Notes & Disclaimers: Anything you recognize as familiar belongs to Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing her characters for fun and am not making anything from the story.
WARNING! This is rated M. It has major violence and angst in it. I am not a violent writer, but as JE has had Morelli become more and more demanding of Stephanie in recent books, I wanted to explore the story line of what would happen if he became an abuser. Please use your own discretion at reading because this story is not Morelli friendly. Major angst! Remember that this is fiction, so I have taken some creative liberties. Also, thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming because it inspires my inner creative muse!
Previously…
"Remember Cupcake. You're not gonna tell Ranger who did this, are you? "
I made no reply and Joe jerked my head even harder. "Answer me! Are you?"
I whimpered and shook my head no. I knew that he was right. If he had evidence against Ranger, I couldn't tell him about this. Ranger would kill Joe for what he had just done. I wanted to kill him for what he had done. But I couldn't let Ranger go to jail for me.
"Are we clear on this? He's gonna come find you, but you're gonna keep who did it to yourself, right?"
I nodded my head quickly. Joe kissed me once again, as if what had just took place was a normal occurrence, and he stood once more to button his pants. He tucked his shirt into his pants and I closed my eyes.
He laughed an evil laugh. "Go ahead and close your eyes Cupcake. But from now on, when you close your eyes, I'll be the one you see. Remember that I'm watching you. And I'm not above doing this again!"
I opened my eyes to see him unlocking the apartment door, and leaving. I listened as his footsteps fell on the hardwood flooring in the hall, and I could hear the elevator ding as it opened for him to get on it. I saw spots across my eyes and finally gave in to the pain that was searing through my body and passed out.
Ranger's POV:
As I pulled the cayenne into Steph's parking lot, I thought back over the last few hours. Tank and I had just finished up meeting with a prospective client. It was a big contract, and if we could negotiate the price to their liking, we would be on contract with them for at least 3 years. And they have other contacts in their industry that would likely need our services. Business has really been taking off for Rangeman lately. And since my government contract was mostly up, I have been able to be more involved in the business side of things. My life was finally settling into a cycle that kept me active enough with FTA's to keep it interesting and my skills up, and yet routine enough to finally allow Steph into my life.
Tonight she is going to be moving into our apartment. I smiled as I allowed myself to think of it as our apartment. There were already glimpses of her all over the apartment. Her clothing in the dressing room. Her shampoo in the shower. Pictures of us here and there. Before she came into my life, it was just a place to sleep. But now, it was a home. Although it is bigger than her apartment, I still wanted us to have a real home. A house somewhere away from the business side of Rangeman that we could go to on the weekends. But I didn't want to spring that on her yet. She had resisted moving in with me at first, saying she wanted to take things slow. I couldn't blame her. I had held her at arm's length for so long, that I wasn't sure she really believed that our relationship was real. But Dios! I am willing to spend the rest of my life convincing her if that's what it takes.
I couldn't believe the words actually came out of her mouth last night when I asked her to move in again. As I put the car in park and turned the ignition off, I couldn't believe my luck. Steph was actually going to be living in the apartment with me starting tonight. Finally, our life can officially begin.
I jogged up the steps to Steph's second floor apartment and went to knock at the door. Usually I just pick the lock, but I figured Steph was close by the door packing up her things. Hmmmm. That's odd. No answer. I tried the door knob and it was unlocked. My senses immediately went on high alert. Stephanie may protest at having to carry a gun occasionally, but she always locks her doors. Without exception. Something is definitely off here.
I pulled my gun out from the waist of my pants. I gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, with my gun drawn. I only heard silence and the faint hum of the refrigerator. I glanced around the apartment and saw all the boxes packed up and bubble wrap scattered on the floor. Maybe Steph had gone next door to borrow something like tape or old newspapers. I stepped into the doorway of the bedroom with my gun still drawn and my blood ran cold. Lying in front of me on the floor, handcuffed to the bed post, was Stephanie's half dressed body. She was lying on her stomach in a contorted position. All I could see from where I was standing was the back of her head, with her curls lying around her in a tangled mess. I quickly glanced around the room to make sure no one was there and ran to her side.
"Stephanie, Dios! Stephanie, what happened?"
She must have been passed out. Her mouth was taped with packaging tape and her eyes were closed as I gently rolled her on to her back. I felt for a pulse and found one, and her breathing was shallow. "Please Steph wake up. Talk to me Babe. Tell me what happened? Who did this?"
As she started to come around her eyes flew open and she started screaming and kicking at me. She still thought she was being attacked! Her cries were muffled by the tape, and I reached to pull it from her mouth. As I did she still had a look of terror and panic in her eyes. I reached to hold her still, which wasn't that hard considering she was still handcuffed to the bed.
"Steph….Babe! It's ok. It's me. It's Ranger….Carlos. I am here. I've got you. You're safe now. " I held her face towards me. "Look at me Steph. Look into my eyes. It's just me. You're safe now. I'm going to pick the lock on these cuffs and get you out of them, but you'll have to hold still ok?"
Realization finally set in and her screams quieted. She whimpered slightly as I moved her arms and it was then that I finally saw the extent of her injuries. My eyes couldn't believe the sight in front of me. Her wrists were bruised and bleeding from the cuffs. She had blue and purple bruising from handprints on her arms, wrists, hips and waist. There was deep bruising on her throat in the shape of a hand print as well. Her face was battered and bruised almost beyond recognition and one of her eyes was swollen shut. There was a long gash in her upper right temple that was still oozing blood. Her lip and nose had been bleeding, and the dried blood had dripped down her face and into her tangled mess of hair. Her legs were bruised, and her pants and underwear were in a crumpled pile behind her. There were some small spots of blood on the carpet underneath her hips and on her upper thighs. Her tank top was stretched over to the side, exposing part of her bra. I could see blood on it. I reached out to see the injury beneath it, and Stephanie jerked away. God! Who would do this to her? How did this happen?
I quickly unlocked the cuffs and removed them from her wrists. I gently laid her hands down to her side, and she made no effort to move. I gently put a finger to her cheek. "Stephanie, Babe. I need you to talk to me and tell me what happened? Who did this to you?"
She turned her head away and a single tear slid down her cheek. She blinked as it escaped her eye, and she tried to sit up. She gasped and let out a long hiss and grabbed her side. She needed medical attention. My anger was growing in me. I have never felt the cold type of anger that I was feeling now. Whoever the bastard was that did this was going to be dead. I was personally going to make sure of it. I tried to calm my thoughts and turn my attention to Babe. I couldn't react out of anger. I had to be gentle with her because she had obviously been through a traumatic ordeal. I didn't want to do anything to make her scared of me, even though I know she knows I would never harm her.
"Steph, honey, you've got to talk to me. We've got to get you to the hospital. Don't move, I'm going to call an ambulance."
"NO! Ranger you can't do that. Please!" Steph shouted at me. Her voice was hoarse and she was trembling. She continued to try to get up, and I reached out to help her to a sitting position. As I reached out to her, she jerked at first. I slowly stroked her bruised arm, and she relaxed slightly. I pulled her to me, and onto my lap. I sat at the foot of her bed, with my back propped up against the wrought iron footboard. I stroked her hair gently and held her. She was still trembling; the tears were flowing like a river now. She had her knees up to her chest and her feet over to the side on the floor. She seemed so small sitting like this. So vulnerable. Someone was going to pay dearly for what they had done to her.
"Stephanie, honey. It's ok. You know I would never hurt you. But someone obviously did. You've got to let me help you. You need to go to the hospital. Can you talk to me and tell me who did this?" I rubbed gentle soothing circles on her back as I waited for her to speak.
"I…..I don't….I don't know. Someone …broke in." She was crying harder now and she could barely breathe. Her words were coming in broken clips between sobs and gasps. "Please don't call the police Ranger….I …..don't want….everyone finding….out. I'll…be….ok, really. Just promise me…..you won't ….please don't….".
The more she tried to talk the harder she cried and her temple was bleeding in earnest now.
"Stephanie, honey, you need medical attention. Your head is bleeding pretty badly. I understand you not wanting anyone to know, but this wasn't your fault. We have to have your head stitched up. I'm going to call Bobby, ok? Can I have him come over and take a look at you? And then we'll talk about the rest. " I continued to rub her back while she seemed to sit and think about that.
I could barely make out her words as she continued to sob. "Bobby can come, but I don't want…." She hiccupped through a cry. "I don't want to go… to the hospital ….here in Trenton."
I wanted to get her help as quickly as possible. But I also knew her reasoning behind her request. The Burg grapevine would know as soon as she walked in the doors of the emergency room. Steph has been severely beaten, and God knows what else. It would be all over the neighborhood before she was released, regardless of what the confidentiality policy of the hospital was.
I pulled out my phone and hit speed dial for Bobby. He answered on the second ring.
"What's up Boss?"
I was still holding Steph. She was quietly crying and was holding on to me for dear life.
"Listen, I need you to get your medical bag and come to Steph's apartment now. Bring Tank with you and hurry. Don't tell anyone else where you are going. Just get here now. Also, have Tank bring an evidence kit and the digital camera. And the fingerprint kit. Get over here now."
"What's happened? Is Bombshell ok?"
"Listen Bobby. Just do as I asked and hurry." I hung up the phone and went back to holding Steph. Her crying had slowed down some but she was still shaking. I pulled the blanket from the bed behind me and wrapped it around her legs.
"Babe, Bobby and Tank will be here in a minute. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was packing boxes and the next thing I know someone broke in. They held me by my throat and beat me. I….I didn't know what to do, Ranger. I was so scared. I remember looking at the clock and it was just after 2pm. He hit me in the head with the cookie jar, and I fell trying to get away. He cuffed me to the bed….and then he…well, he….."
She stopped, slightly shaking her head. As if trying to clear her thoughts and erase what had just happened to her.
"Babe, it's ok. You're safe now. Did he force himself on you? Did he…" I struggled with the words. I already knew the answer. Her pants were off and she was bloody. I was going to make sure someone paid with their life for this horrible act. "Did he rape you?"
The tears began again, and Stephanie looked down, trying to hide her face from me. I lifted her chin so that her eyes were looking directly into mine. "Listen. You DID NOT deserve this. Whatever happened was not your fault. I will find the person and kill them myself. Nothing like this will ever happen again, ok Babe? Did he rape you? "
Her silence spoke volumes and my anger continued to boil inside. All of the special ops and missions I had been on had done nothing to prepare me for this. My blank face was not working and my emotions were at the surface. Finally, she nodded her head. "Yes. He… he….raped me over and over. While beating me. I think I might…. have blacked out…. after I hit my head….on the bed post. He turned me over and…raped me from…."
She couldn't bring herself to say the words. She buried her face in my neck, and held her tightly. I could only imagine what had happened during the past 4 hours. Steph was really good at denial, and I worried that if I didn't get information from her now, she would shut down her emotions later and it would be harder to get enough info to find this creep.
"Steph do you know who it was? Did you get a good look at him? Could you identify him?"
"No …. I don't know ….I couldn't see. He…he wore a mask."
Just then there was a knock at the door, and Stephanie jumped like she had been shot. I continued to rub her back and whispered to her. "Babe that's probably Bobby and Tank. I'm going to lay you back down on the blanket, and I'll be right back, ok?"
The look in her eyes looked frantic. She grabbed at my shirt and locked her arms around my waist. "No, Ranger! Don't leave. Please….what if it's him. What if he's coming….back again. Please don't leave me. "
"It's ok, Babe. I won't leave you. I promise I'm not going anywhere. You're safe. Do you understand? No one will ever harm you again. I promise you."
I pulled out my phone and hit redial. Bobby answered and I told him to come on inside. I pulled the blanket up around Steph, making sure she was covered, and heard the door open in the entry way.
"We're in the bedroom." I called out. I was ssshhhing her and whispering Spanish to her. That always seemed to calm her.
"Listen Babe. I'm going to help you up, and then we're going to help you over to the bed so Bobby can take a look, ok?"
Stephanie nodded and Bobby walked towards us, nervously glancing at me. His eyes met mine, and I looked towards Tank. I could see fury in their eyes like I was feeling in my soul. Bobby reached down to help Steph up and he startled her. She flinched, bringing her hand up to shield her face, and turned her face towards me while burying her face in my shirt. Bobby stepped back, unsure how to proceed. Tank ran his hand over his face and head and turned his back towards us.
"Babe, it's ok. Bobby and Tank are here to help you. They are our friends. No one is going to hurt you again. We're going to make sure of it. I'm going to help you up now, ok?"
Stephanie nodded and I slid her legs over my arm. I held her closely and raised up on one knee, and then up to a standing position, carrying her to the bed. I laid her down and pulled the blanket up around her. I stepped a couple of steps away from the bed and talked low enough to be heard by Bobby and Tank. "I found her here cuffed to the bed. She's been beaten and ….", it took all of my willpower to not fly off and break something right now. I clinched my fists to my side and continued. "She's been raped. She doesn't want to go to the hospital because of the rumor mills. But she's obviously got to have some medical attention. The cut on her head is pretty bad. There was blood on the carpet under her hips, so I feel sure that's she's bleeding. She's shaken up and very nervous. Bobby I need you to look at her injuries and advise me of what to do next. She made me promise not to call the police in right now. You know the police department is worse than the Burg. Tank I want you to start dusting for prints and get some pics of the apartment. I'll take the pictures of Stephanie that we'll need when Bobby is done. I want us to have proof for when we find this bastard. But I'm thinking we won't need it since I'm going to kill him myself."
Bobby nodded. "Boss I can look her over for injuries, but she really needs a rape kit done on her, and I'm not sure she'd be comfortable with me doing that. I have a friend that works at the women's clinic in Newark. She owes me a favor. I can call her and ask her to meet us at Haywood and we can use the exam room in my apartment. With her being a female, Steph may….well she may be more comfortable with her doing the exam."
I nodded and looked over to Steph. She was curled up in a ball on her side, and looked so fragile. Bobby made his way over to Steph and squatted down beside the bed. Tank had stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed.
"Stephanie, I'm here. It's Bobby. Is it ok if I look at your injuries? I am here to help you."
Steph turned to look at me, and I spoke up. "Babe, I can step outside if you'd like. Whatever you're most comfortable with…"
"Ranger you promised not to leave me. I'm scared and…..you promised."
I went to sit beside her on the bed, taking her hand into mine and kissing her fingers. "I'm not going anywhere that you don't want me to go Quierda. It's ok. Can Bobby take a look?"
She turned on her back and nodded, holding on to my hand tightly. Bobby pulled the blanket down and inhaled deeply as he did. He took a moment to gather himself. I looked at her waist and hips, now uncovered and bare, and saw that the bruising was getting darker than it was when I first found her. He pressed lightly on her stomach and she hissed.
"Does that hurt Steph?"
"Yeah, it does. A little."
Bobby continued to check her out, noticing the blood on her tank top. He lifted it and we both saw perfect teeth marks on her neck in two places. There was also a bite on her right breast, that had now stopped bleeding, but must have been the cause of the blood on her shirt. We gently rolled her to her side, to see the bruising on her back and found another bite mark on her shoulder area. We helped her back to on to her back, and Bobby proceeded to check her face. One eye was completely swollen shut, her lips were swollen and bruised, and busted in a couple of places. Her temple was still oozing blood. "The cut on your head will have to be stitched up, Steph. I can do it here, but you also need a rape kit done. With all of these bite marks, there's probably some DNA we could find. I have a friend that owes me a favor. She's a female nurse practitioner that works in Newark. I can call her and see if she'll meet us at my apartment. That way, no one would know, and you might be more comfortable…."
Stephanie glanced up towards me. "He …the guy who did this…I think he used a condom. He took it with him, so there's probably no need to do a kit."
I held her face in my hands. "Steph, semen isn't the only thing that holds DNA. We can probably get some swabs from the bite marks. We're gonna make this guy pay dearly for what he's done to you."
She seemed deep in thought, as if waging some sort of internal battle. "Babe, it's up to you. Bobby can do it. Or we can call his friend. I want you to be comfortable.
"Carlos, I just …I just want it all to be over with. I want to get out of here. I…well, I want to leave the apartment. I don't want to ever come back here. Please take me home. I just want to go home to seven. To our home."
I pulled the covers up over her, and kissed her forehead. Bobby and I stood, and I motioned him towards the door.
"Go ahead and call your friend and ask her to meet us in your apartment as soon as possible. I'll gather up her things she'll need tonight and bring her there shortly. When we leave, have Tank come in and process the bedroom. I want it gone through thoroughly."
"Will do Boss. How did something like this happen? Why would someone do this to Steph?"
"I don't know. But I plan on finding out and killing him with my bare hands. "
"Ranger, don't let her shower before she's fully examined. We really need to get some pics but let's wait and let my friend do it. Steph might be more comfortable with that. She can do it while she's examining her. I'll go ahead and stitch up her head. I know she probably wants nothing more than to scrub away all the evidence of what's happened, but don't let her shower yet. We've already disturbed the scene enough. She needs to wear exactly what she has on. Have her put the pants back on that she had on. And Tank and I will box up the evidence from this room. Have her leave the blanket on the bed, in case there are any fibers on it we can pick up from the guy.
I nodded, trying to grasp all the information. Bobby pulled his phone out and started dialing. I walked back over to Steph, gently rubbing her cheek. The tears had stopped now, and she was staring off into space. She must be in shock. Bobby stepped over after calling the nurse practitioner.
"She'll meet us at Haywood in an hour. Steph, I'm going to stitch up your head now, ok?"
Stephanie nodded, but didn't turn towards him. Bobby opened his medical bag, and pulled out some supplies.
"You'll feel a little stick, while I inject the numbing medicine into the skin. Ready Bombshell?"
Stephanie made no effort to move or nod. She just laid there, holding my hand as I gently rubbed her jaw line. I nodded for Bobby to go ahead, and when he stuck her with the needle, she didn't even flinch.
Bobby made quick work of sewing up her temple, and he had it bandaged within a few minutes.
"I'll step into the living room so you can get her ready to head out."
I stood from where I was kneeling beside the bed, and turned Steph's face towards me. "Stephanie, honey, I am going to help you up. Let's put your clothes on and I'll take you to Haywood, ok?"
She nodded and I helped her up and to a sitting position. She grimaced and held her arm to her side and stomach, as if guarding it from the internal pain. I helped her to stand. I could tell from her wary movements that she was in pain, and she grimaced with each step she took. I picked up her pants and underwear from the floor and helped her put them on. The button was gone from her jeans, but I zipped them up.
"Ranger, I want a shower. But not here. I….can't stay here. Not anymore. Not for another minute."
"Babe, we'll get you a shower later. I promise. But for now, it's going to have to wait. Bobby's friend is going to meet us at his apartment, and we'll finish up the exam. We have to make sure you are going to be ok. Does that sound ok?"
She nodded, looking like she was getting weaker by the moment. I slipped her feet into some flip flops that were lying on the floor near her bedroom door. She looked as if she would collapse any minute. I gathered her up into my arms, and she sunk into me.
I opened the bedroom door to find Tank and Bobby standing in the kitchen. Bobby opened the front door for me, while Tank picked up his equipment and moved to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Bobby walked to the elevator with me, and hit the button. Thankfully, none of the tenants in the building were out and about at this time of day, and I carried her to my car without prying eyes. Bobby pushed the seat back as far as it would go and I laid her gently in the passenger seat, and buckled her in. Bobby shut the door and I walked to the back of the vehicle.
"I'll follow you there, Boss. I'll call and have Lester come help Tank finish the apartment and give him a ride back to Rangeman, if that's ok. Stephanie probably has a concussion as well, so if she dozes off to sleep, make sure you wake her every little bit. "
I nodded my approval and understanding, and went to get into the driver's side of the Cayenne. I was thankful for such great employees that were also wonderful friends. My anger was still at the surface, and if I could find the bastard that did this, he'd be dead already. As I slid into the car, I noticed Stephanie was looking out the window. Her face was expressionless as she stared ahead. She was the most important thing in the world to me, and right now that was all that mattered. I swore I would find who did this to her, and make them pay dearly.
As I started the car up, and backed out of the lot Steph turned to me.
"I'm sorry Ranger. I'm sorry that this happened. Tonight was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be the start of forever."
"Babe, we already have forever. Do not for a minute think that this was your fault. You're not getting rid of me ever. You got that? You're stuck with me, and I'm here for you. You are going to get through this, and we'll catch whoever did this. I promise you that. I love you Stephanie Michelle Plum. Nothing will ever change that. Do you understand?"
Stephanie took my hand as tears escaped her eyes. "You mean you're not angry with me? About this happening?"
"God yes! I am angry. I am angry as hell that this happened, that you were violated in such a terrible way, and that the sorry bastard is out there somewhere. But there is no way in hell that I'm angry with you Babe! I love you. And I am promising you here and now I will catch this guy. Trust me ok?"
Stephanie nodded and fell silent. As I drove towards Rangeman, my knuckles were white from gripping the wheel. I meant what I had promised Stephanie. I was going to find this guy. And that would be the last that would ever be seen of him.
