This is my own take on Janet Evanovich's world. All mistakes are mine. This story is entirely Ranger's POV, he wanted to tell his side of the story. This chapter sums up all 20 (so far) JE books, and the first 4 chapters of I need a date. (again, from Ranger's POV). It seems a bit Noir, but that's how I see him. Let me know what you think!
I walked along the hot Miami beach as the last rays of the setting sun spilled across the horizon. I was troubled by the thoughts in my head. The worst one was the one that kept repeating, 'you're too late'. I thought about her curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She was the only woman I had ever known who had power over me, and I may have let her slip through my fingers.
My name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso, Carlos to my family, but most people call me Ranger. I own Rangeman, a security company with offices in Boston, Miami, Atlanta, and Trenton. I have killed people. I killed people as a soldier fighting in the Army Rangers for my country, I killed people as a mercenary fighting for causes I believed in, and I killed people to keep those I love safe. I don't regret the choices I have made. I regret waiting too fucking long.
I remember the day I met her. The office manager for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, Connie Rizzoli had called and asked me if I would show a new BEA the ropes. I still have no idea why I said yes. As soon as she walked into the diner where I said I would meet her, a voice in my head said, 'MINE'. I tried to warn her away. I told her that I don't do relationships. I told her that I was bad for her. I saw her naked in her shower, handcuffed to the curtain rod, and I knew I would have her.
She filled my thoughts more and more. I gave her cars which she managed to destroy. I assigned men to keep her safe when I couldn't be there. When I had to go out of town, I stopped to see her before I could leave, and went to her as soon as I got back.
She started dating a cop. He was a decent enough guy, but he was a fool to let her come near me. It seemed that as much as I was drawn to her, she was also drawn to me. Then I slept with her. I had hoped that we would have one amazing night together and then both be able to move on. I was wrong in so very many ways.
I told her that there was no price for what we had given each other, and sent her back to the cop. I lied. I would pay the price myself to protect her heart. She was the light to my darkness, the Wonder Woman to my Batman, and I would keep her safe, even from myself. I thought I was incapable of the kind of love she needed. I was haunted by the ghosts of war and the mistakes of my youth. I thought I couldn't be who she wanted. I was wrong.
We circled each other. Both of us afraid to be burned by the fire that raged between us. An irresistible force on a collision course with an immovable object. She moved into my apartment temporarily. She worked for me briefly. She made love with me occasionally. Every time we got too close, I wanted to beg her to stay, even as I pushed her away.
Then I saw the Giraffe. A majestic animal that in no way belonged on the streets of Trenton. Of all the things I have seen and done over my life, I've never seen anything like the Giraffe wandering around the streets of the city I call home. She is with me, so I point him out to her. "That's just Kevin" she tells me. She has accepted this wild animal with a calm grace, and without reservation. This is a revelation for me. Could she accept the animal that lives inside me the same way?
I was called away to Miami. There was a minor problem that needed my attention. I could have handled it easily and been back in days, but I needed time to think. I had to think of a way to tell her what I was feeling without scaring her away. I don't know what I would have done if I bared my soul to her and she rejected it. I needed to make it work. I just needed time.
Then I got the call.
Tank is my friend. He is my right hand, and the one person I would easily trust with my life. We are brothers. He knows what I am thinking. He knows how I feel about her, even if I have only just started admitting it to myself.
"You need to come back here." Tank tells me. "That bastard waited until he knew you were out of town, and proposed to her."
"He's done that before." I remind him.
"Not like this." Tank informs me. "This was in public, with the ring you told her you would never give her."
Fuck. I hang up on Tank and contemplate throwing my phone into the ocean. I have to get back to her. I have to tell her. I have to make her understand. I am ready to run to the airport. I stop. A vicious pain stabs through my heart. I can't do it. I have to let her make her own decision. I can't stop her from being who she wants to be. I can't go back.
I have to give her time. I make a promise to myself to let her have a week. Even though I am in a city filled with warm sunlight and beautiful people, I can see no one but her. At the end of the week, I am still ready to run to her. I still can't do it. I will give her one more week.
I have pushed myself beyond my own limits. It is time to go home. I need to assess the wreckage of my life, and see if there are any pieces left to be picked up. It is Friday, two weeks since I got the call. I leave the airport for the familiar comfort of my Porsche. Even my car holds memories of her. I race home in an effort to find her, but she has not yet gotten back to her apartment. It is Friday, so she will be at her parents house, having dinner with her family. I let myself in. I am immediately surrounded by her. I am soothed by her presence, even when she is not here. I sit in the dark and wait for her.
There is a sound at her door. Suddenly it is opened, and I can see her. Tank has not told me everything. One look and I can tell she has not been taking care of herself. She has dark circles under her eyes, and has lost weight. She seems listless where before there was only exuberance. I know. I can tell by the way she moves that she has rejected the cop, but it has cost her dearly. I would gladly pay this price for her, too.
She walks into the living room, and is almost on top of me by the time she sees me. She yells at me. I have to help her. I need to see the woman I know she is. A last minute plan is forming in my mind. This has to work. I say the words that will either save us both or damn me forever.
"I need a date."
