Author's Note: I don't own anything Plum. This is for fun and the benefit of all of us fans! Warning for language and adult behavior. Any factual mistakes are mine as I use the internet to fake what I don't know

Bobby's Backstory

"Fuck me!" Lester snarled.

Bobby dropped his hands from Lester's shoulder.

"Ranger," Bobby called as he nodded at Tank. Lester was sitting on the back bumper of the Escalade, his left arm was hanging awkwardly from his body and his face was twisted in pain.

"Motherfucking prick…he better not make bond again….I'll—" Lester paused as Ranger approached. He saw a look pass between Ranger and Bobby.

"Steph's hurt?! That mother—" Lester attempted to stand.

Ranger put a hand up. "She's fine, Santos. She's in the car; you can talk to her later."

"Les, gotta pop your shoulder back in, man. Then you're going to the ER for some scans; you may have some ligament damage."

"Shit!" Lester looked at his arm. "Seriously…the ER? Can't you just give me a sling and some meds?"

Ranger crossed his arms. "Brown says you go, you go."

"Man, I had a date lined up later! Asshole! Is the fucker conscious?"

"Ram has him secured. His nose is most likely broken---he's breathing but out." Ranger's cell chirped and he took a few steps away to answer it.

Tank handed Bobby a bag. Bobby dropped it on the ground and dug out a syringe. He stuck the needle into a vial and then shook his head as Lester started to straighten up again.

"Don't even think about it, Santos."

Tank clasped Lester on his good shoulder and pushed him back down.

"Lester Santos, you be a good patient now," Stephanie scolded as she approached the men. She brushed past Ranger and took Lester's hand.

"Does it hurt a lot?" She frowned as she looked at his other arm.

"Nah, Beautiful. Looks much worse than it—" Lester sucked in a breath as Bobby injected him. He turned to glare at Bobby.

"Just keep talking to the pretty lady; you know what's coming next."

Lester gritted his teeth. "You're ok? He didn't hurt you?"

Stephanie smiled as she squeezed his hand gently. "I'm fine. The skip looks pretty banged up though. Thank you."

Lester grinned back at her, enjoying the attention.

Bobby glanced over at Ranger. The boss seemed to be only slightly annoyed. Bobby was sure that Stephanie had insisted upon checking on Lester. She was Ranger's woman in every way that mattered; no one dared to say or act otherwise.

Except for Lester, who flirted with her shamelessly. Mostly just to annoy his cousin, though Stephanie was worth the verbal and physical ass kicking he took for it.

Bobby turned to Steph and looked her up and down. He had checked her over first thing. There were some red marks on her arms that would probably turn into bruises later. She had a Rangeman windbreaker on now, Ranger's in fact, so Lester couldn't see them.

"Steph, you're going to need to let go of his hand. I have to do it now." Bobby gestured at Ranger who stepped up to pull Steph back.

Steph smiled and let Ranger pull her back into his arms. They watched as Bobby stood in front of Lester.

"Tank." Bobby pointed at Lester's good arm. "OK, Tank's going to keep you steady but try to hold still.

Lester nodded and focused his eyes on Bobby's chest.

"I'm ready."

Bobby took Lester's arm. He bent the arm at the elbow into an "L" shape then began rotating it towards his chest. Knowing the next rotation would be the most painful, he paused and looked up at Lester. "I'm experiencing a little déjà vu, except you're wearing more clothes this time." He smirked at Lester.

Lester flicked his eyes up to Bobby then snorted. "I think you and Ranger were the only two wearing clothes that time."

Lester looked over at Ranger and laughed. Bobby chose that moment to pop the shoulder back into place. Bobby felt Lester flinch then sag against the vehicle. Lester groaned slightly.

"Ok. We'll take you to the hospital." Steph reached out her hand for Lester.

"I got it, Bombshell…." Bobby glanced at Ranger who just shook his head.

"It's fine, Bobby---she'll worry if we don't go with him. Ram's got the skip, you and Tank head home. I'll text you on his status."

Stephanie smiled at Bobby, then took Lester's hand.

Ranger clapped Bobby on the shoulder. "Good job."

Bobby nodded. He grinned as he saw Lester wrap his 'good arm' around Steph's shoulders.

"You better go, morphine makes him..."

"So, Lester---'You and Ranger were the only two wearing clothes' ---? That sounds like a story I haven't heard…," Stephanie said as she led Lester towards Ranger's Cayenne.

Tank and Bobby laughed as Ranger whipped around and hurried to catch up to Stephanie.

"Well, Beautiful, you see, Bobby wasn't always a Merry Man. And Ranger used to know how to have a good time. It all started in Vegas…."

"Santos!" Ranger pulled Stephanie out of Lester's grasp.

Bobby leaned closer to Tank. "A hundred bucks says it no longer stays in Vegas."

Tank shook his head. "No bet. The only time I'd ever bet against Ranger is when Stephanie's involved. She'll get it out of them. But for Santos' sake, it better be the edited version." Tank handed Bobby the keys to the Escalade. "I'm going to ride with Ram, get the skip handed over."

"Later, man."

Bobby watched as Ranger opened the door for Stephanie. She pulled her long legs into the vehicle and smiled as Ranger shut her door. Bobby smirked then caught Ranger's eye. He snapped a quick salute at his boss before grabbing his bag and unlocking the Escalade.

Ranger quirked a brow at Bobby then climbed into the Cayenne.

Bobby sank back into the driver's seat and closed the door. It had been a long day and with the skip not showing until 11pm, an even longer night.

Still, he couldn't say he regretted the day he accepted a job from Ranger Manoso.

Las Vegas….a few years ago.

"Brown. Hey, Brown!"

Bobby looked up from his dinner at the large man across from him.

"I heard you got up close and personal with Candy last night," the man said as he took a seat between two other big muscled men.

Bobby shrugged then resumed eating.

"You mean Gold Room Candy? Or Aura Candy?" said the tattooed man to the left.

"I bet it was Platinum Candi. He was over at their dressing room the last two nights."

Bobby looked over at the man to his right; he was the closest he had to a friend here.

"Thanks, Johnson. You trying to get me fired? One of them has a badly sprained wrist."

Johnson looked up from his laptop. "Yeah, that was last night. You were summoned to Candi's personal dressing room afterwards and the night before that."

"Yeah, and I attended to her medical needs, end of story."

Ok, not quite end of story. But Candice had fallen in rehearsal and was afraid she cracked a rib. She was just bruised and was very relieved she didn't have to yield to her understudy. As a lead showgirl for the Platinum, she made top dollar and was using the money to pay for nursing school tuition at UNLV.

Bobby first met her a few months ago when she dislocated a finger. He really liked her but kept things professional. Security employees are strictly forbidden from associating with other coworkers, and showgirls specifically were off limits to all employees.

Candice had called him back last night. He knew the cameras would track him all the way to her door, he hoped no one would question the back-to-back visits. She wanted to know if he had some free time this week. Her midterms were approaching and she was nervous about her Bio exam.

"We could meet for coffee?" She smiled up at him. "Or, I'd love to cook you dinner at my place. A 'thank you' in advance, for helping me ace the test."

Bobby couldn't help but smile. A Vegas showgirl whose name was actually Candice, complete with the heart of gold, and she was seemingly interested in him.

"Candice, I can't come back here unless there's a medical reason, I'll get fired and you could get in trouble."

Though he made decent money working in both security and as one of the medical staff, he wasn't sure he liked working here. He wanted to help her, he probably would, but he didn't want her risking her job status.

"I need your help; taping the ribs helps them heal faster."

"Uh-huh. And as a nursing student, I think you can manage that on your own," he said with a smirk as he pulled the tape from his bag.

She put on a fake pout. "Well…you do it so well."

He rolled his eyes and she giggled.

"You're doing it yourself from now on. When you're not in costume, you tape up the ribs. Try not to lay on that side and no heavy lifting."

She asked again about dinner and he left without giving her a firm answer.

"Must be a great gig! Free reign of the dressing rooms…kissing their boo-boos…they must be quite grateful. I shoulda been a nurse." Tattooed man's voice brought Bobby's attention back to the present.

Johnson came to Bobby's defense. "He's not a nurse, asswipe. Brown's retired military; he was a medic in Iraq." He gestured at them all. "Show a little respect."

Bobby kept his face blank and finished his food. He was about to stand when Anderson entered the room. "Brown," he called from the doorway. Bobby nudged his tray at Johnson, and then went over to his shift manager.

"This way." Anderson led them into the hallway. "I have a message from Mr. Sampson."

Aw, shit!

If the head of casino security was summoning him, he was in deep. Maybe he'd have time to tutor Candice after all.

"Do you know a Lester Santos?"

Bobby nodded. He was supposed to meet up with Santos tomorrow at the Blue Spot. They went through Basic together and had become fast friends. After Basic Bobby went through Army medical training. Both of them went on to Special Forces but served in different units. Occasionally they'd cross paths and they did manage to keep in contact when possible.

"Mr. Sampson just received a call from Santos' cousin---a man named Mr. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. He's waiting for you at B-31. You are to assist Mr. Manoso in whatever he requires. You'll be compensated the rest of your shift tonight. Unless he still requires your services, report for your next shift as scheduled."

Bobby kept his face blank as Anderson stalked away. He turned to his left and made his way through the maze of hallways heading towards B-31.

Carlos Manoso? Captain Carlos Manoso. Holy Fucking Shit! Captain Manoso is in Vegas and has requested his presence via the head of casino security …and he's Santos' cousin!

Brown paused to straighten his appearance. Since his position was unique, he wasn't required to wear a security uniform. He could be called at any time to tend to a guest or employee. His usual work attire consisted of button-down dress shirts and casual pants. He tucked in his shirt and made sure his sleeve cuffs were buttoned. At least he was wearing one of his nicer shirts today.

In the last ten months, he treated various "VIPs" for nonsense injuries. He never cared what they thought of him, and he never fawned over them either. Anything serious required an ambulance or an ER visit. He'd never forget the high roller who wanted a plastic surgeon consult for a 2 mm splinter in his forefinger. Bobby just gave the man a blank stare until he agreed to let him remove it.

He'd never met Captain Manoso in person, and didn't know many who had. Bobby had seen and done many things in his tenure but Manoso was a legend. Special Forces missions were never discussed but sometimes snippets were leaked. If even a fraction of what was murmured about him was true…

Bobby paused as he got to the exit.

"Ok, take a deep breath and try to not be an idiot," he warned himself.

*****

Ranger stood near a set of unmarked doors. He clenched his jaw but stopped when it made his head hurt more. He was wearing his sunglasses inside and not just to keep a low profile.

Santos, you better be dying or worse.

Ranger still couldn't believe he ended up agreeing to come here. Sure, Mateo was his only brother and being his Best Man came with certain duties. But when Santos offered to arrange the bachelor party, Ranger assumed it would be in Newark. He had planned to put in a brief appearance and then quietly slip away.

Mateo called to make sure Ranger cleared his schedule and told him of Santos' plans.

"Are you out of fucking mind?!"

"Hey, you only live once, bro." Mateo laughed.

"The point is to live long enough to marry Beth and to be able to look her in the eye when you get back."

"Do you really think her and the girls are going to the Poconos just for the spa treatments?"

"Aren't Mama and Abuela going with them?!"

"Yep."

Ranger groaned.

"It's best not to dwell on that…. Listen. I need you, bro. You'll keep me out of trouble and Santos out of jail. You might even enjoy yourself---if you don't pack that stick that's always up your ass."

Ranger sighed.

"You're going…or I'm giving Mama your new cell number."

"Fine. But if you get too out of hand, I might just let you share a cell with Santos."

"Just don't hog all the women."

"Mateo…."

"It's all good, man, catch you later."

When Ranger decided to set up his company in Trenton a year ago, he chose the city for its proximity to New York, Philly and D.C. He let his mother believe he also chose it so he'd be closer to his family. He did value his family, but business was his top priority right now. The new branch in Miami would be up and running soon….

He blinked as a very tall, leggy brunette strolled up to him. She was wearing about five strips of white leather and a pair of silver heels. She paused in front of him and smiled.

Ranger kept his expression blank and shook his head. He nearly grimaced as his temples throbbed. She looked him up and down and pouted before she turned away.

He checked his watch. Sampson said he'd have Brown to him in 10 minutes; that was 8 minutes ago. He didn't know Brown but Lester had talked about him on their flight down, said they had some wild times in Basic.

Ranger had hoped to get some paperwork done this afternoon. When he finally dragged Santos and Mateo back upstairs at 4am, he set his alarm for noon and passed out. He hadn't been out drinking like that in a long time and hadn't planned on it either. But the woman were gorgeous and once the shots started…well, at least he managed to keep everyone in line---more or less.

Cold-cocking Beth's older brother may not have been a good idea, he thought, but the fucker had it coming.

He skipped his morning run and ate half a cantaloupe. He couldn't focus on paperwork, so he took a tour of the casino, checking what he could of their security. He knew Sampson would call him on it. He was more at ease when he discovered upon arriving that the head of security was an old friend. Made things easier in case of an unexpected problem.

And now he had one. Santos had called and wouldn't tell him where he was. Only to find his friend Bobby Brown and call back when he did. Ranger even called back and ordered him to tell him where he was. Santos responded with a slew of expletives that were mixed in with the words unbearable pain and get Brown. Ranger had hung up and immediately called Sampson while he had Mateo check Lester's room.

One more minute and I'm going to Sampson personally so I can track down Santos and kick his ass.

The doors next to Ranger opened. A man stopped in front of him and stood at rigid attention. He was two inches taller than Ranger and had a lean yet muscular build.

"You Brown?"

"Yes, sir."

"Carlos Manoso."

They shook hands.

Ranger pulled out his cell, pressed the speed dial.

"Seems Santos is injured, he refused to tell me where he is or what is going on until I found you."

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

Ranger nodded. "At ease, Brown. I'm going to put you on with him, hopefully he's still in this casino. I should have put a tracker on his—"

"Lester's phone, Chrissy speaking." Ranger could hear another woman giggling in the background and Lester groaning. Ranger's jaw clenched which spiked his headache back up to full power.

"What's wrong with him?" Ranger growled.

"He kinda fell…he's laying on the floor and his arm looks…funny. Gina, some guy with a real sexxxxy voice is on the phone."

Fucking perfect.

"Listen, Chrissy---I need to know where you are. I'm bringing help for him."

"Oooh, you're going to come to my suite. Ok, we'll be waiting!"

"Wait! I don't know where you are." Ranger squeezed the phone so tight it nearly shattered. He looked at Brown who was shaking his head.

"Sir." Brown gestured towards Ranger's cell.

"Chrissy. Talk to my buddy here, tell him where you are and we'll come visit."

"Hey, Gina! He's got a friend! Um…hello?"

Ranger handed the cell to Brown.

"Hello. Tell me the casino and suite number and we'll be right up." Bobby looked at Ranger. "It's on the fifth floor main building; ETA under six minutes."

Bobby turned back to the doors. He removed a card from his wallet and swiped it. The door unlocked and he held the door for Ranger.

Ranger nodded and Brown followed him inside. He handed Ranger the cell and led the way.

"Chrissy got so excited she hung up on me. Tell me what they said about what happened to him. I'll grab my med bag on our way."

"I could hear him groaning. I didn't get much on his status; I was worried we wouldn't find out where he was. He 'kinda fell and his arm looks funny' is the best I got."

"Wonderful. If he lives, can I watch you kick his ass?"

Ranger looked at Brown.

"You can help."

***

Bobby took out his security card and placed it in the lock.

"Chrissy. Gina. It's Lester's friends, we're coming in—" Bobby blinked as the door swung open. "---side."

A curly haired brunette about five feet tall stood in front of them.

Topless.

Wearing a scrap of silk as underwear.

Bobby opened his mouth to speak again, but paused. He looked at Ranger and watched as the man pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. He leveled the girl with a deadly glare.

"Stand aside."

The girl flattened herself against the door and gaped as Ranger walked past her.

Bobby followed Ranger inside then turned back to shut the door. The girl was staring after Ranger. Bobby grabbed her arm and gently tugged her aside so he could shut the door.

"Brown, over here."

Bobby walked through the suite and over to the kitchen-dining area. Lying on the tiled floor, naked and groaning, was Lester Santos.

Ranger was standing next to Lester clenching his fists and muttering in Spanish.

"Santos, what the fuck, man?" Bobby dropped his bag and crouched down next to Lester's head.

"Bobby! About fucking time, man!" Lester winced as he tried to turn towards his friend.

Bobby checked Lester's pupils. "You high or just loaded?"

Ranger swore and then stalked over to the girl. "What the fuck happened? Did you give him anything?"

He towered over the girl. She was too high to realize the danger she was in.

"We were…." She pointed at the kitchen counter. "He fell off."

"Did you GIVE him anything?!" Ranger growled.

"Ranger…dude…back off her, man. I don't touch that shit…" Lester slipped into Spanish and closed his eyes.

Bobby slapped Lester lightly on the face. "Santos! Eyes open! Did you hit your head?"

Lester's eyes flew back open. "No…not really. I mostly landed on my shoulder and back."

"Get some clothes on and get the fuck out," Ranger told the woman.

"No!" Bobby turned towards them. Ranger scowled back at him

"Gina, is it?" He tried to ignore Ranger's glare.

She nodded and smiled.

"Ok, Gina. I need a wet cloth for his face. Could you get that for me, please?"

"I'll get the cloth, Brown. The puta needs to leave."

"Manoso, I need you to help me turn him. Santos, keep your eyes open. Gina, the cloth."

The girl scooted away. Ranger glared after her, then came over to the other side of Lester.

"What's his status?"

"His neck is clear. Shoulder appears to be the worst of it, but I need to roll him to see if he hit anything on the way down." Bobby lowered his voice. "His pupils are dilated but not blown. Probably he's just loaded, but I wouldn't be surprised if they slipped him something." He looked up at Ranger. "Until we know for sure, we don't want her to leave. You get me?"

Ranger met his gaze and nodded. "Got it."

Bobby swallowed. "Good…sir. Now…."

"Can the formalities---it's Ranger."

"Aww…he likes you."

"Shut it, Santos."

"OK." Bobby nodded. "Now I just need to quickly examine his back and head. You grab his hip and roll him towards you. Keep your hands on his lower back; I'll handle the injured arm."

Bobby looked at Lester. "This is gonna hurt. But as soon as I'm sure the rest is working, we'll pop your shoulder back in."

"Then I'll be good to go? Ladies, I'll be right with you!" Lester winced as he tried to turn to look behind him.

"The only place you are going is on a fucking plane back to Trenton. Matter of fact, we're getting separate flights because if I get trapped in a confined space with you I'm going to—"

"Ranger." Bobby pointed at Lester's hips. "Get that pillow off him. We have to do this now, there's greater risk of ligament damage if we don't pop the…."

Ranger moved the pillow and both men gawked.

Lester's dick and groin area were bright purple.

Gina chose that moment to return with the wet cloth. "Here you go, handsome. I was afraid Chrissy used the last clean one." She laughed. "Isn't that a pretty purple? I want to paint my bedroom that color." She giggled uncontrollably.

"Gina! You didn't tell me we had company."

The sound of the other girl's voice snapped both men back into action. They both turned to look at the naked redhead as she walked up to them. She had green handprints on each breast and a green smiley face on her stomach.

"I can't get this shit to come off!" Chrissy gestured at the paint.

Bobby was about to reply when he noticed that Chrissy's tongue was also bright purple. "Christ, Santos." Bobby turned back to Ranger. "You ready?"

Ranger nodded.

"Ladies, would you step back, please."

The girls backed up. The men rolled Santos and Bobby quickly ran his hand along his head and back. "He's good. Roll him back."

Bobby looked at Lester. "Where are your clothes?"

Ranger looked at the two women. "Where's your wallet and phone?"

Chrissy strutted over to Ranger. "I think it's all in the bedroom." Ranger began to stalk away. "But I'll come with you." She said as she hurried after him.

"She's been in his presence five minutes and he's got her naked and in the bedroom." Lester groaned.

"You know, maybe I should help them look too." Gina giggled as she stumbled away.

"You need a full time chaperone. You know that?" Bobby shook his head at him. "And how the hell is it you never told me Manoso is your cousin? I almost shit a brick when my boss told me he was here and demanding my presence!"

"Eh." Lester waved his good arm. "He's not that scary. It's mostly a front."

Bobby watched as Ranger returned with Lester's pants.

"Yeah, tell me that again sometime when this day is over." He looked at Lester. "How shitfaced are you? Is the room spinning?"

"Not quite."

They managed to get Lester upright and into his pants.

"OK, let's get that shoulder popped. Ranger, hold him still."

Bobby bent Lester's arm and began to rotate.

"Fuck!" Lester groaned before he sagged back against Ranger.

"Yeah, let's get you out of here." Bobby pulled out his cell and looked at Ranger. "You got his wallet and cell?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, get him back to your room. I'm calling a crew to clean up and to take care of his 'friends.' I'll be over as soon as I can. Don't let him fall asleep."

"Understood." Ranger had a look in his eye as if he was assessing Bobby. "You're a good friend, Brown. He's lucky you were around."

"He's lucky we didn't take pictures." Bobby smirked. "Oh, and have room service send up some baby oil, it will remove…" Bobby gestured.

Lester snorted. "Sounds like you speak from experience."

"Just one of the many things you learn from the crazy shit that happens daily here. It's freaky enough when it's people I don't know."

"Maybe you need a change of venue?" Ranger said as he shifted his grip on Lester. He pulled out his wallet and handed Bobby a card.

"Come work for me. We'll discuss details later."

Bobby looked at the card.

Rangeman Ltd.

"Rangeman?"

"Security and Bond enforcement." He looked over towards the bedroom. "We can talk later. You better make that call. I gave them each fifty dollars from Lester's wallet and told them we'd be back as soon we hit an ATM."

Lester groaned. "My dick is starting to burn. Can we go now?"

Ranger nodded and pulled out his cell. "I'm calling Mateo to meet us at the elevator."

"Man, he's gonna be sorry he didn't meet me for lunch."

"You know I'm still going to beat your ass; I'm just waiting for you to sober up first." Ranger glared.

"And you wonder why Mateo's my favorite cousin?"

They headed towards the door.

Lester turned back. "Bobby, thanks man." He moved his arm. "It already feels better."

"I'll see you in a few."

"You should come to Trenton; we could do this once a week!" Lester smirked.

"Yeah, I'll think about it."

Trenton…present day.

Bobby startled as his cell chirped. As he read the text message a huge grinned stretched over his face. He started the Escalade and drove to St. Francis Hospital.

He entered the ER waiting room and made his way past the nurses' desk.

He smiled as the sound of Lester's voice drifted to him.

"She had green paint on her boobs too. Bombshell, don't ever let Ranger use green, I see you as more of a—"

"Santos. Finish the damn story already." Ranger growled.

Bobby laughed. Ranger made his way over and gave him a concerned look.

"Thought I told you to go home."

"You let him tell her the whole story?"

"Most of it…."

"Hello, boys."

A beautiful blond nurse walked up to Bobby and kissed him on the cheek.

"Evening, Candice. I didn't see you when we came in." Ranger grinned.

"I just got here. A couple nurses are out sick."

Bobby smiled at her. "You on for 8 hours?"

"I'll be here at least until the morning shift starts. Lester ok?"

"He will be. If he gets his hands off of Stephanie. Excuse me." Ranger stalked back over and pulled Stephanie back from Lester.

"Can I buy you breakfast tomorrow?" asked Bobby.

"How about you come over and help me unpack some more boxes? I still don't feel settled. Then we can make breakfast together." Candice put her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him.

"Sounds like a plan." He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

17