Disclaimer: None of these characters are of my own creation, and are borrowed without permission.
It's a Misunderstanding
Ranger was returning to Haywood from dropping off a skip. He got out of the SUV he had used and saw Lester standing by the elevator waiting for him.
"Boss." Lester addressed him.
Ranger nodded and together they boarded the elevator, Lester hit the button for five. However he didn't start talking until they exited the elevator.
"We got a tip on our skip, Julio Montez, heard he'd be making a buy tonight."
"We have a location?" Ranger asked, knowing that they only had a couple days left on Montez.
"Some abandoned warehouse on State Street."
"What else we have on him?" Ranger was trying to remember the specifics on Montez but it had been over a week since they had first gotten the file. He was upset to find out that he couldn't remember it as well as he would have liked to.
Lester and Ranger entered Ranger's office, Lester waited until Ranger was on the other side of the desk before speaking.
"He's got a weakness for hookers and loose women." Lester said then braced himself for Ranger's reaction.
"Steph is not pretending to be a hooker, especially on State Street. It's almost as bad as Stark Street."
"It would be the easiest way to get Julio and the safest," Lester told him. "With Steph as a distraction it would be the easiest way to get Montez away from his buddies and into a dark alleyway where we could grab him." Lester had it all planned out, now all he needed way Ranger's permission.
"Absolutely not." Ranger said leaning on his desk, his fingers gripped on the edge just thinking about the danger she'd be in.
"You know Steph would agree to do it." Lester pushed.
"Agree to what?" Steph asked poking her head in through the open door.
"To go with on a take down tonight." Ranger told her, he gaze on Lester daring him to say something.
"A distraction?" She asked with a look that said she was already picking out an outfit.
"No. We're going to be short a person." Lester could see the wheels turning in Ranger's head as he struggled to come up with a reason. "Bobby and Lester would be partnered up and Tank would be keeping watch from the car. I'd be short a person."
"Why doesn't Tank have a partner?" Steph asked finding the only flaw in his plan.
"Tank can handle himself." Ranger told her, Lester shook his head that was definitely not the right answer.
"Can't you?" she asked confused, Lester had to keep himself from laughing.
"Of course Babe, but it still isn't wise to have your back open to attack. You always need someone watching your back no matter how good you are."
"And besides," Lester stepped in helping Ranger. "Tank is just sitting in car, if he gets in trouble all he had to do is pull away."
"I guess I can come then," Steph agreed, her forehead scrunched up, as if there reasoning still didn't make sense to her.
"Good, we'll have a meeting later, but we will meet back here at ten, we leave quarter after." Ranger said sparing a look at Lester to let him know to let the others in on the change of plans.
"Yes, sir." Steph said giving a little salute.
"Smart ass." Ranger commented, but she was already out of the office. Ranger then turned to Lester, "Nothing to her about working the street."
"Understood." Lester said and left the office, to go inform the others about the meeting.
Ranger sat down in his chair and rubbed a hand down over his face, and then he started to arrange the meeting and to coordinate the take down.
~ O ~
Steph unlocked her apartment door and immediately went to her closet to grab one of the Rangeman outfits that had accumulated in there. She threw it on the bed and quickly shed the similar outfit she had one, she didn't think Ranger would appreciate it if she went on a take down with a grease stain on the front of her shirt, from using it as a napkin during lunch.
She left the clothes piled on the floor and decided to take a quick shower. She dried off after her shower equally quickly, having not washed her hair she had little to do before stepping in to her clean outfit. The meeting had taken longer than it should of, otherwise she would have had plenty of time to wash and fix her hair, but it would have to be, because even her quick shower had her running behind.
She grabbed her jacket, throwing it on, remembering that she had to grab her gun. She stuck it into the inside pocket of the coat, and as an afterthought she grabbed her stun gun sticking into one of the many pockets of her cargos. She locked up her apartment and took the elevator down to the lobby and hustled over to her car. She gunned her way across town to make it back to Rangeman, making it there just at quarter after.
The guys were waiting for her in the garage when she pulled in, she parked her beat up jeep next to the row of shiny black SUVs.
"Just in time, beautiful." Lester grinned at her.
"Ready Babe?" Ranger asked her.
"Yep," she smiled. "Look." She said opening her jacket showing him she remembered her gun.
"Is it loaded?" Ranger asked pushing off his truck where he had been leaning while waiting for her to arrive.
Steph froze mid-turn as she was showing the rest of the guys that she was armed. "Ummm."
Ranger smiled. "Babe." He walked over to her and pulled her gun out and checked it. "One bullet." He shook his head. "Wouldn't help much, Babe."
Ranger motioned to the guys and they got into their cars, and then he led Steph over to his truck. She hopped in and he opened the glove compartment. He took out a box of bullets and handed them to her, "Load it."
Steph sighed but did it as Ranger climbed into the driver's seat. "Ready." Ranger said addressing the other vehicles, through the dashboard mic.
Each vehicle went off in a different direction, but they would all get in to positions around the warehouse within ten minutes of each other. All coming from different directions so as to cause any suspicion from any one that may be watching. Ranger was, as usual, silent on the ride, when they parked Ranger handed Steph a mic and ear piece.
Tank had been the first one to the warehouse, parking down the street were he could see the front of the building. Lester and Bobby got the back of the warehouse, as they were not sure where the deal was going down. Ranger and Steph had left the truck around the corner and were now watching from the alley that was directly in front of the dilapidated old warehouse.
"Two cars pulling up." Tank reported.
"We got a car parked around back." Bobby told them.
"Two in first and another in the second." Tank continued.
"We have one on the inside."' Lester reported in. "He's heading towards the front and out of our sight."
That's four Steph thought one for each of the guys and she could stand back and makes sure no one killed anyone.
"Got him, he's meeting them out front." Tank broke into her thought.
"We're coming around the side." Lester said.
"Stay there." Ranger told them. "We don't need you spooking them."
"Heading across the street…shit, they're heading your way boss."
"They got a whole warehouse to do this in and they got to come over here?" Steph questioned.
"Shit." Ranger echoed Tank's earlier sentiment.
"They stopped maybe five feet from the entrance to the alley." Tank informed them. Ranger pulled Steph back from the alley entrance so they were further down the alley hiding in the shadows. "They are in a shoving match. They are right in front of the alley now, looks like an argument."
Steph could hear pushing and the sounds of a scuffle.
"Where's the stuff?" One of the guys asked roughly.
"Got it hidden in a van on the other end of the alley." Steph heard the sound of a knife being drawn out.
"You better not be…" One of the guys started to threaten.
"Look man, I wasn't going to be keeping it near me." There was a grunt, and then the second guy spoke again. "Don't ever stick a knife in my face again."
Then they started walking towards them. They could either try to get to the other end of the alley first, which they would have to step out of their shadowed hiding spot or they could stay put. Steph's legs all of a sudden felt rubbery and heavy, there was no way she could out run them.
"Shit." She heard Ranger again. She was gong to die in an alley; her mother was going to kill her. If that was indeed possible. She could just imagine her mother's rant, 'Mary Kervit's daughter doesn't hang out in alleys with strange men.' Or her grandmother would ask some embarrassing sexual question… That of course gave Steph an idea.
She glanced at Ranger who looked prepared to fight them all off. "I have an idea." She whispered, leaning in close enough to speak directly into his ear, so no one else would hear her. Ranger raised an eyebrow, but Steph forged on not having enough time to give him an explanation. Steph took a deep breath and gave Ranger a push towards the brick building they were hiding against.
He didn't move.
"Ranger." She hissed as the guys came closer. Ranger leaned against the wall still looking worried, probably wondering how he was going to get any leverage to attack if he was leaning against a wall.
"Relax." Steph told him kneeling down in front of him.
"Jesus." Ranger groaned.
"Boss?" Tank questioned form the truck, watching Bobby and Lester sprint across the street, slowing at the entrance to the alley. Steph had her hands on his fly when the guys passed them, slowing up on their way by.
Ranger covered Steph's hands with his own. "I'm not paying for you guys to get off." Ranger said gruffly.
They shrugged but went on their way. Steph looked up at Ranger and smiled at him, and then she pressed her lips to his zipper, kissing him. Ranger gasped and would curse himself later for getting distracted.
Steph was yanked to her feet roughly, "You're both under arrest." Ranger stood there stunned, watching Lester and Bobby creep behind the cop to go after their skip.
Both of them were standing with their hands on the building being read their rights, when confirmation of the capture came through. "We got him, boss." Tank's voice came through their ear pieces.
"And I called Hunter he's already on his way to the station." Bobby told them referring to the Rangeman lawyer.
"We're on our way to drop the skip off, we'll meet you there," Lester said laughing.
Ranger and Steph were shoved in to the back of a police cruiser and were brought to the station for processing. To Steph it seemed that every cop she knew was on shift that night.
"Steph?" Eddie questioned, she could see Carl and Bing Dog laughing behind him. Eddie looked at Ranger behind Steph, they were both wearing identical black outfits, complete with hands cuffed behind their backs. Steph didn't look too bothered, but Ranger looked pissed. He was staring holes into the back of the cop's head that was escorting Steph.
Eddie was about to try and get an explanation but he could already hear Morelli freaking out behind him.
"What is going on?" Morelli asked coming up behind him.
"Got her on prostitution, got him on solicitation." The cop explained. "I was watching a house, 'bout three doors down and saw these two go into an alley. When they didn't come out right away I went to investigate."
The cop grinned waiting for a pat on the back, but when none was forthcoming, he continued. "She was just finishing up, when I got there."
Morelli threw a nasty look at Ranger, who was gave him a smile in return. Ranger couldn't help but feel the smug satisfaction at Morelli's anger.
"Mr. Manoso I got here as fast as I could." Hunter came walking up to them.
"Jesus Cupcake." Morelli said rubbing a hand down his face.
"It wasn't my fault." Steph stated.
Hunter got all up in the arresting cop's face using big legal terms.
"Not your fault? What you got bored on a 'stakeout?'" Morelli asked making air quotes with his fingers around the word stakeout.
"It was a stakeout." Steph told him and went to take a step closer to Morelli, but the cop pulled her back by her cuffed hands. "This is all just a misunderstanding, Joe."
Joe looked like he was going to blow.
"Got the receipt, boss. Montez is all wrapped up." Tank said right in their ears, even though he was standing on the other side of the station at the docket officer's desk. The guys grinned when they looked over at them and walked over to them.
"Or we will press charges." Hunter finished up. The cop looked from Eddie to Morelli.
"Let them go." Eddie told them taking his own key to unlock Steph from her cuffs.
"Thanks Eddie." Steph smiled at him. "Hunter." She nodded her thanks at the lawyer, who nodded back. Hunter then went in to some legal conversation with Ranger and the guys.
"You need a ride home?" Eddie asked her.
"No my car is at Rangeman." Steph turned towards Ranger who had finished his conversation with Hunter and was looking at her. He nodded his consent that he would drive her. Morelli turned bright red with his fists clenched, his knuckles white. Steph missed Morelli's reaction since she was looking at him, but Ranger caught it and smiled as he put an arm around Steph's shoulders and led her out.
"Pretty quick thinking beautiful." Lester told her a hug grin covering his face. "Maybe next time you could be my partner?"
Ranger was about to shoot that idea down right away, but Stephanie replied first.
"What about Bobby? He can't be by himself."
"He'd be with Ranger, beautiful. Don't worry we wouldn't want to leave anyone by themselves." Lester told her shooting a grin at Ranger.
"Lester," Steph said putting a hand on his arm "I don't think Montez and the guys would have bought Bobby going down on…"
"Bomber, don't even finish that sentence." Bobby stopped her.
Steph was still laughing as she and Ranger climbed into his truck.
The End
A/N: I have no idea what the real Rangeman lawyer's name is, or if it is even mentioned. If someone does know please let me know.