Disclaimer: I'm not making any profit, just having some fun. The characters belong to Janet Evanovich as do any recognizable settings.
I try to edit closely but there will be mistakes. Since it's just a hobby I don't take it too seriously.
So this is my second Fanfic story. My first was Distance. The stories are not related. I will probably take a few liberties with some of the characters and there is no real relation to the books. The story comes from my imagination, and takes place in current time. I'm really more of a Babe than a Cupcake, but I like Joe. So there won't be any Joe bashing in my story.
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The doors of the elevator opened to Ranger's penthouse and I stepped off into the well decorated foyer. Ranger had stopped by my cubical this afternoon and asked me to join him for dinner here at eight. I thought it'd seemed late for dinner, but Ranger sometimes kept odd hours. Just as I reached the door it opened and Ranger gave me a breath taking smile.
"Babe."
"Ranger."
"Ella just left dinner," he said helping me from my jacket and hanging it on the rack near the door.
"It smells delicious, what are we having?"
"Ropa Vieja, it's a Cuban stew. I think you'll like it."
I followed Ranger into the kitchen. There was a loaf of fresh bread on the cutting board, and a bottle or red wine in a glass decanter.
"Ella put the stew in the warming drawer below the oven. If you carry in the bread and wine I'll grab the stew and bring it into the dining room."
Stepping into the dining room I was surprised Ella had set the table with pearl colored dishes and beautiful deep brown linen tablecloth. The room glowed with soft light from the chandelier and two candles burning on the table. In the center of the table sat a small arrangement of white roses in a glass bowl. On a placemat at one of the settings was a small black box tied with a white ribbon.
"Babe is everything alright?" Ranger asked placing the tureen of stew on the table.
"Everything is so pretty. Did you have Ella do this for me?"
"I asked her to set the table and place this box at your place. She called down to the office today and informed me that she'd ordered a flower arrangement for the table."
I was a little stunned. Ranger had bought me a gift. "Aren't you going to open it Babe?"
"S-s-sure." I said taking my seat.
Once Ranger was at his place I reached down and picked up the box. My heart was beating so hard I was certain that it would jump from my chest. I took a small breath untied the bow. The lid of the box was labeled David Yurman. Ranger had bought me jewelry. Inside the box was a necklace. It was simple and stylish. It reflected Ranger's taste modern and clean.
"Are you going to take it out of the box?" Ranger asked.
I was worried that my voice would fail me so I simply nodded my head. He gave me a small smile and took the box from my hand. He held the necklace up so I could see the chain and then dropped the charm into the palm of his hand. When I gave the necklace a closer look I realized there were two pendants on the end of a long silver chain. One of the pendants was an intricate letter B it was made of the same sliver as the chain and was accented diamond. The second pendant was dog tag studded with small diamonds across one side. On the other side there was an eight digit number engraved.
"What's this number?" I asked.
"It's my military serial number, Babe."
"I bought this for your birthday a couple weeks ago; but I was in D.C. and I didn't get a chance to give it to you then."
"I love it Ranger. Thank you. Help me put it on?"
I lifted hair off my neck and turned so that Ranger could close the clasp together. I could feel the heat from his hands on my skin and for a second I couldn't catch my breath. Once the necklace was fastened he placed a lingering kiss on the back of my neck.
The chain to the necklace was longer than I'd originally thought. It easily rested between my breasts. I wondered if Ranger had planned that or if it was just an amazing coincidence. I pressed my hand to the charms and turned to face Ranger.
"Thank you Ranger. It's beautiful."
"You're welcome. Are you hungry?"
"Yes. I'm Starving."
The rest of dinner was spent in companionable conversation. We discussed my plans for the weekend, and who we thought would win the Thanksgiving Day football games. Ranger told me about Julie's latest interests which include soccer and boys. He seemed to be distressed about her growing interest in the opposite sex. When I pointed out that he was once a boy he gave me a look that told me I wasn't helping.
Dinner lingered for an hour, and soon it was after nine o'clock. I excused myself from the table to go to powder room. When I came out Tank was standing in the living room speaking in a quiet voice to Ranger. I knew they would need their privacy so I went into the dining room and began gathering the dishes together.
"Babe leave the dishes. Ella is going to come up and take care of it. She made me promise I wouldn't let you lift a finger tonight."
"I can't let her clean all this up she cooked the meal that was more than enough."
"It's her job. Besides she loves to cook for you, and she really enjoyed setting up this evening."
"Well okay, but tomorrow I'm going to have to thank her for everything she did."
Ranger nodded, and pulled me to him for a kiss.
"There's Tres Leches in the fridge. Would you like some?"
"Ella made cake!" I said clapping my hands in excitement.
Ranger gave me one of his full smiles and my heart melted. I loved it when I could make him smile like that.
"If only I could get you to be that excited about me," Ranger teased kissing my lips softly and leading me into the kitchen.
To my surprise Ranger ate a few bites of his slice before putting his plate on the coffee table. Ranger almost never indulged in dessert. The house phone rang and Ranger excused himself to answer it. He was gone for a few minutes and when he came back he had a serious look on his face.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"No just an alarm on an account. I sent Hal to check on it."
"This has to be the best meal I've had in a long, long time. The food was fabulous," I said.
"The company was great too." Ranger said sitting beside me and pulling me close. He placed a kiss at my temple and his lips lingered for a few seconds. We sat like that for a long time. Ranger seemed to be lost in his thoughts. I kept fiddling with my necklace, turning it over to read the numbers. It felt so personal that he'd had his serial number engraved into a present for me.
Ranger's cell phone rang and he pushed away to answer it. I was starting to get upset at all the distractions but I knew that it was part of Ranger's life. I was lucky to spend any time at all with him and time alone like this evening was very rare.
"Hello…ETA…Thanks…"
I knew that was my cue to make a graceful exit. Ranger needed to tend to business matters. I didn't want to get in the way. Plus if I could show the foresight to get out of the way at the right time I might get more chances to share time with him like this.
I stood up and walked into the foyer to retrieve my jacket and purse. When Ranger turned around from the kitchen where he'd been talking on the phone he saw me preparing to leave.
"…I'll call you back…"
"Babe you don't have to go."
"You're needed somewhere, and really I'm sleepy. I had two glasses of wine. You know how wine makes me drowsy."
"Let me get a couple guys to take you home."
"It's not necessary."
"Your safety is my priority. I want someone to drive you and see you inside."
"Thanks Ranger."
Ranger walked over and pushed the intercom button for the control room.
"Stephanie needs a ride…have someone follow so you can get back to Rangeman…do not leave until her apartment is secure…"
"Thank you for the birthday gift. It's beautiful."
"Babe." Was all he said before he leaned his body into mine and pushed me into the wall. I expected a kiss full of heat and lust. Instead Ranger barely pressed his lips to mine. "You should have beautiful things." Then he kissed me deeply and passionately. When he broke the kiss Ranger ran a finger down my cheek.
Seven Months Later…
"Officer Hottie is comin' up the street and a squad car is right behind him," Lula said. "They'll take a statement and fill out a report and maybe we can get out of here in a hurry. You know cops make me queasy. You might wanna to check your makeup, girl. You got mascara everywhere. Do you want me to call someone?" Lula was rambling.
I ran my fingers under my eyes in an attempt to fix my makeup before Joe saw me looking a complete mess. Joe's green Tahoe stopped next to the curb with the Kojak light flashing on top. A black and white patrol car skidded into place behind it.
I sighed and watched across the street as my ex-boyfriend exited from his SUV.
"I'd forgotten how sexy that man is," Lula said as Joe walked toward where I was currently sitting on the curb near the scene of my latest car disaster.
I couldn't argue. Joseph Morelli looks like a movie star. He is six feet of hard body, with black hair that curls over his collar when it needs to be cut. Currently he was at least two months overdue for a haircut. He has an ass that looks amazing in jeans and even better in nothing at all. He's the ultimate ladies' man.
The sly grin on his face spreading across his face would make a nun rethink her vows. His whiskey colored brown eyes were dancing mischievously as he walked toward me with that strut that always turns women's heads. Ready or not The Italian Stallion was about to re-enter my life.
"Hey, Cupcake" he smiled as he looked around at the scene. "I have to say I'm a little disappointed that you didn't blow anything up. A fender bender is really just child's play for you, huh?"
Looking up at Joe I couldn't stop the tears from springing into my eyes. I hated myself for crying but his teasing me was really the last straw. The whole thing was so embarrassing.
"Oh hey, don't cry. God you know I hate it when you cry." Joe said reaching out and pulling me up from the curb into his arms. "It's okay. I've got you. What happened?"
"I stopped at the red light, and the guy behind me didn't," I said sniffing and burying me head in his chest.
"And…"
"And that's it."
"I don't understand Cupcake you've had bigger disasters than this, and never shed a tear."
"Things were just going so well. I haven't lost a car in months. There haven't been any crazy people chasing me. I have some money in the bank. I was starting to feel like I wasn't a failure anymore. I guess it was just too good to be true," I said sniffing again and taking a step back from Joe.
"Cupcake," Joe said pressing a kiss to my temple. "You're not a failure."
He looked me over and the turned to look over the scene of the wreck. I could see his eyes scanning up and down the street. His facial expression and body language slipping into cop mode. He was assessing everything,
"Are you driving that Jeep Cherokee?" Joe asked. "I thought Ranger bought you a Lexus RX when you went to work there a few months ago."
"The Lexus is a company car."
"So you don't drive it all the time?" The tone in Joe's voice showed his obvious surprise.
It'd been nearly six months since I'd seen Joe. He'd been out of town for a while working undercover and since he'd come back I'd been avoiding him. The truth was I just didn't know what to say to him. A couple months before Joe left we'd had a fight. It was a stupid fight. I can't even remember what it was about. One night Joe came by my apartment and told me that when I was ready to settle down to give him a call. Then a few days later he left town on assignment for four months.
"Bombshell you okay? Do you need any help?" a voice called from somewhere behind me. I turned around to see Lester Santos and Bobby Brown disembarking from a standard issue Rangeman Ford Explorer.
"I'm fine guys," I said squaring my shoulders and trying to put on my though girl exterior.
"Do you need a ride or something?" Lester asked walking toward me.
"No I'm fine really. Just as soon as they finish filling out the report Lula is going to give me ride. So there's no reason for you to worry."
Lester and Bobby kept walking in my direction. They had their orders and I guess they couldn't leave until they were certain I was uninjured.
"Come on Beautiful I just want to see if you need a ride or something," Lester said. "Really this is sort of low key for you. No fire trucks, and no flaming metal in the streets."
I put my hands on my hips and gave Les my best Burg girl glare. He put his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"Are you hurt do you need medical assistance?" Bobby asked taking a slow scan of my body looking for injuries.
I leveled my gaze at the guys and then at the driver of the Explorer parked a few feet down the street. The tint on the windows was dark preventing me from seeing who was driving. I could tell from the size of the silhouette it wasn't Ranger. My heart broke just a little bit more.
"Wait a minute how did you know about the wreck?" I asked anger lacing in my voice. "I thought we'd all agreed that there would be no trackers on my personal vehicle."
Lester didn't answer he just cut his eyes away from mine.
"Now you know it's for you own safety. Don't get mad," Bobby said holding his hands out in front of him signaling he wasn't the one that planted the tracker.
I took a deep breath they were only following orders. Yelling at Les and Bobby wasn't going to do any good. They were just the messengers. Most likely Tank had the tracker planted and he was probably only following orders from Ranger.
"I'm going to go see I if can hurry the paperwork along. I'll be right back," Joe said giving my shoulders a squeeze. "Lula I'll give Steph a ride if you need to go."
"Will you be okay, girl?"
"Sure Lula go on ahead; I'll see you later."
Lula smiled and said, "Yeah you owe me lunch on account of almost getting me killed."
I rolled my eyes and she was gone swishing her spandex clad behind to her red Firebird. The engine turned over and the bass from her stereo system filled the air. She gunned the engine and she was gone.
"Are you sure you're ok? Did you hit you head? How's your shoulder did you get jerked around by the seatbelt?" Bobby asked.
"I'm fine. Really, it was just a small accident. Stuff like this happens every day," I said waving my arm in the direction of the Jeep.
"Bobby man, go wait in the truck I'll be there in a minute okay." Lester said.
"Sure Lester. If you get a headache or you start to feel sore come by Rangeman," Bobby said before he turned to go back to the Explorer.
Lester waited until Bobby had the door to the SUV closed and he took a couple steps closer to me. Turning his head so that no one else could see his face he spoke in a hushed voice.
"Ranger's due back soon."
I sucked in a breath and looked down at my shoes. I bit my lip willing myself not to cry. I hadn't seen Ranger in seven months. Not since he'd left for Miami. At least that's where it's rumored he is. I tried calling his cell a couple times right after he left. He didn't answer or return my calls. Six months ago after a night out with the girls and a little too much tequila; I sent an email wishing him a Merry Christmas. It was returned to my inbox marked as unknown recipient. I'd allowed myself one day to cry and then I bottled up all pain and confusion I felt for Ranger and put it out of my mind.
I'd always had a blind trust in Ranger. I thought he trusted me as well. His leaving like a thief in the night blindsided me. The night before he'd left we had dinner in his penthouse. He'd given me a belated birthday present, a necklace. Nothing about that night stood out as strange. There was no warning or indication that he was thinking about leaving. When I walked to the door to leave he kissed me until I was breathless and I'd thought I'd see him the next day at work.
I'd been working for Rangeman for a few weeks completing searches on a cooperate account with a couple hundred employees who all needed to be checked. It'd been boring work but the money was good so I'd agreed to do the job. When I'd completed the project I packed up my belongings from the cubical I'd been assigned and collected my last paycheck.
The next week Tank offered me a full time position at Rangeman. We'd finally agreed to a part time position. I would keep my company car, but it was my choice to drive it for personal use. I'd get health insurance, and a new gun. I was expected to learn to use the gun and carry it with me. Tank didn't say I had to carry it when I wasn't at Rangeman, but I got the feeling he'd prefer that I did. My job duties were pretty much the same as they had been. Occasionally I met with clients, especially jobs where the men thought a woman's perspective was needed.
It was hard to be there without Ranger. The building seemed empty even though it was filled with his men. Seeing his empty office everyday made me sad. I asked Tank about him constantly for the first couple of months. When he didn't come home for Christmas, I just stopped asking. No one said anything so I'd assumed that no one noticed.
"Do you know how long he'll be in town?" I asked.
Lester just looked at me blankly. He wasn't going to give me any more information. Probably he'd told me more than he was supposed to already.
"Thanks for telling me Lester," I said. "Are we still on for pizza and the hockey play-offs Sunday night?"
"Absolutely. Well since Joe's going to give you a ride I'm gonna go. If you need anything call. I'll see you at your place Sunday night."
"Don't forget the beer," I said giving him a small smile. He gave me a wave over his shoulder acknowledging me as he walked back to the SUV.
"Here's your license and insurance card. The other guy's getting a ticket for distracted driving, and speeding. He was texting his wife and not paying attention. I don't think he'll EVER do that again."
"Joe what did you do?" I asked.
Usually Joe is a pretty level headed cop, but his face gives him away when he's angry.
"I just informed him that he should be very happy you're okay because if you'd been injured I'd thrown the book at him so hard he would have landed three years from now."
"Good grief, Joe."
"I love you Cupcake. We might not be a couple anymore but you're important to me," Joe said looking down at the toe of his boot.
"Thanks Joe," I said laying a hand on the side of his face. "Can you take me to my parents' house?"
"Yeah, come on Cupcake I'll buy you a milkshake on the way."
Joe and I were sitting in his Tahoe at The Milky Way Drive-in waiting on our shakes and fries to be delivered. I could tell Joe had something on his mind. He kept looking at me from the corner of his eye and running his fingers through his hair.
"Where is Ranger?" Joe asked. "It isn't like him to miss out on one of your car mishaps."
"I don't know where Ranger is. He's been gone since before Thanksgiving."
Joe's eyebrows knitted together and he gave me a puzzled looked.
"Do you think he's off saving the world?"
"I've been told he's living in Miami."
"You don't believe that?"
"Maybe." I said shrugging one shoulder.
Joe scrubbed his hand on his face and slid a little further down into the driver's seat. Bracing both hands on the steering wheel he looked out the windshield.
"I checked on you a few times while I was gone. Carl said you were still working at Vinnie's some. He told me that you were improving at skip tracing, and bringing in some bigger bonds. That'd you'd partnered with Santos. He also said you'd been spending a lot of time at your folks."
"You checked on me while you were away?" I asked.
"Yeah, don't be mad. I just needed to know how you were doing."
"I'm not mad Joe. It's sweet; thank you for caring about me."
"I'll always care about you, Cupcake."
"You're special to me too, Morelli."
We sat munching on fries and drinking our shakes for a few minutes. Joe's cell phone rang. He read the caller ID and blew out a long breath.
"Hello…Where...I'll be there in 30 minutes…Tell the CSI boys to wait on me…"
"Time to go?" I asked.
"Yeah Steph I'm sorry. I moved over to vice about a month ago. The chief is going to promote me to Lead Detective in a couple more months. I'm the Acting Lead Detective right now. It's sort of a probation period. It's really just a formality though."
"Joe that's great. You deserve it. No one works as hard as you."
"Thanks Cupcake."
"We should go out and celebrate this weekend. How about Rossini's my treat," I said.
"Sure, but it'll be my treat."
I knew better than to argue with Joe about paying for anything. His Italian pride wouldn't let him allow a woman to pay. I just nodded my head and smiled.
"Saturday night?" I asked.
"Yeah I'm off Saturday so that'd be great," Joe said as he pulled the Tahoe into my parents' driveway.
My mother and grandmother were waiting at the door. Burg ESP must have told them I was on my way. Joe rolled down the window and waved at them as he backed out.
"Why didn't Joseph come inside?" my mom asked while I was walking up the sidewalk.
"He got a call on a case, he was in a hurry."
My mom accepted that answer without any further questions because she knew it was true. Joe had been called away from dinner at her house on several occasions. It didn't stop her from making a fuss and packing up a bag of food for later. But she understood when the calls came he had to go.
"Where's your car?" Grandma asked.
"I had a wreck earlier. Someone rear ended me at a stop light. I think the Jeep will be fine but Joe had it towed to Lloyd's Garage and Body Shop just to make sure it's safe."
"Thank goodness for Joseph. He always watches out for you," Mom said.
I just rolled my eyes and walked into the living room. Dad's usually in his chair watching TV, today he's missing.
"Your Dad's at the lodge helping set up for the annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser," Grandma said.
"I'm going to call my insurance company I think they'll pay for me to rent a car. Then I'll have Daddy come pick me up and take me to pick up a car."
"Have you eaten?" Grandma asked.
"I had lunch with Joe."
"There's an Entenmann's Chocolate Crunch Cake in the kitchen if you want a slice," Mom said.
"Joe bought me a milkshake so maybe I shouldn't have cake," I said remembering the three miles Les had made me run yesterday.
"I need to get back to my ironing," Mom said as she turned to leave the room.
"A milkshake sounds great. Where'd you get it?" Grandma asked.
"Milky Way Drive-In," I said.
"That's a good shake for sure. They still hand dip the ice cream and use real milk instead of a mix. What flavor did you get?"
"I had mint chocolate chip, and Joe had strawberry."
Grandma smiled and turned on the TV. She was flipping the channels not really paying attention to what was on the screen. I'm guessing she was thinking about milkshakes. Tomorrow is Saturday and she has a standing appointment to get her done at the Clip-n-Curl.
"Grandma how about if I pick you up tomorrow from your hair appointment and we go over to the Milky Way Drive-In and get a couple milkshakes?"
"Now that's a fine idea," Grandma said smiling so big her dentures slipped down a little.
"It's a date then. I'm going to go call Lloyd's and then my insurance company about getting a rental car."
I walked into the kitchen and dug around for a bottle of water in the fridge. I cracked the lid open and took a long drink. I looked up the number to the body shop on my iPhone and pressed call.
"Hello Lloyd's Garage and Body Shop."
"Umm…Hi, this is Stephanie Plum, my Jeep was towed there a little while ago. Can you tell me how bad the damage is and about how long until I can get it fixed?
"It shouldn't take much to fix your truck. Just a new fender on the right and a bumper and it'll be good as new. But…umm…well. We're three weeks out on body repairs.
"THREE WEEKS! How am I supposed to go three weeks without a car?"
"I'm sorry miss that's how long it will take."
"Can I speak to the manager?"
"You've got him. I'm Lloyd Hammer."
Shit. "So you're saying that it's going to take you three weeks to fix my car?"
"Maybe a month."
"Okay don't do anything; I'll call you back."
"Ma'am you can call around if ya' want but I don't think you'll find anyone better or faster."
Shit. Shit. "Just don't do anything until I call you back."
"Sure, whatever you want lady."
Click.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"Thank you for calling American Home and Auto Insurance this is Nancy how may I help you?"
"Yes I was wondering if my insurance policy would pay for a rental car while mine is being repaired."
"I'd be happy to check that for you. Do you have you policy number handy?"
"Yes, it's 2435957689A." I said.
"Are you Stephanie Plum?" Nancy asked.
"Yes."
"You're policy does provide for a rental car," Nancy said.
Thank goodness. "Good."
"It looks like you have an annual allowance for a forty-eight hour rental period."
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. "Forty-eight hours? That's all?"
"Yes. Would you like to arrange for a rental car now?"
"No. I'll just make other arrangements. Thanks anyway."
Looks like I'll be driving Big Blue for a while. Ugh. Big Blue is a nightmare. I'm going to need to think of something else. Why does this stuff always happen to me? Oh for fuck's sake now I sound like my mother.
"Stephanie stop whacking your head on the table," Mom said. "You're going to knock yourself out."
"Sorry Mom."
"Did you get a rental car dear?" she asked sliding a piece of cake and a fork in front of me.
"My policy only pays for a forty-eight hour rental and the body shop said it would be at least three weeks before they could repair my car," I said around a bite of the cake. I really needed this slice of cake. Sugar was the only thing that might make this crazy day better.
"Oh."
"Do you think I could borrow the Buick?"
"It's fine with me, if it's fine with your Grandma."
"I'll ask her on my way out. I need to head by the office before Connie leaves for the day."
I was shoveling the cake into my mouth like I was an addict and this was the last fix I would ever get. I really needed to slow down on the sweets or all the running and dieting I'd been doing since I started working at Rangeman would have been done in vein.
"Why don't you call Joseph and come back over for dinner? I'm making a nice roast chicken."
"Mom Joe and I aren't getting back together."
My mother's silence speaks volumes. She's still hoping for a reconciliation with Joe. I don't really blame her it's not that I've given her any other hope for a son-in-law and more grandchildren. If only I could be normal and make her happy.
There's no time to think about that now, Stephanie. Just take a deep breath and focus on getting through the afternoon.
"Grandma I need to borrow the Buick for a day or two is that okay?"
"Sure thing. You need some backup just call."
"Thanks Grandma I'll pick you up tomorrow for those milkshakes."
"I can't wait."
I backed the Buick into the street and immediately I wanted to pull it back into the garage. I could go pick up the Lexus from Rangeman. No that would be taking advantage of Ranger. He didn't allow the others to drive their Explorers for personal use. Tank does remind me almost daily that Ranger bought that SUV for my use. Still it didn't feel right to drive it when I wasn't working. Plus I'd proven earlier that my luck with cars had't changed. I would feel terrible if I destroyed that beautiful car.
Big Blue would be fine to drive for a couple of days, but it's a gas hog. There's no way I can afford to drive it for almost a month. Not to mention it's hard to be discrete while doing surveillance in a powder blue land yacht with white wall tires. Nope the Buick was not going to work. Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday that'd give me a couple days to figure a way to get my hands on another car.
I circled the block of the Bond's office twice before I gave up on finding a parking place on the street. I drove to the lot in the back. Once I'd finally managed to finesse the whale on wheels into a parking spot I leaned my head against the steering wheel and took a few minutes to pull myself together. This day couldn't get any worse I told myself. No sooner than I'd said the words someone knocked on the window.
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Thanks for taking the time to read my revised story. I hope that you'll enjoy it. A new and improved chapter two is on the way soon!