Not my characters, they belong to Janet Evanovich, but as long as Ranger can come out and play I can live with that.

I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter of this story. Many thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed. I hope to keep you entertained with chapter 2.

WARNING for language in this and future chapters because the Merry Men just can't seem to keep their mouths in check. Or, maybe it's me who can't keep her mouth in check. Either way.

The Right To Remain Silent

by

SueB

Chapter 2

I was running on nerves fueled by the unexpected activity going on outside the building and the questions about what the fuck Ranger thought he was doing. I was pacing the hall when the elevator doors opened and the man himself emerged. He was dressed for the board room, but his demeanor said 'mean streets'. Past couple months, since Steph moved in, he sometimes came down in the morning with the hint of a smile. Not this morning. This morning he was looking grim. No wonder. I figured the news I had for him wasn't going to make things better.

A hush fell across the Control Room as the men sensed the Boss's presence outside the door. Out of necessity I had briefed them with what little information I had. One or two of the bravest, or dumbest depending how you looked at it, stole a glance his way. They quickly directed their attention back to the monitors when they caught the danger glittering in his eyes.

He gave me a curt nod.

"Tank."

I nodded back.

"Rangeman. Thought you might be late."

"Not my style."

True.

"Steph all right?"

He threw me a look.

"Fine."

So, he didn't want to talk about it. I went on anyway.

"She comin' down?"

He inhaled. Looked at me. Exhaled.

"I asked her not to."

I could understand that.

His face altered the slightest bit, his expression one of resignation. "Doesn't mean she won't."

"No kidding," I agreed with a snort.

He was done with small talk.

"Everything set?"

"Not if you ask me."

"Explain."

"DA's office called. They want a change."

"What kind of change?"

"Want you to go out the front."

I waited for his reaction............and didn't get one. Like he wasn't too surprised.

"So the DA's grandstanding," was all he said. "Is there a crowd?"

"Crowd doesn't cover it. Horde is more like it. I blacked out the front door."

"How many men did they bring?"

"Six uniforms, couple detectives, three squad cars, a wagon. The DA himself is supposed to show. They think you won't cooperate?"

He raised an eyebrow that said if he decided not to cooperate, they would need more than six uniforms and a couple of detectives.

Ranger and I had been together a lot of years. Seen more than one dicey situation. Our personal radar always kept us alive. Usually it was on the same page.

"Rangeman, this doesn't feel right at all," I said. He liked to work in the shadows. I hit him with my best shot. "There's press. Print. Television. You'll be completely exposed. My opinion? You shouldn't do this."

He snapped, right in my face. "Didn't ask for your opinion, Tank. The DA may not be keeping his end of the bargain, but I'm keeping mine. That means I'm going out there, by myself, no lawyer, no posse. We clear?"

He fixed me with a cold hard stare -- waited for me to agree. And finally, I did, against my better judgment.

"Let's get this over with," he said. "You've talked to Vinnie?"

"He's going to meet me at the courthouse."

"You know where the checkbook is. The funds are liquid. I'm assuming Vinnie will take RangeMan's check."

"You are going to make bail? Right?" I asked.

"It's part of the deal," he replied.

"Yeah," I countered as we took the elevator to the lobby, "so was the garage."

*****

RangeMan employees rarely use the lobby; they make their way in and out of the building through the secure garage but, this morning several of the guys were there waiting for the Boss. If Ranger was surprised to see them, he didn't show it. He met every man's eyes and with a hand shake, a clap on the shoulder or a grasp of the wrist thanked him for his support.

Hal, Bobby, Lester, Cal, Junior. They all wanted to have Ranger's back as he walked out the door. He wasn't going to have it. I knew because for three days, ever since I'd found out he was turning himself in, I'd tried to get him to give the job to me. After making his way down the line of men, he gave another reason for going out the door alone.

"This is my responsibility. I don't want any of you, either as individuals or as RangeMan employees to be associated with this. Understood? Just keep doing your jobs."

Reluctantly, each man nodded his agreement.

Ranger had already turned and put his hand on the doorknob when I realized the elevator doors were opening again.

"Ranger!"

He froze. It was Steph. She stepped out of the elevator and Ranger slowly turned around his face still and blank.

She had obviously dressed quickly. Thrown on black spandex pants and a t-shirt -- Ranger's by the size of it. It hung nearly to her knees. She'd tied her hair back in a pony tail, but strands of curls were escaping everywhere. She wore running shoes and she closed the space between them quickly before any of us could stop her. In one motion she launched herself into his arms her momentum knocking him back against the door. Her arms went around his neck as she kissed him deep and hard. In a split second Ranger was kissing her back.

I looked over at the guys. Cal coughed and cleared his throat. Lester and Junior watched with open-mouthed envy. Bobby shuffled his feet and stared at the floor. Hal turned bright red. No one was sure what to do but, to a man, each knew he'd be willing to march into hell if he could have one kiss like that.

Suddenly Steph broke it off. She released her grip and stepped back by a breath. Ranger started to say something, but she stopped him laying her fingers on his lips. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Home for dinner."

She spun away and slipped into the elevator as the doors slid shut. Ranger turned back to the door, but not fast enough to hide the pure longing on his face. Composing himself, he said, "Let's do this."

And yanked the door open on the circus unfolding outside.

TBC