Pentagon?"
"I was running the search and something felt off. I started typing and next thing I knew I'd hacked into the Pentagon."
"You did this on a Rangeman computer that I'm sure they have traced by now. Do you realize the trouble we can all get into for this?"
Did I mention that he was pissed? He wasn't getting louder, his voice was deadly soft. I winced, but stayed silent. I had to stop and figure out how to get myself out of this one. A second later the phone rang. Ranger picked it up, "Yes." I watched his face but nothing showed. He listened to the other party for several moments, his eyes drilling into me. "I just found out sir." Another pause as he listened. He hesitated and then, "Just a moment sir."
He handed me the phone. "I can't help you with this one Babe."
I nodded and took the phone. "Yes?"
A gravelly voice from the other end demanded, "Who the hell am I speaking to?"
"Stephanie Plum sir."
"Plum?"
"Yes sir."
"Why the hell did you hack into us and not use the regular channels?"
"I was doing a search and something felt off. I just started typing and next thing I knew I was in."
"Who else knows about this?"
"I brought it straight to Ranger."
There was a pregnant silence. "How do you know Ranger?"
"He's helping me with a little problem."
"That assaulting an officer charge?"
"Yes sir."
"He's a good man."
"I figured that out sir."
"Okay, tell him I put the fear of God in you and you will NEVER I repeat NEVER hack into the Pentagon again. I can overlook this little incident seeing as how I just collected $5000 on the office bet."
I groaned, "Yes sir."
He chuckled. "Nice talking to you Plum."
"Thank you sir."
I handed the phone back to Ranger and he hung it up. "What did he say?"
"He said he will over-look it this time because he trusts you to handle the information and I must never do this again."
"You're lucky. With the security measures in place he could very easily have you tried for treason. You could have gotten this company in a lot of trouble as well. I hope you heard him and I never find out you hacked in again."
"It won't happen again."
Ranger nodded. "Get back to work."
I shrugged, "That was the last file."
Ranger smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Then I suggest you go to your apartment and get settled in. You might want to take a nap. As punishment for your transgression, you'll be on monitor duty tonight with Hector. Usually I take the guys to the mats when they fuck up. You're just a little thing and I have no intention of hurting you so you'll be on monitor duty from 0 hundred till 0800. Then you can do another search shift from 0800 till 1700."
I nodded. I knew he couldn't really make me, but I would take the punishment. He was after all helping me out and as far as he knew, what I had done could have cost him his company. I turned and left the office. I made my way to the apartment he'd shown me to earlier. I looked through the cupboards for food and found something I could throw together. I was reluctant to use the stove but it was the only way to mix the ingredients to get the result I wanted. I grabbed a fork and dug in, moaning as I tasted the first bite. When I smelled the smoke I groaned and went in search of a fire extinguisher. Fuck! This was the second fire today. Plus with what happened earlier this afternoon, I'd be surprised if Ranger didn't drive me back to the police station instead of letting me stay here till everything was worked out. I'd just put out the fire when the sprinklers turned on. Cripes! The pounding on the door had me making my way to the door to open it.
"Babe."
I couldn't help it. I'd been through a very emotional day and my reserves had been depleted. I started sobbing and couldn't seem to stop. Ranger just stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. He wrapped his arms around me and started rubbing circles on my back. I wrapped my arms around him and clung as I cried into Ranger's shirt. He spoke in a quiet, soothing tone. After several minutes he lifted me and carried me to the elevator where he used his key fob to get us to the 7th floor. I noticed his apartment had been thoroughly cleaned. He put me back on my feet in the bathroom and said, "Go ahead and take a shower. I'll leave a shirt you can use for now. You can rest here and I'll have Luis clean your apartment."
I nodded and waited till he left me before stripping and heading into the shower. When I made my way back out to the kitchen, I found a note from Ranger, "Babe, go ahead and take a nap. Don't forget you have monitors tonight. Ella will drop some things off for you."
I got a drink of water before making my way into Ranger's bedroom and climbing under the covers. I made sure to set my phone alarm before falling asleep. It seemed like I'd just fallen asleep when my alarm was sounding. I got up and found there was an outfit on the bed. I dressed in the clothes, black cargo pants, black skin tight t-shirt that left a band of skin between the shirt and the cargos, and a pair of black boots. I brushed my hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. I added a little make up and made my way towards the elevator. I couldn't find any buttons to call the elevator and a search of the apartment turned up nothing to help me. The time came when I was supposed to be downstairs and I was still stuck in the apartment. I went to the phone and was just about to pick it up when the elevator opened and Ranger stood there with a resigned look on his face.
I smiled in relief, "I couldn't figure out how to get the elevator to work."
I could see him struggle for several seconds before he just shook his head and said, "Babe."
I went over and joined him in the elevator. We made our way down to 5 and he showed me to the monitors I would be watching. He introduced me to Hector. I nodded to Hector. This dude was a little scary. He had tear drops tattooed under his eye. Ranger showed me how to work the monitors and everything I would need to know. Before he left he told me, "Hector doesn't speak English Babe." Then in Spanish he spoke to Hector and said, "Hector, this is Stephanie. She's working monitors with you tonight." Then he walked away.
I watched the monitors for a while and was bored in no time. I felt my eyes drooping and finally rested my head on the table that held the monitors. When I surfaced again I checked the clock and it was 0500. I sat up and stretched, then looked over at Hector.
(The following conversation takes place in Spanish)
"I'm sorry Hector. I guess I haven't been sleeping too well lately."
"No problem. Just don't tell anyone I let you get by with sleeping."
"Your secret is safe with me."
He smiled at me and I smiled back.
Hector's POV:
I wonder at Ranger's sanity. Here he's bringing this little girl to work the monitors with me as her punishment for something. Poor things' probably going to be scared shitless. Maybe I would have a little fun with her to see what she was made of. I was just figuring out what I wanted to do when I look over and see she's sound asleep. What the fuck? How can that be? It's a known fact that you need to feel comfortable in order to sleep in someone's presence. It floored me that this little girl was sound asleep within minutes of being left here with me. I let her sleep. But as it got closer to 5, I knew I had to get her awake. Ranger would be coming by any minute and if he saw her sleeping...well, I knew he'd been pissed at her yesterday for something she'd done, that's why she was working monitors with me. I found I didn't want her to get into trouble. I finally got her awake and she stretched showing off more skin between her cargos and t-shirt. If I was a different man I might try to make time with her, but I batted for the other team. Imagine my surprise when she spoke to me in fluent Spanish. She did it faultlessly too. I looked up and was relieved she'd woken so quickly. I could see Ranger was on his way over to us. My eyes twinkled when I saw what he was carrying. He had a clear bag loaded with contraband. No, not your normal contraband. This was Rangeman considered contraband. I noticed several candy bars as well as various other goodies. I could just imagine how this would go over with the guys.
I glanced at Stephanie out of the corner of my eyes and noticed she had a glazed look in her eyes. I wondered if she was already falling for Ranger. He was pure male Cuban Sex God. I followed the angle of her gaze and smiled to myself when I realized she was looking at the contraband.
(The following conversation between Hector and Ranger takes place in Spanish. When he talks to Stephanie he speaks English.)
Ranger stopped when he reached us and asked me, "How's it going Hector?"
"Just fine. All quiet."
"Has she given you any problems?"
"She's been quiet as a sleeping kitten."
Ranger chuckled at that and I could tell Stephanie was following our conversation and not liking it. "Well, you have another three hours to go. You can take the rest of the day off if you'd like as a consolation."
Oh man! That really pissed her off if the narrow eyed glare she was giving him was any indication. Before I could say anything he turned to her and pinned her with his gaze.
"I take it you have learned your lesson?"
She had slammed a blank face on the second he'd turned to her and she was letting nothing show. "I already said I won't do it again."
He nodded and went to walk away. She put a small hand on his arm and waved to the bag he held, "What do you have there?"
"Contraband."
"What?"
"This shit isn't allowed at Rangeman. All the guys know it's prohibited and I will confiscate any contraband I find and dispose of it appropriately."
"What are you going to do with it?"
"Throw it in the garbage where it belongs."
Her eyes widened and she looked totally shocked. "You can't do that! There's good stuff in there."
"Babe, this stuff will kill you."
Her gaze focused on the goodies in the bag and her eyes dilated. I could see the answering gleam in Ranger's eyes and settled in for the show.
Ranger's POV:
I woke at 4:30 a.m. as usual and made my way down to 5. I went through the floor and gathered all the contraband I could find. The guys must have gone shopping as I found more today than I had found yesterday. I made my way over to where Hector and Stephanie were sitting. I asked Hector how it was going and he said everything was fine. When I asked if Babe had given him any problems he'd said she was as quiet as a sleeping kitten. I chuckled and told him he had another three hours and then he could have the rest of the day off as a consolation.
I turned to Babe and said, "I take it you have learned your lesson?"
"I already said I won't do it again."
I nodded and turned to walk away. She stopped me with one of her small hands on my arm. "What do you have there?"
"Contraband."
"What?"
"This shit isn't allowed at Rangeman. All the guys know it's prohibited and I will confiscate any contraband I find and dispose of it appropriately."
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Throw it in the garbage where it belongs."
Her eyes widened and she looked shocked. "You can't do that! There's good stuff in there."
"Babe, this stuff will kill you."
Her gaze focused on the stuff in the bag and her eyes dilated. I was incredibly turned on by her and felt myself responding. She put a hand on the one I had the bag in and I felt a jolt of electricity. Her eyes opened wide at the same moment I felt the jolt and I knew she felt it too. If Hector weren't here with us I'd pull her in my arms and make both of us happy. I caressed her cheek and said, "If you want to use the gym after you get done on monitors, come on down. You'll need to dress first because we don't have a woman's locker room." I took out a fob and handed it to her, "You'll have to use my apartment on 7. Luis hasn't been able to finish your apartment yet. There was quite a bit of water damage."
"I'm sorry about that."
"No worries."
With that I went on my way. I frowned when I reached the stairs and wondered where I'd put the damn bag I was carrying.
Stephanie's POV:
I felt a tingling on the back of my neck. The only time I felt it was when Ranger was close. I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He had a clear plastic bag in one hand and I was thrilled with what I saw in the bag.
Ranger stopped when he reached us and in Spanish asked Hector, "How's it going Hector?"
"Just fine. All quiet."
"Has she given you any problems?"
"She's been quiet as a sleeping kitten."
Ranger chuckled at that and told him, "Well, you have another three hours to go. You can take the rest of the day off if you'd like as a consolation."
I was pissed. My eyes narrowed and I glared at him but he didn't even notice. He turned and pinned me with his gaze and I slammed my blank look on my face and let nothing show.
"I take it you have learned your lesson?"
"I already said I won't do it again."
He nodded and went to walk away. I put a small hand on his arm and waved to the bag he held, "What do you have there?"
"Contraband."
"What?"
"This shit isn't allowed at Rangeman. All the guys know it's prohibited and I will confiscate any contraband I find and dispose of it appropriately."
"What are you going to do with it?"
"Throw it in the garbage where it belongs."
My eyes widened and I knew I looked totally shocked. "You can't do that! There's good stuff in there."
"Babe, this stuff will kill you."
My gaze focused on the stuff in the bag and my eyes dilated. I put a hand on the one he had the bag in and I felt a jolt of electricity. He caressed my cheek and said, "If you want to use the gym after you get done on monitors, come on down. You'll need to dress first because we don't have a woman's locker room." He took out a fob and handed it to me, "You'll have to use my apartment on 7. Luis hasn't been able to finish your apartment yet. There was quite a bit of water damage."
"I'm sorry about that."
"No worries."
With that he went on his way. I smiled and turned to Hector. I spoke to him in Spanish, "Hey Hector, can I interest you in some contraband?"
He smiled from ear to ear and replied, "He's going to be pissed when he figures out what happened. You better make sure you eat it fast."
My eyes opened wide and I grinned. "I'll share with you."
He shook his head, "No thanks little one."
With that we got back to work, but I worried about my contraband. I didn't want Ranger figuring things out before I could hide it. About 30 minutes before our shift was due to be over, Hector stood and motioned towards my new stash, "Let me hide that for you till you can get into your apartment. Don't worry; I won't let him find it. I'll leave it in your apartment when it's all clear."
I bit my lip, "I don't want you to get in trouble."
"Don't worry about it little one."
I reached over and kissed the teardrops under his eye. I watched him walk away with my bag of goodies with mixed feelings. I was glad he was helping me but I really didn't want him to get into trouble. He was back in less than 10 minutes. When the other guys came on the floor, Hector gave them a report and then told one of the guys to let me know our shift was done.
Lester's POV:
Man! What the fuck was going on around here. When Ranger left yesterday he was planning on stopping by the bonds office to collect the files of the FTA's Vinnie needed us to round up. Next thing we know a wire Ranger had left over from a stake out went active. I hit the record button as second nature. I didn't bother to listen in; I knew Hector would be doing that. Then when Ranger came back with a little slip of a girl, well to say I was floored was putting it mildly. He took her to his apartment and a little while later Jamison showed up and he and Tank went up to 7. A short while later we were all ready to head upstairs when the sensor showed there was a fire and the sprinklers on 7 activated. Next thing we know, the four of them are headed to a conference room on 5.
A short while later Ranger took her down to 4 and showed her to an apartment. It didn't take long before they were moving through the control room and he showed her to a cubicle before heading to his office. It was about three hours later I saw her at Ranger's office door and she knocked. One of the guys whispered rather loudly, "Oh man! Guys, this is going to be good. She's interrupting Ranger."
I would have liked to be a fly on the wall. Of course we all made bets as to the outcome. Only problem was none of us knew yet what had gone on. From finding her here with Hector this morning, my guess is that she got late shift monitor duty to put her in her place since obviously Ranger couldn't take her to the mats. Hector had just given us a rundown of the night and told us to tell her their shift was over.
I grinned at her and held out my hand, "Hello Beautiful. My name is Lester Santos."
She took my hand and shook it.
I then pointed to Hal and introduced him, Cal, Ram and Woody. She took each hand in turn and when I finished, she smiled and said, "Hi. My name is Stephanie Plum."
I nodded with a smile. "Hector wanted you to know your shift is over now."
She nodded back to me and said, "Thanks. I guess I'll get going. Ranger said I could use the gym when I got done."
"Just make sure you change in your apartment before going to the gym. There's no woman's locker room."
"Yeah. He told me to use his apartment."
I was shocked. Before I could voice anything, Ella came onto the floor with the food cart. She smiled when she reached us. "Dear, Luis said he should be finished with your apartment in another three hours."
"Thanks.
"No problem."
I raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong with your apartment?"
She grimaced, "I had a small fire."
My eyes widened and I know the others had too. She was in Ranger's apartment when there'd been a fire as well. I couldn't wait to hear the whole story, but that would have to wait for another day.
"It's been nice meeting all of you. If you'll excuse me I think I'll get ready and head down to the gym for a while.
Stephanie's POV:
I let Hector do all the talking when the others arrived. When he finished he told one of them to tell me our shift was over. He didn't let them know I could speak Spanish so I decided not to let them know either. Lester called me Beautiful and introduced himself as well as the others. I shook their hands and introduced myself to them. He told me Hector wanted me to know our shift was over. I thanked them and said I was going to the gym as Ranger had said I could use it. Lester told me to be sure and change in my apartment because there was no woman's locker room. I told them Ranger had already told me to use his apartment. From their reaction you'd think Ranger never had a female in his apartment. Lester asked what was wrong with my place and I explained I'd had a fire.
I left them and used the key fob Ranger had given me. In no time I was in his apartment getting changed.