Of Jelly Doughnuts and Bran Muffins

by Robin

Mild spoilers through Chapter 2 of LMT

Rated:PG

Part 1

Ranger pulled up to the bonds office looking better than any body had a right to. His silky straight hair had grown out enough to pull back into a ponytail and keep it out of his face and he could finally abandon the hats he'd been wearing for the last few months. His smooth, tanned skin bore a few more scars that only enhanced his sexy-as-hell badass image. He'd grown a little leaner, his muscles hardened from the stress his body had endured on his last mission.

There had been moments when he wasn't sure if he'd live to see the mission through, but thoughts of what he'd left in Trenton, of what the future might hold, saw him through the worst of it, his instincts and discipline and training getting him through the rest.

And it had been worth it in the end, he thought resting his hand over his coat pocket and the paper within that made him a free man. All he had to do now was find her and tell her. Tell her what his plans were, what he wanted… what he was almost certain they both wanted. He laughed to himself as he thought about psyching himself up to see her. This conversation seemed scarier than anything he'd encountered as a soldier. She had the ability to hurt him in ways no one else ever had, way worse than the physical pain he'd recently endured. She was the source of light in his life and she had the ability to put that light out. It was a heady thing for a man like him to give that kind of power to someone, but he finally realized he'd been living a half-life without her. She was a risk worth taking.

He scanned the cars parked in front of the building trying to pick hers out, knowing that with her luck it was likely she'd gone through a half dozen in the time he'd been away. There was no sign of Big Blue or the Escape she'd been driving when he left town, but it was almost lunchtime and if her habits hadn't changed, she could almost always be counted upon to drop in for take-out with the girls.

Climbing out of his truck, he ambled across the street and into the bonds office, stopping the conversation in its tracks. "Ladies," he said to the gaping Connie and Lula, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. He flashed the girls a charming smile despite the fact he was disappointed that there was no sign of Stephanie. Lula issued a little squeak and dropped to the couch with a thud. Connie just fanned herself. It was amusing to him that they reacted this way; he'd missed them while he was away.

Connie recovered her power of speech first, "Hi, Ranger. Long time no see."

"Hi, Connie. Lula. It is good to see you both."

"Uh, Vinnie's not here. Said he needed to see a man about a duck."

Ranger laughed, the sound was rich and warm and sent a visible shudder through the women. "I'm not here to see Vinnie. I was actually wondering when you expected Stephanie."

"You haven't heard?" Connie asked.

A feeling of unease seeped into Ranger and he asked, "Heard what? Is she okay?" His tone held none of the urgency he felt and his impassive façade held, barely.

"Oh, no, don't worry. That girl be fine," Lula said. Ranger felt a wave of relief so powerful he almost made an expression. "She just don't work here no more. And good riddance, I say."

Ranger stared at Lula, a look that had made lesser mortals pee their pants. However, Lula just jutted out her chin. "Don't you be looking at me like that, Batman. You ain't been around, you don't know what's what."

"Tell me," he said, a threat in his voice. He liked Lula, but he wouldn't stand by and let anyone badmouth Stephanie, especially not someone who was supposed to be a friend.

"Really, Ranger," Connie interjected, "things have changed since you left. Steph… well, the last time she was here, she said some things that are hard to forgive."

"What happened?" he asked. His Babe was well liked by just about everybody, and she rarely did or said things to hurt someone else, especially not her friends. Ranger was confused and there was nothing he hated more than that feeling. Confusion was a loss of control and control was essential.

"That skinny white girl done changed, is what happened," Lula said standing up, hands on hips. "She became too good for the likes of us with her new job and her boring-ass friends. She said she couldn't always be comin' by to help me get my skips. That if I couldn't do it without her help, maybe I should go back to doing a job I was good at. And I know what she meant 'cause the only job I ever been good at is turnin' tricks."

Ranger looked at Connie, trying to assess if Lula's story was the truth. "That's what happened, I swear," she said, holding her hands at shoulder height, palms forward, in the universal 'don't shoot the messenger' gesture.

Lula crossed her arms over her ample chest and humphed, mumbling more to herself than the others, "Course that's what happened. I oughta know. And I know she wasn't talkin' 'bout me being no filing clerk, everybody knows I don't file worth a damn. I mean I could file the shit outta this place, if I wanted to. I just never applied myself."

"Why did she quit?" Ranger asked Connie, ignoring Lula's grumbles.

"Morelli. Why else? Said she had to quit if they were gonna get back together. She came around for a while after that and then she got a new job and we saw less and less of her, and then one day…" Connie trailed off, looking at the ground to avoid the weight of Ranger's stare.

Morelli, Ranger thought grimly, so he was back in the picture. They'd been broken up when Ranger left town. He should've known it would be too good to last.

"Where is she working?" he asked.

"Macy's," Lula answered, "behind one of them perfume counters. I can't even go in there anymore. I tell you, it's been hell on my shoe addiction."

Ranger simply nodded at the women and walked out the door, returning to his truck. All of the plans that he'd been so sure of ten minutes ago had flown right out the window and some of the wind had gone out of his sails. He wasn't completely surprised Morelli was back in the picture, that wasn't new. That was a possibility he had considered, but the other changes, well, he wasn't sure what to make of that. He took a deep breath and started the truck, pulling into traffic and setting out for the mall.

ooooo

The drive to the mall was more frustrating than normal for this time of day and if there was a possible barrier, he encountered it. Every light was red, every congested area moved at a crawl. If Ranger had been the superstitious type he would have taken it as a bad omen.

He parked and entered Macy's via the Men's Department so he could approach Stephanie unobserved. He wound through racks of shirts, pants, belts, jewelry, then handbags and hats until finally he neared the cosmetics area. He spotted her at a counter, helping an older lady with pink hair.

Stephanie was as beautiful as ever, her hair longer now, falling over her shoulders in waves. She wore an ivory blouse under a navy jacket, her matching skirt ending just above her knees, her long pantyhose clad legs enhanced by pretty, but plain, pumps. Ranger watched a smiling Stephanie spray perfume onto a sample card and present it to the customer. The lady took it and rubbed it all over herself, her arms, her neck and her décolletage, she handed the card back and patted Stephanie on the hand, then waved and walked off.

Stephanie's shoulders slumped when the woman moved away, the smile slipping from her face as she blew out a sigh. Stephanie put the sample perfume back on the shelf and glanced around, noting that the store was virtually empty. She sighed again and leaned over the counter, propping her head up on her hand. The motion caused the overhead lights to reflect off a ring on her hand. Ranger's heart sank… a diamond ring on her left hand.

He cursed under his breath. Nothing was going the way he'd hoped and nothing was as he'd expected. He could only blame his own impatience in seeking her out without stopping in at RangeMan and getting a briefing from Tank. Ranger knew better than to rush into a situation without all the facts and he considered leaving, taking some time to regroup. It was the logical thing to do on any mission when there had been so much bad intel.

But his body craved her like water to a man who'd been long in the desert. He couldn't walk away without talking to her, touching her, tasting her. He stepped from the racks of hats on silent feet, approaching her counter like a feral cat stalking its prey.

More to come...