Author's Note: Thanks to parisnight for the awesome review and the inspiration for some of this chapter and the following chapters!
I also forgot to thank the wonderful Harmne who's story inspired me to write this story. Check out Normal Time, the inspiration.
Not mine…sad.
Warning: smut ahead...first time, so go easy...
Chapter 3: Distracted
I was determined now more than ever to disappear. Who knew that my bad luck would actually work to my advantage? Now that the cell phone that I had could be traced, I knew that it had to be deactivated. The best way to do that was to accidentally throw it out the window and a passing semi just happened to run it over. I think it was a freak accident.
Continuing on my way, I kept all thoughts of Trenton out of my head. It was no good to focus on the past. I needed to look ahead to my future.
Ranger's POV
I didn't want to feel. I kept hitting. Focus on the task at hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tank enter the gym. He stopped barely inside the door. Everyone was afraid to come within five feet of me anymore, in case I blow.
"Report in five," I said.
Lester, Bobby and Tank were all sitting around the table when I got there. Lester started.
"Stephanie Plum, age 32, height…"
"We already know this, Santos." I cut him off.
"I know."
I stared at him. He moved on. "She traded in her car for an old clunker. I talked to the sales guy…"
"I talked to the sales guy. He doesn't remember the car, but he remembers Stephanie." Bobby interjected.
"Will everyone just stop interrupting me?" When we were all silent, he continued. "But he told me that the asking price was lower than her car, so she got a nice chunk of change."
"She also withdrew some money from her account the day she left in a bank just outside of Newark. We believe that she has about seventy –five hundred dollars. All of her credit cards were paid off and canceled, but I'll keep an eye on them in case she applies for another." Bobby ended.
"We traced the call from Lula's phone to about three miles outside of Wichita Kansas. It was moving west for about five miles and then it stopped transmitting. Either her luck had its way with it or it's turned off."
I thought about that and smiled to myself. Most likely it was run over or something.
"What do you want to do, boss?"
"Wait," Tank opened his mouth. "She could be anywhere. We need for her to make another phone call or withdraw money from her account. That will give us a starting area. She's probably going to switch directions."
Lester and Bobby left the conference room. Tank stayed seated.
"What are you my mother now? Making sure I don't do anything drastic?"
"The guys are worried."
"I'm handling it."
"Spending half of the day in the gym punching a bag isn't 'handling it'. Are we ever going to talk about that letter?"
"She told me she was leaving and not to follow her. That's it."
"Why did you really go see Steph the night before she left?"
This was the question that I was dreading. And the one I couldn't answer. I honestly didn't know what made me go to Morelli's house that night. "This conversation is over." I got up from the chair and moved towards the door.
"Don't shut down, Carlos." I stopped, and then continued out of the door. It was better to stay numb.
I went back into my office and pulled out the letter. It was getting worn from all the times I had taken it out and read it, fifteen to be exact. Well, now it was sixteen. I read every word looking for any hidden message telling me where she was, where she was going. I read and reread the part where she told me she loved me until I became numb once again.
Stephanie's POV
It was such a nice day; I decided to have lunch in the park. Taking my McDonald's, smiling when I heard Ranger's voice in my head telling me that this stuff would kill me, I found a nice bench towards the playground.
I watched all the children play and it made me want to have one. I know, it was a weird time for the biological clock to kick in, but hey, whatever. I just go with it. I sat there, imagining a little boy on the swings, his hair whipping in the wind, his eyes selling on mine. Brown, like his father, and it matched his skin color, which was only a few shades lighter.
Whoa.
Joe always wanted a family, but I was scared as hell. But thinking about having Ranger's children…That was a whole different story. I felt…whole when I thought about being pregnant and getting huge with his child. I wanted to see him hold our son or daughter, the way he never got to with Julie. But I needed to get a hold of myself. Ranger wouldn't want kids with me. I don't even call him by his real name for God's sake. How could I have a child with him when I don't even do that?
I fell into a fitful sleep that night.
The alarm woke me. Huh, I don't remember setting the alarm.
"Babe," Ranger said, husky from sleep. He started kissing my bare shoulder, "time to get up."
I groaned. It was early. "Five more minutes," I pleaded, rolling into his shoulder. He smelled of Bulgari and Ranger. I started kissing his uncovered chest.
He chuckled, "playing with fire. Come on, we have a big meeting in twenty minutes." I continued to kiss and then added nibbling. He groaned and rolled on top of me. "I'll push it back an hour."
"Good idea," I wolf grinned at him.
And then I was in the park that I had eaten my lunch. I was drawn to the swings. There was a small child swinging and pumping his legs. I moved closer and he turned his piercing stare at me. Ranger's eyes were staring at me. He jumped out of the swing and ran towards me.
"Mommy, mommy!" He yelled, holding his arms wide for me. I swooped him into my arms. He smelled of Bulgari. I hugged him closer to me.
Her scent was all around me; her cries for release were getting more and more impatient.
"Ranger, please, I need you inside of me."
I cradled her face in my hands and moved slowly into her. She moaned and arched into me. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. I had been with other women, but I didn't know it could be this good. Feeling her, so wet and tight, was the best feeling in the world. I could feel her pulsing around me, trying to find some kind of release. She gasped impatiently when I didn't move. I pulled out, and then slammed back into her, making her scream. I kept the slow pace until I couldn't take it anymore. I began driving myself in and out of her faster and faster and she arched closer, trying to take me even deeper into her. I pushed my hand between us and found her clit and began stroking it at the same tempo I was slamming into her. I could feel her on the edge, and then she toppled over, screaming my name. It was exquisite to feel her walls clenching and pulsing around me. I slammed a few more times, feeling my release and renewing hers.
I rolled onto my back and pulled her close to me. I kissed her damp curls. "Sleep, Babe," I said.
I woke up and found me alone, sheets in their place and me with the biggest hard on in my life. After a long cold shower and ten miles, I finally made it back to bed.
I woke up in a frenzy of feelings; happiness, sadness and a surge of crazy hormones. I knew I wasn't going to sleep the rest of the night. I picked up the phone. It rang a few times.
"If you try any funny business, I'll hang up."
Author's Note: I know! Who's she calling? (okay so we all know who she's calling, but hey, its still a good place to cliff hang...) I'm scribbling the next chapter as fast as I can! Keep reading and reviewing!
