I believed that I had retired from writing, but I guess I was just tired. My muse took off with two suitcases and her passport and after repeated pleading by text and email she finally contacted me. She has arrived safely back home, thank goodness, yes, in time for winter again! Sigh.
Thanks once again to Megan for her green pen. Love you, hate the pen!
Thanks too to Margaret for her encouragement (cough-nagging). Even she does not know how many times this hit the trash barrel!
Once again, JE deserves the credit for these amazing characters. Someday I might dream up my own, but until then...
This is written from mostly Rangers' POV.
Chapter 1
My name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso or Ranger to my friends and enemies alike. I am of Cuban ancestry which I am extremely proud of. I think that I look in damn good shape for a man my age and if we can keep a secret between us I am just a bit vain about my physique. I work hard to maintain this body and hope to for years to come.
I have few vices or weaknesses, but my most pressing one at the present time is a curly haired, brunette ball of energy named Stephanie Plum.
Before I dwell on that too much, back to my dilemma. The late night phone call unnerved me enough that my tortured sleep became cause for restless pacing in my extra large bedroom. Knowing that sleep would not be coming soon, I pulled on some workout gear and headed downstairs. I was hoping that at 2 am the gym would be empty.
Quickly I warmed up and stepped on the treadmill. I set it for ten miles hoping that the monotonous pounding I was going to inflict on this hapless machine would be enough to shut down my brain. Why should I be surprised when the timer rang and I was no closer to a clear and relaxed mind. The gym was still empty so I headed for the martial arts mat in the middle of the floor and commenced a choreographed but difficult series of movements. I knew that someone would be monitoring me up in the control room and that gave me both comfort and anger at the same time.
My body was tired but my mind was still going a million miles a minute. Abandoning the whole idea of continuing my fitness routine, I dragged my tired body back to seven for a long and relaxing shower. I shrugged off and stepped out of my clothes dropping them like breadcrumbs in the forest all the way to the shower. Under normal circumstances I would expend the energy to put them in the laundry hamper, but I just couldn't find the will or desire to do it at the moment. I turned on the water and stepped in reveling in the hard jets of water that pounded on my flesh. Yes, this was the ticket.
Feeling refreshed I turned off the water and stepped out. The bathmat cushioned my feet as I stood dripping. I had the towel in my hand ready to wipe the moisture off my body when my eye spied a blue scrunchie around the toothbrush holder.
I had tried to drive her away but she had wormed her way into my life again.
I commenced drying off, but the electronic bracelet on my right ankle was chaffing from the sweat of working out and the shower I had just finished.
I was a prisoner in my own building.
Shit.
