Trekking through the muck and sludge of the supposedly abandoned Potted Meat plant was not my idea of a good Friday night. The putrid stench of leftover mystery meat products were splattered on every surface of the large windowless room that I was currently crouching in.

'Way to go, Plum.' I chastised myself as my sneakers once again slid on some slimy piece of nastiness. I hadn't planned on this take down being this difficult. Theodore Grimly was an easy pick up. At 65 years old, with more artificial joints then a Barbie doll I had thought that he would come willingly, or that I would at least be able to outrun him. I was wrong.

I had spotted him in his suped up Hover Round, cruising down the sidewalk on Grapevine Street across from the Senior Center that he frequented. He had been arrested on assault charges against one of the other Center patrons, claiming that they had cheated him out of an imported smoked sausage and cheese snack box that he had gotten from his son a few days prior. I wasn't aware of the huge underground Senior Citizen Fight Club that had been running in the basement of the Center for years.

It wasn't a normal Fight Club. They were fighting with long PVC pipes topped with a stuffed knitted hat, more than likely knitted by other patrons of the Center, riding on their Hover Rounds, Wheelchairs and even Walkers. It was more like a medieval jousting match. The night that he was arrested he had won his fight with Grant Pederson. But because he had used pepper spray to disable his opponent they had claimed Pederson the victor. Pederson walked away with the Prized Snack Meats and grimly wasn't going to let him walk away with it. By the time the police arrived, Grimly had his hands tightly around Pederson's throat, and Pederson had a tight grip on Grimly's meat. *ha-ha..that part in the police report made me giggle.*

So, here I am. I followed him for a couple blocks before he notice me and took off. We ran in and out of a gas station, and around a bus stop until he slammed into a huge old door. It was the back door of the old McGriffin Potted Meat Plant. Without a second thought I plowed into the Potted Meat Plant. I was loudly sloshing my way through the dark and stank warehouses and factory floors when I heard the hum of Grimly's Hover Round high above my head.

"You'll never catch me, you wench!" he cried out. His raspy old man voice echoing off the thick walls and metal scaffolding. He laughed maniacally, as if he was the villain in some B-rated action flick as I took after him. I reached the landing when he slipped through a metal door and the distinct CLANK of a lock tumbled into place.

"Shit." I growled out, slipping on yet another pile of sludge as I slammed into the door. I stood, cringing at what was probably the cause of the slimy wetness oozing through my jeans, before pounding on the door.

"Grimly!" My voice reverberated against the room, ringing in my ears. "Open that damned door! I work for your bail bondsman. I need to take you in so you can reschedule!"

Another laugh, this one sounding further away, followed by an even louder CLANK, then a series of Clicks. My eyes widened, realizing that he was locking me in.

"GRIMELY!" I screamed again. "Let me out!"

Silence.

"Fuck." I leaned my forehead against the door in frustration, immediately regretting it as I felt another chunk of sliminess against my skin. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

My cell phone rang, the sound bouncing off the walls even louder than my voice had. Looking down at the screen a single word flashed before me. Ranger.

"Babe." His tone flat and amused.

"Seriously, I think this one might go down in the books." I sighed, trying to wipe whatever was on my forehead off on the sleeve of my hooded sweatshirt. "Do you have my location?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "We are ten minutes out."

"Thanks, Ranger." I sighed. "Oh, and could you bring something clean to wear and a lighter. I think I will have to burn my clothes."

A soft deep laugh rolled out of the phone. Ranger's laugh was amazing, even if it was because he was laughing at me.

"Babe." He hung up, never ending the phone call with an actual Goodbye.

Turning my phone around, I used it as a makeshift flashlight. I wished that I hadn't. The yellowed emergency lights around the building had given just enough light to make sure that I didn't run into a wall, but didn't give me a clear idea of what exactly I was looking at. My stomach rolled, and my mouth began to sweat.

I was surrounded by blood. A lot of blood. It was splattered around the scaffolding and the door that I had just leaned again. I pushed back the vomit trying to spew out of me, and began to walk back towards the stairs that I had come up on. My cell phone flickered as the screen timer ran out. I picked up the pace quickly finishing up the last of the stairs before hitting the bottom and flicking my finger over the screen to illuminate the space around me.

My heart stopped and my lungs seized. I closed my eyes, hoping that maybe I was just hallucinating the scene before me. Taking a deep breath I opened my eyes again. I turned the phone to my face pressing the redial button.

"Babe." Ranger's smooth voice carried over the speaker. "Almost there..."

"Ranger." I squeaked out, interrupting him. I swallowed. "I can't….Hurry."

I heard the engine of his Cayenne roar before he spoke, calmly. "Babe, are you hurt? Is someone there? Talk."

"Ranger." I started again, my voice cracking as my eyes focused on the darkened masses that I knew were there. "The factory floor…..it's filled with body parts."

"It's a Meat Factory, Babe." Ranger said, the roar of the engine not seizing a bit. "There could be some left..." I interrupted him again.

"They are people." I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks, and my chest heaved with the breath I had held. "People." I repeated. Not sure if it was to convince Ranger or myself.

The tires squealed through the phone as Ranger gave whoever was with him, probably Tank, orders to call in back up. "I'm here." I could hear the doors slam and the distinct sound of boots running on gravel. "Where are you?"

"It's dark. I was running..." I stammered trying to shake my brain awake. "Grimly…he locked me in. I…"

I heard the footsteps echoing thru the room and loud banging. My body involuntarily flinched at each loud THUD. After half a dozen the door slammed open, creaking against its locks. I screamed, dropping my phone.

"Babe!" Ranger called out. A flashlight beam whipping around the room. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see anything else illuminated by the light. "¿qué coño"

I sobbed, trying to push out any sound so that he could find me. It resulted in a squeak.

"Shit…Babe." Ranger's footsteps quickened as he reached me, sweeping me up into his arms and running back out of the room. He called out as we ran. "Secure the room. Call Trenton PD."

My eyes still squeezed shut, trying to erase the memory of the image that was just burned into my brain. I felt him set me down, and take my face in his hands.

"Stephanie, Open your eyes." Ranger's voice was firm but demanding. My eyes fluttered open. His face filled my vision. I felt my lip curl and quiver into what I assume was an epic pouty face. "Babe." He wrapped a blanket around me and then wrapped his arms around me as I sobbed.

We sat like that until the parking lot filled with cop cars and Rangeman, and the hum of walkie talkies and unloading gear filled the air. Taking a deep breath I pulled back slightly, wiping my face with my hands.

"Babe?" His hands took mine and placed them on my lap and covered them with his own.

"I think I got it under control now." I whispered my voice rough from crying. I sniffed, attempting to pull my hands from his grip. "Uh, Ranger. I need my hands, unless you want to wipe my nose for me." A nervous laugh escaped my lips, followed by a residual hiccup from the tears.

"I'll get it." Ranger's voice was low and quiet. He nodded to someone to the side and a towel came into view. He took both my hands in his, and brought it up to my face. "Blow." I looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Blow." He repeated. I complied, feeling awkward.

"Thanks." I whispered. I looked down at my hands, still in Ranger's grip and now covered with a towel. "Do I want to see what is on my hands?" He shook his head, tilting his mouth into a sexy half smile. "Can we go?"

"Yeah. Cal can drive us." He picked me up, keeping the blanket tightly around me, and the towel covering my hands. As he slid into the back seat of the Cayenne with me still in his arms, Cal hopped in and took off the minute the doors were closed. We sat in near silence, as we headed to Rangeman. "Stop at the elevator, Cal."

My feet never touched the ground as we rode the elevator up to the seventh floor, through his door and into his bathroom. Even then he stepped into his shower, both of us fully clothed.

"Look at my eyes, Steph." Ranger said, pulling off my phone, keys and his gear and tossing it on the counter before closing the glass doors... I allowed my mind to wander as I stared into his eyes. The color matching the Hershey kisses that I had eaten earlier. He had small lines near the corner of his eyes that didn't make him look older, and thick long eyelashes that softened the strong features of his face. I didn't look away when he turned on the water and began stripping me down layer by layer. "You aren't hurt anywhere?" He finally said as he slipped off my bra and panties. "Not even a scratch."

"I didn't think I had hurt myself." I looked down and gasped. "Oh my God." I whimpered over and over again my whole body shaking as I took in my clothes and the residue on the floor of the shower. There were chunks of flesh, blood and bits of things that looked like pieces of brain or organs. The blood was curdled and stuck everywhere.

"Babe." Ranger tipped my chin so that we were eye to eye. "You need to keep looking at me."

"Is that what I think it is?" My voice was barely audible.

"Yes." He rubbed his thumb across my cheek, wiping away yet another tear. "Let's get you all cleaned up, and then we will worry about what it is, okay?" I nodded. "Babe, close your eyes." I did as he said. I heard him slowly open the door and then a loud wet thud as what I am assuming was my clothes hitting the huge jet tub next to the shower. I heard rustling of clothing, the door open and then click shut before Ranger's voice softly echoed around me. "This will make it much easier."

I opened my eyes. Ranger was standing in front of me as naked as the day he was born. He smiled, at my gaped mouth and the sudden hitch in my breath, as he reached behind me and turned the water on. Deliciously hot water immediately shot out of the multiple shower heads that protruded out of the dark stone and I moaned in delight.

"Babe." Ranger huskily replied, tipping my head into the stream of the main shower head and massaging my scalp. I closed my eyes, put my hands at his waist to steady myself and enjoyed the heavenly massaging showerheads and the even more delightful Ranger hands. "You are going to make this incredibly….difficult for me to complete without taking advantage of your lack of clothing." His voice was husky and thick as he whispered into my ear. I smiled and reached further around and scraped my nails gently from the center of his back to his hips. He growled sending a shiver up my spine. "Later." He nibbled at my ear.

Taking a deep breath, obviously to refocus his attention, he poured a decent amount of shampoo into his hands and began to lather up the mess of curls. I kept my eyes closed, and a light grip on him so I wouldn't fall over, as he repeated the process twice. After a thorough rise off he massaged in conditioner and piled my hair on top of my head, twisting it slightly so that it would stay in place.

"You are amazing. Have you ever thought about going into hair dressing? You could make a killing on washing hair alone." I smiled; opening my eyes and watching him cover a large pouf with Bulgari body wash.

"I don't think it would be my calling, Babe." He began gently scrubbing at my shoulders and arms. "But I am not sure I could wash just anyone's hair…especially naked."

"That would make things difficult." I sighed, the pouf leaving a mass of bubbles across every inch of my skin. I held my breath as he hit every nook and cranny, and I mean EVERY nook and cranny. "But you are thorough…in everything you do."

He set the loop of the pouf on a small hook protruding in the corner of the shower and looked me down. His eyes leaving fire in their wake. As he slowly walked me back into the water I placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"You are just as dirty as I am, Mister." I scolded, reaching for the pouf and plopping it down on his chest. Bubbles splattered all over him, clinging to his face, eyebrows and even eyelashes. I giggled, making circular motions with the pouf. "This is how dirty boys get clean."

"Babe…" Ranger laughed, but stood still as I completed my cleaning process.

Of course I had to make sure that every bit of him was completely clean. In fact, I think I cleaned a couple more impressive bits of him at least three or four times. When I felt he was adequately clean, I reached behind him and placed the pouf back on the hook. Ranger's eyes were black, his breathing was slightly ragged. "There all clean."

I smirked, tapping his nose and leaving a little glob of bubbles in its place.

I tipped my head back and rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. I could feel his eyes still on me, the heat radiating off his body. I gasped as a large warm hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me against him. His mouth covered mine and we kissed. My body burned and ached for him to be closer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my hands in his wet thick hair. His hands, which were braced on either side of the wall behind me slid down under my bum and lifted me, my legs wrapping around him tightly. Using one hand to brace me against him, he pushed open the shower door. He stepped out, and carried me into his bedroom.

Just as he was about to toss me on his bed and have his way with me, a loud banging echoed through the apartment.

"Ranger!" Tanks voice boomed past the door, followed by some more banging.

"Fuck." I groaned, as Ranger set me back onto my feet.

"Someone had better be dead." He growled, stalking out of the bedroom to the front door. He whipped it open and barked. "Tank."

I was scrambling to cover myself, pulling out a black t-shirt that hung to my knees. Peeking around the door jamb I saw Ranger, standing completely naked with his hands on his hips in front of Tank who had a smirk on his face. He saw me over Ranger's shoulder and tipped his head.

"Steph." He said. "Sorry for ... um…interrupting."

I sighed, stepping out into the living room and over to Ranger and waving my hand at Tank.

"What's going on, Tank?"

"I have to take you two down to the control room." He waved a finger at both of us. "But you will need to get dressed. At least Ranger does. Steph, you are always welcome to come naked to anything here at Rangeman."

Giggling, I pulled Ranger's arm lightly encouraging him to come with. Slamming the door in Tank's face, he stopped causing me to jerk to a stop.

"Wha.." I was swept off my feet and over his shoulder before I could even finish asking. He flipped me onto his bed and stripped me of his black t-shirt.

"I am not done with you yet, Babe."

* I hope that you enjoyed this short. Please leave a comment, rant, rave, or whatever.*